Carnac the Magnificent spouted out curses. A character played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, Carnac revealed answers to unknown questions handed to him in hermitcally sealed envelopes. As part of the comedy, Carnac regularly cursed the audience when they booed, with lines like may the bird of paradise fly up your nose.

Although you may not expect it, the Bible is filled with curses, with no comedy attached. David cursed the wicked afflicting him with these desires; break the teeth in their mouths, O God…when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short…may they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along.

Give credit to David—his line about a slug melting away is one good curse on your enemies.

Along with cursing, forgiveness emerges as a major theme of the Bible. How do we reconcile the two? Apparently there’s room for both as we follow the Lord. After the cursing David turned his focus back to God:

Then people will say, “Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.”

Curse away. Be as creative as you want. Spew it all out. David did so, and we can follow his example. But also follow David back to the Lord, away from lingering bitterness, trusting God to work things out, to judge both the righteous and wicked.

Whether our curses come to fruition or not, the Lord knows our future, way better than you or me or even Carnac the Magnificent.

Psalm 58 in reading the Bible in 2023

It’s a short slide from warm faith to cold religiosity. The Old Testaments prophets spoke to this tendency again and again. Hosea announced, Though Ephraim built many alters for sin offerings, these have become alters for sinning.

How do we see this play out?

One example involves sexual scandals roiling our churches, where clergy or others in power prey on the young and vulnerable. Financial malfeasance also flips an alter, church leaders enriching themselves to the detriment of their congregation.

Closer to home, pride douses the fires of faith. Pride over how I get my religion right and others don’t. God surely favors my viewpoint, even if I tend to overlook a few of the finer points of the law. Hosea spoke for the Lord, I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something foreign.

Do we forgive? Do we show mercy? Do we castigate and malign rather than seek compassion? I know I do, and thus my alters for sin offerings devolve into alters for sinning.

May the words of Hosea and the prophets continually remind you and me of this fondness in our nature, the door behind which sin patiently waits. Don’t regard the words of God’s law as foreign, but ask the Holy Spirit to reveal their truth to you.

Lord, help me avoid the slide from a warm faith focused on You, to a cold religiosity tuned only to myself.

Hosea 8 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Zoltan Tasi

I’ve never attended a faith healer’s service, but I suppose I should sometime. I tend toward skepticism when thinking of healing in such a splashy way. Prayer and the laying on of hands focuses on the Lord and his intervention. On the other hand, a ringmaster preacher feels off-kilter.

Some faith healers pray over a handkerchief, and claiming similar powers to Paul (see Acts 19), mail it out to the faithful for a sizable donation. That feels even worse than a show on stage.

Of course, Jesus set the mark for healers:

When the men of the region recognized Jesus, they sent around to all the region and brought to him all who were sick and implored Jesus that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Jesus walked through town and anyone who touched his clothes recovered from whatever ailed them. Just the rub of a loose thread between thumb and forefinger brought immediate relief. A faith healer’s dream. Crowds of sick and hurting mobbed Jesus, recognizing the amazing power given over to this man.

All frauds play off a desire for the real thing, and in the case of healing, Jesus proved real. Best of all? No donation required.

Matthew 14 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Michael Walter

As kids in the early 1970’s, my brother and I received Chip Away sculpting sets one Christmas. Each figurine started as a block of soft plastic that you chiseled down to the masterpiece beneath. I believe we carved athletes and circus animals. Best of all, each set included a mallet and chisel, which proved useful long after the figures sat forgotten.

I thought of Chip Away while reflecting on the cost of discipleship. Jesus said, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me…what good will it do to gain the whole world yet forfeit your soul? What can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

These thoughts starkly oppose the philosophies of our world, especially considering the unceasing promotion of wealth and power and sex and possessions and personal fulfillment. In a few words Jesus opposes the messaging from every advertiser and promoter across the planet.

Heeding the constant call of self-fulfillment creates layers of bloat that harden into thick slabs of conceit. Piggishness and narcissism bury each of us. Only the hammer and chisel of the Lord—God’s Word and his Holy Spirit—crack the case entombing our soul.

After chopping away all the plastic, my brother and I put our toy sculptures on a shelf to admire. The stuff around the statues went into the trash. The junk I pursue with such ardor will eventually end up there as well.

Only our souls hold eternal value, so take your hammer and chisel and start chipping away.

Matthew 16 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo thanks to Sam’s Toy Box