Okay, we are 5/12 done. How are you doing? Are you reading once a week, twice? Or just every now and then when something I say makes you mad?
Or are you just deleting my emails?
Here is your chance. Jump right back in where we are
OT -- 2nd Samuel 18:1-19:10
NT -- John 20:1-31
Psalm 119:153-176 (heck, skip the psalm until tomorrow. this one has knocked me on my fanny and I am still processing it. Leave it for the next go round)
Proverbs 16:14-15
Don't go back. You start right where we are and commit. If you aren't reading at all, just read the NT. If you are reading once or twice a week, commit to 4 and give yourself a gold star on your calendar when you do it. Let's babystep our way to a greater intimacy with God by upping our time in His Word.
And for those oh, so rare ones who have read them all, keep up the good work but remember, only God is perfect so if you have to miss, it will be okay. I have missed myself.
OT -- 2nd Samuel 18:1-19:10
I am so with Joab in his chastisement of David. Only mine comes from a different perspective. If David loved his son so dang much, why wasn't he in closer relationship with him? I see this all the time in my visitation of the elderly. The son/daughter who is the MOST absent is the one pined for. The faithful daughter/son who comes every single week is almost a 'well, whatever'.
In my mother's family of 15 children, my grandmother loved the worst one the best. She allowed him to take advantage of her to no end. He never visited and when she came to him, he treated her like dirt. Yet, she always longed for him.
I thought it was disgusting. (I was 15 when she lived with us. Everything was disgusting when I was 15.) Now, I just find it sad.
And I find David most sad of all.
NT -- JOhn 20:1-31
There is no ascension in John. I didn't know that. I guess I should have, but I didn't. Instead we have these two viginettes with his disciples.
If we continue with the idea that the book of John was written to illuminate parts of Jesus' character, what do these two say about him?
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
May 31
NT -- John 19:23-42
This part of John contains one of the commons -- the casting of lots for Jesus' clothes at the foot of the cross. All 4 gospels mention that there was a seamless undergarment that the soldiers did not want to tear.
Several of the commentaries mention this robe in conjunction with 'the unity of the church'. I am not that esoteric.
I am far more fascinated with the fact that Jesus
a)had such a costly garment on his body
b)the garment was not in disrepair from the beatings, torture, cross-carrying, etc. that he had endured presumably for the last 36 hours
c)it was not bloody and gruesome or sweaty and nasty from the above.
Years ago, when I first stumbled upon this passage, I was in church with a weaver. She mostly spun and wove her own angora rabbits' fur but she took several hours out one day to show me how to weave a linen napkin. I asked Betty about this passage in scripture and she said that it is possible to weave without a seam but it is hard work and involves a special loom. Furthermore, she claimed that it would have had to been linen to have been seamless, not felt (beaten wool) or a wool knit. Betty said that an old weavers myth said this garment was a marriage garment made by the mother of the groom and given to her son at his wedding, new, unrent and unsoiled for the nuptials. I cannot substantiate that myth but Betty was quite confident.
Whatever it was, it apparently was not disgusting and of such value that the soldiers did not want to tear it. A miracle garment that nonetheless, was cut up in to small pieces by the church and resides in numerous cathedrals. HMMMMMM.
In this scripture is also our friend Nicodemus, in his third appearance in John. He has come full circle from his night visit and now openly cares for the crucified body of Jesus. His character development is complete and he is a true, open believer. If he is a metaphor for us, where is Jesus leading US out of the night and into the light?
This part of John contains one of the commons -- the casting of lots for Jesus' clothes at the foot of the cross. All 4 gospels mention that there was a seamless undergarment that the soldiers did not want to tear.
Several of the commentaries mention this robe in conjunction with 'the unity of the church'. I am not that esoteric.
I am far more fascinated with the fact that Jesus
a)had such a costly garment on his body
b)the garment was not in disrepair from the beatings, torture, cross-carrying, etc. that he had endured presumably for the last 36 hours
c)it was not bloody and gruesome or sweaty and nasty from the above.
Years ago, when I first stumbled upon this passage, I was in church with a weaver. She mostly spun and wove her own angora rabbits' fur but she took several hours out one day to show me how to weave a linen napkin. I asked Betty about this passage in scripture and she said that it is possible to weave without a seam but it is hard work and involves a special loom. Furthermore, she claimed that it would have had to been linen to have been seamless, not felt (beaten wool) or a wool knit. Betty said that an old weavers myth said this garment was a marriage garment made by the mother of the groom and given to her son at his wedding, new, unrent and unsoiled for the nuptials. I cannot substantiate that myth but Betty was quite confident.
Whatever it was, it apparently was not disgusting and of such value that the soldiers did not want to tear it. A miracle garment that nonetheless, was cut up in to small pieces by the church and resides in numerous cathedrals. HMMMMMM.
In this scripture is also our friend Nicodemus, in his third appearance in John. He has come full circle from his night visit and now openly cares for the crucified body of Jesus. His character development is complete and he is a true, open believer. If he is a metaphor for us, where is Jesus leading US out of the night and into the light?
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
May 30
OT -- 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23
It is hard for me to know who to pull for in these scriptures. David seems so weak and Absalom seems, well, so wicked.
Everyone is betraying David, including David.
I have a hard time believing that he did not want to fight back, to fight on, to crush Absalom. But maybe that is what makes David so David.
He seems ever ready to give into his children even when they are misbehaving. And Absalom, even though he had cause, is clearly behaving badly.
This set of scriptures hurt. It hurts me to read of David and his allowing people to pelt him with rocks and rotten stuff. It hurts me to hear of Saul's grandson's skedaddling for the up and comer. I don't think this will go well with him. Just my prediction.
And isn't this story repeated in our NT scripture today? John 18:25-19:22
That crowd, that just days before was huzzahing into a frenzy is calling for Jesus to be crucified. Is this crowd mentality in both situations? Go with whoever is in power? Or is there something more here?
John speaks of Jesus fulfilling prophesies and I know Jesus did. But human behavior is consistent. Crowd mentality follows the power. Jesus had it and deliberately chose not to use it. To fulfill the prophesy? NO! To save US!
May we attempt to be worthy and may each of us avoid the crowd.
It is hard for me to know who to pull for in these scriptures. David seems so weak and Absalom seems, well, so wicked.
Everyone is betraying David, including David.
I have a hard time believing that he did not want to fight back, to fight on, to crush Absalom. But maybe that is what makes David so David.
He seems ever ready to give into his children even when they are misbehaving. And Absalom, even though he had cause, is clearly behaving badly.
This set of scriptures hurt. It hurts me to read of David and his allowing people to pelt him with rocks and rotten stuff. It hurts me to hear of Saul's grandson's skedaddling for the up and comer. I don't think this will go well with him. Just my prediction.
And isn't this story repeated in our NT scripture today? John 18:25-19:22
That crowd, that just days before was huzzahing into a frenzy is calling for Jesus to be crucified. Is this crowd mentality in both situations? Go with whoever is in power? Or is there something more here?
John speaks of Jesus fulfilling prophesies and I know Jesus did. But human behavior is consistent. Crowd mentality follows the power. Jesus had it and deliberately chose not to use it. To fulfill the prophesy? NO! To save US!
May we attempt to be worthy and may each of us avoid the crowd.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Seven stories that all the same in all 4 Gospels
Just in case you are wondering, here are the seven stories that are all the same in all 4 gospels. Also in case you are wondering, no one (including me!!!!) got them right. I had to go back and pull my notes from a previous Bible Study.
I should mention that there are 3 caveats. Of course.
1. The baptizing of Jesus by John the Baptist and John talking about Jesus. Different gospels have more or less about John with only Luke talking about his birth but all four have John declaring that Jesus is the Son of God and that he is unworthy to baptize Jesus.
2. Jesus finding his disciples.
The 3 synoptic have Jesus finding Andrew and John fishing but even John finds Andrew and Peter in Galilee and has them immediately leaving for following Jesus. All mention A & P by name as first.
3. The feeding of the 5,000.
All have this miracle. All have the baskets and the loaves and fishes. All have massive leftovers. Must have been an incredible witness to the power of God.
4. The moneychangers in the Temple.
While John has it happen at the beginning of Jesus' ministry and the syn optics have it just before the arrest, all of them have Jesus running the Temple guys swapping Roman coins for Temple money.
5. The Anointing of Jesus.
My personal favorite of the 7 commons, I like it best in John with Mary named and accounted for.
6. The Garden of Gethsemane and the Betrayal/Arrest/Trial of Jesus. Sorry to lump all these together but the story is consistent throughout the gospels.
Caveat one: Peter denying Jesus is in the middle of each of these narratives. I personally feel that it should get its own billing. Why? Well, for one thing, why is this story in all 4 gospels?? Who would tell such a thing? Peter. That is who would tell it. And he must have told it a lot since so very many people heard it, reported it and it made its way almost unchanged in 4 very distinct gospels. Especially John. I think Peter told this story over and over on himself to point out that HE had done something this horrible and he KNEW Jesus personally. Was one of the first (see #2). How much more so would people be who had not known Jesus in the flesh.
7. The Crucifixion.
All 4 gospels tell it slightly different but take away the minute details and you have a stripped down, all the same story. A graphic commentary on how much Jesus loves us and what he is willing to do for us.
Caveat two. Most people want to add the resurrection. But the oldest manuscripts of Mark do not contain the resurrection. What all 4 gospels do contain is that the women go to the tomb and find it empty. I personally think that this is a common but my instructor and I fought about it and the class I was in voted him over me. You have to chose on that one.
Caveat three. There are two mini sermons that are possible commons. I also lost on this point too. The first is the whole "prophet in hometown" issues Jesus had in Nazareth. I think John 4:43 qualifies but John puts Jesus in 'Galilee' while the other 3 put him in Nazareth. Part of the problem is that we don't exactly know where Nazareth is.
The other mini sermon has to do with the Temple being thrown down. I won this argument. I thought since all the gospels were at least codified if not written after AD 70, it was not fair to have Jesus going on about the Temple being thrown down. And in John and Luke, he is mystical and cryptic about it while he is flat out on the table in Matthew. Mark is vague.
I did not think sermonizing was fair game since the Matthew Beatitudes and all the wanderings in John can be interpreted six ways to Sunday.
You get to chose on these as well.
So there you have it. My sevens with three caveats. Agree or disagree?
Blessings to you all.
I should mention that there are 3 caveats. Of course.
1. The baptizing of Jesus by John the Baptist and John talking about Jesus. Different gospels have more or less about John with only Luke talking about his birth but all four have John declaring that Jesus is the Son of God and that he is unworthy to baptize Jesus.
2. Jesus finding his disciples.
The 3 synoptic have Jesus finding Andrew and John fishing but even John finds Andrew and Peter in Galilee and has them immediately leaving for following Jesus. All mention A & P by name as first.
3. The feeding of the 5,000.
All have this miracle. All have the baskets and the loaves and fishes. All have massive leftovers. Must have been an incredible witness to the power of God.
4. The moneychangers in the Temple.
While John has it happen at the beginning of Jesus' ministry and the syn optics have it just before the arrest, all of them have Jesus running the Temple guys swapping Roman coins for Temple money.
5. The Anointing of Jesus.
My personal favorite of the 7 commons, I like it best in John with Mary named and accounted for.
6. The Garden of Gethsemane and the Betrayal/Arrest/Trial of Jesus. Sorry to lump all these together but the story is consistent throughout the gospels.
Caveat one: Peter denying Jesus is in the middle of each of these narratives. I personally feel that it should get its own billing. Why? Well, for one thing, why is this story in all 4 gospels?? Who would tell such a thing? Peter. That is who would tell it. And he must have told it a lot since so very many people heard it, reported it and it made its way almost unchanged in 4 very distinct gospels. Especially John. I think Peter told this story over and over on himself to point out that HE had done something this horrible and he KNEW Jesus personally. Was one of the first (see #2). How much more so would people be who had not known Jesus in the flesh.
7. The Crucifixion.
All 4 gospels tell it slightly different but take away the minute details and you have a stripped down, all the same story. A graphic commentary on how much Jesus loves us and what he is willing to do for us.
Caveat two. Most people want to add the resurrection. But the oldest manuscripts of Mark do not contain the resurrection. What all 4 gospels do contain is that the women go to the tomb and find it empty. I personally think that this is a common but my instructor and I fought about it and the class I was in voted him over me. You have to chose on that one.
Caveat three. There are two mini sermons that are possible commons. I also lost on this point too. The first is the whole "prophet in hometown" issues Jesus had in Nazareth. I think John 4:43 qualifies but John puts Jesus in 'Galilee' while the other 3 put him in Nazareth. Part of the problem is that we don't exactly know where Nazareth is.
The other mini sermon has to do with the Temple being thrown down. I won this argument. I thought since all the gospels were at least codified if not written after AD 70, it was not fair to have Jesus going on about the Temple being thrown down. And in John and Luke, he is mystical and cryptic about it while he is flat out on the table in Matthew. Mark is vague.
I did not think sermonizing was fair game since the Matthew Beatitudes and all the wanderings in John can be interpreted six ways to Sunday.
You get to chose on these as well.
So there you have it. My sevens with three caveats. Agree or disagree?
Blessings to you all.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
May 27
OT – 2 Samuel 13:1-39
Ask and you shall receive! I typed why is David’s daughter named Tamar and up popped this wonderful commentary on this scripture.
I was curious as to WHY David would have allowed his daughter to be named after the Tamar of Genesis. (You remember, Judah’s daughter-in-law who did not get the 3rd son and thus snared Judah). She was the great-great whatever grandmother of David and thus the one more great of our Tamar.
Clearly, the Tamar of Genesis was one shrewd woman and went after what SHE wanted. Our Tamar is almost, well, Mother said I shouldn’t call anyone stupid any more. Naïve. That is what our Tamar is.
Go check out this website. See if you agree with Susan.
And if you still want to pursue this topic, Beth Moore has an astounding sermon, well, you can’t call it a sermon since she is Baptist and a woman, a Talk about this very scripture. Skip to minute 2:30 to get straight to her.
Beth Moore's Family Calamity Part 2
Happy Memorial Day.
Ask and you shall receive! I typed why is David’s daughter named Tamar and up popped this wonderful commentary on this scripture.
I was curious as to WHY David would have allowed his daughter to be named after the Tamar of Genesis. (You remember, Judah’s daughter-in-law who did not get the 3rd son and thus snared Judah). She was the great-great whatever grandmother of David and thus the one more great of our Tamar.
Clearly, the Tamar of Genesis was one shrewd woman and went after what SHE wanted. Our Tamar is almost, well, Mother said I shouldn’t call anyone stupid any more. Naïve. That is what our Tamar is.
Go check out this website. See if you agree with Susan.
And if you still want to pursue this topic, Beth Moore has an astounding sermon, well, you can’t call it a sermon since she is Baptist and a woman, a Talk about this very scripture. Skip to minute 2:30 to get straight to her.
Beth Moore's Family Calamity Part 2
Happy Memorial Day.
May 27
OT 2 Samuel 12:1-31
"Is the child dead?", he asked.
"Yes."
Haunting words. Especially this weekend when so many are celebrating graduations, school endings, pool parties and Memorial Day.
And then there is the finalization of the story of the little boy who was taken in NY so very many years ago.
The death of a child is the hardest strain on a marriage according to most marriage counselors. It tops infidelity by a long, long run and handily beat money issues which come in at #3.
My relationship with my dad's mother was complicated. She thought and said to me on more than one occasion that I was a 'heathen'. Okay, I am to some degree. She had issues and I was not understanding and compassionate. I do not EVER remember her calling me. For ANY reason.
But when I had a miscarriage, she called and cried with me on the telephone.
Years later, I have decided that she, too, must have lost a baby. Only someone who has walked that path would have acted that way, especially given the uneasy relationship she and I had.
One of the goals of Scripture is to illuminate our relationship with God. We have good and bad stories, testimonials, cautionary tales.
No matter how we feel about the adultery side of David and Bathsheba's relationship, what we have here is a model for how to handle the death of a child.
"Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon."
Several observations about those two sentences.
1. David had pulled himself together but he didn't pull APART from Bathsheba.
2. They continued to be with one another physically. How easy it would have been for mighty David to have ditched Bathsheba for the next pretty young thing with no leftover pregnancy pooch, no crying jags. He did not put her aside.
3. 'they' named him Solomon. The two of them stayed in close relationship. They must have been talking and sharing during her pregnancy. Not alone. Together.
All of this must have been a terrible strain on someone who was also trying to fight his own demons and rule a country. What an incredible, complicated, awesome man David was.
And this, I think, is why we also have the hamstrung horses in close proximity. David was a MAN. Not a god. He did good and bad and really awful things. He was incredibly talented and incredibly selfish, but also a favored one of God. But he was a MAN.
