A WORD FOR TODAY, August 25, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, August 25, 2021
Lectionary Scriptures for August 29, 2021, Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9; Psalm 119:129-136; Ephesians 6:10-20; Mark 7:14-23
“Only be careful, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children’s children...” Deuteronomy 4:9, WEB
In 1905, George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In a 1948 speech to the House of Commons, Churchill paraphrased Santayana when he said “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” We’ve heard similar quotes from many others over time, but they weren’t the first. In today’s Old Testament lesson, Moses warned Israel to remember what they saw so that they would remain faithful to the God who saved them from slavery.
Unfortunately, we easily forget history. We certainly don’t learn from it. We’ve seen it happen over and over again. As we study the history of Israel we can see that they forgot God’s grace. Though there were good kings over the ages, their sons and grandsons often turned to the gods of the world, ignoring the God who is their true King. Over and over again the chroniclers say, “He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin.” Where the kings go, so go the people. And if the king forgets history, the people will follow him into folly.
The first verse of the passage from Deuteronomy uses two legal words to describe the Word of God. These words are translated “statutes and ordinances.” It seems, as we read, that the speaker is simply repeating himself for the sake of making a point. “Pay attention, I'm telling you something important.” Though these words sound alike in English, they have very different focus. The first refers to the ritualistic law or the boundaries set by God to protect the spiritual life of His people. The second word is a more worldly understanding, a word about justice and judgment.
In his notes on this text, John Wesley wrote, “The statutes - The laws which concern the worship and service of God. The judgments - The laws concerning your duties to men. So these two comprehend both tablets, and the whole law of God.” Wesley saw this repetition as not only an emphasis but also as defining the aspects of the rules we are to follow, rules that demonstrate love of God and love of man. We can find a similar division in the two tablets of the Ten Commandments, those laws that concern our relationship with God and those that concern our relationship with one another.
We are called to obedience to the whole Law, not just the parts that we want to obey. This obedience is not simply knowledge of the laws, for many can recite the Commandments as they learned them in Sunday School. We are to be actively doing what is right according to the intent of the Law. In Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, the explanation of the Ten Commandments contains not only the directive not to do the things that are wrong, but also to do that which is right. Most of us can easily say we have not killed our neighbor, but have we done everything we can to ensure that he or she has life? We may not physically take our neighbors’ things, but do we do everything necessary to help our neighbor keep what is theirs?
Unfortunately, Israel’s greatest problem over the ages was that they did not keep God’s statutes and ordinances. They often turned their back on Him, forgetting what He did for them. Over and over again they fell to the foolishness of worship to false gods. Are we any different today? Our gods may not be golden idols, but we worship at the altars of modernity and progress.
Why keep the statutes and ordinances of God? This passage suggests that if we keep the laws of God, the nations will see us as wise. For these laws were not established as a way to keep the people down as are so many human regulations, but rather as a way to lift the people and the nation up. They were given to guard and protect the people of God, to make them and to keep them whole. Our relationship with God and our relationships with one another are vital to our wholeness.
The laws are good, right and true. God’s laws, His Word, are complete just as given. There are no laws of any country that are more perfect, or more righteous, or more just than the laws of God. In these statutes and ordinances are found true wisdom. We should not think ourselves wiser than God to add to or take away from what He has given. All too many of us think that if we do all that is right according to the statutes, we can ignore a part of the ordinances. For example, we think that if we go to church on Sunday, we can sin all we want. After all, we have been forgiven of all by the blood of Christ. We also add to His Word by justifying our actions that are against His ordinances. Yet, God calls us to live according to His law completely, just as it was given.
We are to hold fast the knowledge we have about God and His laws, and we are to teach them to our children. It is not only the rules we should remember and hold dear to our hearts, but rather it is the story of God and His relationship with His people that will keep us well. God does not love us because we have obeyed His commands. God loves. God is love. He showed His love in many ways and then He called His people to live in His love. He gave the rules to keep His people in that love. We obey to stay in the gift and we teach our children so that they too will remain in God’s loving care.
