On Being Human

'He has shown you, O Mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.'  Micah 6

On the 22 June 2016 Singaporeans woke up to the horrible news of torture and death of a foreign maid at the hands of her former employer. Myanmar National aged 24 years died as a result of severe abuse and beating the day before. The employer was sentenced to 30 years in prison. 

The poor young girl weighed only 24 kg at the time of death, the result of severe deprivation and malnutrition. She was literally starved to death. The whole family was involved, husband and mother too, in the heinous abuse. 

The three trials, the third trial being currently held, unveiled the extent of inhumanity that can exist in a common household even in peaceful Singapore. All Singaporeans were shocked at the extent of the cruelty, the inhumanity inflicted on an innocent human being. The doctor who examined the poor victim at death noted that her limbs were like just loose skin wrapping bones. Overlaying the last act that resulted in death must have been months of deprivation and exploitation, an example of modern slavery.

Slavery still exists in the 21st Century. According to the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, there are 50 million slaves in 2021. Of these people 28 million were in forced labour and 22 million were trapped in forced marriages. The International Labour Organisation stated that slavery occurs in almost every country in the world. More than half of all forced labour and a quarter of forced marriages can be found in upper-middle and high-income countries.

What happened? What happened to the human spirit, human touch and human gentleness? The Bible recorded another trial in Micah 6:1-8 that exposed the underlying reason for this loss of human dignity.

A court case was recorded in Micah 6:1-8, a court case brought upon all humanity. This time the  prosecutor is God Himself. 

'Stand up and state your case against me. Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.' Micah 6:1

'And now O mountains, listen to the Lord's complaint! He has a case against His people. He will bring charges against His people, He will bring charges against Israel.' Micah 6:2    

What is the charge? The accusation is that human beings have forsaken God.

'O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me!' Micah 6:2

President M. Craig Barnes of Princeton Theological Seminary, in preaching on this passage commented that by forsaking God we forget to be humans. Every time humans forget they have a God, they start to act like gods. That is when the greatest evil will be unleashed on others such as the Holocaust during World War 2 in Europe and the torture and death of the domestic helper, more recently in Singapore. 

Many Singaporean families rely and benefit from the hard work of foreign maids. Unfortunately, sometimes these maids are exploited, made to work long hours; without any kindness shown to them. Every year, several employers of foreign maids are convicted of physical abuse on these maids and sentenced to heavy jail terms. 

How can we correct ourselves? The Micah passage tells us that it is not by superficialities, false piety and legalistic acts of religiosity. This was what God's people during Micah's time tried to offer in their defence at the heavenly trial

'What can we bring to the Lord? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer Him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins?' Micah 6:6-7

President Barnes said that these are meagre defence; these are corrupt questions asked by people who try to bribe their way to be in favour with God

It is a sad commentary of the human race, depraved and tainted by sin. When we forget God, we lose our humanity we become cruel. How can we save ourselves?  

 

Instead of pronouncing sentences after the trial, God meted out three corrective measures, clearly telling what He expects of us.

• Act Justly. To act justly is to act morally, to live with a proper sense of right and wrong. Justice is to treat everyone equitably. Every human being is unique, valued and beloved; made in God's image. No one should be treated as less than the other. 

• Love Mercy. Be kind to one another. God is a merciful God and He pours out His mercy on all of us. Although we sin and forsake him He will not treat us in the way we all deserve. Instead he shows us kindness, mercy and grace and reaches out to save us. This is an act of lovingkindness and God compels us to repeat the same for all our friends and even to our enemies.

• Walk Humbly. Live in Humility. This humility is anchored in the person of Jesus Christ, placing the highest value on every human being. In the same way, in humility we value others above ourselves. St Paul in Philippians Chapter 2 instructed, 'not looking to your own interests but each to the interests of the others. 

There is a further extension to these three imperatives, we are to walk humbly with our God. All start from this relationship with God and it underpins how we treat those around us. It is the reason for our humanity, our human touch, love and gentleness.

Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly

Lionel

True Religion

'With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.' Micah 6:6-8 

What is true Religion?

