The Greatest Commandment--by Linden Malki

It is only when we truly love God that we can truly love anybody.  Jesus was quoting the Torah--already 1500 years old--when He said the greatest Commandment is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength", and its corollary "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." A quick reminder is to see the word "Joy" as an acrostic of Jesus, Others, and then You. If we get these out of order, our world doesn't work the way it was created to be. Putting either other human beings or ourselves ahead of God not only doesn't let us tap into the power of God, but can easily become a trap and idolatry. No human being--any of us or anyone else, is up to God's fighting weight--and the "other team" knows it. 

A recent book * describes five ways that people act within a relationship.  The actual mix is different with different individuals, but each one of them plays a role in the relationship, positively or negatively, and if the mix is too divergent between those in a relationship, it can cause major misunderstandings.  In thinking about Dougie's message on Sunday and the discussion questions for the week, I realized that these also apply to our relationship with God, which reflects back on our human relationships.  Let's look at them:

Words:  What we say and how we say it can express love or its lack. An old proverb says that "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." This is so not true! Words can lift us up, or create deep hurts that will stay with us until we deliberately forgive, if ever.  It is important that we share the words each week that the Spirit lays on our hearts and minds.  St John wrote that "In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Do we respect God's Word? 

Deeds: Do we do what God wants, or what we want, or what we think someone else ought to want?

Time: How do we use our time?

Gifts: How generous are we? Do we value God's gifts to us? Do we use gifts to please ourselves, God, or others?

Touch: Do we connect with God and others, or are we totally wrapped up in ourselves? Do we truly connect with God and others, or does our own gratification come first?

Look at these components of a relationship in the terms of the Great Commandment: Where is our heart? Do we feed our soul with God's Word? Do our actions live up to what we claim to believe about God and each other? What do we put in our mind? Do we apply our intelligence to the situation at hand, and think about what we say and do before we do them? Do we put forth an appropriate amount of effort in our relationships with God and others, or are we compulsive on one hand or lazy on the other? Where do we look for strength--or own efforts, other people, or God?  We can be lazy and dependent; aggressive and arrogant; or humble and cooperative--do we ask God to teach us how to make choices in our lives?  

*The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman

Egypt: Frenemy of God's People--by Linden Malki

In Biblical history, Egypt was both refuge and trap--often at the same time.                         
  Abram was willing to listen when God told him to go to Canaan, but seems to have decided all by himself to go to Egypt during a famine. It seemed like a no-brainer..and it's not easy to really believe God can take care of you better than you can.  I have learned is that God doesn't prevent all the possible disasters that might happen to you, but He does get you through it.  One thing that did come out of this soap opera situation was that we read that Pharoah gave them, among other things, "male and female servants".  There is an Islamic tradition that Hagar was a king's daughter and  was originally intended as a wife for Abram before he admitted to being married.  That whole triangular situation was probably more complex than it appears. 

On the other hand, God did set the situation that got Joseph and then his family to Egypt--and then eventually out.  Egypt was actively trading and politicking in that whole area, and by the time of the Assyrian expansion in the 7th Century BC there was a Jewish community on Elephantine Island in the Nile near Aswan, complete with military outpost and operating Temple, the only other temple to perform sacrifices.  Archeological research has shown remnants of pagan practices there as well-which illustrates one of the problems--Egypt was both powerful and pagan.  We find in Isaiah 30 and 31, written when the Assyrians were besieging Jerusalem: "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots, and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or seek help from the Lord.  ..But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall, all will perish together." 

A generation later,  King Josiah of Judah marched into battle between Egypt and the waning remnants of Assyria, despite messages from Necho, the king of Egypt, that God had told him that Josiah should stay out of the way.  Josiah (who was one of the "good kings" of Judah) went out to battle anyway and was killed.  At the time of the Babylonian conquest in 586BC,  Jeremiah was told that the people who were not taken to Babylon should stay in Judah, work the land and God would take care of them and they could rebuild.  (Jeremiah 42-44). However, the people didn't listen, led everyone to Egypt, by force if necessary, and continued the idol worhip that had gotten them into trouble back home. 

