“Most favoured nation?”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, January 28, 2024
Psalm 111 (Forward, p. 91) CEV p. 625
For many people—especially in light of present goings-on in the Middle East—today’s Scripture raises some rather large issues. And it isn’t simply that He favours and keeps His covenants, His promises, with those who worship Him. No, verse 6 goes much further: “He has shown his mighty power to his people and has given them the lands of other nations.” And verse 9a goes on to say, “God has rescued his people, and he will never break his agreement with them.” That seems to intimate, as some interpret it, that these lands, ‘the lands of other nations’, will be Israel’s possession for ever—hence, a kind of divine favouritism!
But, even if this were to be true, what does God expect Israel to do with this? Is it to be simply squatted upon and enjoyed to the detriment of others, or at least, not put to good use in order to benefit others in some way?
No, God is most emphatic in saying that Israel is not to hoard all its blessings to itself, but rather, to be a blessing to the entire world. So, is that how the present state of Israel sees itself today? It is a very good question, one that is well-worth considering.
But, before I leave this topic, two other questions are in order. Other groups, such as the American settlers and the Boers in South Africa, have seen themselves as heirs of a promised land, as possessors—by God’s own grace and gift--of ‘the lands of other nations’. And so the question must again be asked, ‘Are they using this gift for the benefit of the world, or rather, just for themselves, as in MAGA (Make America Great Again)? Another good question.
And, what about ourselves as friends, believers, and followers of Jesus Christ? We have been blessed in oh, so many ways, but are we using those gifts for the benefit of the entire world—or, just for the benefit of a few? Are we ‘the blessing’ that God has intended us to be? Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation” (verse 1).
“The story of our lives is made up of many chapters. And when we tell our story, we often want to hide some of the chapters—the parts we are too ashamed, embarrassed, or hurt to share. We worry these chapters will expose our vulnerabilities, our lowest moments, the parts of ourselves we are not proud of or don’t particularly like.
“But it is in telling these parts, embracing these moments, cloaking them with forgiveness and kindness and hope that we become whole. I am grateful for many things, for my healing and for my growth. I am also grateful for my bouts of severe depression and hard moments because I would not be the woman I am today without them. So I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart. Let us embrace it all! Let us live wholeheartedly!
Moving Forward: “Do you self-edit your story? What chapter needs to be shared?”