I have been a Christian for more than 55 years and I consider myself a religious person. But how do I define my Christianity? For the most part, my Christianity has been defined by the things I do, a litany of practices that pronounce my faith:

• Attending church
• Reading the Bible 
• Praying
• Fellowshipping with Christian brothers and sisters
• Leadership in church and other Christian organisations 
• Attending sermons, speeches and seminars
• Evangelism and Crusades
• Reading Christian books
• Serving God in social concerns
• Supporting missions
• Supporting Christian schools
• Giving generously

My Christianity is a series of outward behaviours, as offerings to God. Henry Scougal, a Scottish minister and theologian (1650-1678) in his article entitled, 'The Life of God in the Soul of Man' (Ref 1) wrote of Christians like me, "They are found caught up in a constant round of duties and observances. If they live peacefully with their neighbours, are temperate in their habits, are regularly at worship - both publicly and in their own homes - and sometimes extend themselves to giving to those in need, then they think they have performed sufficiently."

I also define my Christianity by applying my mind to understanding God through the discipline of Bible Study and reading books of the life and writings by the heroes of the faith. I try to understand and defend church doctrines and theology. Henry Scougal's opinion of such Christians practising their faith as "A matter of intellect and understanding and orthodox opinions. The only account they can give of their religion is that they are of this or that theological persuasion or that they have joined one of the many groups (denominations) or sects into which Christiandom is so unhappily divided.

Many friends I know are emotionally devoted and attached to the practice of their prayer, praise and worship. Henry Scougal wrote of them, "Still others are focus on their emotions. They concentrate on spiritual ecstasy in their devotions. All they aim for is to pray with passion, to think of heaven with pleasure, and to be so overwhelmed with a sense of loving God." 

These may be expressions of our religiosity but they are but external expressions; what is needed is an inner transformation. Henry Scougal wrote, "Those things that have any resemblance to true holiness - or are at best the ways in which holiness may be pursued - are frequently mistaken for the real thing." 

What then is true religion? The word 'religion' come from the Latin word 'religare' with 'ligare' deriving the English word ligature. Like ligature this word, 'ligare' means 'to tie fast.' Thus true religion is to join or link God with us. Scougal emphasised this re-tie, "True religion is a union of the soul with God. It is a participation in the divine nature. It is the very image of God drawn upon the soul. In the apostle's words, it is Christ formed in us."

In Micah 6:6-7 two rhetorical questions were asked; the answers to these questions were negative. Displays of religiosity, sacrifices and worship in themselves will not honour God. Micah's great question in verse 8, then is What does God require of us? How can we please God? The answer to that question is to have a relationship with God (to walk humbly with God) and from that relationship to do good by our neighbours (to act justly and love mercy). 

Henry Scougal wrote "The life and power of true religion are better expressed in actions than in words because actions are more lively and better represent the inward principle from which they proceed." It boils down to this; that true religion is to follow the commandment that Jesus later reiterated to the religious leaders and experts of religion of His days 

'Love the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength' The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.' Mark 12:30-31

 

With what shall I come before the Lord,

And bow myself before God on high?

Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,

Shall I come before Him with yearling calves?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

With ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I give my first-born for my transgressions,

The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, O man,

He has shown you what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice and to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?

So in the twilight years of life, as we face eternity, we learn to experience God, know Him. We should stop trying to demonstrate the activity of our faith as much as to try to have a inner transformation of Christ in us. Let us offer to God a relationship with him and others as the expression of our true religion.

Lionel 

Ref: Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man. Crossway Short Classics, Crossway 2022 

“Hear Only the Good Stuff” – the dangers of Glitz and Gizmo Christianity

'Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' Psalms 46:10

Some years back, a Singapore radio station Gold90.5FM, ran a series of clever ads on TV with the tagline 'Hear only the Good Stuff.' It depicted a tennis coach commenting to a father how talented his son was at tennis, when the boy was missing every single ball. Better put, the father only wanted to hear the good stuff about his son. It was a clever ruse for persuading listeners to switch to the radio station - Gold90.5FM only give its listeners what they want to hear.

Until the Covid Pandemic hit our shores, the mega-churches were very successful in attracting huge crowds each Sunday. Some would say that they used the latest entertainment and media techniques to communicate their message. Each worship service was chock a block full, with worshippers enjoying making music with songs of praises. They often reached ecstatic emotional levels during the service. The sermons were delivered by skilled and polished motivational speakers, moving about on stage not unlike entertainers on TV.

