Blogging the Bible

Thanks

2010-12-31T17:32:00.001-08:00

Perhaps soon I will write a proper post in which I process the experience of reading through and blogging about the Bible for a year. For now, though, I just want to say thanks to those who were on the journey with me.

Mom, Greg, Courtney, Larry, Ann, Becky...thank you for all your support and encouragement through the early months of blogging. Your willingness to share your thoughts about Scripture was such an encouragement to me. Just to know that someone was actually reading was also great accountability. You guys are awesome.

Woody, I'm so glad you joined the blog, and that you gave me the honor of praying for your family this year. Thank you so much for your encouragement along the way.

Erika, I especially thank you, for your faithful reading, and for your readiness to engage on tough questions. Thank you for giving me a different perspective on so many different issues and for letting me use you as a sounding board to work out some of my own thoughts. I appreciate your own efforts to study and understand a belief system that is so different from your own. Often, just knowing that someone else was attempting to read and blog the Bible in a year inspired me to keep going with my own efforts. And almost all of the best, ongoing conversations on here have been with you. So thank you for that.

And now...I look forward to a year of studying the Bible on a deeper level, as well as a more private one! Thanks again to you all for your encouragement and support!

December 31

2010-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Malachi 3:1-4:6

In today's reading was the only verse I had previously known from Malachi:

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" (3:10).

For all my father's deistic leanings, he regards verses like these with an almost superstitious literalness. And I have to hand it to him, they have proven true in his life. He and my mom give to others with reckless abandon, and it does seem like God in turn rains down money on them. Knowing as much as I do about their financial situation, I can attest that some of their windfalls are almost absurd in their unlikeliness. So that's probably the biggest lesson my dad has taught me about faith. The idea that you should give beyond what you are able to seems borderline self-destructive. And yet, I have seen even in my own life that when you step out on faith, God catches you.

That's just one verse in our reading, though. The overall thrust of the text is that the day of the Lord is coming, where He will be a refiner's fire and a launderer's soap to the people (3:2). Those images are fitting for chapter 3, because the chapter seems to indicate that "the day of the Lord" referred to is more of a Jesus-level coming than an end times event. It seems that even with this day of the Lord, people will have a chance to be refined and cleaned, though those who reject God through their actions will not enjoy having their sinful deeds exposed.

In that same chapter, however, there is some "end times" imagery that you see in Revelation. For instance, the text refers to a "scroll of remembrance" that sounds very similar to Revelation's "book of life." Such imagery is continued in chapter 4, where it speaks of the wicked being burned, much like the lake of sulfur imagery in Revelation. There is also a passing reference to the "sun of righteousness," which might coincide with the imagery of God being an eternal sun for His people that is found in Revelation.

NT: Revelation 22:1-21

Today's reading concludes John's vision. He sees a crystal clear river of life flowing throughout the city; he sees Psalm-1-esque trees on either side of the river, which have leaves of healing for all nations; he sees God and Christ ruling on thrones in the midst of the city; and he sees that it is eternally daytime, as God Himself provides the light for this new world. All in all, it is a beautiful picture.

Then, John interacts with the messenger angel a bit more, and the angel reminds him that all of this is coming soon. The book closes with an invitation and a warning. There is an invitation for all who are thirsty and who desire God to "Come!" (17). And there is a warning against adding or taking away any words from the book of Revelation (18-19). I clarify that last part b/c these verses are often used as a warning against adding or taking away from the Bible as a whole (conveniently bound in the same "book"). I don't think we should add or take away from the Bible, but it doesn't seem like proper exegesis to me to apply this verse so firmly to all of Scripture, when it clearly refers to the prophecy of Revelation.

The book concludes with a wish for Jesus to come soon, and with a blessing on the readers.

Psalm 150:1-6

A simple praise psalm, probably intended for worship in the temple.

Prov. 31: 25-31

The conclusion of one of my favorite sections of Proverbs.

I particularly love the image of a godly wife being "clothed with strength and dignity" (25). Today's passage also inspires me to "watch over the affairs of [my] household" and not to "eat of the bread of idleness" (27). That's a good reminder for today, because I woke up feeling lousy with a cold and would like nothing more than to eat of the bread of idleness today! But there is too much to do for that!

December 30

2010-12-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Malachi 1:1-2:17

It is currently 4:24 a.m., and I'm up and doing my Bible reading and blog for the day because I cannot sleep to save my life. So...who knows how this blog will turn out.

Today, we started the last book of the OT. It is an oracle from Malachi that is structured as a dialogue between God and the Israelites. God starts by telling the Israelites that He loves them, and they demand to know how God has loved them (1:2). This question seems to indicate that not all has gone well for Israel lately. I haven't researched the book, so I don't know where they are in history right now, but I can think of plenty of bad things that happened to their nation that might make them question God.

In answer to their question, God contrasts his love for them for his hatred toward Esau (2b-5). He seems to maintain in these verses that He is not with--and never will be with--Esau's people, and that they will be ruined. That was kind of sad to me, but I know that God has a reason for His words and actions here.

In verse 6, God turns the tables on the questioning Israelites by asking them why they don't treat Him with honor and respect, since they claim Him as their Father and Master. From this point on, the questioners play ignorant and so God outlines exactly what they have done that has displeased Him:

--They bring crippled, blind, and diseased animals for sacrifice (8-9). This seems to be a classic case of giving God one's leftovers. It is a temptation for all followers of God b/c, oddly, God is not as coercive as most entities who demand respect. In verse 8, for example, God contrasts the people's offerings to Him with their offerings (taxes?) to the governor. They wouldn't dare cheat their government, b/c they know there will be immediate repercussions. Similarly, I think sometimes I show more respect to Uncle Sam than to God. I know there are going to be repercussions if I don't give the government the amount of money they ask for at the time they ask for it. So I pay it in full and on time. But since God doesn't hammer me with late fees or threaten me with jail time (at least not here on earth), I'm much more tempted to skimp on my giving to Him.

--They show partiality and break faith with each other (2:9-10).

--They intermarry with pagans (2:11).

--They divorce their wives (2:13-16). God is not cool with this at all. In fact, He declares that He hates divorce (16). One of the side effects of divorce is the negative effect it has on children, and verse 15 can be read as God showing particularly concern for that side effect.

--They are violent men in general and/or they beat their wives (16, depending on which translation you go with).

Because of these things, there times of worship are meaningless to God, and He threatens to break the covenant He has with them (1:10-2:9).

NT: Revelation 21:1-27

After all the carnage and pain depicted in Revelation, today's reading is almost uniformly positive. The only (very notable) exception is verse 8, which says, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Other than that sober warning, chapter 21 depicts the fullness of the kingdom of God in the way that we usually think of heaven. There is a new heaven and a new earth, and God dwells on it with His people, the ones whose names are in the book of life. Verse 4 is particularly beautiful to me: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

The reading ends with a description of the new Jerusalem, a city of solid gold, with a beautiful wall around it made up of all different kinds of gemstones. There is no temple in the city b/c God and the Lamb are the temple (22). I liked that. It is like the whole Bible depicts the decreasing distance between God and man until they are literally dwelling together in peace for all eternity.

Psalm 149:1-9

A short and simple praise psalm, which closes with a militaristic outlook. The psalmist sees God's people as His instrument to punish the nations.

Prov. 31:10-24

I have always loved this part of Prov. 31. Many women find it overwhelming and intimidating, but I find it empowering. The writer describes the ideal woman as strong, hardworking, intelligent, resourceful. He values the contribution of such women to their families and to society. To me, it is such a positive description of women, and one to try to emulate.

December 29

2010-12-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Zechariah 14:1-21

Here is what confused me about the final chapter of Zechariah: it seemed to talk about the end times, but then still held forth the possibility of rebellion and punishment.

Verses 6-11 definitely seem to talk about the end of time, what we call the full coming of God's kingdom. Starting in verse 7, it says,

"It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime--a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light. On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name" (7-9).

Okay, that seems like "the end" to me: perpetual daylight, streams of living water, a full kingdom of God. Good stuff.

And in that light, as gruesome as verses 12-15 are, they do stay with the spirit of Revelation, which makes clear that those not belonging to God will be punished.

What gets me is verses 16-21, which say that any nation who does not then sacrifice to God would be punished. See, my conception of the kingdom of God is that when it comes in its full, that will all be over. You are either thrown into the lake of fire (to borrow from Revelation), or your name is written in the book and you're saved. And then it's time for heaven, right? What is this middle ground? I don't get it.

NT: Revelation 20:1-15

Meanwhile, in our alterna-version of the end of time, Satan is sealed into the Abyss for 1,000 years, during which time he is unable to deceive any of the nations (1-3). Then, all of the martyrs raise from the dead and reign with Christ for that same thousand years (at least, I assume it's the same time period). That's called the first resurrection (5).

After that thousand years, Satan is released and goes back to deceiving nations. He raises up an army, I guess an army of all the nations he has deceived. And then they march into battle against God. It's set up as this climatic scene, but fire from heaven immediately destroys them, so it's not much of a battle! Satan is thrown in the lake of burning sulfur where, along with the beast and the false prophet, he "will be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (10). Yikes.

Next, we apparently have the second resurrection, when everyone raises from the dead and is judged for their works. Verses 12-13 seem to picture big books that have everything that we've done in our lives. Yet, verse 15 pictures just one book in which a person's name is either there or not. Maybe the first set of books determine whose name is in the book of Life. Anyhow, death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire, as were anyone whose name was not in the book of life. So...Hades is hell...right?....so I guess at the end of time, those whose names are not in the book don't go to hell, but into the lake of fire?

Psalm 148: 1-14

A praise psalm that enjoins all of creation to praise the Lord.

Prov. 31:8-9

I love these verses and have thought of the first line often throughout my life:

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."

December 28

2010-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Zechariah 12:1-13:9

Like yesterday, I got a bad case of whiplash from the reversal that happened between chapters 12 and 13. In chapter 12, it's all good for Judah. God is going to make Judah "a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling" (2), "an immovable rock" (3), "a firepot in a woodpile," and "a flaming torch among sheaves" (6). In other words, Judah is going to kick some serious booty. The oracle further says that, "on that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going out before them" (8). Whoa. That is some forceful imagery. If this section were graphed according to the positivity of the images, 10:8 would definitely be the high point.

It starts to go downhill from there. It also starts to get weird. Verse 10 says, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." Okay, I had a little bit of trouble with "person" here. We start out in the first person, and the first person is clearly God. God will "pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication." Yes, the "I" there is clearly God. The first person continues in the next sentence, which says, "The will look on me, the one they have pierced." So...you would think the "I" there is God, too, right? But when and how did they pierce God? What does that even mean? For a Christian, the answer is obvious, right? This is a reference to Jesus. Even John 19:37 quotes this verse when telling of the crucifixion. And honestly, I can think of no other explanation, even if I wasn't a Christian. God being pierced? It makes no sense.

But...neither does the rest of today's reading, in light of the Christological interpretation (not sure if I used that word right). For one thing, it says that everyone in the area would mourn the pierced God's death, and they didn't when Christ died. Also, chapter 13 continues the prophecy with, "On that day." So it is clearly linked with the events of the preceding verses. And it says that on that day, God would get rid of all the idols, and there would be no more false prophets, and parents would stab their own kids if they prophesied falsely. And again, I saw none of that in the NT.

Like I said earlier, I still can't see another explanation for that verse besides that it was about Christ. It makes absolutely sense to me apart from God becoming a man and getting pierced. But I don't really understand how the rest of the prophecy is about Him.

I feel compelled to try and make it make sense on the blog, but like I have said all along, I'm not the Bible's apologist. It can speak for and handle itself. I am just a student trying to learn. And I have so many questions. Maybe further study on prophecy will one day shed light on these questions. Maybe not. My hope, though, is that just by asking them, I can grow closer to God. I ask questions about the things and people that I care about, that I want to know better. And that's what I'm reading the Bible as honestly as possible; I want to honestly know the God who gave it to me.

NT: Revelation 19:1-21

We are nearing the end. The bridegroom is coming for the bride, and the wedding feast is about to take place. I don't know that I ever understood that the wedding feast would involve eating all the bad guys (17-18), but then again, I'm thinking that all of this language is highly figurative. After all, the bridegroom kills all the bad guys with a sword that comes out of his mouth, so....it doesn't really seem literal.

Speaking of figurative language, I love the imagery in verses 7-8:

"'Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.'
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)"

I love the image of the collective church waiting as a bride for Christ to return, and especially that her beautiful clothes are the "righteous acts of the saints." That is beautiful to me.

The bridegroom is a warrior. Before he gets his bride, he must vanquish all his enemies. Apparently, his main enemies are the beast and the false prophet, and both of them are thrown into a lake of fire (20). Clearly, I don't know what the beast and the false prophet stand for, but the clear image is that when Christ returns, it will be really good news for some people, and really bad news for other people. So, it is both exciting and really sobering to realize the import of these events.

Psalm 147:1-20

One verse that stood out to me today was verse 10:

"His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of a man;
the Lord delights in those who fear Him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love."

There is a lot to say about this verse, but here is its application to me: I tend to really prize human effort, to prize efficiency, dependability, productivity. If I am not being efficiently productive, I often feel like a failure. This verse reminds me that God is not impressed with man's efficiency or his productivity. What he wants is not my best, most efficient and productive efforts at life; what he wants is my heart and my faith.

Prov. 31:1-7

King Lemuel warns his son not to chase women and wine. He makes a pretty valid point that someone with everything shouldn't even need wine. Wine should appeal more to people who are hopeless and desperate than to future kings--or people who have responsibilities (5).

December 27

2010-12-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Zechariah 10:1-11:17

Well, today's reading got confusing quickly. But before I get to that part, I have two tangential observations:

In 10:1, Zechariah proclaims:

"Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;
it is the Lord, who makes the storm clouds.
He gives showers of rain to men,
and plants of the field to everyone."

Okay, so here is my tangential observation. So often, people quote that verse that says God makes it rain on the righteous and wicked alike, and they interpret it like rain is a bad thing. As in, "God lets trouble come to both the righteous as well as the wicked." But that verse is referring to rain as a good thing, so it's the other way around. That verse is saying that blessings come both on the wicked and the righteous. That type of misinterpretation (and honestly, I used to misinterpret that verse) highlights to me the way we sometimes call things struggles that are not struggles. I know a lot of times, we tend to interpret things that are basic parts of life as the "suffering" talked about in the NT. Like, if we have financial trouble, or someone we love dies, we apply the verses on suffering to those situations. And it's not like they don't apply at all, but usually, those verses specifically refer to being persecuted for righteousness sake, which is something that rarely happens to us Western Christians. Anyway, like I said, that observation doesn't have a lot to do with the text, but those are the thoughts the verses spawned in my head.

My other semi-tangential observation regards 11:4, in which those who make money unjustly say, "Praise the Lord! I am rich!" I thought that was a sobering exclamation. I wonder if we ever interpret things as God's blessing, when they are really a result of our own selfishness and greed.

Okay, onto the confusing part. Throughout today's reading, there is a running metaphor in which the nation of Israel is referred to as God's flock. At first, God shows anger toward the shepherds, or leaders, who do not take care of the flock:

"My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;
for the Lord Almighty will care
for his flock, the house of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle" (10:3).

The rest of the chapter then foretells the results of God's pasturing: the people will be mighty and numerous, they will be reunified and joyful. Several times throughout the chapter, God says things like,

"I will strengthen the house of Judah
and save the house of Joseph.
I will restore them because I have compassion on them.
They will be as though I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God,
and I will answer them" (6).

Similarly, chapter 11 continues the theme of God's anger toward bad shepherds. Okay, maybe not. I wrote that last sentence and then went to find the verses that supported it, but I couldn't. It seems instead that in this chapter, God is mad at the flock from the beginning. Their shepherds are jerks, but it seems like it is part of God's plan (5-6)? Then--and this is where it gets really confusing--God says that He will pasture them Himself. When I read it at first, it seemed like this was God's compassionate reaction to the bad shepherds in verse 5. And at first, God is the prototypical Good Shepherd: "So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I pastured the flock" (7). Aww. That's a great image, and, like I said, it's very typical of the Good Shepherd talk continued by Jesus.

But then...God gets tired of His flock and breaks His rods and deserts them! Huh??? Granted, it said that "the flock detested" Him, and thus, His response was typical of the wrath He has shown elsewhere. I guess why it was so jarring to me is that Zechariah used the shepherd imagery, and that imagery is always positive. It was like when Harrison Ford played a bad guy in the the movie I'm not going to name b/c I don't want to spoil it. Part of the shock of the twist at the end was that Harrison Ford doesn't play bad guys! And good shepherds don't desert their sheep! Sheep aren't even smart enough to detest their shepherd. That's the point of the analogy: sheep are too dumb to take care of themselves, so they need a good leader. To punish sheep just doesn't make sense to me.

Hmmm. I'm beginning to see that my problem is with the choice of analogy rather than the content. Due to my preconceived notions of that analogy, I found God's actions to be particularly troubling. Plus, it was such a reversal from chapter 10. I was just very confused by that whole section.

NT: Revelation 18:1-24

Today, Babylon/the prostitute/the city that is not to be named gets destroyed, and all her fellow business partners mourn the loss. Heaven, on the other hand, celebrates, as do the saints, because Babylon is being punished for persecuting the saints.

Psalm 146:1-10

This psalm paints a great picture of upside-down Kingdom. It is so apt that I need to quote it at length:

"Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
⁴ When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
⁵ Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.

⁶ He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
⁷ He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
⁹ The LORD watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked."

In these verses, the psalmist warns us against trusting in powerful men, and instead tells us that God is with oppressed, the hungry, the imprisoned, then blind, the foreigner, and the widow. In other words, God humbles the exalted and exalts the humble.

Prov. 30:33

First of all, who would twist someone's nose so hard that it would bleed? That's just sick. But in the same way that a twisted nose produces blood (again, gross), stirring up anger produces strife.

It's slowly dawning on me that this Bible is about to give Proverbs 31 the shaft. We have only 4 days left, and that whole chapter to go!

December 26

2010-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Zechariah 9:1-17

For the first eight verses of today's reading, the prophecy turns negative, warning Hadrach, Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, Sidon, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod that they will be conquered. I don't know if those are separate kingdoms or different towns in the same kingdom, but the bottom line is, things will take a turn for the worse for them.

Verse 9 reverts back to positive messages for Jerusalem. In that verse, Zechariah prophecies of a future king:

"See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Of course, we believe that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy during the triumphal entry.

The rest of the prophecy continues with good news for Jerusalem, news of prisoners being released, battles being won, and prosperity returning and strengthening the people.

NT: Revelation 17:1-18

Today, we are introduced to a prostitute who kills saints and sleeps with the kings of lots of nations. A beast with ten horns will eventually kill her.

One phrase that was repeated several times in this passage really encapsulates my frustration with Revelation: "The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction." The idea of something once existing, not currently existing, and existing again in the future is simple enough to grasp, and yet...what?? I get the idea, but not the application. Perhaps the reason I don't get it is that, "This calls for a mind with wisdom," and clearly, I am lacking in that area (9).

I do see, though, why my dad is a preterist. I think that's what it is called. Basically, he thinks that the events in Revelation already happened, that the language is all symbolic, and it is mostly to do with Rome. Verses like verse 9 seem to indicate to me that John expects his audience to understand much more of what he is saying than I do. And if that is true, then he must be writing about current events and kingdoms, things "a mind with wisdom" can grasp. I know it is not the popular view to say that Revelation already happened or is purely symbolic, but that's how I'm personally leaning.

Psalm 145:1-21

An ode to God's faithfulness, which spans the generations.

Prov. 30:32

This one is kind of funny: it tells people who have played the fool or planned evil to cover their mouths. Kind of silly sounding.

December 25

2010-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your day is filled with blessings.

OT: Zechariah 8:1-23

This has probably been true for awhile, but it hit me while reading today that Zechariah is giving good news to the people. That is definitely a reversal from the typical prophecies we have been reading. But the remnant is now back from exile and ready to rebuild the Temple, and Zechariah's words are full of encouragement and hope.

The overall picture from today's reading is one of reunification. Zechariah paints an image of God's scattered people all coming back together in Jerusalem and living in harmony and peace:

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God'" (7-8).

It occurs to me that this imagery is very similar to how I picture heaven. I know that I have brothers and sisters scattered across the globe and across time. Some have been brutally ripped from this earth and others pass peacefully, but the bottom line, the hope, is that we will all be brought together in heaven, much like these Israelites were brought together in Jerusalem.

Two verses I read that made me feel very blessed were verses 4-5:

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.'"

Right now, I'm celebrating Christmas with my husband's parents and his grandmother. His grandmother will be 85 years old on Sunday, and she often uses a cane. And she is celebrating Christmas with my 4 year old and 2 year old, who play around her while she rests in a chair. This picture, as normal as it seems to me, is an indication of a stable, peaceful society. When societies are in turmoil, infant mortality rates are high, and people don't live as long. Thus, Zechariah's prophecy of a city filled with old people and children is a prophecy of stability and peace. I know that that should be obvious, but I guess I am so used to that type of society that I take it for granted. Reading that passage made me very thankful for my society.

NT: Revelation 16:1-21

Well, even though things were looking up in Zechariah's day, all is not well here in the end times. The seven plagues are poured out of their bowls onto the earth, and they are very reminiscent of the plagues that struck Egypt in Moses' day. People break out into painful sores, rivers (and even oceans) turn to blood, darkness comes upon the earth, and demon frogs are unleashed. In addition, the sun scorches people and there is a giant earthquake. Oh, and there is also hail, which was an Egyptian plague.

Like the Exodus story, these plagues seem to continue because of the people's refusal to repent and turn to God (9,11). In the Exodus story, it was Pharoah who refused to repent, but here, it is the people as a whole. And like the Exodus story, there is some confusion over what is driving the plagues: in both stories, it seems to be some combination of God's will and man's stubbornness.

In the end, Babylon is destroyed.

Psalm 144:1-15

David asks for God to rescue him, even while understanding the fleeting nature of life:

"O Lord, what is man that you care for him,
the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow" (3-4).

Prov. 30:29-31

Like yesterday, today's reading is another set of four, which is also an ode to strong animals.

December 24

2010-12-23T17:41:00.000-08:00

OT: Zechariah 6:1-7:14

Today's reading starts out with more horsemen. Zechariah and Revelation have been blurring together in their incomprehensibility, but it has begun to occur to me that there have been several motifs that Revelation has borrowed from OT prophecy. A few days ago, they both measured the Temple in some way, if I recall. And today, we have four horsemen from heaven who ride out into all the earth. It reminded me of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Not identical, but definitely similar images. I'm sure there are more similarities, but like I said, it's all jumbling together in my mind. One day, I'd like to do a real, in-depth study on biblical prophecy and hopefully make some sense of it all. Because of my skepticism of interpretations of Revelation, I think I would be more interested in looking at it from a literary angle, especially its relationship with OT prophecy. (And while I'm at it, some serious research on OT prophecy itself would be in order.)

Even though I got absolutely nothing but more confusion from chapter 6, chapter 7 struck a chord. It reminded me of Isaiah 48 (and Isaiah 1, for that matter) because it sharply criticized fasting and ceremonies that were not accompanied by justice and mercy. I found verses 5-6 to be particularly convicting: "Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?" Those questions hit home, b/c, as a practicing Christian for twenty years, I can attest to the fact that it is so easy to do the outward stuff in a selfish way. Since I have grown up in church, for example, it is a comfort to me to attend. That's not a bad thing in itself, but there have definitely been times where I have gone to church more for the cultural comfort of attending than to worship and glorify God. Another example is Christmas. Christmas is obviously not in the Bible, and so it is not comparable to the required feast days referenced by the prophet here. But it is similar in that it is a holiday that originated to celebrate Christ's birth (well, that was the Christian origin, at least. I think it really originated to commemorate the winter solstice, but you know what I mean). And yet, it is so easy to celebrate Christmas without giving Christ's birth a second thought. It is so easy to eat and drink for ourselves at Christmas, rather than use it as a celebration to give glory to God.

Of course, part of me thinks that there is nothing wrong with enjoying church and nothing wrong with enjoying the non-religious parts of Christmas for their own sake. For Zechariah, though, the litmus test of motives is found in how the people treat others. According to Zechariah, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other" (7:9). I love that. I love how it stresses action and yet doesn't leave the heart out, either. Simply doing the right thing is not enough. We are supposed to have love in our hearts, as well. In I Cor. 13, Paul warns us that, "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." So it is more than outward actions; it takes love. Which is manifested in outward actions.

I'm going in circles. I think the bottom line is that the message I see in passages like this one is that, while the ceremonial worship of God is good and important, it is not enough. What is even more important is how we treat other people, which should be a reflection of the love we have for them in our hearts. We need both the love and the action; one without the other is not enough.

NT: Revelation 15:1-8

It's almost time for some serious plague action: seven bowls of plagues are about to be dumped out onto the world, and then God's wrath will be completed. I don't know if this is good or bad, but there is definitely consistency between the testaments when it comes to God's wrath. I hear a lot that the OT God is angry and vengeful, and the NT God is merciful and loving, and so the message of the Bible seems inconsistent. To be fair, however, I think that God's mercy is shown in the OT, and His wrath is definitely present in the NT, in everything from the harsh pronouncements of Jesus to the abrupt deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, to pretty much the whole book of Revelation. Again, I don't know if that should be considered a good thing or a bad thing. It is good b/c the Bible does paint a consistent picture for us. But it is bad b/c God's wrath is scary, and people have a hard time understanding it.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for today. I feel like there is much more to say here, but my brain has run out of steam.

Psalm 143:1-12

David pleads to God for relief from his enemies. I love a lot of this psalm. Verses 5-10 are all great. I think my favorite, though, is verse 8:

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul."

Prov. 30:24-28

These sets of four are so interesting. Today's set is an ode of sorts to animals. Ants are praised b/c they are hard workers that plan for the future; coneys are praised b/c they live in crags (why that's praiseworthy, I have no idea); locusts are praised b/c they work together in an egalitarian manner; and lizards are praised b/c they can go anywhere, even in palaces.

December 23

2010-12-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Zechariah 4:1-5:11

Egad. More weird prophecies today, both in the OT and NT!

One of my weaknesses as a reader of prophecies is that I'm not great at picturing written descriptions of inanimate objects. I don't know what it is, b/c I have always tested really well in reading comprehension skills, but I just can never picture stuff like the tabernacle and Temple, or any kind of geographical layout just by reading about it. Today, I couldn't really even picture the lampstand, b/c, well, I don't use lampstands. And I don't know what the channels to the lights are. Or really, even what an olive branch looks like. I just do better with people and actions, rather than objects. Anyhow, there is this lampstand, and it is supposed to somehow represent Zerubbabel, who is going to rebuild the Temple. I think. And then they two olive branches are two people who "are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth" (4:14). Okay.

And then there is a flying scroll filled with curses and promises of banishment for thieves and people "who swear falsely by [God's] name" (5:3-4). And then there is a big measuring basket with a woman inside, who represents the sin of the people in the land. And I thought, "What is he saying about women here?" But then it was carried by two women angels (I guess they were angels; verse 9 says that "they had wings like those of a stork"), so I calmed down about the choice of gender. The women angels were taking the basket "to the country of Babylonia to build a house for it" (11). I don't know what that means, but it can't bode well for Babylonia.

NT: Revelation 14:1-20

And the weirdness continues. Is it bad that I sort of think Revelation doesn't apply to me? I mean, I know it is supposed to be telling about the end times and all, but the symbolism is so heavy that I can't make heads or tails of it. And because it is so inaccessible, I just don't feel, deep down, like I am the intended audience. I just feel like if this were for me, I would understand more about it. Even OT prophecies, which were most definitely not written for me, are generally more accessible than Revelation. So maybe saying that Revelation doesn't apply to me is using the wrong phrase. It's more like I don't think it is for me.

Today, there are 144,000 righteous men standing before the Lamb on Mount Zion. I guess we are on earth in this picture--I often have a hard time telling whether we are in heaven or on earth in Revelation. Like, there are humans in this picture, and there is Mount Zion, but what is the Lamb doing there? Anyway, the 144,000 are blameless and redeemed and good to go, but I did wonder why it was just men. At least, I assume it was just men b/c it talks about not defiling themselves with women. And that in itself sounded somewhat misogynistic to me, and then I had to wonder if I was reading too much into a text that I clearly understand nothing about.

Do I have to keep summarizing? I'm going to opt out. Just know that there was a lot of punishment and wrath involved in today's reading, and the overall message seemed to be that the wicked will be eternally punished, but the righteous will be saved.

Psalm 142:1-7

I did understand the psalm, thank goodness. It was written by David, apparently when he was fleeing from Saul. In it, he prays to God for rescue.

Prov. 30: 21-23

And then Proverbs brought the portions of the Bible that I didn't understand today to 3 out of 4. Apparently, "a servant who becomes king," a fool with a full stomach, an "unloved woman who is married," and "a maidservant who displaces her mistress" are four things that cause the earth to tremble. I guess that all these things involve reversals of what is expected and proper. But it is interesting that much of the message of the Bible is that the poor will be lifted up and the proud will be brought low. Wouldn't that cause the earth to tremble, too, according to this reasoning?

December 22

2010-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Zechariah 2:1-3:10

In another vision (or perhaps a continuation of the same one), the angel again assures Zechariah that God will plunder "the nations that have plundered you" (7-9). He also tells Zechariah that, "Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great numbers of men and livestock in it...and [God Himself] will be a wall of fire around it and...its glory within" (4-5). This vision of the walls of Jerusalem being removed and replaced by God Himself seems to be a vision of inclusiveness, which is continued in verse 11: "Many nations will be joined with Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you."

Then, we have an interesting section about the high priest, Joshua. I kept trying to make it about Jesus somehow (Joshua and Jesus are the same name, I think), but it didn't work b/c Joshua had soiled clothes, which represented his sins, which God then purified (3: 3-5). There still was something messianic about the whole thing, and verse 8 even said that the men involved were "symbolic of things to come," but I couldn't make it all work out in my head.

NT: Revelation 13:1b-18

Oh my goodness. No idea, no idea. There are beasts and dragons and horns and heads, and...I just don't know. If I had to guess, the two beasts represent countries? And the second beast is a country that formed an alliance with the stronger first beast? And I have no idea what the mark of the beast is, or what significance the number 666 has.

I did sort of like verse 10, as fatalistic as it was:

"If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword he will be killed."

I don't know what appealed to me about such a fatalistic and bleak verse, but there is something kind of freeing, I guess, about realizing that what will be, will be. Oddly, it kind of takes the worry out of it for me, and helps me to just relax and turn myself over to what is going to happen. I'm not sure why it has that effect on me, but that's how I felt when I read that verse.

Psalm 141:1-10

I loved verses 1-4 of this psalm:

"O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me.
Hear my voice when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies."

I have recently tried my hand at liturgical prayer for the first time, and I have to say, I like it. Verses 1-2 strike me as a great opening for a prayer, and verses 3-4 seems like a great later part of the same prayer. I particularly like the request for God to set a guard over my mouth. I definitely need that!

Prov. 30:18-20

No idea. The guy is talking about things he doesn't understand, like eagles and snakes and ships and relationships. I guess he's unmarried?

December 21

2010-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Zechariah 1:1-21

I didn't have time to research Zechariah today, but I did see in the reading that he can join Haggai in the ranks of "prophets that the people actually listened to." In 1:2-6, he warns the people to repent from their sins, and at the end of verse 6, they do!

And then he has a vision. I think we can safely say that apocalyptic visions are not in my analytical wheelhouse. As a general rule, if there are horsemen or horns involved, it's not going to be my thing. The meaning of this vision seems simple enough, though: God is going to relent in his anger toward the exiled Israelites and restore them. In contrast, He is going to punish the nations who scattered them.

