Day 4 - Cooperating with God redefines competition in this world
Scripture focus: Yes. Believe it or not, this is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel's God: "Don't let all those so-called preachers and know-it-alls who are all over the place there take you in with their lies. Don't pay any attention to the fantasies they keep coming up with to please you. They're a bunch of liars preaching lies—and claiming I sent them! I never sent them, believe me." God's Decree! Jeremiah 29:8-9 (The Message)
I admire people who know how to stick up for themselves and others. I love the movies where the underdog overcomes the bully. I pull for sports teams that everyone expects to lose. Noble sounding, isn't it? Maybe it's a message we assume would win the approval of God. Careful; it may be that we're confusing care and concern for the defenseless with something more sinister.
I'm always fascinated when two athletic teams take the field pre-game, huddle on the sidelines and offer up a prayer. I love the public display of faith. I wonder what they pray. Do they pray for victory, or good character? Do they ask for safety for themselves and their teammates; if so, do they offer up that same petition for their opponents? I suspect that in many cases they do. I imagine that wise chaplains guide them in an understanding of God's ways. But still - who hasn't walked onto the field of an athletic competition and not whispered quietly, "God, please let us win today?"
Anytime we find ourselves "pulling for" a team, a person, or a cause - doesn't it often mean we're "opposing" a perceived enemy? I may want the University of Virginia to win an ACC championship in every sport (I told you I love underdogs) but that desire means that I am unwittingly opposing the success of my son's alma mater - Virginia Tech. Can this be right? I don't really think so.
In Jeremiah's day, God sent a letter to his people in captivity and delivered a similar message. It wasn't popular. False prophets were telling the people what they wanted to hear - "Hate your enemy, oppose them, it's okay to compete with them - they captured you! You're the Jewish team, they're infidels. Separate yourself from them. Don't make friends, plot revenge." This message was an easy sell. But it wasn't God's message.
God continues to startle me with words that challenge my worldview. God urges the Jewish people to remember their heritage, and not forget who he is and who they are - but to use this knowledge to cooperate with the Babylonians, to bless them not curse them, to live in such a way that when God returns the Jewish people to their homeland in seventy years, the Babylonians will be better off because they had the Jews in their community for awhile. When my son takes the lacrosse field for his final season as a high school senior this year, I will no doubt pray, "Lord, please don't let anyone get hurt. Lord, help everyone to play well. And please, God, let the Rapids win this game." I'm a mom, that's how we pray. But I'm not sure that it's theologically sound. While the team is getting in shape this spring, I am going to continue to wrestle with Jeremiah 29 and how it might apply to lacrosse watching. Because more than winning, I desire transformation - for me, my boy, my family, my friends - and you.
Recommended reading: Leviticus 13-16
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