We are reminded by the history of God’s people in the Old Testament that whenever they did not obey His Word, He disciplined His sons and daughters. Though we fall under a new covenant, forgiven by grace and loved without condition, are we not also disciplined by our Father? The writer of Hebrews tells us, “It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate, and not children.” He calls us to a life of obedience as His children, saved by grace to honor Him before the world.
Psalm 119 uses those same words as found in the text from Deuteronomy, along with six other words. Again it sounds redundant as we read this text in English, and we struggle with the focus on the Law. Yet each of these words have a unique meaning. While statutes and ordinances give us a full range of laws about our relationships with God and mankind, the rest of the words fill out the idea of God’s Word, showing us that God’s Law is more than rules; it is also promise and justice and guidance.
In today’s stanza, the psalmist longs to obey God’s word because he is thankful for God’s faithfulness. Here is my own paraphrase of these eight verses. “The testimony of God is wonderful so I treasure it in my soul. As your word is spoken, it brings light and helps us understand. I anxiously desire all God’s law. Have mercy on me according to your justice. Guide me according to your promise so that I won’t sin. Save me from oppression so I can live according to your appointed authority. Make your face shine on me, teach me how to worship you. I grieve that they do not know your teaching.”
I grieve because too many today do not know God. Many think they do, but they misunderstand the reality that God is love. Love is not a free-for-all, love demands obedience because Love has given us the best path for us to walk for our own sakes and for His. To continue to sin means disrespecting the grace that has been gifted to us and we’ll find ourselves being disciplined. This discipline is not meant to punish, but our Father allows the consequences of our sin to bring us back to the way He would have us live.
God gave a number of sanitation rules that the people were expected to follow. There is no doubt that hand washing is a valuable practice for our health. We pass so many germs between one another when we shake hands, pass money or handle food. Florence Nightingale changed the nature of health care with the simple practice of washing hands regularly, and the practice is continued today. Jesus wasn’t telling us in today’s lesson that we should not wash our hands. The question in this passage is about the authority to which we are obedient.
This would have been a different discussion if they had asked a different question. They asked, “Why don’t your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands?” They focused on the traditions of their elders instead of the Word of God. God gave the laws about cleanliness for a purpose; it is healthy and sanitary to cleanse the hands before eating. However, the Pharisees were more concerned about the disciples doing as they do, being as they are, rather than obeying the Word of God.
Jesus answered their question with a statement about how they hold their tradition above the Law. Moses gave them the Law that says “Honor your mother and your father” but they were willing to accept a vow that would dishonor that authority. The vow, that everything belonged to God, was not lived out as if everything actually belonged to God; it was a convenient excuse not to take care of one’s mother and father. The tradition was held above the Law and was abused and misused for justifying dishonorable and unfaithful practice. The Pharisees really did not care whether or not the hands were dirty, only that the people who claimed to be “holy” fit into their mold. Jesus turned the tables. He answered their questions with the intent of God’s Law and opened the door for more people to dwell in the presence of God.
There is a lot of law talk in today’s passages. Deuteronomy is, of course, a book of laws. In it we see how God was calling the Israelites to live in their new land. They were going to face tough times; the world would constantly try to turn them from Him. The rituals and practices were given as a way to stay focused on the life He meant for them to live in the Promised Land, to help them avoid falling into the traps of pagan worship. They were also given to make Israel stand out from the rest of the nations. They were set apart for a purpose, to be God’s people and through which God would send His salvation.
Non-believers like to trot out the old rules to prove that Christians are hypocrites and foolish. After all, some of the rules from the Old Testament seem ridiculous to those of us today and we often do not continue to live according to them. Take pork, for instance. We eat pork; most of do, anyway. Bacon makes everything better, doesn't it? We wear mixed blends of fabric. We cross breed animals. People get tattoos (and for some in ministry, it is even considered “cool.”) I don’t know many people who refuse to work on the Sabbath. These are just a few examples of ways we no longer live by the laws according to the scriptures. Those non-believers point out the hypocrisy of ignoring these rules but demanding obedience to others.
