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Sins of the Flesh

Saturday, April 07th, 2012 | Author:

Concerning Edom.  Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Is wisdom no more in Teman?  Has counsel perished from the prudent?  Has their wisdom vanished?”  Jeremiah 49:7 ESV

Vanished – In Sanhedrin 38b the rabbis describe sin with the word sarah.  The implication is insightful.  Sarah is a word that describes putrification, corruption and decay.  The use here in Jeremiah shows us that this word suggests evaporation and loss of real substance.  The same stem (Samech-Resh-Chet) also means “go free, overflow, excess,” as it occurs in Exodus 26:12-13 and Ezekiel 23:15.  The pictograph adds another dimension: “Support, twist slowly, turn + person + fence, separate.”  The picture might be something like “twisting the fence surrounding a person.”  Let’s combine these ideas in an effort to understand more completely the biblical idea of sin.

First we notice that sin isn’t viewed as violation of some moral code.  Sin is not primarily about breaking a law.  It is about diminishing the God-intended stature of a person.  The rabbis consistently speak of sin as a reduction of the relationship with God.  In many places, they paint a picture of no longer being able to stand before Him.  Sin changes the quality of the offender.  It rots us.  The final result of sin is to fade away to nothing, to disappear, to dematerialize.  Might we add, “to become something no longer human”?

Secondly, we should notice that the description of sin as sarah is connected to the meaning of sarah as “go free.”  Sin frees me from God’s instructions.  It allows me to exceed His limitations.  In the process, I deteriorate even as I falsely believe that I am exercising my freedom.  Perhaps this insight explains why the rabbis say that the only man who is truly free is the man who lives under Torah.  We were not made (intended) for excess.  We were not designed to pursue whatever we wish.  We were designed to bring the yetzer ha’ra under the dominion of the yetzer ha’tov, to learn to be domesticated to His will.  But since we stand at the crossroads of choice, the way is open for sarah, for “freely going” where we will.  Sin is excess.  It is choosing what lies beyond divine intention.

Finally, the pictograph suggests that sin twists what was intended to protect.  The fence around being human provides protection of my real humanity.  As long as I am acting according to God’s design, I can stand before Him.  But sin takes an element of God’s good creation and twists its purpose.  It alters the intention, not the substance.  It just moves the fence a few feet – just beyond the tree standing there.  And suddenly the entire landscape changes.  What I see is no longer the protection of the fence but rather the restriction of my freedom.  Sin deludes me because it alters the meaning of the act.

What do we learn from these connections?  Have we learned something about the risk sin presents to who we are as human beings?  Have we learned something of the subtlety of sin?  Have we discovered twists in our own lives?

Topical Index:  sin, sarah, Sanhedrin 38b, Jeremiah 49:7, excess, free

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Shovel Size

Wednesday, August 04th, 2010 | Author:

“Give, and good measure will be given to you, pressed down and shaken together, and running over, they will pour into your lap.  For what ever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return.” Luke 6:38

Give – God has a bigger shovel than you have.  Most of us are counting on that.  We give and then we expect God’s much bigger shovel to heap up rewards on us.  There isn’t much doubt that God’s shovel is bigger, but that’s not the point of Yeshua’s statement.  The emphasis is not on the consequence.  It is on the antecedent – the action that comes first.  Give!

Now we know that the point of this verse is the distribution of limited provision for the welfare of others.  It isn’t about my wonderfully generous character.  It is about the necessity of community shalom, a necessity that outweighs my desire for gain.  With this in mind, we can understand the “measure for measure” consequence that follows this community requirement.

Yeshua simply points out the you can expect to be treated in accordance to the way you treat others.  Furthermore, there is the implication that God is involved in this measure-for-measure process.  What we give demonstrates our reliance on God’s faithfulness and our concrete expression of communal unity.

