READ: Deuteronomy 23 /
Psalm 110
Verse
chosen for meditation: Deuteronomy 23:3-4
3 “No Ammonite or
Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none
of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever, 4 because
they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out
of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor
of Mesopotamia, to curse you.
REFLECT
This
part of the passage talks about who makes up the covenant community at worship.
Certain groups were not permitted to enter the assembly of the Lord, and for
this devotion, we focus specifically on the Ammonites and Moabites. The former
was denied entry because of what they did not do, and the latter, because of
what they did do. The Ammonites did not show compassion to the Israelites
during their wilderness journey. Theirs was a sin of omission, whereas the
Moabites’ sin was one of commission, plotting to use Balaam to curse and pull
Israel down.
Conversely,
the Edomites and the Egyptians were not to be rejected (Deuteronomy 23:7-8). It’s
curious why the Egyptians were not forbidden, given their role in the slavery
of Israel. Despite Israel’s later years in Egypt being painful, the initial years
were good. During the period of famine, Egypt fed Israel, a sojourner in their
land. Many Egyptians then were generous, compassionate, and protective. Our God
is not one who forgets this kindness, and He values it so much that He remained
faithful to this group, despite what the later generations of Egypt did.
RELATE
Through
the text, we will do well to know that we can grieve God as much by failing to
do, as compared to what we do. It’s instinctive to imagine that sins of commission
(outright and blatant acts of disobedience) are more serious than sins of omission.
The Bible has a different view though.
The
main failures portrayed in the parables of Matthew 25 are all sins of omission:
the lamps were not filled, the talents were not used and finally as revealed
during the final judgement, the needy were ignored. To the lawyer who asked how
to get to heaven, Jesus shared the parable of the good Samaritan (a lesson on
mercy shown to the fallen) and had this to say to him, “You go, and do likewise”
(Luke 10:37). Not doing likewise is a serious sin of omission.
If
we think that inaction is no worse than acts of disobedience, we may easily
brush away such inaction on our part, not sparing further thought. We may tend
to give more attention to say, bullying someone, as compared to not standing up
for someone being bullied. Which is a more serious sin? Ask around and the
likely answer could be (with confidence even) bullying someone. Some may even
argue that the inaction is not a sin, justifying the reasons for it. To get a
good perspective on this, let’s see what the victims think. Over the years in
helping students process their experiences in being bullied, some of the
biggest hurts and traumas they shared do not stem from the action of the
bullies, but from the fact that none stood up for them. Many could easily
understand the actions of the bullies. What they struggle to accept is the lack
of support and justice from the rest, though they understood well the fears of
their classmates not helping and what they stand to lose. This sets the tone
for their view of the world, one of despair and deprived of compassion.
Our
inactions can cause a world of hurt. More crucially, the inactions reflect a
dead faith. Are there people we may have ignored? Are there those we know who
are being exploited, whether by someone or systematically? Are there those who
may benefit from companionship, or even just an acknowledgement of their
presence, their efforts? Perhaps it’s not that we are cold-hearted, but that we
are blinded by the busyness of our lives that we fail to observe such needs.
What leads to our reluctance to show compassion? What are these obstacles?
REST
Dear Lord, we pray for a heart of compassion, one
that aches for the needy and downtrodden, in the same way you do. Help us examine
our attitudes towards sins of omission. Bring to light the reasons for our
inaction and give us the strength to overcome them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Chris Chong
Comments
Post a Comment