Today we understand that there are certain rules given to us in the scriptures that were culturally important that do not necessarily apply to us today, but we also know that God gave those rules to help us live well. We don’t reject pork, mixed fabrics, mules or tattoos, but we do respect the rules because we know God had our best interests in mind when He gave them. Pork can be dangerous because pigs are garbage collectors and eat foods that with disease that can ultimately harm our bodies. Modern refrigeration and production make those food stuffs not only delicious, but also safe to eat. We still must be careful because those meats improperly stored and cooked can make us sick, but we have the knowledge to do it well today. Mixing linen and wool is not recommended because the fabrics are so different that the garment would not last. Heavy wool can rip the much more delicate linen. While we have developed good production methods for mixing blends that last, we also know that pure cotton has a much better quality than that which is mixed.
The problem with the argument that we are hypocrites because we eat bacon and wear cotton/polyester blends is that there is a misunderstanding about the Law and the laws. It is, in a sense, like talking about apples and oranges: both are good for you, but they serve different purposes. The laws were given to protect God’s people; the Law was given so that God’s people would look to Him.
As Christians we know and understand that the Law has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In today’s Gospel we see Jesus teaching the people that they had become so caught up in following the rules that they lost the intent of God’s Word. Jesus told the crowds that it isn’t what goes into the mouth that makes a man unclean, but what comes out of the mouth. Faithfulness is not dependent on the menu, but on the thoughts, ideas and practices of our hearts. When we are questioned about our bacon cheeseburgers, we can point to Jesus’ own words. Some manuscripts even include an explanation of what Jesus meant: “This he said, making all meats clean.” We should still be careful about the foods we eat, but we need not worry that what goes into our mouths will harm our relationship with God.
Does it matter if we eat bacon or wear cotton/polyester blends? Not really; we need not live in the past. What matters to our life in Christ is that we live according to the Word of God in a way that glorifies Him and shines His light to others. This is why it is important to remember Moses’ words in today’s Old Testament passage. God’s people repeatedly forgot their history and suffered the consequences of disobedience to God’s Word. We have been given the story of Israel to learn the lessons that keep us on the right path of life in God’s kingdom.
The Law is a gift of God to His people. It was never meant to be a burden; God gave the Law for a purpose. God is glorified by our obedience because the world will see how great things can be if we live rightly. The Babylonians saw that Daniel and his friends were healthier than those who ate the food of the palace. Israel would be seen as a great nation not as a reward, but because they would manifest God’s plan. “Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who shall hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to them as Yahweh our God is whenever we call on him? What great nation is there that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you today?”
Once we are saved, God calls us to live the best life we can live. If that means avoiding food that can harm us, then we should avoid those foods. If it means being good stewards of our resources by buying the best quality clothing, then we should do that. If it means avoiding situations that might cause us to sin, then we had best avoid those situations. As children of God, we are meant to be a light in the darkness and the voices that invite people to hear God’s Word of salvation.
We aren’t saved by being obedient to the rules that are found in the book of Deuteronomy or elsewhere in the scriptures. We are better when we are obedient because God’s laws help us to be the best we can be. They will never save us; only His Word, God’s Son the Living Word, can save us. We can talk about obedience, but none of us are able to keep it perfectly. We will fail often; we will sin. But God’s spoken Word has the power to change lives, to change the world, and to save us. And when we have been changed, we have been called to live accordingly. The world will see the wisdom of our actions and praise God for it.
It is hard. The Israelites entered into the Promised Land with hope, but they were surrounded by others who lived differently. The rules were given to help them keep their eyes on their God. We aren’t much different today. The world surrounds us and offers us happiness in all the wrong places, Satan provides us with opportunities that seem too good to resist. Why not live the life that satisfies our every desire? Why not seek pleasure and laughter and gratification of our flesh? Why not do what is necessary to get what we want and think we deserve? We can justify so many things but in the end they do not glorify God and we risk our relationship with Him when we chase after the wrong things. Even self-righteousness will turn us away from our God. The gods of today are so much harder to recognize because they aren’t made of gold or wood.