During the period of Alexander the Great and his successors, a large community of Jewish refugees and captives from Ptolemy's capture of Judea grew up in Egypt,  mostly in Alexandria. This became a very Hellenized, Greek-speaking culture, and it was in Alexandria that the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into the Greek version that is quoted in the New Testament.  It is not surprising that when Joseph was warned that Herod was looking to kill the baby Jesus that Egypt was their refuge. It is possible that they had relatives or connections there. Alexandria also had one of the first major Christian churches, founded by St Mark.  The Egyptian church became a large and vibrant community, but after the Muslim conquest of the 7th century, political and economic pressures made it a  minority by the 12th century. The Coptic Orthodox church in Egypt today lives under under pressure and persecution by the Muslim majority, has seen major emigration, and is now estimated at about 10% of the population. What had been a major Jewish subculture in Egypt was pretty well pushed out in this century, and is now estimated at less than 40, mostly elderly women.

Egypt and Israel's current uneasy coexistance is just the latest chapter in a long and entangled history.  There have been times that God used Egypt for His people's good, and many times Egypt was the exemplar of where people who should have known better turned their backs on God's words and thought they could solve their own problems.  It is today a place on the front lines of struggles between people who all claim to worship the same God.

We've Been Redeemed!--by Linden Malki

The story of God's people is a story of redemption. We constantly find ourselves in bad circumstances; not necessarily  material poverty but often spiritual poverty. Noah lived among evil people, and by following God's instructions, was saved. Abram lived in a pagan culture, and knew that there had to be a better God.  God found him, and began a plan that developed over thousands of years.  Joseph was saved from slavery and imprisonment, and in turn saved his family--in spite of their having almost killed him. God redeemed their descendants through Moses--and a tough trip to a promised land.  We see Rahab and Ruth, natives of wicked and idolatrous cultures, recognizing God, being redeemed because of their recognition and commitment to God's people, and being adopted into the bloodline of the Messiah.

 We see repeated stories of His people getting off track.  We see them rescued from their aggressive pagan neighbors time and time again. We see the southern kingdom of Judah being saved from the Assyrians, and even though conquered by Babylon, redeemed under the Persians. In Persia, we see Esther redeem her people from the evil plotting of Haman. In other Jewish records, we see God using the Maccabees to rescue His people from the attempts to force them into idolatry. We see them waiting for redemption from the Romans--not realizing that God was less concerned about politics than hearts. We see Jesus reaching out to people,  offering each one of us redemption from the sin and cares of our lives.

The concept of "redemption" involves something that is owned or owed.  Leviticus 25 tells the people that even though God led them to a promised land, they do not own it: it is God's. They can use it, but not sell it--all they can sell is the use, like the ground leases that some Native Americans offer on their tribal lands. His people could not be made slaves; they could be servants but there was always a right of redemption.

God owns us--when we recognize this, He will redeem us and adopt us into the family we were created for. We tend to put ourselves and each other into cages we cannot find our way out of--but He can open them up and bring us out into His freedom.  However, one of the saddest stories in the Exodus is when the Israelites who had been raised in slavery looked back and yearned for the security of captivity.  The freedom of the desert was harsh! They were like a caged animal who is afraid of the outside, and paces back and forth inside an open gate.  Captivity is mental, as well as physical, and not always recognized.  But the freedom God offers is not anarchy,  the other extreme, but freedom within His safe boundaries. 

Black Sheep--by Linden Malki

We've been looking  at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as a family blessed by God.  However, in addition to this family line, there were black sheep in Abraham's family flock.

Lot, the son of Abram/Abraham's brother, came to the land that became Israel with Abraham, and lived with the family for some years. However,  we notice that when it came time for Lot to go out on his own, he chose the ungodly city of Sodom to settle in and raise his daughters. When Sodom was destroyed by the righteous judgment of God, instead of moving back to Abraham's territory, he and his daughters fled in the opposite direction.  Then the daughters took their fate in their own hands (where else have we seen this happening?) and had sons through their father--sons who became the ancestors of the East Bank tribes of Moab and Ammon.  The sons then married into the local Canaanite culture, and took on their bloody "gods" Chemosh and Molech. (1)

When the Israelites were migrating back from Egypt coming north on the east side of the Dead Sea, they asked permission of the Kings of Moab and Ammon to travel through their territory peacefully. Both kings refused, but  King Balak of Moab did more. First, he hired Balaam the prophet to curse the Israelites (which God prevented him from doing), but Balaam also suggested to  Balak that if the Israelites were to be seduced by Moabite women and participate in their pagan fun and games, God would withdraw His protection. (2)

 

As a result, Moses excluded the Israelites from associating with the Moabites. (3) However, God is also a God of mercy.  Who has the authority to pardon?  The one who has the responsibility of enforcing a rule--usually a judge or king/president/governor--or the injured party.  God is both, here--the Moabites were  guilty of not only inhospitality but actively working to destroy Israel and offend God. 