NT: Revelation 12:1-13:1a

I get more and more confused by Revelation, to the point where the best I can do is simply restate what happens. So, here goes:

Today, a woman surrounded by a moon and stars gives birth to a child. There is this huge, seven-headed dragon who is poised to eat the child right when it is born. But instead, the child is snatched up to heaven and the woman escapes into the desert where she is protected for 1,260 days, the same amount of time that those two prophets prophesied. Then there is a war in heaven, and Michael and the angels throw the dragon, Satan, to earth, where he pursues the woman (question: where did the woman have the baby? Heaven or earth?), but the woman is given the wings of an eagle to escape, and...you know what? You can read it yourself:). I just wish I knew what it all meant!

Psalm 140:1-13

David prays for rescue from evil men and for God's vengeance to come upon them.

Prov. 30:17

A particularly violent proverb against mocking and disobeying one's parents.

December 20

2010-12-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Haggai 1:1-2:23

Today, we polished off yet another bite-sized book of prophecy. Haggai, it seems to me, has the distinction of being one of the few prophets that people actually listened to. He tells the remnant of Israel to rebuild the Temple, and they then get to work! Crazy!

I think some of the principles in Haggai's advice to the people are timeless. He essentially tells the people to put God first, and not themselves. Only when they do that will they find true fulfillment. He tells them, "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it" (1:5-6). For one thing, I like Haggai's admonition, which he later repeats, to "give careful thought to your ways." I am a big fan of giving careful thought to one's ways. I think it is important to examine your actions as honestly as possible. And so I like how Haggai encourages such reflection. Secondly, I know that he is partially referencing the bleak economic conditions of the time (b/c I read the short intro that Harris gave), but I also think that Haggai is describing a timeless human condition in these verses. He describes that emptiness, that Sisyphus-like feeling of futility that you get when you aren't focused on what's important in life. Verses 5-6 describe a discontentment in the people, a sense of not being fulfilled with their lives. Haggai's answer is simple: you aren't fulfilled b/c you aren't focused on what's most important. You aren't putting God first.

I can relate to the people's situation b/c it is not like they are turning and running from God. Harris says that they had already laid the foundation of the Temple, but had become discouraged. It's not that they said they wouldn't build the Temple; it's just that they were putting it off: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the Lord's house to be built'" (1:2). Because of their life circumstances, it was not convenient, or perhaps even prudent, to proceed with construction. And yet Haggai tells them, you have to put God first, even when it is hard. I can totally see myself in the people's position, and so Haggai's instructions are meaningful to me, even in the 21st century.

NT: Revelation 11:1-19

Today, John is told to measure the Temple, minus the outer court, "because it has been given to the Gentiles" (2). I'm a little confused as to why that matters. Aren't Christian Jews cool with Gentiles now? Then, God foretells that two deadly messengers are going to prophesy for 1,260 days in sackcloth, and will be able to do all kinds of miracles and bring all kinds of plagues. Their power is very reminiscent of the power God showed through Moses in Egypt. Afterward, a beast will come from the Abyss and kill them, and everyone will be happy, and the people will leave the prophets' bodies outside for three and a half days. Then, they'll come back to life and ascend to heaven.

I found verse 8 to be oddly amusing: "Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified." In other words, John is saying, *Cough* "Jerusalem" *Cough.* I thought the statement was interesting for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the slam it is on Jerusalem. And also, why did he have to disguise the city, and why did he do such a poor job of "disguising" it. I mean, if I get it, you can bet the audience did, too.

Ooh, ooh! Or maybe it is Rome.

Anyway, after the two messengers go to heaven, an earthquake comes and terrifies everyone, prompting them to turn to God. Then, the seventh angel announces that the kingdom of Christ has officially come down to the earth, and the 24 elders sing praises to God. I thought that that was a pretty violent coming.

Lastly, God's Temple in heaven was opened, and there was the "real" (Platonically speaking) ark of the covenant, along with lightning and thunder.

Psalm 139: 1-24

A famous psalm, mainly because of verses 13-14, which are used to support the pro-life position in Christians. And again, don't get me wrong, b/c I'm very pro-life, but I'm not sure these are the passages I would turn to to "prove" that a fetus is a real person. I mean, it's a psalm! Are we supposed to take it literally? Two verses later, David claims that his frame was woven together in the depths of the earth (15)! Is that where we think babies are made? No. The point of the verses is, of course, that God had a specific plan for David even before he was born, which is a very pro-life point. But as far as using this as some kind of literal proof of when life begins...well, that just doesn't work for me.

Prov. 30:15-16

I think this is one where you need to read the whole chapter at one time b/c I am not getting the flow when the verses are chopped up like this. Today, we hear about four things that are never satisfied: the grave, the barren womb, land,and fire.

December 19

2010-12-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Zephaniah 1:1-3:20

And we're done with Zephaniah! Reading these books in one day really gives me a sense of accomplishment. Never mind that they are only about three chapters long:).

Zephaniah was written during the reign of Josiah, and Harris points out that he probably wrote before the book of Law was discovered and Josiah instituted reform. Harris also points out that Zephaniah repeatedly assures the people of the total destruction of the world, and seems unaware of God's assurance in Gen. 8:21 that He would never do that. Here are Zeph's predictions of complete annihilation:

"'I will sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,' declares the Lord.
I will sweep away both men and animals;
I will sweep away the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea.
The wicked will have only heaps of rubble
when I cut off man from the face of the earth,' declares the Lord" (1:2-3).

"Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them
on the day of the Lord's wrath.
In the fire of his jealousy
the whole world will be consumed,
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live in the earth" (1:18).

"I have decided to assemble the nations,
to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them--
all my fierce anger.
The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger" (8).

Okay, it would seem from these three verses that God is fed up and is just going to destroy everyone. But there are some problems with that conclusion. For one thing, most of the book is consumed with carefully explaining to the wicked that they, personally, will be punished for their wickedness (1:4-17, all of chapter 2 with the exception of verse 3, and 3:1-7). The rest of the book, minus the three verses above, is devoted to providing various degrees of assurance to those who will be saved:

"Seek the Lord all you humble of the land,
you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness, seek humility;
perhaps you will be sheltered
on the day of the Lord's anger" (3).

And regarding the Moabites and Ammonites:

"The remnant of my people will plunder them;
the survivors of my nation will inherit the land" (2:9b).

Also,

"The Lord will be awesome to them
when he destroys all the gods of the land.
The nations on every shore will worship him,
every one in its own land" (2:11).

And right after the total annihilation of verse 3:8, we have verse 9:

"Then will I purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
and serve him shoulder to shoulder."

And of course, 3:10-20 speak of a restored remnant of Jerusalem in typical prophetic terms. Harris says in his intro that 11-20 is probably a later addition, but he also mentions the possibility of 14-20 being added after Josiah's reforms. Regardless, 3:11-20 is not the only passage that makes Zephaniah problematic.

Here's my conclusion: The vast majority of the book (everything but 1:2-3, 1:18, and 3:8 speak in typically prophetic terms: God will punish the wicked, but spare and ultimately restore a righteous remnant). Those three verses definitely should give the reader pause, b/c they seem to clearly state total annihilation. However, in light of the overwhelming message of the book, these verses have to be hyperbole or something. And prophets have been known to employ hyperbole. I seem to remember one prophet talking about how Assyria was going to be covered with the ocean and be turned into a vast desert within just a few verses of each other (can't remember the prophet, but I'm pretty sure it was Isaiah. Second choice: Jeremiah). So my point is, I don't see a big difference between Zephaniah's worldview and the rest of the prophets. In fact, I probably would not have noticed it at all, were it not for Harris.

Hmmm...maybe I'll read Haggai first tomorrow, and then read Harris. That arrangement worked better with Habakkuk.

Lastly, here is my random thought of the day. It came to me while reading Zephaniah. In the OT, people's understanding of God's blessing, His love, and His provision was that they were manifested in physical terms: life, security, wealth, etc. So when those blessings were not present, there were two basic responses. Either, like Job and sometimes the psalmists, one would weep and wail and ask God why He was being unjust to them, or like most of the prophets, he would state that the reason they were suffering was because they had sinned against God and were being punished. In other words, either they were innocent and thus were suffering unfairly, or they were guilty and were getting what they deserved. The common denominator was certainty: Job and David knew that they were innocent, and most of the prophets knew that they were guilty. They knew that God was either being unfair or fair, and they knew why they believed that. It was the rare person in the Bible who said, "You know what? I don't get why this is happening, but I'm just going to trust God that it is the right thing." Oddly, one person who pops to mind is Eli. When Samuel informed him that the guilt of Eli's family would never be atoned for, Eli simply responded, "He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes" (1 Sam. 3:19). Another person is Habakkuk. When confronted with God's solution to Israel's injustice, he essentially said, "Well the Babylonian solution doesn't make sense to me, but I'm going to have faith that God has this under control."

In the NT, however, the concepts of God's love, His provision, and His blessing are separated from the physical. Because of that, physical disaster or suffering does not bring about a crisis of faith. In fact, if the suffering is brought about as a result of one's faith in Christ, then the suffering itself is seen as a good thing, a blessing. That outlook is such a radical shift from the OT. It's not so much as a reversal, though, as an evolution. It seems that throughout the progress of the Bible, the understanding of the people gradually opens up to accept that God can work all things to the good, and to acknowledge that suffering can be more than an injustice or a tool for punishment.

NT: Revelation 10:1-11

A giant, cloud-clad, rainbowed angel puts one foot on land and one foot on the sea and shouts, "There will be no more delay!" (6). Then, the thunder says something that John could not reveal. And then, the angel gives John a scroll to eat. As predicted, it tastes as sweet as honey, but turns his stomach sour.

As always, I have no insight into any of that.

Psalm 138:1-8

A nice, enjoyable praise psalm. Our highlighted verse for the day was verse 6:

"Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but the proud he knows from afar."

Now, that is a theme that stays constant through the Bible. From the provisions for the poor given in the Law to psalms like this one, from the message of the prophets to the words of Jesus, it's clear that God loves the lowly, the poor, the outcast.

Prov. 30:11-14

A description of bad people.

December 18

2010-12-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Habakkak 1:1-3:19

We read the entirety of Habakkuk today. Harris says that it was written "when Babylon was bout to devastate Judah" and that it "is less a book of prophecy than a collection of philosophical mediation and a psalm describing Yahweh as a world conqueror." He also brought up a really interesting point about the content of Habakkuk: although the chapter 1 concludes that God has Himself raised up Babylon to conquer Israel, there is no indication that this is the result of Israel's own sin. Here's what Harris says about it:

"Unlike Jeremiah or Ezekiel, however, Habakkuk does not argue that Judah's sins deserve so catastrophic a punishment. Indeed, he differs strikingly from the Deuteronomistic historians of the period in not asserting that the people's suffering is a result of their collective guilt.

"In Chapter 2, Habakkuk declares that he will 'stand on [his] watchtower' and await Yahweh's response, which is simply this: 'The upright man will live by his faithfulness.' That is, people must have faith that their God will eventually see justice done; this confidence in divine control of the outcome will sustain the righteous soul in its trials."

I found all that to be fascinating and could not believe that I had missed it in the reading. It's kind of crazy that Habakkuk differs from all the others by not claiming that Israel deserved such treatment. In fact, chapter 2, is all about the injustice of Babylon and how they were eventually going to get theirs.

And it's not that Habakkuk is wrong, or even contradictory to the others. They, too, think Babylon is horrible and cruel, and they, too, assert that God will pay them back in full. And now that I'm looking back over the passage itself, I remember that I took Habakkuk's vision of injustice in 1:2-4 to be about injustice in his own land, apart from the Babylonians. The injustice he is picturing here is not the injustice of conquest, but internal injustice. He says that as a result, "The law is paralyzed,/and justice never prevails." When you are being conquered, you don't turn to your judicial system for answers. Thus, the injustice described here seems to be a systemic injustice within Israel itself, and injustice that prompts Habakkuk to ask God to remedy it. Then God says He is going to bring Babylon, and Habakkuk is like, "Huh? But they're bad, too!"

At least, that's what I got from it. And I have to say, I can personally relate to Habakkuk's view of, "You know what? Everything doesn't actually make perfect sense to me," more than I can relate to the absolute moral certainty of the prophets. Not that I'm down on the prophets--not at all--I'm just saying that my own experience is more closely aligned with Habakkuk. I ask the same questions to god that Habakkuk asks in 1:2-4, and like him, I have to conclude that the righteous will live by faith (2:4).

NT: Revelation 9:1-21

Thinking back, I think that, as horrible as those other trumpets/seals/whatever were, no people specifically died. Plants died, animals died, and parts of the sun, moon, and stars died, but not people. With these next two woes, people come into play. The first one lets locust come out from the Abyss (what?) and torture all of those who did not have God's seal on their foreheads for five months. It was pretty awful. Then the next trumpet signaled that those same locusts would be able to kill a third of mankind. It doesn't say this time that there will be any distinction between God's people and those who are not.

Random thought: Didn't the Black Plague kill 1/3 of Europe? I wonder if there were people who thought that the sixth trumpet of the apocalypse had sounded. Wow, those must have been dark days.

Psalm 137: 1-9

A bitter, sorrowful psalm spoken from the perspective of one weeping on the banks of a river while in exile. The Israelites in the psalm are being tormented by their captors, who are demanding that they sing the old songs of joy they used to sing at home. In response, the psalmist has three inward responses: he vows never to forget his home and his ultimate source of joy, he flashes back to the horror of the actual conquest, and he bitterly wishes eye for an eye justice for his enemies, which is graphically portrayed in the desire for someone to smash their babies' heads against rocks. Yikes.

Prov. 30:10

"Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will pay for it."

Is the "he" the master or the servant? I get different messages from either designation.

December 17

2010-12-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Nahum 1:1-3:19

A new day, a new book. According to Harris, Nahum was written around 612 BC, around the time of Assyrian's collapse at the hands of the Medes and the Persians (sidenote: I wonder if that dating is based solely on the belief that people cannot actually prophesy the future, and thus, the book could not have come before the collapse, or if there are other factors to it). Regardless, the fall of Assyria did happen, and Nahum was apparently pretty accurate in its portrayal both of Assyria's fall, and of its cruel practices. I read Nahum before I read Harris, and part of me wondered if the cruel treatment pictured in chapter 3 (Assyria as a woman being exposed and pelted with filth; the infants being dashed against the pavement) was meant to be read more as eye-for-an-eye type justice than over-the-top vengeance. And based on Harris' description of the Assyrian practices, these atrocities seem indeed to be mirror images of the kinds of things that the Assyrians themselves did.

Not that I'm saying that makes it any less horrible.

Of course, reading about Nineveh, you've gotta think of Jonah. It's kind of weird to read this guy's perspective (he is ready for the Assyrians to die a cruel, horrible death) and the perspective of the author of Jonah, who portrays the Assyrians more favorably. A few things pop to mind when I consider the two together. According to Harris, Jonah was written by a post-exilic author, so he has the benefit of hindsight. It would be easier to portray the Assyrians more sympathetically from that vantage point. In fact, I would almost say that he is portraying the Assyrians more theoretically than sympathetically. Like, they are the cookie cutter "bad guys" in the author of Jonah's illustration. It's like how we use the Nazis. Yes, no one likes the Nazis even now, but someone writing from the safety of their own home in 2010 would have a decidedly different perspective than someone writing from a concentration camp in 1942.

Thinking of it that way helps with the contrast of human perspective, but what about the idea that both of these books are divinely inspired? In that light, I think the two books make interesting counterparts to each other. Thinking of them together, I get the message that God loved even the Assyrians and wanted them to repent. They refused, however, and so they were punished for the many atrocities they chose to commit. You need both books together to see that. If you read just Nahum, you might think that God had no love or desire for the Assyrians. And if you read just Jonah, you might think that the poor Assyrians weren't bad--they were just misunderstood. Neither one of those pictures is accurate.

NT: Revelation 8:1-13

Wow, that seventh scroll was intense. When they opened it, "there was silence in heaven for about half an hour" (1). I had to stop and just picture that. I have no idea what the symbols mean, of course, but I can appreciate the import of the scroll.

After that, God unleashes destructiveness upon the earth. The basic gist seems to be that a third of everything dies. The land is burned, the sea turns to blood, the fresh water becomes bitter, and the sun and moon are partially destroyed. Of course, that last part reminds us how figurative all of this is, b/c I don't think that destroying a third of the sun would have the effect of making the day a third shorter. I'm just sayin. So...that was just a reminder to me (as if I needed one) that we are firmly in figurative-land here.

Lastly, I found the last verse to be kind of strangely funny. An eagle flies through the air while calling out, "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels" (13). Whoa. The trumpet blasts about to be sounded? This eagle makes it sound like woe hasn't already come to the earth.

Okay, one more thing. Thinking of the many prophecies we have read of judgment coming to various nations, it occurs to me that Revelation gives us a throne-room perspective of judgment on a larger scale. I don't have any commentary or insight into this, but I did think it was interesting to see judgment poured out on earth from God's perspective, rather than the ground-level perspective conveyed by the prophets.

Psalm 136:1-26

A call-and-response type psalm. The leader gives a line about some praiseworthy attribute of God, and the followers then echo, "His love endures forever." I thought that some of the leader's lines were interesting, such as when he emphasizes how God killed kings that were antagonistic to the Israelites (15-21). There are several ways to read that, and two pop immediately to mind: 1) as a prayer from a narrowly nationalistic perspective, 2) as a prayer that embraces the paradox between God's punishment and his love. I think that the first way also acknowledges the special role that Israel played, and it is most likely closer to the author's intentions. But from a wider perspective, I personally like the second way of reading it. So often in the Bible, you see two very different sides of an infinitely complex God. The temptation for us finite humans is to embrace the side that best suits our purposes for the moment, and to ignore the side that is more "problematic." It is not fair to the text, however, to play up one side and ignore another, equally clear side. The challenge is to wrap our minds around how both sides can exist at once, and to embrace the complexity of the vision.

Prov. 30:7-9

I thought the writer's prayer to receive "neither poverty or riches," but only his "daily bread" was interesting (8). It made me think of a similar prayer by Jesus: "give us this day our daily bread." Apparently, there is something to be said for living hand to mouth. After all, it is also how God fed Israel in the desert. He gave them only enough manna for the day and forbid them to stockpile. I guess such an existence would make you more aware of your total dependence on God. That awareness is so crucial that the Bible has two prayers that ask for that type of existence!

December 16

2010-12-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Micah 5:1-7:20

Today's reading starts out with a prophecy that a ruler would come from Bethlehem, a ruler "whose origins are from of old,/ from ancient times" (2). This ruler would also

"stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
And he will be there peace" (4).

Now, I can see how the Jews would interpret this ruler, even in this passage, to be a military ruler. At the end of verse 6, there is one last reference to this ruler delivering them from the Assyrian army. Thus, I don't know if this is one of those sensus plenior things, where there was a man who came around that time and delivered the people from the Assyrians. But I do know that I can so clearly see Jesus in this prophecy. The Bethlehem birth and the shepherding of the people are two characteristics that obviously jump out. But I also see Him in the idea that His followers will live securely b/c His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And He will be our peace. Christ's greatness does reach to the ends of the earth, and He is our peace--both physically, in his reconciliation of us and God, and spiritually, as we go throughout our lives. And because He is our peace, we do live securely, even in this dangerous world, even in the midst of people who want to kill us (and so often succeed in doing so). Our security, however, is not found in our physical lives or our safety or in anything here on earth. Our security is found in the fact that we have peace with God and will live with Him forever.

Oh man, that was just the first few verses.

I also liked the image in 5:7, which read,

"The remnant of Jacob will be
in the midst of the peoples
like dew from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,
which do not wait for man
or linger for mankind."

I'm sure the ephemeral nature of dew made that image less than comforting, but I thought it was lovely. I love the idea of God's people being like sweet dew on the grass of the world. Very nice. But then the next verse kind of kills the mood, b/c it likens the remnant to a lion that mauls the animals around it. Um, what happened to the dew?? This is a jarring juxtaposition of imagery, don't you think? And then, in the next verses, God talks about how "in that day" he is going to destroy Israel (10-15). I'm sorry--what? "In that day" is a transition between the "Israel is a lion" passage and the "Israel is going to die" passage. So...Israel is dew, Israel is a devouring lion, and Israel is going to be destroyed. That was some roller coaster imagery.

Moving on to chapter 6. We get the famous passage, but first, there is yet another Balaam reference (5). This man figures prominently in Israel's renditions of their history. I just don't get it.

One thing Harris said was that Micah rejected the idea that sacrifices brought people to God. I was all ready to argue with him on that one, b/c I didn't think that Micah 6:8 (the only passage I knew) ruled out the idea of sacrifices. But wow--the verses before it sure seem to. It's not just that Micah rhetorically suggests--and rejects--the idea of bringing sacrifices as a means to come before the Lord. It's that he compares them to child sacrifice, something that was clearly heinous to God (6-7). And I don't think he is saying that one is on par with the other, but just to have them together like that was pretty crazy to me.

And of course, I love Micah 6:8. It has always been one of my favorite verses. I love verses that sum up what God wants from us, and 6:8 does that beautifully.

Chapter 7 describes a land wracked with sin and distrust, but holds out hope that, even after this land is destroyed, it will rise again.

NT: Revelation 7:1-17

More craziness. All this symbolism is straight over my head. But I did love verse 9:

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lam. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

'Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb'" (9-10).

Reading those verses, it occurred to me: This is the end of the book. After all, we are almost done reading through the Bible. And this is the end of the story. Even though we are finishing the book, we ourselves are still in the middle of the story, somewhere in history between Jesus and Revelation. But this is how it ends. In a way, it reminds me of the end of LOST. At the end, part of you is kind of like, really? Really, this is where we were going? The story of the plane crash and the island and the Losties and the Others led us here? And thinking of the Old Testament, I think you can have that same reaction: Really? All that stuff about Israel being God's chosen people? All that violence toward other nations? And really? Here we are, all together at the end? One big happy family? But when you see the evolution in perspective that took place during and after the exile, and the massive evolution that came with Jesus and with the whole idea of going "into all the world," it kind of comes together. And, as with LOST, I still have some unanswered questions about how we got from point A to point B. But as with LOST, the end is so beautiful and moving and fulfilling that I don't care so much about my questions. I'm just glad that we (the peoples of the world) are all here together.

Not that the book of Revelation is even close to being over. I have a feeling that there is lots of violence and judgment and stuff left to occur.

Psalm 135:1-21

A praise psalm to God.

Prov. 30:5-6

God's word is flawless and "a shield to those who take refuge in him" (5). And we should not add to His words (6).

December 15

2010-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Micah 1:1-4:13

Man, I didn't get a chance to blog--or even read--this morning, and I have begun to face the fact that I am not a night person. I am beat. But here goes...

I read what Harris had to say about Micah. Micah was a "younger contemporary of Isaiah," a rural prophet who was full of condemnation for the cities, particularly Samaria and Jerusalem. According to Harris, Micah "espouses the cause of the village peasant and is sharply critical of the Davidic dynasty and Temple cult. He scornfully denies that the sanctuary's presence in Jerusalem will protect the city from harm and predicts that both city and Temple will be reduced to rubble (3:1-3, 9-12)." To me, those verses condemn Israel's leaders in general, not the Davidic line per se. And I mean, maybe the current kings were part of the Davidic line (I have no idea), but didn't Isaiah and others condemn Israel and Judah in similar terms? I don't know. I also don't know, based on the section I read today, if Micah is indeed harsher against cities than other prophets were. I didn't really get that he saw the cities as the source of sin, as much as he saw the people as the source of sin. Most prophets have addressed their prophecies to countries and cities, and I've taken that to mean that they are addressing the people within those locations. I guess I just didn't see a huge difference in Micah from any other prophet.

But I am really tired, and perhaps not in the most analytical frame of mind.

And perhaps that is why I find that I have nothing insightful to say about the actual text of Micah. Like other prophets, he condemns those who practice injustice and mistreat others. In a typical passage, he declares:

"Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evil on their beds!
At morning's light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
They covet fields and seize them,
and houses, and take them.
They defraud a man of his home,
a fellowman of his inheritance" (2:1-2).

I did get a bit confused with all the quotation marks, and sometimes had a hard time figuring out who was talking. For example, in 1:6-7, God is clearly talking and describing the way He is going to destroy Samaria. The verses naturally flow into verse 8, which starts with, "Because of this..." But then that person says that he "will weep and wail" and "go about barefoot and naked." Now, it would seem that that would be Micah talking, and the quotation marks back that up. But...how did they know to put quotes there? Are there quotes in the Hebrew? It's just that the person does not shift, nor does the general tone. I guess it goes from anger to sadness. And obviously, the image of God going barefoot and naked doesn't really work. But those kind of shifts always make me wonder...how do they know that it is a new person talking? Perhaps the interpreters are shutting the door on some interesting imagery regarding God. I don't know....I'm tired:).

NT: Revelation 6:1-17

Crazy stuff happens today! Seals are opened, voices boom, the four horsemen of the apocalypse ride in, the souls of the martyred cry out to God, earthquakes happen, stars fall to earth, the sky rolls back, and everyone on earth flees.

And I got about 0% of that imagery. I did get the idea that the end times were going to be bad, but that's about it.

Psalm 134:1-3

Another very short psalm, exhorting the priests and those who minister in "the house of the Lord" to praise Him (1).

Prov. 30:1-4

An introductory section for the sayings of Agur, in which Agur claims to have no knowledge of God and poetically asks who made the world.

December 14

2010-12-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Jonah 1:1-4:11

Well, it turns out that Harris and my husband are in almost complete agreement on the book of Jonah. Both believe that the book is clearly intended to be a fictional story illustrating a greater truth about the need for love and compassion among God's people. (Well, to be perfectly clear, Greg's official position is that the story makes its point regardless of whether it actually happened.) Greg sums up the message of Jonah as, "Don't be a self-righteous jerk." And indeed, Jonah is a totally self-righteous jerk.

Whenever I heard the story of Jonah as a child, I remember that the explanation given for his disobedience to God's call was that he was afraid to go to Nineveh. At least, that's the message I heard most often. But no. Jonah himself clearly states his reasoning in chapter 4, when he tells God, "O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity" (2). Jonah was afraid, alright, but not for his life--he was afraid that Nineveh would be saved. That is a whole other level of nastiness.

And like Harris says, Greg says that Jonah's jerkiness is contrasted sharply with the goodness and humanity of the pagans in the boat. The whole reason that Jonah is there in the first place is because he wants a large city to die a fiery death. And yet, these men, who don't know God, are willing to risk their own lives to save him. Rather than throw him overboard to end a desperate, terrifying situation, they continue to work to spare his life. Even though Jonah asks them to throw him overboard, they refuse. What a contrast! Finally, they relent, and, seeing the miracle of the calmed waters, they turn naturally to God. When Jonah later sees the miracles of national repentance and a vine growing out of nowhere, he only becomes bitter against God. Again, the audience is supposed to clearly see the irony that the pagans are ten times more decent and humane than one of God's own prophets.

And you've gotta love Jonah's message to the people: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." Yeah, he really put his heart into that one, right? Clearly, Jonah is not even really trying to convince them to repent. And yet, hilariously, the whole city completely and totally turns to God. The king even orders that the livestock fast and wear sackcloth. This story cracks me up. It is clearly meant to be funny. And Jonah's reaction is also hilarious, but more in a sad way. Rather than rejoice at God's power, Jonah pouts like a petulant child. In the subsequent interchange between him and God, it all comes out that Jonah only cares about himself and what is good for him. He cares about the fate of a vine more than the fate of 120,000 souls, b/c the vine keeps him cool. So he'd rather save a plant that helps him than a city that he hates.

The message here is devastatingly clear. God's people can easily get caught up in the worst kind of selfishness. They (we) have the message of God and are supposed to spread that message to others, but so often, we don't even care enough about other people to tell them. Even worse, there are people, sometimes large groups of people, even whole nations, that we would rather not preach to, b/c frankly, we'd rather them have to pay for their sins than be forgiven. That is so nasty. Jonah only cared for himself and his people. Christians today--even me--sometimes get caught up in putting the physical and spiritual well-being of "me and mine" before our calling to "go into all the world and preach the good news."

It's kind of sad how applicable a cartoonish figure like Jonah can be to God's people, back then and today.

NT: Revelation 5:1-14

Meanwhile, back in throne room, a scroll appears. It is sealed with seven seals, which represent the seven spirits of God. Oh, how I would love to know what that means. Anyway, John weeps because no one is worthy to open it. That seems like a very dream-like thing to do. I don't really know why John is crying, since he doesn't know what is in the scroll and since he probably has about as much an idea of what is going on as I do. But somehow, it strikes him as very sad that no one can open it.

Then, in comes a lamb with seven eyes and seven horns, a lamb that looks like it has been slain. That seems like a weird and gruesome picture to me. First of all, all those eyes and horns would almost be grotesque to people only used to regular animals, and then to see an animal that looks like it should be dead from the violence done to it would be extra gross. I say all this b/c I picture myself in John's place, as if I was seeing the vision, too. And I think that these would be my reactions. This animal, representing Christ, is worthy b/c he was slain to save men "from every tribe and language and people and nation" (9). Because of his worthiness, everyone then rejoices and worships the lamb, including "every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them" (13).

Psalm 133:1-3

A lovely little psalm rejoicing over brothers living in unity.

Prov. 29:26-27

A reminder that justice ultimately comes from God and not from earthly authority, and a statement about the natural enmity between the wicked and the righteous.

December 13

2010-12-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Obadiah 1:1-21

Wow, Obadiah is short! As a result, the intro material I read on it was even shorter. I thought Harris' material was so short that I looked at another book, An Introduction to the Bible, by Fant, Musser, and Reddish. It was even shorter than Harris! Neither of them had anything about the author, but they both did say that the book most likely was written shortly after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC. Apparently, Edom joined in the plunder and otherwise gloated over Jerusalem's defeat, and that was not cool. It was especially insulting because the Edomites were said to be descended from Esau, Jacob's brother. Apparently, the Israelites were expecting more brotherly conduct, but I seem to remember some prophecy about the descendants of Jacob and the descendants of Esau always butting heads. So perhaps Edom's behavior should come as no surprise.

Regardless, God condemns it and tells Edom that they will be paid back for what they did. And...that's about it for Obadiah.

NT: Revelation 4:1-11

Today, we get into some of the crazy stuff of Revelation. The scene is the throne room of God. God is depicted only as having "the appearance of jasper and carnelian." I'm not sure what carnelian is. His throne is encircled by a rainbow, with four eye-covered beings flying around it, singing,

"Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come (8)"

Around the throne, there are also 24 other thrones, occupied by elders. There were also seven lamps, which were "the seven spirits of God" (5). And a sea of glass.

As to the exact nature of the arrangement, or to what all of these things represent, I have no idea. It clearly seems, though, that the point of the passage is to convey the magnificence and awesome nature of God. Sometimes, we modern Christians forget the wonder and might of God, thinking of Him instead as a buddy or something. And though He does, of course, love us beyond all measure, He is still a Being to be feared and obeyed.

Psalm 132: 1-18

A psalm in honor of David and of the covenant God made with him.

Prov. 29: 24-25

When you choose to be an accomplice to evil, you become your own enemy. And fear of others will prove to be a snare. I like both of those proverbs.

December 12

2010-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Amos 7:1-9:15

I had several, scattered thoughts today while reading:

In 7:1-6, God shows Amos two different disasters, and after Amos begs God to avert them, God relents. I wonder how many times God does things like that today. When horrible things happen, our natural tendency is to question God, to ask why He would let something like that happen. At the same time, though, I wonder how many tragedies He keeps from us, how many disasters He averts. The Sunday after the VA Tech shooting happened, I was sitting in church and began wondering what was to keep someone from walking in our assembly and opening fire. I came to the conclusion that nothing would keep something like that from happening. Something like that could happen at any time. And given the number of disturbed and mentally ill people in our society, combined with the number of guns, I began to marvel, not that such things happened, but that such things did not happen so much more. That line of thought made me realize that God probably spares us from so much. Amos' vision in these verses is an example that supports that theory.

Of course, the people will not avoid disaster forever, since they continue to sin. Some of their sins are described in 8:5-6, in which they say,

"When will the New Moon be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may market wheat?"--
skimping the measure,
boosting the price
and cheating with dishonest scales,
buying the poor with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat."

