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I love the Psalms

~ Connecting daily with God through the Psalms

I love the Psalms

Daily Archives: August 8, 2017

A Recent Book Review by Don Hutchinson

08 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by davidkitz in Books by David Kitz, Psalms

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book, book review, centurion, David Kitz, Don Hutchinson, Holy Week, movie, Palm Sunday

Every now and then you get to read a book before they make the movie. In such a book, the characters are vivid, with rounded personalities, and the plot carries you with it as it develops and progresses. David Kitz’s ‘The Soldier Who Killed a King’ is just such a book.

Soldier bookI have no idea whether there will be a movie, but the book is written in a way easily suited to the transition. This first person storytelling, by the centurion who initially saw Jesus during the commotion of His triumphal donkey-riding Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem and was days later ordered to drive the spikes into Christ’s outstretched palms, effortlessly created in my mind’s eye, images of Marcus Longinus, his family and both friends and foes encountered in this particularly demanding week of his Roman military service in the Judean outpost of Jerusalem. Kitz’s vibrant words breathed life into fictional and non-fictional names in this re-telling of the Holy Week story.

‘The Soldier Who Killed a King’ fleshes out the factual description found in the four gospels with period accurate settings and contemporary language, complete with endnotes for historic and biblical references. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and plan to do so again, one day at a time during Holy Week.

Don Hutchinson is the author of Under Siege: Religious Freedom and the Church in Canada at 150 (1867-2017). Don is a strategic thinker and planner who has been a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1990. Not coincidentally, he is also a long time member and former board chair of Canada’s Christian Legal Fellowship.

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Set in a Spacious Place

08 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by davidkitz in Bible, Devotionals, Psalm 31, Psalms

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David and Goliath, forgive, forgiveness, hate, idols, love, Malcolm Gladwell, murder, political correctness, power of forgiveness, rapist, the LORD, trust in God, vengeance

Reading:                                      Psalm 31

(Verses 6-8)

I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in the L
ORD.
I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place
(NIV).

Reflection
David clearly lacked a sense of political correctness. The opening line of this psalm portion makes me want to cringe. I hate those who cling to worthless idols. What an inflammatory remark! Hate has no place in our expression of Christian faith. Didn’t David know that we are to hate the sin, but love the sinner? Perhaps we should send David off to a course in sensitivity training.

2017-07-22a

Waves lapping on the shoreline, Ottawa River — photo by David Kitz

Somehow biblical David got away with making such a statement, and here we have it recorded in the pages of Holy Scripture for all to read. Hate is a less than desirable emotion. But is it warranted in certain instances? My Christian love for murdering rapists grows mighty thin at times, and I speak from a distance. If my life was directly impacted by an idolatrous, murdering rapist, I am not sure how I would respond. Christ-centred forgiveness is the right response, but gut-wrenching hate might well spring to life. My capacity for forgiveness in severe circumstances remains untested. I dare not boast in my theoretical ability to forgive.

The second part of David’s opening remark is of crucial importance. I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the LORD.

Only trust in the LORD can break the crippling bondage of sin and hate. Vengeance belongs to the LORD, not to the seething heart tortured and taunted by anger. Secular author Malcolm Gladwell explores the extraordinary power of forgiveness in his most recent book, David and Goliath. Gladwell’s thoughts and research on the topic make for an insightful read. He concludes that forgiveness has the power to turn the world upside down. That’s the power we find in the gospel. Rather than be caught in the trap of ruinous hate, through the power of Christ we have the ability to step into the liberty of forgiveness.

By the gracious Holy Spirit we have the ability to choose love over hate. David’s confession can then become our own, “I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.”

When we choose love over hate, forgiveness over vengeance, trust in God over reliance on our own ability, we defeat Satan, the true enemy of our soul. Then the LORD sets us at liberty in a spacious place. With David we can declare, “You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.”

Response: LORD God, thank you for your forgiveness. Help me to practice it daily. Give me a forgiving spirit like your Son, Jesus, who forgave those who crucified him (Luke 23:34). Amen.

Your Turn: Is there someone you need to forgive? Do it today.

Psalms Alive! devotional study

A Devotional Study

Discover for yourself what a soul-bonding relationship with God looks like. As never before, let the psalms come alive for you. $17.95 (237 pages)

Psalms

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