In the beautiful promises of Ruth 1:16-17,  a young Moabite widow not only pledges loyalty to her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi, but to Naomi's God.  God made an appropriate exception to His judgment on Moab, and not only blessed Ruth herself, but through her, Naomi, Boaz, the tribe of Judah, and all mankind, through Ruth's great-grandson, King David. 

God is the ultimate Authority, the One who lays down the principles that make His Kingdom righteous.  But He is also he One with the power to forgive when appropriate, which makes His Kingdom work.  Both sides of this coin are necessary, and both are in His hands.

1) Genesis 19

2) Numbers 22-24;  25:1-5, 31:16

3) Deuteronomy 23:3-8

Jacob's Legacy--by Linden Malki

Jacob's family moved to Egypt as seventy people, and came back as a federation of 12 tribes, over 600,000 men plus their families. (Actually, there were 13 tribal groups, as Joseph's two sons became the separate "half-tribes" of Ephraim and Manasseh, who settled on opposite sides of the Jordan River; but as the tribe of Levi did not have its own territory, they were 12 distinct geographical areas.)

As they conquered the land promised to their ancestor Abraham, they became three groups: two west of the Jordan, and one to the east. The tribes of Reuben; part of Manasseh; and Gad settled in the area known as Gilead, now part of the Kingdom of Jordan, east and south of the Sea of Galilee. They became less politically part of the West Bank tribal federations, and were overrun and taken into exile by the Assyrians as they expanded into the area in the 700's BC. This area became the Greek-speaking area of the Decapolis by New Testament times, but it is interesting that one of those Greek city-states was was named Gadara, the location of a herd of pigs going over the cliff. (Mark 5).

The West Bank tribes became two kingdoms. Judah was the family of the royal line of David. His name survives as "Jew", strictly speaking, referring to the people of the southern kingdom. Their territory was also the home of Simeon in the south and Benjamin along their northern border. It is interesting that in two places, the apostle Paul refers to himself not as a Jew, but a "Hebrew, of the tribe of Benjamin"; and that his Hebrew name is Saul, the same as the most famous Benjaminite, King Saul, the first king of the 12 tribes. The Kingdom of Judah (later Judea) remained more or less in a relationship with God, and while not all the kings were godly rulers, the tradition and the tribes survived the Assyrian attempt at conquest, the Babylonians, the Syrians, the Romans, centuries of dispersion, and now has regained a national home.

We find mention of Issachar and Zebulon fighting with Deborah against the Canaanites under Sisera. Later, the northern tribes rejected Solomon's son Rehoboam, and Jeroboam from Ephraim became the king of the tribes of the north; in fact, "Ephraim" was often used as a general term for the northern tribes. Jeroboam set up pagan idols in the north to give the northern tribespeople an alternative to Jerusalem (the capitol of the south) as a worship center. In a long and chaotic list of the Kings of Israel, as the northern federation became known, there was not one God-fearing ruler. They were conquered by the Assyrians and many of them deported to other parts of the Assyrian Empire, and lost their Israelite identities. Many of them fled to the south, but still retained their tribal roots--in Luke 2, the prophetess Anna that blessed Jesus as a baby is described as being from Asher.

Levi was the tribe of Moses and Aaron, and when Moses came down from Mount Sinai the first time to find the people having a wild and riotous party involving a golden calf, he called on his tribespeople to stop it and bring order. They were then "set apart to the Lord" and became the priests and servants of the Temple. They were given cities scattered throughout the country, but no separate territory of their own.

It is amazing that these tribal identities have survived over the centuries; there are still some Jews today who have ancient geneological records. One American author from a Russian Jewish family has said that although he personally was no longer observant he was often asked to participate in Jewish events because he had the geneologies to prove his heritage. Are we passing down a knowledge of God as our heritage?