Two accusations really hit home with me. Both have to do with the idea of skimping. First of all, the Israelites were skimping on their time with (and devotion to) God in order to pursue their worldly agendas. That reminds me of the times that I feel too busy to go to church, or the times I am tempted to spend the Sunday school or worship hour getting things done. Often the things I need to get done are church-related, so I try to excuse my impatience with sitting and learning about/worshiping God by saying that I would rather be working for Him. But the fact is, I can't even give God His proper reverence b/c I apparently think the world will stop spinning if I stop working even for a second. Such an attitude is the height of pride and arrogance. It ignores the simple truth that everything I am and everything I have comes from God and that I can do nothing without Him. When I put my agenda over Sabbath time with God, I am in effect placing myself above Him, saying that my plans are more important than the worship of Him.

Secondly, the Israelites skimped in their treatment of the poor in order to provide more things for themselves. In these verses, it is not like they are killing the poor in the street; they are just tipping the scales against them by acting in their own best interest. I can see this tendency in my own attitude toward giving. I am comfortable giving a certain amount each month. But when my giving gets "out of control," like it has this month, I tend to freak out and worry about how my own family is going to make it. That fear makes me stingy, makes me pull back the reins on my giving, much of which benefits the poor. It's "funny" how the verses mentions buying the needy for a pair of sandals b/c one thing I have been needing is some new tennis shoes. And those type of "needs" often tempt me to skimp on what I give to others so that I can provide for myself.

One small thing in closing: I thought that 8:11-12 were interesting. They foretell "a famine of hearing the words of the Lord" (11). I think that one of the consequences of being hardened in one's sin is that you do stop hearing God's voice. There comes a point where, through continued sin, you sear your own conscience so much that you shut out the Spirit's guidance.

NT: Revelation 3:7-22

Oops, Sardis wasn't the lukewarm church (like I said yesterday). It was Laodicea. Duh. I knew that. Really. How many sermons have I heard on the Laodiceans? Good lands.

But first, we get Christ's message to the church at Philadelphia. I could relate to Philadelphia today because Philadelphia had "little strength," and yet they were still hanging in there. I have an idea that their trials were a tad more severe than mine, but I have to admit that as I read this morning, in my exhaustion and vague sense of inadequacy for the many demands of my day, I took comfort from the idea that Christ appreciated that these people kept going and did their best, as weak as they were.

And then we get to the lukewarm church. In high school I found verse 15 so convicting: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other! So because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Yikes! This verse especially flies in the face of all my, "at least I'm not..." rationalizations. So often, when I seek to justify some moral failing of mine, I think, "well, at least I don't [insert something really bad]." And yet, in this verse, God tells the church, "I wish you were really bad! At least that way, everyone could see clearly that you were not My followers, and you would stop making Me look bad. As it is, you are defiling My Name with your continued association with me." At least, that's how I interpret His vehemence in these verses. Again, those are very convicting words for Christians.

Psalm 131:1-3

I love this short little psalm, in which David rests contentedly with God. In verse 1, he says,

"I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me."

Instead,

"I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me" (2).

Yesterday, I had to wake Anna up from her nap, and she was predictably fussy. I pulled her into my lap, and she wrapped her arms and legs around me and laid her head on my chest. As I stroked her hair and murmured to her, she calmed down, and then laid peacefully against me for...I don't know how long. I kind of lost track of time b/c she was so contented and quiet and relaxed, and I was enjoying her presence so much. When I read verse 2, the image I get is of Anna lying against me so peacefully. I want to be that way with God. I don't want to be fretful and worried about things that I will never understand. Instead, I want to trust in the God who loves me, who loves us all, and to rest quietly in His love.

Prov. 29: 23

Pride brings a man low, but a lowly spirit gains him honor.

December 11

2010-12-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Amos 4:1-6:14

Today, Amos reviews the various, unheeded signs and punishments God has sent to the people: famine, drought, blight, mildew, locusts, plagues, wars (4: 6-11). Reading it, I noticed that it said that, while some cities didn't have rain, others did. Thinking about that, I decided that if I was one of the rained-on cities, I would think, "Well, we got rain, so I took that to mean that we didn't need to repent...so why are we getting punished with the drought cities?" Kind of silly, I know, but thinking of that got me thinking about the whole concept of collective punishment and how much pressure there would be to affect others if one know that he would be punished for their sins. I think that people still feel that pressure today, which is why many American Christians are desperate to keep/make/whatever America "a Christian nation." The fear is that God will punish us a nation if we turn too far away from Him, and so there is this pressure to forcibly keep the nation oriented toward God.

There is SO much I could say about that, b/c I've given it a considerable amount of thought, but what strikes me today is how grateful I am for the concept of individual judgment and salvation, a concept that was introduced by the prophets and continues through the NT. I am also relieved by the idea that we cannot bring people to God; God brings people to God. Our job is to preach, not convert. Even Jesus did not convert nearly the amount of people He probably wanted to, and we know that Peter, Paul, and the others met with mixed responses to their message. As a result, I feel a tremendous responsibility to preach the Gospel, but I don't feel an equal responsibility to convert or coerce. That's because 1) I know I can't change anyone's heart, and 2) I don't believe that we will be held accountable for the decisions of others, provided that we did everything we could to witness to them. One result of this new thinking is that it makes our evangelism a lot less self-centered. Sometimes, it seems to me that the frenzy about keeping America a "Christian nation" stems more from our own fear of national punishment than from actual concern for eternal souls who don't know God. Thus, our concern is ultimately more for ourselves. Also, because we are inspired by fear and not by love, our means tend to become more coercive than truly effective.

Sorry I rambled away from Joel. It happens:).

I was also struck by the description (and condemnation) of those who lived in luxury (6:3-7), especially since I was lounging on a couch while reading about the coming destruction of those who "lounge on your couches" (4). As always, such similarities make me think, "Is this talking to me? Am I this rich, indulgent person whom God is going to punish?" And honestly, I don't think that I am, but that's not much of a comfort, b/c I'm sure those people didn't think that they were, either. What does comfort me is the awareness that God's grace covers me, that I am seeking him with all my heart, and that I am trying my best to love others with actions and in truth. And according to 1 John, that last part is how we know we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence, whenever our hearts condemn us.

NT: Revelation 2:18-3:6

In today's reading, Christ speaks to the churches of Thyatira and Sardis. Thyatira is great, except that they put up with the false teaching of a particular prophetess. What struck me about this criticism was that Christ doesn't seem to have a problem with the fact that they are being taught by a woman, but that the woman is teaching the wrong thing. She is teaching (and personally committing) sexual immorality, as well as "the eating of food sacrificed to idols" (2:20). Now, maybe it is tacitly understood that the fact that she is a woman teacher is bad, but on the other hand, Christ doesn't seem to leave a lot unsaid in these passages. He lets the churches know exactly where the problems are. I don't know; I just thought that was interesting.

I have heard the most about the church in Sardis b/c they are "lukewarm," although we don't get to the famous passage until tomorrow. Another well known charge is that they "have a reputation of being alive, but...are dead" (3:1). Such charges particularly hit home with American churches who, perhaps, have become too complacent or worldly. Which could be any of us--sometimes, it is hard to tell. That's what makes this passage so haunting to us. I think, Does my church fit this bill? I believe that we are alive, that we are doing good things for the kingdom...but there are many other Christians these days crying out to the church, begging it to have a heightened awareness toward the poor and oppressed. And we are not "there," "there" being where those "radical" churches are. Again, it all gets very confusing to me. I just want to please God and to live the way He wants me to, and I know my church does, too. It's just sometimes hard to know if we are doing those things, or if the OT prophecies and NT warnings describe us. Personally, I would like our own angel to come give us a rundown, like these angels did:).

Psalm 130:1-8

A plea for God's mercy, and an affirmation that the psalmist will wait for the Lord.

Prov. 29:21-22

One against pampering one's servants, and the other against anger and bad tempers.

December 10

2010-12-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Amos 1:1-3:15

Wow, reading in the morning is the way to go. I am much more likely to read background info and really concentrate on my reading than I am if I put it off until night. It's sad that I have been so out of the habit of reading it at the start of my day.

Anyway, today I read Harris' background to Amos, and it was really interesting. For one thing, Amos is the earliest of the prophets we have been reading. He's the first to have his words recorded in book form. He "was an older contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah of Jerusalem." As such, many of the things he says that sound like typical prophecy stuff are actually really novel, b/c he was the first to say them. For one thing, he was the first to emphasize the importance of ethical behavior, specifically treatment of the poor, in a way that placed it on par with following the rituals of the law. He was also the first to say that the day of Yahweh would be scary and full of Judgment. Previously, it had been believed that it would be a happy celebration.

Harris points out that today's reading "consists of denunciations against Israel's various neighbors--Syria, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, and Moab," whom "the prophet excoriates for their inhumane treatment of conquered peoples." And sure enough, Damascus is condemned because "she threshed Gilead/ with sledges having iron teeth" (1:3); Gaza is condemned because "she took captive whole communities/ and sold them to Edom" (1:6); Tyre is also condemned because she "sold whole communities of captives to Edom,/disregarding a treaty of brotherhood" (1:9); the slave buying Edom is condemned b/c "he pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion/because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked" (1:11); Ammon is condemned b/c "he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead/in order to extend his borders (1:13); and Moab is condemned b/c "he burned, as if to lime,/the bones of Edom's king" (2:1). I thought it was noteworthy that these cities were condemned not just b/c of what they did to Israel or Judah, but b/c of what they did to each other. Even though Edom is bad and full of rage, you still shouldn't burn its king's bones as if to lime!

I'm sure that Amos' listeners were very sympathetic to his message up to that point, but then he abruptly turns his focus on Judah and Israel. According to Harris, "Amos suddenly attacks his Israelite audience, castigating its leaders for behaving no better than greedy foreign princes. His point is that Yahweh not only refuses to tolerate cruelty among the people whom he had rescued from Egypt but also requires higher standards of ethical conduct from Israel than from those who do not enjoy Yahweh's special guidance."

Clearly, Judah and Israel are not meeting those standards. Judah is condemned for reasons having to do with the Law: "they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees." Israel, on the other hand, is condemned for their treatment of the poor and for sexual immorality:

"They sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
They trample on the heads of the poor
as upon the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name" (2:6-7).

Then, Amos tells them that God is giving them a fair warning to repent, b/c after all,

"Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets" (3:7).

Of course, we know that ultimately, Judah and Israel will not heed these warnings.

NT: Revelation 2:1-17

The structure of this reading kind of reminded me of the structure of Amos, in that it consisted of specific messages given to different audiences. The messages were a little more cheerful than Amos' messages, but they still contained a few harsh words.

First of all, I have to say that I love the images of the churches being the lampstands and their angels being stars. And how Christ "holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the lampstands" (2:1). That's beautiful to me.

The message that John gives the church in Ephesus is that Christ is proud of their refusal to tolerate wickedness, proud of their perseverance, and proud that they "hate the practices of the Nicolaitans," but that He also holds against them the fact that they "have forsaken [their] first love" (2:4).

The message he gives to Smyrna prepares the church for inevitable suffering and urges them to be faithful (10-11). He tells Pergamum that they live in an evil place and yet that they are able to hold onto their faith. On the other hand, they have embraced the way of Balaam. I'm still not sure what that means, but clearly, there have been some developments in the Jewish interpretation of Balaam somewhere along the way. I definitely did not get what the NT writers got out of that story. Also, Pergamum is cool with the Nicolaitans, which is bad.

Psalm 129:1-8

A psalm celebrating perseverance in the face of long term persecution and calling on God to repay the persecutors.

Prov. 29:19-20

The first says that words alone are not enough to correct a servant, and the second condemns those who speak in haste. As one who tends to speak in haste, that second one stung a bit.

December 9

2010-12-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Joel 1:1-3:21

We read the entirety of Joel today. I read it first thing this morning and even did my background reading like a good girl, but I wasn't able to blog until tonight. So instead of giving a thorough rehashing, I am just going to hit the message that stuck with me throughout the day:

Joel is writing at a time of national crisis. Specifically, a plague of locusts is wiping out the crops of the Israelites, causing them to be without food, wine, and money. Joel spends lots of time describing the devastation, and then he tells his listeners to mourn it. In 1:2-4, he affirms that times are as bad as they have ever been, and in 1:5, 8, 11, 13, and 14, he specifically tells the people to weep, wail, cry, and despair. I find this to be a profound and ultimately freeing injunction. So many times, we try to deny our pain, to suck it up, to make the best of things, to move on with our lives. And while I don't think we should wallow, I have had two experiences that have taught me the value of turning yourself over to the pain that surrounds you. The first was when I was in college, away from home for the first time ever, and feeling oppressively lonely. I did everything I could to fight the feeling of loneliness. I stretched my comfort zone to make friends and reach out to others. I got involved with activities and even took up running regularly as a way to distract me from loneliness. But the fact was, I was still lonely. And finally, I realized the following: "I am feeling very lonely. This loneliness sticks with me no matter how I fight it, no matter how many friends I make. So instead of denying that I feel lonely, how about this? How about I accept the feeling that I am lonely. How about I feel lonely? Allow the loneliness in. Obviously, God is letting me feel lonely for a reason, so perhaps I need to stop fighting it and just feel lonely until He stops me from feeling lonely." And honestly, that helped me so much.

The second time was years later when I experienced a painful event in my life. Again, I tried to deny that I was in pain, b/c to me, a good, strong Christian would not weep and wail b/c something went wrong for her. After a few months of this willful denial, I was describing some feelings I was having to my mom, and she said, "It just sounds like you are in so much pain." Amazingly, that was the first time it really hit me: I was in pain. I was feeling pain, and it wasn't going away, despite my best efforts to deny it. And I realized that it was time to stop fighting and just to be in pain. Like the loneliness, I figured that God allowed me to feel this pain (if He was not actively causing me to feel it), and so the best thing I could do was to turn myself over to it until God chose to take it away.

Now, Joel's recommendations for mourning had a definite purpose. Their purpose was to draw people back to God by leading them to repentance. And I believe that mourning and pain and loneliness can all be good things, too...if they ultimately draw us to God. When I turned myself over to pain and loneliness, it was not to wallow or to turn too far inward. Instead, I figured that God had something to teach me through the pain and loneliness that I could not learn if I did not experience them to the fullest. And I was right. One lesson I learned was to humble myself before God and to trust Him alone with my life. So much of my denial of my pain and loneliness stemmed from my own pride, my own misguided belief that I could fix things if I just tried hard enough and fought hard enough. That pride kept me from turning to God and asking for His help. In retrospect, it was all very foolish and sad. But that was a lesson I had to learn.

Another obvious thing that the pain and loneliness did was to teach me how to empathize with others. Even today, when I see someone battling the demons of loneliness, my own experience often comes flooding back to me with crushing clarity and motivates me to reach out to that person and to show them God's love. Same with the pain. God saved enough of it in my memory to release a little back into my brain whenever I see someone else struggling through a painful situation. In that way, my pain and loneliness better equipped me to be the hands and feet of Christ to a hurting world.

I'm sorry that all those musings are only tangentially related to Joel. Those are the thoughts that God gave me today. I'll close with this. In 2:18-27, God gives the people some good news: this, too, shall pass. They are experiencing a season of pain, and He wants them to experience it to the full. Mourn, weep, wail, embrace the pain. And let that pain lead you back to God. And take heart, because this painful season will pass. It will not always be this way. That whole set of instructions is so hopeful and encouraging to me. It reminds me that God is always firmly in control of my life, even in times when my life seems to be running off the rails.

NT: Revelation 1:1-20

Today, we read an introductory passage in the book of Revelation, setting the stage for the revelation to come. It was all very Daniel-esque, except that this time, the intimidating, glowing messenger was Christ Himself. I researched this one, too, and I this time, I will share some of the info, since we are going to be here for the rest of the year. My wonderful husband got me a little handbook by some of my favorite Bible scholars, Carson and Moo, and here are a few things from their introduction:

After affirming their belief that the book was written, in fact, by John on the isle of Patmos, they turn to dating. They tend to go with the later date (81-96, specifically 95-96) of authorship, as opposed to the earlier (54-68) b/c "the conditions presumed in Revelation are more likely to have existed during Domitian's reign." And then they talk about his reign for awhile.

They say that Revelation has elements of apocalypse, prophecy, and a letter (though, only in that it is a letter, not that it sounds anything like a typical letter). They had some interesting things to say about the nature of apocalypse v. prophecy. They say,

"Revelation is not a pure apocalypse because it is not pseudonymous and it grounds hope in Jesus' past sacrifice rather than a future event. General characteristics of an apocalypse include the following:
a) response to persecution
b) claims to relate heavenly mysteries revealed by an angel or some other spiritual being.
c) pseudonymous, written in the name of great figures, like Adam or Moses
d) culminates with the breaking in of God's kingdom, which is expected in the very near future
e) extensive symbolism in historical surveys
f) dualistic conception of history that sharply contrasts the present world with the world to come ('apocalyptic eschatology')"

Regarding prophecy, they say that,

"Some contrast prophecy with 'apocalyptic,' arguing that 1) prophecy looks for God's salvation to be manifested through the processes of this world rather than through a breaking in of a new world and 2) prophets claim to speak directly from the Lord. Revelation contains elements of both prophecy and apocalyptic; no rigid distinction between the two is possible. They are also combined in several Old Testament books (e.g. Daniel, Isaiah and Zechariah), as well as Jesus' Olivet discourse."

No idea what Jesus' Olivet discourse was, but maybe it had something to do with the Mount of Olives? Anywho, I liked the distinction between apocalyptic and prophecy. It was thought-provoking to me.

The last thing I'll share from Carson and Moo today is that they addressed the different ways of reading Revelation: the preterist view says that Revelation is a symbolic description of events that have already happened, that were happening at the time of John's writing. A historical view says that Revelation sketches history from John's day to our own day (even I could immediately see the problems with that one). An idealist view says that Revelation does not describe specific events, but is more of a blueprint for generally understanding God's ways with the world. Lastly, there are two futurist views. The consistent one says that everything described in chapters 4-22 will happen at the end of time. A more moderate view says that some of those events have already happened, and others will happen at the end of time.

The authors ultimately go with the futurist view, though they see value in others. My dad always had a preterist view, which I used as an excuse not to delve too much into Revelation, b/c, after all, it was a bunch of stuff I couldn't understand about something that already happened. I have to admit, that view appeals to me, mainly b/c, as stated before, I hate it when people try to get too specific about the end times. It never seems to work.

Okay, I've typed for way too long. That's all for tonight!

Psalm 128: 1-6

A wonderful, uplifting little psalm of blessing.

Prov. 29:18

What I took from this is that when people don't experience God in a tangible way for a certain time span, the temptation is to turn away from Him. But instead, we should hold fast to our faith and continue walking in God's ways even when "there is no revelation."

December 8

2010-12-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Hosea 10:1-14:9

Today's reading reminded me of one of my recent Advent readings. It was by a Jesuit priest named Alfred Delp, and it was written in a Nazi prison, shortly before Delp was hanged as a traitor for his opposition to Hitler in 1945:

"There is perhaps nothing we modern people need more than to be genuinely shaken up. Where life is firm we need to sense its firmness; and where it is unstable and uncertain and has no basis, no foundation, we need to know this too and endure it.

"We may ask why God has sent us into this time, why he has sent this whirlwind over the earth, why he keeps us in this chaos where all appears hopeless and dark and why there seems to be no end to this in sight. The answer to this question is perhaps that we were living on earth in an utterly false and counterfeit security. And now God strikes the earth till it resounds, now he shakes and shatters; not to pound us with fear, but to teach us one thing--the spirit's innermost moving and being moved."

I don't honestly know what that last phrase means, which is sad, b/c it's clearly significant. But I thought that his attitude toward the horrible disasters that had befallen the world during that time was interesting, in light of the pictures of death and destruction that Hosea is predicting today. Hosea portrays truly gruesome occurrences, such as "little ones" being "dashed to the ground" and "pregnant women ripped open" (13:16). And those kind of things happened in WWII; I have specifically read about both of those occurrences. And I guess it was just interesting to hear a modern person who was actually in the midst of that type of horror take a similar view taken by the prophets. Somehow, Delp--who was already condemned to die--was able to see how God's will could even encompass such horror. And however you define God's will, the fact is that He let the Nazi regime happen. And Delp doesn't shrink from that. Like I said, that is fascinating to me, and today, it made the foreign attitude of Hosea somehow more accessible.

NT: Jude 1:1-25

The whole time I was reading Jude, I was thinking, "Wow, this sounds exactly like...something else. Um, the Johns? No, not them. What was before? Peter? Maybe 2 Peter." So I looked it up in Writings of the NT. And sure enough, it was 2 Peter. And the relationship between 2 Peter and Jude is fascinating, just amazingly intriguing. I do not have time to do it justice, but clearly, there is some dependence there. Many people think, for example, that Jude is the source for 2 Peter. Or maybe it was a quick letter, a stopgap, addressing the crisis, and then 2 Peter was the longer letter written when there was more time. Maybe the "first letter" referred to in 2 Peter 3:1 was not 1 Peter, but...wait for it...Jude! Oh, the intrigue! In my book, Johnson explores all of these positions and more, and gives various pros and cons to each of them, but doesn't give a definite conclusion. He leaves it open.

I wish I could just type out everything Johnson wrote b/c there is so much more than that. He talks about how disliked and even despised 2 Peter and Jude are, makes some fascinating observations about dating, describes some interesting conclusions drawn from their content...seriously, I was riveted. But I had to tear myself away, b/c I'm in a time crunch. All I can say is that I can't wait to study this more in next year's study of the epistles!

But Jude itself. Yeah, it was just like 2 Peter 2. It wasn't incredibly pleasant to read, being a polemic and containing some seriously hard-to-understand references (the whole slandering angels thing went straight over my head).

My favorite verses of the book were 22-24: "Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh." I like how the author acknowledges that different situations call for different responses, but they all should contain some combination of mercy and concern for people's eternal soul. And yet at the same time, showing mercy should not lead us to compromise our morality. I think that's what is meant by "mercy mixed with fear," and the idea of "hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."

Anyway, that's what I took away from the actual reading of Jude. But I also got a ton of good info about the book that I look forward to exploring later.

Psalm 127: 1-5

A rather famous psalm about our total dependence on God. I cannot rely on my own competence and work ethic to save me: "Unless the Lord builds the house/ its builders labor in vain" (1).

Prov. 29: 15-17

Two on the value of disciplining your children, and one contrasting the wicked and the righteous.

December 7

2010-12-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Hosea 6:1-9:17

This reading seemed long to me, and I see why: it was over three chapters. (And no, I don't know why I don't look closely at the scripture references before I read). The theme of today's reading was more on the moral failings of Israel and Judah and on their eventual punishment.

The verse that most jumped out at me today was, of course, Hosea 6:6, which reads,

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
an acknowledgment of God
rather than burnt offerings."

Of course, we know that Jesus quoted this verse. And thinking about his reference, I was hit by a really obvious thought: Jesus had read Hosea. I know, I know--earth-shattering, isn't it? But I continued to read the passage with the awareness that Jesus had most likely read and been familiar with the same things I was reading today. I guess why that idea had an effect on me was b/c the OT often is so confusing to me, and specifically, it seems so different from Jesus and His teachings. I think it was comforting to me to be reminded that Jesus was far more familiar with the OT than I am, and yet, He did not repudiate it or seem to think it contradicted His own message. In His mind then, the OT must have fit in with what He was teaching in the NT. Again, that is all super-obvious, and I know the testaments fit together and all that. It is just hard for me to understand sometimes how some of the ideas in the Old fit with the New. And thus, it is comforting to be reminded that Jesus Himself was well aware of the OT teachings and obviously knew that His teachings were the natural continuation of God's plan for man.

NT: 3 John 1: 1-14

Here's what Writings of the New Testament had to say about 3 John:

"Third John is a genuine personal letter and provides us with the only specific names in the dispute generating the Johannine correspondence: Gaius, Demetrius, and Diotrephes. The good Greco-Roman names indicate the presence of the of a Gentile component in the Johannine communities. The short farewell indicates that these churches call themselves 'friends' (14), following the teachings of Jesus (John 15:12-15). The elder who writes aligns himself with the 'true witness' of the Fourth Gospel: 'You know that our testimony is true' (12; cf John 19:35, 21:24). The author calls Gaius 'beloved' (1,2,5,11), but this individual is otherwise unknown to us. He appears to be the head of a household, since the elder praises him for his hospitality to traveling Christians (5-6)."

It's interesting--the author doesn't ever claim to be John. And yet, it all sounds so much like John to me. And clearly, it came out of the same community, and clearly, they were well aware of the gospel of John. But it's still interesting. Why didn't the author identify himself? And why do we call these books 1, 2, and 3 John if the author never identified himself as John? I guess it goes back to the fact that, as Johnson notes, they almost certainly came from the same community: "Most scholars consider the FG [John] and the three letters to have the same provenance if not authorship."

Psalm 126: 1-6

A psalm apparently describing a return from exile. It is great to read this happy news, considering all we have read lately about the actual exile.

Prov. 29:12-14

Verse 12 is about the corrupting effects of a bad ruler. Verse 13 reminds us that God is the giver of all of our lives and talents. Verse 14 predicts the longevity of a king who is fair.

December 6

2010-12-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Hosea 4:1-5:15

Today, Hosea makes explicit the metaphor from yesterday. Israel is the prostitute, and God is the husband. Since the image of prostitution figures so prominently throughout today's reading, it got me wondering why God chose that metaphor, and why He used is so often. To me, the two characteristics most conveyed by the metaphor of prostitution are degradation and betrayal. Prostitution is, first and foremost, just so degrading to everyone involved. The Bible's view of sexuality is that it is a deeply sacred gift from God, meant only to be used in a very specific way. In the NT, Paul often links sexual immorality to a denial of God. When you take that inherent gift and trample it with prostitution, you are degrading something at the very core of your identity. In denying that inherent sacredness, you are denying God. And with your actions, you are denying that you are a sacred, precious creation of His.

Secondly, prostitution in the context of marriage is such a betrayal. God portrays Himself as the husband in this metaphor, and He continues that portrayal in the NT, where He is the husband of the church. When the church turns from God to worship other things, they betray God in the way a prostitute betrays her husband.

NT: 2 John 1:1-13

I was interested in the 2 John's greeting of "the elder," so I looked it up in my Writings of the New Testament. Interestingly, after some introduction material on the context of the three letters, the author discusses them in reverse. According to Johnson, 2 John is essentially a cover letter for 1 John, "a note from the elder to Gaius's community--the introduction of the longer letter of 1 John." We'll see Gaius in 3 John, by the way. And the reference to the audience as "the chosen lady and her children" (2) is "a honorific title for the community."

This "cover letter" introduces (I guess that's the right word) themes that will be seen in 1 John, such as the importance of love (5-6) and the importance of acknowledging Christ (7-8). I thought the wording in verse 9 was interesting: "Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son." I found the idea of "running ahead" past the Scriptures to be fascinating. I think that sometimes I am guilty of "running ahead" of God: I see a little part of His plan for me, and then I fill in the rest and think I know the next steps. Which of course, causes me to run ahead in the wrong direction. I also think that there is a constant temptation to "run ahead" of the boundaries of Scripture, to move past concepts that seem outdated and irrelevant to us. As the church, we should always seek to be relevant to the lost in our culture, but we can't do that by compromising essential beliefs. Of course, what constitutes an essential belief is always up for debate...

Psalm 125: 1-5

"As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people..."

I love that.

Prov. 29: 9-11

Wise men v. fools, bloodthirsty men v. those of integrity, and fool v. wise man. My favorite was,

"A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control" (11).

December 5

2010-12-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Hosea 1:1-3:5

We start a new book today, and it brings a blast from the past. Rather than focusing on the exile, Hosea is set during the reigns of earlier kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash of Israel (1:1).

Like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, Hosea's life fully becomes God's instrument to teach His people. Thus, He commands Hosea to marry a prostitute (representing Israel) and to bear children (representing various negative messages that God sends to Israel). It's interesting--I find the idea of marriage and parenting as metaphors to be crazy. And yet, I also see how marriage and parenthood themselves are metaphors for God's relationship with us. I really liked the book, Sacred Marriage, which examines this viewpoint.

Anyway, in today's reading, Hosea's wife, Gomer, is unfaithful, and so he threatens her with shame (i.e. to strip her naked) and with the abandonment of their (or her) children (2:3-4). I thought those threats were pretty harsh, but the chapter goes on to speak of their ultimate reconciliation, in which they have a deep, real, intimate relationship. And of course, all of this represents God's relationship with Israel. In speaking of their future intimate relationship, God says, "In that day...you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master'" (2:16). Of course, that metaphor gets picked up in the NT, where the church is referred to as the bride of Christ.

NT: 1 John 5:1-21

One way that 1 John reminds me of John, thematically speaking, is in its emphasis of belief in the divinity of Christ. It seemed like the whole purpose of John was to get people to believe that Jesus was the son of God. And 1 John continues that emphasis. Throughout chapter 5, the author maintains that anyone born of God must acknowledge that Jesus is God's son.

Also like John, the epistle draws bold lines between disciples and enemies. Jesus' dialogue in John was often harsh and divisive. He clearly drew the line between insiders and outsiders. The author of the epistle does the same thing. He portrays a stark conflict between Christians and the world, between those who believe in Jesus and those who deny Him (1, 4, 10-12).

This chapter also emphasizes the link between love and actions. Verses 2-3 make clear that "love for God" is "to obey his commands." It reminds me of John 14, where Jesus says essentially that same thing three times.

I wondered what John was talking about when he referred to "the sin that leads to death" (16). That was baffling to me.

Psalm 124:1-8

One of David's psalms, in which he gives full credit for his survival and victory to God.

Prov. 29:5-8

Some contrasts between the wicked and the righteous. The one that jumped out at me the most was verse 7:

"The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern."

What I found interesting about this proverb is that, unlike a lot of others on the subject, it didn't claim that the wicked necessarily trampled the poor. It's just that they had no concern for the poor. And that apathy is a characteristic of their wickedness.

December 4

2010-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Daniel 11:36-12:13

We wrap up Daniel today. It is a bit daunting to think that we still have twelve more OT books to read this year, but I know they are significantly shorter than much of what we have been reading.

Yesterday, my handbook claimed that 11:36-45 did not describe actual events in the reign of Antiochus IV, and it theorized that they might refer to events at the end of time. I don't know if that is true, but I do know that the rest of the book definitely has the whiff of the end times. There is mention of the "abomination that causes desolation," whatever that is (12:11, see also 9:27 and 11:31). As always, I kind of mentally checked out when I realized we were talking about end times, b/c not only can I not make heads or tails of such prophecies, I don't know how important it is to decode them. What matters is that we are living for God every day and spreading His kingdom, regardless of when the world is going to end. And whenever people try to nail down these predictions specifically, they inevitably get it wrong and make fools of themselves. There's always things that can be interpreted as "signs of the apocalypse" around us, so there's not a lot of use in speculating, at least in my opinion.

NT: I John 4:1-21

According to this passage, being a Christian consists of two non-negotiables:

1. Believing in Jesus Christ
2. Loving others

Verses 1-6 emphasize the importance of acknowledging Christ. Simply speaking, the author tells his church audience that those who acknowledge Christ are from God, and those who deny him are not.

Verses 7-21 elaborate on the importance of love. Love comes from God, and thus, anyone born of God will love others. I especially like verse 12: "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." I want to be close to God. I want Him to be alive in me and to work through my life. The book of 1 John makes it quite clear that the way that God is present in my life is through my love for others. A related verse says: "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him" (16b). The starkness and simplicity of these verses are both reassuring and challenging to me. They reassure me that completeness in God is not far away; it is found in something as simple as our loving actions toward others. It is challenging b/c so often, I am tempted to be unloving, and I often succumb. I continually battle impatience, selfishness, and pride, and all those things cause me to be unloving.

