Devotion 7.21.26

Psalm 125

A Song of Ascents

1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,

  which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

  so the Lord surrounds his people,

  from this time forth and forevermore.

3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest

  on the land allotted to the righteous,

lest the righteous stretch out

  their hands to do wrong.

4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,

  and to those who are upright in their hearts!

5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways

  the Lord will lead away with evildoers!

  Peace be upon Israel!

God secures his people and delivers peace, and the wicked will perish.

In the movie "Jurassic Park," Stephen Spielberg inserts a scene early on that is dramatic, horrifying and typical of any movie he's ever made in which he intends to scare the living daylights out of the viewer. He places a goat out on a road on a stormy night to lure the T-rex in so the guests may finally get to see the beast.

The question I had after seeing the movie in the theater was simple: Is this scene related to his being Jewish? In Leviticus 16, the people selected a goat, placed the sins of the community on the goat, and sent it out into the wilderness to carry the sins away. The sins "escaped" with the goat on the Day of Atonement. From that, we get the word "scapegoat."

The goat eventually did what it was assigned to do in the movie, serving as bait for the T-rex. It was literally what drew in the beast from deep in the dark jungle. Today, we have our "scapegoats" who serve as people (individually or in groups) or events in which we blame a calamitous action or event on them. Sports' officials are largely the favorite target for us after a tremendous loss in a game that we believe should have gone our way. We may also serve up another university or a leader in the sport community, like an AD or a conference commissioner for our descent into the pit of sports' darkness. They take the blame for our woes and absorb our anger for the event.

As we read the psalm, who did you envision as you read the words about the "evildoers?" I always envision a nameless and faceless mob of people who are angry and threatening violence. However, as Pastor Lincon said so well last Sunday on the Parable of the Weeds, do I ever consider my own actions as "wicked" or as that of an "evil doer?" As the pastor noted, in this sin-filled world, I contribute to the sin that took Christ to the cross. I am a weed at times, or an evil doer.

Praise be to God for giving me a "scapegoat" on whom I can place my sin and be counted among the righteous by delivering me from that sin - his Son Jesus Christ. 

Forgive me O Lord for I have sinned. I turn to you in repentance and deliverance. Grant me your peace. Amen.

Hope Men's Ministry is a ministry in service to Hope Lutheran Church and School. Our purpose is to grow, unite, and share God's Word to all men through meaningful activities. These activities center on fellowship, service, conversation, prayer, study and devotion as we seek to become men of God as He created us to be.