Crushing Foes

Halleluyah!

How happy is anyone who fears Adonai,

who greatly delights in his mitzvot.

He will not be frightened by bad news;

he remains steady, trusting in Adonai.

His heart is set firm, he will not be afraid,

till finally he looks in triumph at his enemies.

~ Psalm 112:1, 7-8 CJB

Don't we just love these sorts of verses? We begin by thinking, O, yes. I follow after the Lord. I fear Him and worship Him. And then, we start digging into all the benefits. And there are lots of them throughout the Scriptures!

Well, as I was reading over this psalm, and patting myself on the back for my steadfastness (insert lightning strike here), I began to wonder why all of these wonderful things God promises haven't befallen me yet. Haven't we all thought that from time to time? Why do I still have cancer? Why is my sister's rapist still roaming the streets? Why does my mother not care for me? Why are my finances such a mess? If we are faithful servants of the Most High, why is life still so unruly and unkind?

Let me run through a few possibilities before I come back to what the Holy Spirit gave me that morning. Maybe we're not as great at serving and fearing God as we think, and we are not truly His. Maybe God is preparing us to receive the blessing He has for us or (and this is exciting!) He is positioning others to be present as witnesses when it comes. Maybe our terrible problems and predicaments are squarely within the crosshairs of our Father, and He is giving actors every opportunity to repent; we only have to wait well. Maybe it's simply the side-effects of living in a corrupt and dark world. Maybe God is building up the suspense --like a great novelist continues to add layer after layer of uncertainty before the glorious culmination of his work, when all things are revealed and put right --for His glory. Maybe.

Or maybe --and this is where I sat that day --maybe we have misidentified the enemy. In Robert Alter's translation of Psalm 112:8, he says of God's faithful, His heart is staunch, he shall not fear, till he sees the defeat of his foes. Is my foe cancer? Is my foe my sister's attacker? Is my foe my mother or the lies she has believed or her own sinfulness? Is my foe the system or "bad luck" or joblessness? Or is my foe fear of the unknown? Is my foe bitterness and unforgiveness? Is my foe envy, pride, worry, selfishness, impulsivity, self-sufficiency, busyness, or any others of a litany of self-inflicted enemies to my soul? Is God going to put down enemies that disrupt our situations, enemies that torment our temporal existence? Maybe. But maybe --and more gloriously --God wants to level the foes of our peace, the enemies of our obedience, the adversaries of our relationships, the opponents of our sanctification! Rather than assuming the things we perceive with our physical senses are our problems, rather than looking to God to deal with those things mightily and vengefully, let's first look to Him --Lord God, what are the true enemies of Your blood-bought child, the enemies You are looking to crush? And then to ourselves --Am I even on the right battlefield, or am I causing interference and chaos in the Spirit's fight for my sanctification? Am I surrendered to my King and following after His battle plan? Whatever your enemy, whatever foe you have in your sights, be certain God is aware of your plight. But the God of exceedingly abundantly above, the God whose ways are better than ours may be looking to do something so much greater than what you are asking! The adversaries he's looking to crush may be targets of which we are completely oblivious. He is a worthy Lord and Conqueror, and we would do well to allow Him to lead us. He has identified the enemy; may it not be us!

 

Midweek: 1611 KJV with Apocrypha

Sooooo, I was curious. I probably would not have considered reading a 1611 KJV Bible, but the thought of having the Apocrypha close at hand made it impossible for me to resist. I have to say, when my complimentary edition from Thomas Nelson Publishers arrived, my excitement quickly turned to shock: this is a "digitally remastered" edition. In other words, the print (though modified from the original Gothic to a 19th century Roman font) and typeset are generally consistent with the original 1611 copy. "Priests" is rendered "Priefts" and "reproved" is "reproued", just to name a few anomalies. Well, time to put on my RenFaire persona and get this thing done.

To start, this guaranteed-for-life Bible is packaged in a protective cardboard sleeve. Its Leathersoft™ cover is stamped, stitched, and embossed; the spine is ribbed and stamped. The gilt-edged pages are thin --not necessarily friendly toward those who tend to mark up their Bibles at all. The binding allows for the book to lie flat when opened. A gold double-sided satin bookmark makes a lovely addition. The print itself is rather small and has a faded appearance, making it a little more difficult to read on top of the atypical typeset.  

