“Prayers for Others?”

Song of Solomon 7-8; Psalms 99-102; I Timothy 6; II Timothy 1-4

There’s a fascinating passage at the beginning of chapter 2 in the Book of Isaiah. “In days to come,” the prophet writes, Mt.Zion will become “the highest of the mountains,” and “all the nations shall stream to it.” As they come, they will say, “let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths” (2:2-3). By the way, this same passage appears in another prophet, Micah, in chapter 4 of his book.

Oftentimes in the Old Testament, the prevailing view seems to be that the Lord loves Israel alone – after all, it is the descendents of Abraham who are called “the chosen people”! – and so all the surrounding nations are enemies, not only of Israel but also of the Lord God. The best those nations can expect, therefore, is to be wiped out when God finally redeems Israel and establishes the divine reign on earth. This passage, though, suggests that God’s purpose with Mt.Zion and the Temple goes far beyond that, or rather, it is just the opposite of that vision of judgment and vengeance. God intends to redeem all nations, so that all will learn both to worship and praise God and to do God’s will.

You can guess what the further result of such praise and obedience to the one God would be, can’t you? “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (vs. 4). Thus, weapons formerly used for war will become farming implements: swords become plowshares, and spears become pruning hooks! It’s a vision of peace and harmony, built on God’s universal rule and love for the world.

Just a few days ago, the Year of the Bible readings in I Timothy offered us a similar principle: “God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2:3-4). Now, I suspect that virtually every one of us who call ourselves “Christians” would respond to these words from Isaiah and I Timothy with a hearty “Amen.” But I wonder how it is that, in the next breathe, we can condemn others who belong to different, or antagonistic, groups… “those Muslims,” or “those Russians,” or “those black people.” These days, you hear it especially in phrases like, “those Republicans” or “those Democrats.” (May the election soon be over!) Often enough, believe it or not, our opponents are other Christian groups!

I ask myself, “How is this judgmental attitude possible?” I don’t really know the answer, but I do have a solution. Well, rather, there’s a solution right here in I Timothy. Just before the quote above about God’s desire to save all, we read in 2:1, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone.” Some people like to emphasize that they “take the Bible literally.” So, why don’t we take this verse literally? When is the last time you prayed for – and gave thanks for! – Muslims and Russians and blacks, or Republicans and Democrats? If you’re like me, it hasn’t been all that often…but now is a good time to start.