7 months down, 5 to go. The downhill slope!
OT -- 2 Chronicles 30:1-31:21
Clearly, the writers of Chronicles LOVED Hezekiah. Heaping praise, the whole humble, gracious way he asks the other tribes to come celebrate the Passover, the whole bit about praying for the Israelites even though they weren't ritually clean... Just a little too much over the top for me. Doesn't sound like Hezekiah was besieged by Assyria or Egypt so maybe he had time for all this niceness.
Or, maybe he was really, really good. I've been listening to way too many political ads here lately so it is hard for me to think that anyone in power is of any decency at all.
I did find it interesting that Hezekiah got to move the date. Also, I want to point out that Chronicles differs from Kings in regards to Passover. Kings says that Josiah found the book of the Law and after reading it, put into practice the many statutes and laws that had been neglected for centuries including the Passover celebration. Chronicles does not mention the finding of the book of Law but "Since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem." vs. 26
Psalm 25:1-15
Love this psalm especially vs. 6-11. I would also ask God not to remember the sins of my grownup days including those that happened today.
Mouth issues always.
Here in Georgia, August is the month of return to school. If you have been lax in your reading, go back to your own school and pick up right where we are.
Blessings on your meditations.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
July 31
OT -- 2 Chronicles 29:1-36
I have always liked the name Hezekiah. Now, I know why. Hezekiah is our kind of man. He doesn't bemoan all the old problems, he just comes up and cleans out, hires the right guys and does what he is supposed to do.
As an FYI, Hezekiah is supposedly the last one to see the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem. I am not sure if this will be in our reading tomorrow or if I missed some obscure reference to it. But I have another book of commentary that says the Ark was slipped out of Jerusalem by 'the king's gate' during Hezekiah's reign in the midst of some siege. Where it was taken is anyone's guess. Ethiopia if you believe them. Click here to read that article.
Romans 14:1-23
Oh, shoot. The passing judgment passage. Another of my many, many faults. But Paul is so right. I have absolutely no right, as messed up as I am, to criticize someone else. Paul's method to cure this is to look for ways NOT to cause others to stumble. So, instead of criticizing, you would praise the good behavior. The original Pavlov?
Proverbs 20:12
I have changed my banner to this proverb. "Ears that hear and eyes that see -- the Lord has made them both."
When you are teaching Preschoolers, they tell you that if the kids don't have their eyes on you, they can't hear.
I believe both adages.
I have always liked the name Hezekiah. Now, I know why. Hezekiah is our kind of man. He doesn't bemoan all the old problems, he just comes up and cleans out, hires the right guys and does what he is supposed to do.
As an FYI, Hezekiah is supposedly the last one to see the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem. I am not sure if this will be in our reading tomorrow or if I missed some obscure reference to it. But I have another book of commentary that says the Ark was slipped out of Jerusalem by 'the king's gate' during Hezekiah's reign in the midst of some siege. Where it was taken is anyone's guess. Ethiopia if you believe them. Click here to read that article.
Romans 14:1-23
Oh, shoot. The passing judgment passage. Another of my many, many faults. But Paul is so right. I have absolutely no right, as messed up as I am, to criticize someone else. Paul's method to cure this is to look for ways NOT to cause others to stumble. So, instead of criticizing, you would praise the good behavior. The original Pavlov?
Proverbs 20:12
I have changed my banner to this proverb. "Ears that hear and eyes that see -- the Lord has made them both."
When you are teaching Preschoolers, they tell you that if the kids don't have their eyes on you, they can't hear.
I believe both adages.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
July 30
OT -- 2 Chronicles 26:1-28:27
I did not remember these stories from 2 Kings so I went back and looked. There was a little about Uzziah but nothing about his great build up and the works that he did. Basically, all it did was say who their mothers were, how long they reigned and whether they did good or bad.
I loved the stories. I loved knowing that Uzziah loved the soil and so he had a bunch of folks working his fields and vineyards. I am sorry he became too proud but really, just offering incense gets you leprosy? Seems a little harsh....
Just a few folks that we will want to remember for when we get to Isaiah -- Pekah of Israel and Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria.
Here are links to a great biography of Tiglath-Pileser. He is a very important man in the ancient world and worth knowing a lot about him.
Proverbs 20:11
"Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right."
"There's one in every family. Two in mine." Lion King
"It's too bad she isn't like her brother and sister. They are so nice." Mrs. Andrews, my fourth and fifth grade Social Studies teacher.
Bad eggs, black sheep, the rotten potato, the troublemaker.
By whatever name you call it, it is the child who just won't do right. No matter how hard the parents try or in some cases, don't try, the kid just won't fly straight.
The problem with 'bad' children is that they just don't know how far the ramifications of 'bad' will go. You get a 'file'. You get a 'label'.
I speak from experience because I was and sometimes still am that child. By the time I had made it to fifth grade, I was in the principal's office a minimum of once a week. My grades ranged from As in Reading, Science and math to Fs in English, Social Studies and, I hate to admit it, PE. This culminated in November with my taping of the Sex Education class with the intent to sell to the boys and having recess removed for the rest of the year, whipped at school and home, and lunch room duty for the rest of the year. Deidre Fleming tattled on me. I have a special derision for tattletales.
But that punishment actually started to help me get my life together. You see, the lunch ladies loved me. My job was to scrape plates, wipe down tables, help Mr. Lee with the clean up of the cafeteria while my class played outside. Those ladies fussed over me and I responded by really working hard. Even after I moved on up to sixth grade, they still fixed me a special lunch each day -- tomato sandwich on white bread with just a scraping of mayonnaise and applesauce.
And my reading teacher pulled me aside one day. I now realize that Mother must have been called to a conference with all my teachers. Mrs. Glass asked me why was I making an A in her class and an F in Mrs. Andrews'. I hate her, I replied. Mrs. Glass answered, "Do you think I like all my students? I still have to do the best I can regardless of how I feel." I doubt she realized it, but those words changed my life. She did not see me as the bad egg.
And that was it. I seldom made anything less than an A in any class after that. Well, I did get a C in Geometry. But I really tried terribly hard. I just never have gotten geometry. And I don't think I ever got whipped at school again although I did spend quite a bit of time in 7th grade working off demerits for mouthing off at Mrs. Tucker.
I guess I am telling this story because one person can make a difference in the life of a 'bad' child. And you may never know it. May God give you the chance to change a life. And may God bless Mrs. Glass wherever she is now.
I did not remember these stories from 2 Kings so I went back and looked. There was a little about Uzziah but nothing about his great build up and the works that he did. Basically, all it did was say who their mothers were, how long they reigned and whether they did good or bad.
I loved the stories. I loved knowing that Uzziah loved the soil and so he had a bunch of folks working his fields and vineyards. I am sorry he became too proud but really, just offering incense gets you leprosy? Seems a little harsh....
Just a few folks that we will want to remember for when we get to Isaiah -- Pekah of Israel and Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria.
