Plymothian

God is into adoption in a big way.  Sending his only begotten Son so that millions may be adopted drives home the point.  We have two ‘fatherless’ children in our house at the moment.  Both have fathers, but their fathers are absent. 

One of the boys, who will turn three in August, has just begun to love roughhousing.  He giggles and jumps on me.  He snuggled up on my chest, listening to Mozart as he was falling asleep tonight.  I felt that all was right in the world and that I was doing something important.  I am the only ‘father’ this boy knows and I want to maintain that bond.

The joy that I felt today is just a poor reflection of the joy that God has and the angels share as each new child is adopted into God’s family.  God champions those with no-one in their corner.  It is when we are able to admit that we are lost that we are truly found.

The second child with us is 1.5 years old.  He smiles and sings Justin Bieber’s Baby.  He follows me everywhere, plants kisses on my wife and myself unexpectedly, holds my leg and looks up hoping to be held.  He will be leaving us on Saturday back to a life of uncertainty.  I fear his joyfu spirit will be crushed.  I need to trust that God will be a father to the fatherless.  I pray over him each night.

Psalm 68

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.

 ¹ May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
   may his foes flee before him.
² May you blow them away like smoke—
   as wax melts before the fire,
   may the wicked perish before God.
³ But may the righteous be glad
   and rejoice before God;
   may they be happy and joyful.

 ⁴ Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
   extol him who rides on the clouds^[b];
   rejoice before him—his name is the LORD.
⁵ A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
   is God in his holy dwelling.
⁶ God sets the lonely in families,^[c]
   he leads out the prisoners with singing;
   but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

 ⁷ When you, God, went out before your people,
   when you marched through the wilderness,^[d]
8 the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,
   before God, the One of Sinai,
   before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You gave abundant showers, O God;
   you refreshed your weary inheritance.
¹⁰ Your people settled in it,
   and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.

 ¹¹ The Lord announces the word,
   and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:
¹² “Kings and armies flee in haste;
   the women at home divide the plunder.
¹³ Even while you sleep among the sheep pens,^[e]
   the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
   its feathers with shining gold.”
¹⁴ When the Almighty^[f] scattered the kings in the land,
   it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.

 ¹⁵ Mount Bashan, majestic mountain,
   Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,
¹⁶ why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,
   at the mountain where God chooses to reign,
   where the LORD himself will dwell forever?
¹⁷ The chariots of God are tens of thousands
   and thousands of thousands;
   the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.^[g]
18 When you ascended on high,
   you took many captives;
   you received gifts from people,
even from^[h] the rebellious—
   that you,^[i]LORD God, might dwell there.

 ¹⁹ Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
   who daily bears our burdens.
²⁰ Our God is a God who saves;
   from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.
²¹ Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,
   the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
²² The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan;
   I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
²³ that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,
   while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”

 ²⁴ Your procession, God, has come into view,
   the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.
²⁵ In front are the singers, after them the musicians;
   with them are the young women playing the timbrels.
²⁶ Praise God in the great congregation;
   praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel.
²⁷ There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them,
   there the great throng of Judah’s princes,
   and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

 ²⁸ Summon your power, God^[j];
   show us your strength, our God, as you have done before.
²⁹ Because of your temple at Jerusalem
   kings will bring you gifts.
³⁰ Rebuke the beast among the reeds,
   the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.
   Scatter the nations who delight in war.
³¹ Envoys will come from Egypt;
   Cush^[k]will submit herself to God.

 ³² Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,
   sing praise to the Lord,
³³ to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
   who thunders with mighty voice.
³⁴ Proclaim the power of God,
   whose majesty is over Israel,
   whose power is in the heavens.
³⁵ You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;
   the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

   Praise be to God!

Questions

1. What does the psalist want God to do?
2. How are the nations described?
3. How is God’s defence of the weak emphasized?
4. Do you think of God as a defender of the weak?  Who do you know who has few people to support them?
5. How can this psalm be a plea for God to disperse the social evils of our day?

The Jewish people were commissioned by God to live godly lives.  The long-term obedience of God’s people would point the nations to Jehovah.  Of course, through Jesus Christ this has happened.  Why were the people so ineffective beforehand?  They knew that eventually all peoples would see the truth of their monotheistic ways.  However, as a nation the Israelites became too internal in their focus.  Their opportunity to spread the gospel through the old covenant was lost.