Much peace and serenity to you on this Sunday.
"Is the child dead?", he asked.
"Yes."
Haunting words. Especially this weekend when so many are celebrating graduations, school endings, pool parties and Memorial Day.
And then there is the finalization of the story of the little boy who was taken in NY so very many years ago.
The death of a child is the hardest strain on a marriage according to most marriage counselors. It tops infidelity by a long, long run and handily beat money issues which come in at #3.
My relationship with my dad's mother was complicated. She thought and said to me on more than one occasion that I was a 'heathen'. Okay, I am to some degree. She had issues and I was not understanding and compassionate. I do not EVER remember her calling me. For ANY reason.
But when I had a miscarriage, she called and cried with me on the telephone.
Years later, I have decided that she, too, must have lost a baby. Only someone who has walked that path would have acted that way, especially given the uneasy relationship she and I had.
One of the goals of Scripture is to illuminate our relationship with God. We have good and bad stories, testimonials, cautionary tales.
No matter how we feel about the adultery side of David and Bathsheba's relationship, what we have here is a model for how to handle the death of a child.
"Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon."
Several observations about those two sentences.
1. David had pulled himself together but he didn't pull APART from Bathsheba.
2. They continued to be with one another physically. How easy it would have been for mighty David to have ditched Bathsheba for the next pretty young thing with no leftover pregnancy pooch, no crying jags. He did not put her aside.
3. 'they' named him Solomon. The two of them stayed in close relationship. They must have been talking and sharing during her pregnancy. Not alone. Together.
All of this must have been a terrible strain on someone who was also trying to fight his own demons and rule a country. What an incredible, complicated, awesome man David was.
And this, I think, is why we also have the hamstrung horses in close proximity. David was a MAN. Not a god. He did good and bad and really awful things. He was incredibly talented and incredibly selfish, but also a favored one of God. But he was a MAN.
Much peace and serenity to you on this Sunday.
Friday, May 25, 2012
May 26
OT -- 2nd Samuel 9:1-11:27
David and Bathsheba. How many sermons, books, movies and plays are based on this story! It is the original Fatal Attraction. Fatal, I guess to Uriah and the first baby boy.
Here is a great link to commentary on this story.
I do have one observation and it deals with the very beginning of the story. Vs. 2 One 'evening', David got up from his bed... Having walked my own path of depression and been around several others who have experienced that, I know what being 'in bed' in the evening means. This is not the story to debate depression but in some small, silly way, it makes David all the more real to me that he seemed to suffer from depression and his decisions were just as poor as mine were while he was in that state.
NT -- John 15:1-27
The NIV uses the word 'remain' for all these verses. I much prefer the word 'abide' which is from King James Version. Abide has a 'cleaving' sense, maybe even a 'graph' sense of burrowing down in Jesus and growing together. Remain seems almost like you could bolt at any minute and I guess you can but who would want to after experiencing the love of Jesus?
I keep hearing "You and Me Against the World" in my head. And that is what this scripture passage says to me, that I am NOT alone even if the world 'hates' me, Jesus is there with me, sharing the hurt and derision.
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Proverbs 16:1-3
All man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
Guess the this was pretty apropos to The OT scripture today.
David and Bathsheba. How many sermons, books, movies and plays are based on this story! It is the original Fatal Attraction. Fatal, I guess to Uriah and the first baby boy.
Here is a great link to commentary on this story.
I do have one observation and it deals with the very beginning of the story. Vs. 2 One 'evening', David got up from his bed... Having walked my own path of depression and been around several others who have experienced that, I know what being 'in bed' in the evening means. This is not the story to debate depression but in some small, silly way, it makes David all the more real to me that he seemed to suffer from depression and his decisions were just as poor as mine were while he was in that state.
NT -- John 15:1-27
The NIV uses the word 'remain' for all these verses. I much prefer the word 'abide' which is from King James Version. Abide has a 'cleaving' sense, maybe even a 'graph' sense of burrowing down in Jesus and growing together. Remain seems almost like you could bolt at any minute and I guess you can but who would want to after experiencing the love of Jesus?
I keep hearing "You and Me Against the World" in my head. And that is what this scripture passage says to me, that I am NOT alone even if the world 'hates' me, Jesus is there with me, sharing the hurt and derision.
Click Here if your email doesn't display YouTube.
Proverbs 16:1-3
All man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
Guess the this was pretty apropos to The OT scripture today.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
May 25
OT – 2 Samuel 7:1-8:18
Another yucky passage immediately following a grand one. Just when I am reveling in how much God loved David, I read of David hamstringing horses. Horses. What an ass. For goodness sake, my friend D, don’t tell your lovely daughter about this passage.
What, what, what am I to do with how I feel about these passages?
I get the whole ‘they were assailed’ part. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes I can even lightly read stuff like ‘the measuring off lengths, every 2 killed and the third allowed to live’ or the 100 foreskins as a bride price. After all, these were fighting men.
But when I read stuff like the women, children and babies all being killed. Or the donkeys, cows and chickens slaughtered and left to rot, I don’t buy it. I know how much WORK goes into one chicken to eat. The waste. The inhumanity of it. don’t tell me that is God’s way. I don’t believe that.
Sorry, in a blue funk here right now. Matthew leaves on Sunday for the summer.
NT – John 14:15-31
Another Bible buzz phrase that I did not know the origin of in today’s passage, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives, Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
This whole series of imagery is one sermon that he gave his disciples. Remember, they are still in the room after he has washed their feet. I imagine that they are all reclining as you do for Passover on squishy cushions and Jesus is doing his dead level best to impart one last bit of wisdom, one last set of instructions, one last thing to remember before they head out the door for his arrest.
This passage is one that is quoted most often as the reason for John, the disciple, to be the author of this gospel. If he wasn’t the author, whoever it was, used well loved and repeated stories from the disciples as a first hand narrative.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom and humility comes before honor.
Teenagers aren’t humble. I imagine most of you know this. I certainly wasn’t humble as a teenager myself so I have NO IDEA why this has come as such a surprise to me and why it continues to shock me every time I hear one of my boys spout off.
If they aren’t humble, they definitely aren’t honorable or even on the path to honor.
So, how do we get there? The very first part of the proverb is our pathlight. It is the ‘fear of the Lord’.
The word that is translated here as fear is translated elsewhere as reverence, submission, and also honor.
Back to that word again. In order to gain honor for ourselves, we first must find someone/something/some idea to honor. To emulate. To follow. And this is where the choice comes in. We can choose to honor God or we can choose something else. To follow his precepts (our on-going psalm…) or to follow the World’s. It is our choice.
May we each choose wisely.
Another yucky passage immediately following a grand one. Just when I am reveling in how much God loved David, I read of David hamstringing horses. Horses. What an ass. For goodness sake, my friend D, don’t tell your lovely daughter about this passage.
What, what, what am I to do with how I feel about these passages?
I get the whole ‘they were assailed’ part. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes I can even lightly read stuff like ‘the measuring off lengths, every 2 killed and the third allowed to live’ or the 100 foreskins as a bride price. After all, these were fighting men.
But when I read stuff like the women, children and babies all being killed. Or the donkeys, cows and chickens slaughtered and left to rot, I don’t buy it. I know how much WORK goes into one chicken to eat. The waste. The inhumanity of it. don’t tell me that is God’s way. I don’t believe that.
Sorry, in a blue funk here right now. Matthew leaves on Sunday for the summer.
NT – John 14:15-31
Another Bible buzz phrase that I did not know the origin of in today’s passage, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives, Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
This whole series of imagery is one sermon that he gave his disciples. Remember, they are still in the room after he has washed their feet. I imagine that they are all reclining as you do for Passover on squishy cushions and Jesus is doing his dead level best to impart one last bit of wisdom, one last set of instructions, one last thing to remember before they head out the door for his arrest.
This passage is one that is quoted most often as the reason for John, the disciple, to be the author of this gospel. If he wasn’t the author, whoever it was, used well loved and repeated stories from the disciples as a first hand narrative.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom and humility comes before honor.
Teenagers aren’t humble. I imagine most of you know this. I certainly wasn’t humble as a teenager myself so I have NO IDEA why this has come as such a surprise to me and why it continues to shock me every time I hear one of my boys spout off.
If they aren’t humble, they definitely aren’t honorable or even on the path to honor.
So, how do we get there? The very first part of the proverb is our pathlight. It is the ‘fear of the Lord’.
The word that is translated here as fear is translated elsewhere as reverence, submission, and also honor.
Back to that word again. In order to gain honor for ourselves, we first must find someone/something/some idea to honor. To emulate. To follow. And this is where the choice comes in. We can choose to honor God or we can choose something else. To follow his precepts (our on-going psalm…) or to follow the World’s. It is our choice.
May we each choose wisely.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
May 24
Psalm 119
It is indeed the longest psalm in the Bible. It is also an acrostic which is a poem using the alphabet or a word as the first letter of each line or stanza. This one is a Hebrew alphabet acrostic.
Here is the link to Wikipedia regarding it. Click HERE. I found it fascinating even with no theology mentioned. And then that led me to what are the other acrostics that Wikipedia mentions and here are links to those.
In today and yesterday’s scripture, it mentions repeatedly ‘the teachings of your precepts’. Where do we get those from? Sunday School? Parents? Society?
I was brought up in a church family. We had devotions every night until I was in my late teens. I KNEW the Bible when I went to Sunday School (much to my teachers’ distress with all my arrogance). But it wasn’t until I was an adult, in an intense Bible study called Kerygma, that I really started to LEARN the Bible. Knowing the stories is one thing. Knowing the meaning, the shapes, the textures, the reasons why is a total different one.
Here is an example. I KNEW the Noah story from earliest childhood. I even knew – in 5th grade, no less – that there were 2 Noah stories in Genesis.
Reading the Bible as an adult, I began to feel for the babies and children, the dogs and cats, all those left behind. And then I had to come at the story from another angle. Suddenly, I wasn’t blameless Noah in the story, I was awful, sinful me. It had a whole different meaning, texture. And that led me to read the Babylonian scriptures which also contain a flood story, a Thai creation story that begins with a flood and an ‘ark’ of Turtle, and many other realms.
So, back to our psalm for today. Are your ‘teachings of precepts’ the same as when YOU were 12? Where do you get your knowledge from and how are you stretching yourself these days? Maybe that is an unfair question since my stretches these days are coming from reading this Bible in a Year. But I do think it has to be an ongoing thing and it had better be one of your main priorities in your life if you want to live out the scripture we read yesterday “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the Law of the Lord.”
NT -- John 13:31-14:14
Here is a hint. This scripture begins one of the 7 common stories in all 4 gospels……
It is indeed the longest psalm in the Bible. It is also an acrostic which is a poem using the alphabet or a word as the first letter of each line or stanza. This one is a Hebrew alphabet acrostic.
Here is the link to Wikipedia regarding it. Click HERE. I found it fascinating even with no theology mentioned. And then that led me to what are the other acrostics that Wikipedia mentions and here are links to those.
In today and yesterday’s scripture, it mentions repeatedly ‘the teachings of your precepts’. Where do we get those from? Sunday School? Parents? Society?
I was brought up in a church family. We had devotions every night until I was in my late teens. I KNEW the Bible when I went to Sunday School (much to my teachers’ distress with all my arrogance). But it wasn’t until I was an adult, in an intense Bible study called Kerygma, that I really started to LEARN the Bible. Knowing the stories is one thing. Knowing the meaning, the shapes, the textures, the reasons why is a total different one.
Here is an example. I KNEW the Noah story from earliest childhood. I even knew – in 5th grade, no less – that there were 2 Noah stories in Genesis.
Reading the Bible as an adult, I began to feel for the babies and children, the dogs and cats, all those left behind. And then I had to come at the story from another angle. Suddenly, I wasn’t blameless Noah in the story, I was awful, sinful me. It had a whole different meaning, texture. And that led me to read the Babylonian scriptures which also contain a flood story, a Thai creation story that begins with a flood and an ‘ark’ of Turtle, and many other realms.
So, back to our psalm for today. Are your ‘teachings of precepts’ the same as when YOU were 12? Where do you get your knowledge from and how are you stretching yourself these days? Maybe that is an unfair question since my stretches these days are coming from reading this Bible in a Year. But I do think it has to be an ongoing thing and it had better be one of your main priorities in your life if you want to live out the scripture we read yesterday “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the Law of the Lord.”
NT -- John 13:31-14:14
Here is a hint. This scripture begins one of the 7 common stories in all 4 gospels……
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
May 23
NT -- John 13:1-30
When I tell people that there only 7 stories in common in all four gospels, everyone is always astounded, even people I have been in Bible study with for years and years. Most cannot name them.
An old minister once told me that we 'conflagrate' the gospels which is why we have both shepherds and wise men even though they each appear in different gospels and not in both birth narratives.
Today's scripture is one that everyone gets wrong. THere is no last supper in all 4 gospels. Jesus only washes the disciples' feet in this one and there is no 'this is my body...'.
Just out of curiosity, can you name the 7 stories that all the same in all 4 gospels? Email me, comment me, send me a note, stop me at church. I will give the answer on Sunday. Feel free to 'cheat' by going through your Bible. Any way I can get you to open the Word is fine with me!!
As a child, I was totally grossed out with the feet washing. Oh, not because of the Penacostal side of my family that does that in church. It was the washing part. Even then I knew that sandal foot Jesus probably had dirty, smelly feet.
And that is the real point of this story. Only the lowest of slaves would wash someone's feet. Streets were filled with dung, sewage, debris. Touching someone's feet made you unclean. And the disciples called Jesus, Lord. What a stunning visualization for his poor still unclear disciples as to how and what Jesus had been brought to earth to do. And STILL the disciples will not get the next hours and days as Jesus is betrayed, tried, shuffled about and then executed.
We know they weren't dumb, so what was the problem?
Here again, I think John is illuminating a part of Jesus' character and also our response. The character part is hard for me to put into words but here is the gist of it. We cannot understand WHY God does the things he does and the things he DOESN'T do. God and by implication, Jesus, is unknowable, mysterious, and unfathomable. We have read this over and over again in the Psalms. 'Why have you abandoned me?' 'Why did you save me?' 'Why am I oppressed?' 'Why was I successful in my rout of so and so?' Constantly wondering why God is what and who He is. And yet, in our human minds, we want to know and we pin all sorts of human attributes on God. Jealous. Angry. Revengeful. We want him to do what WE want.
It is late and my mind is tired. The Psalm we begin is a long, long one. I think it is the longest in the Bible. Tomorrow I will have some resources for you as you study this psalm It's a doozie!!!
Grace and peace to you.
When I tell people that there only 7 stories in common in all four gospels, everyone is always astounded, even people I have been in Bible study with for years and years. Most cannot name them.
An old minister once told me that we 'conflagrate' the gospels which is why we have both shepherds and wise men even though they each appear in different gospels and not in both birth narratives.
Today's scripture is one that everyone gets wrong. THere is no last supper in all 4 gospels. Jesus only washes the disciples' feet in this one and there is no 'this is my body...'.
Just out of curiosity, can you name the 7 stories that all the same in all 4 gospels? Email me, comment me, send me a note, stop me at church. I will give the answer on Sunday. Feel free to 'cheat' by going through your Bible. Any way I can get you to open the Word is fine with me!!
As a child, I was totally grossed out with the feet washing. Oh, not because of the Penacostal side of my family that does that in church. It was the washing part. Even then I knew that sandal foot Jesus probably had dirty, smelly feet.
And that is the real point of this story. Only the lowest of slaves would wash someone's feet. Streets were filled with dung, sewage, debris. Touching someone's feet made you unclean. And the disciples called Jesus, Lord. What a stunning visualization for his poor still unclear disciples as to how and what Jesus had been brought to earth to do. And STILL the disciples will not get the next hours and days as Jesus is betrayed, tried, shuffled about and then executed.
We know they weren't dumb, so what was the problem?
Here again, I think John is illuminating a part of Jesus' character and also our response. The character part is hard for me to put into words but here is the gist of it. We cannot understand WHY God does the things he does and the things he DOESN'T do. God and by implication, Jesus, is unknowable, mysterious, and unfathomable. We have read this over and over again in the Psalms. 'Why have you abandoned me?' 'Why did you save me?' 'Why am I oppressed?' 'Why was I successful in my rout of so and so?' Constantly wondering why God is what and who He is. And yet, in our human minds, we want to know and we pin all sorts of human attributes on God. Jealous. Angry. Revengeful. We want him to do what WE want.
It is late and my mind is tired. The Psalm we begin is a long, long one. I think it is the longest in the Bible. Tomorrow I will have some resources for you as you study this psalm It's a doozie!!!
Grace and peace to you.
Monday, May 21, 2012
May 22
Proverbs 15:27-28
A greedy man brings trouble to his family but he who hates bribes will live.
