Insightful Musings on the Scripturesby
Ray Sparre, NU class of '67
Ray has a wealth of experience as a Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, and student of the Word. He believes and practices his faith where the rubber meets the road. You'll find his writings to be practical, insightful, and grounded in a truly Christ-centered world view.
Below are links to a printable daily Bible reading guide which Ray has followed, and an archive of all his daily devotional writings for 2010 and 2011.
| Sparre Home Page | Daily Reading Guide | 2011 Devotion Archives | 2010 Devotion Archives |
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23 July 11
Hello, dear people.
It’s a beautiful morning…though quite cool. Lots on the list. I’m going to try to focus mainly on personal work and projects rather than getting tangled up with commercial-type pressure. We’ll see how it goes.
With it this late in the morning already, I better get to cruising…or the list will be unaffected.
Blessings. Love—Dad/Ray
23 July 2011
Psalm 82
Focus: “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?” Psalm 82:2.
Asaph is functioning here like a civil rights activist, singing a song about the need for governmental reform to affect civil justice. There are just too many inequities in the way Asaph sees governmental officials managing their responsibilities—abusing their powers and unfairly exploiting the needy. In that sense, the message he puts forth is as contemporary as it ever has been, because we still have the same kinds of corruption in high places—unregenerate men still have dirty hearts that are programmed to do dog-eat-dog dirty deeds against others to get what they want when they have opportunity and can get away with it.
Asaph’s opening line sets the stage—affirming that God is the Sovereign Judge over those who function as little “gods” in government. Verses 2 through 7 is another imagined speech from God to these corrupt governmental officials who are so haughty and unjust. Then the final verse is a plea to the Sovereign Judge for His righteous judgment in the affairs of men—similar to “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.”
Yes—I see a lot of relevance expressed here for today. Can you imagine government and legislation moving on a righteous and just course when that course is largely controlled by lobbyists—special interest groups who happen to have sufficient funds to do lobbying—where the loudest squeaky wheels get the most grease? What if the lobbyists are corrupt? What if the issues they represent are corrupt? Isn’t it to be expected that such corruption would corrupt? And doesn’t it make sense that before corruption can even be identified, a righteous and pure standard must first be understood and sought as a reference point from which discussion and correction flows? But if those reference points are blurred or lost, what hope is there for correction? If this be the norm, how can corruption even be called corrupt if corruption becomes normal? How in the world can corruption generate correction? Am I confused? Is anyone around here longing for the coming of the Sovereign Judge Who has promised to come and set things JUST and RIGHT?
It seems appropriate to end here with the last two verses of the last book of the Bible—Revelation 22:20-21: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”
“Whenever a separation is made between liberty and justice, neither, in my opinion, is safe.”