Psalm 67 then seems somewhat ironic.  It shows the truth that all the world will one day acknowledge in spite of those singing the psalm.  Christians today may ask themselves whether God is reaching the peoples of the world in spite of them or through them.

Psalm 67

  For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

 ¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us
   and make his face shine on us—^[b]
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
   your salvation among all nations.

 ³ May the peoples praise you, God;
   may all the peoples praise you.
⁴ May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
   for you rule the peoples with equity
   and guide the nations of the earth.
⁵ May the peoples praise you, God;
   may all the peoples praise you.

 ⁶ The land yields its harvest;
   God, our God, blesses us.
⁷ May God bless us still,
   so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Questions

1. What would happen in the nations if God shone his face upon Israel?
2. Has this psalm been answered?
3. Is the psalmist, in your opinion, singing this psalm in exile?
4. How could your nation be a light to other nations?
5. How could you make sure that foreigners had a positive regard for you and your faith?

Glory is a word that we use without knowing what it means.  In fact I would say that it is a word that we don’t use very much because we do not really know what it means.  Glory is honour or respect that is based on achievement.  God has achieved so many great things around the globe that his glory is second to none.  It is a right action tolook at the way the world is sustained and sing praise to God – to give him the glory.

Psalm 66

¹ Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
 ² Sing the glory of his name;
   make his praise glorious.
³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
   So great is your power
   that your enemies cringe before you.
⁴ All the earth bows down to you;
   they sing praise to you,
   they sing the praises of your name.”^[a]

 ⁵ Come and see what God has done,
   his awesome deeds for mankind!
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land,
   they passed through the waters on foot—
   come, let us rejoice in him.
⁷ He rules forever by his power,
   his eyes watch the nations—
   let not the rebellious rise up against him.

 ⁸ Praise our God, all peoples,
   let the sound of his praise be heard;
⁹ he has preserved our lives
   and kept our feet from slipping.
¹⁰ For you, God, tested us;
   you refined us like silver.
¹¹ You brought us into prison
   and laid burdens on our backs.
¹² You let people ride over our heads;
   we went through fire and water,
   but you brought us to a place of abundance.

 ¹³ I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
   and fulfill my vows to you—
¹⁴ vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
   when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will sacrifice fat animals to you
   and an offering of rams;
   I will offer bulls and goats.

 ¹⁶ Come and hear, all you who fear God;
   let me tell you what he has done for me.
¹⁷ I cried out to him with my mouth;
   his praise was on my tongue.
¹⁸ If I had cherished sin in my heart,
   the Lord would not have listened;
¹⁹ but God has surely listened
   and has heard my prayer.
²⁰ Praise be to God,
   who has not rejected my prayer
   or withheld his love from me!

Questions

1. What does the psalmist want to make God’s praise?
2. What acts of God are held in contrast?
3. Explain why people might think this psalmis written after the people of God were exiled from Israel and Judah?
4. In your own words define ‘glory’?
5. How do you give glory to God?

Going Deeper

Read The Weight of Glory by C.S.Lewis. How does he deal with the idea that people attaining glory is not self-centered?

http://www.verber.com/mark/xian/weight-of-glory.pdf

In our church today we were reminded that the USA is similar in its cultural prowess to Sodom.  I guess when you look at the Freudian solution to sexual repression – sex without meaning or attachment;  when you look at the violence that involves guns and mutilation;  when you look on what passes for communication in the media; and when you look at infanticide as a looming solution to unwanted pregnancy – the parallels are intriguing.  These things go in cycles.  Jack Black’s movie Year One showed how attractive Sodom is to the current mindset – in the movie Isaac sneaks off there to party to escape his oppressive father Abraham.  The decadence of Rome is glorified in HBO and Starz series.  We are entertained by watching the same savage encounters.  Both Rome and Sodom have been destroyedin ways related to their indulgence.

We can’t hide our heads in the sand.  We reap what we sow.  We are part of the consumerism that drives the production of greenhouse gases which arguably leads to drought and excessive snow fall.  God has designed the world so that sin is not sustainable.  Only obedience leads to bountiful harvests and fattened flocks that can be sustained.  By God’s grace our love affair with consumption has not consumed us.  Let us thank God that we have survived and pray to God that we would be wiser stewards of culture and commerce.

Psalm 65

For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.