There are those who think life as a Christian is all peaches and cream, no one with faith could ever be led astray. Unfortunately, that is not true. As a matter of fact, the more deeply committed we are to serving the Lord Jesus, the more likely we will face the attempts by Satan to turn us away. We might fight battles in our flesh but we are fighting an even harder battle in spirit. The closer we get to God, the deeper our faith becomes, the more devious Satan will be. He will even try to convince us that following good rules will be our salvation. We have to be prepared.
Paul gives us help. He lays down a program that will help protect us from Satan and the world, things that will help us keep our hearts and minds on Christ Jesus. The armor of God will provide us with everything we need to stand against that which aims to turn us against Him. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, Word, prayer and perseverance are the gifts God gives us to be the guardians of our relationship with Him. As we dwell in those gifts we will find the joy that truly blesses us not only in this life but in the life God has promised through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. And then God’s blessings will flow out of our lives into the world, taking the salvation He has promised to all those who hear and granting that they, too, might live the life God intends for them to live.
The world is not a safe place. Paul tells us that the struggles we face as Christians are not against flesh and blood, though we all have experienced those kinds of struggles. No, we face even more difficult struggles. The devil and those that serve him, the powers of darkness and spiritual forces of evil seek to destroy faith and keep Christ’s body from growing. Paul knew the temptations and persecutions that a Christian faced daily in the world. As a matter of fact, he was in prison at the time he wrote this letter to the Ephesians. He asked for prayer, the one thing we can use to clothe one another. Paul needed his brothers and sisters to pray for him so that his armor would stay strong through his trials. We can do that for one another. We all must wear the armor of God, but it is stronger when we join our prayers together and fight against the rulers and authorities as one body, Christ’s body.
We get pretty caught up in rules, rules that are all too often designed to bring division between people. The rules are established to keep people out, or to keep people in. Take, for instance, the rules of a fraternity. The only way to be a part of the group is to follow the rules. At times those rules call for demeaning and humiliating actions. The only way a person can become part of the group is to prove perfect obedience. Yet, the actions are not always worthy. At times they are even dangerous to self and others.
God’s law was not designed to be demeaning or humiliating. God’s law brings freedom from living within such communities that would require those actions. Instead of being a part of a closed group, God invites us to dwell in His tabernacle which is open to the world. Instead of living within a closed set of rules that burden and oppress us, God gives us the perfect Law that frees us to live in love and hope and grace.
God calls us to be obedient, but not in the manner of the Pharisees who lift man's laws and traditions above God’s Word. He calls us to faith. We are called to dwell in the tabernacle, Christ who is God dwelling amongst His people. We are saved to be the kind of people who not only know the statutes and ordinances, but also live His Law fully. We are called to be people who do not add to the word or take away from it, who take care of those in need and who live a life that is good, right and true according to God’s word.
What a world this would be if more people responded to God’s grace with lives honoring our Father with obedience to His authority. The psalmist encourages us to join him in grieving for those that do not know God’s teaching. We are called to go out into the world to speak God’s Word into their lives so that they too might hear and believe.
It is good to remember our past so we won’t repeat it. Israel was commanded to teach their children and their children’s children about God’s Word and all He did for His people. It is good for us to look at the rules as defined in the scriptures, to make sure we are living the best life we can live. Unfortunately, the world will continue to cast fiery darts our way, constantly trying to get us to turn from our God. Satan will even use God’s Word and the traditions of the elders to try to convince us of a better way. He’ll give us ways to justify our actions. He will make self-righteousness seem to be godly, but if we aren’t careful he will twist God’s word in a way that makes us turn from God.
We who have been saved have a new home in God’s Kingdom. We have been changed and are called to live differently from the world. It will be hard; we will be tempted to return to our old ways. We may forget what God has done and chase after the life that fulfills our desires. The life of obedience is not meant to be a struggle, but to give us the freedom to be who God has created, redeemed and called us to be. And as such, we are a light in the darkness. We are witnesses to God’s grace. And through us, God will make His Word known to the world so that they, too, might be saved.
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