THE ABC’S OF BIBLICAL RECONCILIATION
As of this writing, I have lived, worked and served in the Middle East with my family for nearly 16 years. We are currently based in Jerusalem, Israel, and carry a burden and a passion for peace, unity and reconciliation in a region of the world that has experienced a depth of rejection, hostility and division that is unparalleled in human history.
The horrors of hatred, bigotry, abuse and human suffering are beyond description. Tribal wars, ethnic cleansing, and systemic racism have cut deep wounds in the human heart and are not restricted to one region or one people group alone. The tentacles of racism and division have reached around the world in many different forms perpetuating more pain and promoting more division for generations. These are multi-layered, complex, and difficult realities that have severely impacted millions of lives and I, in no way, want to minimize this impact or delegitimize the suffering of any one people or ethnic group by the simplicity of the title, The ABC’s of Biblical Reconciliation.
When addressing reconciliation, race is inevitable. When ethnicity is addressed, it’s unfortunately far too typical to dismiss others who come from a different ethnic, cultural, or religious experience. This dismissal manifests itself in responses like, “You can’t understand me,” “You don’t understand my history,” “You’re not my color,” “You could never relate to my suffering,” “You don’t know what happened to me and my family,” or “You just don’t get it”. These statements are usually triggered as a result of deep pain and gross misunderstanding, but ultimately limit the honest conversation and dialogue that is required in reconciliation’s difficult work. The fact is, we all need to be better listeners.
We must move beyond shallow, insensitive, callous and inappropriate approaches to human suffering and discrimination in every form and treat these issues with much more grace and humility. The level of love, patience, and willingness to listen to and really understand another’s story and depth of pain simply cannot be underestimated. No doubt, we all have a lot to learn from one another, and indeed, we should. Respectful dialogue is always a good start. Having stated that, it must also be stated that the highway toward biblical reconciliation has already been paved by humanity’s Creator and paid for by humanity’s Savior. It is up to each one of us to choose to walk in what has already been provided for us.
Rather than getting stuck in the fruitless debate over which ethnicity has suffered more or which people group is more deserving of particular attention, my hope is to turn our attention toward some biblically based perspectives that can hopefully lead toward authentic healing and genuine reconciliation. Our starting point must always acknowledge racial inequity but must, more importantly, precede the pain caused by human abuse and injustice and anchor itself in the higher reality of timeless truth, divine design, and eternal purpose.
To be clear, I believe in social justice, racial reconciliation and cultural diversity as long as it is based upon biblical justice, reconciliation and diversity. To that end, I’m going to refer to a few scriptures and introduce a few statements that I believe can help move us toward the hope and promise of biblical restoration and relational reconciliation in our generation.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH A MAN WITH A DRAWN SWORD
Let’s start with an event that happened around 1400 BCE, near the border, between Jordan and the land of Canaan. The account is recorded in the book of Joshua, chapter five.
Joshua 5:13-15, “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?" So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.”
In this biblical account, Joshua began with a question of distinction. He asks this man of apparent and obvious authority, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” That’s how we humans tend to think. Are you one of us or one of them? Are you this or are you that? History has proven over and over again that those in positions of power tend to categorize and then marginalize those who are different. It’s a human and quite a hurtful problem.
This same mindset showed up again in the first century church around 50 CE. 1 Corinthians 1:12-13 states, Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? The Apostle Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 3:3-4, “For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal?”
If Joshua’s question were asked today in a Middle Eastern religious context, it might sound something like this: “Are you a Christian, a Muslim, a Druze, a Yezidi or a Jew?”
If Joshua’s question were asked today in a racial context, it might sound something like this: “Are you red, yellow, black, brown or white?” This is the human way of thinking, analyzing and processing. We generally prefer to put people in the boxes of our own understanding.
Although Joshua’s question is understandable, it exposes the limitation and inadequacy of carnal thinking. It’s the answer from the “Man with a drawn sword” that is most compelling. He simply says, “No”. Remember the question? Are you for us or for our adversaries? Did you catch His answer? It’s an emphatic “No”. In other words, “I’m not for you, and I am not for them.” Then He introduces Himself. “As Commander of the Army of the Lord I have now come. Take your shoes off, you’re on holy ground”. Apparently, heaven is less concerned with taking sides and much more concerned about fulfilling divine purpose. You might want to let that sink in a bit.
Some have said that the situation in the Middle East can be described as the longest running family feud in human history. Having lived in Israel for nearly sixteen years, I have been exposed to this reality and have personally felt the impact of these cultural, ethnic, racial and religious tensions.