 ¹ Praise awaits^[b] you, our God, in Zion;
   to you our vows will be fulfilled.
² You who answer prayer,
   to you all people will come.
³ When we were overwhelmed by sins,
   you forgave^[c] our transgressions.
⁴ Blessed are those you choose
   and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
   of your holy temple.

 ⁵ You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
   God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
   and of the farthest seas,
⁶ who formed the mountains by your power,
   having armed yourself with strength,
⁷ who stilled the roaring of the seas,
   the roaring of their waves,
   and the turmoil of the nations.
⁸ The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
   where morning dawns, where evening fades,
   you call forth songs of joy.

 ⁹ You care for the land and water it;
   you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
   to provide the people with grain,
   for so you have ordained it.^[d]
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
   you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
¹¹ You crown the year with your bounty,
   and your carts overflow with abundance.
¹² The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
   the hills are clothed with gladness.
¹³ The meadows are covered with flocks
   and the valleys are mantled with grain;
   they shout for joy and sing.

Questions

1. What happened when the nation was overwhelmed by sin?
2. Where does God call forth songs of joy?
3. How does this psalm relate to GDP in an agrarian society?
4. How are religious devotion and economic production related in your mind?
5. How can a biblically sound populace teach fiscal responsibility and sustainable production to the population as awhole by the way they manage their household?

Going Deeper

The two main idealists whose thoughts we see in our economy are von Hayek and Keynes.  To summarize, von Hayek says that the economy must be driven by real production.  Responsible saving should have its reward in responsible investment.  This leads to moderate sustainable growth.  Keynes’ ideas are driving the economy now.  The idea is that to avoid a recession people must spend.  The more spending that they do the more money is at large in the economy.  The more the economy grows.  If there is not enough spending the government must lead the way by releasing funds as they did to end the Great Depression.  Watch this 8 minute video which sumarzes the views in a rap.  then ask yourself which view God ismore likely to blessand why. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk

If you like it you can watch the follow up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQnarzmTOc&feature=relmfu 

The old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never  hurt me,” is of course completely untrue.  The words we are told as children play in our minds throughout our lives.  The words of our bosses are words that we analyze again and again for what hidden agenda they might enclose.  The words of a lover can build us up or cut to the heart.  Words are the medium of ideas and ideas are powerful.  Ideas can create empires and also lay them to waste.  The words that the psalmist hears are destructive so he turns his own words to God.  He wants God’s ideas to be spread abroad because that would mean words of truth and justice.

Psalm 64

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

 ¹ Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;
   protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

 ² Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
   from the plots of evildoers.
³ They sharpen their tongues like swords
   and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
⁴ They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
   they shoot suddenly, without fear.

 ⁵ They encourage each other in evil plans,
   they talk about hiding their snares;
   they say, “Who will see it^[b]?”
⁶ They plot injustice and say,
   “We have devised a perfect plan!”
   Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

 ⁷ But God will shoot them with his arrows;
   they will suddenly be struck down.
⁸ He will turn their own tongues against them
   and bring them to ruin;
   all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
⁹ All people will fear;
   they will proclaim the works of God
   and ponder what he has done.

 ¹⁰ The righteous will rejoice in the LORD
   and take refuge in him;
   all the upright in heart will glory in him!

Questions

1. What does the psalmist need saving from this time?
2. How are the human mind and heart described?
3. What will happen to the tongues of those who have a cunning plan?
4. Have you found yourself on the wrong end of a chain of gossip or of a destructive plan?
5. How can God expose and eradicate even the most crafty plan?

All day and all night; body and soul; such is the longing of the psalmist for God.  Only in God can the psalmist’s anquish abate.  It seems that many of us do not get to this complete longing.  I think that is shown by our language. Many timeswe do not move from, “If only I …” to “If onlyGod …”  We think that some change in our conditions or stance will relieve that pressure, the pain, the anguish.  In reality it is best for the trying circumstances to continue until we depend upon no-one but God.  When we see God’s deliverence we will long for God next time we are under pressure.

Psalm 63

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

 ¹ You, God, are my God,
   earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
   my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
   where there is no water.

 ² I have seen you in the sanctuary
   and beheld your power and your glory.
³ Because your love is better than life,
   my lips will glorify you.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
   and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
   with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

 ⁶ On my bed I remember you;
   I think of you through the watches of the night.
⁷ Because you are my help,
   I sing in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ I cling to you;
   your right hand upholds me.

