Eat the Book - Some More

Psalm 115:1-8 (NIV)
¹ Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
² Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?"
³ Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.
⁴ But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
⁵ They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;
⁶ they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell;
⁷ they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
⁸ Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

Eugene Peterson is one of those unusual writers that makes each word count.  Some writers are like people who love to hear their own words - an endless litany of words upon words, none of it leading to anything worth thinking about.

One commentary on reading:  "If the book we are reading does not wake us, as with a fist hammering on our skull, why then do we read it?...A book must be like an ice-axe to break the frozen sea within us."


I'm a believer in reading scripture.  I strongly believe in it.  It is the source of truth for our lives...the anchor of our souls in a storm-tossed sea of life.  I learned a long time ago that as a Pastor you cannot force feed scripture.  The pastoral appeal is simple:  God is the author of truth and his word is a light for us to open up the way through our often darkened world.

So, how do we read?
I'd suggest it's a lot like a meal...it depends on whether you have time to sit and enjoy, taking it in morsel by morsel, chewing, savoring, enjoying...or whether it's gulped down on the run.  Both will feed, but one is more enjoyable.  Grabbing the food and gulping it down will get you energy, and stop the need to eat, but it won't appeal to all that goes into great food:  "what was in that?", "wow, this is fantastic", "I loved that"...and more.

When we take in the word as a fine food we see the words, we can reflect, ponder, stop and enjoy.  Put down the fork, savor it.  Stop in mid-sentence, think, pray, imagine, worship.  We're ready to eat some more.
Reading scripture is a gift regardless of how we do it, but it's so much more enjoyable when it's unhurried.

The words from the Psalm above had little to do with "reading".  The Psalmist is reflecting on the difference between worshiping idols - made up of gold, silver...precious metals so to speak, and worshiping the true God.  What strikes me and made me stop, pause, and reflect is the last verse - which isn't the last verse in the Psalm, but it's worth stopping at and thinking, praying our way through it.

"Those who make them will be like them, and so will all you trust in them."

The psalmist contrasts:
Mockers and scoffers say "Where is there God?" because their faith is limited to their eyesight, and their short term "give me what I want" approach.  So our world is full of those who reject and place contempt on those who believe.
What is their answer?  I'll trust in that which is silver and gold...made by hands of men.  The fruit of this labor cannot speak, cannot see, cannot hear, cannot smell, cannot walk, cannot utter a word...but I'll trust in that which I have made.

"Those who make them will be like them, and so will all you trust in them."  

In a world filled with information technology, and the sexy appeals of advertisers who want to sell us the next gold or silver "look what we've made" - the words bear thinking.

Peace