This has always been true. Why do we hear over and over again about politicians who have accepted ‘something’ so that a particular project can go through? What makes them think that these kinds of payoff/payouts won’t be discovered? With all the open records acts and internet survellence that is available, you just about have to be crazy to take a bribe. Or would you?
The dictionary defines ‘greed’ as : intense desire for selfish interests especially wealth, power and food. Oh my, food.
One of the seven deadly sins is greed.
The American obsession is greed.
Is this true? Who isn’t greedy? Can you think of someone you admire who ISN’T greedy? In something?
I think it goes back to the original definition. An ‘intense’ desire. There are things that you have to be proprietary over. Your time, for example. I was eavesdropping in the office today and overheard someone ask another person on the telephone “how much of my time are you going to require?” Is that greed or just practical planning? I am not sure how the person on the other end of the phone took it but I thought it was a great idea and one that I plan to emulate especially when it comes to church committee meetings.
Your money is another. I think it is great to be generous but not to the point where your budget is compromised. Again, is that greedy? I mean, shouldn’t I give X dollars to CAC food assistance instead of buying artisan bread? Where do priorities come into play? How do you tell the difference between greed and practicality?
As most of our proverbs do, this one is a couplet. It gives a good for a bad. It is the taking of bribes that indicates the greed.
I was sitting here, working on this blog post and Don was answering emails about the ethics forum he is hosting at Mt Vernon Presbyterian on Tuesday night at 7:30. He made the comment “if you (Sylvia) were putting on this forum, 80% of the church would turn out because they feel they ‘owe’ you for all your good deeds.” Ouch. He meant it nice but I hope that I really don’t do ‘good deeds’ so that people will ‘owe’ me.
Even in the good deed category, if you aren’t doing it for the kingdom, it really boils down to greed, then, doesn’t it? Intent matters. And so does intensity.
An intense desire for selfish interest especially for wealth, power and food.
To God be the glory.
A greedy man brings trouble to his family but he who hates bribes will live.
This has always been true. Why do we hear over and over again about politicians who have accepted ‘something’ so that a particular project can go through? What makes them think that these kinds of payoff/payouts won’t be discovered? With all the open records acts and internet survellence that is available, you just about have to be crazy to take a bribe. Or would you?
The dictionary defines ‘greed’ as : intense desire for selfish interests especially wealth, power and food. Oh my, food.
One of the seven deadly sins is greed.
The American obsession is greed.
Is this true? Who isn’t greedy? Can you think of someone you admire who ISN’T greedy? In something?
I think it goes back to the original definition. An ‘intense’ desire. There are things that you have to be proprietary over. Your time, for example. I was eavesdropping in the office today and overheard someone ask another person on the telephone “how much of my time are you going to require?” Is that greed or just practical planning? I am not sure how the person on the other end of the phone took it but I thought it was a great idea and one that I plan to emulate especially when it comes to church committee meetings.
Your money is another. I think it is great to be generous but not to the point where your budget is compromised. Again, is that greedy? I mean, shouldn’t I give X dollars to CAC food assistance instead of buying artisan bread? Where do priorities come into play? How do you tell the difference between greed and practicality?
As most of our proverbs do, this one is a couplet. It gives a good for a bad. It is the taking of bribes that indicates the greed.
I was sitting here, working on this blog post and Don was answering emails about the ethics forum he is hosting at Mt Vernon Presbyterian on Tuesday night at 7:30. He made the comment “if you (Sylvia) were putting on this forum, 80% of the church would turn out because they feel they ‘owe’ you for all your good deeds.” Ouch. He meant it nice but I hope that I really don’t do ‘good deeds’ so that people will ‘owe’ me.
Even in the good deed category, if you aren’t doing it for the kingdom, it really boils down to greed, then, doesn’t it? Intent matters. And so does intensity.
An intense desire for selfish interest especially for wealth, power and food.
To God be the glory.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
May 21
NT – John 11:54-12:19
I have been continuing to think on the three from Bethany. Today in Sunday School, we had that same scripture. A couple of things struck me as we worked through that lesson together.
1. I had no idea where that “I am the Resurrection and the Life” came from. Ignorant, I clearly am. So very much of our ‘buzz words and phrases’ are taken out of context. I really had no idea that Jesus was talking to someone whose dear brother was dead. I do not think I have ever been to a church funeral where that phrase wasn’t used.
2. I had not really thought about the contrast between Martha – who believed Jesus so much, and his, well, I won’t call them faithless, Thomas after all, was willing to go and die with him, but they REALLY had no idea of who or what Jesus really was.
And then, the scripture for the sermon was the ascension of Jesus in Luke. Okay, I read that scripture less than a month ago. The location (and I know, I know, a good Christian would KNOW where the ascension took place….) totally passed me by. Do you know where the ascension happened? Yep, Bethany. Who lives in Bethany? Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
According today’s scripture, who was supposed to anoint Jesus’ body after death? Mary. Instead, she poured the nard on him at dinner.
Nice Jewish girls don’t bathe men they aren’t related to.
Nice Jewish girls don’t anoint dead bodies of men they aren’t related to.
Clearly, this family is so much more important to Jesus than what I had ever given them credit for being.
Psalm 118
This finishes the Hallel and what a finish it is! This is a personal poem of awesome triumph. The psalmist was assailed on all sides but with God’s help, he prevailed and live to fight again.
The same is true of us. We have setbacks, sometimes really, really hard ones. And our choice is always to fold up and wither away or to press on with God’s help.
In Psalm 23, it talks of walking through the Valley of the shadow of death. Not my favorite psalm (heresy, I know) but I totally get the imagery of the shadow. Darkness.
It is really hard to walk in the Light when you are oppressed or depressed. Actually, I am not sure that they are not the same -- one is outer, the other inner.
In today’s psalm, his oppressors ‘swarm around me like bees’. My bee book says that a small swarm can have 10,000 bees. That is a lot of assailants.
So, what do we do when we are assailed? Fold up? Press on? Okay, I will buy the press on but how, oh how do you do that?
Our psalm gives glimpses of that as well.
Trust in the Lord – I read that to mean, stay in the Word, stay in church, stay in fellowship with other believers and share your burdens with them and with Him.
“IN my anguish, I cried out to the Lord”. Stay in prayer. This one is hard for me. I remember after Nathan died that I was totally unable to pray. I had no words to say. But others in my church prayed FOR me and WITH me and eventually I was able to pray again. This in itself was a powerful witness to me of why you go to church. No one escapes this life without tragedy. You need those relationships already established when the tough times come. When you have passed through that Valley of the Shadow, it is YOUR turn to give back.
And finally, the psalmist gives the glory to God when he comes through to the other side. God was his strength and his salvation and the psalmist is shouting it. We should too.
OT – 1st Samuel 29:1-31:13
If we were reading Lord of the Rings, it would end with “Thus ends Saul, King of the Israelites”. Instead, he falls on his own sword.
I have just finished listening to War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk and he makes a great deal about Hitler killing himself before the war was over. Even then, Wouk thought this was an irreproachable way for a Head of State to behave. He has his fictionous general Armen Von Roon compare Hitler with Napoleon and Napoleon came out on the great side of the comparison. Von Roon makes the claim that Nuremburg wouldn’t have happened if Hitler had given himself up to be blamed.
So what are we to make of Saul’s suicide? Saul makes the statement that he doesn’t want to be ‘abused’ and then killed. He makes no mention of being distraught at his sons’ deaths.
Saul was clearly a very tortoured man but a great leader.
It makes me wonder why Paul’s parents named him Saul. Why would anyone name their son Saul?
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and I hope that you are also reading the scriptures. Grace and peace to you.
I have been continuing to think on the three from Bethany. Today in Sunday School, we had that same scripture. A couple of things struck me as we worked through that lesson together.
1. I had no idea where that “I am the Resurrection and the Life” came from. Ignorant, I clearly am. So very much of our ‘buzz words and phrases’ are taken out of context. I really had no idea that Jesus was talking to someone whose dear brother was dead. I do not think I have ever been to a church funeral where that phrase wasn’t used.
2. I had not really thought about the contrast between Martha – who believed Jesus so much, and his, well, I won’t call them faithless, Thomas after all, was willing to go and die with him, but they REALLY had no idea of who or what Jesus really was.
And then, the scripture for the sermon was the ascension of Jesus in Luke. Okay, I read that scripture less than a month ago. The location (and I know, I know, a good Christian would KNOW where the ascension took place….) totally passed me by. Do you know where the ascension happened? Yep, Bethany. Who lives in Bethany? Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
According today’s scripture, who was supposed to anoint Jesus’ body after death? Mary. Instead, she poured the nard on him at dinner.
Nice Jewish girls don’t bathe men they aren’t related to.
Nice Jewish girls don’t anoint dead bodies of men they aren’t related to.
Clearly, this family is so much more important to Jesus than what I had ever given them credit for being.
Psalm 118
This finishes the Hallel and what a finish it is! This is a personal poem of awesome triumph. The psalmist was assailed on all sides but with God’s help, he prevailed and live to fight again.
The same is true of us. We have setbacks, sometimes really, really hard ones. And our choice is always to fold up and wither away or to press on with God’s help.
In Psalm 23, it talks of walking through the Valley of the shadow of death. Not my favorite psalm (heresy, I know) but I totally get the imagery of the shadow. Darkness.
It is really hard to walk in the Light when you are oppressed or depressed. Actually, I am not sure that they are not the same -- one is outer, the other inner.
In today’s psalm, his oppressors ‘swarm around me like bees’. My bee book says that a small swarm can have 10,000 bees. That is a lot of assailants.
So, what do we do when we are assailed? Fold up? Press on? Okay, I will buy the press on but how, oh how do you do that?
Our psalm gives glimpses of that as well.
Trust in the Lord – I read that to mean, stay in the Word, stay in church, stay in fellowship with other believers and share your burdens with them and with Him.
“IN my anguish, I cried out to the Lord”. Stay in prayer. This one is hard for me. I remember after Nathan died that I was totally unable to pray. I had no words to say. But others in my church prayed FOR me and WITH me and eventually I was able to pray again. This in itself was a powerful witness to me of why you go to church. No one escapes this life without tragedy. You need those relationships already established when the tough times come. When you have passed through that Valley of the Shadow, it is YOUR turn to give back.
And finally, the psalmist gives the glory to God when he comes through to the other side. God was his strength and his salvation and the psalmist is shouting it. We should too.
OT – 1st Samuel 29:1-31:13
If we were reading Lord of the Rings, it would end with “Thus ends Saul, King of the Israelites”. Instead, he falls on his own sword.
I have just finished listening to War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk and he makes a great deal about Hitler killing himself before the war was over. Even then, Wouk thought this was an irreproachable way for a Head of State to behave. He has his fictionous general Armen Von Roon compare Hitler with Napoleon and Napoleon came out on the great side of the comparison. Von Roon makes the claim that Nuremburg wouldn’t have happened if Hitler had given himself up to be blamed.
So what are we to make of Saul’s suicide? Saul makes the statement that he doesn’t want to be ‘abused’ and then killed. He makes no mention of being distraught at his sons’ deaths.
Saul was clearly a very tortoured man but a great leader.
It makes me wonder why Paul’s parents named him Saul. Why would anyone name their son Saul?
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and I hope that you are also reading the scriptures. Grace and peace to you.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
May 20
NT – John 11:1-53
Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
We meet Mary and Martha in two places – here and Luke 10:38-41. Luke also mentions a Lazarus but he is a beggar man, gone to heaven instead of the rich man. Probably not the same Lazarus.
John makes the statement that Mary is the same one who poured perfume on Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.
This story is Luke 7:36-50. She is unnamed in Luke. Many have thought her to be Mary Magdalene but Mary is first mentioned as a follower and one who was cured of 7 demons in Luke 8. At any rate, Mary Magdalene is not the Mary of Bethany of John and Luke. The anointing of Jesus takes place in John in chapter 12 (tomorrow) and Mary of Bethany is clearly mentioned.
Mark 14 mentions the anointing and it happened in Bethany. But the woman is unnamed and she is not mentioned as a sinner.
Matthew 26 mentions the anointing but that it happened at the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany. Also does not call the unnamed woman sinful.
I have puzzled all this out because I am fascinated with this family. Luke only mentions the sisters and he squarely puts the house in their names. John is unclear. But there are no parents listed nor are there spouses. Why not? Highly unusual for good Jewish girls and boys of their age.
They clearly have a close relationship with Jesus and they clearly know that he is the Messiah. Mary and Martha expected a healing. “he wouldn’t have died if you had come”.
One of the commentaries I read said that one of John’s stated purpose was to correct previous gospels. Clearly, John is correcting Luke’s statement of Mary being sinful. What is with that?
We are totally missing the back story here.
Psalm 117
This is the shortest psalm in the Bible – it is 2 verses. Also part of the Hallel, it is a brief but strong assertion that God is great and he is faithful. And for this, we should give praise.
Too bad I didn’t study the Bible as a young adult. We had to memorize a psalm for confirmation. No one told me about this one. I did psalm 100. (5 verses.)
Proverbs 15:22-23
A man finds joy in giving an apt reply – how good is a timely word.
Or an encouraging word. One of our calls is to strengthen the weak of faith. You don’t do that by hitting someone hard. You do it by encouragement, a helping hand, a lifting of burdens. I am not sure that even advice is a good one here. Timely. I am going to keep that in mind.
Grace and peace to you all.
Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
We meet Mary and Martha in two places – here and Luke 10:38-41. Luke also mentions a Lazarus but he is a beggar man, gone to heaven instead of the rich man. Probably not the same Lazarus.
John makes the statement that Mary is the same one who poured perfume on Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.
This story is Luke 7:36-50. She is unnamed in Luke. Many have thought her to be Mary Magdalene but Mary is first mentioned as a follower and one who was cured of 7 demons in Luke 8. At any rate, Mary Magdalene is not the Mary of Bethany of John and Luke. The anointing of Jesus takes place in John in chapter 12 (tomorrow) and Mary of Bethany is clearly mentioned.
Mark 14 mentions the anointing and it happened in Bethany. But the woman is unnamed and she is not mentioned as a sinner.
Matthew 26 mentions the anointing but that it happened at the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany. Also does not call the unnamed woman sinful.
I have puzzled all this out because I am fascinated with this family. Luke only mentions the sisters and he squarely puts the house in their names. John is unclear. But there are no parents listed nor are there spouses. Why not? Highly unusual for good Jewish girls and boys of their age.
They clearly have a close relationship with Jesus and they clearly know that he is the Messiah. Mary and Martha expected a healing. “he wouldn’t have died if you had come”.
One of the commentaries I read said that one of John’s stated purpose was to correct previous gospels. Clearly, John is correcting Luke’s statement of Mary being sinful. What is with that?
We are totally missing the back story here.
Psalm 117
This is the shortest psalm in the Bible – it is 2 verses. Also part of the Hallel, it is a brief but strong assertion that God is great and he is faithful. And for this, we should give praise.
Too bad I didn’t study the Bible as a young adult. We had to memorize a psalm for confirmation. No one told me about this one. I did psalm 100. (5 verses.)
Proverbs 15:22-23
A man finds joy in giving an apt reply – how good is a timely word.
Or an encouraging word. One of our calls is to strengthen the weak of faith. You don’t do that by hitting someone hard. You do it by encouragement, a helping hand, a lifting of burdens. I am not sure that even advice is a good one here. Timely. I am going to keep that in mind.
Grace and peace to you all.
Friday, May 18, 2012
May 19
OT – 1 Samuel 24:1-25:44
I heard Andy Stanley of NorthPoint Church give a great sermon on David and when I went hunting the link, I found this tweet. This really sums up the whole sermon.
Catalyst Dispatch: Andy Stanley on Integrity
UrL Scaramanga
(Here's a post from Cory Whitehead, editor of the Building Church Leaders newsletter, one our Leadership guys on site at the Catalyst conference here in Atlanta.)
Integrity. We hear all about it today, or at least the lack thereof. Enron, Martha, fallen church leaders. We hear about the breakdown of integrity constantly, but we don't hear much about the upright, about those that do not and will not compromise their integrity. Those stories usually have to come out in our personal conversations and experiences.
At this year's Catalyst Conference, Andy Stanley spoke about integrity. In 1 Samuel 24:1-4a, David had the perfect opportunity to kill Saul, stop living like a bandit, and take over the leadership of Israel as God had promised. David had the opportunity to put an end to it when, in the only place in the Bible that it speaks of "relieving oneself," Saul enters a cave to do so. Consequently, Saul enters the cave that David and his men are hiding in.
But David didn't take offense. The perfect opportunity to move forward, to make progress, to "follow God's will," but he didn't take it. Why?
He showed tremendous restraint. He decided to wait on God to crown him king, not to take matters into his own hands. He didn't kill the king because, after all, God had a law against killing. He didn't bypass the law and principles of God. And He trusted God's greater wisdom and plan.