 ⁹ Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
   they will go down to the depths of the earth.
¹⁰ They will be given over to the sword
   and become food for jackals.

 ¹¹ But the king will rejoice in God;
   all who swear by God will glory in him,
   while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Questions

1. How would you state the theme in verse one in your own words?
2. What does it mean that the psalmist is calling out to God in the middle of the night?
3. What will happen to the psalmist’s oppressors?
4. How might something other than God be your God?
5. How far would God have to push you before you would cry out to him alone?

There is a stillness where God is God.  I am not there yet.  I decided to rest last night rather than post this entry.  It was because I thought that I could beon my bed and contemplate God quietly.  I thought that would put Psalm 62 into practice.  However, I fell asleep.  I lay on my bed thinking of God after I woke up, but I could hear my wife potty training our two-year-old and I couldn’t detach from the stress and be still.  I know that this stillness with God is a stillness of assurance.  I know that it is a confident assumption that God is going to make everything come together.  I know that the stillness with God is apart from the raging storms of life all around.  However, with our son being possessive of his toys and potty training, with a 1.5 year old house guest,with an upcoming garage sale, I find it hard to detach and rest.  I know the truth in my mind,but I do not experience it yet.  I pray that despite the constant motion all around me, I wouldbe still and assured of God’s deliverance.

Psalm 62

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

 ¹ Truly my soul finds rest in God;
   my salvation comes from him.
² Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
   he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

 ³ How long will you assault me?
   Would all of you throw me down—
   this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
⁴ Surely they intend to topple me
   from my lofty place;
   they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
   but in their hearts they curse.^[b]

 ⁵ Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
   my hope comes from him.
⁶ Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
   he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God^[c];
   he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
⁸ Trust in him at all times, you people;
   pour out your hearts to him,
   for God is our refuge.

 ⁹ Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
   the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
   together they are only a breath.
¹⁰ Do not trust in extortion
   or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
   do not set your heart on them.

 ¹¹ One thing God has spoken,
   two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
 ¹² and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
   according to what they have done.”

Questions

1. How do verses one and two repeat the same idea?
2. What does not bring safety and rest?
3. How willeach be rewarded?  Why would this encourage the psalmist?
4. In what ways do you need stillnessand peace?
5. How do we need to change how we live to bring stillness and peace in God?

Ever felt remote and isolated?  Israelites thought of the world as a flat land surrounded by seas.  Above the flat earth was an inverted dome of the sky that kept out the chaotic waters and below the earth were more chaotic waters.  The ends of the earth would have been the farthest reaches of the populated flat earth in the mind of the writer.  However, just because their cosmology is wrong, it does not mean that the sentiment is invalid.  The feeling is one of utter remoteness.  Have you ever felt ‘isolated’?  If so, you have felt how the psalmist feels.

Psalm 61

 For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.

 ¹ Hear my cry, O God;
   listen to my prayer.

 ² From the ends of the earth I call to you,
   I call as my heart grows faint;
   lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
³ For you have been my refuge,
   a strong tower against the foe.

 ⁴ I long to dwell in your tent forever
   and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.^[b]
5 For you, God, have heard my vows;
   you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

 ⁶ Increase the days of the king’s life,
   his years for many generations.
⁷ May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;
   appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

 ⁸ Then I will ever sing in praise of your name
   and fulfill my vows day after day.

Questions

1. Why do you think the psalmist is thinking that his prayer is not being heard?
2. Why would this psalm sometimes be connected to the ‘Royal Psalms’?
3. What does the psalmist promise will be the result of God’s action?
4. When have you or others that you know felt isolated?
5. How should we pray when we feel emotionally isolated?

We can be rejected in so many ways.  We can fail at a job interview, a marriage, or a sporting event.  Rejection is painful.  However, what if we were rejected by a hospital, policeman, or a fireman?  What if those whose reason to exist is to help us rejected us?  What if despite being compassionate and faithful, God failed to show up?  That is how the psalmist feels in Psalm 60.  Not only has the savior of Israel not turned up, he has acted as an adversary to Israel.  Yet, still the psalmist comes to God.  How does he manage that?