Here are links to a great biography of Tiglath-Pileser. He is a very important man in the ancient world and worth knowing a lot about him.
Proverbs 20:11
"Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right."
"There's one in every family. Two in mine." Lion King
"It's too bad she isn't like her brother and sister. They are so nice." Mrs. Andrews, my fourth and fifth grade Social Studies teacher.
Bad eggs, black sheep, the rotten potato, the troublemaker.
By whatever name you call it, it is the child who just won't do right. No matter how hard the parents try or in some cases, don't try, the kid just won't fly straight.
The problem with 'bad' children is that they just don't know how far the ramifications of 'bad' will go. You get a 'file'. You get a 'label'.
I speak from experience because I was and sometimes still am that child. By the time I had made it to fifth grade, I was in the principal's office a minimum of once a week. My grades ranged from As in Reading, Science and math to Fs in English, Social Studies and, I hate to admit it, PE. This culminated in November with my taping of the Sex Education class with the intent to sell to the boys and having recess removed for the rest of the year, whipped at school and home, and lunch room duty for the rest of the year. Deidre Fleming tattled on me. I have a special derision for tattletales.
But that punishment actually started to help me get my life together. You see, the lunch ladies loved me. My job was to scrape plates, wipe down tables, help Mr. Lee with the clean up of the cafeteria while my class played outside. Those ladies fussed over me and I responded by really working hard. Even after I moved on up to sixth grade, they still fixed me a special lunch each day -- tomato sandwich on white bread with just a scraping of mayonnaise and applesauce.
And my reading teacher pulled me aside one day. I now realize that Mother must have been called to a conference with all my teachers. Mrs. Glass asked me why was I making an A in her class and an F in Mrs. Andrews'. I hate her, I replied. Mrs. Glass answered, "Do you think I like all my students? I still have to do the best I can regardless of how I feel." I doubt she realized it, but those words changed my life. She did not see me as the bad egg.
And that was it. I seldom made anything less than an A in any class after that. Well, I did get a C in Geometry. But I really tried terribly hard. I just never have gotten geometry. And I don't think I ever got whipped at school again although I did spend quite a bit of time in 7th grade working off demerits for mouthing off at Mrs. Tucker.
I guess I am telling this story because one person can make a difference in the life of a 'bad' child. And you may never know it. May God give you the chance to change a life. And may God bless Mrs. Glass wherever she is now.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
July 29
NT -- Romans 12:1-21
One of my boys has significant learning disabilities. Don and I knew this very early and have tried really hard to get him the help he needs in order to be successful. One of the many books that I read described the different kinds of learning styles and then proceeded to describe how schools generally only teach to one learning style, making the rest of the children who do not learn that way feel 'dumb'.
I am thinking that my learning style, at least with Paul, is not visual. I start to read him and then minutes later, I discover I am at the end of the passage and have ABSOLUTELY no idea what I have read.
This is why the internet is such a great tool for Bible in a Year.
Check out this video for our scripture today. Once I had watched it, I went back and read the passage and suddenly the verses had depth and energy that my reading did not.
Romans 12 video
So, now, having watched the video and reread the words, I realize that this is another list. Paul probably would not like it that I have reduced his sentences to a list, but it is. And this list is how to live your life because God first loved you.
Psalm 22
How did the praise experiment go? I did not have an occasion to use it today. I have to say, I had a really over the top day so I am extending the deadline for praise God in the midst of yuck until tomorrow.
One of my boys has significant learning disabilities. Don and I knew this very early and have tried really hard to get him the help he needs in order to be successful. One of the many books that I read described the different kinds of learning styles and then proceeded to describe how schools generally only teach to one learning style, making the rest of the children who do not learn that way feel 'dumb'.
I am thinking that my learning style, at least with Paul, is not visual. I start to read him and then minutes later, I discover I am at the end of the passage and have ABSOLUTELY no idea what I have read.
This is why the internet is such a great tool for Bible in a Year.
Check out this video for our scripture today. Once I had watched it, I went back and read the passage and suddenly the verses had depth and energy that my reading did not.
Romans 12 video
So, now, having watched the video and reread the words, I realize that this is another list. Paul probably would not like it that I have reduced his sentences to a list, but it is. And this list is how to live your life because God first loved you.
Psalm 22
How did the praise experiment go? I did not have an occasion to use it today. I have to say, I had a really over the top day so I am extending the deadline for praise God in the midst of yuck until tomorrow.
Friday, July 27, 2012
July 28
Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.[c]
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
15 My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce[e] my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
Of course, we only have the first 18 verses of this psalm. But how familiar are these words to me! Many of these phrases figure into the last words of Jesus or parts of the crucifixion story. Horrible visions are laid out here in poetic form of the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us.
My Bible dictionary says that this is a psalm of David and that it was meant to be sung. I imagine that the tune must have been mournful and slow until you get to the second half of the psalm which begins at verse 19. Then, the chords must have swelled and grown loud as the psalm turned from the degradation of David into the praise for the living God who had rescued him once again.
That is one great thing about the psalms in the Bible. They may start out with a depressed note but only rarely do they stay there. At some point, the mood changes and the author begins to praise God.
When we are in the midst of despair, is it possible for us to change the mood? Can we praise God for rescuing us? Does he rescue us?
I think He definitely does. Let's try an experiment. I know in the next 24 hours that I will be immersed in some yuck. You probably will be too. When I recognize the pitfall that I have fallen in, I am going to stop. Take a deep cleansing breath and praise God. I might even write down a few praises. Then tomorrow at this time, let's think back and analyze the pit. Did we climb out on our own? Someone give us a hand? Think God was involved? Let's see. A challenge to you.
Much love to each of you as you walk the path set before you.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.[c]
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
15 My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce[e] my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
Of course, we only have the first 18 verses of this psalm. But how familiar are these words to me! Many of these phrases figure into the last words of Jesus or parts of the crucifixion story. Horrible visions are laid out here in poetic form of the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us.
My Bible dictionary says that this is a psalm of David and that it was meant to be sung. I imagine that the tune must have been mournful and slow until you get to the second half of the psalm which begins at verse 19. Then, the chords must have swelled and grown loud as the psalm turned from the degradation of David into the praise for the living God who had rescued him once again.
That is one great thing about the psalms in the Bible. They may start out with a depressed note but only rarely do they stay there. At some point, the mood changes and the author begins to praise God.
When we are in the midst of despair, is it possible for us to change the mood? Can we praise God for rescuing us? Does he rescue us?
I think He definitely does. Let's try an experiment. I know in the next 24 hours that I will be immersed in some yuck. You probably will be too. When I recognize the pitfall that I have fallen in, I am going to stop. Take a deep cleansing breath and praise God. I might even write down a few praises. Then tomorrow at this time, let's think back and analyze the pit. Did we climb out on our own? Someone give us a hand? Think God was involved? Let's see. A challenge to you.
