The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

 

Friday, June 23, 2023


Psalms 124; 125; 126

1 Samuel 17:24-40

Acts 11:1-18


The snare is broken, and we have escaped.


Today’s first Psalm, if we allow our imaginations to give it some legs, is more than a little terrifying. The anger of which humanity is capable – that uncontrolled, frothing rage – is better at keeping one up at night than any horror story. What kind of power this is, that can take such a hold of the human heart, and draw others down into the same madness, leading to mobs of insanity; and what destruction this has caused to God’s good creation!


When David looked out at the opposing armies, he did not see this type of anger. Battles are won when one army loses courage and routs in fear. Riots and pogroms, on the other hand, is where this type of anger is found. This is the ugliness of civil unrest. It is the ugliness of domestic violence. It is the worst side of humanity brought out and given permission to destroy.


Classical paganism contains the idea of hell as a labyrinth, with the poor souls trapped inside being chased by a minotaur. This is the cage that the fear of human anger can trap us in. Gentle, soft humans made in the image of the loving God are not suited to this terror.


But when we finally listen to the Holy Spirit, who points us to our Saviour, Jesus, who Himself is pointing to our loving Father, we escape the labyrinth of anger and fear. The supposed “power” of anger is neutered by the actual power of God’s love and forgiveness. We need not fear the rage of people who lash out in the madness of anger, or the possibility of such insanity within ourselves. We have been made clean by the blood of the Lamb, who is now at the right hand of the Father, protecting us, because we are His. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.

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