Psalm 60

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktam^[b] of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim^[c] and Aram Zobah,^[d] and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

 ¹ You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us;
   you have been angry—now restore us!
² You have shaken the land and torn it open;
   mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
³ You have shown your people desperate times;
   you have given us wine that makes us stagger.
⁴ But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner
   to be unfurled against the bow.^[e]

 ⁵ Save us and help us with your right hand,
   that those you love may be delivered.
⁶ God has spoken from his sanctuary:
   “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
   and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
⁷ Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
   Ephraim is my helmet,
   Judah is my scepter.
⁸ Moab is my washbasin,
   on Edom I toss my sandal;
   over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

 ⁹ Who will bring me to the fortified city?
   Who will lead me to Edom?
¹⁰ Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us
   and no longer go out with our armies?
¹¹ Give us aid against the enemy,
   for human help is worthless.
¹² With God we will gain the victory,
   and he will trample down our enemies

Questions

1. What is the relationship between God and the psalmist?
2. What does the psalmist want?
3. How might David’s original piece have been adapted for an exiled audience?
4. How are people rejected in life?
5. How have you been rejected?  How has it ever felt that way with God?

Going Deeper

I was due to write about this yesterday, but a 1.5 year old was placed with us by Safe Families.  He is very cute but his mother and grandmother keep rejecting him.  The grandmother hates his father and therefore hates him.  The mother can’t get her life together and her efforts to look after him fluctuate between mild acceptance to outright rejection.  How might such a child grow up feeling rejected by God.  How does this psalm inform a a way forward?

When I was in Pakistan, living at Murree Christian School, a pack of dogs would wander around the compound.  There was also a group of monkeys that would roam around the compound. Both groups of animals would become increasingly bothersome. If unchecked, they would move menacingly toward humans. They needed to be reminded that humans were stronger than they were.  The locals were ace shots with slingshots and would shoot the monkeys once in a while. I remember them scampering off into the trees licking their wounds.  The dogs would be thinned by Robbie.  He would get out his gun and a few minutes later we would hear some cracks of gunfire and there were less dogs to worry about.

God takes care of snarling dogs that threaten us.  In this economy, joblessness and the depletion of savings snarl at us.  In this political climate, the ascent of humanism and self-interest pressure us. However, although there are these pressures on our minds, bodies, and souls God will protect us.

Psalm 59

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.^[b] When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.

 ¹ Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
   be my fortress against those who are attacking me.
² Deliver me from evildoers
   and save me from those who are after my blood.

 ³ See how they lie in wait for me!
   Fierce men conspire against me
   for no offense or sin of mine, LORD.
⁴ I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
   Arise to help me; look on my plight!
⁵ You, LORD God Almighty,
   you who are the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
   show no mercy to wicked traitors.^[c]

 ⁶ They return at evening,
   snarling like dogs,
   and prowl about the city.
⁷ See what they spew from their mouths—
   the words from their lips are sharp as swords,
   and they think, “Who can hear us?”
⁸ But you laugh at them, LORD;
   you scoff at all those nations.

 ⁹ You are my strength, I watch for you;
   you, God, are my fortress,
 ¹⁰my God on whom I can rely.

   God will go before me
   and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
¹¹ But do not kill them, Lord our shield,^[d]
   or my people will forget.
In your might uproot them
   and bring them down.
¹² For the sins of their mouths,
   for the words of their lips,
   let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
 ¹³ consume them in your wrath,
   consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
   that God rules over Jacob.

 ¹⁴ They return at evening,
   snarling like dogs,
   and prowl about the city.
¹⁵ They wander about for food
   and howl if not satisfied.
¹⁶ But I will sing of your strength,
   in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
   my refuge in times of trouble.

 ¹⁷ You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
   you, God, are my fortress,
   my God on whom I can rely.

Questions

1. How are some of the men in this passage like dogs?
2. To what structure is God compared?
3. Why doesn’t the psalmist want the dogs killed?
4. In what ways does a constant reminder help to keepyou on the straight and narrow?
5. What do you feel a need to be protected from?

Going Deeper

In the science fiction Warhammer 40k fictional universe, the Emperor of Mankind is also a god.  People earth repeat to each other the slogan “The Emperor Protects”.  Why do you think that the imagery of a god-emperor who protects mankind is a powerful image for an extremely popular science fiction series?  How does this imagery draw power from the truth?  How can it lead to the misconception that no such protection exists in reality for mankind?  How could knowledge of Warhammer 40k lead to a conversation that bridges from the myths of the 40k universe to the reality that exists in Christ?