We like to take matters into our own hands and to progress. We like to call some opportunities "open doors" in order to make progress. But "open doors" aren't always an invitation from God, said Stanley. Not when they're against God's laws, principles, and wisdom.
Stanley reminded me that I'm not too good at evaluating my circumstances. I get emotional and saturated by my environment. Stanley made a good point, something I need to remember when it looks like the stars are aligning and "God is opening a door." He said "opportunities must be weighed against something other than the uniqueness of the circumstances surrounding them."
We like to make progress, so when something looks, feels, sounds like a God thing, we chalk it up to what? A God thing. But in 1 Samuel 24, David says this to Saul, "May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.
David waits. And through waiting, his situation later turned out better than if he would have been crowned king by means of assassination. Stanley and King David reminded me that the most direct route to what I want is RARELY the best route.
How have I comprised my integrity lately and chalked it up to a God thing? How have I practiced the God-talk, but really I was compromising my integrity by defying the laws, principles, and greater wisdom of God. How have you?
Cory Whitehead
From Atlanta
http://www.outofur.com/archives/2005/10/catalyst_dispat.html
NT – John 10:22-42
There are so many miracles in the gospels that we just pass right on by. Today, the one that nearly slipped by was the fact that he ‘escaped their grasp’. Well, of course he did! He was, after all, God Incarnate. But when you ponder that little subverse – escaped their grasp and the fact that just a few chapters later he DIDN’T, suddenly these little escape tactics, diversions and mini-miracles are really, really important. Just as Jesus deliberately chose to open that blind man’s eyes by kneading on the Sabbath, so he CHOSE not to escape.
This is another of the characteristics of Jesus that John is so carefully pointing out. If we want to be like Jesus, we have to deliberately CHOSE to be like him. We cannot sit by and let life happen to us. We need a plan and we need to work it. Now, my plan is probably different from yours. That’s okay. John the Baptist had his role and his plan and he worked his plan. It was different than Jesus’. But it is in the CHOOSING that we emulate Jesus. In the deliberate evaluation and pressing forward kingdom goals.
My dad is a marvel at this. He was and is a big proponent of 1 year, 5 year, 10 year plans. He is 72, almost 73 and I would be willing to lay money that he even has a 20 year plan. I am not so good at this. Maybe when you are in the throes of being a mom, your plan is merely to hold on until the kids are gone. I may have fallen into that trap. But my kids are growing up and moving on and it is time to sit down and make a plan. And then work it. May God lay his blessings on all our plans.
I heard Andy Stanley of NorthPoint Church give a great sermon on David and when I went hunting the link, I found this tweet. This really sums up the whole sermon.
Catalyst Dispatch: Andy Stanley on Integrity
UrL Scaramanga
(Here's a post from Cory Whitehead, editor of the Building Church Leaders newsletter, one our Leadership guys on site at the Catalyst conference here in Atlanta.)
Integrity. We hear all about it today, or at least the lack thereof. Enron, Martha, fallen church leaders. We hear about the breakdown of integrity constantly, but we don't hear much about the upright, about those that do not and will not compromise their integrity. Those stories usually have to come out in our personal conversations and experiences.
At this year's Catalyst Conference, Andy Stanley spoke about integrity. In 1 Samuel 24:1-4a, David had the perfect opportunity to kill Saul, stop living like a bandit, and take over the leadership of Israel as God had promised. David had the opportunity to put an end to it when, in the only place in the Bible that it speaks of "relieving oneself," Saul enters a cave to do so. Consequently, Saul enters the cave that David and his men are hiding in.
But David didn't take offense. The perfect opportunity to move forward, to make progress, to "follow God's will," but he didn't take it. Why?
He showed tremendous restraint. He decided to wait on God to crown him king, not to take matters into his own hands. He didn't kill the king because, after all, God had a law against killing. He didn't bypass the law and principles of God. And He trusted God's greater wisdom and plan.
We like to take matters into our own hands and to progress. We like to call some opportunities "open doors" in order to make progress. But "open doors" aren't always an invitation from God, said Stanley. Not when they're against God's laws, principles, and wisdom.
Stanley reminded me that I'm not too good at evaluating my circumstances. I get emotional and saturated by my environment. Stanley made a good point, something I need to remember when it looks like the stars are aligning and "God is opening a door." He said "opportunities must be weighed against something other than the uniqueness of the circumstances surrounding them."
We like to make progress, so when something looks, feels, sounds like a God thing, we chalk it up to what? A God thing. But in 1 Samuel 24, David says this to Saul, "May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.
David waits. And through waiting, his situation later turned out better than if he would have been crowned king by means of assassination. Stanley and King David reminded me that the most direct route to what I want is RARELY the best route.
How have I comprised my integrity lately and chalked it up to a God thing? How have I practiced the God-talk, but really I was compromising my integrity by defying the laws, principles, and greater wisdom of God. How have you?
Cory Whitehead
From Atlanta
http://www.outofur.com/archives/2005/10/catalyst_dispat.html
NT – John 10:22-42
There are so many miracles in the gospels that we just pass right on by. Today, the one that nearly slipped by was the fact that he ‘escaped their grasp’. Well, of course he did! He was, after all, God Incarnate. But when you ponder that little subverse – escaped their grasp and the fact that just a few chapters later he DIDN’T, suddenly these little escape tactics, diversions and mini-miracles are really, really important. Just as Jesus deliberately chose to open that blind man’s eyes by kneading on the Sabbath, so he CHOSE not to escape.
This is another of the characteristics of Jesus that John is so carefully pointing out. If we want to be like Jesus, we have to deliberately CHOSE to be like him. We cannot sit by and let life happen to us. We need a plan and we need to work it. Now, my plan is probably different from yours. That’s okay. John the Baptist had his role and his plan and he worked his plan. It was different than Jesus’. But it is in the CHOOSING that we emulate Jesus. In the deliberate evaluation and pressing forward kingdom goals.
My dad is a marvel at this. He was and is a big proponent of 1 year, 5 year, 10 year plans. He is 72, almost 73 and I would be willing to lay money that he even has a 20 year plan. I am not so good at this. Maybe when you are in the throes of being a mom, your plan is merely to hold on until the kids are gone. I may have fallen into that trap. But my kids are growing up and moving on and it is time to sit down and make a plan. And then work it. May God lay his blessings on all our plans.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
May 18
NT – john 10:1-21
Vs3b:”he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
By name. Jesus knows my name. There is a ton of comfort in that and just a little bit of scariness as that also means he knows my bad side as well.
Here is what David Haight had to say about these verses:
David B. Haight
“Some time ago, as I was convalescing from a serious operation, I received an unusual card that caused me to ponder upon the majesty of life and immortality. The card featured an original painting by Arta Romney Ballif of the heavens at night with their myriad golden stars. The message, taken from Psalms, read: ‘Praise ye the Lord: . . . He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. . . . His understanding is infinite’ (Psalm 147:1, 3-5).
“As I lay in the hospital bed, I meditated…’He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.’ I was then—and continue to be—awed by the goodness and majesty of the Creator, who knows not only the names of the stars but knows your name and my name—each of us as his sons and daughters.” (A Light unto the World [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 3.)
David Haight was the oldest member of the quorum of the Twelve in the Church of the Latter-Day Saints and died in 2004. An extremely powerful man in the LDS church, he is the grandfather of John Huntsman, Jr and his writing and leadership are a heavy influence in the current Republican candidate for president, Mitt Romney.
In Hebrew scripture as well as Egyptian writings, the NAME was a powerful tool. For good or bad. In order to work magic, the Egyptian mages had to know the ‘true’ name of someone or something. Even in today’s world, Jewish boys and girls are given their ‘regular’ name and then their Hebrew name to be used on in sacred situations like Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, ordinations, and death.
For God to know our name, to know the names of the stars (that they even have them is fascinating to me!!! or maybe it shouldn’t be since I name my chickens….),
Serena on the left and the oh so wicked Arista on the right.
and to be able to distinguish us one from another is wonderful, powerful, and a testament to his great love and wisdom.
This is the reason why Moses wanted to know God’s name, why David calls upon ‘the name of the Lord’, why the Pharisees got so mad at Jesus for calling God “Father”. Names are powerful.
And so are labels.
You cannot read the commentaries on our OT scripture without having to read about David and Jonathan’s ‘relationship’. Me, I am far, far, far more worried about Saul and Jonathan’s relationship than the whole homosocial/homosexual/intimate friend thing between David and Jonathan.
Psalm 115
If this psalm sounds different, it should. This psalm is part of Hallel, the 6 psalms (113-118) that are recited or sung on holy days except Purim, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur for observant Jews. It is a psalm of praise and is not an individual prayer but corporate one of thanksgiving. Taken as a whole, these 6 psalms tell the glory of God, his great feats, and his wonderful and mighty characteristics. Maybe we need to do some Hallels ourselves in the Christian church every now and then.
Just as an aside, the last line of the psalm “Praise the Lord” is actually Hallel Jah in Hebrew. Hallelujah.
Learn something new every day.
Vs3b:”he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
By name. Jesus knows my name. There is a ton of comfort in that and just a little bit of scariness as that also means he knows my bad side as well.
Here is what David Haight had to say about these verses:
David B. Haight
“Some time ago, as I was convalescing from a serious operation, I received an unusual card that caused me to ponder upon the majesty of life and immortality. The card featured an original painting by Arta Romney Ballif of the heavens at night with their myriad golden stars. The message, taken from Psalms, read: ‘Praise ye the Lord: . . . He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. . . . His understanding is infinite’ (Psalm 147:1, 3-5).
“As I lay in the hospital bed, I meditated…’He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.’ I was then—and continue to be—awed by the goodness and majesty of the Creator, who knows not only the names of the stars but knows your name and my name—each of us as his sons and daughters.” (A Light unto the World [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 3.)
David Haight was the oldest member of the quorum of the Twelve in the Church of the Latter-Day Saints and died in 2004. An extremely powerful man in the LDS church, he is the grandfather of John Huntsman, Jr and his writing and leadership are a heavy influence in the current Republican candidate for president, Mitt Romney.
In Hebrew scripture as well as Egyptian writings, the NAME was a powerful tool. For good or bad. In order to work magic, the Egyptian mages had to know the ‘true’ name of someone or something. Even in today’s world, Jewish boys and girls are given their ‘regular’ name and then their Hebrew name to be used on in sacred situations like Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, ordinations, and death.
For God to know our name, to know the names of the stars (that they even have them is fascinating to me!!! or maybe it shouldn’t be since I name my chickens….),
Serena on the left and the oh so wicked Arista on the right.
and to be able to distinguish us one from another is wonderful, powerful, and a testament to his great love and wisdom.
This is the reason why Moses wanted to know God’s name, why David calls upon ‘the name of the Lord’, why the Pharisees got so mad at Jesus for calling God “Father”. Names are powerful.
And so are labels.
You cannot read the commentaries on our OT scripture without having to read about David and Jonathan’s ‘relationship’. Me, I am far, far, far more worried about Saul and Jonathan’s relationship than the whole homosocial/homosexual/intimate friend thing between David and Jonathan.
Psalm 115
If this psalm sounds different, it should. This psalm is part of Hallel, the 6 psalms (113-118) that are recited or sung on holy days except Purim, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur for observant Jews. It is a psalm of praise and is not an individual prayer but corporate one of thanksgiving. Taken as a whole, these 6 psalms tell the glory of God, his great feats, and his wonderful and mighty characteristics. Maybe we need to do some Hallels ourselves in the Christian church every now and then.
Just as an aside, the last line of the psalm “Praise the Lord” is actually Hallel Jah in Hebrew. Hallelujah.
Learn something new every day.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
May 17
NT—John 9:1-41
A very neat story on the part of our author in this scripture passage. It is almost a play. It opens with the question of who sinned? And ends with the pronunciation that the Pharisees sinned. In between, Jesus is a minor character. The main character, the one who teaches us the lesson is the blind man.
Several points about this story that struck me:
1. The Blind man does not elaborate on the story. He sticks to the basic happenings and does not try to make assumptions or declarations. He also does not attempt to bring any glory on himself.
2. Only in the middle of the story do we find that Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath. Making mud required kneading (and let me just say, it takes a heck of a lot of spit to make mud. Where did all that spit come from????). Kneading is one of the named thirty-nine forbidden activities on the Sabbath. Jesus healed plenty of people just by touching or in some cases just by saying that the person was healed. He did the knead on purpose. He was answering the question ‘who sinned’.
3. Clearly the man was not educated since he was blind. Yet he doesn’t hesitate to ‘answer’ the insults the Pharisees hurled at him. And he is spot on.
I also have thought a great deal about the whole sickness in response to sin. We would like to think that as 21st century, we are above that, right? But listen to this little blurb about Diana Reeve, wife of Christopher Reeve from CNN when she died:
Dana Reeve, the widow of the actor Christopher Reeve, has died of lung cancer at age 44, according to the Christopher Reeve Foundation. In August, less than a year after her husband's death, Dana Reeve -- a lifelong nonsmoker -- announced she had cancer. She died Monday night."We are all just so sad," foundation President Kathy Lewis said. Lewis said that she had visited Reeve on Friday and that she was "strong and gracious and courageous."Reeve had succeeded her husband as the chairwoman of the foundation, which funds research for new treatments for spinal cord injuries and works to improve the quality of life for people suffering from paralysis.
Did you catch it? “A lifelong nonsmoker”. The implication is – she did nothing wrong so she shouldn’t have cancer?
You are fat, have a heart attack, gosh, your fault. You are thin, have a heart attack, what happened? She was so active! Children born with birth defects, surely, surely, the mother shouldn’t have that drink? Or taken those pills before she knew she was pregnant? Toxic waste, chemicals in laundry detergent, sewage sludge. My email inbox overruns with this stuff.
We still do this whole blame of the sickness thing. Whose fault is it, Lord? Who sinned?
We sinned. It is our fault. Now believe the Lord can heal you and me.
Of course, this story is also the basis for the most famous Christian hymn ever, Amazing Grace.
Here is a lovely rendition:
Click here if your email does not display YouTube.
A very neat story on the part of our author in this scripture passage. It is almost a play. It opens with the question of who sinned? And ends with the pronunciation that the Pharisees sinned. In between, Jesus is a minor character. The main character, the one who teaches us the lesson is the blind man.
Several points about this story that struck me:
1. The Blind man does not elaborate on the story. He sticks to the basic happenings and does not try to make assumptions or declarations. He also does not attempt to bring any glory on himself.
2. Only in the middle of the story do we find that Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath. Making mud required kneading (and let me just say, it takes a heck of a lot of spit to make mud. Where did all that spit come from????). Kneading is one of the named thirty-nine forbidden activities on the Sabbath. Jesus healed plenty of people just by touching or in some cases just by saying that the person was healed. He did the knead on purpose. He was answering the question ‘who sinned’.
3. Clearly the man was not educated since he was blind. Yet he doesn’t hesitate to ‘answer’ the insults the Pharisees hurled at him. And he is spot on.
I also have thought a great deal about the whole sickness in response to sin. We would like to think that as 21st century, we are above that, right? But listen to this little blurb about Diana Reeve, wife of Christopher Reeve from CNN when she died:
Dana Reeve, the widow of the actor Christopher Reeve, has died of lung cancer at age 44, according to the Christopher Reeve Foundation. In August, less than a year after her husband's death, Dana Reeve -- a lifelong nonsmoker -- announced she had cancer. She died Monday night."We are all just so sad," foundation President Kathy Lewis said. Lewis said that she had visited Reeve on Friday and that she was "strong and gracious and courageous."Reeve had succeeded her husband as the chairwoman of the foundation, which funds research for new treatments for spinal cord injuries and works to improve the quality of life for people suffering from paralysis.
Did you catch it? “A lifelong nonsmoker”. The implication is – she did nothing wrong so she shouldn’t have cancer?
You are fat, have a heart attack, gosh, your fault. You are thin, have a heart attack, what happened? She was so active! Children born with birth defects, surely, surely, the mother shouldn’t have that drink? Or taken those pills before she knew she was pregnant? Toxic waste, chemicals in laundry detergent, sewage sludge. My email inbox overruns with this stuff.
We still do this whole blame of the sickness thing. Whose fault is it, Lord? Who sinned?
We sinned. It is our fault. Now believe the Lord can heal you and me.
Of course, this story is also the basis for the most famous Christian hymn ever, Amazing Grace.
Here is a lovely rendition:
Click here if your email does not display YouTube.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
May 16
NT – John 8:31-59
How much do you love this exchange between Jesus and the Jews????
I have to say, the only thing I ever remember reading was the quote, “and the truth will set you free” and it is always taken out of context!
