Deuteronomy 28:15-68
Wow. Did nobody tell Moses the 1 Corinthians 14 rule about prophecy; that it must be strengthening, comforting or encouraging?? Why on earth would he go and say something as daft as “it will please (the LORD) to ruin and destroy you”, let alone all the other stuff? I guess part of it might be because he is in a strop for not being allowed into the promised land but the its probably because he wants people to grasp the consequences of walking away from God. These curses are, in effect, doing the same thing that fire and brimstone preaching sought to do. The thing that is missing here, and in the fire and brimstone stuff, is the concept of grace. It’s a small word but it sure is powerful. It rips up this curse-monologue by the roots and flings it into the skip, sowing a crop of forgiveness of cleansing, of empowerment and unjustified inheritances in its place. What an eye-watering privilege that we would live in this new age, under this new covenant of grace where we do not receive what our wickedness deserves but are welcomed into the Kingdom Banquet of our God.
Luke 18:1-30
There is only room for one big man in the kingdom, and that spot is already taken. Jesus seems to be particularly rigid about this. I’m feeling a little uneasy about all the people I’ve flattered or assured of their value to God. On one level that was probably right; to utter the love of the Father to his trembling children. But on another level people need to know that none of us deserve a scrap of God’s attention. The way into the kingdom is always a humble crawl on hands and knees through the dust of Golgotha to beg for mercy at base of the cross. That is a hard and humiliating journey especially for self-made men or the religiously successful. Children don’t mind having snot running down their faces and wailing about their own deficiencies but it is not an easy place for the “intelligent” or the “mature”. We need to heed this though because there is only room for one big man in the kingdom, and that spot is most definitely taken.
Psalm 47:1-9
What a corker!
