God's Goodness

Debbie:

Psalm 65
This is one of my favorite psalms because it presents such a beautiful picture. When I read it I see the images the psalmist paints with words. The psalmist speaks of the sunrise and sunset and I can see them:

“Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.”

The sunrise and sunsets are exquisitely painted each morning and each night and this causes praise. Once when observing a beautiful sunset and all its colors, our son William, age 4 or 5, responded by saying, “Yea God. God is wearing tie-dye.” God blesses the earth with goodness and joy. It compels all the peoples to praise if they will only look up and see God’s grace.

“You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.”

God’s goodness is all around us, overflowing.


Jim:

2 Kings 6:1-23
The end of this reading struck me this morning. Verses 21-23 say, “When the king of Israel saw (the Arameans) he said to Elisha, ‘Father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?’ He answered, ‘No! Did you capture with your sword and your bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink; and let them go to their master.’ S he prepared for them a great feast; after they ate and drank, he sent them on their way, and they went to their master. And the Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel.” Elisha takes a potentially violent situation, one in which the king of Israel is all too eager to kill, and turns it into a peaceful celebration. By the time the Arameans leave Samaria they have been treated so well that they never again commit raids there. When we hear how bloodthirsty and violent the God of the Old Testament is, we should remember this passage, because here we see the prophet of the Lord using his authority to defuse a situation instead of letting it escalate.

1 Corinthians 5:9-6:11
In verses 9-10 Paul writes, “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral persons—not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world.” What a bleak assessment of the world! But Paul’s point is valid. Christians are not to hide themselves away, but to live in the world, so long as they are not transformed by it. Our place is here in the midst of society, demonstrating another way of life, one full of justice and righteousness and humility and reconciliation.