Time is like a Watch in the Night

Psalm 90

From Everlasting to Everlasting
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place [8]in all generations.2 Before the mountains were brought forth,or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 3 You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” [9]4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past,or as a watch in the night.
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For a poem so old, it certainly is (appropriately) timeless. Subtitled "From Everlasting to Everlasting," this passage captures Moses' musings on time and eternity. He says that a thousand years is like a watch in the night. I have stood many a night watch and can assure anyone who is curious, that in the moment, it feels like it will never end. Waiting for the dawn feels a bit like waiting for eternity. Moses had the right perspective - the big picture - because he had learned over time to think in terms of eternity. While our grand destiny might not come immediately, our work is not in vain.

Strangers and Sojourners

Leviticus 25: 23 “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me. And in all the country you possess, you shall allow a redemption of the land."
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I find these verses particularly enlightening in our current condition. Viewing the land as God's property is one thing, but He takes it a step further. We are strangers on this earth with Him. He owns it, but it is not His home. Likewise, since we've been adopted into His family, the land we currently live in is not our home either.

Doubt

Matthew 14:22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way [10] from the land, [11] beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, [12] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
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There are a lot of things that cause us to doubt. We doubt that God is as good as we hope. We doubt that he is as powerful as we hope. The story of Peter walking on the water would be a perfect parable for our own lives except for the strange fact that it is not a parable. As tempting as it might be to compare it to some Greek myth, the way the story is told transmits all of the real fear and nuance of a true story. So, we can draw the paralells and make it symbolic, but there is something much more mysterious about this story. It is a real parable, or as some have said, a true myth. Peter actually felt all of the fear of drowning and perhaps a deeper fear of God's rejection. Jesus' question: "Why did you doubt" address this second fear, the fear that God's love is not great enough. Faith turns out to be about knowing the character of God. As we press into Him and learn what He is like, we trust that he will always carry us.

Reason and Revelation

Daniel 4:33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws. 34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;...
36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. ... and those who walk in pride [God] is able to humble.
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The tension maintained between reason and faith comes down to this. Reason rests on the divine ordering of all things by God himself. This fact must be taken on faith, but is an essential given to "believe" in reason itself.

If God exists, it is reasonable to believe in God.
If God does not exist, it is not reasonable to believe in Reason.
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In the beginning was the logos [Reason]...John 1:1

Intrinsic and Instrumental Goods

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
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I recently had the opportunity to hear Professor Robert George of Princeton University give an address entitled, "Natural Law, Human Rights and God". One of the things he asserted was that any serious discussion of natural law needed to be predicated on an acceptance of certain intrinsic goods. Things like friendship or free will are certainly instrumental to achieve something, but they are also good in and of themselves. Without finding intrinsic goodness in an array of things, one has a very difficult time asserting natural law exists. In the passage above Paul describes our bodies as being instrumental either for death or life. I think he would probably agree that the human being, as a creation of God, has a certain intrinsic goodness in it - in the sense that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" but that we are also instrumental for something, either good or evil. It seems that our free will allows us to become more or less intrinsically good by choosing to be instrumental to the Great Intrinsic Good. In as much as we are instrumental to righteousness, we are filled with the goodness of God and sanctified.

A Deeper Healing

Acts 28:24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people, and say, You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. 27 For this people's heart has grown dull,and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
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I know I've written about it before, but in this passage I am struck again by the reality of our condition. We are blind, deaf and lame. Our spiritual infirmaties are much more serious and permanant than physical maladies. So when Jesus forgave sins, he was healing on a much deeper level. The physical healing was a natural follow on step, showing God's sensitivity to the immediate as well as the eternal condition of mankind. But some people, including myself much of the time, are resistant to that kind of love. We are slow to listen to God, slow to see him and powerless to obey - or so it seems sometimes. Paul is so hopeful for the Gentiles though. I find him to be incredibly generous, as a Jewish leader, to dedicate his life for the spreading of the good news to the gentiles. Without that love and obedience, I would not have the explicit, written words of Paul inviting me into God's kingdom.

Justice, Light & Heat

Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
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Isaiah 30:26 Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
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Isaiah 30:33 For a burning place [7] has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.
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It seems that the justice of God, like a furnace, has different effects on differing materials. Whatever parts have been submitted to Him and redeemed, are turned to Gold and made part of an eternal reward. Whatever parts are horded away, whether physical resources or natural abilities, will be lost if not invested/redeemed. The same holy heat that purifies and sanctifies our lives is the heat that judges us for misusing and selfishly squandering our means. Where, under this light is there a place to hide? There is only one place to hide from you, and it is in you. The only protection from the heat of your justice is the shelter of your grace.