Psalm 123:1-4

A short prayer to God, which claims that man's relationship to God is like a slave's relationship to his master, and which asks God for relief from the mockery of others.

Prov. 29:2-4

The first compares public reaction toward the righteous v. the wicked. They second contrasts a "man who loves wisdom" with a "companion of prostitutes." The third contrasts a just king to a greedy one.

December 3

2010-12-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Daniel 11:2-35

Today, we read a detailed history, completely devoid of any names. I don't know that I've ever read that many pronouns in a story before. Obviously, the whole thing was confusing b/c I had no idea who Daniel was prophesying about. Afterward, I looked it up in my Eerdman's Handbook to get some background. According to the handbook, the prophecy tells the history of the Greek Empire:

"There are to be three more Persian kings (2; Cambyses, Gaumata, and Darius I), followed by a fourth (Xerxes). Xerxes invaded Greece but was defeated at Salamis in 480 BC. The power then passed to Greece (3-4). Verse 5 refers to Egypt (the 'king of the south') and to Ptolemy's one-time general, Seleucus, who became 'king of the north'--the powerful kingdom of Syria and the east. Fifty years later (6), the daughter of Ptolemy II married Antiochus II of Syria. But she was divorced and murdered, and her brother avenged her by attacking Syria (7). Verses 9-13 reflect the struggles between the two powers at the end of the 3rd century BC. The Jews then joined forces with Antiochus II of Syria to defeat Egypt (14-15). They gained their freedom from Egypt (16), and Antiochus made a marriage alliance with Ptolemy V (17). Antiochus invaded Asia Minor and Greece but was defeated by the Romans at Magnesia in 190 BC (18-19).

"The 'exactor of tribute' (20) was his son Seleucus IV, who was shortly succeeded by his brother Antiochus IV, the persecutor of the Jews. Verses 21-24 aptly portray his character and policies. Through the treachery of Ptolemy's own men, Antiochus briefly gained control of Egypt in 173. On his return he attacked Jerusalem and slaughtered 80,000 Jews (25-28). The next time he attacked Egypt he was thwarted by the Roman fleet (29-30). He turned on Jerusalem again and desecrated the temple (31). He was aided and abetted by some Jews, but others refused to compromise their faith, though they died for it (32-33). Judas Maccabaeus instigated a successful revolt, so helping the faithful (34).

"Verses 36-45 do not describe actual events at the end of Antiochus' life. They may refer to the end of Syrian domination, at the hands of Rome, the new king from the north. Or they may anticipate events at the end of time (see 8:17), which the sufferings of God's people under Antiochus foreshadow. This then leads to chapter 12."

Oh wait, we don't get to verses 36-45 until tomorrow. Still, that last paragraph is probably good to know going in.

Everyone got that? Moving on.

NT: 1 John 3: 7-24

In verses 7-15, John lays it down. You can't be a Christian and keep sinning, got it? Maybe it's what I've always heard, but my take on that is that "continuing to sin" means a deliberate, recurring sin. Even earlier in the book, the author notes that we all sin. But you have to stop those lifestyles of sin.

The contrast to sin, though, is not adherence to a list of rules. Instead, it is love. In verse 14, John says that the indication of our passing from death to life is that "we love our brothers." Verses 16-17 further define this love as Christ-like, sacrificial, and active. Some of my favorite verses ever are 18-20: "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong tot he truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence, whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he know everything." As someone who has spent some time struggling with confidence in her salvation, I find concrete measures like this to be really reassuring. According to these verses, the closest thing to a sign of our salvation is not our personal feelings on the matter, but instead, the love that we show to others. I can get behind that.

Psalm 122:1-9

A praise psalm that is as much a tribute to Jerusalem as it is to God.

Prov. 29:1

Against stubborn sinfulness.

December 2

2010-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Daniel 9:1-11:1

More strange dreams for Daniel. Well, first, he starts off with a prayer, in response to learning that the Babylonian captivity will last for seventy years. The prayer basically confesses the nations' sins to God and expresses understanding at their punishment. It closes by pleading with God to turn from his anger, regardless of how much the nation deserves it (4-19).

At the conclusion of his prayer, Daniel gets another visit from Gabriel, who assures Daniel that he is about to explain everything right before launching into some esoteric jargon about convoluted dates and times and Anointed Ones...and I don't even know. I did feel sorry for Daniel, having to figure out that "explanation."

I can't tell if 10:1 gives a conclusion of the earlier chapter, or if it really is a one-verse synopsis of yet another vision. Regardless, it puts Daniel into quite a funk, to the point where he mourned for three weeks.

Then, he meets yet another messenger. Is this Gabriel again? It doesn't appear to be, b/c Daniel doesn't identify him, and by this time, he and Gabriel seem to be buddies. This new guy terrifies him, and understandably so: "His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, he eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude" (10:6). So...not very approachable.

This new guy explains that he has come to answer Daniel's questions, and in fact, has been on his way "since the first day that [Daniel] set [his] mind to gain understanding and to humble [himself] before...God" (12). However, this angel apparently had to fight his way to Daniel; the prince of Persia hindered him for 21 days. This would seem to be an example of some spiritual warfare, as well as a small glimpse into the spirit world. Is the prince of Persia supposed to be some demonic being who rules over Persia? Who knows? Regardless, Michael is identified as quite the fighter. I'd always heard that about him: Gabriel was the messenger, and Michael was the fighter. I guess that reputation comes from this passage. I also thought that it was interesting that in verse 21, Michael is referred to as Daniel's prince. Is Michael, like, Daniel's guardian angel? Is the reason that he came to this guy's rescue b/c the guy was on his way to Daniel? I don't know. I just found all of that very intriguing, especially in light of Paul's statement in Ephesians 6:12: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

NT: 1 John 2:19-3:6

The end of chapter 2 reflects the author's view that he is writing during the end times ("this is the last hour"), as well as his preoccupation with truth. Apparently, some members of the Christian community have deserted the faith (18-20), prompting John to remind them that the truth is that Jesus was the Christ. He argues that you can not separate belief in Jesus from belief in God; to deny one is to deny the other (20-23).

The first two sentences of chapter 3 are very dear to me: "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" Such a wonderful reassurance. I also like the promise of transformation in chapter 2: "what we will be has not yet been made known." The context of the verse seems to indicate that John is specifically referring to what happens to us after Christ's coming, but the idea of transformation even here on earth is present throughout Scripture. Obviously, any transformation we experience on earth will pale in comparison to the transformation after death, but it is nevertheless miraculous to our eyes. I love seeing the process of people becoming more and more like Christ, and I am thankful to witness it regularly in my church family.

Psalm 121:1-8

Since I have a bit of a problem with overcommitment, I have been feeling somewhat stressed out this week. To help my mind, I went to bed early last night and then got up early this morning to read my Bible and pray. I just read the NT, Psalm, and Proverbs this morning, and the Psalm and first proverb helped me so much. The whole psalm was about how God helps us, how he watches over us, and will not let our foot slip. When I read it this morning, I just thanked God for giving me this psalm. It set the tone for my whole day, and God did indeed help my day to be productive and triumphant.

Prov. 28:27-28

Verse 27 says,

"He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses."

That hit home with me this morning, b/c part of my day did involve giving to the poor. And sadly, b/c I was so busy, I had tried to close my eyes to this opportunity earlier in the week. Without going into detail, let's just say that it wasn't God's plan that I miss that opportunity and so part of my day involved acting on it. Since what I needed was energy and strength for the day, I took heart at the idea that "he who gives to the poor will lack nothing." I know it's a general proverb, but it was also a little gift from God to me today. And it proved to be true. It's been a great day. And now, I'm going to bed.

December 1

2010-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Daniel 8:1-27

Another day, another weird dream. There, um, definitely seems to be a lot of horn imagery going on here. And horns apparently generally represent leaders and/or kingdoms.

The main thrust of the dream involves two destructive animals, with their varying symbolic horns, and the latter one devours the former one. One thing I found to be especially baffling is how the text would throw out these phrases like they should be understood. For example, verse 11 says that one of the horns "set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host." Um, excuse me? Who is the Prince of the host? And then verse 14, Daniel "heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling..." Oh yeah...the Ulai! Whatever that is...

(It's a river, by the way.)

Thankfully for Daniel, Gabriel appears and explains that the dreams are about the end times and that the ram and goat pictured represent Media/Persia and Greece, respectively.

The one phrase that really stuck out to me today was found in verse 12, which described one of the more sinister horns: "It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground."

One of the main theses I've had as I've read the Bible this year is that the truth is strong. So if the Bible is true, which I believe that it is, then it can stand up to my questions about it. Sometimes questions make people uncomfortable. Perhaps they see them as a sign of doubt, or perhaps they fear that their own faith won't withstand such questioning. I don't see them that way. For me, asking hard questions about Scripture is an act of faith. I have faith that the truth is strong and can handle it. I know that I might never get answers to my questions, but I sure as heck am not afraid to ask.

Hearing about the idea of truth getting thrown to the ground, though, makes me wonder about my thesis. In a later description of this same horn, Gabriel says that "he will cause deceit to prosper" (25). And I guess that is something to consider with my thesis. It makes me sad to think of the idea of truth getting body slammed on the ground or being smothered out by rampant deceit, but I know that that happens. We all know, I'm sure.

I guess what I take away from those thoughts today is that truth is strong, and if you honestly seek it, you can find it. At the same time, though, if you don't seek it, it can be easily kept from you.

Those ideas spur me on to honestly seek truth. It's easy for me to become complacent and secure in what I know, and when I get too secure, I open myself up to be susceptible to distortions of the truth. That probably made sense to nobody but me, but that's what I got from the reading today.

NT: I John 2:1-17

Well, I'm glad we got that little bit of reassurance at the end of chapter 1 that we are all sinners (and it's odd that that was reassurance), b/c chapter 2 really lights a fire under Christians. Verse 1 tells us in no uncertain terms not to sin, and although it goes on to remind us that God will forgive us, verses 3-6 effectively keeps us from using the idea of God's forgiveness as an "out." Those verses tell us that if we don't do what Jesus says, then we don't love him. And if we say we are a Christian, but don't "walk as Jesus did," then we are lying. Yikes. John certainly doesn't sugar-coat his message; he clearly seems unworried that he might be stepping on anyone's toes!

In verse 9, John gives a specific example of the darkness he is telling Christians to avoid: "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness." I don't have a lot of comment on that, but I think it's a good, specific example of what he is talking about.

Verses 12-14 are kind of strange. They seem to be some kind of hymn or poem, but they are about writing people a message. That's kind of a weird conceit for a song. Did John write this himself? Is he quoting something? I read it over a couple of times, and I couldn't see any obvious reasons why certain descriptions were given to certain age groups. So I guess I don't have a lot of insight into the poem/song.

Verses 15-17 warn us not to love anything in the world. I thought it was interesting that "the boasting of what [man] has and does" is listed as something in the world. I easily get how our cravings and lust are worldly, but I sometimes forget that even our best accomplishments can be worldly if they make us prideful.

Psalm 120: 1-7

Hey, we're done with Psalm 119.

In Psalm 120, the psalmist laments that he is surrounded by deceitful and war-loving people.

Prov. 28: 25-26

I especially love verse 26:

"He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe."

That's a nice reminder not to be overconfident. My faith should never be in my own abilities, but in God.

November 30

2010-11-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Daniel 7:1-28

As we enter our last month of reading through the Bible in a year, I have been pondering the value of the endeavor. Specifically, I am wondering about the value of just reading the books, without getting any background info. With the NT, I usually know enough about the books because of my background in the church. But there have been many OT books that I can't make heads or tails of. And I definitely haven't researched each of them like I should. My current belief is that reading un-researched books has very limited value in my life. It's like the Ethiopian eunuch--Scripture didn't have value to him until someone explained it to him. When I just blindly plunge into a book about which I am totally ignorant, I am not studying the Bible; I'm just reading the words. It reminds me of the phrase, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." If you don't know the background and context of the words, you can make them say just about anything you want.

I'm not sure where all that came from. Maybe it is because I didn't research Daniel at all, although the stories are familiar to me. Daniel is a good example of what I'm talking about, though. I do know that many (most?) scholars consider it to be apocalyptic literature written sometime during the Maccabean somethin'-or-'nother. I read all about it in my NT commentary last year, and the author (a believer, btw) made a pretty compelling case. I don't know if he's right, but I do know that there is nothing in the book of Daniel that overtly claims to be historical fact. It doesn't attempt to give historical details, like the Pentateuch and the histories do. It just skips around from story to story, with little or no intro to them. Today, for example, our story is set in the first year of Belshazzar's reign. Well, two chapters ago, we read about the last day of his reign. And the last chapter was set during his successor's reign. So it's not like any pains are being taken to maintain chronology or to relate historical detail.

So...what if it is apocalyptic literature? Wouldn't that mean that I would read it differently than if it were a history? Wouldn't that be something that I would need to have an opinion on going in? It just seems to me like we need to read books based on the standards they set for themselves, not on the standards my modernism and/or ignorance sets for them. If Daniel is apocalyptic literature, I shouldn't read it like a history. And I won't be able to decide unless I research it.

Which I'm not going to do tonight.

So...I guess I'll just enjoy the story? This one is less popular with the Sunday school crowd, perhaps b/c of its esoteric imagery. With all the weird animals and spinning wheels and strange details, I thought we were back in Ezekiel for a minute. Here's what I thought about, though, when I read the story (and what got me thinking about research again). If it is apocalyptic literature, then the author has specific kingdoms in mind, and those kingdoms would be based on the present historical situation at the time of writing. I can't remember who the Maccabeans revolted against (or were they the people the Jews revolted against?), but Rome helped the Jews, right? Something about Rome setting up the Hasmonean dynasty? Ehh...anyway, my thoughts kept going, b/c some parts of Daniel's vision seemed very messianic. Verses 13-14 speak of "the son of man" being able to come into the presence of God and being given authority and an everlasting kingdom. And that got me to thinking that, in terms of inspiration, it doesn't matter if the author is one of Daniel's contemporaries or some dude in the Maccabean period. He's still inspired, and he is still making messianic prophecies, even though he knows nothing about Jesus. One thing both the potential authors have in common were that they were both firmly in BC territory, chronologically speaking. So whether it is straight history or (perhaps more likely) apocalyptic literature, it is still inspired by God, and it still points to His Son.

NT: 1 John 1:1-10

Yeah, so I haven't researched 1 John, either, though I am very familiar with the content. I'm pretty sure the authorship is not in serious dispute. For one thing, just look at the language. To me, it sounds like clear-cut, see-Spot-run, light-loving, Johannine language.

Today, I particularly enjoyed the contrast between verses 5-7 and 8-10. Verses 5-7 really challenge believers with the idea that we cannot be in the light while still walking in darkness. It challenges us to leave sinfulness behind and to walk with Christ. But lest we become fooled into thinking that means we are supposed to be perfect, we have verses 8-10 to balance us out. Those verses maintain that we all have sin, and that we can be cleansed of that sin if we confess it. It's ridiculous (and dangerous) to claim that we are without sin in our lives.

Psalm 119:153-176

Random thought of the day: the psalmist cannot write an ode to God's word without interjecting his personal life and personal struggles into it (e.g. 153-4, 157-8). And that inability reminds me of...me, with this blog. I toyed with the idea of blogging straight Bible and keeping my personal life separate, but I found it completely impossible. Scripture means little to me apart from its application to my life. I have no interest in talking about it theoretically; I talk about it in the context of living it. It's kind of like this psalmist. His love for God's word is not some lofty, theoretical love. No, it is something he clings to in the midst of his personal suffering and pain. And for me, hearing about that pain enhances my understanding of his talk about his love.

Prov. 28:23-24

Against flattery and robbing your family.

November 29

2010-11-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Daniel 6:1-28

Today, we read the famous story of Daniel and the lions' den. I have heard this story a million times, but a few things still stood out to me as I read it for the million and first time. One was the statement made by the satraps and administrators regarding Daniel's conduct: "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God" (5). That is quite a statement, and it is with that same type of blamelessness that I strive to live my own life. Sometimes when I see something bad come out about a politician or someone, I wonder, "If someone were to scrutinize my life with that same intensity, would they find anything?" I mean, obviously they would not find anything huge and sensational, like an affair. But am I truly blameless in all I do? I want to live my life in such a way that if I were being scrutinized by others, they could not find anything against me.

It also struck me how flippant the kings could be when it came to making laws, and yet, how rigid the rules were against revoking them. Compared to our own government, the Babylonians' system is horrible! (And same with King Xerxes' system in Esther.) It really hit me today how bad it would be to live in a land where one man's whims could immediately become irreversible law. That king didn't even have ultimate power. Whatever happened to come out of his mouth at any given time is what had ultimate power. That makes no sense. I'm so thankful that governments have since evolved far beyond that point.

I was struck again by that terrible power of the king when he demanded that Daniel's accusers be thrown into the den of lions, along with their wives and children. Good grief! Did he not learn his lesson about impetuousness with his first decree? The idea of innocent women and children being devoured by lions is so sad! I'm very glad that that general model of judging the family for the sins of the father has passed.

NT: 2 Peter 3:1-18

Like many of the pastoral letters, 2 Peter spends some time prepping the church for settling in for the long haul. Many seemed to believe that Jesus' return was imminent. To them, Peter urged patience, and he gave a bit of explanation:

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (8-9).

The two elements of Peter's explanation is that God's plan and His sense of time are bigger than ours, and His delay comes from patience, wanting to give everyone a chance to turn to Him.

Even though Peter urges patience, he still employs the image of God's return to spur the church to righteousness. He tells them, "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward tot he day of God and speed its coming" (12). In verse 14, he elaborates that, "since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."

As Peter closes his letter, he also mentions Paul, both to emphasize his agreement with him (15), and to warn that Paul's letters are a little confusing and thus, open to distortion (16). I agree with him; Paul's letters can definitely be confusing!

Psalm 119: 129-152

We read three more stanzas today. My favorite verse was verse 143:

"Trouble and distress have come upon me,
but your commands are my delight."

I like the idea that, even in the midst of trouble, we can always take delight in following God's commands. After all, to borrow a phrase from Peter, following God's commands allows us to "participate in the divine nature." And that is a delightful thing.

Prov. 28:21-22

Against showing partiality and being stingy.

November 28

2010-11-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Daniel 6:1-28

Chapter 6 abruptly transitions from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar to the reign of Belshazzar. We are given no information to bridge the two reigns. Thus, some questions I had that were left unanswered were, What happened to Nebuchadnezzar? Where do Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego figure into this new king's entourage? Or do they? Belshazzar seems not to be aware of Daniel, although his wife does. So what have Daniel and friends been doing during this time? And for that matter, how has Belshazzar's reign been going? We only see it on its last night.

And on its last night, the king has a feast with articles brought from Nebuchadnezzar's temple, which was a temple to idols (22-23). Thus, God let him know that his reign was about to end by writing in Aramaic on the wall, "Numbered, numbered, weighed, divided," or "mene, mene, tekil, parsin" (25). At the behest of Belshazzar's wife, Daniel was brought before the king to explain the writing. What was confusing to me was that Daniel contrasted the idolatrous Belshazzar with the supposedly faithful Nebuchadnezzar. But it was Nebuchadnezzar's temple from which Belshazzar got the idols. So...it doesn't really seem like Nebuchadnezzar was that faithful to me.

Anyway, at the end of the chapter (and the end of the night), Belshazzar is slain and replaced by Darius the Mede. That means we have the lion's den coming up! One great thing about Daniel is that so far, it has been totally full of accessible stories.

NT: 2 Peter 2:1-22

Today, Peter lights into "false prophets" (1). It's hard to get a clear picture of these people because Peter's description of them is so varied. According to chapter 2, here are some of the things that the false prophets do:

--"secretly introduce destructive heresies" (1)
--"bring the way of truth into disrepute" (2)
--be greedy (3)
--exploit people with made up stories (3)
--"follow the corrupt desire of sinful nature" (10)
--"despise authority" (10)
--be "bold and arrogant" (10)
--"slander celestial beings" (10)
--"blaspheme in matters they do not understand" (12)
--act like "brute beasts, creatures of instinct" (12)
--"carouse in broad daylight...reveling in their pleasures while they feast with" other Christians (13)
--have adulterous eyes (14)
--"never stop sinning" (14)
--"seduce the unstable" (14)
--"are experts in greed" (14)
--"have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam" (15)
--"mouth empty, boastful words appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature" (18)
--"entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error" (18).
--promise people freedom, "while they themselves are slaves of depravity" (19)

Because of the wide variety of the accusations against these false prophets, it is difficult to give a coherent summary of their sin. I would say, though, that the main thrust of Peter's accusations is that they are teaching, by words and by actions, that you can be a Christian and still indulge in the sinful nature. The only accusations that don't specifically fit in with that summary are the one about slandering celestial beings and blaspheming against stuff they don't understand. All the other accusations can fit into that synopsis.

Besides the diatribe against false prophets, the two other themes running through chapter 2 are angels and the Old Testament. Peter makes a few esoteric statements about angels here. In verse 4, he mentions that "God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment." Then, in verse 11, he accuses the false prophets of slandering celestial beings, and maintains that "although they are stronger and more powerful, [angels] do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord." There is a lot that is interesting about this statement, but for me, the main thing was that Peter seems to differentiate between angels and celestial beings. So...if celestial beings are not angels, then what are they? And how can people make slanderous accusations against them? What kind of accusations? I would really like to know more about Peter's thinking on angels.

The other theme is Peter's use of the OT. In his discussion in verses 5-9, he takes a page from Paul's playbook in 1 Corinthians 10:1-10. In these sections, both Paul and Peter use the OT as a warning to NT Christians to avoid immorality. They highlight various evil actions that were committed in the OT, and emphasize God's punishment of those actions, in order to deter NT Christians from taking their morality lightly. Peter also continues this trend when he talks about Balaam in 15-16.

At the end of the chapter, Peter says that it is better to never be a Christian than to know God and then turn back to sin (20-22). That reminds me of a similar idea in Hebrews 10:25-29 about deliberately sinning after receiving knowledge of the truth. There was another similar passage we have read about how bad it is to reject God after knowing the truth, but I can't find it. If you know where it is, please share.

Psalm 119: 113-128

Several verses in today's psalm reminded me of the 2 Peter reading. Mainly, it was the verses like 118-119 and 126-8. Those verses emphasize how wrong-doers will be punished and how the righteous need to stay on God's path.

Prov. 28:19-20

Two proverbs against chasing fantasies and wanting quick riches.

November 27

2010-11-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Daniel 4:1-27

Well, today's story was familiar, but I had forgotten about the strange presentation of it. In the plot of Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream about a tree that gets chopped down. He learns from Daniel that the tree represents Nebuchadnezzar himself and his eventual, temporary loss of sanity. God will take his sanity from him to show him that God is in control, and not him. In other words, Nebuchadnezzar's craziness is the result of his pride. All this happens, and as a result, the king finally acknowledges God's sovereignty and has his kingdom restored.

While the storyline is straightforward, the presentation is confusing. It starts with a letter from Nebuchadnezzar to all the people of the world (4:1). There is no introduction to this letter, and so when Neb started talking about a dream he had, I initially assumed he was talking about the statue dream from chapter 2. The dream in the letter, however, was totally different. As I read, I also got confused because of the shifts in person. Nebuchadnezzar alternates between first and third person, which made me wonder at first if the whole chapter was the letter, or if only parts were. But reading back over it, I see that the whole chapter was the letter.

One thing you do see in the letter is that Nebuchadnezzar still doesn't fully get the idea of God. The letter was written after the fact of this experience, and yet, he says of Daniel, "the spirit of the holy gods is in him" (8). So clearly, even after this experience with God-given insanity, he hasn't quite caught on to the picture of monotheism that Daniel is presenting to him.

NT: 1 Peter 1:1-21

I love verses 2-8, because it is loved by those close to me. My friend, Courtney, has latched on to verses 3-4, and has emphasized in particular the idea that God has already given us "everything we need for life and godliness" (3). Her point is that we so often get overwhelmed and stressed by life's demands, and we feel inadequate to our tasks. And yet, with God's power, we are never inadequate in the face of the tasks He gives us. As Christians, we are already equipped with all that we need for life and godliness.

I especially like the application of that concept that is found in verse 4. Through God's power that He gives us, we are able to "participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." I especially love the phrase, "participate in the divine nature." That is exactly what I long to do in this life. I don't just want to worship God from a distance; I want to commune with Him by participating in His very nature. And I do that, I believe, through the love that I show to other people.

Greg loves verses 5-7 and has preached a couple of good lessons on them. One point that he made that I really liked is that love, that very quality through which we participate in God's divine nature, comes only after a process of spiritual growth and development. You start with just faith and with the desire to "be good." Because of your desire to be good, you then seek to grow in the knowledge of what is good. And what you learn teaches you the importance of controlling yourself and reining in your sinful impulses. And self-control over time is perseverance. Perseverance leads you to a form of love, which is brotherly kindness. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit, after all. And then you get to real, deep, agape love. It really helped me to understand how much truly loving someone is part of a greater spiritual process.

And I also love how this process "keep[s] you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." I hate ineffectiveness about as much as I do unproductiveness, so the assurance that that "these qualities" listed in 5-7 will keep me from both is very comforting to me.

Psalm 119: 97-112

Two more stanzas of the psalmist's ode to God's word. I love the passion behind these ideas, as well as the ideas themselves. This psalm motivates me to dive into my Bible study, which I hope to do much more of this coming week.

Prov. 28:17-18

Verse 17 is about the negative effects of murder on the murderer. Verse 18 contrasts the blameless with the perverse.

November 26

2010-11-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

OT: Daniel 2:4-3:30

Today, we read the exciting conclusion of the Nebuchadnezzar dream story. After giving all credit to God, Daniel proceeded to relate Neb's dream of a four part statue, which represented four major kingdoms of the world. The dream also foretold of God's kingdom, which would be established in the time of the fourth kingdom, and which would last through eternity. In Sunday school, I learned theories of which kingdoms were represented by the statues, but I can't remember them right now. I do know that the Medo-Persians were involved.

In chapter 3, we read the story of the fiery furnace. I've always wondered where Daniel was during this time and why he was not defying the king's orders along with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Regardless, it is a good story. My favorite part is the quote from the three men to Nebuchadnezzar: "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (3:17-18). To me, that is the ultimate statement of faith. Their faith is not dependent on God's actions. He can save them or let them die--it doesn't matter. They will choose to have faith and to be faithful either way.

NT: 1 Peter 4:7-5:14

I deduced from this passage that Peter shared the belief of many NT Christians that Jesus was going to come back very, very soon. My deduction stemmed from 4:7, in which the author declares, "The end of all things is near." Well....not really....

I do agree that the end of all things is near fore each of us personally, though, which makes the instructions that follow that declaration pertinent to all of us. In light of the brevity of life, we do need to "be clear minded and self-controlled so that [we] can pray" (7). And we should "offer hospitality" to each other and "use whatever gift [we have] received to serve others" (10). I love that reminder that our gifts and talents and resources are not given to us for our own sake, but for the sake of the larger body of Christ. Also, I like the idea that God's grace comes in various forms, and those forms are the different gifts that He gives each of us (10). In lavishing love on my family this week, my parents are administering one form of God's grace to us. In hosting a gingerbread house party for the kids at my church, I am administering another form of God's grace to them. In teaching God's word to others, the teachers at my church are administering yet another form of God's grace. You get the point. The list goes on and on. But the bottom line is that when we do these things for each other, we are showing God's grace to one another.

Verses 12-19 continue the theme of suffering. In chapter 5, Peter gives some advice to elders and to young men, respectively (1-5). He also tells his audience once again to "be self-controlled and alert" and to be aware of/resist the devil (8-9). He closes with the reminder that God will help them stay strong (10).

Psalm 119: 81-96

In these two stanzas, the psalmist emphasizes that he would have died without his love for God's word.

Prov. 28:15-16

Against wicked rulers.

November 25

2010-11-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Daniel 1:1-2:23

WOO-HOO!! We are in Daniel, people! That is so exciting to me.

I enjoyed reading the familiar narrative today, especially in light of all the prophecies we've been reading about the Babylonian exile. We've seen the perspective of Jeremiah, who was left behind with the exiles, and we've seen the perspective of Ezekiel who was taken in the first wave and lived with the "common people." Now, we get to see the perspective of the young, rich men who were taken into the king's service. I have to say, when you think of the big picture, Daniel and his friends had a pretty sweet deal. They got relocated into a (relatively) sophisticated culture, and were given the royal treatment: good education, good food, good wine. On the other hand, though, they were ripped away from their families and all that they knew, and carried into a foreign land. So it was a mixed bag.

Here's a random detail I've always found interesting: Daniel is known by his Hebrew name. And yet, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are known by their new Babylonian names. Why is that? It's not a big deal, but I'd appreciate some consistency here:).

The story of Daniel refusing to eat the king's food has a lot of applicability to teenagers, and so I've heard it used in lots of illustrations in sermons to youth. The idea generally conveyed by the speakers is that, like Daniel, teenagers live in a Babylon, a culture that continually pressures and lures them to conform to its standards. They are also surrounded by their peers, who often wield more influence over them than do their parents. Thus, like Daniel, they need to resist their culture and resist peer pressure, and instead conform to God's standards, the standards that have (hopefully) been passed to them from their families.

In chapter 2, we read the first half of the story of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and we see the more brutal side of the Babylonian culture. Because his wise men could not tell the king his dream, he decreed that all the men be cut into pieces and their houses destroyed. Good grief! That is not great leadership! Thankfully, Daniel prayed to God, and God revealed the dream to him. Tomorrow, we will read the rest.

NT: 1 Peter 3:8-4:6

I enjoyed reading these instructions to Peter's audience. Perhaps my two favorite parts were 3:8-9 and 3:15-16. The first says, "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil for evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." The second says, "But in your hearts always set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." I love how both of these instructions emphasize good interpersonal skills. Christian behavior should be defined by love and harmony and compassion and gentleness and respect. Those are such important parts of our witness.

My Church of Christ self has to give a shout out to 3:18-21, which is a good baptism reference.

Chapter 4 again extols the virtues of suffering, which is a recurring theme in 1 Peter. One of the benefits of suffering mentioned today is that suffering strengthens us so that we are more resistant to sin (4:1). That makes sense to me. To withstand physical suffering (and especially to do so with grace and strength) requires perseverance, like James says. And that perseverance can also help people as they fight their own sinful impulses.

Psalm 119:65-80

Speaking of the goodness of suffering, verse 71 says,

"It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees."

I thought that idea tied in well with Peter.

Prov. 28:14

It's good to fear God, and bad to harden our hearts.

November 24

2010-11-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 47:1-48:35

Chapter 47 has one of those prophecies where you are reading, and it slowly starts to dawn on you that it's a metaphor of some kind. Maybe the fact that it dawned on me slowly reveals more about my own intelligence than the nature of the prophecy, but regardless, I did finally conclude midway through the water section that the water was somehow Israel. In an inversion of Jesus' metaphor about the goodness of saltiness in Matt. 5:13, Ezekiel describes Israel as the fresh water that will desalinate the "world" of the Mediterranean Sea. The fresh water starts from the temple, and eventually spreads to all the water, bringing all kinds of life and vegetation with it (47: 3-10). As much as the fresh water spreads, however, there will still be pockets of saltiness that will not desalinate (11). So there's your metaphor.

The rest of chapter 47 and 48 are devoted to land allotment. Now, normally, that is not a fascinating topic, and it wasn't really that scintillating today. In light of my thoughts on property ownership from yesterday, however, it did raise a few questions. The main question was, "Hasn't the land already been allotted?" Don't the tribes already have their eternally granted properties? If so, is this just a reinforcement of those existing property lines, or are these new portions? That would probably be easy enough to figure out, but--full disclosure--I'm currently at Disney World, about to leave for the "Pirates and Pals" fireworks show, so the chances that I'm going to be doing a comparative study of Ezekiel and Leviticus (or Numbers or Deuteronomy) tonight are slim. However, I note for future record that if these land allotments are different, then I have a few questions about them.

