Reflection - Punishment II

By Steve Hall

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/062720.cfm
Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19
Matthew 8:5-17

Sin, siege, suffering, surrender, slaughter, sorrow, shame

Sequels are not normally part of my reflections; but the current text from Lamentations practically demanded a follow-up to the question explored last week: Does God punish? The seven words with which this reflection began tell the sad story that inspired the author behind the Book of Lamentations. That story took place about four hundred years after the reigns of King David and his son, King Solomon.

The Kingdom of Judah had failed to keep their Covenant relationship with God time and again. Under such circumstances it was just a matter of when the consequences of that failure became obvious. At the time, Judah was an inconsequential little country that, along with a few of its neighbors, was caught in the squeeze between two nations who were far more powerful: Egypt and Babylon. Judah’s persistent violation of the Covenant relationship had left her exposed. In her simple-minded belief, she thought that she was indispensable to God no matter what she did; and what she did included pagan worship. She had separated herself from the protection of God. Unlike King Hezeki’ah and the people of a previous day, Judah could no longer shelter ‘beneath his wings.’ as when “The LORD saved Hezeki'ah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennach'erib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies; and he gave them rest on every side.” (Chronicles 2:32-11)

Moreover, this same behavior exposed her to the evils that were present around her. That evil had more than one face. On the one hand was the Kingdom of Babylonia; on the other was the Kingdom of Egypt. And, on the third hand, as they say, was Judah’s willingness to trust in her own wisdom in choosing sides. Disaster followed. After flip-flopping In loyalty — first, loyalty to Egypt, then to Babylon, then back to Egypt — Judah had shredded whatever credence she had had by her ambivalent behavior. The surrender, the slaughter, the sorrow, the shame — all are described in Lamentations. The Lord did not punish these people. In the arrogance of their human desire for self-determination and the guidance of their own human wisdom, they just trusted in themselves. As an observer might say today: “Good luck with that!” Or “How did that work for you?”

If there’s one thing to be learned from the early chapters of Genesis, it’s that man was never intended to walk alone. Rather, he was to habitually walk in the garden with God.

Look carefully at the temptation in the Garden. “When you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:5) Eat of the fruit and you will no longer need to turn to God for wisdom. Eat of the fruit and you can be independent. Eat of the fruit and you can be alone. “So when the woman saw . . . that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” (Genesis 3:6) Eat of the fruit and you can live independently, without need for God.

Man’s need for the daily companionship of God didn’t change after the fall or in the intervening centuries before the coming of the Christ. Our God is a merciful God who knows the weakness, emptiness and danger of walking alone. He also knows the dangers we encounter without his guidance. Leaders like Moses and Joshua, Judges like Deborah and Gideon, Kings like David and Hezekiah, Prophets like Elijah and Jeremiah — all were sent with the word of guidance and the power of the Lord. All were sent so God’s people would not have to find their way alone. The ultimate in that divine endeavor came with the sending of the Father’s Son, whose final words to his Apostles, according to the Gospel of Matthew were: “Behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Matthew 28:20) We cannot be whole if we are alone. More specifically, we can not be whole if we are without God. I am only whole when I am holy. Our sin is in our separation.

The realization of our aloneness can leave a deep inner ache. Adolescence and one’s young adult years can be particularly devastating in this regard. Friends, family and spouse may ease the pain; and, while the emptiness may be ignored, it never really goes away. We can hardly expect less knowing we were made to be with the creator. The condition can be an especial hardship for those whose culture idolizes personal independence, self reliance and individualism.

I am alone.

At best I have only my family and friends to provide support; but they too are alone.

I live in the midst of pain and suffering, of chaos and disorder, of deceit and selfishness.

Only my internal strength, my discipline, my intellect, my persistence will get me through, because I am alone.

That’s a narrow view of the life we live. It’s a claustrophobic view of the life we were meant to live. We were always meant to walk with God — never alone. But turning from God insures that we will, indeed, walk alone. We choose for ourselves. We trust ourselves. We are individuals — independent and self-reliant. And as painful as it might be, it appears to be easier to take this narrow view of life, than to trust in the Lord. In doing so we create our own punishment, just as The Kingdom of Judah did.

It would seem that the centurion we meet in the Gospel comes to Jesus with a different mindset. He knows his place. He knows those who have power over him; and he knows those over whom he has power. Most notably, he knows when the only intelligent path is to walk with the one who has the power of the spirit. Whether or not he was able to extend that wisdom to his daily life is unknown. Perhaps it is a question we should ask ourselves.

Is the path we walk one that we walk alone? If it is we will find ourselves punished by the very choice we have made.