August 29, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“These are the things you are to do declares the Lord: ‘Speak the truth to each other. Render true and sound judgment in your courts. Do not plot evil against each other and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all [of] this.‘” (Zechariah 8.16,17)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

It may have seemed odd to elaborate on the mention of “strong hands” by God to the people of Israel as a means of understanding verses 16 and 17 of Zechariah 8. Consider this, however. In those two verses, God delineates four things He hates. Hate is a strong word. I was taught not to say “hate” because it was one of “those” words which spoke more of judgmentalism than discernment, more bitterness than compassion. “Hate” is a strong word. It is like a loaded gun with the trigger pulled. It is like a stick of dynamite with the fuse lit. It is like a heart full of unresolved feelings disconnected from the mind of swirling thoughts. What is likely to follow “hate” would be some kind of death: relational, emotional, physical or spiritual. “Hate”- handle with care. For humans, hate is dangerous. From the perspective of God, hate is dangerous to humans. God alone can judge perfectly and mete out justice appropriately. When humans enact “hate,” most do so without regard to the depth of godliness which must be engaged first. I think most of all, we ought to consider that “hate” is not the opposite of love, that would be apathy, Apathy has no feeling or commitment at all. Apathy is a lethargy of one’s heart and mind in regard to one’s self and others. Hate is certainly not apathetic. It is a powerful force which speaks to the correction of wrong thinking and action. In the hands of God, it is balanced with authentic love and therefore speaks of justice. In the hands of anyone else, authentic love may go out the window in the attempt to justify loving one’s self before and above all else. To hear “…these are the things I [God] hate” is a strong warning and reality check.

God is issuing such a reality check to the people of Israel, to Zechariah and all prophets and to Joshua and those who serve in the Temple. It is a way of understanding God’s reviewing for all of them the things of the past which brought such a strong discipline against their predecessors. Do not think for a moment that God relished the idea of exile and reveled in their demise, pain, anguish and brokenness. What God wanted more than anything was a people who would accept the words of correction He offered and be correct in their thinking and actions. They had the descriptors of what it meant to live good lives and what it meant to be righteous before the world and before God. Sin was the disconnect in understanding what God intended with the Shema and the Ten Commandments. They were not restrictions like a leash on a dog or a fence to keep livestock in. They were word pictures illustrating the fullness of life lived in faith, hope and love. Yes, it required obedience. It required it, and continues to require it, because it has always been about choice. The exercise of freewill is not something which happens without consequence. God understands those consequences better than anyone. Why else would the love of God include mercy and grace? Mercy and grace isn’t about tolerance and entitlement as the modern world has become so enamored with. God does not wish the death of anyone. God would rather bless life and bless it abundantly. But, without respecting life with authentic love there really isn’t much of a life to consider.

So, we are given examples of “strong hand” living: speak truth to each other (even when it might hurt); render true and sound judgment in court (even when it might hurt); do not plot evil against each other (as if the hurt of others justifies the hurt you have experienced or anticipate experiencing) and do not love to swear falsely (a lying tongue hates those inflicted by it with an enduring hurt). In all four of these, there is a sense of some “hand” action associated with “I swear,” such as holding up one’s hand in court to take an oath. In the ancient Middle East, the sealing of contracts was exhibited by putting a hand under the thigh of the person you are dealing with. What a very personal example of contractual agreement! Imagine what a lying and weak hand would be saying in that moment. They were known by the actions of their hands and the reactions, too. For men, the measure of a handshake is presumed to speak volumes about the nature and character of the person who shares the handshake with him. This lends itself to the veracity and sincerity of the “contract” and “contact.” While stereotypes abound, there is something to the consideration of the intensity of the handshake regardless of the strength. Consider today’s “handshakes” which are fist bumps. We may consider them as “health conscious” or we may see the adoption of a means to disguise a “strong hand” or the equally masking “equality” proposal. This would speak, to me, of an image (all are the same) when visibly and tactilely it is not true. How this kind of principle is being played out in other “contract/contact” presentations such as gender and marriage. Heed what God says about such things just in these two verses: These things I hate. It means there will be a stringent accountability response from God for those who seek to hide, deflect or deny what is true, right and good.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit brought us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit in order that others be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind so we would know we are Your people and You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.