NT: 1 Peter 2:11-3:7

Speaking of Disney World, I am definitely experiencing some cognitive dissonance between reveling in "the happiest place on earth" and reading instructions to live "as aliens and strangers in the world" (2:11). I don't really feel guilty, and I am loving spoiling my children (or rather, having my children spoiled, as I am in no way personally bankrolling this little venture), but my readings have definitely helped keep our vacation in perspective. The "eternal" part of this vacation is the love we pour into our children, which will hopefully equip them with the confidence to go out into the world and serve boldly.

Anyhow, today Peter urges us to "abstain from sinful desires" and to "live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (12). I love that. So often when I am on the internet (usually on a Christian site, which makes it even worse), I see Christians behaving terribly toward "pagans." There seems to be this idea that if you just make someone feel stupid, then they will see the error of their beliefs. In the meantime, I'm reading such comments and thinking, "You've lost already." It doesn't matter if we make our point when talking to non-Christians. If we don't do it with love, we've lost. 1 Peter gets this. Rather than tell us to make converts with our wittiness and brilliance, it advises us that the best witness is our own good actions.

Along those lines, verses 13-15 tell us to submit to authorities. Verse 15 makes clear that the reason for this advised obedience is to "silence the ignorant talk of foolish men." Again, we silence that talk through "doing good" (15). I think the instructions to slaves regarding masters are given here for similar reasons, though such submission also has the added bonus of making you more Christ-like (18-22). That idea, though naturally repugnant to us, would probably be encouraging to an audience familiar with unjust suffering, whether slave or free.

Chapter 3 continues the trend of valuing good works by advising women to submit to their husband and to define themselves by their inner character qualities rather than their outer appearance (4-5). Similarly, husbands are to treat their wives well.

Psalm 119: 49-64

Two more stanzas of the ode to God's word. The "Zayin" stanza reminds me of 1 Peter, b/c it deals some with suffering. The verse that jumped out to me was verse 50:

"My comfort in suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life."

Peter has been busy elaborating on this comfort to the early church.

Prov. 28: 12-13

The first contrasts the popular reaction to the victories of the righteous and wicked, respectively. The second advises people to confess their sins.

November 23

2010-11-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 45:13-46:24

Ezekiel continues to update the law. As in past days, the major changes have to do with the temple. Also, in today's reading, several mentions were made of "the prince" (45:16-17, 22-25, 46: 2-8, 10, 16-18). Moses' law made mention of a future king, but it definitely did not contain this degree of regulation regarding the king.

In 46: 16-18, there are some laws about property ownership, and I think that the Israelite theory of land ownership is fascinating. In so many cultures (including my own), land is a commodity that belongs to whoever can buy it (or in the past, take it through force). In Native American cultures, the land belonged to no one. The Israelite culture took kind of a middle ground. Ultimate ownership of the land was not determined by money, like in my culture. But unlike the Native American culture, it did belong to someone. It was regarded as a person's portion, or inheritance, and as such, it could never be taken away from that person's descendants. It could be transferred temporarily, but it was always to revert back.

NT: 1 Peter 1:13-2:20

The instructions today have a stern edge to them: they advocate self-control (13), obedience (14),and holiness (15-16). They remind us of God's impending judgment, and of the subsequent need to "live your lives as strangers here, in reverent fear. In verse 22, the text tells us to "love one another deeply, from the heart."

There are many reasons given for such instructions. First of all, we have been redeemed with "the precious blood of Christ" (19). Secondly, we have been born again, "of imperishable" seed (23). Thirdly, our lives here are very short (24-25). When we understand those ideas, it becomes a lot easier to live with the kind of focus that today's scripture requires.

I also like the idea of us being a "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" (2:9). So often, I tend to be a "lone ranger" in my relationship with God, but in the past few years, especially, I have learned more and more how it is supposed to be a collective experience.

Psalm 119:33-48

The "He" stanza emphasizes how much God has to teach us to follow His word. It's not something we naturally do on our own.

Prov. 28:11

Argues that there is not necessarily a correlation between wisdom and wealth.

November 22

2010-11-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 44:1-45:12

Well, it really does seem like we are getting an update on the Law. I wonder why this new version never comes up in the NT, particularly in the gospels. Lots of times, they refer to the law of Moses. But not the law of Ezekiel. Granted, I don't have a good enough memory of Mosaic Law to know how much of this new stuff is repeat and how much is new. But I think the stuff about the sacred districts is new, as is everything that has to do with the temple.

The description of priestly attire in verse 44: 18 is interesting: "They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire." I don't know that any mention of this was in the Mosaic Law (and I'm too tired to look it up right now), but my preacher preached an interesting sermon around this verse. He theorized that the idea behind this command was that God did not want the priests to be all sweaty, causing people to stop and say, "Wow, look how hard they are working." If that happened, it would take the focus off God and onto the priests themselves. And when the focus was on the workers, it distracted from the Lord. The application was that, as workers for God, people should not see us "sweat." Whenever we mention what we are doing for God, or draw attention to how hard we are working, we are taking the focus off God and putting it onto our own efforts. I thought that was an interesting theory behind and application to this verse.

NT: 1 Peter 1: 1-12

We've moved on to the next book, which is yet another reminder that we are on the home stretch.

According to the intro, the author is Peter, and the audience is the persecuted and scattered church. Peter's purpose in this first section seems to be to give some much needed encouragement to the beleaguered Christians. He starts by reminding them of all the good stuff that comes with following God:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade..."(3-4a).

As Christians, we have been born into a new life, full of the hope of eternal life. And that was good for these guys to hear, b/c of all they were going through. Peter even puts a positive spin on all that:

"In this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (6-7).

Peter emphasizes the short duration of the trial ("a little while"), as well as all the good that is going to come from these trials (refinement of faith; praise, glory, and honor).

He also points out how these early Christians enjoy a privileged position in the grand narrative of God's relationship with man. Unlike the prophets who came before them, they have knowledge of the Christ.

Psalm 119:17-32

I liked how the psalmist referred to himself as "a stranger on earth" (19), b/c that designation is what Peter gave to his audience. He called them "strangers in the world" (2).

I also love verse 32:

"I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free."

Beautiful.

Prov. 28:8-10

Three proverbs against corruption. The first speaks out against collecting exorbitant interest. The second is against ignoring the law. The third warns against leading others astray.

November 21

2010-11-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

I think I'm going to try to do the OT and NT in question format. Heaven knows I had enough questions...

OT: Ezekiel 44:1-45:12

Wow, how detailed are these temple measurements?
Is it just me, or are we getting repeats of measurements by this time?
Is it possible to picture exactly what the angel is showing him?
And more importantly, why are these measurements so detailed?
Why does it seem like the angel is giving Ezekiel a whole new Law?
Or is it a whole new Law?
Is there any overlap between these instructions regarding temple measurements and sacrifices, and the Mosaic Law?
Is this just an update of Mosaic Law from the tabernacle to the Temple?
How do these external regulations relate to Jeremiah's idea of writing the Law on their hearts?
Does Jeremiah's idea just apply to Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit?
Why institute a whole new set of laws so close to the coming of the Messiah?
Should I consider 400+ years as too close to be giving new laws?
Did the returning Israelites pattern the Temple after this vision?

NT: James 5:1-20

What does James have against rich people?
Is he against rich people per se, or just against rich people who hoard their wealth, cheat their workers, and murder innocent men (3, 4, 6)?
What qualifies as a life of luxury and self-indulgence (5)?
In what ways, if any, do I fit the description of this type of rich person?
What does James mean that the Lord's coming is near (8)?
Why does he say, "above all," before giving the command regarding swearing?
Is swearing really more important than doing good works, holding our tongue, and being spiritually wise?
If we say anything more vehement than "yes" and "no," are we really going to be condemned (12)?
If not, why did he say that?
What does condemned mean in this context?
Why don't we have our elders anoint us with oil in the name of the Lord when we are sick?
Can your prayers really gain someone else forgiveness for their sins (15)?
And what about this whole healing through prayer thing?
Is that supposed to be a blanket statement?
Why does the book end so abruptly?
Why do I have so many questions today?

Honestly, part of the reason I have so many questions is that I'm irritated that my exhausted son is tossing and turning and still not going to sleep after laying in bed for an hour. I'm stuck in a hotel room with him, and I'm stressed about his lack of sleep, and all that is making me cranky, and when I'm cranky, I have lots of questions. I'm not sure why; I just know that about myself.

But I'm glad I wrote these questions down. Maybe when I read back through the Bible two years from now, I'll be in a better frame of mind and can actually answer some of them!

Psalm 119:1-16

I didn't have questions about Psalm 119. In fact, I really liked it. I especially liked 9-11:

"How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you."

Oh, no. I just copied that from biblegateway, and the NIV is different! It's supposed to say, "How can a young man keep his way pure?" Oh dear. This is going to require quite an adjustment for me. Turns out, I've memorized most my Bible verses in what is now an outdated translation!

Prov. 28:6-7

Verse 6 says its better to be poor and blameless than rich and perverse. Verse 8 contrasts those who keep the law and those who hang out with gluttons.

November 20

2010-11-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 40:28-41:26

Oh my heavens. The temple measurements continued throughout today's reading. That was all there was. Measurements. So many details, and yet I don't have the foggiest clue what this thing looks like. I'm just picturing a lot of walls and alcoves and palm trees and cherubim. Everything is very symmetrical and uniform. And beyond that, I don't have a clue.

All I know is that it appears to be a vision of the restored temple. Maybe tomorrow we will see where he is going with this.

NT: James 4: 1-17

Thank goodness for good ol' practical James. It is a wonderful counterbalance to the tedium of Ezekiel right now.

Today, James warns us to resist the selfish "desires that battle within you" (1). Such desires lead to coveting, quarreling, and even murder. They also sabotage our prayers by infusing them with impure motives (3). Instead, we are to resist such worldly impulses, separate ourselves from the world, fight the devil, and submit to God (4-7).

I love the simple, parallel wording found in verses 7-8: "Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." My favorite phrase in there is, "Come near to God and he will come near to you." That is one of those verses that comes into my head often, one that has built itself into the foundation of my faith.

Verses 11-12 talk about judgment. I have been interested in the NT's teaching on judgment lately, b/c my mom has enlisted my help in writing a lesson on the subject. Specifically, the lesson addresses how we are supposed to treat our brothers and sisters. My mom falls firmly on the "don't judge" side, as do I...and yet, there are several passages in the Bible that seem to advocate some level of "in house" judging, or judging among Christians. These verses in James, however, support the other side of the coin. They warn against the folly of judging others, and conclude by asking rhetorically, "But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?" (12).

In verses 13-15, James warns against the presumption of treating future plans as if they were set in stone. I don't know if it was b/c of a sermon I heard one time, or what, but these verses have deeply influence my way of thinking, to the point where I can hardly relate future plans without throwing in a knee-jerk, "God willing." Although the words can be reflexive and shallow, I am appreciative of these verses for providing the constant reminder that my future is not in my hands. We are not the masters of our own fate, and it is delusional to act otherwise.

Psalm 118:18-29

The praise psalm continues, and in it, we find the famous verse,

"The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone" (22).

It's famous because Jesus quoted it in all the synoptics. (Confession: I was sure that Paul had quoted it, maybe in Corinthians, but I looked it up to be certain. And I was truly flabbergasted that it was Jesus who had quoted it, and in all three synoptic gospels. Peter also preached it in Acts 4, and it is mentioned in 1 Peter. But not Paul, ever.)

Prov. 28:3-5

Regarding justice.

November 19

2010-11-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 39:1-40:27

In chapter 39, Ezekiel continues his prophecy against Gog of Magog. I'm still unsure of who they are, so I turned to my "trusty" Google. One of the first sites I clicked on referenced Gen. 10:2, which listed Magog as a son of Japheth. The site went on to say that Magog was associated with the ancient people known as the Scythians. Keep in mind, though, that it said all this in large, bright blue, comic sans font, so take it with a grain of salt:).

Anyhow, that doesn't help me know who they were, and frankly, I'm not really motivated to pursue the issue further right now. Regardless of who they are, the prophecy says that they will one day attack Israel and be slaughtered by them. Animals will feast on their bodies (17-20), and then the Israelites will bury their many, many bones (11-16).

In chapter 40, God gives Ezekiel a vision of the temple in the land of Israel (apparently, a restored land). The entire chapter is then taken up with detailed measurements of the temple. Hopefully, we will see the point of this vision in tomorrow's reading. Today's was just the set up.

NT: James 2:18-3:18

Well, Ezekiel didn't do much for me today, but it's okay b/c James was wonderful!

First, James wraps up the discussion on faith and deeds. His main point in verses 18-26 seems to be that you cannot separate faith from deeds. In verse 18, he rhetorically quotes someone who separates the two, and then he counters, "I will show you my faith by what I do." He then gives three examples to show that faith without works is dead. The first example is of the demons, who do have faith in God and even fear of God, even though they obviously don't follow Him (19). The second example is Abraham, whose faith in God was supported by his active willingness to sacrifice his only son (21-23). His third example is Rahab, whose faith was shown in her aid to the spies (25). His point is that, as with Abraham, our faith and actions work together (22). It is funny, though, that the verse James quotes to make his point (Gen 15:6, quoted in verse 23), is also used by Paul to make a completely different point. At least I think it is. If I recall correctly, Paul is making the point that righteousness comes by faith and not through the law. He cites Abraham b/c Abraham came before the law. And I don't think James is disputing that. He is just making the broader point that our faith and our actions are meant to coincide.

In chapter 3, we get another famous passage: the section on taming the tongue. James colorfully compares the tongue to a bit in a horses' mouth, a rudder of a ship, and a spark that starts a forest fire. The point is that, as small as our tongue is, it controls us more easily than we control it. I personally have found this to be very true. In verses 9-11, James makes the point that it is ironic (and, I might add, hypocritical) that we use the same tongue to "praise our Lord and Father, and curse men, who have been made in God's likeness." Thinking of that view of man reminded me of something C.S. Lewis said. I don't have the exact quote, or even where he said it, but he made the obvious-if-you-think-about-it point that all the people we deal with on a daily basis--including the people we snub and judge and ignore--are eternal souls. When you think about people that way, as beings made in the image of God, it becomes much harder to treat them dismissively.

I also liked verses 13-18, which speaks of truly wise people as those who live good lives, filled with good deeds and humility. I especially love the description of wisdom in verse 17:

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

I very much want to be wise by these standards.

Psalm 118: 1-18

A praise psalm.

Prov. 28:2

On the nature of a good king.

November 18

2010-11-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 37:1-38:23

Today, we read what is by far the most famous passage in Ezekiel: the valley of the dry bones. It's weird, b/c as prominent a place as we've given it, it is not even the biggest section of the chapter. That award goes to the second part (15-28), which was dedicated to a strange metaphor about joining two sticks together, Ephraim and Judah.

The fourteen verses that told of the valley of the dry bones described yet another of Ezekiel's visions. God took him to a valley of bones and proceeded to bring the bones back to life. For Ezekiel's purposes, the metaphor related to how God was going to resuscitate the dying nation of Judah. I think the illustration has since been more widely applied to the idea that God can breathe life into the dead, as shown both in Jesus' miracles (and His resurrection) and, spiritually speaking, in our lives today.

Chapter 38 contains a prophecy against Gog, which foretells of a day when Gog will attack the restored Israel and be destroyed.

NT: James 1:19-2:17

Today's reading was hard-hitting for me, coming as it did after a day in which I lived less than gloriously. James reminded me that I should hold my tongue and be slow to anger (19), and that it is useless for me to simply listen to the Bible without applying it (22-25).

One verse that has had a recurring impact on me lately is 1:27: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." That idea has influenced a lot of my actions of late.

In chapter 2, James reminds us not to show favoritism, especially based on wealth. I don't think that I tend to show favoritism strictly b/c of money, but I do see how I can gravitate toward the effects of money. For example, I would rather hang out with a well educated person than a poorly educated person. I would rather spend time with people who have a certain amount of social graces than someone who has never learned those graces. I would rather spend time with people who are well spoken and have had a variety of interesting experiences than someone with limited experience and limited ability to articulate. And not always, but often, there is a correlation between wealth and education, wealth and social graces, wealth and richness of experience. And so, generally, the people I gravitate toward are not usually very poor. They also aren't generally extremely wealthy, but you get the idea. These verses remind me that I need to make a point to reach out to all people, not just the ones who have something to offer me personally.

Near the end of the section, James hits the "faith and works" discussion, in which he boldly declares that "faith by itself...is dead" (17). I know that is a strong sentiment, but it makes perfect sense to me, and I think James' discussion provides a nice counterpart to the Pauline thought in Romans. To me, both ideas are meant to be understood in light of each other.

Psalm 117:1-2

Wow, that was a really short psalm.

Prov. 28:1

Contrasts the cowardliness of the wicked with the boldness of the righteous.

November 17

2010-11-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 35:1-36:38

Since Ezekiel is symbolically prophesying to mountains today, I googled Mount Seir to see who he was talking about. According to Wikipedia, Mount Seir was on the southeastern border of Edom and Judah. So this prophecy is to Edom. Shockingly, it is full of doom and gloom, not just because Edom shed blood (after all, God has had several countries shed plenty of blood), but because they enjoyed it so much and they gloated over Israel during the process (35:6, 12-15).

In chapter 36, Ezekiel offers some hope to the beleaguered Israel (1-12), but also reminds them that they brought this calamity on themselves (13-20). God also makes clear that He is not restoring Judah b/c they deserve it, but instead, He is acting out of concern for His holy name (21-23, 32). He also tells the Israelites that, "I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (27). I don't know how Bible scholars interpret that prophecy, but I wonder if it found its ultimate fulfillment in Acts 2, where God's Spirit descends upon His church for the first time.

Ever since I discovered this Eerdman's Handbook to the Bible (published in 1973, baby, and looking very much the part), I have liked referring to it, b/c it has a bite-sized paragraph on each chapter of the Bible, along with lots of color pictures:). Regarding chapter 36, it reads in part,

"Those who returned from exile were truly and permanently cured of idolatry (25). But the total transformation of a 'new heart' is realized only 'in Christ' (2 Cor. 5:17). Ezekiel was thinking of something far more complex than a heart transplant: the heart, in Jewish though, stood for the whole personality, the essential man."

I thought that was all pretty interesting. And it seemed to me that the handbook's explanation of the prophecy was a great example of sensus plenior application.

NT: James 1:1-18

Ahhh, I love me some James. Martin Luther called James "an epistle of straw," mainly b/c it threw a kink in his precious "sole fide" theory. In seeming contrast to a lot of Pauline thought, James really emphasizes the importance of actions in the life of a Christian. Apparently, people see that idea (expressed most fully in James 2) as some big contradiction to Paul. To that I say, "Where did you get the impression that actions don't matter to Paul?" Paul is all about actions. Remember? He is Mr. "Hand them over to Satan" if a Christian's actions don't match their talk. His letters are full of instructions and guidelines on just about every area of Christian action.

Anyhow, I'm getting ahead of myself. Today's reading contains several distinct sections, all of them good. The first is found in 2-6. Verse 2 is especially famous: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds..." I can never read that without remembering my brother's retort, which he once wrote me in a letter. In discussing his response to his troubles, he brought up his thoughts about James. "'Consider it pure joy?' he said, "Yeah, right. Consider it pure hell.'" As, um, forceful as his response was, I think it highlights the craziness of James' idea. I always test this idea when I have a particularly bad stomach virus. I lie in bed and think, "I am going to consider this pure joy." It doesn't work very well, especially when you consider joy to be synonymous with happiness. But in the Christian worldview, the highest goal is to become more like Christ. Our suffering makes us more like Christ, by testing our faith, developing perseverance in us, and making us mature and complete. Thus, it is good, at least in the hands of a person who allows it to do those things.

Verses 9-11 exalt the poor and slam the rich, and they also provide a reminder that, like the rich man, we are like transient flowers, which soon fade away.

Verse 12 is about perseverance, and relates well to verses 2-6.

And verses 16-18 remind us that "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." I love that wording. Did you hear that they retranslated the NIV? I am not happy about that. I hope this verse stayed the same, though.

Psalm 116:1-19

A praise psalm to God for rescuing the author from personal distress.

Prov. 27:23-27

These four verses seem to be an admonition to keep track of your financial business.

November 16

2010-11-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 33:1-34:31

In chapter 33, Ezekiel hears that Jerusalem has fallen and shares a prophecy that he claims to receive the night before. I believe him, of course, but I can see how skeptics would think, "Suuuuuure." Although, honestly, he has been prophesying the fall of Jerusalem for awhile now, and the actual content of the prophecy is not all about the fall of Jerusalem. Instead, it is another reminder that people will be judged individually, according to their actions. People who turn from their wickedness will be saved, and people who turn from their righteousness will not. Past actions do not matter; it is what the people are doing right now that counts.

In chapter 34, I noticed many themes that continue in the New Testament. Verses 1-10 describe the leaders of Judah as "shepherds," and these shepherds are condemned in an elaborate metaphor. Similarly, the leaders of the New Testament church are called elders, or shepherds (1 Peter 5). The condemnation of these leaders is also echoed in some of Jesus' accusations against the Pharisees, such as when he accuses them of placing heavy burdens on the people.

In verses 11-16, God says that because the earthly shepherds are doing such a lousy job, that He Himself will be their shepherd. This metaphor is, of course, continued by Jesus, who calls Himself the "good Shepherd," and provides his own lengthy metaphor contrasting Himself with hired hands and sheep thieves (John 10).

In verses 17-24, God says that, in His role as shepherd, He will judge "between one sheep and another, between rams and goats" (17). The figurative language here is very similar to Jesus' description of judgment in Matthew 25.

In verse 25, God says that He will "make a covenant of peace" with His people, which reminded me of the talk of reconciliation b/t man and God in Ephesians 2 and 2 Cor. 5.

I always like seeing how themes of the OT inform the language of the NT. It is a helpful reminder that the two testaments are not disjointed, conflicting documents, but rather one story of God's relationship with man. The one flows naturally into the other.

NT: Hebrews 13:1-25

The Hebrew writer concludes today with the usual potpourri of instructions. He urges the church to keep loving each other (1), to keep showing hospitality (2), to remember those in prison (3), to honor marriage (4), to be content and free of the love of money (5), to continue to imitate their leaders (7), to stay grounded in the face of "strange teachings" (9), to obey their leaders (17), and to pray for the author (18-19).

I like the idea of entertaining angels. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I like it. I also like how verses 9-10 urge the people to continue to rely on grace for justification, rather than falling into the trap of relying on outward rules. I personally can always use that reminder. It continues to amaze me how people (such as myself) have this innate need for rules. If the rules aren't there, we make them up. Sometimes I think we do that with the Bible. Freedom in Christ is a big, nebulous, almost scary concept, and too often, we run back to the shelter and definition of rules. The problem is that we often then make these rules universal, instead of viewing them as what they are: man-made props to help us stay on the right path. To the degree that they do their job, they are good. But to the degree that they distract us from the truth of the gospel (that we are saved by grace through faith), they are harmful.

Psalm 115:1-18

This psalm seems like a real song that people would sing in an assembly. Maybe all the psalms are "real songs that people would sing," but I guess that, in terms of form, this one looks more like a psalm that we would sing today.

Prov. 27: 21-22

Verse 21 is fascinating. It compares the praise a man receives to a crucible and furnace that test silver and gold, respectively. I guess it is saying that the reaction we have to praise shows the state of our heart. I know that often, my heart swells with pride when I am praised, even if I am praised for a spiritual quality. I'm thinking that that reaction shows that my heart, deep down, is prideful. There are also times when I feel humbled by praise, so I guess in those times, my heart is in a better state.

November 15

2010-11-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

*Exhaustion alert*

OT: Ezekiel 31:1-32:32

Ezekiel's prophecies against Egypt continue today with three new installments. I thought it was interesting that the second one was called a lament (32:2), and in the third one, God instructs Ezekiel to "wail for the hordes of Egypt." All this destruction, though from God, is portrayed as a tragedy. In the first prophecy (chapter 31), a lot is made of Egypt's grandeur, and it would seem that the tragedy of this great kingdom was that they put themselves above God. In verse 10, God says, "Because it towered on high, lifting its top above the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, I handed it over to the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness" (10-11). In chapter 32, its fate is compared to that of Assyria, another grand nation that apparently got too big for its britches.

Another interesting fact that the last prophecy brings up is the terror that Egypt and Assyria caused (32:23, 24, 25, 26, 27). Several of these verses seem to indicate that their terror-spreading is one of the factors that led to their punishment. For example, verse 25 says, "Because their terror had spread in the land of the living, they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among the slain." But then, verse 32 brings up a point that had already occurred to me, namely that God "had [Pharoah] spread terror int he land of the living." So I'm not sure if the terror-spreading is listed as a reason or as an irony. There's more going on in this section--several different refrains, and a particularly enigmatic verse 32:31--but I don't have the mental energy or the insight to explore right now.

NT: Hebrews 12:14-29

This section contrasts the old and new covenants in ways that are alternately comforting and challenging. Verses 18-24 are comforting b/c they contrast the fear and mystery that surrounded God in the old covenant with the joy and accessibility that are characteristic of Him in the new covenant. To make this point, the Hebrew author contrasts the stormy and stern Mt. Sinai with the joyful and crowded Mt. Zion.

In verses 25-27, however, the writer points out that, given our immense accessibility to God, we have no excuse to turn our backs on Him. After all, "if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?" (25). I'm wondering if the person who "warned them on earth" was their particular priest and prophet, b/c the one who warns from heaven seems to be Jesus, who is specifically described in verse 24. Regardless, these verses definitely induce some fear of God, but in a good way.

I like the picture of God's kingdom in verse 28. It is called "a kingdom that cannot be shaken." As a person who craves stability, I love that image.

Psalm 113:1-114:8

All I can say about these praise psalms was that I was really amused by the image of "mountains [that] skipped like rams" (14:4). I definitely pictured that one, and it made me smile.

Prov. 27: 18-20

You reap what you sow; your heart is the source of your identity; and your eyes are never satisfied.

November 14

2010-11-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 29:1-30:26

Today's prophecies focus on the destruction of Egypt. In the first half of chapter 29, the Nile River figures prominently and in interesting ways. First of all, it is mentioned twice in statements explaining the reason for God's wrath against Pharoah: "You say, 'The Nile is mine; I made it for myself" (29:3, 9). Pharoah's declaration indicates that he has placed himself in the place of God and has refused to acknowledge God's presence. That arrogance borders on an idolatrous worship of self, and God plans on bringing that to an end. In speaking of that end, the prophecy again uses the Nile to paint a figurative image. Pharoah is described as the "great monster" of the Nile, whom God is going to fish out. Pharoah will not be alone, though, as God is going to "make the fish of your streams stick to your scales" (4). Thus, the reader gets a crazy image of this big sea monster, with all these fish stuck to him, being fished out of the Nile and thrown into the desert to die. I've got to say, that's a memorable image. Brutal, but memorable.

The rest of the reading discusses the fall of Egypt in more detail, adding other reasons for their fall (Egypt's failure to save Israel and their use of idols), the means of their fall (Babylon), and the reason for Babylon's victory (b/c God felt sorry for them for not defeating Tyre???).

Today, I was struck yet again by the overall theme of the prophets that God is in direct control of the fate of all nations.

NT: Hebrews 11:32-12:13

We wrap up the hall of faith chapter today, with the author switching from a chronology to a collection of generalities. I actually think I like the generalities better; they are very well written. I love the list that stretches from verses 32-34:

"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies."

I'm a sucker for good parallel structure.

The way that the writer goes on to speak triumphantly of the horrific deaths of various martyrs (36-38) reminds me that the Bible's view of life is very, very different than our typical view. These verses reinforce some of the thoughts I've had about Ezekiel in the past couple of blogs. I also like the reminder that many of these people died without having "received what had been promised" (39). The grand narrative of God's work in history is bigger than any one life, and there is no guarantee that we will understand all the reasons behind and meanings of the events of our lives at any point during our lifetimes. Like those martyrs, we play only small roles in a very large play. And yet, those roles are glorious. Regarding those players, the Hebrew writer declares, "the world was not worthy of them" (38).

In light of those ideas, the writer then urges us to play our little roles to the fullest:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

What resonated most with me today was the idea of keeping our eyes on Jesus. Right now, my life is full of wonderful opportunities that God has given me to glorify Him. And I am determined to make the most of them. I have been determined to "run with perseverance the race marked out for" me. And yet, in my determination, I have begun to take my eyes off Jesus. Instead, my eyes have been focused on myself, on getting done what I have to do, and persevering through the busyness and stress of it all. I have been relying on myself, and not on God's strength. And honestly, my actions have stopped being a form of worship to Him. Now, I know that I can't always keep the perfect mindset in everything I do, but in this case, I know that my faulty mindset has come from my lack of reliance on God, especially through prayer. And after trying to handle everything on my own for the past couple of days, I am more than ready to fix my eyes back on Jesus!

Psalm 112: 1-10

A lovely little psalm of blessing to those who fear God. My favorite verses are 4-5:

"Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice."

I also like the idea of his heart being secure and of his act of scattering "abroad his gifts to the poor" (8,9).

Prov. 27:17

One of my favorite proverbs. I am so thankful to have several friends (including my husband) who sharpen me "as iron sharpens iron."

November 13

2010-11-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 27:1-28:26

For half of today's reading, I was thinking, "Who the heck is Tyre, and why is Ezekiel going on about them?" And then, the lightbulb came on: Tyre is code for Babylon.

Or not. I just looked it up in my Bible handbook, and according to it, Tyre is code for Tyre. Oh well.

I actually kind of enjoyed reading about Tyre's wealth and their trading habits. Ezekiel painted a picture of a beautiful, thriving civilization. I can see how, living in that civilization, you would be tempted to think you were invincible. In fact, when I don't watch myself, I tend to think that about my own civilization. Thinking about the destruction of Tyre provided a sober reminder that no country is invincible.

And as with the other countries, the result of Tyre's destruction is, "Then they will know that I am the Lord" (28:24).

NT: Hebrews 11:17-31

Today, the hall of faith continues, and it occurred to me that (duh), this section is yet another retelling of Israel's history. I love seeing the Israelites' treatment of their own history, especially their artistic slants. In Psalm 105 and 106, for example, the psalmist(s) tell the same history, but employ contrasting themes to organize their renditions. The Hebrew writer, on the other hand, takes the theme of faith and chooses to view all of Israel's history through that lens.

It's funny how the best thing he can think to say about Jacob is that, "when he was dying, [he] blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff." One of my Bible professors pointed out that lame "praise" earlier this year when we discussed what a sleaze Jacob was. But hey, I'm glad the guy was able to find the positive:).

I also like that Rahab was included. She was also included in the lineage of Jesus, which shows just how far faith will carry you in the NT. And when I think of God's dim view of prostitution (Oholah and Oholibah, anyone?), I am reminded how the story of Rahab provides a stark example of God's grace.

Psalm 111:1-10

A praise psalm, which concludes with the famous proverb, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (10).

Prov. 27: 15-16

Against quarrelsome wives.

November 12

2010-11-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 24:1-26:21

Wow, today's reading really helped me to focus my thoughts on the nature and meaning of life. And it reminded me, yet again, that the Bible's answers to those questions are vastly different from our natural answers. Our instinctive, animalistic impulses are very much at odds with the Bible's teachings.

According to today's reading, the most important thing in life is to know God. Knowledge of (and submission to) our Creator is more important than comfort, than security, than our relationships, than life itself. And when you orient your mind to that way of thinking, readings like today make more sense. They are still hard, but they fit into that bigger picture.

For one thing, God kills Ezekiel's wife and commands him not to mourn...in order to make a point. This action is yet another example of the idea that God treats His prophets like pawns in a chess game. I don't know about you, but my first impulse is to think that physical death should not be used as a metaphor. And yet, God thought that it should, and Ezekiel submitted to His judgment. Because the most important thing in life is knowledge of God and not relationships.

