feeble bind on strength

Ok, I screwed up the order of my readings the other day, so this morning I did the readings from two days ago...

• Psalm 78
• 1 Sam 1.21-2.11
• Acts 1.15-26
• Luke 20.19-26

Psalm 78 is just heart-wrenching.  Nearly every time I revisit the stories of early Israel I'm struck by how quickly they 'forget' the wonders of God.  As I considered Psalm 78 this morning, and as I survey my own life, I'm starting to leave behind language of forgetfulness, and think in terms of willful disobedience.  The bottom line is we usually want something more than we want God.  Despite the bleak outlook, I feel like these verses capture the core of the Psalmist's convictions:

Their heart was not steadfast toward him;

they were not faithful to his covenant.

Yet he, being compassionate,

atoned for their iniquity

and did not destroy them;

he restrained his anger often

and did not stir up all his wrath.

He remembered that they were but flesh,

a wind that passes and comes not again.

 

The 1 Samuel narrative ended with Hannah's song today.  The poetic description of how YHWH brings about the reversal of fortunes is incredible.  I realize this is a horrible interpretive practice, but as I consider my own life, and my pastoral calling, the line, 'the feeble bind on strength' is an encouraging and stunning reminder that my pastoral posture should always be one of humility, reliance.  My life should be an expression of feebleness binding on strength--the strength that comes from YHWH, given for the purpose of doing his will on earth as it is done in heaven, not to pursue my own agendas.

Finally, some interpretive questions:

1. Regarding Psalm 78 as well as the plethora of other descriptions of God's judgment against Israel for her unfaithfulness, how quickly should we move beyond the original context to understand how God relates to us today?  In other words, does God still judge 'nations' in the same sense/way?  What about the Church?  Obviously this is a bit of a loaded question (think Jerry Fallwell and Pat Robertson).  Should we simply allow these descriptions to fill out our picture of God's character?  Or are we to move beyond that and find modern day examples of the same sort of judgment and restoration (whether individual or corporate)?

2. This one is more just for fun: what do you think was going through Peter's mind in Acts 1.21-22, when he insisted that they must find a 12th apostle to replace Judas?  Was he actively thinking about the early church mirroring Israel?  Was 12 a cultural quorum?  I just found it interesting this morning as I read that passage, he just kind of assumes this was the next obvious step, and given all that they'd just experienced it seems a bit strange to me.