I have had a hard time here lately wondering why on earth I decided to read the Bible this year. And folks, I have to tell you, exhausted as I am from doing a cheese market this evening, THIS SCRIPTURE is why God called me to read the Bible in a Year.
Many times, I find myself in the position of the Jews in this scripture. But why? But how? But how can that possibly be? And God , ever so patiently, over and over and over again, answers me with love, kindness and compassion. Sometimes, it is a brand new insight like this passage. I have marked it for my doubting days. Sometimes, it is a lovely young girl with fresh opened eyes finding her way into the grownup Christian world and being excited by what she is learning and doing. Other days, it is the slog of uncomprehending passages like the stuff we have been reading in Judges and 1 Samuel. Those passages are there for a reason. I don’t know why yet since it is difficult to believe and harder to grasp. But I know that I have been called to read them, ponder them and work through them.
Psalm 112
This is not the psalm to read when you have declared bankruptcy. My good friend told me that the judge in her case slipped her the psalm in her paperwork as she left the courtroom that day to meet the sheriff to collect her final things out of the house she owned.
Friends, this psalm is one when you are riding high. When you need to be reminded that the good things come from God and not yourself. This is not the one to read when your son is dead.
We need to be careful, to be compassionate when our friends, children, spouses are not having a good time. God’s Word is powerful and in the wrong place, it can really wound.
May we have the wisdom to know when to shut up and just be and when to hand out Bible verses.
Proverbs 15:12-14
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.
My friend Laura gave me this poem after one Sunday School lesson that I had taught. I keep it in my Bible with my other precious things. I am sorry but there was no author listed. If you know the author, please let me know so that proper credit can be given.
God Shows in Your Face
You don’t have to tell how you live each day;
You don’t have to say if you work or you play’
A tried, true barometer serves in the place,
However you live, it will show in your face.
The false, the deceit that you bear in your heart
Will not stay inside where it first got a start,
For sinew and blood are a thin veil of lace –
What you wear in your heart, you wear in your face.
If your life is unselfish, if for others you live,
For not what you get, but how much you can give;
If you live close to God in His infinite grace –
You don’t have to tell it, it shows in your face.
Grace and peace to each of you.
How much do you love this exchange between Jesus and the Jews????
I have to say, the only thing I ever remember reading was the quote, “and the truth will set you free” and it is always taken out of context!
I have had a hard time here lately wondering why on earth I decided to read the Bible this year. And folks, I have to tell you, exhausted as I am from doing a cheese market this evening, THIS SCRIPTURE is why God called me to read the Bible in a Year.
Many times, I find myself in the position of the Jews in this scripture. But why? But how? But how can that possibly be? And God , ever so patiently, over and over and over again, answers me with love, kindness and compassion. Sometimes, it is a brand new insight like this passage. I have marked it for my doubting days. Sometimes, it is a lovely young girl with fresh opened eyes finding her way into the grownup Christian world and being excited by what she is learning and doing. Other days, it is the slog of uncomprehending passages like the stuff we have been reading in Judges and 1 Samuel. Those passages are there for a reason. I don’t know why yet since it is difficult to believe and harder to grasp. But I know that I have been called to read them, ponder them and work through them.
Psalm 112
This is not the psalm to read when you have declared bankruptcy. My good friend told me that the judge in her case slipped her the psalm in her paperwork as she left the courtroom that day to meet the sheriff to collect her final things out of the house she owned.
Friends, this psalm is one when you are riding high. When you need to be reminded that the good things come from God and not yourself. This is not the one to read when your son is dead.
We need to be careful, to be compassionate when our friends, children, spouses are not having a good time. God’s Word is powerful and in the wrong place, it can really wound.
May we have the wisdom to know when to shut up and just be and when to hand out Bible verses.
Proverbs 15:12-14
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.
My friend Laura gave me this poem after one Sunday School lesson that I had taught. I keep it in my Bible with my other precious things. I am sorry but there was no author listed. If you know the author, please let me know so that proper credit can be given.
God Shows in Your Face
You don’t have to tell how you live each day;
You don’t have to say if you work or you play’
A tried, true barometer serves in the place,
However you live, it will show in your face.
The false, the deceit that you bear in your heart
Will not stay inside where it first got a start,
For sinew and blood are a thin veil of lace –
What you wear in your heart, you wear in your face.
If your life is unselfish, if for others you live,
For not what you get, but how much you can give;
If you live close to God in His infinite grace –
You don’t have to tell it, it shows in your face.
Grace and peace to each of you.
Monday, May 14, 2012
May 15
OT – 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4
How much does a shekel weigh?
Here is the info from http://topics.info.com/How-much-does-the-Biblical-shekel-weigh-in-modern-units_3105
Biblical
Volume
omer = 4.188 quarts (modern) or 0.45 peck (modern) or 3.964 liters (modern)
9.4 omers = 1 bath
10 omers = 1 ephah
Weight
shekel = 0.497 ounces (modern) or 14.1 grams (modern)
Length
cubit = 21.8 inches (modern)
So that means that Goliath’s coat of armor weighing 5,000 shekels equals 155 pounds! Just the coat of armor! Also, he was reported to have been 9 feet tall. Was this an exaggeration? Possibly. But remember when Joshua and Caleb and the other spies were sent into the Promised Land by Moses? They reported a land of giants.
I tried to figure out what the average height of a 800 BCE man was. Lots of speculation, but here are some good figures. Alexander the Great (died 323 BCE)was approximately 5’5” and was considered ‘slightly shorter than normal’. The average height of a Roman soldier (based on armor that has been recovered at Pompeii and elsewhere was between 5’6”-5’11”. Julius Caesar (died 44 BCE) was ‘slight’ of stature according to some accounts. But a life-size bust recovered from the Mediterranean puts him squarely in the 5’6”-5’8” range.
If we consider the years between Alexander and Julius Caesar and the years between Alexander and David as typical, the average height in Palestine was probably in the 5’5”-5’10” range. At any rate, neither Julius nor Alexander could have possibly worn armor weighing 155 lbs for the coat.
Which brings me back to the question, how tall was Goliath? If he is carrying around approximately 200 pounds in armor before he even begins to fight, I think he has to be at least 7-8 feet tall. Yao Ming, the NBA star at 7’5” reportedly bench presses 300 pounds. So, while the 9 feet may be an exaggeration, whatever Goliath was, he must have been a TERRIFYING sight to the 5’11” David (tall for an Israelite, according to the scriptures). Yet, David, unlike the rest of Israelite army which included 3 of his brothers, had no fear. Only resolve that the Lord God would be with him and would enable him to overcome the giant. Of course, that is what happened and we have VBS stories to revel in.
A couple of curious things, however. Why, if Saul had given David his armor didn’t he know whose son was going out there to kill Goliath? And if David had been in and out of Saul’s home, doing his lyre thing, why didn’t Saul recognize him? Does being God’s servant change your appearance? Another question for heaven.
Psalm 111
After a long and totally unproductive day (and one that SHOULD have been!!), after an emotional hour and a half with a dear friend, after reading so much YUCK in Judges and 1st Samuel; today we have this beautiful psalm. Thank you God, for your unending blessings. 2800 years ago these words were written, 2100 years ago they were set in this order, 25 years ago The Bible in a Year was published with this as the psalm for May 15 for me to read this evening to be comforted that God has my heart, home, and body in his gracious, compassionate and wonderful hands.
The very first verse led me to Dictionary.com to the meaning of the word extol. “to praise highly, laud, eulogize”. Well, we aren’t eulogizing God. But I agree with the praise highly. I have so much to be thankful for that God has provided. A healthy family, an intact family. A job I love, people I care about to work with me. A good mind that I hope is still bendable and teachable. A nice home. Friends and animals who love me that I love.
In so many of these areas, His wonderful hand is present.
But that is personal. The psalm is corporate. He is gracious and wonderful to ALL his people. His word is steadfast and His promises are forever. As God’s people, we have so very, very, very much to be thankful to him.
I’ve written over the top of this psalm – for my blue days. And God, I give you thanks for those as well.
Grace and peace and God’s blessings to you all.
How much does a shekel weigh?
Here is the info from http://topics.info.com/How-much-does-the-Biblical-shekel-weigh-in-modern-units_3105
Biblical
Volume
omer = 4.188 quarts (modern) or 0.45 peck (modern) or 3.964 liters (modern)
9.4 omers = 1 bath
10 omers = 1 ephah
Weight
shekel = 0.497 ounces (modern) or 14.1 grams (modern)
Length
cubit = 21.8 inches (modern)
So that means that Goliath’s coat of armor weighing 5,000 shekels equals 155 pounds! Just the coat of armor! Also, he was reported to have been 9 feet tall. Was this an exaggeration? Possibly. But remember when Joshua and Caleb and the other spies were sent into the Promised Land by Moses? They reported a land of giants.
I tried to figure out what the average height of a 800 BCE man was. Lots of speculation, but here are some good figures. Alexander the Great (died 323 BCE)was approximately 5’5” and was considered ‘slightly shorter than normal’. The average height of a Roman soldier (based on armor that has been recovered at Pompeii and elsewhere was between 5’6”-5’11”. Julius Caesar (died 44 BCE) was ‘slight’ of stature according to some accounts. But a life-size bust recovered from the Mediterranean puts him squarely in the 5’6”-5’8” range.
If we consider the years between Alexander and Julius Caesar and the years between Alexander and David as typical, the average height in Palestine was probably in the 5’5”-5’10” range. At any rate, neither Julius nor Alexander could have possibly worn armor weighing 155 lbs for the coat.
Which brings me back to the question, how tall was Goliath? If he is carrying around approximately 200 pounds in armor before he even begins to fight, I think he has to be at least 7-8 feet tall. Yao Ming, the NBA star at 7’5” reportedly bench presses 300 pounds. So, while the 9 feet may be an exaggeration, whatever Goliath was, he must have been a TERRIFYING sight to the 5’11” David (tall for an Israelite, according to the scriptures). Yet, David, unlike the rest of Israelite army which included 3 of his brothers, had no fear. Only resolve that the Lord God would be with him and would enable him to overcome the giant. Of course, that is what happened and we have VBS stories to revel in.
A couple of curious things, however. Why, if Saul had given David his armor didn’t he know whose son was going out there to kill Goliath? And if David had been in and out of Saul’s home, doing his lyre thing, why didn’t Saul recognize him? Does being God’s servant change your appearance? Another question for heaven.
Psalm 111
After a long and totally unproductive day (and one that SHOULD have been!!), after an emotional hour and a half with a dear friend, after reading so much YUCK in Judges and 1st Samuel; today we have this beautiful psalm. Thank you God, for your unending blessings. 2800 years ago these words were written, 2100 years ago they were set in this order, 25 years ago The Bible in a Year was published with this as the psalm for May 15 for me to read this evening to be comforted that God has my heart, home, and body in his gracious, compassionate and wonderful hands.
The very first verse led me to Dictionary.com to the meaning of the word extol. “to praise highly, laud, eulogize”. Well, we aren’t eulogizing God. But I agree with the praise highly. I have so much to be thankful for that God has provided. A healthy family, an intact family. A job I love, people I care about to work with me. A good mind that I hope is still bendable and teachable. A nice home. Friends and animals who love me that I love.
In so many of these areas, His wonderful hand is present.
But that is personal. The psalm is corporate. He is gracious and wonderful to ALL his people. His word is steadfast and His promises are forever. As God’s people, we have so very, very, very much to be thankful to him.
I’ve written over the top of this psalm – for my blue days. And God, I give you thanks for those as well.
Grace and peace and God’s blessings to you all.
May 14
OT –1 Samuel 15:1-16:23
One of the hard parts about reading OT for me is imposing my own 21st century values and morals on these stories and characters. As a Protestant, I believe I need no priest to intervene for me with God. Yet, in this story, Samuel is hearing the word of God, imparting it to Saul and then passing judgment on Saul for not exactly following the word of God.
I do recognize that this book was written after the line of David was in power and there is a certain amount of justification that is going on to say why Saul was chosen first but David took over.
But I believe that these ancient scriptures speak to us today about our problems, concerns and situation. What then, am I to make of this one?
We have read and will read of people keeping the booty for their own benefit. Yet, Saul did not. He kept the cattle live for sacrifice. The king, well, maybe he thought that as a hostage, the king was more valuable alive than dead. But leaders make mistakes in the heat of battle and Saul had no one there to advise him. Maybe if Samuel had been there, he would not have disobeyed.
What are our sacrifices and who are we supposed to eradicate for the Lord?
Who is interpreting the scriptures for our leaders and do we even want them to? What if the leader was another religion? Would we want that leader to be advised by his spiritual advisor?
What a quandary. I am not prepared with any answers, just more questions. And it is hard for me to read these scriptures and not feel pity for Saul who it appeared was doing the best that he could.
NT – John 8:1-20
Oh, so it is this story that shows Jesus’ compassion! Always, always, I want to know where the guy who was caught with the woman is!
In this reading, I was struck by that phrase, “At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, THE OLDER ONES FIRST, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. “ vs. 9
The older ones first. It does seem that the older you get, the more you realize that you are not perfect, and you are more like other folk than not like them. I guess the older ones had more ‘sins’ weighing on them than the newer ones.
But if this story is about compassion, who did Jesus have compassion for? Certainly the woman. But did he also not have compassion on her accusers? He let them slip away, unseen by his eyes as he wrote on the ground. Knowing all (remember the Samaritan woman at the well), Jesus knew who did what with whom and how often. All of us sin. By letting them slip away, he was forgiving THEIR sins as well. And maybe, just maybe, the next time they were asked to accuse someone, they thought of their own lives and their own sins. Certainly, when I read this story, I see my own faults, lies, and evil deeds written on that ground.
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One of the hard parts about reading OT for me is imposing my own 21st century values and morals on these stories and characters. As a Protestant, I believe I need no priest to intervene for me with God. Yet, in this story, Samuel is hearing the word of God, imparting it to Saul and then passing judgment on Saul for not exactly following the word of God.
I do recognize that this book was written after the line of David was in power and there is a certain amount of justification that is going on to say why Saul was chosen first but David took over.
But I believe that these ancient scriptures speak to us today about our problems, concerns and situation. What then, am I to make of this one?
We have read and will read of people keeping the booty for their own benefit. Yet, Saul did not. He kept the cattle live for sacrifice. The king, well, maybe he thought that as a hostage, the king was more valuable alive than dead. But leaders make mistakes in the heat of battle and Saul had no one there to advise him. Maybe if Samuel had been there, he would not have disobeyed.
What are our sacrifices and who are we supposed to eradicate for the Lord?
Who is interpreting the scriptures for our leaders and do we even want them to? What if the leader was another religion? Would we want that leader to be advised by his spiritual advisor?
What a quandary. I am not prepared with any answers, just more questions. And it is hard for me to read these scriptures and not feel pity for Saul who it appeared was doing the best that he could.
NT – John 8:1-20
Oh, so it is this story that shows Jesus’ compassion! Always, always, I want to know where the guy who was caught with the woman is!
In this reading, I was struck by that phrase, “At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, THE OLDER ONES FIRST, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. “ vs. 9
The older ones first. It does seem that the older you get, the more you realize that you are not perfect, and you are more like other folk than not like them. I guess the older ones had more ‘sins’ weighing on them than the newer ones.
But if this story is about compassion, who did Jesus have compassion for? Certainly the woman. But did he also not have compassion on her accusers? He let them slip away, unseen by his eyes as he wrote on the ground. Knowing all (remember the Samaritan woman at the well), Jesus knew who did what with whom and how often. All of us sin. By letting them slip away, he was forgiving THEIR sins as well. And maybe, just maybe, the next time they were asked to accuse someone, they thought of their own lives and their own sins. Certainly, when I read this story, I see my own faults, lies, and evil deeds written on that ground.
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Sunday, May 13, 2012
May 13
May 13
OT -- 1 Samuel 13:23-14:52
What a stupid oath! Why would Saul have said that? And how can someone who is not in the camp be bound by that same oath? It is the exact same problem I have with that awful story in Judges when Jephthath ended up killing his own daughter. How can people be held to such things?
And yet it happens time and again. Rashi has a brief comment about it in one of his Midrash. He says this was God’s way of reminding his people that oaths made to God were sacred, not to be misspoken or spoken lightly. Better not to swear than to swear lightly. In a culture that had few written words, oaths made out loud had great, great weight. Anyone who broke their oath would be considered untrustworthy in all sorts of deeds.
NT – John 7:30-53
Our friend, Nicodemus shows up in today’s scripture. He does not support Jesus, no not yet, but he does question the Pharisees on a point of order. Clearly, he was not one of the disciples who ‘did not believe’ and ‘who left Jesus’. My vs 50 says Nicodemus was ‘one of their own number’. I guess he was ultimately considered by them to be a huge Turncoat.
