"DO NOT CALL?"

I did the grumpy and responsible thing: opted in to the “Do Not Call” (DNC) registry to try to slow down the flood of unwanted solicitor phone calls. But still they came, like a mud slide that keeps oozing down into the abyss of frustration. (Picturesque analogy, right?)
    So, is it worth it? The website explaining the “DNC” rule admits it has “limited effectiveness," as the registry says it mostly targets "legitimate telemarketers" but “may not prevent calls from scammers or robo calls.” Plus, after registering, calls can still come from charities, political groups, surveys, and debt collectors. And, I'd add, mean people who spoof emergency situations.
    I'm glad that God is “on call,” “receiving prayer calls,” and knowing the real thing from the spoofs. Also, that Heaven's phone system (Paradise Phone Co.?) isn't bound by rules and regulations except for those reflecting His love, His presence, and His kindness. I “hear” that between the lines in a Bible verse many have memorized:
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3)
    Like any Bible verse, this one can have its meaning twisted and wrongly used. Historically, it came to Jeremiah while he was imprisoned by a king who didn't like the prophet's negativity. It was God's word of encouragement to a prophet who gave everything he had back to God in obedience, only to end up as a despised prisoner. This message wasn't a current “status report,” but a prophecy of a future nation of joy, peace and abundance, with the gracious, loving rule of a Messiah.
    Bear in mind how fantastic and unbelievable this prophecy must have been back in Jeremiah's time. His 40-year ministry included the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. How badly the people of his time needed a dose of hope!
    The “calls” that Jeremiah and his contemporaries heard from other lands were threatening. Abusive calls. Worse than the “wanna-get-your-valuable-cardit-card-ID” calls that our culture's “junk callers” thrive on. Although it may not happen in my lifetime (though it could), the spam call “system” with its threatening and dubious intentions--along with all the allure and wrongness of fallen culture in general--will someday end with Christ's return. Let's call that 1-800-TOP-HOPE.

NOT-SO-SIMPLE SYNONYMS

One of the books on my desk reference shelf is called “The Synonym Finder.” I bought it back in college years when my English major mandated using such a reference work. If you're hopping along writing an essay and find yourself stuck for just the right WORD, this is the place to go. All 1,388 pages of it! Of course, it presumes you're an English speaker who knows enough of nuances of words that you won't pick one that just doesn't fit your meaning.

I think of that when I read Psalm 19, which is well-known for its synonyms for scripture and what it does in our lives. They spill out starting at verse 7 (as translated in the NIV):

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure, and altogether righteous.

All these, the psalmist says, are “more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.” It's easy to skip over these two comparisons. Gold is painstakingly taken from ancient rock veins and from eroded areas along rivers called “placers.” (Remember reading about California's “Gold Rush” of the mid-1800s, and frenzied, grizzled men swishing their pans along certain rivers they'd “staked” to pan for riches?) Gold has also been discovered in meteorites and oceanic vents.

As for the preciousness of honey, let's say it's not as easy to produce as, say, carrots. Today's honey—nature's “gold”--is “harvested” from its buzzing-bee-guarded incubator hive by someone wearing protective clothing and a veiled hat. In David's days, they didn't have such “garb,” and probably bee-farmers had their share of bee-warfare wounds.

But Psalm 19 is about more than adjectives for scripture. It's about obedience. It described scripture as “warnings” (v. 11), able to reveal our “hidden faults,” “willful sins” and behavior that threaten to “rule over me” (v. 12). That sounds like the biography of King David—and indeed, he is credited with the psalm!

Ever thought about the concluding verse?

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (v. 14)

So much is packed in that closing. Our minds (hearts), and what comes out of our minds and emerges through our mouth, really matter. Kind, true and caring words (the focus of this psalm) should be my “mouth-set,” not the negatives I might hear from others in my daily tasks. They should be honoring of (v. 14) my Rock and Redeemer.