Much love to each of you as you walk the path set before you.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
July 27
One of my favorite computer programs is Quicken. Until I got Quicken, I could never make my checkbook balance. And it drove me CRAZY. I like to balance. To the penny. Every time. I recognize that this is not always possible and in many cases, not feasible. But I like to have all my pennies line up.
I assumed that since I love Quicken so much, everyone will love Quicken. But that is not so. I do not think I have one single convert. And believe me, I have tried.
When I took Matthew to the bank to get his checking account, I helped him set up his own Quicken account. I think he uses it primarily as an accounting tool for me because he surely does not use it for himself. Cole is the same way. Depressing.
This must be what Paul felt like when he could not convert the Jews. Here he had this incredible, wonderful news and no one, and I mean NO ONE would listen to him or buy into his new belief. As a matter of fact, the Jews would run him out of town, sometimes nicely but usually with stones and ugly words. And don’t forget how the Jews in Jerusalem would eventually treat him. I can just hear Paul say “How can you possibly not believe this amazing news?”
The Roman congregation was not one that Paul set up. It did have Jewish converts as well as Gentiles. But apparently, there was a lot of dissension about which ‘Laws’ were going to followed and which ones could be ignored. Paul, of course, argues for the Law of Grace. If you believe in Jesus, you are saved and that is that. I don’t think his position was adopted. All churches, at least every one that I have been exposed to, have rules and regulation – Laws, if you will. Most don’t want to admit it although there are a few that are downright belligerent in their code. Maybe they all are and I just don’t want to admit that Presbyterians are belligerent. ..
So, we read this passage (Romans 10:14-11:12) and what are we to make of it? Is it aimed at us? Or at non-believers? Or our role in helping the nons become believers?
I am not sure. I do think that Paul was rapidly losing patience with the Jews at this point in his life. And it really just got worse. Some of these verses are almost mean. Vs 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did…Did Israel not understand… “All day long I have held out my hands to ad disobedient and obstinate people.”
This is one of those passages that makes me really uncomfortable. I don’t proselytize and I am really poor at evangelism. I don’t hide who or what I am but I am not going out trying to convert the masses and I certainly don’t feel that they are ‘rejected’ because they don’t believe the way I do. I’ve got problems, as you can see.
Proverbs 20:4-6
A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.
Well, I am no sluggard since I plowed (or in my case, dug) and planted on time. What I ALWAYS have problems with is the weeding. In that area, SLUGGARD is my name. And folks, if you don’t weed, you don’t get.
I have a million reasons – vacation, it’s hot, I’m tired, it’s hot, they’ll just grow back, it’s hot, there are mosquitoes, IT’S JUST PLAIN HOT. No matter what the reason, it adds up to the same, choked out tomato plants, beans that aren’t producing and basil plants covered with a sticky ivy like thing that pulls the plant to the ground and ruins it for pesto.
Since Solomon was using the proverbs to teach his sons the broader picture, I am thinking what that proverb has as implications in my life.
If I manage to get things planted or planned and moving in the right direction but don’t manage the distractions and impediments, isn’t that the same as the weeds that choke my beans? It is not enough just to start the project, the visitation program, the Bible verse memorization. You actually have to work the plan ignoring the heat, mosquitoes, vacations, exhaustion.
This is one of the things that Bible in a Year has taught me. I really have to look at my schedule and if I am going to be out at night, I really have to sit down and do my work before I go. It is pretty hard to come home from a movie at 10 and then spend an hour with kings who just won’t do right or arguing with a long, dead Paul.
I am not saying this to make myself look good, I am saying this because I HAVE NEVER STUCK TO ANYTHING LIKE THIS for this long. Witness the weight, lack of exercise, the unread books and scrapbooks unfinished.
At just a little more than halfway through, I encourage you to rededicate yourself to the Word. If you have been out of it for a while, jump right back in where we are. No need to go back and read. It will be there the next time we decide to do this (ummmm, if we decide to do this again….).
And if you have been keeping up with the reading, YEA for you. Let’s keep plowing and pulling those weeds. The harvest has already begun.
Blessings to you and yours as we start this next to last weekend before school starts.
I assumed that since I love Quicken so much, everyone will love Quicken. But that is not so. I do not think I have one single convert. And believe me, I have tried.
When I took Matthew to the bank to get his checking account, I helped him set up his own Quicken account. I think he uses it primarily as an accounting tool for me because he surely does not use it for himself. Cole is the same way. Depressing.
This must be what Paul felt like when he could not convert the Jews. Here he had this incredible, wonderful news and no one, and I mean NO ONE would listen to him or buy into his new belief. As a matter of fact, the Jews would run him out of town, sometimes nicely but usually with stones and ugly words. And don’t forget how the Jews in Jerusalem would eventually treat him. I can just hear Paul say “How can you possibly not believe this amazing news?”
The Roman congregation was not one that Paul set up. It did have Jewish converts as well as Gentiles. But apparently, there was a lot of dissension about which ‘Laws’ were going to followed and which ones could be ignored. Paul, of course, argues for the Law of Grace. If you believe in Jesus, you are saved and that is that. I don’t think his position was adopted. All churches, at least every one that I have been exposed to, have rules and regulation – Laws, if you will. Most don’t want to admit it although there are a few that are downright belligerent in their code. Maybe they all are and I just don’t want to admit that Presbyterians are belligerent. ..
So, we read this passage (Romans 10:14-11:12) and what are we to make of it? Is it aimed at us? Or at non-believers? Or our role in helping the nons become believers?
I am not sure. I do think that Paul was rapidly losing patience with the Jews at this point in his life. And it really just got worse. Some of these verses are almost mean. Vs 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did…Did Israel not understand… “All day long I have held out my hands to ad disobedient and obstinate people.”
This is one of those passages that makes me really uncomfortable. I don’t proselytize and I am really poor at evangelism. I don’t hide who or what I am but I am not going out trying to convert the masses and I certainly don’t feel that they are ‘rejected’ because they don’t believe the way I do. I’ve got problems, as you can see.
Proverbs 20:4-6
A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.
Well, I am no sluggard since I plowed (or in my case, dug) and planted on time. What I ALWAYS have problems with is the weeding. In that area, SLUGGARD is my name. And folks, if you don’t weed, you don’t get.
I have a million reasons – vacation, it’s hot, I’m tired, it’s hot, they’ll just grow back, it’s hot, there are mosquitoes, IT’S JUST PLAIN HOT. No matter what the reason, it adds up to the same, choked out tomato plants, beans that aren’t producing and basil plants covered with a sticky ivy like thing that pulls the plant to the ground and ruins it for pesto.
Since Solomon was using the proverbs to teach his sons the broader picture, I am thinking what that proverb has as implications in my life.
If I manage to get things planted or planned and moving in the right direction but don’t manage the distractions and impediments, isn’t that the same as the weeds that choke my beans? It is not enough just to start the project, the visitation program, the Bible verse memorization. You actually have to work the plan ignoring the heat, mosquitoes, vacations, exhaustion.
