My Dear Students,

And you are dear to me, already, right now. I always feel a great affection for all my students—even those who are dill pickles with bumps. (None of you falls into that category, of course!)

The events at the capitol building yesterday were profoundly disturbing to me, and I’m sure, to you as well. However, I would remind you of a few basic, spiritual realities.

First, God is still in control. Not the Democrats, thank God. Not the Republicans, thank God. Neither you nor me, thank God. God is in control, thank God! While I do believe in God’s guidance, I also believe that God holds the reins of this wild horse called “humankind” with a very loose hand. God does intervene at times with miracles and judgments, but at least for now, God allows us a lot of free will. Unfortunately, we often abuse that free will.

Second, the Bible actually speaks often about political issues and it speaks to (and often, against) human violence. For example, last night I taught a Hebrew class. I almost canceled, but my students wanted to meet. So, we looked at two verses from Isaiah: Isaiah 8:12-13. Here are these verses in their immediate literary context:

“Is. 8:11   For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.” (English Standard Version)

I pointed out to the class that this word from the LORD came to Isaiah and to Judah at a time of profound political unrest. Assyria was menacing Judah from the northeast, and Egypt was trying to reassert its authority from the southwest. And there were people within Judah who were divided among themselves. Some favored Egypt, some favored Assyria, and some just wanted to ignore the whole thing.

Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?

But God says to the prophet, “Now don’t you be the same as everybody else who are always saying ‘Conspiracy!’ and who are afraid all the time. Instead, fear God. And also, make God your sanctuary.”

I think that, in this time, indeed in any time, we need to hear this Word from the Old Testament. Joyce Myer often says, “I know this is not a new word, but it is a now word.”

Right! So it is with this word from Isaiah: It is not a new word, but it is most definitely a now word. I am sending you this email (which will double as a post on my website, downtoearthbeliever.com) mainly because you might need to hear it. Of course, I’m trying to listen to this word myself, because I need to hear it.

But there is a secondary motive behind this email. I think that this illustrates something very important about the Word of God. The Bible, both the Old and New Testament, speaks to our modern 2021 struggles and fears. The Bible is not silent about the real social, political, or personal struggles that we all face.

Furthermore (and this has nothing to do with the Isaiah passage), I would remind you that I am praying for you right now and throughout the day. I will be available for most of the day if you need to email me (dldocterman@seu.edu), call me (513-827-8936), or text. I believe in praying over the phone, so don’t hesitate. If I am taking a nap (and remember, I’m an old guy), I will have the phone on DO NOT DISTURB anyway, so you won’t wake up grumpy (a.k.a. me!). And I don’t generally take long naps, so I can call you back soon.

But let me not just talk about prayer. Let me pray for you right now. “What? You can pray via email??!” Yes, actually, you can!

Oh God our Father, I affirm that you are in control. While you give us free will, and while we are all responsible for the exercise of that free will, you ultimately either cause things to happen or you allow them to happen. And your ultimate intention for the whole human race is that we repent and trust and love you. So, help us—help me—to repent and trust and love. Grant a spirt of kindness, generosity, and holiness. Grant us a fresh filling with your Holy Spirit. Without your Holy Spirit cleansing us and empowering us, we are not simply dead in the water. We’re just plain dead!

Help us to get on with our days as best we can. Raising children, working at our jobs, doing our studies, loving our friends, reaching out the lost, and encouraging one another. May your divine love be in our hearts today, and may your love flow out to others from our overflowing heart. Amen and amen!

Daryl, Instructor for Old Testament Interpretation (and Application!)