Flip Side
There is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger; nor is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. Psalm 38:3
Soundness – Modern life compartmentalizes. A box for work, another for play, one for family, one for social relationships, one for church, one for other things. The name of the game in the contemporary world is to move seamlessly between these compartments in order to operate as efficiently as possible in each one without the interference of the others. The epitome of this disintegration of life is the advertising slogan, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Apparently we want to apply that to every other compartment too. But metom won’t let that happen.
What is metom? It is the word translated “soundness,” but it really means a lot more than that. It refers to wholeness, healthy consistency, or everything in good working condition. It comes from the root tamam, “to be complete.” Included under this umbrella are the ideas of perfection without blemish, correspondence to what is entirely true, and ethical integrity. tamam conveys the idea of being a finished product, not in the sense of some manufactured thing but in the sense of a finished person like Job, one who is characterized by righteousness and obedience.
But David cries, “There is no metom in me!” He proclaims that he is fractured, sick at heart, inconsistent, unfinished and broken. His life isn’t working. Things are going from bad to worse. No matter now hard he tries to get his act together, wholeness slips through his fingers like oil. He is desperate for integrity, but one thing, one insurmountable thing, stands in the way – the anger of the Lord.
Za’am, intense anger and indignation, often associated with a curse, is David’s word to describe God’s relationship in this time of fragmentation. The pictograph is a weapon experienced as chaos. What an apt description of the impact of God’s fury! David knows beyond a shadow of doubt that his grief, his turmoil, and his are the direct result of God’s anger. The parallelism of the verse tells us why God is angry. David has sinned.
Now let’s pull back the curtain just a bit. Do you think David’s experience of the anger of the Lord is the end of his relationship with God? Of course not! God’s anger is a sign that the relationship continues. Struggle, chastisement, anger, disintegration and all the accompanying emotions mean that God maintains His care, concern and love for us. The opposite of love is not wrath. It is apathy! Woe to the man for whom God feels nothing! That man is truly lost. The fact that God is angry shows us how much God cares about David. He is angry because David is not enjoying the fullness of His presence. David is not reveling in life as God intended it. David is shortchanging himself in his discomfort. God is angry because it is not supposed to be like this. And that anger is a raging sign of His concern over David.
If the day should ever come when you discover God no longer cares one way or another, you will be entering the gates of Hell. God’s anger is a good thing. It fractures us, batters us, cajoles us to return to Him. Let us give thanks that God is angry enough to make our lives extremely difficult when we stray from Him. For God so loved His children that He was wroth to let them walk away.
Topical Index: anger, soundness, metom, za’am, tamam, Psalm 38:3
If the day should ever come when you discover God no longer cares one way or another, you will be entering the gates of Hell.
Sounds like Dante to me 🙂
Shalom everyone!
Thank you Skip for the message this morning.
Hebrews 12:5-13: And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have endure. G-d is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more besubject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your week knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
A dear friend just sent this to me this morning. I think it kinda fits today’s word.
Enjoy 🙂
http://alastairstephens.com/?photo=atheists-dont-have-no-songs
Hi Pam,
Not sure how it ties to Today’s Word, but I like the song and l like Austin; thanks for sharing!
Hi Skip,
Regarding Yahweh’s anger, I rarely sense it; even back in the days when I “went to Vegas.”
In fact, He was very tolerant and I often look back and wonder why he protected me in sin.
Now my wife is always angry with me and I often wonder why.
Isn’t it interesting that the audience of the prophets also rarely sensed God’s anger. It took the prophet to bring it to light. Perhaps we have numbed ourselves to it, or perhaps, as you suggest, God is very tolerant while He works us toward repentance and joy.
Today is a special day in South Africa.
16 December each year we remember that in 1838 the Only Living God gave victory to a small commando of people against an overpowering horde of the enemy. The testimony of so many things that happened there that day indicates a REAL MIRACLE.
Part of the amazing happenings is that weeks before the battle, the commando had made a pledge to God, that if He gives victory to them they will make sure that His Name is honoured among the people and they will make sure their descendants also honour this day each year as a Sabbath.
But as I attended the special service this morning, the reverend had thought it well to make us sing Christmas songs before the main sermon. I was sad, because today means that I don’t just serve a God that lived and cared for His people as they left Egypt or took possession of the Promised Land; I serve a God that even today will go into Bible-reality battles. But why bring in Christmas, a pagan festival sort of Christianized, and not even Biblical sound in any way into the procedings while not keeping to God’s appointed times that He has called for?
I experienced a sort of “no metom in my flesh because of my people’s deliberate sin against Him”. Through all the ages we have not shown Him our respect (shame) by changing our ways and keeping His appointed times, and yet, He continued to show us His Mercy, Love, Kindness, Redemption.
I have difficulty understanding how He can contain His emotions and His sadness about the ways we continue to just do our own thing.
I am so greatfull, that despite all the shortcomings I represent, God still reaches out and Love me.
Today is special, because I am starting to understand just a little bit about His immense patience…
That was great, thank you, Pam!