What I would like to offer here are three very clear, biblical, and powerful principles that are like the basic building blocks of the language of reconciliation. If you have ever learned a new language, you realize that the first steps in learning a language require an understanding of the letters that make up that language’s alphabet. That is why I am calling this the ABC’s of Biblical Reconciliation. These are the first letters of a much larger and comprehensive alphabet and language. I will list them and then unpack them with some detail that will hopefully bring some insight, revelation, wisdom and understanding.
The ABC’s of Biblical Reconciliation
A. ACCEPTANCE OF THE FATHER’S SOVEREIGN CHOICE B. BEING RECONCILED TO THE FATHER’S HEART C. CELEBRATING THE DIVERSITY OF THE FATHER’S FAMILY
ACCEPTANCE OF THE FATHER’S SOVEREIGN CHOICE
I could begin with Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, or Jacob and Esau, but I have chosen to begin with Abraham and his dysfunctional family. He was promised descendants like “the sands of the sea and the stars of the sky,” but there was slight problem. His wife, Sarai, was barren and they had no children.
Confronted by the painful reality of her condition, Sarai recommends that Abram take her Egyptian handmaiden, Hagar, and obtain children through her. This decision marks the beginning of a great divide between two seed lines that are still having significant implications today.
Consider the reference in Genesis 16: 11-12: “And the Angel of the Lord said to Hagar: Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”
Thirteen years after Ishmael is born, the Lord reminds Abram of His covenantal promise to make him a father of many nations. Abram responds with more or less an attitude of, “Hey, thank you, I believe You, but I’ve already got a kid, so fulfill Your promises through him”.
Here’s the actual account from Genesis 17:18-21: “And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!" Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year."
Did God say, “No” or did He say, “Yes?”
The majority of bible translations handle this verse, “Then God said,“No”. The NIV translates it, “Then God said,“Yes, but…” The actual Hebrew doesn’t use either word. It simply says, “aval” which means, “but”. Regardless, the message is clear: God made a choice in how He will fulfill His covenantal promise and through whom He will accomplish His divine purpose. Ishmael received a blessing, but Isaac received the covenant.
God is a sovereign God. He is all knowing, all powerful, and everywhere present. He makes the plans. He chooses who He chooses. He decides who He will use and for what purpose He will use them. He is the Ruler, the Master, the Creator, the Designer, the Architect, the Father, the Potter, and the Source of everything good. He is good. He is love, He is light, and He is fire. He is transcendent and He is imminent. These are just some of His titles and divine attributes and He has no equal.
Now you and I, with our God given gift of free choice, can choose to appreciate these divine attributes or not appreciate these divine attributes. We can agree with His choices or disagree with His choices. We can accept His ways or reject His ways.
We can cooperate with Him or we can oppose Him with our words and actions. God remains sovereign despite our choices or regardless of how we respond to Him. Biblical text as well as Christian history have proven that surrendering to the sovereignty of God is the doorway into the supernatural. Just ask Job, Abraham, Noah, Moses, Esther, Joshua, Rahab, David, Ruth, the Disciples, the Apostle Paul, and the list goes on.
So, God heard Abram’s prayerful appeal for Ishmael and He promised to bless him, make him fruitful, and multiply him exceedingly. But, as far as His covenant was concerned, God said, “I will establish it with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”
At this point, I would like to say something about Ishmael. God’s sovereign choice to fulfill His covenantal promise through Isaac was not a rejection of Ishmael and his seed. It is true that there was bitterness, resentment, anger, jealousy, rejection, and a myriad of other toxic dynamics between Sarah and Hagar. Words were spoken, decisions were made, and life moved on for the both of them and their sons. The biblical narrative primarily tracts the covenantal line of Isaac and spends far less time on Ishmael.
It must be said that it was Sarah who rejected Hagar and Ishmael, not God. That’s an important point. Rejection leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, and hatred leads to hostility. This is the unfortunate narrative of these two seed lines, but it is not the end of the story. The Hebrew prophet, Isaiah, prophesied of a day when God will raise up a highway of worship, service and unity throughout the Middle East, where these two seed lines will come together and the result will be great blessing throughout the land. See Isaiah 19:23-25.
Acceptance of the Father’s sovereign choice is the first step toward biblical reconciliation.
BEING RECONCILED TO THE FATHER’S HEART
Surrendering to the Father’s sovereign choices can be difficult, especially when you have a different set of thoughts about something and how it should be accomplished. I’m about to show you a few scriptures inspired by the Holy Spirit and penned by the Apostle Paul. Before I do, I’d like to take you back to moment in his life where he came to the crossroads of surrender. It’s in Acts 9:1-9, when his name was Saul.