There is a very good reason for turning to glitz and gizmos during worship services. We live in the era of one minute commercials and 30-second sound bytes. Children grow up surrounded by every communication device delivering connections at breakneck speeds. The conventional wisdom seems to be that if one wants to get a message across, it had better be entertaining enough to attract attention and capture imagination. It is not surprising that churches have turned to these techniques. But aren't we, like the advertisement, guilty of pandering to the audience when our duty should be to worship and focus on the Triune God?

Some years back, Rev Andy Goh then a young pastor of Charis Methodist Church bravely spoke from Micah Chapter 3, telling the Charis congregation that the temptation to pander to the wants instead of the needs of society is not new. In Micah’s days, the Lord condemned the spiritual leaders and prophets for hypocritically feeding the people a diet of distorted messages to please the congregation and for their own profit.

'As for the prophets who lead my people astray,

if one feeds them, they proclaim 'peace';

if he does not, they prepare to wage war against him.

Therefore night will come over you, without visions,

and darkness, without divination.

The sun will set for the prophets, 

and the day will go dark for them.

The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced.

They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God." Micah 3:5-7

Preachers and spiritual leaders should take heed because:

• the medium of communication these days may distract and detract from true worship.
• the Church's agenda may not necessarily be God's agenda. 
• what the congregation wants to hear is not necessarily God's message for us.

'Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price,

and her prophets tell fortunes for money.

Yet they lean upon the LORD and say,

"Is not the LORD among us?

No disaster will come upon us.' Micah 3:12

Any church or church leader can fall into this trap sometimes. Hence the average church goer, like myself, should learn not go to the worship service just for the singing, nor the preaching or even the fellowship. Instead we go to worship and all these other activities in the service and programme should point and help us in that direction.

After a hiatus of more than two years, with the Covid restrictions lifted, our churches will no doubt be filled once more. Did we learn anything, any lessons during the silent years? Will our churches be houses of worship or halls of performances? 

During the enforced isolation of Covid, I learnt to meditate and I realised that silence speaks louder than sound; that in the solitude, God speaks. Hence, I will value the quieter atmosphere of a worship service at which there can be joyful singing intermixed with quiet prayers and God's Word read and preached. That is just a preference, others may think differently

Then there are times when we enter a sanctuary not just during the worship service but to sit quietly and gaze at the crucifix (for Catholic churches) or the plain cross (for Protestant churches). At Charis Methodist Church we will have the chance to look at the depiction of the Triune God through the stain glass that will dominate the chancel. We may contemplate the passion, crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are people who come early to church services to be in God's presence and pray.

"Go out and stand before on the mountain," the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord is not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 11-13

David Haas wrote the song You are Mine beginning with the phrase, 'I will come to you in the silence.' In the silence of the Covid years, this song helped me to know that God is present even when we could not go to church and worship Him.

I will come to you in the silence
I will lift you from all your fear
You will hear My voice
I claim you as My choice
Be still, and know I am near

I am hope for all who are hopeless
I am eyes for all who long to see
In the shadows of the night,
I will be your light
Come and rest in Me

Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

I am strength for all the despairing
Healing for the ones who dwell in shame
All the blind will see, the lame will all run free
And all will know My name

I am the Word that leads all to freedom
I am the peace the world cannot give
I will call your name, embracing all your pain
Stand up, now, walk, and live

Do not be afraid, I am with you
I have called you each by name
Come and follow Me
I will bring you home
I love you and you are mine

Lionel

Updated, 1st published 31 Oct 2010

Day By Day

 
'Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You will again have compassion  on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depth of the seas.' Micah 7:18-19

Today is New Year's Day for 2021, a year that all of us hope to be much better than the Covid-laden 2020. Having faced the pandemic how would we live 2021? What will be our New Year resolution? 

At the close of his book the prophet Micah asked the question Who is a God like You? It is a question many of us should ask. Who is God? And do we know our God? Perhaps we can make this our 2021 resolution, to know God better.

This brings us to a song Day by Day in the musical Godspell. Day by Day is a very catchy tune, like a modern day nursery rhyme. This song became a top hit as many people were attracted to the simple repetitive tune. It is based on a prayer ascribed to the 13th-century English Bishop Richard of Chichester.  

