What is the first thing that came into your mind when you read the title of this post? Before I answer about mine, one of my sons is reading through the Bible and recently came to me with a quote from Deuteronomy 8:
17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
He said it was profound, which of course gave me the opportunity to expand on the profundity as is my wont; my wife and kids have had to endure these lectures for decades.
The beauty of Christianity, and Judaism for those who take the faith of their fathers seriously, is that when life is properly understood our accomplishments, including the money we make, leads to humility not pride or arrogance. Any clear-thinking secularist would have to admit their wealth and success included depending on many people without whom their accomplishments would be impossible. Yet without knowing a personal God who in Paul’s words gives all people “life and breath and everything else,” a deep humility in gratitude to God for his blessings is not possible. Everything is better, tastier, better sounding, more beautiful, more gratifying, etc., knowing it comes from the gracious hand of our Creator God.
About the verses, the reason wealth was so important to the Hebrews and the Jews as they came to be called during the Babylonian exile was because of these verses, among others. Wealth was a sign to them of God’s covenant faithfulness, a blessing that confirmed God’s love for them. Jesus changed that equation a bit, but there is nothing glorious or virtuous about poverty. God wants us to create wealth, and as we strive and struggle to earn a living (by painful toil and the sweat of our brow always fighting thorns and thistles), we must always understand through the process of learning and growing that it is the Lord our God who gives us the ability to produce wealth. Knowing that we can be grateful and generous, blessing others with what God has so richly provided.
On to the words. As soon as they came out of my son’s mouth I thought of the song by the Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime.” Now I can’t get it out of my head! As we listened to it, I decided to look at the lyrics and discovered it is Nihilistic in a quirky Talking Heads kind of way. David Byrne is an odd fellow and their songs are like that, quirky if not all quite as Nihilistic. This song just happened to be a perfect contrast to the truth of the Deuteronomy verses and why they lead to mutually exclusive places.
The Talking heads version of reality is quintessential secularism where God, if he’s even there, isn’t relevant to everyday life. Our lives are basically a mystery, so he starts with, “And you may find yourself . . .” As you look at the strangeness that is your life you may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?” Who knows!
It seems life in Byrne world has something to do with the vagaries and mystery of water, while things are and always will be, “Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.” We must remember “Time isn’t holding up, time isn’t after us,” and we just let the days go by, same stuff, but “Here a twister comes, here comes the twister.” And we all know twisters just happen for no rhyme or reason.
The song captures so well the hopelessness of secular life without the living God in Christ. It shouldn’t surprise us that in a culture awash in secularism even though it’s the most prosperous civilization in the history of the world, over 40,000 (45,979 in 2020 to be exact) people a year in America kill themselves, and many more try. Life in secular Byrne world will do that to people who try to live without any ultimate hope. I’m reading through the Psalms now, and as I’m writing this I just came across these words of David in Psalm 63. The contrast to secular Byrne world could not be any greater:
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
Our secular neighbors need this God desperately, and I pray God gives us all opportunities to share him with those who know they have needs nothing in this world can ultimately fulfill.
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