In short, Saul was on his way, doing his thing, and doing it the way he thought it should be done. In his religious zeal, he was full of threats and murder, targeting the disciples of the Lord. In the midst of his journey, he suddenly saw a light and heard a voice, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” After he asks, “Who are You, Lord?” The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
Kicking against the goads
To goad means, to provoke or annoy so as to stimulate some action. Kicking against the goads was a common expression found in both Greek and Latin literature—a rural image, which rose from the practice of farmers goading their oxen in the fields. Though unfamiliar to most of us today, everyone in that day understood its meaning.
Goads were typically made from slender pieces of timber, blunt on one end and pointed on the other. Farmers used the pointed end to urge a stubborn ox into motion. Occasionally, the beast would kick at the goad. The more the ox kicked, the more likely the goad would stab into the flesh of its leg, causing greater pain.
The point is, that it is difficult for us when we resist God’s sovereign will. The Lord was not trying to hurt Saul. Saul was hurting himself by resisting the will of God. More resistance equals more pain. That’s what Jesus was saying to him. Jesus was saying, “It’s hard for you, but it can be easier for you if you do it My way”. So, Saul surrendered. He humbled himself. He aligned his life with God’s intentions and plans.
This is the beautiful thing I have seen countless times here in the Middle East. Non Jewish neighbors of Israel, who come to this crossroads of surrender. Many of them have grown up their entire lives with a hatred for Israel and the Jewish people, primarily because of the pervading mentality of rejection, replacement and hostility between the two seed lines. But when the revelation of the true gospel comes, a veil is lifted. I have personally witnessed, on multiple occasions, the hard wall of hatred crumble at the crossroads of surrender to the sovereignty of God. It really is an amazing and miraculous thing to witness. God’s sovereign choice to establish His covenant with Isaac was not a rejection of Ishmael. In fact, God wants to bless Ishmael, and has chosen the precise way in which to do that.
Accepting and surrendering to the Father’s sovereign choice allows us to be reconciled to the Father’s heart.
Knowing God’s nature, allows me to trust His choices, which opens my heart to His heart. His loving and generous desire for humanity is that none should perish but that all would come to repentance.
These next two scriptures need no commentary, which is why I will quote them here in their entirety.
Romans 5: 6-11 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Vertical reconciliation precedes horizontal reconciliation.
Genuine and lasting reconciliation with our fellow man is only possible when our hearts are fully reconciled with God’s heart. Solomon, the wisest of Israel’s kings, exhorted humanity to “keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life”. Reconciliation is primarily a heart issue. It means to bring together again. Sin separates, but God’s salvation provides the solution.
The closer we move toward God, the closer we can move toward others. We can’t give what we don’t have. The more I allow the love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace of God to flow into my own heart, the more love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace I am able to extend to my brothers and sisters who are very different from me.
When I am reconciled to the Father’s heart, I can celebrate the diversity of the Father’s family and walk in love and unity with my brothers and sisters.
CELEBRATING THE DIVERSITY OF THE FATHERS FAMILY
Diversity and inclusion have become iconic words in today’s pop culture, but they are not new. Diversity did not originate with man. The idea came out of the heart and mind of God, the Creator of the world.
When the Apostle Paul engaged the philosophers at the Areopagus in Greece, he said, “God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”
Made from one blood
To embrace humanity’s diversity, we must first embrace humanity’s unity. We have been made from one blood. Every man, every woman, every ethnicity, every color, every tribe, every tongue, yes, every human being has been made from one blood. There’s not much that is more unifying or humbling than that. According to God’s divine design, there is no higher or lower class, no race more valuable than another race, and no color more superior than another color. This is the unifying power of the gospel which levels the playing field for all mankind. In Christ, we become new creations, all equally loved, accepted and valued.
Consider the scripture in Galatians 3:26-29, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
The revelation of this gospel reality is not limiting, it is actually quite liberating. It’s liberating because we understand that every ethnicity has a unique and valuable role in the mosaic of God’s creative tapestry and purpose. This understanding allows us to celebrate the diversity of the Father’s family rather than struggle against it. Differences don’t need to cause divisions. Diversity can be celebrated in the Father’s house, because it is celebrated in the Father’s heart.
Biblical reconciliation starts with an acceptance of our Father’s choices. In this acceptance, we are joined to the Father’s heart, releasing us to joyfully celebrate the diversity of His family. The first three letters of the alphabet are simply a starting point, opening up the potential to understand a new language, creating words that will be vital in communication, connection and collaboration as we celebrate the incredible diversity of our Father’s family.