Maybe my favorite hour every week is at 1.30 each Sunday. That is when Gilbert and I meet with my grandsons Ravi (12) and Ajay (11) for a Bible Study.
Yesterday (as usual : – ) Ajay said, “Papa I’ve lost my bible could I borrow one?” So I went to my study and retrieved for him the very first ‘real’ bible I owned.
“Thanks” said Ajay, and it happened to fall open at the above page. As you can see it had become loose with use over the years, so I seized the opportunity and said,
“Look boys. That is the Psalm you two have been memorizing over the last few weeks. Let’s hear how you are getting on with that…………”
I listened to both renderings with the usual interruptions to chat about the meaning of this much loved passage of scripture.
We then turned to our study, the story of Abram, the story of covenant.
We had come to chapter 14 of Genesis and so lingered over the mysterious encounter with Mechizadek the king of Salem. A thought occurred to me and so I quickly found this text message on my phone that had arrived the day before.
I asked the boys to interpret for me what it was, and it didn’t take long for them to figure out this $230 was Gilbert’s tithe sent to me through Apple Pay. A discussion about tithing ensued….. and about Salem and shalom and peace.
“But look at the figure! – a 23 (and a zero)!” I said. “Isn’t that a co-incidence?” The boys of course are well trained and know there are no such things as co-incidences, they are all ‘God-incidences’. Ajay smiled.
The conversation around the scriptures which is always invigorating and enjoyable came to a close. “Well I guess you should be going now.” I said. as looked up at the clock.
“Hey look what time it is?”
We had our usual group huddle as I recited the Blessing.
“The Lord (who is your shepherd) bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon ………and give you PEACE.”
As I woke during the night and began piecing all of this together the above blog title came to mind.
Never in my experience and likely in yours has there been such an awareness of people being so Deeply Divided in America and indeed in the world, nor so much uncertainty about the future. Humanity itself seems to be walking ‘through the valley of the shadow of death.’
I have just finished reading the book I referenced a few blogs back. On the cover “The Times” describes Jonathan Sacks as “One of the great public intellectuals of the age.”
The former chief Rabbi, I thought did a good job in describing the current dilemma humanity is facing. In the final chapter in seeking to end on a hopeful note, having described how society has developed a contractual mentality, i.e. “What’s in it for ME?” he goes on to contrast this with being covenantal i.e. emphasizing WE over me.
Covenant is at the heart of the story of Abram. God entered into a covenant with him by literally walking “through the valley of the shadow of death” where the halves of a dead heifer, goat, and ram were laid over against one another prefiguring the sacrifice of God’s son, Jesus Christ.
Where Rabbi Sacks stops short is that what additionally distinguishes a contract and covenant is that a covenant is initiated by God. What’s more, this ‘New (Abrahamic) covenant’, in contrast to the ‘Old (Mosaic) covenant’ does not depend on our ability to keep our side of the agreement, but wholly on God! We read ‘a deep sleep fall upon Abram.’ before God passed between the sacrificed animals……on behalf of then both!
The purpose of the covenant is that we come into perfect union, i.e. that we be DEEPLY UNITED with God through Christ.
So as we look out on a world Deeply Divided, the Good Shepherd refocuses us with the words from Psalm 23.
“Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”
By faith, we walk with our Good Shepherd through the “valley of the shadow of death” and DEEPLY UNITED with him, the grace comes to enable us to play the unique part we are each given to play in the drama of the ages, until all things are restored, and God indeed becomes ‘all in all’
I rose to write down my thoughts, and checked my phone for the time……
With a subtle adjustment to Rabbi Sack’s book I realized I could now go beyond defining the human predicament to absolutely describing the already settled solution : – )