Think of it like this:  If there are twenty families in the community, each family must be cared for in proportion to the available resources of the entire community.  Our Greek individualism resists.  We think, “Well, everyone has equal opportunity.  They can just go work harder if they want more.”  But that isn’t the point here.  The point is that God supplies the excess for His purposes.  What we have is His gift.  And while He does not distribute His gifts in equal measure, He does expect that we will demonstrate our gratitude by acting with benevolence toward others.  In fact, the only real measure of my gratitude to God is my willingness to give my excess to others within my community.  I am responsible for the well-being of my neighbor.  God uses me to meet my neighbor’s need because He knows that I need the practice.  When I give, I model His behavior and that distributes righteousness in the world (a very good thing).

So, the measure is not about my personal motivation.  It is about the size of the excess.  If God blesses me with gain, I am given the divine opportunity to pass that blessing on to someone in need.  I won’t always have excess, but when I do, I use it for righteousness.  And when I don’t have excess, my previous acts will result in others blessing me.  Measure for measure (any, maybe, even more).

Have you counted your excess lately?

Topical Index:  give, didomi, excess, Luke 6:38

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The Principle of Excess

Monday, April 05th, 2010 | Author:

On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come. 1 Corinthians 16:2

As He May Prosper – Let’s set the record straight.  The first and most important element of tithing is ownership.  So, all tithing is based on the fact that God lends His goodness to us for our use.  He owns it all.  This is the basis of God’s requirement that ten percent of the yield be set aside for His purposes.  And the overwhelming concern on God’s behalf is for the poor, the downtrodden, the widows, the orphans and the strangers among us.  Paul assumes these facts in his directions to the Corinthian assembly.  “On Saturday night, the first day of the week, set aside a tithe of your prosperity so that no extra collection for the poor in Jerusalem need be taken when I arrive.”

Pay close attention to Paul’s method of calculation.  “As he may prosper” is the translation of ho ti ean euodotai Literally, this phrase is about traveling a good way or experiencing a successful journey.  In other words, this is an idiom for having the good life.  It is about the gain above what is required to live.  It is not about the gross income.  This is important.  God doesn’t expect to exact a tithe from the necessities of your life.  He isn’t the taxman.  He cares that you take care of what you need to live.  Whatever is extra becomes the source of your return for His goodness.

Think about the exquisite practical impact of such a plan.  Would you derive a feeling of gratitude from a god who demanded that you give until it hurts?  Some churches, especially when the “building campaign” is in full swing, use this tactic – but not God.  He knows that if He were to demand a sacred “tax” on the resources you need in order to stay alive your “gift” would be given with resentment and anger.  He would rather not have it.  Gifts are a source of great blessing – for the one who receives and for the one who gives.  When we give from our good journey, we acknowledge with gratitude the goodness God has poured on us – beyond what is required for us to live.  Therefore, we can give joyfully and comfortably.

Of course, some are called to extraordinary generosity.  They realize that what they need is far less than what they have.  But the general principle does not demand such acts.  The general principle leaves us with the decision about what we really need.  And that, of course, is at the center of the true meaning of the tithe.  This is one of those amazing cases where God doesn’t demand.  He asks.  The state of our hearts is likely to be revealed in the way that we respond to His request.

It’s worth noting a few other implications in Paul’s suggestion.  First, this is a personal matter.  “Let each one of you.”  Every person decides the demarcation line between need and want.  Every person is responsible for recognizing God’s goodness and responding appropriately.  Husband and wife, families, parents and children are not represented as groups.  This is all about each one alone.

Secondly, we should notice that the setting for this suggestion fits the context of a Jewish synagogue with Gentile members.  After the Sabbath, it’s time to set aside some assets.  Those assets are designated for the poor (an implication from Torah).  They are collected by the rabbi (Paul) for distribution to others (not for the temple).  Without the Jewish background, this is nothing more than a relief effort.

So, how does this apply today?  Are we setting aside assets from the excess for assistance for the poor, or do we think we somehow fulfill that obligation by putting money into the mortgage of the church building?  Do each of us come to terms with the line between need and want, or do we just allow the percentage game to set the line?  Do we see that our excess is God’s goodness?  Do we honor Him with material acknowledgment?  Or did we think we traveled the good road on our own efforts?

Topical Index: tithe, excess, good road, 1 Corinthians 16:2

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , ,  | 13 Comments