Nations and creation.

Genesis 12:1-9; Psalm 33:1-12: Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Inspired by the balance, beauty, and life-generating dynamism of creation, the psalms offer songs of praise to the Creator. Because "the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord," "righteousness and justice" prevail in "the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:5, 12).

Love, right relationships, and justice build the sort of national identity God desires. So when Abram is called forth that the Creator might "make of you a great nation" (Genesis 12:2), he must leave his former country behind and identify with the land to which he is sent and the faithful ones who are his companions.

As Abram builds an altar to the Lord at Shechem, a national identity emerges from the ground up, not the top down. The "counsel of the nations" and the "plans of the peoples" fall apart (Psalm 33:10) when they ignore the biblical imperatives of love and justice. Holy nation building requires the same cooperation and interdependence found throughout the whole created order.

Nations that revolve around the whims of a dictator or the exigencies of an economic system have found their gods. By contrast, Paul's letter to the Romans asks Christians to see themselves as descendents of Abraham, depending on faith in "the God in whom he believed" (Romans 4:17).

This balance and generosity of spirit is to be sought not just within one's own nation or government. Consider countries with primarily Muslim, Jewish, and Christian peoples--the Abrahamic faiths. With the right spirit, we can hear hope in Paul's words that the God of Abraham blesses all and is "the father of many nations."

Jesus' images of earthy humility in Matthew 9 are of great value to those of us in rich nations. We share the temptation of the Pharisees to count ourselves "the righteous" and miss the fact that Jesus is at the table of the rejected "sinners" (Matthew 9:10-13). Believing that our prosperity suggests the Lord dines with us, have we missed his departure to bring healing to those places where illness and hopelessness are rampant? Holy is the people whose priorities are healing the children and blessing the elderly. God desires mercy.