"May I know Thee more clearly,

Love Thee more dearly,

Follow Thee more nearly."

 

We know that the uniqueness of Christianity is the restoration of our relationship with God. However, many of us after being restored, fail to further this relationship. Perhaps we can use this song to deepen our relationship and to

Know Jesus
Love Jesus

Obey Jesus 

There is another song with the same title, Day by Day (and with Each Passing Moment), a hymn written in 1865 by Carolina Sandell Berg, known as the Fanny Crosby of Sweden. On a voyage with her father, Pastor Sandell, the boat they were on lurched to one side and her father was thrown overboard. He drowned as Carolina looked on. In this tragedy, she discovered that God's comforting presence is always near and this, inspired her to compose the hymn.   

Day by day and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here;

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,

I've no cause for worry or for fear.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best--

Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me

With a special mercy for each hour;

All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,

He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid;

"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"

This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in eve'ry tribulation

So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,

That I lose not faith's sweet consolation

Offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E'er to take, as from a father's hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

Till I reach the promised land.

So how would we make good this New Year resolution? We turn to God for every encouragement, help, mercy and strength to walk through life one step at a time, day by day, using this prayer hymn. The secret to a deepening relationship with Jesus, to know, love and obey Him, is to pray day by day.

May 2021 be the year where we discover God, His will, His purposes for our lives.

Happy New Year 

Lionel 

Now Walk With God

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

My family used to be ancestor-worshippers. Barely five years old, I assisted my mother by carrying plates laden with food and fruits to serve and place them before the ornately framed photographs of my grandparents. We would burn incense and joss-sticks and pray to each grandparent in turn, asking for their blessings. This ritualistic performance of  worship at every Chinese New Year or the birthdays of the dearly departed served as a vivid reminder of the social-spiritual relationship and hierarchy between men and gods.

I became a Christian in my teenage years. Members of my family followed suit several years later. Naturally, we expunged the ancestor-worship routines from our lives, treating such practices as superstitious drivel. However, in discarding all practical rituals of worship and removing them from familial traditions, we missed a very illustrative manner to express our devotion. 

How do we worship? In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah asked a series of rhetorical questions (Micah 6:6-7): 

“With what shall I come before the LORD 

and bow down before the exalted God? 

Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, 

Shall I come before Him with yearling calves? 

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, 

with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? 

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, 

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

Considering these questions allow us to be in the right frame of mind to reaffirm the appropriate relationship between the Creator God and His lowly servants. With some trepidation, we could respectfully ask, “What can I offer you God?”. To which, the real answer is, that there is nothing of any value we could give that would be adequate. 

The early Christians were willing to become martyrs. Even so, the offering our very lives would not be adequate. How can we find any proper offering in exchange for the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ?

Still, it is alright to approach God with these questions. These almost unanswerable questions will make us see our unworthiness and place all our achievements and possessions in their proper perspective. Perhaps the only appropriate response is not in considering what offering to bring or what sacrifices to make but to ask, “What do you require me to do?” The prophet Micah's answer was

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.”

This invitation to walk with God is unbelievably gracious. There is a description of this walk with God in Genesis 3:8: “the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day”. The only two persons to have enjoyed such an experience in 'the cool of the day' and to have heard 'the sound of the Lord' were Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 

What a waste! Despite enjoying such blissfulness with God, Adam and Eve, in their pride, chose to disobey God and thus rob us of Eden. But now Jesus presents us with another opportunity to walk with God, 'Now Walk With God' 

On God's holy word I challenge you.

To give to the Lord your life anew, 

My friend, make your choice; he waits for you

For this is the moment of truth.

Now walk with God and he will be your dearest friend

Where'er you go; in everything you do

And may your life reflect His love to everyone

Now walk with God and He will walk with you.

  

What will the nature of this walk with God be?  I think it will be:

• A physical experience: a walk by the sea or in the woods, in touch with nature and to note the beauty of God's creation in the cool of the day.

• A prayerful experience: a walk that will be contemplative and inspiring; a respectful conversation and fellowship will ensue.

• A practical experience: a walk involving some form of ministry to others especially to the poor, needy and downtrodden.

Lionel

Updated the article which was first published on 1 January 2011