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June 23, 2005

Sun and rain – how our prosperity affects the way we read scripture

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matt 5:45)

Here in Britain, if nowhere else, when we read this, we tend to think sun=good, rain=bad. We even pray for “good weather” for our special events so we won’t be inconvenienced, while at the same time farmers are praying for rain so they may be able to live for the coming year.

Actually, for people in Bible times, as for those in Burkina Faso today, Jesus might have been saying something different. It is true that the sun is a blessing for the light and life it brings, and that it is a symbol of strength and steadfastness. But it is also – for agricultural societies – a hardship. The sun scorches the land, beats upon the labourers, and withers the young plants (Ecc 9:9, Is 58:11, Mat 13:6, Ja 1:11). Having worked in rice fields in the scorching African sun, I can tell you, that the sun shining on you is not always a pleasure. One of the blessings of the new creation is that the sun will no more beat upon us (Rev 7:16).

Rain on the other hand is fundamentally a blessing. (It always irritates me when grumbling Brits complain about the rain. We have such a rich and beautiful country largely because it is so blessed with rain. Who would rather live in the desert?) Look at these verses for example; Deut 11:11-14, 2Chron 7:13, Ps 68:9, Pr 16:15, Ac 14:17. A common threat the Lord uses for judgement is to withhold the rain. The consequence of that is not just a hosepipe ban, but loss of harvest, and famine.

This perception of rain as a life-giving blessing is of course tied to understanding our dependency on the land. In Burkina, among the Mossi, if it rains on your wedding day, it is considered a sign of God’s blessing on your marriage. Because of our prosperity, we have lost sight of rain as a blessing – it has become an inconvenience. And the heat of the sun, instead of suffering, is the blessing of pleasant leisure-time.

So the way we read the verse has not only been inverted, but also watered down of its power – from being about life or suffering, to comment on God bringing times of pleasure or inconvenience. Now, the central theme of this particular passage might still be there: God does good to all, even those who live against his ways, and so therefore should you. But it does maybe reveal a distorted image of our view of God. And maybe there are other passages, where our earthly prosperity has removed us more seriously from a truer understanding of, and obedience to God’s word.

What do you think?

Posted by Keith at June 23, 2005 01:02 PM

Comments

Posted by: Paula at June 23, 2005 02:18 PM

Posted by: Jo at July 1, 2005 11:06 PM