This is one of the things that Bible in a Year has taught me. I really have to look at my schedule and if I am going to be out at night, I really have to sit down and do my work before I go. It is pretty hard to come home from a movie at 10 and then spend an hour with kings who just won’t do right or arguing with a long, dead Paul.
I am not saying this to make myself look good, I am saying this because I HAVE NEVER STUCK TO ANYTHING LIKE THIS for this long. Witness the weight, lack of exercise, the unread books and scrapbooks unfinished.
At just a little more than halfway through, I encourage you to rededicate yourself to the Word. If you have been out of it for a while, jump right back in where we are. No need to go back and read. It will be there the next time we decide to do this (ummmm, if we decide to do this again….).
And if you have been keeping up with the reading, YEA for you. Let’s keep plowing and pulling those weeds. The harvest has already begun.
Blessings to you and yours as we start this next to last weekend before school starts.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
July 26
I did read yesterday's scripture but after my market I was so tired, I just had nothing in me to write a post. Plus, I was coming down with a cold (is there anything worse than having a cold in the summer???) and just wanted to take benadryl and go to bed. Which I did.
OT -- 2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34
I'll admit it. I have read ahead. The story of Jehoshaphat covers the next 3 days and I just had to know the end of the story. It is fascinating.
What is also fascinating to me is that colloquialism "Jumping Jehoshaphat". I could find no reference to Jehoshaphat jumping anywhere.
Here is what Wikipedia had to say:
"The king's name in the oath jumping Jehosaphat was likely popularized by the name's utility as a euphemism for Jesus and Jehovah. The phrase is first recorded in the 1866 novel The Headless Horseman by Thomas Mayne Reid.[5] The longer version "By the shaking, jumping ghost of Jehosaphat" is seen in the 1865 novel Paul Peabody by Percy Bolingbroke St. John.[6]
Another theory is that the reference is to Joel 3:11-12, where the prophet Joel says, speaking of the judgment of the dead:
Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
Jehosaphat is one of the "mighty ones" who has come down to judge the wakened heathens (or he is one of the wakened himself, thus, a "ghost".)
Jehosaphat is used repeatedly as an expletive by Elijah Baley in Isaac Asimov's Robot series."
Yahoo answers has a Midrash story. Click here to read that one.
None of these satisfies. I will have to keep digging on this one.
But in our scripture today, Jehoshaphat becomes king, probably while his dad Asa was still alive but suffering greatly from the foot disease that would eventually take his life. By the way, it has been postulated that Asa had extreme psoriasis that caused cracking and breaking of the skin and gnarling of the feet and hands to the point of immobility. When you have open, running sores in society that has open sewage, it is a recipe for disaster.
But back to Jehoshaphat. He follows the way of the Lord and builds a great army. He fortifies the remaining cities in Judah, puts garrisions in them and appoints judges and priests to help maintain the citizenry. Along the way, he becomes fabulously wealthy and somehow ends up marrying Ahab's daughter. You remember Ahab. Jezebel, the wife and Elijah, the condemning prophet. Ahab. Not a good king in the eyes of the Lord. But somehow, Jehoshaphat stays clean even by association and wins his battles and returns home. Ahab does not.
Elijah certainly must have known the proverb for today:
"A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion; he who angers him forfeits his life."
Elijah spent many years running from Ahab who was felled by a casual arrow.
OT -- 2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34
I'll admit it. I have read ahead. The story of Jehoshaphat covers the next 3 days and I just had to know the end of the story. It is fascinating.
What is also fascinating to me is that colloquialism "Jumping Jehoshaphat". I could find no reference to Jehoshaphat jumping anywhere.
Here is what Wikipedia had to say:
"The king's name in the oath jumping Jehosaphat was likely popularized by the name's utility as a euphemism for Jesus and Jehovah. The phrase is first recorded in the 1866 novel The Headless Horseman by Thomas Mayne Reid.[5] The longer version "By the shaking, jumping ghost of Jehosaphat" is seen in the 1865 novel Paul Peabody by Percy Bolingbroke St. John.[6]
Another theory is that the reference is to Joel 3:11-12, where the prophet Joel says, speaking of the judgment of the dead:
Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
Jehosaphat is one of the "mighty ones" who has come down to judge the wakened heathens (or he is one of the wakened himself, thus, a "ghost".)
Jehosaphat is used repeatedly as an expletive by Elijah Baley in Isaac Asimov's Robot series."
Yahoo answers has a Midrash story. Click here to read that one.
None of these satisfies. I will have to keep digging on this one.
But in our scripture today, Jehoshaphat becomes king, probably while his dad Asa was still alive but suffering greatly from the foot disease that would eventually take his life. By the way, it has been postulated that Asa had extreme psoriasis that caused cracking and breaking of the skin and gnarling of the feet and hands to the point of immobility. When you have open, running sores in society that has open sewage, it is a recipe for disaster.
But back to Jehoshaphat. He follows the way of the Lord and builds a great army. He fortifies the remaining cities in Judah, puts garrisions in them and appoints judges and priests to help maintain the citizenry. Along the way, he becomes fabulously wealthy and somehow ends up marrying Ahab's daughter. You remember Ahab. Jezebel, the wife and Elijah, the condemning prophet. Ahab. Not a good king in the eyes of the Lord. But somehow, Jehoshaphat stays clean even by association and wins his battles and returns home. Ahab does not.
Elijah certainly must have known the proverb for today:
"A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion; he who angers him forfeits his life."
Elijah spent many years running from Ahab who was felled by a casual arrow.
Monday, July 23, 2012
July 24
NT -- Romans 8:22-39
While I am still not sure what Paul is going on about, here is a post from Nancy's Noodle that seems to sum it up.
Nancy's Noodle
I do love vs. 38-39 and find it vastly comforting. So much so that I am making it my memory verse for the week. This is a new thing for me and I hope to memorize more scripture by doing this. I am putting these on index cards and whenever I get a spare moment, I am going to work on them. There is half a year left (give or take..)and that means I could a)lose 26 pounds (sorry, wrong blog...) or b)memorize 26 pieces of highly important scripture for my journey.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor teh future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
OT -- 2 Chronicles 11:1-13:22
Check out this website that talks about the source, reason and a distillation of the books of Chronicles. I found it very interesting as I seem to have gotten bogged down, once again!, in the ongoing slog of awful kings.
Click here.
May your meditations be blessed and may you memorize and internalize at a rapid rate.
While I am still not sure what Paul is going on about, here is a post from Nancy's Noodle that seems to sum it up.
Nancy's Noodle
I do love vs. 38-39 and find it vastly comforting. So much so that I am making it my memory verse for the week. This is a new thing for me and I hope to memorize more scripture by doing this. I am putting these on index cards and whenever I get a spare moment, I am going to work on them. There is half a year left (give or take..)and that means I could a)lose 26 pounds (sorry, wrong blog...) or b)memorize 26 pieces of highly important scripture for my journey.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor teh future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
OT -- 2 Chronicles 11:1-13:22
Check out this website that talks about the source, reason and a distillation of the books of Chronicles. I found it very interesting as I seem to have gotten bogged down, once again!, in the ongoing slog of awful kings.
Click here.
May your meditations be blessed and may you memorize and internalize at a rapid rate.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
July 23
It has been one of those days. Sunday is my only day to sleep in -- and by sleeping in I mean 7 AM. And it was heavenly. Chickens fed and let loose, dog walked and fed, kitty fed and litter box cleaned out and I was really ready for some coffee.
I like to Facebook with my coffee -- sort of gets me up to speed on what friends and family are doing since I despise talking on the telephone.
And there, in graphic display was a post by my nephew -- Had a peanut reaction.
My nephew has a fatal allergy to peanuts. He was saved by his quick thinking mother and an Epi-Pen.
Life is so very fragile.
Before church, I sat for a few minutes with two dear, dear friends, both of whom are failing right before my eyes. Their combined woes, spoken with casualness and grace, make every ache and pain I have from my various exertions seem pitiful and small. These two are such humble, faithful servants of our Lord.
At church, the sermon was about faithfulness. I should probably own up to this -- I got Most Loyal as a senior at Woodward. I would give faithfulness, almost to a fault, as one of my attributes. But listening to Joe B's sermon and hearing what real faithfulness means "trusting the Lord and then trusting one another" makes me realize how very far I have to go.
Joe B's sermon is at minute 10. Go get a kleenex before you watch it.
Click here if your email does not support video feed.
God is really faithful to us even when we are pains in the fanny. That's what I feel like I have been here lately to Him, a big pain in his fanny.
Ever feel that way?
I feel like all I have been doing lately here in blog world is whine, whine, whine about this, that and everything else that puzzles me, irritates me, and mostly confuses me. Ever feel that way?
And as always, God has an answer for my lowness of spirit and self-deprecations.
Look at the psalm scripture for today:
Psalm 18:16-36
"He reached down from on high and took hold of Sylvia;
He drew Sylvia out of deep waters.
He rescued Sylvia from her powerful enemies (self-loathing, depression, fear and despair),
from her foes who were too strong for her.
They confronted Sylvia in the day of her disaster,
but the Lord was her support.
He brought her out into a spacious place;
He rescued her because (why?) He delights in Sylvia."
Friends, sometimes it is hard to understand what on earth some of stuff in the Bible is for. Othertimes, the graciousness and full body of God's mercy and love are so evident, so transparent for each of us, all of us.
Abide in that all powerful, gracious love that delights in each of us, whether we are giant pains in the fanny or the humble servants who are about to be called home to Him.
I like to Facebook with my coffee -- sort of gets me up to speed on what friends and family are doing since I despise talking on the telephone.
And there, in graphic display was a post by my nephew -- Had a peanut reaction.
My nephew has a fatal allergy to peanuts. He was saved by his quick thinking mother and an Epi-Pen.
Life is so very fragile.
Before church, I sat for a few minutes with two dear, dear friends, both of whom are failing right before my eyes. Their combined woes, spoken with casualness and grace, make every ache and pain I have from my various exertions seem pitiful and small. These two are such humble, faithful servants of our Lord.
At church, the sermon was about faithfulness. I should probably own up to this -- I got Most Loyal as a senior at Woodward. I would give faithfulness, almost to a fault, as one of my attributes. But listening to Joe B's sermon and hearing what real faithfulness means "trusting the Lord and then trusting one another" makes me realize how very far I have to go.
Joe B's sermon is at minute 10. Go get a kleenex before you watch it.
Click here if your email does not support video feed.
God is really faithful to us even when we are pains in the fanny. That's what I feel like I have been here lately to Him, a big pain in his fanny.
Ever feel that way?
I feel like all I have been doing lately here in blog world is whine, whine, whine about this, that and everything else that puzzles me, irritates me, and mostly confuses me. Ever feel that way?
And as always, God has an answer for my lowness of spirit and self-deprecations.
Look at the psalm scripture for today:
Psalm 18:16-36
"He reached down from on high and took hold of Sylvia;
He drew Sylvia out of deep waters.
He rescued Sylvia from her powerful enemies (self-loathing, depression, fear and despair),
from her foes who were too strong for her.
They confronted Sylvia in the day of her disaster,
but the Lord was her support.
He brought her out into a spacious place;
He rescued her because (why?) He delights in Sylvia."
Friends, sometimes it is hard to understand what on earth some of stuff in the Bible is for. Othertimes, the graciousness and full body of God's mercy and love are so evident, so transparent for each of us, all of us.
Abide in that all powerful, gracious love that delights in each of us, whether we are giant pains in the fanny or the humble servants who are about to be called home to Him.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
July 22
NT -- Romans 7:14-8:8
I had no idea what Paul was talking about so I typed in Romans 8 commentary.
Up popped this website which helped me not at all with the passage but at the bottom of the page has a chart "Romans Road to Righteousness". Go look at this chart!
Basically, the author of this website says the main purpose of Romans is Righteousness and there are 5 steps to that end. (Actually, Paul himself says that the main purpose of Romans for salvation by faith not by works.)
The 5 steps have sup-steps (of course, this is Paul after all) but what a fascinating distillation of the letter.
Proverbs 19:24-25
Ugh! Just when I am loving Proverbs we have a slew in a row of ghastly ones.
Sluggard is synonym for lazy and now I know why we were not allowed to eat our dinners (except fried chicken and corn on the cob) with our hands.
And the whole flogging thing we have dealt with the cruxcifixtion scenes so I am definitely not looking to be beaten so that I can gain knowledge. I will stay stupid.
OT -- 2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10
My dear old friend Rashi has a brief commentary on this section. He goes to great length to explain that while the Jews lived in the Promised Land, there was no sickness or illness unless there was sin involved. After the exile and the return, this was not the case but up until then, apparently, people did not get sick with colds, fevers and 'flu unless the king was sinning. As one who has spent my fair share of time at the pediatrician's, I can truthfully say, must have been nice. Except, given our politicians, we would have plague and boils in a near constant state.
Peace and grace to you all
I had no idea what Paul was talking about so I typed in Romans 8 commentary.
Up popped this website which helped me not at all with the passage but at the bottom of the page has a chart "Romans Road to Righteousness". Go look at this chart!
Basically, the author of this website says the main purpose of Romans is Righteousness and there are 5 steps to that end. (Actually, Paul himself says that the main purpose of Romans for salvation by faith not by works.)
The 5 steps have sup-steps (of course, this is Paul after all) but what a fascinating distillation of the letter.
Proverbs 19:24-25
Ugh! Just when I am loving Proverbs we have a slew in a row of ghastly ones.
Sluggard is synonym for lazy and now I know why we were not allowed to eat our dinners (except fried chicken and corn on the cob) with our hands.
And the whole flogging thing we have dealt with the cruxcifixtion scenes so I am definitely not looking to be beaten so that I can gain knowledge. I will stay stupid.