LEAH: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon
ZILPAH (Leah's maidservant): Gad, Asher
RACHEL: Joseph: Manasseh, Ephraim; Benjamin
BILHAH (Rachel's maidservant): Dan, Naphthali

　

Truth and Consequences--by Linden Malki

"What is truth?"(1)  was Pontius Pilate's question for the man standing before him on the day that the world changed.  Jesus had already answered that question: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." (2) This statement is the key to one of the most misunderstood and misused things Jesus said:  "If you follow my teaching, you are truly my disciples. Then  you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (3)
(1) John 18:38  (2)John 14:6 (3) John 8:31-32

If Truth is the key to freedom,  then untruth leads to un-freedom.  Adam and Eve learned this the hard way.  The underlying  weapon behind everything that Satan does is Untruth. When we know that God is Real; that Reality is God's Creation, then everything else is unreal, untrue, and a bad foundation for our lives.

This does not mean that God cannot use trouble.  Sometimes  Satan's knife in the back is used by God as surgery to heal and shape His people.  Jacob's lie to Isaac was what pushed him where God needed him next.  The lie that put Joseph in jail put Joseph in contact with Pharoah, where Joseph's wisdom became the saving of Egypt, and of Joseph's own family.  Absalom's lies about his father David were his own undoing, and the reorganization of David's kingdom.  Lies against St Paul in Jerusalem ultimately led him to Rome. 

This week we remember a remarkable man of God who changed the spiritual destiny of a nation. But even St Patrick had to deal with lies and accusations. One of the only three writings of St Patrick that have survived is his "Confessions", in which he deals with accusations that he was taking financial advantage of his flock: "But in the hope of eternity, I safeguarded myself carefully in all things, so that they might not cheat me of my office of service on any pretext of dishonesty, and so that I should not in the smallest way provide any occasion for defamation or disparagement on the part of unbelievers."  Patrick understood the Truth: look at a key passage from

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
his most famous prayer:
(Translation by Cecil Alexander, Dublin, 1889)

Potential in the Pit--by Linden Malki

We--God's masterpieces--have been created with amazing potentials!  We consider ourselves fortunate when everything goes well, and life is easy.  But just as our bodies get flabby and weak when not physically challenged, too many  "good things" are not always good for us . 

This week, we are looking at Joseph.  He had the good life. He was the favorite son of a loving and prosperous father. He didn't have this because of his own accomplishments.  The coattails he was riding on--literally in this case--came from being the son of his father's first love and favorite wife.

God had given him dreams--which sounded like good news, but the first thing Joseph did was perhaps the last thing he should have done.  The tradition we have doesn't say if he was naive, or bratty, or what possessed him to do what he did, but telling his brothers, who already had a really bad attitude about him, does not seem like a wise thing. 

However, God can be sneaky. He's also much smarter than we are, and is not time-bound in the ways that we are. And He knows that by ourselves, we are fundamentally self-centered and stubborn, and it often requires breaking up the world we know to make us open to change.  We don't know what was going through Joseph's mind as he faced possible death in that pit, or on that journey to Egypt, but we do know what he did: made the best of the situation he found himself in. Rather than wallowing in self-pity and doing the bare minimum required to keep the lash off his back, he accepted the opportunity to learn how to manage an estate. 

Human psychology has not changed in four thousand years! The story of Joseph illustrates something I saw on an Internet news posting yesterday:

An emerging field of psychology called post-traumatic growth is suggesting that many people are able to use their hardships and early-life trauma for substantial creative growth. Specifically, researchers have found that trauma can help people to grow in the areas of interpersonal relationships, spirituality, appreciation of life, personal strength, and -- most importantly for creativity -- seeing new possibilities in life. "A lot of people are able to use that as the fuel they need to come up with a different perspective on reality, What's happened is that their view of the world as a safe place, or as a certain type of place, has been shattered at some point in their life, causing them to go on the periphery and see things in a new, fresh light…" (Huffington Post, 03/05/14)

God often uses the pits in our lives to get our attention and turn our smug self-sufficiency into God-sufficiency.  Yes, we can, to an extent, pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, but He can make more of us than we can make of ourselves.