Who Eats But is not Satisfied....

Who eats but is not satisfied

Who hears but does not see,
. Who falls in love with wealth itself
. And turns his back on me.

Sounds like Micah, or some other Old Testament Prophet, and it could well have been. In fact according to the Jewish writer, Lawrence J Epstein, these lyrics sung by Bob Dylan in “I Pity the Poor Immigrant” from the album “John Wesley Harding” are full of allusions to the 26th chapter of Leviticus. And, as it just so happens, I am reading Lev 26 this morning

Now, for those of you who missed out totally on the sixties, “John Wesley Harding” was the album when Dylan moved, against the tide, and the current of “stream of consciousness” psychedelia back to a more rootsy sound based in the common human lot of of living and surviving in middle America. Its a world full of hobos and drifters, immigrants and small town gangsters. And its a world conscious of a God who has His eye on the wicked and on the righteous, on the deceiver and the deceived, on the oppressors and the victims

In fact, as I re-listened to “Poor Immigrant” this morning, I suddenly saw it as written from the persective of God - God’s eye view on a humanity that rebels and twists and lies and deceives in order to try and make sense of and manage his world, and yet a humanity to be pitied and loved and shown mercy. Amazing poetry

I pity the poor immigrant
Who wishes he would've stayed home,
Who uses all his power to do evil
But in the end is always left so alone.
That man whom with his fingers cheats
And who lies with ev'ry breath,
Who passionately hates his life
And likewise, fears his death.

Getting back to Leviticus 26, I read the startling and awesome contrast between what it means to obey God and to walk with Him, on the one hand and what happens when you constantly turn your back on him, on the other. Its a chapter of blessings, and woes of the riches of living in harmony with Him, and the ultimate horrors of living without Him. You should read it. For me, by following Him, I find a wonderful trio of “p”s -

the Promise of fruitfulness,

the Peace that no human comfort can bring, and

the Presence of an Almighty Everpresent God who says

“I will put my dwelling place among you,

I will walk among you and be your God

and you will be my people”

* 'When Dylan Spoke for God', by Lawrence Epstein, August 2009 on http://thebestamericanpoetry.typepad.com

Leviticus 26:12

Lot's Lot

Sometimes the choices in life seem good at the time. But they lead us bit by bit into a situation when we suddenly realise how far we have moved out of God’s plan for our lives. It may have been a career decision, or a relationship choice, or something else where the grass seemed greener, more secure, more exciting. But now, you feel stuck, unable to move on or out, and increasingly influenced by the culture around you.

Its kind of like the path that a man called Lot took when he made the choice to separate from his Uncle and head over towards the fertile plains of Sodom. The choice was most probably an astute one, given the economics of the situation, and the need to settle down from the nomadic lifestyle and put down roots. But the poor guy didn’t seem to have the foresight to see that its not just about the money. That the end result of living in a godless culture would lead him not just to distance himself from God, but to open himself and his family up to all sorts of risks. And its not just about the sex. Thats what Sodom has come to be famous for in history. But a society with few controls on moral behaviour rapidly becomes a society that opens itself up to violence and injustice.

But what struck me by the whole Lot and Abraham story is that incredible passage in Genesis 18 where Abraham debates with God over the fate of Sodom and his nephews family who are living there. What struck me is that sometimes a good man, like Lot, can be stuck in an intolerable situation, and become spiritually unable to help himself to escape. What he needed was an Abraham, living on a higher plain, walking in communion with God, to intercede and pray on his behalf.

What a powerful spiritual tool is intercession. To be able to stand in the place of people who cannot or will not pray for themselves, and who are maybe not even conscious of the dangerous situation they are in. I walk through the park and down by the river, and I see countless faces, marked by worry an anxiety. And I wonder, who is stand up for them . Who is interceding before a holy God and pleading for their lives, for God to break through and overwhelm them with His mercy and love. I wish I could be that one.

By the way, the picture is of a 5th century mosaic depicting the parting of the ways between Abraham and Lot that is situated in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome