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 handc]">[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.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
November 5
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.
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.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
November 4
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
November 3
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
November 2
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.
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.
Monday, November 1, 2010
November 1
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."
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."
Sunday, October 31, 2010
October 31
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.
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.
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