In chapter 25, Ezekiel gives a series of prophecies to various nations (Ammon, Moab, Seir, Edom, Philistia, and Tyre). In every case, the prophecies contain dire predictions of suffering and destruction. And in almost every case, they end with an explanation of sorts: "Then they will know that I am the Lord" (25:11; see also 7, 14, and 17). Come to think of it, that was also part of God's reasoning for the metaphor with Ezekiel's wife: "So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord" (27; see also 24). Apparently, "knowing the Lord" is higher on God's priority list than life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!

That's all kind of crazy to me, and I feel compelled to give the caveat that understanding God's view of our lives does not negate the many, many teachings of the Bible that tell us humans to value life, to protect the lives of the helpless, to preserve life through service to our fellow man, and so forth. Certainly, deference to God's sovereign power over life should not produce an attitude of callousness toward the pain and suffering around us. Life is a sacred gift from God--it is not for us to take it away. But it does belong to God, and He can do with it what He wants. And these examples of God's perspective on life should help us Christians to put our lives in perspective, and not to cling to them as our highest priorities.

NT: Hebrews 11:1-16

Speaking of which, today we begin reading about "The Hall of Faith," which highlights many examples of people who understood the reality stated above. Because they valued knowledge of God over personal security, they were willing to step out on faith. Today's examples were Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham. Because of his faith, Abel was murdered by his brother. Because of his faith, Noah was ridiculed as he labored for months (years?) building a seemingly ridiculous boat. Because of faith, Abraham left everything he knew and plunged out into the great unknown.

I love verses 13-16. Verse 13 notes that, "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers here." If the "things promised" were the formation of the nation of Israel and the eventual coming of the Messiah, then most of these guys did not even know about the things promised. They just believed in God and did what He said to do. I also like the part about admitting that they were aliens and strangers. The more I read God's word and orient myself to His worldview, the more I feel like an alien or stranger. The idea that self-preservation is not my top priority should definitely make me stand out in a world full of beings longing and fighting to survive.

Psalm 110:7

This is one of the psalms quoted by the author of Hebrews! I'm not sure, given his creative use of the psalms, whether he thinks that the whole psalm applies to Christ, or just the verses he quoted.

Prov. 27:14

The example in this proverb proves that it's not just the thought that counts. Sometimes the best of intentions can end up causing more harm than good.

November 11

2010-11-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 23:1-49

Well. Today we have another one of those "thirty year old" sections, so I'm not old enough to talk about it:).

I will say that as I was reading, I thought, "I see the point, but why is all this disgusting stuff coming out of God's mouth? Wouldn't there be a better way to make this point?" And then it hit me: God is not above using shock value.

There is a famous example of a preacher (I believe it was Tony Campolo) who used shock value. In a sermon before a large audience, he stood up and announced, "Three million people starved to death in Africa yesterday, and you people don't give a s--- about it." (I just made that number up, but he was obviously quoting a statistic.) His next sentence was, "And what's worse, you are more upset that I just said s--- in church than that three million people starved in Africa."

Now, I personally think I might have been more offended that he assumed I didn't "give a s--- about it" than the actual word. That said, I would have been offended by the word, and in the moment, his second sentence would have been true of me. I felt offended by the word just in hearing the example. It's kind of like God's vivid sexual descriptions in Ezekiel; there's a big part of you that says, "This is just uncalled for!" And yet, what's worse--the fact that God is using crude language or the fact that people are sacrificing their children in the fire? Disgusting imagery or direct rebellion? That's the benefit of using shock value to moral ends. The shock that you feel at the example reminds you of the shock you should be feeling about the tragedy itself.

NT: Hebrews 10:18-39

We get two very different sides of a coin in this reading. On the one side, we see the amazing benefits of having such a powerful high priest and of being covered with such a perfect sacrifice. As verse 22 says, we can now "draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water" (23). Yay! I love the fact that we can draw near to God with a clear conscience.

But lest we get too cocky and self-assured, verses 26-31 urge us NOT. to. take. Christ's. blood. for. granted. These might just be the most frightening verses for Christians, because they really do seem to describe post-conversion behavior. With many of the other stern warnings against sin, you can think, "Well, Christ's blood covers that. We aren't perfect, but we are saved through grace." But you get to these verses and it's like a slap in the face. Yes, we are saved by grace, but we cannot take God's grace for granted. It reminds me of Galatians 6:7, which warns us not to be deceived: "God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." When our lives as Christians make a mockery of Christ's death, I do believe that there is going to be some unpleasant reaping going on.

I have always wondered, though, whether this section really is post-conversion or not. It specifically talks about deliberately continuing to sin after receiving "knowledge of the truth." Maybe it is referring to those who hear the truth, but reject it outright, instead of accepting it. It compares this attitude to rejecting the law of Moses in verse 28, so maybe there is something to that interpretation. Regardless, I always take it as a stern warning to check myself. Do I deliberately keep on sinning? I mean, I sin every day, but is it a deliberate pattern? It's worth pondering.

Psalm 109:1-31

David isn't feeling particularly merciful in today's psalm, which continues the theme of impending punishment that we found in both the OT and NT readings. Not the cheeriest of themes.

Prov. 27:13

This proverb sounds familiar, but I'm not sure enough about the practices to which it refers to really understand what it is saying.

November 10

2010-11-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 21:1-22:31

I'm going to be honest: today's Bible reading was not a glorious experience. I was tired, and I have a cold, and I could see no distinguishing features between today and previous days in either the OT or the NT readings. At one point, I decided to see how long we have been reading prophecies centering around the coming destruction. It's been over a month; we started Isaiah on September 8. Halfway through today's reading, I began to wonder if my Bible force-feeding was bringing any glory to God. I tried my hardest to focus, but just had a hard time. I did talk to God and just told Him that I hoped the discipline itself brought Him glory.

Anyway, when I get tired and cranky, I generally just have questions about the reading, rather than any insight or inspiration. For instance, in verse 3, God says that he is "going to cut off the righteous and the wicked." That fits into a lot of other prophecies, but what about the vision where the guy marked all the righteous on the forehead? Or what about God's new deal, where He was going to judge people individually?

How does this all fit together?

NT: Hebrews 10:1-17

There is more "shadow" talk in verse 1, which continues the discussion about Jesus, the new high priest. We hear more about how Jesus does not have to continue to make sacrifices, because He made the ultimate, perfect sacrifice when He died for us.

My cranky question comes with verse 5, when the Hebrew writer quotes a psalm and directly attributes it to Jesus. My question is simply, why? I mean, clearly he knew that it wasn't Jesus who said it, and clearly he feels that the Psalms have some serious, Messianic tie-ins...but why misquote? I enjoy literary freedom as much as (if not more than) the next guy, but I just didn't see the purpose.

Okay, griping about it actually got my synapses firing, and I am beginning to see a purpose, which is very much in keeping with his crazy use of OT texts. The purpose is that the quote provides a good synopsis of so much of what Jesus said about external actions being unable to please God. And the last verse, especially, describes the role of Jesus very well. So the psalm is very fitting.

My favorite verse in this section is verse 14. The only thing that bothers me about it is that it is a sentence fragment, which doesn't make it very quotable. But I love how it sums up the mystery of Christians. There is a paradox about Christians: by accepting Christ, they are fully justified and made perfect in God's eyes (when it comes to judgment). And yet...they aren't perfect. Not even close. What gives? How can God think of us as perfect when we are obviously such screw-ups? Verse 14 puts it together for me: "by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Christianity is both an all-at-once type of thing and a process. If Jesus' blood covers us, then we are perfect in God's sight. And yet, our transformation into the likeness of Christ is a gradual thing that only happens as we give God more and more control of our lives.

Psalm 108:1-13

I did enjoy this psalm very much, in part b/c I read it aloud this morning to help focus my day. I was too tired to dive into Ezekiel, but I thought a psalm would be nice. And it was. I particularly loved the declaration:

"For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies" (4).

Prov. 27:12

About the wisdom of avoiding unnecessary danger.

November 9

2010-11-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 20:1-49

The year, according to the Eerdman's Bible Handbook I recently unearthed, is 591. It's around July or August (man, this book gets specific). And Ezekiel has just been instructed to give the exiled elders a little history lesson in response to their inquiry into God's will. For a short, simple question, they get quite a long response!

This history lesson is obviously designed to highlight the recurrent pattern of covenant-rebellion-punishment-restoration that has occurred throughout Israel's history. Thus, Ezekiel uses similar phrases over and over:

--"with uplifted hand I swore to them" (5, 15, 23, 42)--Regarding God's establishment of covenant or assurance of punishment.

--"desecrated my Sabbaths" (13, 16, 21, 24)--always included as part of the description of the people's rebellion.

--"for the sake of my name" (9, 14, 22, 24)--God's reasoning for inevitably showing mercy and grace to the Israelites. That might sound self-serving, but if God's glory is the highest goal, then it makes sense to me that it is His highest goal, as well.

One interesting thing about Ezekiel's use of this cycle in telling Israel's history is that he made the time of Egyptian slavery fit into that cycle. I had never heard before that the reason God allowed the Israelites to be enslaved was because "they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt" (8). Like I said, that was just interesting.

Also of interest was the section in which God basically told the Israelites, "Like it or not, you will never NOT be my people" (32-44). Verses 32-34 put the section the most clearly:

"You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath."

I guess there are several ways to look at that. You can view is as tyrannical or overly controlling, perhaps. I, however, tend to view it through the lens of a parent. I hope this never happens, but my children may one day rebel against me and everything I believe in; they may come to hate me; they may do great harm to me. But there is nothing they can do that will make me stop being their mom, not just in terms of biology, but in terms of love and action. And my ever-present "mom-ness" may be unpleasant to them at times. It may seem unfair; it may even seem suffocating to them (I hope not, but I'm just acknowledging the facts). But my choice to always be their mom is not so that I can control their lives or make them miserable; it is because I love them and want what is best for them.

And now that I'm thinking about it that way, let me say something else about God's motivations as related in Ezekiel. I mentioned earlier that He was motivated by the desire to glorify Himself. That's not actually what it says. Every verse talking about "the sake of his name" mentions His concern for His name among other nations. Those nations are (obviously) full of people, and if God's ultimate goal is to save the world (see John 3:16), then He has to be concerned about His reputation among the nations. So I see God's actions here as striking a pre-Jesus balance between maintaining His holiness (via punishment of the people) at the same time as He maintains His great love (shown in his pity for the people and His concern for His name among other nations).

NT: Hebrews 9:11-28

The Hebrew writer continues his comparisons between the old and new covenants. Both required blood--one of many, many animals, and the other of Christ (12-14). Similarly, both were like wills, in that they were put into effect only after death occurred--again, the animals, and Christ, respectively (16-21).

The contrast comes when considering that the new covenant takes place in heaven, where the old one took place in--Plato alert!--a mere "copy of the true one" (24). And because his blood was perfect, it only had to be shed once (25-28).

Psalm 107:1-43

Another lengthy and interesting praise psalm, giving glory to God through the ups (e.g. 8-9) and downs (e.g. 10-16).

Prov. 27:11

A father imploring his son to be wise.

November 8

2010-11-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

OT: Ezekiel 18:1-19:14

In chapter 18, Ezekiel takes pains to outline what is apparently God's "New Deal": from that point on, people would be judged as individuals, and "the soul who sins is the one who will die" (4). Ezekiel first gives the example of a righteous father and a sinful son (the son dies), and then a sinful father and a righteous son (the father dies). Next, he gives an example of a wicked man who repents (he lives), and a righteous man who goes bad (he dies).

In verses 25-29, God brings up the charge that He is unfair, and answers that the people are unfair. I wondered in what context came the charge from the people. Was the accusation a result of the old policy or the new? He cites it after laying out the new policy, but of course, that policy sounds like the fair one...so...why are the people complaining? And if the accusation is in response to the old policy, does the new policy represent God's reaction to the complaint? Hmmm...probably not, b/c rather than answer that He has changed policies, He simply highlights the people's own injustice. I don't know. Frankly, this whole section was kind of confusing to me. It makes sense if you read the Bible as an evolution of God's relationship with man, but the whole notion of God "changing policies" in the first place is a little weird.

I also like how God twice declares that He does not take pleasure in death. In verse 23, He asks rhetorically, "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?...Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" In verse 32, He expands this thought: "For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!" I like those verses, as they put God's wrath in some kind of perspective. I think it's easy for me to get overwhelmed by the fury and brutality of it all and to miss the fact that, as passionate as He is about it, it is not His desire.

NT: Hebrews 9:1-10

Speaking of changing policies, Hebrews continues its theme of God's transition to the New Covenant. As I noted in the OT section, the idea of any transition at all in a God who is "the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow" is a little bit baffling, to say the least. But relationships evolve and grow, I guess. And if you look at the Bible as telling the story of one relationship--that b/t God and man--then it makes sense that it would develop and evolve. All relationships do.

The evolution that is described in this reading is that of the tabernacle worship forms changing into something more internal. Regarding those forms, verse 10 maintains that "They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of the new order." This fits in with the earlier discussion of Jesus being the new high priest, followed by the assertion that the new covenant is written on our hearts. We've covered the priests and the covenant, and now we are moving onto the external forms described in that covenant.

Psalm 106: 32-48

The grim historical retelling continues today.

Prov. 27:10

And odd proverb about how it is better to turn to a nearby neighbor for help "than a brother far away."

November 7

2010-11-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Ezekiel 16:43-17:24

The rest of chapter 16 continues the metaphor of Judah being like a promiscuous woman, but this section locates the woman within a larger family of promiscuous women: her mothers, sisters, and daughters. In this network of women, Judah's older sister is Samaria, and her younger sister is Sodom. I thought that was interesting, because the first we hear about Samaria is during the divided kingdom, where it is part of Israel. Sodom, on the other hand, came much earlier in Israel's history, during the time of Abraham. So wouldn't Sodom be the older sister? Or is the place in the family determined by level of sins? Even then, I think of Sodom as pretty bad. Anyway, all that to say, I thought the "little sister" designation was interesting.

I also thought it was interesting that in verse 53, God says that He "will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them." Okay, I can see Jerusalem and Samaria, b/c they are cities representing the Israelites. But Sodom? I thought Sodom was long gone! That verse reminded me of when Jesus told...someone...that on the day of Judgment it would be more bearable for Sodom than it would for them. Like this verse, Jesus' statement raised questions about the eternal fate of the Sodomites, which, for me at least, raises questions about the eternal fate of all the OT pagans who were excluded from God's people. In the end, though, I leave all that to God. Those verses just give me something to chew on.

In chapter 17, God gives the Israelites a parable about two eagles and a vine. The first eagle is Nebuchadnezzar, who "plants" Zedekiah, the vine. The vine flourishes and grows, as it is planted in fertile soil. Unfortunately, a second eagle, Egypt, comes onto the scene, and the vine reaches out to that eagle. Because it forsook the first eagle, it will now be uprooted and destroyed. I was intrigued by how positively the vine's situation was portrayed. To me, being set up as a puppet king by an invading army would not be ideal, but this metaphor makes it sound just wonderful. The description fits in to the oddly positive treatment that Babylon receives in many of the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, I guess b/c Babylon is portrayed as the chosen instrument of God to punish His people.

NT: Hebrews 8:1-13

I vividly remember reading verse 5 as either a high schooler or a college student and thinking, "Holy cow--this guy knows Plato!" It was always oddly shocking to me when church history and school history intersected, and the writer's statement that earthly sanctuaries are a "copy and shadow of what is in heaven," seemed to reveal a clear knowledge of the idea of Platonic forms. I thought that it was cool how he applied that knowledge to his understanding of the Law: "This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: 'See to it that you make everything acc0rding to the pattern shown you on the mountain'" (5). I also like this clear assimilation of philosophy and Scriptural understanding b/c it helps to debunk the idea that knowledge of or belief in God is anti-intellectual. People--even Christians--have tended to use some of Paul's statements about God's wisdom v. man's wisdom (e.g. I Cor. 1:18-25) as evidence that Biblical truth and human philosophy are inherently incompatible. And in some cases that is true; Paul elsewhere maintains that, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor. 10:5). But that verse does not automatically exclude any extra-biblical line of thought; rather, it excludes those philosophies (or even simply the degree to which those philosophies) deny God's presence. The Hebrew writer, then, has no problem using Platonic philosophy to further his understanding of God's Law and the reasoning behind it.

I'm a bit loopy from Nyquil, so I'm not sure if any of that made sense to anyone but me.

This section closes by quoting Jeremiah 31, where God said that he would make a new, personal covenant with His people. The personal, individual nature of this covenant suggests that it will not be with one particular nation, but with each person who knows and follows God, regardless of his/her ethnicity. It also ushers in a deeply personal era, in which God will "put my laws on their minds/and write them on their hearts" (10).

On a sidenote, I understand how the Hebrew writer's use of OT can be off-putting to our modern beliefs about the rules of using and citing sources, but I have very much enjoyed the way he has woven together disparate elements of the OT (psalms, prophecies, laws, obscure OT figures) in order to build a coherent argument regarding the high priesthood of Jesus--which you could argue is itself an artistic construction used to describe Jesus' role to a predominantly Jewish audience. The result for me is that, more than any other book, this one seems so definitely "inspired." (Disclaimer: I know that they are all inspired; I'm just saying that I personally can clearly see it in this case.)

Psalm 106: 13-31

The psalmist continues his alterna-history today. I think there is so much to say about the juxtaposition of Psalm 105 and 106, both praise psalms which relate completely different historical viewpoints. I can't quite put it into words right now, but there are a lot of thoughts there.

Prov. 27:7-9

The first two seem like simple statements of fact. The third extols the earnest counsel of a friend.

November 6

2010-11-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Ezekiel 14:12-16:42

O-kaaay. I see the reason for the thirty year old thing.

The bulk of today's reading consisted of an extended metaphor involving a bloody baby girl being thrown out in the desert only to be "adopted" by God. The girl grows into a beautiful woman and then promptly becomes a prostitute, one who pays her customers, instead of vice versa. Because of her sin, she is stoned to death.

There is more to that story, but I think you have to be over thirty to discuss it, and I'm not quite there:). So all I have to say is, geez.

As vivid as the story was, though, the takeaway was the same as for most of the prophecies: Judah has sinned and will be punished. The whole process was just conveyed a bit more...graphically today.

NT: Hebrews 7:18-26

The high priest discussion continues. Unlike other high priests, Jesus became priest with an oath that said that he would be the high priest forever (21). In keeping with the Hebrew writer's unique approach to the OT, the proof text for this declaration was found in a psalm that, on its face, is not explicitly about the Christ. However, I went and read the psalm (which the Hebrew writer has quoted before, btw), and I do see how most of it can easily be read as a Messianic psalm. The end of the psalm, however, is interesting in light of the writer's interpretation:

"⁵ The Lord is at your right hand^c]">[c];
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
⁶ He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
⁷ He will drink from a brook along the way,^d]">[d]
and so he will lift his head high."

Now, if "the Lord" is God, it does kind of fit into the idea of God's wrath. But the text is ambiguous on this point. Check it out on biblegateway. That 'c' footnote says: " Or My lord is at your right hand, LORD." If the footnote's translation is right, then that means that the guy killing everyone is Christ. And maybe that fits in with some pictures of Revelation. I don't know; I know very little about Revelation. Anyway, I just thought the psalm as a whole was interesting.

This section concludes by affirming that not only is Christ our priest forever, but he is our perfect priest (28).

Psalm 106:1-12

Depending on your viewpoint, this psalm's perspective is either perplexing or neat. While the last psalm highlighted only good things about Israel's history, this psalm recounts the bad. And they are both praise psalms. I think it's kind of cool that two competing narratives regarding Israel's history can both elicit the same response in the psalmist(s): praise to God. It reminds me of the different ways we see our own history. One Christian can view their history (whether on a family, church, or national level) one way, and another can view the same history totally differently, but as long as the end result is a strong faith and praise to God, I think both viewpoints are okay. Now, b/c I'm a history nerd, I love to argue with those who disagree with me, but in the end, I'm not sure how important it is that we all see history the same way.

Prov. 27:4-6

Verse 5 says, "Better is an open rebuke than hidden love." I'm not sure what that means. I guess it is just praising honesty and frankness.

November 5

2010-11-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Ezekiel 12:1-14:11

Phew! Lots of things hit me in today's reading. The first, and perhaps most powerful thought for me personally, came after reading 12:11, where the Lord tells Ezekiel to, "Say to them, 'I am a sign to you.'" I have been thinking a lot about the role of the prophet, and mainly about how I would not want to be one! As I've read Isaiah, Jeremiah, and now Ezekiel, I have seen the degree to which prophets are just pawns in God's chess game (a phrase that I have repeated several times lately in real life). In other words, it is very obvious that they have a role that is more important than their lives, dreams, and personal happiness, and that role is to convey God's message to His people. And they are to convey that message in whatever way God sees fit. Have a kid, and name him this. Have another kid, and name him that. Go naked for three years. Lie on your side for years. Shave your head. Make a fool of yourself. Later, God has Hosea marry a prostitute, with whom he has a very tumultuous relationship, simply to give the Israelites a picture of His relationship with them. Reading all that from the perspective of my selfish humanity, I want to say to God, "These people are not your toys! A child is not a political statement! A marriage is not a metaphor! These are people's lives you are messing with here!"

But then I see the greater truth of the situation, which is backed up by the rest of Scripture. The prophets are not exceptions to humanity; they are just dramatic representations of the rule. I believe that the purpose of my life, of all of our lives, is to glorify God. My little hopes and dreams, and my personal happiness, strictly speaking, are irrelevant in light of God's greater purpose. His glory and His purposes are the main goal here, and we are pawns in His chess game, a game that seeks to achieve that goal. And as Christians, our job is to embrace that role, to embrace the fact that life is not about us but about God. Jesus came to teach us that truth, to teach us how to die to ourselves and to give ourselves over to God's purposes. And He also came to show us that when we do give ourselves over to God's will, that then we find life. Because true life is found in doing what you were designed to do, in fulfilling your purpose.

In light of that reasoning, I could see, for example, how God could have planned for my brother, Mike's, life and death to happen the way it did as just another way to achieve His purposes. I have no idea what those purposes were, but perhaps they include my family ministering to and witnessing to others as a result of that experience. I know that my mom, especially, has had some really powerful witnessing experiences resulting from Mike's death. Now, would she say that those experiences were worth his death? No, she would not. Neither would I. Just like I wouldn't say that a lot of the experiences of the prophets were worth the pay off. But...it's not my call. It's not my chess game. I am reminded of what Eli says when told about his impending death, or maybe the death of his sons. I don't know, I can't find the reference, but he basically says, "He is the Lord. Let him do what is right in his eyes." At the time, I was struck by Eli's resignation, but now I can kind of see the beauty of it.

But back to the verse itself, about the prophet being a sign to the people. From what I can recall, I don't know that Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel performed any miraculous signs when they prophesied (besides people dying as they spoke). Rather, their lives were the sign; God sent His message through their words and actions. Like them, we Christians today don't perform any miraculous signs, like Jesus and the apostles did. But like them, our lives are supposed to be the sign to others. Our actions are the signs. Like them, we are just normal people who are controlled by God's Spirit. And no, we don't have visions or dreams, but we do have God's Word, and we do have God's Spirit living inside us. And those two things should lead us into living a life that is very different from the lives of most people around us.

So it's funny. I have been feeling very sorry for the prophets, and I still wouldn't want their job, but I'm seeing more and more how I have their job. Thankfully, it is not as direct and dramatic, but there are definitely some big picture similarities between them and Christians today.

Wow, that took awhile to type. I had some other thoughts, but I'm going to shorten them. For one, I have begun to wonder where these false visions and false prophecies came from. I guess I've always assumed that the false prophets were just straight lying. Perhaps they were trying to curry favor with the king or with the people, or perhaps they wanted attention. I don't know; I didn't give it much thought. But two verses today made me think about it more thoroughly. In 12:24, Ezekiel prophesies that "there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel." For some reason, it occurred to me today that maybe the false prophets weren't always just flat out lying. Perhaps they were deluding themselves into thinking that their visions were real. In 13:25, Ezekiel even says about the women, "therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination." So there is definitely the idea that people actually saw these visions. Since both visions mention divination, it may be that these visions sprang from a darker spiritual source (I don't know much about witchcraft at all, which is why that sentence is vague). Anyhow, the takeaway for me came from the idea that "the heart is deceitful above all things," and I wondered how susceptible Christians today are to such visions. Do I delude myself into thinking "Peace, peace," when there is no peace? Do I delude myself about the nature of the Christian life, the nature of what God expects from me, in order to make my ideas fit better with my own desires for comfort, security, and stability? Just some thoughts.

Okay, believe it or not, I have more to say (about the whitewashing metaphor in 13:10-16 and about God's motives as revealed in 14:5), but I really need to move on.

NT: Heb. 7:1-17

I forgot how detailed the Hebrew writer got about Melchizedek today. The whole reading was an exploration of this peripheral OT character and a fleshing out of the comparisons between him and Christ. What I found most striking was the way that the writer embraced the fact that we know so little about him. For example, he says that Melchizedek was "without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life," and because of that, "he remains a priest forever" just like Christ (3). Okay, so clearly, the historical Melchizedek had a father and mother, had a genealogy, had a beginning of days, and an end to his life. But the literary Melchizedek did not. The Mel that the Jews knew in Scripture did not have any of those things b/c they weren't recorded. So the author of Hebrews is really not using the real Melchizedek here at all. He is using the literary creation that resulted from the lack of details about the character. And it is that very lack of details that allows the Hebrew writer to compare him to Jesus. That is fascinating to me. It really shows the Hebrew writer's artistic angle. He definitely does not use the text of the OT in a way that any modern historian would approve of. But it seems clear that he doesn't even claim to. Half the time, when quoting the OT, he just says that "it is written somewhere." He makes no effort to cite his source! For him, though, the source doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who said it and in what context. He is re-contextualizing everything in the light of Christ. It's such a bold move! Can he even do that?

I guess he can, b/c he did:).

Psalm 105:37-45

The third installment of this praise psalm that traces through Israel's history. And it takes quite a cheery approach to what was in reality a very tumultuous existence!

Prov. 27:3

Regarding provocations by fools.

November 4

2010-11-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Ezekiel 10:1-11:25

Apparently, Ezekiel's vision from yesterday didn't contain any actual images of slaughter. God tells the cherubim to slaughter the wicked of the city, but they don't actually do it in the vision. In fact, it doesn't appear that they do much at all, though at the end of the reading, the glory of the Lord does leave the premises (11:23).

Regarding the cherubim, here is a quick, disposable thought. Harris remarks that Ezekiel's vision of the cherubim resembles some of the statues that were around palaces in Babylon (for an example, see picture here). I don't know if those statues are related to Ezekiel's vision, but if they are, it occurs to me that perhaps God meets people where they are and appears to us in forms that they can recognize, forms that will resonate with them. (This thought was loosely inspired by The Shack, by the way, so make of that what you will).

But back to the departure of God's Spirit. Harris has something interesting to say about that:

"Ezekiel then sees the 'glory of Yahweh' rise from its traditional seat between the gold cherubim in the Temple's innermost sanctuary and pass through the city gates tot he east. This strange event is probably meant to show that Yahweh's kavod (a Hebrew term that can be translated as 'glory' or 'influence') has permanently abandoned the Temple and now roams the world, operating in new and unpredictable ways. Like Jeremiah, Ezekiel realized that Yahweh did not need a material shrine in which to house his presence, nor would he protect a sanctuary that had been contaminated. With Yahweh's departure from the Temple, he could be with his people anywhere, including idolatrous Babylon."

I like how Harris suggests that the departure might have two distinct elements to it. On the one hand, it was a symbol of the contamination of the Temple. On the other hand, it was a reminder that Yahweh was everywhere, even with the people in exile.

Anyhow, a slaughter doesn't ensue. Instead, the vision ends, and Ezekiel is instructed to prophesy to some of the leaders who are leading Israel astray. While he is prophesying, one of them dies (13). Wow. Surely that grim event helped prove Ezekiel's point!

One small thing I didn't understand was the metaphor that everyone kept using about the meat and the pot. Jaazaniah and Pelatiah kept telling people that "this city is a cooking pot, and we are the meat" (11:3). See, to me, that sounds bad. It sounds like you will get cooked in the city and then eaten. And yet, apparently, it is meant to be good. Ezekiel disagrees with the phrase and says that instead, the city is the pot, and "the bodies you have thrown [in the street] are the meat" (7). What? I have no idea what that means.

Ezekiel concludes with a prophecy promising restoration to a remnant.

NT: Hebrews 6:1-20

The Hebrew writer hit several different points in this section:

--Elementary teachings are clearly defined as repentance from sin, "faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment" (1-2). In other words, the bare bones of the gospel. Now, laying on of hands is something that my church doesn't do today, with the understanding that it was an "apostles only" type of thing. And I don't know why "baptisms" is plural. Other than that, though, I can see that all of those things really are elementary teachings.

--In 4-6, the Hebrew writer sets forth the interesting idea that a Christian who falls away cannot be restored. Not only does this idea fly in the face of the "once saved, always saved" mentality, it also buts up against my own understanding of repentance. Surely a true Christian who falls away can come back, right? Are these verses saying that they can't? I feel like I've known people who have wandered from the truth and then returned. Of course, most of those who pop in my mind might question whether they were actually Christians the first time around, but still. Those verses left me with a few questions.

--In verses 7-14, the writer exhorts his audience to be diligent in doing good.

--In 16-20, there was a lot of talk about oaths that kind of went over my head.

Psalm 105:16-36

In this continuation of yesterday's psalm, the psalmist focuses on God's work while the Israelites were in Egypt, from Joseph to Moses.

Proverbs 27:1-2

Against boasting about tomorrow and tooting your own horn.

November 3

2010-11-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Ezekiel 7:1-9:11

Well, thankfully for Ezekiel, today he just had to listen and watch, without participating in any grueling skits. Unfortunately, the prophecy he hears is as unadorned as it is brutal (chapter 7). And the images he has to see are unsettling, to say the least. In chapter 8, the Lord transports him in a vision to various spots in Jerusalem where "detestable" things are happening with idols. Then in chapter 9, Ezekiel witnesses the wrath of God in that same vision. Six men come and are instructed to destroy everyone in the city, with an important exception. There was a seventh man whose job was first to go and to mark the innocent of the city. Those people would be spared. I can't be sure, but I think this is the first mention that certain people in Jerusalem will be spared because of their personal innocence. (Someone remind me if it has been mentioned before.) Of course, that is a comforting thought to me, although I guess I also tend to see all children as innocent, and the scripture makes clear that children will be killed (9:6). Perhaps those children are killed as part of the punishment to the parents? I don't know.

Anyway, the section ends with the man who marked the people returning and saying that he had done what he had commanded (11). I guess that point also marks the point of the slaughter. Yikes.

NT: Hebrews 5:1-14

Today, the author of Hebrews describes the role of the high priest and shows how Jesus now fills that role for us. High priests served as mediators between the people and God (1). They were able to deal well with the people b/c they could relate to them (2). The downside to that was that their ability to relate made them sinners. Thus, they continually had to ask forgiveness for their own sins (3).

Jesus, on the other hand, can relate to us b/c of His experience as a human, but His perfection nullifies the need for sacrifices to be made on His behalf . The text twice mentions that He is a priest in the order of Melchizedek, which I have always heard means that he is both a priest and a king (6,10). Apparently, only Melchizedek has that distinction in the OT. That's what I've heard, at least, and off the top of my head, I can't think of any others.

The section ends with the author chastising his audience for being spiritually immature. He says that, metaphorically speaking, they are on milk when they need to be on solid food (11-14). I think that I've always tended to consider myself a "solid food" Christian, and it has only recently occurred to me that I might still be on milk, or at least on baby food! I hope not, but looking back, I am definitely sure that I haven't been on solid food as long as I think I have! I especially like the last verse: "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil" (14). I am seeing more and more that you do need that vigilance to determine good from evil. It is so easy to get sucked into worldviews and mentalities that differ from the teaching of the Bible, and to lose sight of the truth of scripture. The only examples that are popping out to me right now are the shows and movies I might choose to watch, but I'm sure that there are many others.