OT -- 2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10
My dear old friend Rashi has a brief commentary on this section. He goes to great length to explain that while the Jews lived in the Promised Land, there was no sickness or illness unless there was sin involved. After the exile and the return, this was not the case but up until then, apparently, people did not get sick with colds, fevers and 'flu unless the king was sinning. As one who has spent my fair share of time at the pediatrician's, I can truthfully say, must have been nice. Except, given our politicians, we would have plague and boils in a near constant state.
Peace and grace to you all
Friday, July 20, 2012
July 21
NT -- Romans 7:1-13
Hard slogging for me in this part of the Bible. I really just want Paul to get to the point!
Years ago, I went to a seminar put on by a man named Charles Menzies. Charles says that the world is divided into two different kinds of people -- those who just want you to tell the time and those that want you to build the watch.
I am a tell the time person to the nth degree. Paul is building the biggest clock tower ever.
If I had to reduce this part of scripture to one sentence, here is what it is:
"Tell a child not to do something and he will automatically want to do it." Okay, that is probably a little too brief even for my digital time display, but Paul draws the conclusion that though the Law taught him right from wrong, it also instill in him a desire to do the very thing he was commanded not to do. Only by Christ dying for us is he (Paul) able to put aside these desires.
Here again, I have to disagree with Paul. Right from wrong is not just a Biblical thing, it is cultural, even familial. Other cultures, other religions give their societies structure and rules and regulations just as Judaism and Christianity do. And unfortunately for my nature, the fact that Jesus died for my sins has done almost nothing to reduce my desire to do bad things. I would definitely get into trouble with the whole 'anger in your head thing' that Jesus talks about in Matthew 5:21-26. Paul definitely got a larger dose of Jesus in his heart than I did. (Sarcasm intended)
Hard wading through Paul. But I am trying and I encourage you to do as well.
Proverbs : 19:22-23
What a man desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar.
Huh? How do those things even remotely go together? Can anyone postulate on this one?
Hard slogging for me in this part of the Bible. I really just want Paul to get to the point!
Years ago, I went to a seminar put on by a man named Charles Menzies. Charles says that the world is divided into two different kinds of people -- those who just want you to tell the time and those that want you to build the watch.
I am a tell the time person to the nth degree. Paul is building the biggest clock tower ever.
If I had to reduce this part of scripture to one sentence, here is what it is:
"Tell a child not to do something and he will automatically want to do it." Okay, that is probably a little too brief even for my digital time display, but Paul draws the conclusion that though the Law taught him right from wrong, it also instill in him a desire to do the very thing he was commanded not to do. Only by Christ dying for us is he (Paul) able to put aside these desires.
Here again, I have to disagree with Paul. Right from wrong is not just a Biblical thing, it is cultural, even familial. Other cultures, other religions give their societies structure and rules and regulations just as Judaism and Christianity do. And unfortunately for my nature, the fact that Jesus died for my sins has done almost nothing to reduce my desire to do bad things. I would definitely get into trouble with the whole 'anger in your head thing' that Jesus talks about in Matthew 5:21-26. Paul definitely got a larger dose of Jesus in his heart than I did. (Sarcasm intended)
Hard wading through Paul. But I am trying and I encourage you to do as well.
Proverbs : 19:22-23
What a man desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar.
Huh? How do those things even remotely go together? Can anyone postulate on this one?
Thursday, July 19, 2012
July 20
NT -- Romans 6:1-23
So, now that we are Christians, we know what is right and what is wrong. And if we are good Christians, we no longer sin. I think this is what Paul is saying. Could be wrong.
Well, then. I failed the Paul test because I certainly do sin and in some ways, worse than what I did when I didn't call myself a Christian.
Slip ups, for me, are inevitable. Usually, it involves my mouth. Oh, I know when we get to the letter from James, I am going to be in so much trouble.
I remember when I started going with Don to his parents' house. My mother would tell me that she was going to pray the whole time I was gone "Lord, keep one hand on Sylvia's shoulder and one hand over her mouth." Yep, big problems there.
So what are we to make of this passage in Romans. Yes, when you become a Christian you WANT to do right. But human nature and circumstances, old patterns and old buttons show up and off we go being awful.
Paul makes me feel like a low life. Guilty. And I just about hate the feelings of guilt.
OT- 2 Chronicles 1:1-3:317
Weird things strike me in the readings sometimes. Look at vs. 3:17
He (Solomon) erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to north. The one to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.
I know why he named the one Boaz. He was a ancestor and the husband of the foreigner Ruth. But Jakin? The only one mentioned in my Bible Concordance is a son of Simeon and Solomon came from Judah. Well, there were a couple of others who were priests but they spelled their names Jachin.
And why name the pillars anyway? While my house/property has a name (Orchard Hill), I haven't named the doors or the porch posts? I get the concept of naming the gates -- it would be hard not to get them mixed up (meet me at gate 2 or the one with the blind man leaning or whatever...) if they didn't have names. But mostly, those names were for their functions.
Find that a little weird to name the pillars.
So, now that we are Christians, we know what is right and what is wrong. And if we are good Christians, we no longer sin. I think this is what Paul is saying. Could be wrong.
Well, then. I failed the Paul test because I certainly do sin and in some ways, worse than what I did when I didn't call myself a Christian.
Slip ups, for me, are inevitable. Usually, it involves my mouth. Oh, I know when we get to the letter from James, I am going to be in so much trouble.
I remember when I started going with Don to his parents' house. My mother would tell me that she was going to pray the whole time I was gone "Lord, keep one hand on Sylvia's shoulder and one hand over her mouth." Yep, big problems there.
So what are we to make of this passage in Romans. Yes, when you become a Christian you WANT to do right. But human nature and circumstances, old patterns and old buttons show up and off we go being awful.
Paul makes me feel like a low life. Guilty. And I just about hate the feelings of guilt.
OT- 2 Chronicles 1:1-3:317
Weird things strike me in the readings sometimes. Look at vs. 3:17
He (Solomon) erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to north. The one to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.
I know why he named the one Boaz. He was a ancestor and the husband of the foreigner Ruth. But Jakin? The only one mentioned in my Bible Concordance is a son of Simeon and Solomon came from Judah. Well, there were a couple of others who were priests but they spelled their names Jachin.
And why name the pillars anyway? While my house/property has a name (Orchard Hill), I haven't named the doors or the porch posts? I get the concept of naming the gates -- it would be hard not to get them mixed up (meet me at gate 2 or the one with the blind man leaning or whatever...) if they didn't have names. But mostly, those names were for their functions.
Find that a little weird to name the pillars.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
July 19
Psalm 15
"Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?"
This is a checklist psalm. And while we as Christians assign all this psalm to the person of Jesus, Jews do not. They use this as list of what THEY are supposed to do in order to follow God's commands. Of course, no one is perfect and so the list is unattainable but Jews are supposed to TRY.
