I owe at least a passing nod of thanks to the excellent Lectio 365 App for what follows, which is this: who do you know, what man or woman, either personally or through the media, who you really admire? What is it about them that makes you think of them so positively?
The Bible might be giving us a hint of what to look for in others when it says about God,
“Your arm is enclosed with power, Your hand is strong, Your right hand exalted. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you” (Psalm 89 verses 13-14 )
And I don’t know about you but I find myself drawn by that description. Wouldn’t it be cool to have someone say that about me?! There’s something about having a powerful arm and a strong hand that speaks of authority, and then there’s the image of the right hand being exalted, being elevated in rank, in power and in character.
Remember the biblical significance of the right hand, that it speaks to God’s omnipotence, His overwhelming power…in just one short sentence we’re given a picture of immense, Thor-like power (for those of you who have watched the Marvel films!), power that could crush us all under a heel; and then comes the relief, the good news about righteousness and justice being His foundation, and we take a deep breath and relax, because suddenly all that omnipotence is on our side and we can hide in those foundations like children in the folds of a mother’s skirt.
Is that it?
Isn’t that enough?
No, because there’s more, because reassuring as righteousness and justice may be given an omnipotent God, it could, potentially, be administered harshly, with judgement, as a punishment…and it isn’t, because, we’re told, love and faithfulness go in front or everything we’ve just heard. All that power, all that strength and justice is run through a lens of love and faithfulness. How does that sound? Is that someone you could follow and believe in? It is for me!
Tell me, does that man or woman you know, either personally or through the media, share any of those qualities we’ve just read in Psalm 89? Do we? Do you? I mean, none of us will have the complete package, but knowing what it should look like helps, doesn’t it?