Psalm 105:1-15

A praise psalm, telling the people to remember the good works that God has done in their nation.

Prov. 26:28

Against lying and flattery.

November 2

2010-11-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Ezekiel 3:16-6:14

Whew! Ezekiel has to do all kinds of horrible things today! He has to lie on his left side for 390 days and on his right side for 40, to make a crazy metaphor involving God's wrath and Jerusalem (4:4-6). And apparently, he will be tied with ropes during this time (8), and yet, he is still supposed to cook his food to eat (9-17). And I see what he is supposed to eat, but does he have a year's supply of it laying in arm's reach? And where is he going to get all the cow excrement? So many questions. Regardless, though, I would not want to be Ezekiel.

Afterward, he has to shave his head and use the three portions of his hair in another metaphor, designed to demonstrate the grim fate of his people.

The rest of today's reading contains prophecies foretelling similar doom, but it was the elaborate metaphors in chapter 4 that got me.

NT: Heb. 4:1-16

There was a lot of talk today about entering God's rest, which was especially compelling to me right now b/c I'm rocking a killer migraine and am dying to go to sleep. But I have got to focus long enough to do this.

I thought verse 2 was interesting: "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith." I appreciate the acknowledgment that everything about the gospel is not totally obvious and logical. There definitely has to be an element of faith involved for it to be of any value. I'm sure that many atheists and agnostics can read the Bible and not find it especially compelling (perhaps Erika can attest to this:)). Like the Hebrew writer states, people here the gospel all the time, and it means nothing to them without combining it with faith.

My favorite verse of this section was verse 12: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even tot dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." I have found this to be so true. The Bible has been more convicting to me than any sermon I've ever heard or book I've ever read. Sermons and books are only convicting to the point that they highlight or emphasize parts of the Bible that I've either unconsciously overlooked or consciously ignored.

Psalm 104: 24-35

A continuation of yesterday's psalm. It continues the theme of praising God by referencing His creation.

Prov. 26:27

Seems to be a metaphor of some kind.

November 1

2010-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Ezekiel 1:1-3:15

Wow, we are about to venture into some serious weirdness. Here is what Harris has to say about our new book:

"A younger contemporary of Jeremiah, the priest-prophet Ezekiel was taken to Babylon during the first deportation of Judah's ruling classes in 597 BCE. Although tightly structured, with the oracles arranged in generally chronological order, Ezekiel's prophecies and mystical visions are filled with strange and grotesque images puzzling to modern readers." He goes on to say that "the symbols that Ezekiel evokes to describe his visions are at once so bizarre and so compelling that in medieval times Jewish teachers commonly forbade anyone under thirty years of age to read the book." Okay, so my birthday is coming up in just over a month, and instead of telling my age, I think I'm just going to tell people that I'm now old enough to read Ezekiel:). But more to the point, Wow! You have to be thirty just to read this book? And back then, thirty was "older" than it is today, right? Apparently, the Jewish scholars were worried that the book would "seduce young minds unready to venture into serious mysticism." I'm not even sure what that means! Harris further makes his point by declaring that "no other prophetic book int he Hebrew Bible, with the possible exception of Zechariah, features such hallucinatory material." Well. I'm ready to get this party started!

According to Harris, the first verse of today's reading indicates that the year is 593 BC, and he also notes that the "River Chebar" is actually "a large irrigation canal near the Euphrates River in Babylonia." It is in this year that Ezekiel receives a crazy vision involving four winged creatures, each with four faces, and each a mishmash of various animals, including man. They also each have these wheels that follow them, and there is a lot of fire and smoke and lightning involved. It's all very crazy, but so far, nothing that would "seduce" my young mind. One thing that Harris theorizes is that the "image of wheels within wheels having eyes along their rims probably represents Ezekiel's attempt to picture Yahweh among his heavenly servants in other than strictly anthropomorphic terms." I like that. I like the idea that Yahweh is not essentially anthropomorphic. I guess it is b/c I am often tempted to make God out to look a lot like me. Ezekiel's crazy imagery reminds me how different He is.

Of course, it is an anthropomorphic figure who gives Ezekiel the scroll and tells him to eat it. Despite the fact that the scroll is covered with "words of lament and mourning and woe," it goes down pretty easy, tasting "as sweet as honey in [Ezekiel's] mouth" (2:10, 3:3). God then tells Ezekiel that He is sending him to an obstinate people, but that He will make Ezekiel just as obstinate as them (but not in a bad way). Unlike Isaiah, Mr. "Here I am; send me," Ezekiel leaves "in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me" (3:14). He then sits near with the exiles near the river "for seven days--overwhelmed" (15). Then again, maybe that's not so odd. After all, that vision was a lot to take in!

NT: Hebrews 3: 1-19

The Hebrew writer continues to maintain Christ's supremacy, and I continue to be fascinated with his use of the OT. First, he compares Moses and Christ (2-5), which is makes perfect sense to me, but then he says quotes a psalm and says that the Holy Spirit says it (7). I thought that was interesting, and, like 2 Tim. 3:16, highlights that the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of scripture. In that light, the inspired Hebrew writer can apparently use OT scripture in ways that don't seem to fit with the immediate context of the scriptures themselves (see Heb. 1:5-13, 2:12-13). I'm not sure, but this might be an example of that sensus plenior stuff that I talked about earlier.

Today's reading also urges Christians to hold firm to the truth:

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (12-13).

Psalm 104: 1-23

A praise psalm extolling the power of God, as witnessed in His awesome creation.

Prov. 26:24-26

Three verses about the deceitfulness of a "malicious man."

October 31

2010-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Lamentations 4:1-5:22

Wow, Lamentations has got to be the saddest book in the world! Here are some of the more chilling images from today's reading:

"Because of thirst the infant's tongue
sticks to the roof of its mouth;
the children beg for bread,
but no one gives it to them" (4:4).

"With her own hands compassionate women
have cooked their own children,
who became their food
when my people were destroyed" (4:10).

"Our skin is hot as an oven,
feverish from hunger.
Women have been ravished in Zion,
and virgins in the towns of Judah.
Princes have been hung up by their hands;
elders are shown no respect.
Young men toil at the millstones;
boys stagger under loads of wood" (5: 10-13).

Wow. One thing about the Bible is that it tends not to skip over the ugliness of Israel's history. It would be easy enough to say that God punished them for their sins and then gloss over the brutal effects. But no. Scripture dwells on the dark side of Israel's history. It's not just this suffering. It's the whole history--the leaders' hypocrisies, the people's sins, the nation's misadventures, the rampant immorality...all the bad sides are highlighted. And yeah, you get a gloss in Chronicles, but Samuel exposes even what Chronicles skipped over.

It's quite an amazing history, when you think about it. Modern history would, I'm sure, consider it to be ethnocentric (to put it mildly), but I think some of our own history books could learn a lesson or two from the Bible's "warts and all" approach.

That said, it does not make it an easy book to read. Like all of Lamentations so far, today's passage was wrenching.

NT: Hebrews 2:1-18

There is a lot I could say about this reading, but I think I'll concentrate on a thought about these two verses:

"In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone" (8-9).

For a couple of years now, I have been fascinated by the idea of kingdom of God. I've wondered what it was, specifically, and have studied basically everything that Scripture has to say about it. I might have already shared this, but my current opinion on the kingdom of God is that it is anywhere that God reigns supreme. That's why heaven is the only full version of the kingdom of God, and also why Jesus tells his followers that the kingdom of God is within them. God reigns in the hearts of Christians, and He fully reigns in heaven, and so His kingdom is any place where He is in total control. Yes, He is "in control" of everything, since He is all powerful, but with His decision to give us free will, He voluntarily renounced some of His control. And thus, His Kingdom is not in most of our world, which is populated by people who do not serve Him. Verse 8 backs up these ideas. It maintains that even though all things are ultimately subject to God, "at present, we do not see everything subject to him." So true.

BUT. But we see Jesus. In Jesus, we see a glimpse of the fullness of the kingdom of God, a fullness that we will never see in this world. And in his life, we see how that kingdom comes: Jesus is "now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death" (9). By willingly dying to Himself (quite literally, I might add), Jesus entered God's kingdom and is now "crowned with glory and honor." He also paved the way for us, made it so that we, too, can enter God's kingdom. As God's Spirit purifies us and teaches us to die to ourselves on a daily basis, as He teaches us to be more and more like Christ, God's kingdom comes more and more into our hearts, and we then live as citizens of that kingdom, even in the midst of this sinful world.

So...that's my metaphysical thought of the day. Like I said earlier, the rest of Hebrews had some good stuff, too:). Although, I will say that he quotes OT scripture in some really interesting ways...

Psalm 103:1-22

This is a really good one. I love verses 2-4:

"Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits--
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

It also makes for an interesting counterpoint to Lamentations!

Prov. 26:23

"Like a coating of glaze over earthenware
are fervent lips within an evil heart."

That actually took me a little while to get, but I see now that it's saying that fervent lips gloss over an evil heart and make it look better, just like a coating of glaze makes earthenware look better. I guess.

October 30

2010-10-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Lamentations 2:20-3:66

It's all about Psalms today! First, this whole reading in Lamentations struck me as one loooong psalm. From 2:20-3:20, Jeremiah takes us into the pit with him. Like yesterday, I was so saddened by my reading. I just thought Jeremiah did a very effective job conveying sorrow. And I just kept wondering, is there going to be any upside to this?

The upside comes in 3:21 and following. In fact, verse 21-23 are quite famous:

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."

Man, hearing those verses in context makes them so much more powerful. Given Jeremiah's circumstances, it is amazing that he can say that!

The hopeful vibe continues through 42, when it gets bleak again. But in the positive section, Jeremiah says a couple things that caught my attention. First, he says that God "does not willingly bring affliction/or grief to the children of men" (33). I appreciate that. Of course, it fits in well with Jeremiah's theory that the destruction brought on the people was the result of their own sin. And it is good to understand that punishment is not something that gives God pleasure.

I also thought the phrase, "to deny a man his rights," in verse 35 was fascinating. I would love to know what Jeremiah considers to be rights. I have struggled with how the idea of "rights" fits into the biblical picture of man and his role. And so my curiosity was definitely peaked at a prophet talking about a man's rights. Interesting.

In verse 52, Jeremiah transitions rather abruptly to his suffering at the hands of personal enemies. Again, it all sounded very psalm-like to me.

NT: Hebrews 1:1-14

A new book! And it's one that we can all agree that we don't know who the author is!:) In the first part of chapter one, the Hebrew writer starts making a case for the supremacy of Christ as God's chosen method of communication to us. In doing so, he quotes several psalms...

Psalm 102:1-28

...and one of them is our psalm of the day! Can you imagine how excited the editors of this book were when that lined up? I know they had to be thrilled. This psalm itself sounds a lot like a condensed version of Lamentations, and particularly like the part where Jeremiah starts describing his personal enemies. Like Lamentations, though, it contains an affirmation of God's love and goodness.

Oh, and one more thing about the NT reading: I really liked and was intrigued by verse 14: "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" I love that picture of angels. I know next to nothing about angels, of course, and it's something that you probably can't talk about too much without sounding silly, but I love the idea of angels ministering to me. I wonder how that works...

Proverbs 26:21-22

Regarding quarrels and gossip.

October 29

2010-10-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Lamentations 1:1-2:19

Okay, I'm going to be a slacker and not research this book (I'm way too tired). But I am going to guess who wrote it. Hmmm, let's see...it's either Jeremiah or Ezekiel. Isn't Jeremiah the weeping prophet? Did I read something about him writing it when I read Jeremiah? I think so. I'm going with Jeremiah.

Argh. Now I have to check.

Yep, Jeremiah. At least, it's Jeremiah according to the first thing that popped up on my yahoo search:).

In that case, I'd say that this book gives a unique window into the prophet's personal sorrow over the sack of Jerusalem. In the earlier book, he didn't seem happy or anything, but his tone was one of warning and frustration, rather than sorrow per se. But here, you just see the sadness. And the images of Jerusalem are haunting:

"My eyes fail from weeping,
I am in torment within,
my heart is poured out on the ground
because my people are destroyed,
because children and infants faint in the streets of the city" (2:11).

And again,

"Arise, cry out in the night,
as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart like water
in the presences of the Lord
Life up your hands to him
for the lives of your children,
who faint from hunger
at the head of every street" (19).

Oh, man. That is so awful. I have a thing about kids suffering. I'm sure most people do, but...man, that's just awful.

And also, I thought Jeremiah conveyed his sorrow really well in verse 11. I was particularly moved by the image of his heart being poured out on the ground. Very vivid. My heart was moved by that whole section.

NT: Philemon 1:1-25

Today, we begin and conclude the book of Philemon. I find this letter to be fascinating. It's like this little personal window into these people's lives. I am always awed by the way Paul "works" Philemon. And I put that in quotes b/c I don't think of it as a negative thing. Rather, I am just impressed with his persuasiveness, with the way he strong arms Philemon at the same time that he puts the ball in Philemon's court, so to speak. I have always wanted to know how the story turned out, but honestly, I can't imagine Philemon doing anything else but accepting Onesimus as a brother, especially since Paul wrote the letter to the whole church:). I mean, really, what else is he going to do?

It also highlights yet another dimension of Paul's views on slavery. He doesn't tell Onesimus to return to his believing master and to be a good slave, a la the letter to Titus. No, he tells Philemon to free him. At least, that's the impression that I got. I guess he didn't just come out and say that, but that was my understanding.

Anyway, an interesting letter, all around.

Psalm 101:1-8

I like the first three verses, but in some ways, David sounds a bit...a bit haughty in this psalm. I guess you can also read it as zeal for righteousness.

Prov. 36:20

Against gossip.

October 28

2010-10-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 51:54-52:34

Well, today is our last day of Jeremiah. Oddly, knowing that we are at the end of the book kind of deflated my curiosity about today's time line. I did, however, look at the chronological order in my October 3 post, and it said that the last chapter does go at the end, chronologically speaking. It has the end of the list as: 39: 15-18; chs 32-33; 38:14-39:14; 52:1-30; chs 40-44; 52:31-34. So let's do it this way:

39: 15-18--Jeremiah sends a message to Ebed-Melech the Cushite while "confined in the courtyard of the guard."

chs. 32-33--In the tenth year of Zedekiah and the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah buys a field and promises eventual restoration.

38:14-39:14--Sometime after rescuing Jeremiah from a cistern, Zed comes to him one last time and has a secret conversation where Jeremiah warns him yet again of impending disaster. In chapter 39, the Babylonians break into the city, take captives, burn and plunder, capture Zed, kill his sons and all his officials in front of him, put out his eyes, and take him to Babylon in shackles. They also treat Jeremiah really well.

52:1-30--Basically, the same as above, minus the part about Jeremiah.

chs 40-44--the aftermath in Judah, and the flight to Egypt.

52:31-34--Jehoiachin freed from prison after 37 years.

I was also curious as to where chapter 51 fell in the time line, and my intro puts the whole chunk of prophecies against Babylon (chs 46-51) much nearer to the beginning. I thought that was interesting, given the Babylonians' positive reaction to Jeremiah during the siege. You'd think those words would have turned him against them.

I have more thoughts on the actual content of the material, but my time line digging took way too long. I'll just say that the line, "For the Lord is a God of retribution" got me thinking about the nature of justice and particularly of our innate desire for eye-for-an-eye-style justice. I kind of think that, to some degree, those desires are from God, since He has them, too, and we are made in His image. And yet, He makes clear to us Christians that retribution is His job. And then I started thinking about the need for us to pursue justice while on earth and what that looks like. And I also thought about God's mercy and grace, and how that fits in. And they were all swirly, big picture thoughts, without a lot of coherence to them. So it's probably good that I am quickly running out of blog time:).

NT: Titus 3:1-15

Hmmm, verses 1-2 certainly play into yesterday's theory. Paul stresses the need for "the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men." I can't be sure, but if I had to guess, the reasoning behind these instructions is the same as the reasoning behind the instructions regarding women and slaves: "so that no one would malign the word of God" and to "make the teaching about God our Savior attractive" (2:5, 10). To me, there seems to be a clear concern here regarding the outside perception of Christians.

Enough reading between the lines, though. I also like the lines themselves. I personally love these instructions to Christians. For one, they help justify my lack of personal fire about politics:). I love to think about politics, but I just can't muster up the passion to get in there and fight. And these verses suggest to me that perhaps getting in there and fighting isn't our calling as Christians. Or if political involvement is the calling of some, then that involvement should conform to the pattern shown in these verses. And in political discourse, these verses set a pretty high standard!

Psalm 100: 1-5

Another praise psalm. I am really enjoying all of these upbeat psalms.

Prov. 26: 18-19

Against saying that you were "just joking" as an excuse for deception.

October 27

2010-10-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 51:1-53

More prophecies against Babylon. I had two main thoughts today:

1) Jeremiah's attitude toward Babylon in these prophecies seems to stand in marked contrast with his earlier attitude. It's not the destruction part; I get that he is saying that Babylon is no longer a tool used by God to punish Israel. Rather, it is the attitude he encourages in the exiles. Apparently speaking for Judah, Jeremiah says,

"'Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us,
he has thrown us into confusion,
he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
and then has spewed us out.
May the violence done to our flesh be upon Babylon,'
say the inhabitants of Zion.
'May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,'
says Jerusalem" (34-35).

Needless to say, this tone sounds different than the one struck in 29:5-7, when Jeremiah told the exiles, ""Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." I know that it is a completely different context, but it just made for an interesting contrast to me. And I guess it shows that Jeremiah was a true patriot, that his first concern has always been the well-being of Judah. Seen in the light of chapter 51, one can clearly understand how the instructions in chapter 29 were strictly for Judah's benefit.

2) Verses 42-43 raised some interesting questions about the nature of prophecy for me:

"The sea will rise over Babylon;
its roaring waves will cover her.
Her towns will be desolate,
a dry and desert land..."

Hmmm. So...in other words, Babylon will be a flooded desert? How does that work exactly? It seems clear to me that something is definitely meant to be figurative here. And yet, there is no "like" or "as" or clear term to indicate figurative language. And that raises some questions about the intentions behind prophetic language in general. I have noted that some of Jeremiah's more dramatic statements don't seem to happen the way he says they will. He seems to make it abundantly clear, for example, and that EVERYONE who remains in Jerusalem during the siege will die. And he seems equally clear on the fact that EVERYONE who goes to Egypt will perish. But then...the same book unapologetically reports that that was not the case. And sooo...that makes me wonder whether or not I am imposing some of my modernist, scientific standards on a premodern, poetic text, and it makes me wonder whether that lens is keeping me from understanding the full meaning here. Just a thought...

I know that it is sometimes disturbing for literalist-leaning Christians to allow for such "wiggle room" when it comes to Biblical language, but for me, it is far more disturbing to read, from a literal perspective, about specific prophecies that are contradicted in their own book. I don't know that I could ever have a fundamentalist faith, simply because I can't overlook that type of stuff. And as much as I believe in ultimately handing the reins of my understanding over to God, I have an equally strong belief that the God who made my brain did not intend for me to turn it off whenever I read His Word. And I guess that I'm just thankful that the God who made my brain gave me the tools to make some kind of sense of the seeming discrepancies I find in Jeremiah. My English degrees are paying off, at least for my faith:).

NT: Titus 2:1-15

I had some more thoughts about the pastorals today. I still haven't done any actual research on them, but my fellow Bible blogger has jogged my memory that they are called pastorals:). Here's today's theory: the pastorals were written later in Paul's life (certainly Timothy was; Paul seems on the brink of death), and he has realized that the end of the world may not be as soon as he had earlier believed. Thus, he is transitioning to prepare Christianity for the long haul. In letters like Corinthians, for example, he tells people not to bother with marriage if they can help it. By Ephesians and Colossians, he is starting to temper that radicalism, and it seems to be about gone by the time he gets to the Pastorals. In its place are concerns about the longevity of the faith. And thinking of the future, Paul has three main concerns, as evidenced in the Pastorals:

1) Sound doctrine--Paul is constantly stressing the importance of sound doctrine and able teaching in these letters. In today's reading, for example, he tells Titus, "You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine," and he then spends the next nine verses outlining exactly what to teach to various groups in the church (1-10). These letters reflect a constant concern that people are going to distort the truth and teach the wrong thing to the future church.

2) Societal stability--In contrast to the radical egalitarianism of Galatians 3:28, the Pastorals show a great concern for the maintenance of social norms. And though I really don't think that Gal. 3:28 contradicts with the passages on "household rules," I do think you can see a shift in concern here. Even today's passage breaks up the church into rigid groups of people, each of which have specific duties based on their social position. And the instructions to the women and slaves, in particular, reflect the ideals of the dominant culture. It seems that the motivation behind these instructions center around the reputation of Christianity within the dominant culture. The instructions for young women, for example, are given "so that no one will malign the word of God" (5). And the rules for the slaves are set forth "so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive" (10). So it seems that Paul is concerned with social stability at least in part to help buffer the church from outside accusations. In light of the constant (and often realized) threat of persecution, that concern makes sense to me.

3) Church unity--I have already discussed at length the degree to which Paul is concerned about quarrels, and given the power of foolish arguments to split churches and turn brother against brother, I'd say he was right to be concerned.

So that's the theory of the day, given to you for free:). If you have any other theories, feel free to share.

Psalm 99:1-9

A praise psalm lifting up God's name and remembering some of His works.

Prov. 26:17

"Like one who seizes a dog by the ears
is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own."

This is so, so true. It reminds me of this time I tried to intervene in a dispute between a cashier and the woman in front of me in line regarding the use of a particular coupon. Without going into detail, I'll just say that I am totally sorry that I did:).

October 26

2010-10-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 49:23-50:46

In today's reading, Jeremiah prophesies against Damascus (49:23-27), Kedar and Hazor (49:28-33), and Elam (49:34-39). And then...(drumroll, please)...Babylon finally gets its prophecy (50:1-46). It is long and involved, but basically, the prophecy foretells the same type of destruction as the other kingdoms. In fact, it foretells the same type of destruction that Judah received...only Babylon's prophecy does not include a surviving remnant.

And on a sidenote, I have to say that I am beginning to find all the similes to women in labor quite amusing (49:24, 50:43). So in other words, one of the worst things that the prophets can picture is...a normal part of most women's lives. I can see Jeremiah reading these prophecies and one of the Judean women thinking, "Well, I've been through labor nine times, so if it's like that, I think I can handle it!" (Yeah, that's probably not what they were thinking, but it's still an interesting choice of image, given how common and domestic an experience it was.)

NT: Titus 1:1-16

I have several bite-sized thoughts for today, so let's do this in bullet points:

--I usually just skim over the openings of Paul's letters, and reading this one, I can understand my impulse. The sentence is so long and involved, and I honestly have a hard time figuring out exactly what it means: "Paul, a servant of God and an apostles of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness...(1)" I don't get the "for." Paul is an apostle for faith and knowledge? I mean, I get the general principle, but "for"? I'm an "English type," so I'm more nitpicky about words than most people, but I just couldn't quite get a handle on that preposition.

--Wow, what does Paul have against Cretans? "Even one of their own prophets has said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.' This testimony is true" (12-13a). Good lands! Stereotype much?

--I have always been intrigued by verse 15: "To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact both their minds and consciences are corrupted." Whenever I think of this verse, I think of a toddler versus a Jr. High boy. Yes, my toddlers are naturally selfish, but when it comes to so much of the bad stuff in this world, their minds are pure. They literally can't grasp the corruption around them. On the other hand, when I was in Jr. High, I was amazed at the ability of my classmates to make even the most innocent thing into something perverted. It seemed that no one could say anything without them snickering (which would then have me racking my brain to solve the puzzle, being the word person that I am. Probably not a good habit.) Anyhow, I believe that principle is true in adults, too. If your heart is pure, you can stand around many things that an impure heart could not. Recently, a friend of mine told me how he watched in awe as a fellow Christian witnessed to a woman who was a stripper. He said how he knew the man witnessing had a pure heart and was wanting to help her, but how his own impulse would have been to run the other way. Now, in that example, I don't think it was that his heart was impure (I have a whole different theory about that impulse), but it did remind me that as Christians, we have to take Christ's message to the world, which includes "impure" situations. If we ourselves are tempted by those situations, then we can't be effective ministers of Christ in them. I guess our goal is to be more and more like Christ, who could eat with drunkards and prostitutes (and even have them wash his feet and dry them with their hair), and still be pure of heart.

Psalms 97:1-98:9

Two praise psalms.

Prov. 26: 13-16

Four verses against sluggards.

October 25

2010-10-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 48:1-49:22

Today, Jeremiah hands out doomsday prophecies to Moab (48:1-47), the Ammonites (49:1-6), and Edom (49:7-22). What is interesting is God's reaction to these predictions of destruction. In 48:31-32, God says,

"Therefore I wail over Moab,
for all Moab I cry out,
I moan for the men of Kir Hareseth.
I weep for you, as Jazer weeps,
O vines of Sibmah."

Later, He says,

"So my heart laments for Moab like a flute;
it laments like a flute for the men of Kir Hareseth.
The wealth they acquired is gone" (36).

Though this land will suffer from God's wrath which He quite willingly pours on them, the same God who causes the suffering weeps over it. That is kind of crazy, but I think it highlights the interplay between God's sovereignty and man's free will. He allows the free will, but He punishes the sin that comes from that free will. And His punishment causes sorrow even to Him.

In 49:12, God also makes clear that, unfortunately, even innocents are punished: "This is what the Lord says: 'If those who do not deserve to drink this cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it." So clearly, there are those "who do not deserve to drink this cup." Among those, I would assume are Moab's "little ones," spoken of in 48:4. And even in the midst of this suffering of innocents, God maintains that He takes care of widows and orphans:

"Leave your orphans; I will protect their lives.
Your widows too can trust in me" (49: 11).

So fascinating.

NT: 2 Timothy 4:1-22

I liked our bold verse for the day, in which Paul charges Timothy to "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction" (2). I was particularly intrigued by the phrase, "in season and out of season," and I wondered what that meant. For some reason, the way it struck me today was in terms of the seasons of my own life. When I am "in season," I am fired up for God and am enjoying a super-close relationship with Him. When I am "out of season," I am still plugging along, but I am not feeling that fire, that closeness with God. It reminds me of the tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, in Psalm 1. I am not always "in season." And yet, the world does not wait for me to be "in season" to be a light to it. I always have to be a light, whether I am "in season" or out. And I always have to be prepared to reach out to others, whether I am feeling on fire or not.

Now, granted, I have very little basis for that interpretation, but that's how I read it today.

I also love verses 6-8, mainly because they are so poignant: "For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." Maybe it is because I have heard those verses so much, but they have become iconic to me. They are so simply and elegantly worded. I love how Paul simply states, "the time has come for my departure." And the spare, yet effective parallel structure in the next verse has helped to firmly root it in Christian minds throughout the centuries: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." That's what I so desperately want to be able to say when the time comes for my departure.

In the rest of this section, we get a glimpse into some of Paul's more personal sufferings. Institutionally-mandated beatings are one thing; personal betrayals are quite another. In verses 9-18, Paul tells about several people who have left him and harmed him. Demas "deserted" him (10). Alexander "did [him] a great deal of harm" (14). And when Paul was in an especially vulnerable position on trial, everyone deserted him (16). How disheartening it must have been to have no one come to support you, even though you had done nothing wrong. For as fiery and driven and confident as Paul can be, I really felt such compassion for him reading these last few verses. There is something so vulnerable about him here, such as when he asks Timothy to bring his cloak and urges him to get there before winter (13,21). The thought of Paul shivering in a prison cell, hoping that one of his few friends would bring him one of his few earthly possessions is just sad to me. And it presents such a stark picture of a life thoroughly spent for God. Paul was right; he had been "poured out like a drink offering" (6).

Psalm 95:1-96:13

Two uplifting praise psalms.

Prov. 26:9-12

We are clearly in an "anti-fool" section of proverbs. All of them recently have been down on fools.

October 24

2010-10-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 44:24-47:7

Today, Jeremiah finishes his threats to the Egypt-settling, Queen-of-Heaven-worshiping Israelites. Even in the midst of their continued rebellion, however, Jeremiah does maintain that a remnant will one day return to Jerusalem. It will just be very, very small (44:28).

The rest of the reading consists of prophecies against the Egyptians and the Philistines. So far, God has not been a fan of the Egyptians. Jeremiah's prophecies against them start with "contemporary" Egypt (44:29-30), and then jumps back to Egypt under Pharoah Neco (46:1-26). Then at the end of the reading, Jeremiah breaks bad news to the Philistines (47:1-6). In between the gloomy prophecies, Jeremiah pauses to reassure "Jacob" that God loves them and that a remnant of them will be saved.

NT: 2 Timothy 2:22-3:17

Let's talk about some themes in Timothy so far. We have already discussed the theme of social hierarchy. There is also a strong theme regarding arguments and quarrels running through both letters. Here is a quick recap of Paul's thoughts on the matter:

--False teachers "promote controversies rather than God's work," and they distract people with their "meaningless talk" (1 Tim. 1:4, 6).

--"I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger or disputing" (1 Tim. 2:8).

--Deacons must not be quarrelsome (1 Tim. 3:3).

--Timothy should "not rebuke an older man harshly" (1 Tim. 5:1).

--The man who teaches false doctrine "has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind" (1 Tim. 6: 4-5a).

--Timothy should "warn [his church] before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen" (2 Tim. 2: 14).

--Timothy should not "have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful" (2 Tim. 2:23-24).

That's a lot for two short books--and we are not even done with the second! Apparently, Paul is a pretty low drama guy, which is interesting to me b/c he can be quite, um, passionate and forceful in his writings. I definitely can appreciate a low-drama approach. Of course, what is hard about applying this no-quarrel theme in the church today is when we try to determine what is a meaningless argument. What might seem absurd and pointless to me might be a "salvation issue" to someone else. It's kind of like trying to apply Romans 14. What qualifies as a "disputable matter," and what constitutes doctrine-to-be-defended-at-all-costs? Where does instrumental music fit on that spectrum? What about women's roles? What about when and how and how often we take the Lord's Supper? What about our responsibilities to the poor? Depending on one's views, some of those things are "disputable matters" to be left to people's own consciences, and some are bedrocks of the faith.

Hmmmm. It really is hard to be a unified body of believers. That's why we need God's Spirit so badly to guide us and to empower us.

Um, yeah, so...the rest of the reading. I loved 2:22, which said to, "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." And I also loved verse 24, which I quoted above.

I found 2:1-5 to be fascinating. It starts off as a typical "last days" laundry list of sins. And yet, verse 5 seems to indicate that these people will be members of the church! Paul says that they "hav[e] a form of godliness, but deny its power" (5). Verse 5 also tells Timothy to "have nothing to do with them." To Paul, you couldn't have godliness without being part of God's church, right? And the only people Paul tells Christians to shun are other Christians who are not living right, correct? So...wouldn't verse 5 indicate that these selfish, greedy, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, indulgent, brutal, treacherous, rash, conceited people are church members? That is crazy! (And man, when you start typing the list out, you realize how long it is!)

I remember once asking my dad that if God was so powerful, if His love was so transformative, then why didn't Christians act any better? I was in college, and it was an honest question. I wasn't just complaining. It' was just that the picture of Christian behavior I saw in the Bible simply was not being mirrored in so many of the people whom I loved and worshiped with. And it was beginning to affect my faith. My dad answered that I underestimated the power of sin in this world, which I think was true. In verse 5, Paul gives another suggestion. Such people have a form of godliness, but deny its power. Untransformed Christians deny the power of God to change their lives. They do not let Him change them, and He respects their sovereignty as individuals. Now, I am honestly not thinking of anyone or any group of people specifically right now, but I do know that there are untransformed Christians in churches today. And of course, as a Christian, I have to look at that list honestly and see if any of it describes me. And to the degree that it does describe me, I have to ask whether or not I am denying the power of God to refine me and to transform me.

