Tuesday 02 April 2019
To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? (v. 18)
Psalm: Psalm 107:17-32
Background
The beginning of today’s reading is a great example of apologetics (there is a more polemical passage in chapter 44). It does raise the question of whether it is much use to us today as we do not really encounter idols, as Isaiah did. We may see physical representations of the Divine in our own and other traditions but it would be an insult to call them ‘idols’. Yet, we may have our own idols. Good religion is diverse, inclusive, liberal, we must think of God like this to avoid nailing God down. Too much rigidity shows fear and attachment to that which is not God, religion which holds itself up with buttresses of bigotry. If it can topple, it’s not God.
You will have noticed, or will soon, that the ‘Servant Songs’ which inspired ‘Messiah’ are intimately joined to texts which are the highpoint of scriptural monotheism. This leads to many challenging questions with a strong focus on the ephemerality of Creation.
"Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth." (v. 28)
God offers hope to the weary, and, no doubt, we are all weary of Brexit.
To Ponder:
- What does apologetics do for you?
- How does monotheism feature in your religious outlook?