Just behind the article From the Translators to the Reader, begins an almanac which includes times of the sun's rising and setting, number of days in each month, a calendar, feasts and fasts celebrated by the church, Psalms and Bible lessons to accompany morning and evening prayers, and an almanac of those "floating" church holidays everyone is always striving to figure out. An Anglican's Google, I suppose, for the days when one Bible (if any) graced the home and was a main source of information and record-keeping. Additional features according to Thomas Nelson's website include:

• Word-for-word reprint of the first edition of the Authorized Version

• Books of the Apocrypha between the Old and New Testaments

• Drop caps at the beginning of each chapter

• Original introductions from the 1611, including the article, “From the Translators to the Readers”

• Illustrated genealogy of key biblical figures from Adam and Eve to Jesus

• Reading plan to help you read through the entire Bible in a year

• Translator notes in the outer and gutter margins

• Updated typeface for easier reading

However, unless I'm missing something, I do not see the illustrated genealogy spoken of in this list of features. While the cardboard sleeve, which also catalogues the Bible's features, does not include the genealogy in its list, it does mention "original 1611 extra content. The illustrated genealogy is consistent with that description.

Would I recommend this edition? Mmmm, maybe. It's a bit of a lark; unique, appealing to a target audience. I just don't think I could pay its suggested retail of $49.99 for funzies. Christianbook is currently selling the same brown Leathersoft™ edition I received for $28.65 (with personalization available); a much more commodious price. As for my copy, I will be passing it on to someone who appreciates the King James Version of scripture and might possibly enjoy the schmaltz. 

Success is an Attitude

Is there something you're supposed to be doing? I'm not talking about, maybe, you're supposed to be mowing the lawn or you're supposed to be preparing for Sunday's sermon, but you are instead scrolling social media or taking a nap. I mean, you are supposed to have had three children by now, or you are supposed to be a musical phenom by now. I mean, God finally gave you that perfect husband who, like you, loves children and wants a home full of dents and dings and childish laughter, but despite the doctors telling you everything is fine, you haven't one single son or daughter. I mean, God gave you this perfect pitch and the ability to simply pick up an instrument and play, this remarkable rhythm and notes that flow through your soul moment by moment, but despite your sacrifice, despite your toil, you can't even feed yourself on what you earn playing music. You know that you know that you know you are to be a mother. You know that you know that you know you are to be a musician. So, where is your success?

From the time I was a young girl, I loved reading and writing; I loved learning and teaching. But there was nothing I ever wanted more than to be a mother. (In fact, in my foolishness, I saw being a wife as a means to end, the way I could be a mother, but not on my list of aspirations.) A neighbor told my mother repeatedly, "She's going to be a missionary." A teacher allowed me to teach the Spelling lesson from time to time. During summer break, a friend and I published a neighborhood newspaper. My mother carried in her purse a list of all the Nancy Drew books I owned so she never inadvertently bought duplicates for my birthday, Christmas, whatever occasion, such was my love of reading. As a teen, I was always asked to babysit or help out with Vacation Bible School or teach younger children. Every indication, every avenue, every community in which I existed reaffirmed what I was supposed to do. I had the gifts, I had the passion, and they were clearly recognizable. So, where is my success? Why am I not teaching hundreds from a dais? Where is my best seller? And why, as a parent, am I plagued more often by thoughts of what I should have done rather than basking in the perpetual adulation and celebration of our children for the felicity of having me as their mother? Why am I so unremarkable, so ineffectual, so ordinary?   

When Jesus sat down and spoke what we call The Beatitudes to the people gathered on a mountainside, it was in response to the commission His Father had given Him. He wasn't looking to be made king of Judea; He was bringing glory to His Father. It wasn't for fame or popularity --if it had been, surely, He would not have started out by telling His listeners that to be truly blessed, one must be meek, one must grieve; it was to bring glory to His Father. 

And what of The Beatitudes themselves, Jesus' very words? Not a one declares, "Blessed, highly favored, abundant in fruitfulness is the world-famous athlete," or "Blessed, highly favored, abundant in fruitfulness is the Oscar-winning actress." Likewise, nowhere in Scripture does it caution, "Poor and despised is the barren woman whose love for children drives her to care for and pray for others' children alone," or " Poor and despised is the talented but obscure musician who can only share his gifts with the church every Sunday." Scripture does, however, tells us, Whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord (Col. 3:23). Success is measured by our attitude, not our audience. Obedience and the desire to please God. Using all we are given to the glory of God. Submission to His plan and His authority. Not seeking after the rewards and approval of this world. And if our ministry never serves more than a few, if our talents are shared only with those in our community, if our love is never given to children we can call our own, if our name is never on the lips of millions but is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, we are more than blessed. Let us humbly serve our King in whatever we are supposed to be doing and trust Him with the success of that obedience.