Disasters, Wrath and Mercy

Writing on tsunamis and other similar catastrophes, John Piper has written, '[t]he point of every deadly calamity is this: Repent. Let our hearts be broken that God means so little to us. Grieve that he is a whipping boy to be blamed for pain, but not praised for pleasure. Lament that he makes headlines only when man mocks his power, but no headlines for ten thousand days of wrath withheld. Let us rend our hearts that we love life more than we love Jesus Christ. Let us cast ourselves on the mercy of our Maker. He offers it through the death and resurrection of his Son.

This is the point of all pleasure and all pain. Pleasure says: “God is like this, only better; don’t make an idol out of me. I only point to him.” Pain says: “What sin deserves is like this, only worse; don’t take offense [sic] at me. I am a merciful warning.” ' 

Piper correctly summarises accurately one of the emphases of the Holy Scriptures about disasters. When Jesus was told about Jewish zealots who were killed by Romans for their insurgency He added the example of the tower of Siloam falling and killing some people saying that these examples of disasters called His hearers away from passing judgement as to the righteousness or otherwise of those that had died. Rather, these happenings called them to repent: "Unless you repent, you will likewise perish" (Luke 13:4).

Christian Incognito

Recently, I found myself in a situation where unsavoury things were being said in a semi-public group. I felt trapped as a Christian. I knew that I didn't want to be identified with what was happening but also was embarrassed about lacking the know-how to dissociate from the comments.

Church reminded me of this situation when the preacher spoke about Jesus' wish to remain incognito at times. The priest contrasted that with our wish sometimes to be incognito when we should be taking more affirmative stand for the gospel and its implications. Although the priest's comment wasn't germane to the bible passage, it was germane to my situation and I felt appropriately chastened by it.

It's good when one can go to church and have one's sin brought to one's attention knowing that the rebuke of the Lord is always designed to be merciful!!

God's Good Gift

What view do the Scriptures take of the everyday things of life? Sunday's readings (30th Sunday after Pentecost, an ordinary* Sunday) give an answer to that question: Song of Songs (2:8-13, intimate love), Psalm (45, marriage), James (1:17-27, God's good gifts) and Mark 7:1-8;14-23 (all foods are clean). Each of these passages either declares a particular thing good (Song of Songs, Psalm) or generalises about the goodness of creation's gifts (James and Mark).

However, Song of Songs and the Psalm go further. Both are passages have more than one apparent level of meaning.

If we examine Psalm 45 at first glance the psalm is a song about the King's marriage to his Queen. But the New Testament in Hebrews 1 takes the words of Psalm 45:6-7 and applies them to Jesus. So this Psalm is a Messianic Psalm. One writer has made the excellent point that all the kings were "messiahs". They were all anointed to rule for God, which is the essence of what Messiahship is. In any case, Psalm 45, since the advent of Christ into the world, has now taken on a completely new meaning, a meaning found only in Jesus the Anointed One.

The Song of Songs passage also has two meanings because at one level it celebrates committed young love but at another, the OT saints and the church have always extended its meaning beyond human love to that of the love between God and humankind. However, I rather incline to the view of James Hamilton who argued that all the OT is pervaded by a messianic motif and that Song of Songs is the music of that motif.

So while the good gifts of creation abound for the enjoyment of humankind, they are also gifts that cannot be divorced from the Giver, Who has given us His greatest gift, Messiah Himself.

*Note: Ordinary Sundays are not "ordinary" as opposed to special or extraordinary ones but Sundays in terms of their order, 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. See here.