Yikes, this is going long. I will close by simply quoting the last verse, which is generally used to support the divine inspiration of the Bible: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, sot hat the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good word" (16-17).

Psalm 94: 1-23

A psalm calling on God to be an avenger and to punish the wicked. After reading so much of Jeremiah, this psalm is somewhat ironic to me. It assumes that God will punish Israel's enemies, but in punishing the wicked, God also brings disaster on Israel itself.

Proverbs 26:6-8

Three colorful proverbs decrying fools.

October 23

2010-10-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 42:1-44:23

Wow, nothing and no one made any sense today. It's like the people all lost their minds! First of all, Johanan (whom I liked!) and co. go to Jeremiah for some guidance. They swear up and down that they will do whatever God tells them to, even if it is hard (42:5-6). Ten days later, the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah, and turns out, God throws them a softball: Just stay in Jerusalem. No big deal, right? I mean, before Gedaliah was killed, everything was fine. Jeremiah says that Nebuchadnezzar will be cool. So...just stay. Now, I will say that this instruction was kind of interesting to me, just b/c it was the opposite of what Jeremiah said for so long, which was, "Don't stay in Jerusalem! Run, don't walk, over to the Babylonians!" Of course, Jeremiah isn't really saying the opposite; he's saying the same thing, although it looks different now. He's saying, stick with the Babylonians. This is God's plan for you.

Anyhow, you wouldn't think that would be so hard, would you? And yet, all the people were completely infuriated and took God's instructions as their cue to march off to Egypt! What on earth?? And here is the truly bizarre thing. Jeremiah, Mr. "Everyone who goes to Egypt will die" goes right along with them! What?? I would be like, "Have fun dying in Egypt, suckas!" Okay, maybe I wouldn't be like that, but I definitely wouldn't go with them!

Seriously, I was so confused, even more so because they didn't all die in Egypt. In fact, they seem to settle in and take up idol worshiping without any problem at all. And then, Jeremiah gives them another prophecy warning them to stop burning incense to idols. What? How about some follow-through on the fact that they are in Egypt in the first place? You are seriously giving them another chance?

I mean, seriously. For all the wrath that has been poured on this people, God is looking pretty merciful today!! God gives people so many chances, it's crazy. And yet, of course I am really glad He does...

NT: 2 Timothy 2:1-21

My favorite parts of today's reading were Paul's three metaphors that he gave to Timothy:

--"No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer" (4).

--"Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules" (5).

--The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops" (6).

Paul then tells Timothy to "reflect" on these metaphors, "for the Lord will give you insight into all this" (7). Now, I don't claim to have insight from the Lord, but I do love metaphors:). And now that I think of it, this would make a nice three point sermon. I could think of all kinds of ways to make it interesting. Too bad I'm not a preacher:).

Anyway, the first one seems obvious: Christians should serve God with single-minded devotion and not be distracted by worldly pursuits. The second one is a little tougher, especially since Paul uses the word, "similarly," which kind of throws me off. I think it is saying that Christians must stay on God's path, the "straight and narrow," so to speak. They have to play by the rules--God's rules. So where the first was a call to devotion, purpose, and focus, the second metaphor is a call to righteousness and adherence to God's word. They are "similar," in that both metaphors describe lives organized around God's will, but the first one is more about overall motivation, and the second is more about the practical execution.

Now for the third metaphor. I think that the third metaphor is meant as an encouragement, as a reminder of the kingdom of God. I almost put heaven, but I think that we can enjoy some of the "crops" of a Christian life while here on earth. Crops like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All of those things are the "fruit" of God's Spirit in our lives. And when we work hard to do our part to cultivate those fruits, then we enjoy them in our lives.

Those are my interpretations of the metaphors, at least. If anyone has any others, feel free to share!

Psalm 92:1-93:5

Two praise psalms.

Prov. 26:3-5

I love how these two contradicting proverbs are placed on right after the other. At least no one can accuse the author of proverbs of unintentionally contradicting himself! Clearly, he knew what he was doing! Verse 5 says not to "answer a fool according to his folly," and verse 6 says to go ahead and do it. So...which is it??

October 22

2010-10-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 39:1-41:18

First of all, a quick question: Why didn't everyone who chose to remain in the city die by the sword? Wasn't that a prophecy? I'm not going to look it up, b/c I'm not sure how to do so quickly, but I seem to remember several times where Jeremiah told the people to surrender to Babylon, and warned that anyone who remained in the city would die. Did I misunderstand that?

Okay, on to today's story. I am still digging the narrative, especially b/c we are in a section of the Bible of which I have no memory. It's like when I first took U.S. History and every presidential election after about 1820 was such a nail-biter. I was like, "I wonder who will win!" Yes, that's sad (for so many reasons), and yes, it is also probably sad that I don't remember this history...but it does make for interesting reading. For instance, regarding my earlier question, I was reading fully expecting a blood bath when the Babylonians came crashing into Jerusalem after an 18 month long siege (approx). I did remember what happened to Zedekiah from when we read about it in...Chronicles? But as for the rest, I was all ears.

There was not a bloodbath, though. In fact, other than their horrible treatment of Zed, the Babylonians seemed pretty reasonable for conquering marauders. They took a bunch of people off to live in Babylon, left some others under a new leader (Gedaliah), and were super nice to Jeremiah (which probably didn't help him shake his un-Judean rep). On a sidenote, it is kind of crazy to me how interested these world leaders were in Jeremiah. I mean, he's just a guy saying things that he heard from his God. Why does Nebuchadnezzar care? I'm still not sure why Zedekiah would care--I mean, it didn't seem like he was a particularly faithful man. Anyway, I was impressed to see how famous Jeremiah apparently was. Nebuchadnezzar was a fan of his!

In fact, the meanest guy of today's reading was not a Babylonian at all, but a fellow Judean (at least, I think he was). Ol' Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, was a really bad guy! First, he acted on the behest of the Ammonites (argh), and then he killed Gedaliah and co., and I really like Gedaliah! He seemed reasonable (40:9-10), and things were going so well under him! And then this clown has to come along and ruin everything. Boo, Ishmael!

Thankfully, Johanan (who kind of reminded me of Joab, with his Macchiavellian tendencies), came to the rescue, even though he wasn't able to kill Ishmael. And that's where our story today ends. Johanan is leading the captives he rescued from Ishmael, and they are now scared of the Babylonians, since the Babylonian appointee to power has been murdered. I can't wait to hear what happens tomorrow, as I have no inkling of what is coming next!

NT: 2 Timothy 1:1-18

Still no research on Timothy (it's been busy here lately), but I have to say that this passage just sounds like Paul to me. Clearly, I am not an expert in textual analysis, but this is all "typical Paul" type stuff. Besides, it is so personal that it makes me wonder why someone would make it up. I mean, I think Ephesians and Colossians are Paul, too, but they are so general that I do see a point to them, even if they weren't Pauline. But this is all so personal. Anyway, I'm rambling now.

I like how Paul gives a shout out to Timothy's mom and grandmother in verse 5. It was yet another reminder to me of the importance of raising godly kids. I also liked Paul's instruction to "fan into flame" his spiritual gift (6). I thought that the active tense of that verb was interesting. So often, that type of instruction is passive, b/c the work to be done is the work of the Spirit inside you. Yet, here is an example of the active role that the Christian takes in their own spiritual growth. By nature, flames of passion are transitory. In my own life, I sometimes get the picture that God starts the fire in me, and it is then at least partly my job to keep it going. Verse 6 supports this idea. And it leads up to one of my favorite verses in the Bible is verse 7: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." Love it.

Paul then exhorts Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel, nor to be afraid of suffering, and he reminds Timothy of the grace and power of God, which has been lavished on Paul himself (8-12). He admonishes Timothy to hold the course, both in regards to Paul's teachings and in regards to Timothy's own spiritual gift from God (13-14). In the remainder of the passage, Paul states matter-of-factly that everyone has deserted him, though he is thankful for the house of Onesiphorus (15-18).

Psalm 90: 1-91:16

Wow, I really didn't notice that these were two psalms while I was reading them! Anyway, the one from Moses has one of my favorite verses:

"Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Prov. 26:1-2

On honor for fools and undeserved curses.

October 21

2010-10-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 37:1-38:28

Wow, today's reading was so exciting!

First of all, I have kind of given up on the time line b/c I can't keep those "exile kings" straight. Regardless, today's events happened during the reign of Zedekiah and prior to the conquest of Jerusalem. But lots happens, both on the national stage, and in Jeremiah's own life.

On the national stage, Babylon pulls away from Jerusalem to do battle with Egypt, who is appearing to be a good ally, after all (key word: appearing). This is good news, right? I'm sure everyone is breathing a big sigh of relief to have Babylon off their backs. But then here comes Eeyore and Chicken Little rolled into one, still giving the same doom-and-gloom prophecy: Babylon is going to beat us, surrender while you still can, everyone who tries to fight the inevitable will die, and so on. Clearly, this is not what people are wanting to hear. And because Jeremiah seems so unpatriotic, he is then mistakenly accused of trying to defect to Babylon! And honestly, given his recent prophecies, I can see why they thought that! I mean, he's telling everyone else to go to Babylon. Why not him? Of course, he is not trying to defect b/c the irony is that Jeremiah might just be the most patriotic of all the Israelites. He truly wants what is best for the nation. What is best just happens to be the opposite of what is popular. Thus, the chest-thumping nationals ready to fight for Jerusalem are not happy with him.

First, Jeremiah is locked up for desertion. Then, he is thrown into a muddy cistern, apparently to die. Then, he is rescued and placed back into the courtyard of the guard. In the midst of this turmoil, he keeps meeting with Zedekiah, who seems to have some kind of love-hate relationship with him. On the one hand, Zedekiah probably hates Jeremiah's message. On the other hand, he seems to really think that he is a true prophet. Thus, he just can't kill him. Instead, he rescues him from his first prison, only to turn him over to the cistern-dumpers, only to order him pulled back out. Add periodic secret meetings together, and you get a truly bizarre relationship. Anyway, today's reading ends with Zedekiah once again calling for Jeremiah and listening to the same prophecy again. I think it's like, Zedekiah knows what he is supposed to do. He knows he has an order from God. But he just can't do it. He just really, really doesn't want to. So he keeps asking, "What was that order, again?" in hopes that it might change. At least, that's my theory.

NT: 1 Timothy 6:1-21

One day, when I actually have a little time, I'd love to hear what scholars think about this book. To me, it really seemed to take the "social hierarchy/social values" teachings of Ephesians and Colossians and elevate them to the next level. For example, its instructions to women, while not new, are certainly the harshest of any of the books, in my opinion. And today, the instructions toward slaves are similarly zealous. Slaves are to "consider their masters worthy of respect," whether or not their masters are worthy of respect (1). And they are to serve fully and faithfully, even if their masters are believers. Also, it is interesting to me that this passage has no corresponding instructions to masters, even though context makes clear that there were believing slave owners in the community.

Also, even though Paul warns Timothy strongly against the "love of money," and urges him to "flee" from it (7-11), this passage also has the only NT reference that I can think of that does not speak of rich people negatively. Let me know if you can think of others, but verses 17-19, while stern, make it clear that one can be rich and still be a Christian. Now, as a very rich person (globally speaking, of course), I'm down with that. But I do think it is interesting. This whole book seems almost like an antidote for all that counter-cultural, crazy stuff that Jesus was talking about. Camel through the eye of a needle, what? Crazy talk! Now, I don't think they contradict, of course...but I do kind of have a hard time seeing how they fit together, exactly. So if anyone has any insight there, feel free to share!

But like I said, as a globally-rich person, I liked Paul's instructions in verses 17-19. He tells us "not to be arrogant nor to put [our] hope in wealth, which is uncertain, but to put [our] hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (17). Nice! I think that part of me really likes this verse, b/c I feel like I already do it, whereas Jesus' teachings are always so challenging. And with Jesus, I feel so far away from where he is pointing. But this--I can do this! And again, I wonder, Is this the right attitude, the right interpretation? Is this good? I just don't know. But that said, I also like Paul's next instructions to be "rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share" (18). Again, that seems so do-able. So attainable. So...not like the rich young ruler, or the poor widow, or even Zaccheus. Those stories are so hard. This is much easier.

But then I have to ask myself, what is the relationship between these instructions and those stories? How do they work together? And specifically, how do I understand them so that my life will look how it is supposed to look? I want to know God, and to be with God, and I want to do whatever it takes to do that. But...what does it take?

Psalm 89: 38-52

So...I'm wondering if the "anointed one" whom God has rejected is David (38). If so, then this guy has to be a contemporary, right?

Prov. 25:28

On the importance of self-control.

October 20

2010-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 35:1-36:32

Ooooh...stories!

Today, we took a break from prophecies and got a couple of narratives. The first one was an object lesson from God, in which He contrasted the obedience of the Recabites to Jonadab son of Recab with the disobedience of the Israelites to God. To demonstrate their faithfulness, God had Jeremiah invite the Recabites all in for a drink of wine. In accordance with their forefather's wish, they refused, and went on to explain his eccentric and sweeping commands regarding their lifestyle. According to his wishes, his descendants had maintained a nomadic, tee-totaling existence, which, honestly, seems really arbitrary and random. Perhaps that was part of God's comparison. It was like, "These people can follow these bizarro commands just because their ancestor told them to, and you Israelites can't even follow my laws." Of course, you could also argue that God is comparing here, and not contrasting. Perhaps, He is saying, "I know you might not understand the reason for all of my laws, but a lack of understanding is not an excuse for disobedience. Look at the Recabites! They do totally random things out of trust in their forefathers' wisdom. Why can't you trust me?" Either way, it is an interesting object lesson.

In chapter 36, we get the second narrative, in which Jeremiah dictates all of his prophecies to Baruch to be put on a scroll and read to the people. That made me wonder about the prophecies we have read so far. Were they all delivered orally to the people, or did Jeremiah write them down? It all got a little "meta" for me for a second, when I wondered if the book of Jeremiah was actually the second scroll, but I didn't pursue the thought very far.

What I did take from this lesson was the really vivid picture of a man following God's orders, working, and producing something of great value for his people...only to have that thing completely destroyed by his enemy. And then God simply telling the man to start over and do it all again. Like I said, that was a vivid image, b/c I know that my feelings would have probably been pretty crushed. After pouring myself into a work that I believed wholeheartedly to be from God and to see that work crushed--and crushed by one who was supposed to be my leader!--I would have surely been quite dejected. The idea of starting over would have been overwhelming. And yet, Jeremiah did it. He wrote the whole thing again, and even added more (36:32)!

NT: I Tim. 5:1-25

I had several different reactions to today's reading. Let's start with the positive:

--I liked Paul's instructions on treating various members of the body of Christ as different types of family members (1-2). I thought his instructions made a lot of sense and showed love and respect to all parties.

--I loved the idea of our obligation to take care of our immediate families. Of course, that sounds like an obvious and natural thing to do, but so often, Jesus sounds like we should hardly care about our families ("First let me go and bury my father." "Let the dead bury the dead." Good grief! Plus, all that talk about leaving, and even hating, one's family. Yikes!). And yet here, Paul pointedly notes that the children and grandchildren of widows "should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God" (4). In verse 8, he takes it a step further, declaring that, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (8). Thank you! I cannot imagine not caring for or providing for my family, emotionally as well as physically. And for me, that includes not leaving them to go traipsing off on some mission for God! I just have a hard time believing that God would want me to do that. And I think that you can care for your family and yet have God as your number 1 priority. I wouldn't do anything for my family. After all, God's teaching comes first, not my family's desires. Hmmm...I have more thoughts about that, but I've just spent the last two minutes drumming on the keyboard trying to put them into words, and it's not happening. Moving on.

So those were some things I liked. Here are a couple questions I had:

--Taken with Paul's earlier statement about working and eating ("If a man does not work, he shall not eat"), how should verses 9-10 inform my attitude toward charity? Even though James says that taking care of widows is a sign of pure religion, Paul provides several stipulations in his letter to Timothy. According to verses 9-10, Timothy should not give charity to a widow unless she is "over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds." (Sidenote: I actually really like that list as I think about how I am supposed to be living my own life.) So...should we only give charity to those whom we believe are "good" people? Are these instructions indicative of a general principle here, or are they specific to this one situation? So many questions.

--Why does Paul seem so "against" younger widows? First, he seems to view their inclination toward marriage as a weakness and as an indication of their lack of dedication to Christ (11-12). And yet, then, he tells them to marry (14)! It's almost like he doesn't seem to think that young widows are capable of any good apart from having a husband, having kids, and taking care of a household. To him, it's either that, or become gossips and busybodies. Is there no middle ground? Trying (very hard, I might add) to think in Paul's defense, perhaps the social situation of women in that day was such that there truly wasn't a lot for them to do apart from taking care of a household, since they were so powerless in society. Thus, Paul encourages them to do what they can, to devote themselves to others, rather than live in a vacuum, in which all there is to do is fall into temptation. Still, if that's the case, then why did he fault them in verse 11 for their desire to marry?

--Last question: In passages like Romans 12 and I Cor. 12, Paul seems to take pains to describe the equality of the members of the body of Christ. One body, many parts, right? And yet, in verse 17, he seems to hold up the gifts of preaching and teaching as worthy of special honor. Why is that?

Well, those are all my questions. If anyone has any ideas about answers, feel free to share.

Psalm 89: 14-37

I always feel mildly sheepish when I talk about a psalm and then realize the next day that the psalm isn't over yet. Today's installment of Psalm 89 made me wander if Ethan the Ezrahite was a contemporary of David. He speaks of David in such glowing terms, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of hindsight here. So maybe this was written while David was alive?

Prov. 25:25-27

I thought it was interesting (and believe me, I'm probably the only one) that verses 25 and 26 were linked not by content, but by imagery. They talk about two very different things (good news and weak righteous people, respectively), but what links them are the contrasting pictures they each paint of water potability. Again, just me, I know, but I thought the coupling of the verses was cool.

October 19

2010-10-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 33:1-34:22

It's kind of interesting to read the same things again and again and to be hit by them in different ways. Today, I read, yet again, about Judah's impending punishment and restoration, and yet, they still hit me in a fresh way. To think about such harsh punishment, coupled with such loving restoration, truly is to ponder "great and unsearchable things you do not know" (33:3). In chapter 33, the punishment side was depicted in verses 4-10a, and the restoration was pictured in 10b-26. And the restoration was, if possible, even more wonderful than the punishment was horrible.

When I read the promises in verses 15-16 for Israel to always have a king from David's line and to always have a priest standing before God, I, of course, thought about Jesus. The book of Hebrews, in particular, pictures Jesus both as an eternal king and priest, much like the mysterious Melchizedek from Genesis. Verse 22 does seem to portray numerous priests, although that also reminded me of the teaching of Hebrews that we are all priests.

In chapter 34, Jeremiah brings another specific charge against the Israelites. He accuses them of reneging on their commitment to set their Hebrew slaves free. Not only was the freeing of slaves part of a specific covenant between King Zedekiah and the people, Jeremiah also reminds them that it was part of Deuteronomic law (8, 14). Regardless, the Israelites apparently freed their slaves, and then changed their minds and re-enslaved them. Nice. As a result, Jeremiah reminds them of the "walking between the dead animal halves" part of the covenant and vows that they will end up like those animals.

NT: 1 Timothy 4:1-16

Paul warns Timothy against those who will "abandon the faith" and "follow deceiving spirits," specifically ones which "forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods" (1, 3). Reading these verses reminded me yet again of the danger of adding to God's law or putting rule on rule. As verses 3-4 make clear, God created things to be enjoyed. Granted, we have to enjoy them the right way, but He certainly didn't create things like marriage and food so that we would stay away from them!

This section also has the famous verse 12, in which Paul tells Timothy, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." I know that Paul is talking directly to Timothy here, but as a youth minister's wife, I love this vote of confidence in a young person. We tell our teens the same thing that Paul tells Timothy.

I also appreciated Paul's instruction to "watch your life and your doctrine closely" (16a). It's amazing how easy it is for me to stray off the path, especially in heart issues. Things that start out good can end up empty or prideful...which is why I, like Timothy, always need to watch my life closely. And as far as doctrine, wishful thinking can often cloud what I read plainly in the Bible. Again, that's why I always need to watch it closely, to examine where my beliefs are coming from.

Psalm 89:1-13

A praise psalm from Ethan the Ezrahite. I remember that last time around, I wasn't too enamored with ol' Ethan, but today, I enjoyed the simple ode to God.

Prov. 25: 23-24

Against sly tongues and quarrelsome wives.

October 18

2010-10-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 31:27-32:44

Today, Jeremiah says/does two positive things. First of all, he foretells the time of a new covenant, where 1) God will relate to and judge each person individually, and 2) God will put His laws in people's hearts and minds. The passage describing the transition from old to new is beautiful:

"The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.

³² It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,"
declares the LORD.

³³ "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

³⁴ No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,"
declares the LORD.
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."

It occurred to me that the idea of God writing His laws in our minds and on our hearts is fulfilled by the presence of His Spirit within us. The indwelling of God's Spirit in each individual follower is one of the major differences between the old covenant and the new, and could account for this view of the internalization of God's law.

The second positive thing that Jeremiah did was to buy a field. Apparently, Jeremiah was a kinsman-redeemer, like Boaz was, and so he had a choice/obligation to buy a relative's field. In doing so, though, God helped him to make the bigger point that, "Houses and vineyards will again be bought in this land" (32:15). Seen from this perspective, Jeremiah's purchase was an act of faith in God's promise to one day restore Israel.

NT: 1 Timothy 3:16

Paul gives instructions for overseers and deacons. In verse 11, he talks about deacons' wives, and apparently, an alternate translation for that is "deaconess." To be honest, though, I have a hard time seeing how that translation would work. If that's true, then Paul only gives one verse of instructions on deaconesses, which is oddly placed in the middle of five verses of instruction on deacons. Why would deaconesses have a shorter list of qualifications? Why would Paul not specify, for example, that deaconesses be the wives of one husband, since that qualification is important both for overseers and deacons alike? It really makes more sense to me to read the text as, "deacon's wives."

Paul closes this section with what appears to be an early Christian hymn (16).

Psalm 88:1-18

The Sons of Korah write an incredibly Davidic psalm, in which the author describes the pit he is in and begs God to save him from it.

Proverbs 25:20-22

Regarding verse 20, I don't know why it is that bad to sing songs to a heavy heart. Wouldn't that cheer it up?

And verses 21-22 are the verses that Paul quotes in Romans 12.

October 17

2010-10-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

I'm publishing early, b/c I'm out of town on a different computer, and I always have problems with scheduled posts on new computers.

OT: Jeremiah 30:1-31:26

Today's reading relates a dream that Jeremiah had, in which God promised restoration to Judah. Even though Jeremiah considered afterward that his "sleep had been pleasant to [him]" (31:26), I thought the dream had a lot of negative imagery, intermixed with the positive. For example, the day of deliverance would be a day of great terror, in which "every strong man" will have "his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor," and "every face [will be] deathly pale" (30:6). Jacob will be saved, but it will still be a "time of trouble" for him (7). Speaking of trouble, the dream also dwells on the suffering of Judah during their punishment. God says,

"Your wound is incurable,

your injury beyond healing.

There is no one to plead your cause,

no remedy for your sore,

no healing for you.

All your allies have forgotten you;

they care nothing for you.

I have struck you as an enemy would

and punished you as would the cruel,

because your guilt is so great

and your sins so many" (12-14).

Cheery.

The dream goes on, however, to promise retribution on Judah's enemies (16) and to depict a day where Judah will be restored in its own land (30:17-31:14). In this section, dancing and joy is described (31:4), along with fruitful vineyards (5). God "will lead them beside streams of water/ on a level path where they will not stumble" (9a). Furthermore, the people "will be a well-watered garden,/ and they will sorrow no more" (12b). So clearly, there is also some really good stuff in this dream.

NT: 1 Timothy 2:1-15

Paul instructs Timothy to pray for all earthly authorities, in order "that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (2). This instruction kind of reminds me of Jeremiah's instruction to the exiles. They both transcend patriotism because their ends are not the success of a particular country but the ability of God's people to live peaceful, godly lives, wherever they are. If all is going well in the government, then it is more likely that the Jews/Christians can flourish. Of course, their experience of government was one in which they had absolutely no power, so praying for the authorities was about as involved as they could get.

In the second half of this section, Paul instructs women to "dress modestly," and to be defined by good deeds, rather than by material extravagance (9-10). He also rather bluntly commands women to be silent and strips them of any authority to teach men. The reasoning behind this injunction is that Eve sinned first, and not Adam. Paul also says something extremely odd, namely that "women will be saved through childbearing" (15). Because that idea is not found anywhere else in the New Testament, I have to think it is some kind of allusion back to the garden, which is the context for the remark. Like, a parallel statement could be made that, "Man will be saved through his toil on the earth." I don't really get what the meaning is for us, as many women don't, or even can't, have children, and I have absolutely no reason to think that their lack of children would take away their salvation. So...I don't really know what to take from that.

Psalm 87:1-7

Another psalm from the Sons of Korah. I honestly don't understand it very well tonight.

Prov. 25:28-19

Against false testimony and unreliability.

October 16

2010-10-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 28:1-29:32

In today's reading, Jeremiah has a prophet showdown with Hananiah. This is apparently after the first wave of exiles have left, and Hananiah predicts that Babylon will be defeated in two years. Jeremiah, of course, disagrees with this prognosis, and instead predicts that Hananiah will die that very year. And he does, two months later.

Next, Jeremiah sends quite a letter to the exiles. He tells them to settle into their new homes, to continue life-as-normal as best they can, and even to pray for the prosperity of their current cities! Again, that sounds a little crazy. I mean, pray for your conquerors?? What the what? But Jeremiah's view of God's plan transcends nationality, and though he passionately loves Israel, he loves God more. And he recognizes that conforming to God's larger will is actually what is best for Israel.

In the midst of this letter, we arrive at one of the most lifted-out-of-context passages, one that has emblazoned graduation cards, mugs, and knick-knacks in Christian bookstores across the country. I am, of course, referring to Jeremiah 29:11, which proclaims,

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

I must admit that I had heard that this verse was taken out of context, but I had forgotten what the actual context was. Thus, even though I am very familiar with Jeremiah 29:11, it still completely startled me when I stumbled upon it as I was reading along. Before I got to the end of the verse, I have to admit that I was laughing. For one thing, I didn't realize that the verse was in such a specific letter. And honestly, that doesn't rock my world. Universal concepts can be contained in specific letters, such as Paul's letters to churches and individuals. Just a few verses later, in fact, Jeremiah assures the people that if they seek God with all their hearts, they will find him (13). That's definitely a universal idea. The thing that got me is how we use verse 11 as a blithely optimistic, "follow your dreams and shoot for the stars," type of thing. And yet, the people to whom the promise is specifically given are languishing in exile...and they have just been told that it's going to be awhile! I almost feel like our graduation cards need some kind of footnote, with some caveats. "Verse written to people in exile." "Verse does not guarantee exile-free existence." "Future may still include long-term suffering." I don't know--something!

At the end of today's reading, either in the same letter, a separate missive, or a word-of-mouth message, Jeremiah calls out Shemaiah for messing with him behind his back. He then lets the exiles know that Shemaiah is not a true prophet.

NT: 1 Timothy 1:1-20

Yep, probably should read some background info on this one. No time, though. The problem is that Paul is "talking in code," as my friend, Courtney would say. He is describing a problem, but not giving enough details about the situation for an outsider to put the pieces together. Apparently, some people in Ephesus are teaching false doctrines that involve mythology and genealogies (3-4). And these men don't know what they are talking about, and they are distracting everyone by their meaningless drivel (6-7).

And then I got to a section that I know cognitively that I have read before, but honestly, I have NO memory of it AT ALL. It is verses 8-11, which starts, "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels..." Paul then goes on to list such people who are in need of the law. I was quite confused on what law he was talking about, b/c for some reason, these verses didn't seem in line with his other teachings of the law. Maybe it's just me, though. It almost made me think that he was talking about, like, civic law. Also, I noted with interest that in the list of baddies, along with perverts and liars, were slave traders. Hmmm. Maybe Paul is not as sympathetic to slavery as other passages make it sound? Then what to make of those passages?

I also thought that verse 13 was interesting: "Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief." It is that last phrase that gets me: "I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief." I have some questions about that statement, but I have tried and failed to put them into words, so I will chew on them myself instead.

Lastly, Paul tells Timothy to "hold on to faith and a good conscience" (19), and not to be like Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom Paul has "handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme" (20). Yikes! Very 1 Cor 5-ish!

Psalm 86:1-17

A great psalm, by David. My favorite verse was verse 11:

"Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name."

Prov. 25:17

On not being annoying.

October 15

2010-10-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

OT: Jeremiah 26:1-27:22

I referred to my chronology of Jeremiah, and interestingly, it places chapter 26 between 7:15 and 7:16. In other words, according to the chronology, chapters 1-7:15 were the earliest portions of Jeremiah. Then came chapter 26. And then 7:16-20:18. I looked back at Jeremiah 7 and have no idea how they deduced this.

As for chapter 26 itself, I found it to be quite poignant. Here, you actually see people besides Jeremiah doing something right! But first, Jeremiah goes to the temple and tells the people that unless they turn from their ways, then the Lord "will make this house like Shiloh and this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth" (6). Because he said such a negative-sounding thing about his country, Jeremiah was branded as unpatriotic, and everyone seemed to be in agreement that he should die. When the officials heard about all this, they came out to investigate, and both sides pleaded their cases. I especially love Jeremiah's conclusion: "As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood upon yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing" (14-15).

Well. Nothing quite makes an impact like a man willing to hand over his life for what he believes. After Jeremiah speaks, the elders totally (and reasonably) side with him, and in the process, prove that they know their history! They point out that Jeremiah has not done anything different from Micah, an earlier prophet from God. And they seem to take Jeremiah's words to heart. Although they don't explicitly say anything about repenting themselves, it is all so hopeful. And that kind of makes it sad, knowing how it all turned out.

Chapter 27 comes much later in the timeline of Jeremiah, according to my chronology. This time, Jeremiah sends messages to various nations via their envoys to Zedekiah. Can you imagine the impertinence? I bet Zedekiah was sooo mad when he found out that someone was claiming to be a representative of God and was communicating with other nations through envoys sent to him, without his approval. And from the message itself, you'd think Jeremiah was Babylonian! He forecasts Nebuchadnezzar's power and advises everyone to bow down and submit to him. It all sounds crazy, but understanding it from Scripture's perspective, Jeremiah is trying to save lives here. He's saying, "Look, this is going to happen. Submit to God's plan, and you will live." God's plan may not have looked the way they wanted it to look, but it certainly beat total destruction!

NT: 2 Thess. 3:1-18

Paul continues to encourage the church in the midst of persecution, and he concludes with a nice blessing: "May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance" (5).

The rest of this section is used by Paul to warn the Thessalonians against idleness. He prescribes hard work for them, and reminds them of a rule that he gave them: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." I am all for that, but b/c this verse has been used for such a variety of purposes, I would also like to point out that, like all of Paul's instructions, this one was intended specifically for those in the church. That said, I also believe it makes for a pretty good rule in general, but I don't think it should ever become an excuse to not help the poor. I don't advocate enabling people's bad habits, but I also don't think that we should become cynical against poor people just because some take advantage of the generosity of others. I need that reminder, as I have been known to err on the side of cynicism sometimes.

I love verse 13: "As as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right."

Lastly, I thought that the verses regarding church discipline were interesting (14-15). This is not the first time that Paul has recommended that we shun people. I see where he is coming from, but I think that we as a church have had a hard time applying that today. So often, that type of judgment and "punishment" seems so hypocritical and hateful. Clearly, Paul's purpose is the restoration of the person, and yet, often that kind of treatment pushes them away. I don't know. I just don't know how to apply this type of instruction.

Psalm 85:1-13

Another psalm by the Sons of Korah, in which they plead with God to turn from his wrath and to "revive us again" (6).

Proverbs 25:16

On the importance of moderation. There is such thing as too much of a good thing!