Lenten Devotional, Day 14: Envelope Sonnet, The Peaceable Kingdom, Faith Counted as the Righteousness of God
Dear Saints,
The Tuesday Verses are Psalm 128, Isaiah 65:17–25 (O my!!!), Romans 4:6–13.
"WITH FEAR & GREAT JOY" (envelope sonnet)
[Yesterday was pondering with you all this Verse: Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD (Psalm 128:1). This really gave rise to the poem, but I titled it by other Words of Scripture with the same idea].
When say I fear Thee, O Thou God of love,
Why do a score intentioned well correct?
Insisting fast: You must mean "respect!"
Do they not know Thy ardor is above?
For God is love and is consuming fire.
May plead I gold when veins suffuse with dross?
Hence crave I Love which hung upon the Cross,
Where purity and ravishing conspired.
That love both heat & light is saving grace.
Let me know both to heights and depths and lengths!
Thy fear O Son is the sun at full strength;
Thy awe is glory's favor on Thy face.
Be not O Paradox misunderstood,
He is not always safe but always good.
Notes:
• As most presume: Is to fear God to respect God? I think not, but I suppose if made to compromise that "revere" comes close to connote the needed sense. Now, in a way I cannot explain, I know this thing called: "with fear and great joy" (Matthew 28:8). Moreover I hold — without repentance — that it is a right and exhilarating response to God. For without "fear" or revering God, "great joy" somehow degrades into an overly familiar, dare I say it, boredom, indifference, even meh. Is a mister-God, hello-sir, or hey-big-guy relationship what we really desire of God? Or is it one that cannot but cry: Holy, Holy, Holy?
• Alludes in order: Psalm 128:1, 4; 1 John 4:8, 16; Ecclesiastes 5:2; Hebrews 12:29; Romans 11:22; Job 4:17, 9:2; Romans 3:26; Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:6; Revelation 3:19; Ephesians 3:18; Revelation 1:16; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 4:6; Revelation 22:4; 1 Peter 4:17; John 15:2; and a C.S. Lewis quote (below) contrasting the notions of safe and good.
• I have not read the books, but C.S. Lewis has an uber-famous quote which wrestles with this idea as follows: "Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is He-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you. (C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1). I believe Aslan is a type of God/Christ.
• (c)2026, +IMCOOK27/Poetry27, all rights reserved.
THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM:
I believe Edward Hick's painting "The Peaceable Kingdom" was inspired by the Isaiah Passage. I have a dear-to-me reproduction from the National Gallery of Art (my second home in my 20s). In some sense a commentary on Isaiah's Vision, a top five Verse for me is 1 Timothy 2:2: "...that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way."
But instead all creation groans (Romans 8:22). And nation (ethnos) rises against nation (ethnos), kingdom (realm) against kingdom (realm). (Mark 13:8). It is easy to get jaded, but God reminds us the birth of "new heavens and a new earth" are as through "birth pangs."
What to do? Moms tell us please? I believe it is to focus and breathe! In Biblical parlance it is "watch and pray" (rf. Matthew 26:41, Luke 21:34–36, Colossians 4:2, etc.). For "now He has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with REVERENCE and AWE (Hebrews 12:26–28). There is that fear-blessing idea again!
FAITH COUNTED AS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD:
I've been running out of time and bandwidth commenting on all three Passages. And what matters most is that you, yourself, mine the treasures of God. So I'll leave this One except to say: It is a treasure trove of vast spiritual wealth.
The Only Best in/is Christ,
tIM