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God’s Army

Friday, November 11th, 2011 | Author:

“Then I will make up to you for  the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My Great army which I sent among you.”  Joel 2:25  NASB

Make up – Have you faced the great army of God?  It is an army that eats away your possessions, creeps into your home, strips what you treasure and gnaws at your heart.  In Hebrew, you can see the multiplication of God’s army in the parallel words for locust.  The great army of God, those natural disasters that affect our lives but which are entirely under His control, are sometimes used to drive us back to Him.  When they become the motivation for restoration, God promises satisfaction (see the next verse).  God promises to “make up” for the years of tribulation.  The Hebrew verb is shalam (to be safe, to be complete).  It is not primarily about some eternal residence in heaven.  It is about being free from injury and harm here and now.  God’s version of salvation starts right where the trouble began.

How would you like to be safe and satisfied?  I know I would.  I am acutely aware of the years of the locust in my life.  I remember all those years of stripping, gnawing, cutting and creeping.  Sometimes when I look back at the decades I spent pursuing my own agenda, battling with locust, I wonder if there are enough years left to restore any of the damage I caused and the damage I experienced.  I remember all that time feeling at risk, feeling unfulfilled, feeling in trouble.  As much as I wanted to be safe and satisfied, I kept on trying to fight God’s great army through my own efforts.  I failed.

When I read this verse in Joel, I have hope.  God does promise to restore those years.  I don’t know how He will do this.  I can’t even imagine how it can happen.  But if He can command the great army that took me down, I am quite sure He can command life circumstances to bring me back.  The locusts are there to remind me that God is in charge of my life.  Therefore, I can trust Him to do what He says He will do.

Of course, this promise is conditional.  The prophet Joel tells us that our hope for shalom must be preceded by weeping, crying out, turning to Him with all our hearts, fasting, mourning and blessing Him with the prescribed offerings.  In other words, transformation of act and attitude come first.  Then God promises to restore.

I know this is true, but I also know is how insidiously the yetzer ha’ra attempts to get us to compromise.  The evil inclination is there, just as it was in the Garden of Gethsemane, suggesting there must be an easier way, a way that doesn’t require so much sorrow, regret and remorse.  How long did it take for us to arrive at the “eaten by locust” point?  Will it take any less time to restore what has been eaten?  Will it take any less effort than all the energy we put into protecting ourselves?  Shalam is a long process of perseverance and diligence – and God’s assistance.  But every step away from being eaten alive is a step toward safe and satisfied.  “Walk this way,” He says, and the great army will be gone.

Topical Index:  locust, make up, restore, shalam, safe, satisfied, Joel 2:25

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , , ,  | 4 Comments

Social Security

Friday, October 23rd, 2009 | Author:

“And he shall be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age.” Ruth 4:15

Restorer – Let’s do a little rabbinic exegesis. The women in Naomi’s circle told her, “Blessed be YHWH. He has not left you without a redeemer (go’el) that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be a restorer of life to you . . .” But who are they talking about? Are they telling Naomi that her grandson, Obed, will be the one who restores life to her and takes care of her in her old age? That’s what it looks like, but this isn’t the way a rabbi would look at this verse. A rabbi would ask, “Where do I find the phrase ‘restorer of life’ in other parts of Scripture? And what does that tell me about this verse?”

So, where do we find this phrase? How about Psalm 23:3? “He restores my soul.” Of course, it doesn’t say “soul.” The Hebrew word is nephesh, exactly the same word we find in Ruth. The verb is shuv, the same verbal root for the word in Ruth (meshiv). Who restores the person (nephesh)? God, of course! Not a grandson.

We find the expression in Job 33:26. This text is about the restoration of righteousness. Once again, the verb is shuv and the actor is God. God’s restoration of life appears in Isaiah 38:16 and Lamentations 1:11. These examples show us that life is God’s province. He gives it (as Ruth discovered – nathan) and He restores it. The women who speak to Naomi are not suggesting that she rely only on her grandson. They are blessing YHWH who has once again demonstrated in tangible form His care over life itself. His name will be famous in Israel because He has answered the cry of an old woman and provided a family for her. He will restore her and sustain her through the gift of a grandson. In fact, the proclamation of Naomi’s friends is prophetic, for the true go’el (kinsman redeemer) is God Himself given as a child in the midst of life, who will restore us.

Of course, we could read this at the pashat level and walk away satisfied that Naomi has a grandson to look after her. But there is more to the text than a comment on Hebrew social security. We need to look at the hint (remez) that pushes us to see the connections to the Holy One of Israel. We need to see His hand behind the stage, guiding the lives of these women to bring about His purposes as the real redeemer. The son given to Ruth is only a portend of another Son, given to Mary. Oh, yes, and by the way, shuv has a very interesting pictograph. Shin-Vav-Bet means “securing the house that consumes.” What is that? It is a picture of safeguarding the house of the people God has created as His own. We, the followers of YHWH, are those who consume. Our God, the Holy One of Israel, restores us to life by securing the house. How does He do that? He does it with the gift of a Son in the midst of life, of course.

Now you know why Ruth is in the Tanakh. This time, it’s all about us, isn’t it?

Topical Index: shuv, restore, go’el, redeemer, Ruth 4:15

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , ,  | 4 Comments