I stood in a small group recently, listening to a heated debate about this very issue between one of my friends who is close to an Orthodox Jew and his friend who is a fundamentalist Christian. It made me really uncomfortable listening to each of them fuss at the other -- the Jew for following rules and regulations rigidly even when he knows 'some of them are foolish' and the Christian for 'not even trying to be do the right thing because Jesus would forgive'.
While neither of them referenced this psalm specifically, when I read it this afternoon, I realized that, for me at least, I need the rules and the regulations. I love having the list. Checklist queen, they call me at work. And it is very comforting to me.
So, how do you feel about this psalm? Does it make you uncomfortable to think that this is what you are being called to behave like? Or do you also think it is just a personification of Jesus and want to leave it at that?
And if you leave this psalm to Jesus, do you have another list or do you just simply fly by the seat of your pants with "What would Jesus do?" wristbands in action?
OT - 1st Chronicles 28:1-29:30
Yet another example of the weird layout of Chronicles because now we are back in the story of David handing over the kingdom to Solomon. It was a nice speech but this story bears almost no resemblance to Kings and forgive me for saying so but I doubt all his older brothers weren't grumpy that Father David gave young Solomon the keys to the kingdom over them. Especially since Father David left all his personal fortune to the church treasury. "What about me????" cries must have been heard big in the palace that day.
I looked up Gad the seer and we have no fragments of his records and no original texts of the works of Nathan or Samuel although 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st and 2nd Kings appear to draw heavily on those works. Too bad. It would be interesting to read the story from THEIR perspective.
"Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?"
This is a checklist psalm. And while we as Christians assign all this psalm to the person of Jesus, Jews do not. They use this as list of what THEY are supposed to do in order to follow God's commands. Of course, no one is perfect and so the list is unattainable but Jews are supposed to TRY.
I stood in a small group recently, listening to a heated debate about this very issue between one of my friends who is close to an Orthodox Jew and his friend who is a fundamentalist Christian. It made me really uncomfortable listening to each of them fuss at the other -- the Jew for following rules and regulations rigidly even when he knows 'some of them are foolish' and the Christian for 'not even trying to be do the right thing because Jesus would forgive'.
While neither of them referenced this psalm specifically, when I read it this afternoon, I realized that, for me at least, I need the rules and the regulations. I love having the list. Checklist queen, they call me at work. And it is very comforting to me.
So, how do you feel about this psalm? Does it make you uncomfortable to think that this is what you are being called to behave like? Or do you also think it is just a personification of Jesus and want to leave it at that?
And if you leave this psalm to Jesus, do you have another list or do you just simply fly by the seat of your pants with "What would Jesus do?" wristbands in action?
OT - 1st Chronicles 28:1-29:30
Yet another example of the weird layout of Chronicles because now we are back in the story of David handing over the kingdom to Solomon. It was a nice speech but this story bears almost no resemblance to Kings and forgive me for saying so but I doubt all his older brothers weren't grumpy that Father David gave young Solomon the keys to the kingdom over them. Especially since Father David left all his personal fortune to the church treasury. "What about me????" cries must have been heard big in the palace that day.
I looked up Gad the seer and we have no fragments of his records and no original texts of the works of Nathan or Samuel although 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st and 2nd Kings appear to draw heavily on those works. Too bad. It would be interesting to read the story from THEIR perspective.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
July 18
NT -- Romans 4:13-5:5
"Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
A common verse used many, many times in my Presbyterian church. I have no doubt that many of us memorized this as a child.
Listen to this Yale professor as he discusses Chapter 5 in Romans.
Click here if your email doesn't support YouTube.
Many blessings on your reading.
"Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
A common verse used many, many times in my Presbyterian church. I have no doubt that many of us memorized this as a child.
Listen to this Yale professor as he discusses Chapter 5 in Romans.
Click here if your email doesn't support YouTube.
Many blessings on your reading.
Monday, July 16, 2012
July 17
Proverbs 19:15-16
Laziness brings on deep sleep and the shiftless man goes hungry.
Well, hard work also brings on deep sleep so I am not exactly sure what that proverb means.
Don and I have several enormous projects to get done before Matthew comes home from Camp Winshape and Cole comes home from ID Tech at Vanderbilt. The main one is to finish the chicken shed. The other one is to get the yard weeded and the fall garden planted. In years past, I have tried to do this after the children go back to school but it seems that I never get around to it and suddenly it is mid-September with no collards, turnips, or lettuce in the ground. So, I am not really one to know lazy.
But what I have observed in others is what some think is lazy is really depression.
Oh, I know some laid back folk. And I know some teenage boys that fluff up the weed bucket so that they really don't have to pull many. And I know a few who would rather 'draw' (unemployment) than actually work. Not many, but a few. Laziness and shiftlessness. Sleep and hunger. These two are stumping me.
You will have to forgive this post. My brain stopped working about 3 PM and doesn't seem to have come back on line.
Tomorrow will be a better day.
Laziness brings on deep sleep and the shiftless man goes hungry.
Well, hard work also brings on deep sleep so I am not exactly sure what that proverb means.
Don and I have several enormous projects to get done before Matthew comes home from Camp Winshape and Cole comes home from ID Tech at Vanderbilt. The main one is to finish the chicken shed. The other one is to get the yard weeded and the fall garden planted. In years past, I have tried to do this after the children go back to school but it seems that I never get around to it and suddenly it is mid-September with no collards, turnips, or lettuce in the ground. So, I am not really one to know lazy.
But what I have observed in others is what some think is lazy is really depression.
Oh, I know some laid back folk. And I know some teenage boys that fluff up the weed bucket so that they really don't have to pull many. And I know a few who would rather 'draw' (unemployment) than actually work. Not many, but a few. Laziness and shiftlessness. Sleep and hunger. These two are stumping me.
You will have to forgive this post. My brain stopped working about 3 PM and doesn't seem to have come back on line.
Tomorrow will be a better day.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
July 16
OT -- 1st Chronicles 22:1-23:32
Nope, our chronicler is definitely not into the dirt at least as far as David's family is concerned. No mention of the rape of Tamar, the defections of his other sons, the divisions in his family. Just that he made Solomon king who was to build the Temple.
I did especially like that David knew this would be a hard political battle for his son and so he gathered much of the material for the Temple including the personnel to oversee the building and the maintenance.
This is where the mention of Moses' sons are from my previous post "What happened to Moses' sons?" Apparently, just run of the mill Levites.
Having spent my weekend with extended family, I totally understand the need to recount the ancestors. I love the stories and the reminiscences of various members especially when one remembers it one way and another remembers it another way. That's what I think happened with 1st and 2nd Kings and 1st and 2nd Chronicles. Only in this case, they were groups of people writing the stories and even among the groups there was dissension.
At one point this weekend, I had a text chat with Matthew who was not here. He is spending the summer as a camp counselor and could not get away. Matthew made a disparaging remark about someone else's parenting skills. My comment back to him was that we really do not know the whole story. Families are complicated beings unto themselves. And Matthew is perceiving the situation from an 18 year old's viewpoint (the world is CLEARLY black and white) and the adult in the drama is seeing it from a late 40s vantage point. Not better or worse, just different.