And a reminder that John was written to clarify and amend the records about Jesus that were swirling around in first century Palestine. Thus, we have the whole “messisah from David, Messiah from Bethlehem” questions. How can Jesus be from Galilee if nothing good ever comes from there?
My study Bible says that the next verses were added to the gospel of John probably in the 3rd century and they were designed to show Jesus’ compassionate nature. Well, having just spent the last several days watching him confuse, run off disciples, and sneak around getting to and from the Temple for the Feast, we probably could use a little dose of compassion. Will have to wait until tomorrow to see what story that is. Don’t peek ahead.
On a personal note,Matthew graduated from Woodward Academy yesterday. I gave him his diploma. He graciously lent me his arm to walk down those steps and we both did fine.
His party was wonderful, friends and family gathered to congratulate and celebrate with him.
We are looking forward to the next chapter in his life.
OT -- 1 Samuel 13:23-14:52
What a stupid oath! Why would Saul have said that? And how can someone who is not in the camp be bound by that same oath? It is the exact same problem I have with that awful story in Judges when Jephthath ended up killing his own daughter. How can people be held to such things?
And yet it happens time and again. Rashi has a brief comment about it in one of his Midrash. He says this was God’s way of reminding his people that oaths made to God were sacred, not to be misspoken or spoken lightly. Better not to swear than to swear lightly. In a culture that had few written words, oaths made out loud had great, great weight. Anyone who broke their oath would be considered untrustworthy in all sorts of deeds.
NT – John 7:30-53
Our friend, Nicodemus shows up in today’s scripture. He does not support Jesus, no not yet, but he does question the Pharisees on a point of order. Clearly, he was not one of the disciples who ‘did not believe’ and ‘who left Jesus’. My vs 50 says Nicodemus was ‘one of their own number’. I guess he was ultimately considered by them to be a huge Turncoat.
And a reminder that John was written to clarify and amend the records about Jesus that were swirling around in first century Palestine. Thus, we have the whole “messisah from David, Messiah from Bethlehem” questions. How can Jesus be from Galilee if nothing good ever comes from there?
My study Bible says that the next verses were added to the gospel of John probably in the 3rd century and they were designed to show Jesus’ compassionate nature. Well, having just spent the last several days watching him confuse, run off disciples, and sneak around getting to and from the Temple for the Feast, we probably could use a little dose of compassion. Will have to wait until tomorrow to see what story that is. Don’t peek ahead.
On a personal note,Matthew graduated from Woodward Academy yesterday. I gave him his diploma. He graciously lent me his arm to walk down those steps and we both did fine.
His party was wonderful, friends and family gathered to congratulate and celebrate with him.
We are looking forward to the next chapter in his life.
Friday, May 11, 2012
May 12
May 12
Psalm 108
I read this psalm several times before I finally realized that there are 3 verses to this poem.
The first one is vs. 1-6. David is speaking and he is talking to God. He plans on waking God up with his music, praising God for all his glory and then sneaking in with his petition to save them.
The second verse is vs. 7-9 and God is speaking back to David. He speaks from his sanctuary (heaven) and tells David, ‘no problem! I am going to parcel out all the good stuff and the mean boys of Moab, Edom, and Philistia, I intend squash like bugs.’ (only God uses bathroom metaphors, not insects.)
The last verse is vs. 10-13 and David is again speaking, concluding that with God, David would win.
One of the reasons that the Pharisees gave for hounding Jesus was his ‘familiarity’ with God. Jesus called God, “Father”. While David does not do this, he clearly has a relationship with God that allows him to yell, beg, plead and sometimes throw verbal jabs at God without fearing for his very hide.
Moses appeared to have a similar relationship with God. He spent the last years of his life, apparently pleading with God to let him enter into the Promised Land, which God did not allow.
If the Pharisees looked very hard at their scriptures, they could have seen that while Moses didn’t call God “Father”, he called him a lot of less nicer names and so did David!
I really appreciate that David had this kind of back/forth with God. His was a very personal, involved faith. The kind I aspire to. I am not interested in a cold, calculating God or one that is removed from everyday emotions, drives and desires. I do not expect a Santa Claus God but I do want one that is present. David clearly thought God had sleeps and wakes, temper tantrums and cooling off periods and good days and bad. Makes for interesting theology that not everyone in the Bible shares.
Graduation today. It would be nice if everyone prayed that I don’t trip coming down the uneven steps at Richardson Hall after giving Matthew his diploma. I begged him not to put me in that position – I very nearly fell coming down the steps after getting my own diploma, 31 years ago. But he refused to relent and I gave in. Prayers are totally appreciated for that.
Much love, grace and blessing to you all.
Psalm 108
I read this psalm several times before I finally realized that there are 3 verses to this poem.
The first one is vs. 1-6. David is speaking and he is talking to God. He plans on waking God up with his music, praising God for all his glory and then sneaking in with his petition to save them.
The second verse is vs. 7-9 and God is speaking back to David. He speaks from his sanctuary (heaven) and tells David, ‘no problem! I am going to parcel out all the good stuff and the mean boys of Moab, Edom, and Philistia, I intend squash like bugs.’ (only God uses bathroom metaphors, not insects.)
The last verse is vs. 10-13 and David is again speaking, concluding that with God, David would win.
One of the reasons that the Pharisees gave for hounding Jesus was his ‘familiarity’ with God. Jesus called God, “Father”. While David does not do this, he clearly has a relationship with God that allows him to yell, beg, plead and sometimes throw verbal jabs at God without fearing for his very hide.
Moses appeared to have a similar relationship with God. He spent the last years of his life, apparently pleading with God to let him enter into the Promised Land, which God did not allow.
If the Pharisees looked very hard at their scriptures, they could have seen that while Moses didn’t call God “Father”, he called him a lot of less nicer names and so did David!
I really appreciate that David had this kind of back/forth with God. His was a very personal, involved faith. The kind I aspire to. I am not interested in a cold, calculating God or one that is removed from everyday emotions, drives and desires. I do not expect a Santa Claus God but I do want one that is present. David clearly thought God had sleeps and wakes, temper tantrums and cooling off periods and good days and bad. Makes for interesting theology that not everyone in the Bible shares.
Graduation today. It would be nice if everyone prayed that I don’t trip coming down the uneven steps at Richardson Hall after giving Matthew his diploma. I begged him not to put me in that position – I very nearly fell coming down the steps after getting my own diploma, 31 years ago. But he refused to relent and I gave in. Prayers are totally appreciated for that.
Much love, grace and blessing to you all.
May 11
May 11
OT – Samuel 10:1-11:15
When I read these little ‘tidbits’ that show up in the Bible stories like Saul hiding in the baggage, I cannot help but laugh. Those sound so much like family stories that are told on each one of us when we bring home someone new or worse yet, someone dear.
It is quite possible that the story was twisted in some way after they decided that Saul was not the ‘real’ king. But I like to think that it was true. After all, he didn’t appear to go wrangling for the kingship. He seemed just to show up on the scene and God, through Samuel, picks him.
I remember sitting one day at the park when Matt was very small and one of the moms on the bench blurted out, what if one of our sons were going to be president. And all I could think of was “gosh, I really, really, really hope not.”
Do you think this story is one that showed that Saul really, really, really didn’t want to be king?
NT – 6:43-71
Only in John do we have this sad little note about the disciples who left Jesus. In the other 3 gospels, the leaving was done after the arrest. If Jesus knew from the beginning who didn’t believe him, why did he continue to teach them? Prescience seems to be a powerful indicator of a prophet. We saw an elaborate display of Samuel’s ability in our OT scripture and here is Jesus doing it in the NT.
In the early Christian church, there were constant questions about the eating of the body and drinking of the blood of Jesus. So much so that one of the few surviving ex-Biblica references to 1st century Christianity is a critical one about cannibalism. This is also a charge leveled against Catholics in their doctrine of transubstantiation of physically eating Jesus and drinking his blood. (In today’s vampire crazy world, many of the vampire genre have racks of priests/vampires ever at the ready).
When Jesus says ‘whoever drinks my blood and eats my flesh has eternal life’, does he mean that literally? I think not. I think this is just one of John’s esoteric turns of a phrase to represent the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation.
But I can easily see how this would be misinterpreted and for all I know, *I* am misinterpreting it.
Proverbs 15:1-3
A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
This was one of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s favorite proverbs. She wrote about it in These Happy Golden Years as a statement of Ma’s. And it probably did come from her mother. But she had that proverb written above her sink in her home in Missouri. Pa makes the statement that Laura must think first, then speak when she takes her first teaching job.
This is a good lesson for all of us, me especially right now. When people are angry, they really don’t want to hear my ‘oh so great advice’. They want to just vent. And sometimes, they want to vent on me.
When I return with a nasty little retort, which I probably am entitled to, the scene escalates. The only hope to diffuse the situation is the gentle answer. Or maybe to say nothing at all! What an original idea!
On a personal note, this evening, we will be attending Matthew’s Bacculaurate service and Senior Banquet. As he enters this new phase of life, I would covet your prayers for Godly choices, clear vision, and the reprofes, when they come, to be gentle.
OT – Samuel 10:1-11:15
When I read these little ‘tidbits’ that show up in the Bible stories like Saul hiding in the baggage, I cannot help but laugh. Those sound so much like family stories that are told on each one of us when we bring home someone new or worse yet, someone dear.
It is quite possible that the story was twisted in some way after they decided that Saul was not the ‘real’ king. But I like to think that it was true. After all, he didn’t appear to go wrangling for the kingship. He seemed just to show up on the scene and God, through Samuel, picks him.
I remember sitting one day at the park when Matt was very small and one of the moms on the bench blurted out, what if one of our sons were going to be president. And all I could think of was “gosh, I really, really, really hope not.”
Do you think this story is one that showed that Saul really, really, really didn’t want to be king?
NT – 6:43-71
Only in John do we have this sad little note about the disciples who left Jesus. In the other 3 gospels, the leaving was done after the arrest. If Jesus knew from the beginning who didn’t believe him, why did he continue to teach them? Prescience seems to be a powerful indicator of a prophet. We saw an elaborate display of Samuel’s ability in our OT scripture and here is Jesus doing it in the NT.
In the early Christian church, there were constant questions about the eating of the body and drinking of the blood of Jesus. So much so that one of the few surviving ex-Biblica references to 1st century Christianity is a critical one about cannibalism. This is also a charge leveled against Catholics in their doctrine of transubstantiation of physically eating Jesus and drinking his blood. (In today’s vampire crazy world, many of the vampire genre have racks of priests/vampires ever at the ready).
When Jesus says ‘whoever drinks my blood and eats my flesh has eternal life’, does he mean that literally? I think not. I think this is just one of John’s esoteric turns of a phrase to represent the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation.
But I can easily see how this would be misinterpreted and for all I know, *I* am misinterpreting it.
Proverbs 15:1-3
A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
This was one of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s favorite proverbs. She wrote about it in These Happy Golden Years as a statement of Ma’s. And it probably did come from her mother. But she had that proverb written above her sink in her home in Missouri. Pa makes the statement that Laura must think first, then speak when she takes her first teaching job.
This is a good lesson for all of us, me especially right now. When people are angry, they really don’t want to hear my ‘oh so great advice’. They want to just vent. And sometimes, they want to vent on me.
When I return with a nasty little retort, which I probably am entitled to, the scene escalates. The only hope to diffuse the situation is the gentle answer. Or maybe to say nothing at all! What an original idea!
On a personal note, this evening, we will be attending Matthew’s Bacculaurate service and Senior Banquet. As he enters this new phase of life, I would covet your prayers for Godly choices, clear vision, and the reprofes, when they come, to be gentle.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
May 10
May 10
OT – 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27
We hear nothing of Samuel’s home life. Or his wife. Or his wives. Just that he had at least 2 sons that he appointed judges. And they, of course, shades of Eli, were unworthy. Having watched Eli, why didn’t Samuel do a better job?
But to the real scripture, the calling of a king. God gives the reason to avoid a king as costing the Israelites money, people, and possessions. But what you really give up for a king is POWER. Just to be like everyone else, you would give up power? Makes me cringe. But then, I did not live in a time where there was constant war and you had these loose little ‘clan-states’ who sometimes came to the aid of another and sometimes didn’t. I probably would have been in the crowd, calling for a king myself!
The fact that Saul was tall, good-looking, and ‘impressive’ made him a good choice. They say that the taller man usually wins in presidential elections. I guess the same was true in Judges’ world. Good looking is also a factor in elections. Nothing much seems to have changed in 3,000 years.
NT – John 6:22-42
This little story is about greed. Our greed. We want bigger and better every time.
What miraculous sign? Well, sometimes, it is ANY sign. But if the stun of that passes, I guess you would want more and more. And if the miracle worker was someone you ‘knew’, how unreal would that be?
Look at vs. 26: “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man (Jesus) will give you . On him, God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
Poor Jesus. Sent to save men's souls and by happenstance, people discovered that he could heal the sick, blind, and lame. I frequently miss the message. I certainly missed it here. I wanted the miracle, the food that spoils. Thank you for the reminder that it is God's kingdom, not Sylvia's that we are working for.
OT – 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27
We hear nothing of Samuel’s home life. Or his wife. Or his wives. Just that he had at least 2 sons that he appointed judges. And they, of course, shades of Eli, were unworthy. Having watched Eli, why didn’t Samuel do a better job?
But to the real scripture, the calling of a king. God gives the reason to avoid a king as costing the Israelites money, people, and possessions. But what you really give up for a king is POWER. Just to be like everyone else, you would give up power? Makes me cringe. But then, I did not live in a time where there was constant war and you had these loose little ‘clan-states’ who sometimes came to the aid of another and sometimes didn’t. I probably would have been in the crowd, calling for a king myself!
The fact that Saul was tall, good-looking, and ‘impressive’ made him a good choice. They say that the taller man usually wins in presidential elections. I guess the same was true in Judges’ world. Good looking is also a factor in elections. Nothing much seems to have changed in 3,000 years.
NT – John 6:22-42
This little story is about greed. Our greed. We want bigger and better every time.
What miraculous sign? Well, sometimes, it is ANY sign. But if the stun of that passes, I guess you would want more and more. And if the miracle worker was someone you ‘knew’, how unreal would that be?
Look at vs. 26: “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man (Jesus) will give you . On him, God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
Poor Jesus. Sent to save men's souls and by happenstance, people discovered that he could heal the sick, blind, and lame. I frequently miss the message. I certainly missed it here. I wanted the miracle, the food that spoils. Thank you for the reminder that it is God's kingdom, not Sylvia's that we are working for.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
May 9
May 9
NT—John 6:1-21
The Feeding of the 5,000 is the second story in John that is in all 4 gospels. John adds the tag line about the making him king by force, causing Jesus to withdraw. But otherwise, the story is the same. What are we to make of this miracle? Is it something special that there were *12* baskets left over? Left over! The twelve tribes would not ‘consume’ Jesus’ living bread? Numbers in 1st century Rome had great weight. They were never just flung around. If you used one, it had specific meaning.
OT – 1st Samuel 5:1-7:17
While I was reading the account of the tumors and destruction that having the Ark had on the Philistines, I kept thinking about Raiders of the Lost Ark. I kept thinking that if Hitler and that nasty villain archeologist Rene Belloq had only read 1st Samuel, they would not have messed with the Ark. Especially since Hitler was busy exterminating God’s chosen people. It never occurred to me in 1981 when I saw that movie that there was something really twisted about HITLER, Mr. I Hate Jews, using the Ark for his purposes. It was only years later the first time I studied the Bible in mostly whole portions in a course called Kerygma that I got that.
Steven Speilberg is Jewish. He knew all about that plot twist and yet he kept that mostly undiscussed. He would have made a great Midrash scholar if he hadn’t gone into the movie business.
A note about the god mentioned – Dagon. This is from Wikipedia:
“Dagon was originally an Assyro-Babylonian fertility god who evolved into a major northwest Semitic god, reportedly of grain (as symbol of fertility) and fish and/or fishing (as symbol of multiplying). He was worshipped by the early Amorites and by the inhabitants of the cities of Ebla (modern Tell Mardikh, Syria) and Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra, Syria) (which was an ancient city near the Mediterranean containing a large variety of ancient writings and pre-Judeo-Christian shrines). He was also a major member, or perhaps head, of the pantheon of the Biblical Philistines.”
I always find it interesting when other gods and goddesses are mentioned in the OT. It is amazing that in an area no bigger than Georgia in totality and much of it uninhabitable due to desert, you could have that many kingdoms, that many languages, that many religions all in conflict with one another.
Proverbs 14:32-33
Just a quick question about, “Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known.”
Why is it if Wisdom is known by fools that they do not follow Wisdom? I am primarily speaking of myself when I do something I *KNOW* is bad but I do it anyway. Just askin’
Grace and peace to each of you. May you be a light unto the world.
