The God of Israel does something no other ancient deity does: He makes promises and stakes his name on keeping them. The gods of the nations make demands. This God enters covenant. He puts his reputation on the line. And then he makes promises that are, by every human measure, absurd.

I did not grow up in a church that observed Lent, but I have grown to long for this season that is set apart to be a reminder of our human limitedness and our need for Christ’s offering of Himself. This Lent, I have been particularly burdened by that frequent theme of the Psalms: the apparent success of the wicked.