Far From Home

PSALM 15

In the Netherlands, “groups of children, generally pre-teenagers, are deposited in a forest and expected to find their way back to base … Children are taught not to depend too much on adults; adults are taught to allow children to solve their own problems. Droppings distill these principles into extreme form, banking on the idea that even for children who are tired, hungry and disoriented, there is a compensatory thrill to being in charge.” (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/21/world/europe/netherlands-dropping-children.html). I wonder. Is the thrill ‘being in charge’ or ‘finding one’s way back home to family, safety, security?

The Psalmist asked a similar question in Psalm 15. Who can truly dwell ‘at home’ where we belong – in the presence of God? Who is capable of living on the ‘mountain’ the Israelites experienced as a place of darkness, thunder, lightning, smoke, noise, and shaking (see Exodus 19)?  God Himself forbid the Israelites from even touching the mountain. Only Moses and a few selected others actually were able to ascend the mountain.

The Psalmist describes a life of integrity, a life of honor, a life of equity and justice as requirements for ‘dwelling’ on God’s holy mountain. The requirements are challenging. Our first ancestors lived in God’s presence. They couldn’t resist the forbidden fruit and were ‘dropped’ far from home. We’ve been trying to ‘get home’ ever since.

In the New Testament, we are reminded that the mountain of God the Israelites experienced is not our destination. Rather, “…you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the Judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant ), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:22–24, HCSB).

Home, where God created us to live, is wherever Jesus is. He is our righteousness, the One who had opened the path back home. If you feel you’ve been dropped far from home, turn to Jesus. He will take you home.