NT—John 6:1-21
The Feeding of the 5,000 is the second story in John that is in all 4 gospels. John adds the tag line about the making him king by force, causing Jesus to withdraw. But otherwise, the story is the same. What are we to make of this miracle? Is it something special that there were *12* baskets left over? Left over! The twelve tribes would not ‘consume’ Jesus’ living bread? Numbers in 1st century Rome had great weight. They were never just flung around. If you used one, it had specific meaning.
OT – 1st Samuel 5:1-7:17
While I was reading the account of the tumors and destruction that having the Ark had on the Philistines, I kept thinking about Raiders of the Lost Ark. I kept thinking that if Hitler and that nasty villain archeologist Rene Belloq had only read 1st Samuel, they would not have messed with the Ark. Especially since Hitler was busy exterminating God’s chosen people. It never occurred to me in 1981 when I saw that movie that there was something really twisted about HITLER, Mr. I Hate Jews, using the Ark for his purposes. It was only years later the first time I studied the Bible in mostly whole portions in a course called Kerygma that I got that.
Steven Speilberg is Jewish. He knew all about that plot twist and yet he kept that mostly undiscussed. He would have made a great Midrash scholar if he hadn’t gone into the movie business.
A note about the god mentioned – Dagon. This is from Wikipedia:
“Dagon was originally an Assyro-Babylonian fertility god who evolved into a major northwest Semitic god, reportedly of grain (as symbol of fertility) and fish and/or fishing (as symbol of multiplying). He was worshipped by the early Amorites and by the inhabitants of the cities of Ebla (modern Tell Mardikh, Syria) and Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra, Syria) (which was an ancient city near the Mediterranean containing a large variety of ancient writings and pre-Judeo-Christian shrines). He was also a major member, or perhaps head, of the pantheon of the Biblical Philistines.”
I always find it interesting when other gods and goddesses are mentioned in the OT. It is amazing that in an area no bigger than Georgia in totality and much of it uninhabitable due to desert, you could have that many kingdoms, that many languages, that many religions all in conflict with one another.
Proverbs 14:32-33
Just a quick question about, “Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known.”
Why is it if Wisdom is known by fools that they do not follow Wisdom? I am primarily speaking of myself when I do something I *KNOW* is bad but I do it anyway. Just askin’
Grace and peace to each of you. May you be a light unto the world.
Monday, May 7, 2012
May 8
OT – 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22
The call of Samuel is a familiar one to most church goers. There are continuing echoes of Samuel’s call in Isaiah, Jonah, even Paul.
As a matter of fact, one of the most beloved hymns, Here I am Lord, was written for Isaiah 6 but the songwriter was thinking of Samuel’s call. Here is his story about the writing the hymn and a lovely YouTube version of the song.
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The call of Samuel was interspersed with the awfulness of Eli’s sons. Clearly, Eli was a good priest. But he was either a really bad father or he had really bad kids. These boys were doing the unthinkable – messing with the burnt offering. And we remember from Numbers what God does to burnt offering messers!
NT – John 5:24-47
John the Baptist pops up again. Jesus is being compared to John and not in a favorable way. My guess is that the Sabbath rules were a big, big problem in John’s (the author of the gospel) congregation. Each of the gospel writers seem to be wrestling with differing problems in their midst. This must have been one of John’s. John offers the reason for the Pharisees’ hatred as the abuse of the Sabbath and Jesus’ familiarity with God. So, Jesus deliberately provokes that anger by doing his big miracles on the Sabbath. Mean Jesus.
But if we believe that scripture speaks to us today, what is this scripture telling us? We don’t keep Sabbath rules. Today(I am working ahead on Sunday as I have Matthew’s graduation’s this week and have a party to give), I have washed windows, curtains, and clothes. I have vacuumed and dusted, and gosh, I have moved more than one mat. I am cooking dinner where I will have sausage, grits and milk all mixed together and if I have any energy left, I am going to the grocery store where I will drop a wad of cash to feed 2 teen boys, one husband, a dog and a cat and me. I think I broke a bunch of Sabbath rules.
But maybe, Jesus’ message was not really about Sabbath rules so much as it is about rules made up to practice religion. So that made me think, what rules do I have that make me practice my religion? The get dressed up rule. No. Sometimes I go to church in jeans. Not often but I am not hung up on that. Organ playing? No. I love good piano, great guitar and drums, I can handle just about anything except really bad choir. I like diversity, I like change. What are my rules????
Well, after a lot of thought, an episode of Lost, and a walk around the block with Howler, the best dog in the world, here is one. I have a hard time sitting still. I have a hard time with folks who just want to sit and listen. I think incredibly bad thoughts about the moms who do not help with Vacation Bible School. In short, I am judgmental. I expect everyone to be a-doing and a-going and involved and if they aren’t, well, they are not worthy. There is one of my rules. I suspect that Jesus wouldn’t like my rule. I suspect he would be in my face about it, A LOT.
What about you? What are your rules? And how would Jesus feel about them?
The call of Samuel is a familiar one to most church goers. There are continuing echoes of Samuel’s call in Isaiah, Jonah, even Paul.
As a matter of fact, one of the most beloved hymns, Here I am Lord, was written for Isaiah 6 but the songwriter was thinking of Samuel’s call. Here is his story about the writing the hymn and a lovely YouTube version of the song.
Click HERE if your email does not display YouTube.
The call of Samuel was interspersed with the awfulness of Eli’s sons. Clearly, Eli was a good priest. But he was either a really bad father or he had really bad kids. These boys were doing the unthinkable – messing with the burnt offering. And we remember from Numbers what God does to burnt offering messers!
NT – John 5:24-47
John the Baptist pops up again. Jesus is being compared to John and not in a favorable way. My guess is that the Sabbath rules were a big, big problem in John’s (the author of the gospel) congregation. Each of the gospel writers seem to be wrestling with differing problems in their midst. This must have been one of John’s. John offers the reason for the Pharisees’ hatred as the abuse of the Sabbath and Jesus’ familiarity with God. So, Jesus deliberately provokes that anger by doing his big miracles on the Sabbath. Mean Jesus.
But if we believe that scripture speaks to us today, what is this scripture telling us? We don’t keep Sabbath rules. Today(I am working ahead on Sunday as I have Matthew’s graduation’s this week and have a party to give), I have washed windows, curtains, and clothes. I have vacuumed and dusted, and gosh, I have moved more than one mat. I am cooking dinner where I will have sausage, grits and milk all mixed together and if I have any energy left, I am going to the grocery store where I will drop a wad of cash to feed 2 teen boys, one husband, a dog and a cat and me. I think I broke a bunch of Sabbath rules.
But maybe, Jesus’ message was not really about Sabbath rules so much as it is about rules made up to practice religion. So that made me think, what rules do I have that make me practice my religion? The get dressed up rule. No. Sometimes I go to church in jeans. Not often but I am not hung up on that. Organ playing? No. I love good piano, great guitar and drums, I can handle just about anything except really bad choir. I like diversity, I like change. What are my rules????
Well, after a lot of thought, an episode of Lost, and a walk around the block with Howler, the best dog in the world, here is one. I have a hard time sitting still. I have a hard time with folks who just want to sit and listen. I think incredibly bad thoughts about the moms who do not help with Vacation Bible School. In short, I am judgmental. I expect everyone to be a-doing and a-going and involved and if they aren’t, well, they are not worthy. There is one of my rules. I suspect that Jesus wouldn’t like my rule. I suspect he would be in my face about it, A LOT.
What about you? What are your rules? And how would Jesus feel about them?
Sunday, May 6, 2012
May 7
May 7
OT – 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22
This is just a point of reference, but the reason we have 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings and so on, is that these ‘books’ were actually scrolls written on velum, sheep’s skin. When the ‘book’ got too heavy for one man to carry, the decision was made to divide the book into 2.
Also, the chapter and verse headings were a medieval addition; they were not original to the text.
The feast of Simchat Torah which occurs on October 7 celebrates the end of the readings of the Torah and the beginning of the reading for the following year. At this time, all the scrolls are removed from the ark and are carried around the synagogue for 7 circuits. Many times, the carriers continue to hold their scrolls as they dance and sing. You can see why the weight of the scroll would be a hindrance.
My study Bible says that the probable date for this book is 900 BCE, after the division of the nation into two kingdoms which occurred in 931 BCE.
Samuel, Nathan, and Gad, all prophets to the kings, kept records and these are probably the backbone of the book.
The book itself is a history of God’s relationship with the Israelites. It connects the time of the Judges (Samuel, himself, was the last Judge) to the time of the kings (Samuel will anoint the first two kings).
It begins, as several stories in the Bible, with a barren woman. Hannah has echoes all the back to Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel.
I was in a Sunday School class once where the question was posed, “what is the big deal with all these women who can’t have babies?” (This was asked by a man who had seven children.) After a period of thought, Pete, the teacher who himself had 4 said, “well, I guess if our survival depended on someone else looking after us now that we were old, we would want children too!”
But I think it goes so much deeper than that. Reproduction is an instinctual drive. Sexual arousal resides in the limbic brain, the oldest part of our brain, one that we share in almost the exact same shape and function with reptiles.
When you CANNOT reproduce, creation is torn apart. I know women who have shot themselves up with horse pee, taken hormones that rendered them grumpy and fat, had surgeries, done therapy, taken temperatures in places I don’t want to talk about, and have STILL been unable to conceive.
I think the salvation of the Israelite by Moses was engineered by a barren woman – the Egyptian princess who ‘found’ his basket.
But beyond that, in the very first verses of Genesis we see who is in charge of creation. God. He is the one who creates life. Originally, to the patriarchs, to the Judges, to Elizabeth, to now. It is hard not to equate not being able to have children with the bad judgment of God. My brain is not capable of untying that idea. But what is true is that God can and does use physical conditions – and not always the good ones, either -- to His benefit and His glory.
Which brings us back to Hannah. She had the love of her husband. Now, this was not always the case. Marriages were arranged in the time of the Judges for family advancement, property settlement (you recall the sisters that received their dead father’s share – they could only marry within their tribe), and dowries. Having the love of the husband was so rare that our scripture mentions it three times!
But that was not enough. I think that Hannah would have been unhappy even without Peninnah’s cruel teasing.
When she had prayed her heart out to the Lord and Eli had sent her on her way, her heart was lifted. She knew. She had faith. God gave her a baby.
Proverbs 14:28-29
A large population is a king’s glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined.
I read some of these proverbs and my only response is why? I get the first part of the proverb. More money, more power, bigger army, you know the basics for being a ‘good’ king. Hard to be king of runts. But why is a prince ‘ruined’ if he has no subjects? Is the sole reason for him being to be a prince? Has he no other manly characteristics? Or does not having subjects make a prince do questionable things?
Here is what the Message has to say about vs. 28:
28 The mark of a good leader is loyal followers;
leadership is nothing without a following.
What comes first? The leader or the ones who need a leader?
OT – 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22
This is just a point of reference, but the reason we have 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings and so on, is that these ‘books’ were actually scrolls written on velum, sheep’s skin. When the ‘book’ got too heavy for one man to carry, the decision was made to divide the book into 2.
Also, the chapter and verse headings were a medieval addition; they were not original to the text.
The feast of Simchat Torah which occurs on October 7 celebrates the end of the readings of the Torah and the beginning of the reading for the following year. At this time, all the scrolls are removed from the ark and are carried around the synagogue for 7 circuits. Many times, the carriers continue to hold their scrolls as they dance and sing. You can see why the weight of the scroll would be a hindrance.
My study Bible says that the probable date for this book is 900 BCE, after the division of the nation into two kingdoms which occurred in 931 BCE.
Samuel, Nathan, and Gad, all prophets to the kings, kept records and these are probably the backbone of the book.
The book itself is a history of God’s relationship with the Israelites. It connects the time of the Judges (Samuel, himself, was the last Judge) to the time of the kings (Samuel will anoint the first two kings).
It begins, as several stories in the Bible, with a barren woman. Hannah has echoes all the back to Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel.
I was in a Sunday School class once where the question was posed, “what is the big deal with all these women who can’t have babies?” (This was asked by a man who had seven children.) After a period of thought, Pete, the teacher who himself had 4 said, “well, I guess if our survival depended on someone else looking after us now that we were old, we would want children too!”
But I think it goes so much deeper than that. Reproduction is an instinctual drive. Sexual arousal resides in the limbic brain, the oldest part of our brain, one that we share in almost the exact same shape and function with reptiles.
When you CANNOT reproduce, creation is torn apart. I know women who have shot themselves up with horse pee, taken hormones that rendered them grumpy and fat, had surgeries, done therapy, taken temperatures in places I don’t want to talk about, and have STILL been unable to conceive.
I think the salvation of the Israelite by Moses was engineered by a barren woman – the Egyptian princess who ‘found’ his basket.
But beyond that, in the very first verses of Genesis we see who is in charge of creation. God. He is the one who creates life. Originally, to the patriarchs, to the Judges, to Elizabeth, to now. It is hard not to equate not being able to have children with the bad judgment of God. My brain is not capable of untying that idea. But what is true is that God can and does use physical conditions – and not always the good ones, either -- to His benefit and His glory.
Which brings us back to Hannah. She had the love of her husband. Now, this was not always the case. Marriages were arranged in the time of the Judges for family advancement, property settlement (you recall the sisters that received their dead father’s share – they could only marry within their tribe), and dowries. Having the love of the husband was so rare that our scripture mentions it three times!
But that was not enough. I think that Hannah would have been unhappy even without Peninnah’s cruel teasing.
When she had prayed her heart out to the Lord and Eli had sent her on her way, her heart was lifted. She knew. She had faith. God gave her a baby.
Proverbs 14:28-29
A large population is a king’s glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined.
I read some of these proverbs and my only response is why? I get the first part of the proverb. More money, more power, bigger army, you know the basics for being a ‘good’ king. Hard to be king of runts. But why is a prince ‘ruined’ if he has no subjects? Is the sole reason for him being to be a prince? Has he no other manly characteristics? Or does not having subjects make a prince do questionable things?
Here is what the Message has to say about vs. 28:
28 The mark of a good leader is loyal followers;
leadership is nothing without a following.
What comes first? The leader or the ones who need a leader?
Saturday, May 5, 2012
May 6
OT – Ruth 2:1-4:22
There is a lot going on in the back story of this scripture.
#1 When Naomi came back to Israel with Ruth, her kinsmen should have taken her in immediately. That they didn’t , that she had property to dispose of (Ruth, apparently) and that they didn’t settle that up was a huge breach. However, remember that this story took place during the time of the Judges, “when there was no king in Israel”.
#2 That Boaz knew Ruth’s story, even though he ‘asked’ his foreman, indicated a high level of interest in her, personally. She was a foreigner, a Moabite, a sworn enemy of the Israelites. He was a wealthy, successful, apparently much older man. Why he would notice her, allow her to be on his property, even protect her virtue by hustling her out before the dawn broke after the wild threshing party, is really quite astonishing.
#3 That the elders would approve of Boaz taking Ruth for his wife and redeeming the land of Naomi is also quite astonishing. But even more so, that the baby that was born to the union was HIS son, not Mahlon’s.
All this to say, Ruth must have been one awesome young woman. She left her home to keep her vow to Naomi, traveling to her enemy’s land. She is obedient, kind, frugal, and shares. Clearly, she must have been attractive and knew how to dress herself up well. That she was named in the geneolagy of Jesus was amazing. That she was named when she such a woman makes it all the more incredible.
Proverbs 14:26-27
He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress.
What does that mean in our day and time? In the time of Proverbs, just a few centuries after Judges, it meant that secure physically. Boaz had a secure fortress. He was able to say to Ruth, stay in my fields and no man will harm you. Clearly, it wasn’t just the presence of armed guards that kept the men away from Ruth. It was the man, Boaz, himself.
Remember back to the Levite’s concubine, that wretched story. The fortress was secure, all right, but not the folk who belonged there.
We have alarm systems, people own pit bulls, we double, triple lock our doors. But that doesn’t seem to make us secure. People still are afraid. Of people, not of the Lord.
But it is the second part of the proverb that is intriguing to me. The security is for the children to find refuge. Do our children find refuge in our homes? Too much?
When they are hurting emotionally or even physically, is your home the place they want to come to?
I remember the first time I had the flu after I moved out of my parents’ house when I was 20. I wanted to come home, crawl up on my parents’ bed and eat tomato soup and ritz crackers and drink ginger ale. That was my very first response. Go home.
I hope my children have the same sense of home as I did.
My favorite song of all time. Click here if your email does not display YouTube.
Blessings to you and yours.
There is a lot going on in the back story of this scripture.
