God's Power Made Known!
God’s Power Made Known!
Reflections: Today’s readings reveal a theme of how God showed the world His power. The psalmist cries out to God that they might be delivered so the world can know that they didn’t serve an impotent God. He reasons with God that unless God rescues them that the nations will say, “Where is your God?” As God comes to deliver them, the people will praise God and future generations will tell of His love and power.
In Deuteronomy, we see the Israelites are about ready to enter into the Promised Land, Moses discusses with them their purpose and why. They are to drive out the nations so that the people might know the true God. God loved the Israelites not because of their power and might but because He had made a covenant through Abraham to bless them and make their name great. It was not because of their numbers or stature, but the power of the God who called them. As God delivered them Moses made it abundantly clear that they should obey the covenant and it would go well with them. God’s power and blessing would be all they needed if for their part they trusted God and obeyed His commands.
Finally, as Jesus continues to show where His power and authority come from, the Pharisees wonder if He will heal a man on the Sabbath and in their minds break the Sabbath laws. Jesus heals the man and when the Pharisees object Jesus says, “Is it not right to good on the Sabbath, to save life rather than destroy it?”
What can we learn from today then? God’s power will continue to be made known today, the question is will we be part of His kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven. As we understand the authority we have as believers, and use it in accordance with God’s will and the power of the Holy Spirit, God will reveal Himself to the world through us and through the church gathered in His name and power.
Psalm 79:9-13
9 Help us, God our Savior,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Before our eyes, make known among the nations
that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12 Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times
the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will praise you forever;
from generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.
Deuteronomy 7
Driving Out the Nations
7 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations —the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 10 But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. 11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today. 12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil —the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young. 15 The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. 16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
Luke 6:1-11
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
6 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. 11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
In your hand are power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you. 2 Chronicles 20:6
God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. 1 Corinthians 6:14
As the powers of this world fall victim to greed and injustice, let us not forget the power of the mighty One who raises us, victims made victorious by the hand of hope that holds us close. Amen.
Reflections: Today’s readings reveal a theme of how God showed the world His power. The psalmist cries out to God that they might be delivered so the world can know that they didn’t serve an impotent God. He reasons with God that unless God rescues them that the nations will say, “Where is your God?” As God comes to deliver them, the people will praise God and future generations will tell of His love and power.
In Deuteronomy, we see the Israelites are about ready to enter into the Promised Land, Moses discusses with them their purpose and why. They are to drive out the nations so that the people might know the true God. God loved the Israelites not because of their power and might but because He had made a covenant through Abraham to bless them and make their name great. It was not because of their numbers or stature, but the power of the God who called them. As God delivered them Moses made it abundantly clear that they should obey the covenant and it would go well with them. God’s power and blessing would be all they needed if for their part they trusted God and obeyed His commands.
Finally, as Jesus continues to show where His power and authority come from, the Pharisees wonder if He will heal a man on the Sabbath and in their minds break the Sabbath laws. Jesus heals the man and when the Pharisees object Jesus says, “Is it not right to good on the Sabbath, to save life rather than destroy it?”
What can we learn from today then? God’s power will continue to be made known today, the question is will we be part of His kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven. As we understand the authority we have as believers, and use it in accordance with God’s will and the power of the Holy Spirit, God will reveal Himself to the world through us and through the church gathered in His name and power.
Psalm 79:9-13
9 Help us, God our Savior,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Before our eyes, make known among the nations
that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12 Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times
the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will praise you forever;
from generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.
Deuteronomy 7
Driving Out the Nations
7 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations —the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 10 But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. 11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today. 12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil —the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young. 15 The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. 16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
Luke 6:1-11
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
6 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. 11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
In your hand are power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you. 2 Chronicles 20:6
God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. 1 Corinthians 6:14
As the powers of this world fall victim to greed and injustice, let us not forget the power of the mighty One who raises us, victims made victorious by the hand of hope that holds us close. Amen.
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