#1 When Naomi came back to Israel with Ruth, her kinsmen should have taken her in immediately. That they didn’t , that she had property to dispose of (Ruth, apparently) and that they didn’t settle that up was a huge breach. However, remember that this story took place during the time of the Judges, “when there was no king in Israel”.
#2 That Boaz knew Ruth’s story, even though he ‘asked’ his foreman, indicated a high level of interest in her, personally. She was a foreigner, a Moabite, a sworn enemy of the Israelites. He was a wealthy, successful, apparently much older man. Why he would notice her, allow her to be on his property, even protect her virtue by hustling her out before the dawn broke after the wild threshing party, is really quite astonishing.
#3 That the elders would approve of Boaz taking Ruth for his wife and redeeming the land of Naomi is also quite astonishing. But even more so, that the baby that was born to the union was HIS son, not Mahlon’s.
All this to say, Ruth must have been one awesome young woman. She left her home to keep her vow to Naomi, traveling to her enemy’s land. She is obedient, kind, frugal, and shares. Clearly, she must have been attractive and knew how to dress herself up well. That she was named in the geneolagy of Jesus was amazing. That she was named when she such a woman makes it all the more incredible.
Proverbs 14:26-27
He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress.
What does that mean in our day and time? In the time of Proverbs, just a few centuries after Judges, it meant that secure physically. Boaz had a secure fortress. He was able to say to Ruth, stay in my fields and no man will harm you. Clearly, it wasn’t just the presence of armed guards that kept the men away from Ruth. It was the man, Boaz, himself.
Remember back to the Levite’s concubine, that wretched story. The fortress was secure, all right, but not the folk who belonged there.
We have alarm systems, people own pit bulls, we double, triple lock our doors. But that doesn’t seem to make us secure. People still are afraid. Of people, not of the Lord.
But it is the second part of the proverb that is intriguing to me. The security is for the children to find refuge. Do our children find refuge in our homes? Too much?
When they are hurting emotionally or even physically, is your home the place they want to come to?
I remember the first time I had the flu after I moved out of my parents’ house when I was 20. I wanted to come home, crawl up on my parents’ bed and eat tomato soup and ritz crackers and drink ginger ale. That was my very first response. Go home.
I hope my children have the same sense of home as I did.
My favorite song of all time. Click here if your email does not display YouTube.
Blessings to you and yours.
Friday, May 4, 2012
May 5
OT – Judges 21:1-Ruth 1:22
Thank goodness we are leaving Judges! Okay, I take back every word I said in praise of it. I am exhausted with how utterly awful people can be to one another even those they ‘supposedly’ care for.
What kind of adviser would tell a group of men to lie in wait for girls merely to get around a stupid oath? They didn’t keep half the oaths they made to God anyway??? They worshiped a bunch of idols. Why on earth did they think kidnapping would be acceptable to reneging on their stupid oath.
OHHHHHH!
NT – John 4:4-42
The opening verse of our scripture today “Now he (Jesus) had to go through Samaria.” Is deceitful. The verb ‘had’ in Greek is frequently translated ‘commanded’. Which begs the question, who commanded? God, of course. This story is one long exposition on Jesus’ obedience characteristic and how he changed lives. It also explains why the apostles fled to Samaria when the Jewish ruling council kicked them out from Jerusalem. That story is in Acts 8.
If you want to know the back story on why Jesus had to be commanded to walk through Samaria, click HERE.
Like so many other stories in John, this one starts with word play. Living water to the Samaritan woman, meant something entirely different than what it meant to Jesus. Jesus played with her for a little longer, doing his ‘parlor trick’ thing of knowing more about that person than he should have. This set her for the declaration that he WAS the Messiah and off she went to change the Samaritans.
His disciples, the ones who day in and day out saw who and what he was, were caught by the same word play. How amazing.
Psalm 105
I heard a brief part of radio statement talking about poems and how to make them relate to you. The person making the broadcast said that you should make YOURSELF the subject of the poem. Then and only then would you be able to ‘crawl into’ the poem. She went on to talk about other methods but that one really stuck with me.
Let’s look at today’s psalm.
Give thanks to the Lord, Sylvia, call upon his name.
Make known to all you encounter what he has done for you, Sylvia.
Sing to him, sing praise to him,
Tell of all his wonderful acts of salvation for you, Sylvia.
Glory in his holy name;
Let the hearts of those who encounter you know you praise the Lord.
Sylvia, when you need help, look to the Lord for strength first and always.
Now, you do it!
Changes it doesn’t it?
These are just like the ‘had’ in NT. Commands to do these things. And not in a little way.
So, tomorrow, I am going to pick one, just one (you know how I LOVE babysteps…) and see how it goes.
I am picking “Let the hearts of those who encounter you know you praise the Lord.” Not exactly sure how I will do that just yet. Will report tomorrow.
In the meantime, be well, be strong.
Thank goodness we are leaving Judges! Okay, I take back every word I said in praise of it. I am exhausted with how utterly awful people can be to one another even those they ‘supposedly’ care for.
What kind of adviser would tell a group of men to lie in wait for girls merely to get around a stupid oath? They didn’t keep half the oaths they made to God anyway??? They worshiped a bunch of idols. Why on earth did they think kidnapping would be acceptable to reneging on their stupid oath.
OHHHHHH!
NT – John 4:4-42
The opening verse of our scripture today “Now he (Jesus) had to go through Samaria.” Is deceitful. The verb ‘had’ in Greek is frequently translated ‘commanded’. Which begs the question, who commanded? God, of course. This story is one long exposition on Jesus’ obedience characteristic and how he changed lives. It also explains why the apostles fled to Samaria when the Jewish ruling council kicked them out from Jerusalem. That story is in Acts 8.
If you want to know the back story on why Jesus had to be commanded to walk through Samaria, click HERE.
Like so many other stories in John, this one starts with word play. Living water to the Samaritan woman, meant something entirely different than what it meant to Jesus. Jesus played with her for a little longer, doing his ‘parlor trick’ thing of knowing more about that person than he should have. This set her for the declaration that he WAS the Messiah and off she went to change the Samaritans.
His disciples, the ones who day in and day out saw who and what he was, were caught by the same word play. How amazing.
Psalm 105
I heard a brief part of radio statement talking about poems and how to make them relate to you. The person making the broadcast said that you should make YOURSELF the subject of the poem. Then and only then would you be able to ‘crawl into’ the poem. She went on to talk about other methods but that one really stuck with me.
Let’s look at today’s psalm.
Give thanks to the Lord, Sylvia, call upon his name.
Make known to all you encounter what he has done for you, Sylvia.
Sing to him, sing praise to him,
Tell of all his wonderful acts of salvation for you, Sylvia.
Glory in his holy name;
Let the hearts of those who encounter you know you praise the Lord.
Sylvia, when you need help, look to the Lord for strength first and always.
Now, you do it!
Changes it doesn’t it?
These are just like the ‘had’ in NT. Commands to do these things. And not in a little way.
So, tomorrow, I am going to pick one, just one (you know how I LOVE babysteps…) and see how it goes.
I am picking “Let the hearts of those who encounter you know you praise the Lord.” Not exactly sure how I will do that just yet. Will report tomorrow.
In the meantime, be well, be strong.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
May 4
OT – Judges 19:1-20:48
The Levite’s Concubine
What an awful, awful, awful story.
In my translation, much of the euphemisms are totally left out to render the Levite devoid of any emotion to the concubine.
Just the fact that she is called ‘concubine’ is a bad omen to me. It brings up the idea of ‘less than wife’ although at the time of Judges and even later, concubines while not on par with first wife, did have status in the household.
Most of the Midrash that I read on this story fault the Levite for him choosing his honor over hers. Some also fault the High Priest for not having traveled the breath of Israel teaching Torah and how to behave (and presumably, how not to behave).
There are echoes all over this story of other stories in the Bible – Lot in Sodom, the rape of Dinah, the ill-treatment of Hagar. Even later stories have echoes like Hosea with his wife, the harlot, Gomer, and Song of Solomon.
All of this stuff leads scholars to believe that this was a very, very late addition to the book of Judges, perhaps as late as the Exile or even the return after Captivity.
No matter what, the fact that the Levite, THE LEVITE – who supposedly knew better how to treat his wife/concubine – allowed her to be raped and killed and then, only then, was he moved to do something and that something got 30,000 to 60,000 men killed.
Here is more on this story’s Midrash. The Levite’s Concubine.
NT – John 3:22-4:3
Oh, the things that you want to ask the author but he is not in an explaining mode. Why was it the disciples who were baptizing and not Jesus? And why is this scripture even in here?
My study Bible has this small note – “Many wondered where the admonition to ‘go and baptize believers came from. John is answering this question.” Who wondered this? The people of Acts?
Makes little to no sense to me.
Either John is answering a question that we don’t have or there are pieces of this story we don’t know. Either way, I will be interested in asking this question of the disciples if I get to meet them in the hereafter.
Proverbs 14:22-24
All hard work brings a profit but mere talk leads only to poverty.
I spent part of my afternoon weeding and thinning my garden. I can tell you that my back is sore, I have several thorns in my fingers (forgot to wear gloves, again…...), and I know that my knees will be painful tomorrow. But it looks beautiful and healthy and vibrant.
The people of Proverbs were almost to a man, laborers. You earned your bread by how hard you worked. There was an upper class, but it was minuscule.
No hard work, you went hungry and so did your family.
We are a long way from that kind of society. I harbor no illusions that it was a better place to be. After all, we are reading Judges “when there was no king in Israel”.
But some of the same tenets still hold true. If you don’t work hard, you won’t accomplish much. People notice that kind of stuff. You may be able to fool some people with flash and splash for a little while, but not for long.
My garden tonight.
Work hard, work well, abide in the Lord.
The Levite’s Concubine
What an awful, awful, awful story.
In my translation, much of the euphemisms are totally left out to render the Levite devoid of any emotion to the concubine.
Just the fact that she is called ‘concubine’ is a bad omen to me. It brings up the idea of ‘less than wife’ although at the time of Judges and even later, concubines while not on par with first wife, did have status in the household.
Most of the Midrash that I read on this story fault the Levite for him choosing his honor over hers. Some also fault the High Priest for not having traveled the breath of Israel teaching Torah and how to behave (and presumably, how not to behave).
There are echoes all over this story of other stories in the Bible – Lot in Sodom, the rape of Dinah, the ill-treatment of Hagar. Even later stories have echoes like Hosea with his wife, the harlot, Gomer, and Song of Solomon.
All of this stuff leads scholars to believe that this was a very, very late addition to the book of Judges, perhaps as late as the Exile or even the return after Captivity.
No matter what, the fact that the Levite, THE LEVITE – who supposedly knew better how to treat his wife/concubine – allowed her to be raped and killed and then, only then, was he moved to do something and that something got 30,000 to 60,000 men killed.
Here is more on this story’s Midrash. The Levite’s Concubine.
NT – John 3:22-4:3
Oh, the things that you want to ask the author but he is not in an explaining mode. Why was it the disciples who were baptizing and not Jesus? And why is this scripture even in here?
My study Bible has this small note – “Many wondered where the admonition to ‘go and baptize believers came from. John is answering this question.” Who wondered this? The people of Acts?
Makes little to no sense to me.
Either John is answering a question that we don’t have or there are pieces of this story we don’t know. Either way, I will be interested in asking this question of the disciples if I get to meet them in the hereafter.
Proverbs 14:22-24
All hard work brings a profit but mere talk leads only to poverty.
I spent part of my afternoon weeding and thinning my garden. I can tell you that my back is sore, I have several thorns in my fingers (forgot to wear gloves, again…...), and I know that my knees will be painful tomorrow. But it looks beautiful and healthy and vibrant.
The people of Proverbs were almost to a man, laborers. You earned your bread by how hard you worked. There was an upper class, but it was minuscule.
No hard work, you went hungry and so did your family.
We are a long way from that kind of society. I harbor no illusions that it was a better place to be. After all, we are reading Judges “when there was no king in Israel”.
But some of the same tenets still hold true. If you don’t work hard, you won’t accomplish much. People notice that kind of stuff. You may be able to fool some people with flash and splash for a little while, but not for long.
My garden tonight.
Work hard, work well, abide in the Lord.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
May 3
OT – Judges 17:1-18:31
A weird throw back story. My commentary says that this was an insert from David’s time. We know this by the repetition of the phrase “In those days Israel had no king.” Why would Jonathan, the grandson of Moses be serving a cast idol, away from the chosen altar at Shiloh? There are lots of weird things going on in this story and in tomorrow’s which is even more unsettling.
NT – John 3:1-21
In this scripture, we meet Nicodemus who illustrates another character facet of Jesus.
Jesus alters lives.
We will see Nicodemus 3 times, each time, more visible and more “out” than before to the point where he asks for Jesus’ dead body. Remember, that would make him ritually unclean for a month. A very, very long time in Pharisee on the Sanhedrin Council’s life.
Listen to this great conversation on Nicodemus from this really high ups at Yale. Skip to minute 3:53 if you have already read the scripture.
Click HERE if your email does not display YouTube.
A weird throw back story. My commentary says that this was an insert from David’s time. We know this by the repetition of the phrase “In those days Israel had no king.” Why would Jonathan, the grandson of Moses be serving a cast idol, away from the chosen altar at Shiloh? There are lots of weird things going on in this story and in tomorrow’s which is even more unsettling.
NT – John 3:1-21
In this scripture, we meet Nicodemus who illustrates another character facet of Jesus.
Jesus alters lives.
We will see Nicodemus 3 times, each time, more visible and more “out” than before to the point where he asks for Jesus’ dead body. Remember, that would make him ritually unclean for a month. A very, very long time in Pharisee on the Sanhedrin Council’s life.
Listen to this great conversation on Nicodemus from this really high ups at Yale. Skip to minute 3:53 if you have already read the scripture.
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Tuesday, May 1, 2012
May 2
May 2
NT – John 2:1-25
The Wedding in Cana. This is the first of the 7 miraculous signs that John uses to show Jesus’ power and divinity. It is a favorite story with lots of people for various reasons. I love it because this is where John introduces a major facet of Jesus’ character that he wants the reader to take away from his gospel.
Jesus is obedient.
We will see this over and over again in John’s gospel. God says go and Jesus goes. Even when it is somewhere he should not be (like Samaria), Jesus goes. Mary says ‘fix it’, Jesus may protest, but she brushes that off and he fixes it. Why? Because his mother said so. If you want to be like Jesus, you have to be obedient, even unto death, to God.
That sounded dramatic, didn’t it? Martin Luther. He was nothing if not dramatic. John was his favorite gospel, too.
OT –Judges 15:1-16:31
Gosh, I misread the last verse of yesterday’s scripture. I assumed that *Samson* had given away his wife. Now, he really did when he left her at his in-laws home and went back to his home without her. But he must have relented and when he got there, he discovered that she had been given to ‘his friend, who attended him at the wedding’. I guess they must not have been Good Friends otherwise he would have noticed that GF was missing while he was down with the wife of Samson???? Time to check out the Midrash.
Here is a link to an online Midrash about Samson and his various women.
Psalm 103
Love this psalm. I also love the verse: slow to anger, abounding in love.
I am beginning to think, reading Judges, that I have mistaken ‘slow to anger’ for ‘never gonna get angry’. And that, based on God’s might, is probably a huge mistake.
We are 1/3 of the way through. Keep going, we are making great progress!
NT – John 2:1-25
The Wedding in Cana. This is the first of the 7 miraculous signs that John uses to show Jesus’ power and divinity. It is a favorite story with lots of people for various reasons. I love it because this is where John introduces a major facet of Jesus’ character that he wants the reader to take away from his gospel.
Jesus is obedient.
We will see this over and over again in John’s gospel. God says go and Jesus goes. Even when it is somewhere he should not be (like Samaria), Jesus goes. Mary says ‘fix it’, Jesus may protest, but she brushes that off and he fixes it. Why? Because his mother said so. If you want to be like Jesus, you have to be obedient, even unto death, to God.
That sounded dramatic, didn’t it? Martin Luther. He was nothing if not dramatic. John was his favorite gospel, too.
OT –Judges 15:1-16:31
Gosh, I misread the last verse of yesterday’s scripture. I assumed that *Samson* had given away his wife. Now, he really did when he left her at his in-laws home and went back to his home without her. But he must have relented and when he got there, he discovered that she had been given to ‘his friend, who attended him at the wedding’. I guess they must not have been Good Friends otherwise he would have noticed that GF was missing while he was down with the wife of Samson???? Time to check out the Midrash.
Here is a link to an online Midrash about Samson and his various women.
Psalm 103
Love this psalm. I also love the verse: slow to anger, abounding in love.
I am beginning to think, reading Judges, that I have mistaken ‘slow to anger’ for ‘never gonna get angry’. And that, based on God’s might, is probably a huge mistake.
We are 1/3 of the way through. Keep going, we are making great progress!
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