And that is the beauty of having two and in some cases where we have the prophet writing, three viewpoints on same struggle and situation. Not better or worse, just different.
The problem comes when we only have ONE source material and no dissenting voice or corrections.
I love that David said the reason he didn't get to build the Temple in Chronicles was because of all the bloodshed. Not the specific bloodshed of Uriah but all the other stuff. I don't think Solomon was immune to bloodshed since he does away with several of his brothers, advisors who aren't loyal and assorted other individuals. But I guess he doesn't campaign like David did.
NT -- Romans 3:9-31
Since I blasted Paul yesterday, I guess I have to take it back today. "Are we any better? Not at all!" Sorry, this is the problem with reading the Bible in snippets.
In this section of scripture, Paul reiterates the theme of Romans "by faith we are saved".
Nope, our chronicler is definitely not into the dirt at least as far as David's family is concerned. No mention of the rape of Tamar, the defections of his other sons, the divisions in his family. Just that he made Solomon king who was to build the Temple.
I did especially like that David knew this would be a hard political battle for his son and so he gathered much of the material for the Temple including the personnel to oversee the building and the maintenance.
This is where the mention of Moses' sons are from my previous post "What happened to Moses' sons?" Apparently, just run of the mill Levites.
Having spent my weekend with extended family, I totally understand the need to recount the ancestors. I love the stories and the reminiscences of various members especially when one remembers it one way and another remembers it another way. That's what I think happened with 1st and 2nd Kings and 1st and 2nd Chronicles. Only in this case, they were groups of people writing the stories and even among the groups there was dissension.
At one point this weekend, I had a text chat with Matthew who was not here. He is spending the summer as a camp counselor and could not get away. Matthew made a disparaging remark about someone else's parenting skills. My comment back to him was that we really do not know the whole story. Families are complicated beings unto themselves. And Matthew is perceiving the situation from an 18 year old's viewpoint (the world is CLEARLY black and white) and the adult in the drama is seeing it from a late 40s vantage point. Not better or worse, just different.
And that is the beauty of having two and in some cases where we have the prophet writing, three viewpoints on same struggle and situation. Not better or worse, just different.
The problem comes when we only have ONE source material and no dissenting voice or corrections.
I love that David said the reason he didn't get to build the Temple in Chronicles was because of all the bloodshed. Not the specific bloodshed of Uriah but all the other stuff. I don't think Solomon was immune to bloodshed since he does away with several of his brothers, advisors who aren't loyal and assorted other individuals. But I guess he doesn't campaign like David did.
NT -- Romans 3:9-31
Since I blasted Paul yesterday, I guess I have to take it back today. "Are we any better? Not at all!" Sorry, this is the problem with reading the Bible in snippets.
In this section of scripture, Paul reiterates the theme of Romans "by faith we are saved".
Saturday, July 14, 2012
July 15
OT -- 1 Chronicles 19:1- 21:30
Chapter 20 Chronicles is where the story of Bathsheba resides in Kings. This story is totally missing in Chronicles which brings the question, why? I really have no answer for it, I guess that the Chronicler was not into the dirt of the situations.
Chapter 21 is about the census. And if you have forgotten or did not know, it was against God's command to take a census of the Jews. They got around it by bringing something to be counted -- wheat or a coin or some such. But to count a person was evil. This brings the whole census stuff in Luke to a brand new light.
After the plague, David wrote Psalm 60 as a petition to God. Read what he had to say:
Psalm 60
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktam[b] of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim[c] and Aram Zobah,[d] and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1 You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us;
you have been angry —now restore us!
2 You have shaken the land and torn it open;
mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
3 You have shown your people desperate times;
you have given us wine that makes us stagger.
4 But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner
to be unfurled against the bow.[e]
5 Save us and help us with your right hand,
that those you love may be delivered.
6 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin,
on Edom I toss my sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph. ”
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us
and no longer go out with our armies?
11 Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.
12 With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
NT -- Romans 2:25-3:8
Okay, this is where Paul and I differ. He really lays hard into the Jews for not following the Law perfectly but relying on circumcision to get them there. I don't see it that way at all. Circumcision is just the outward symbol to most of the Jews I know. Now, some are only culturally Jewish and only circumcise their boys because Mama would have a stroke if they didn't. But I think a lot of Jewish people do it because it is part of their evolution in their spiritual growth with God. And this is just one more step on that path.
There are many Christians who have that same thing with their children. They bring them to a church to be baptized. Now, they may or may not be active members. Some churches require that. But I see it differently. Maybe this is just the first step towards a more fulfilling relationship with God. And maybe that takes years and an ugly crisis. Or maybe you just fall into the rhythm of going to church, volunteering here and there and all the sudden, you realize, you are a God-girl and there is no place you would rather be than among other Christians.
We each follow our own paths and everyone is different. I did not have the Damascus Road experience that Paul had. Mine has come in spurts and drivels, sometimes taking many, many steps backwards before I gained a little ground. It makes me no less or better than Paul just because it is different.
Tonight, we were at a Tennessee Smokies' game in Seveirville TN. TN does not have the smoking laws that Georgia does and while you can't smoke in the stands, you can smoke right behind them. I am an ex-smoker. There is nothing worse about cigarettes than an ex. And then I realized that I was doing EXACTLY what I don't like Paul doing. I was criticizing someone for doing just what I had done. Condemning them might be too hard a word but I certainly wished that they were not there and that there were rules that banned them from my presence. Seriously.
Maybe that is human nature to be so mean to those who have not chosen to follow your 'new' path. But it is something to guard against and really pray to be humble and merciful to all regardless of what they are or are not doing.
Chapter 20 Chronicles is where the story of Bathsheba resides in Kings. This story is totally missing in Chronicles which brings the question, why? I really have no answer for it, I guess that the Chronicler was not into the dirt of the situations.
Chapter 21 is about the census. And if you have forgotten or did not know, it was against God's command to take a census of the Jews. They got around it by bringing something to be counted -- wheat or a coin or some such. But to count a person was evil. This brings the whole census stuff in Luke to a brand new light.
After the plague, David wrote Psalm 60 as a petition to God. Read what he had to say:
Psalm 60
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktam[b] of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim[c] and Aram Zobah,[d] and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1 You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us;
you have been angry —now restore us!
2 You have shaken the land and torn it open;
mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
3 You have shown your people desperate times;
you have given us wine that makes us stagger.
4 But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner
to be unfurled against the bow.[e]
5 Save us and help us with your right hand,
that those you love may be delivered.
6 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin,
on Edom I toss my sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph. ”
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us
and no longer go out with our armies?
11 Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.
12 With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
NT -- Romans 2:25-3:8
Okay, this is where Paul and I differ. He really lays hard into the Jews for not following the Law perfectly but relying on circumcision to get them there. I don't see it that way at all. Circumcision is just the outward symbol to most of the Jews I know. Now, some are only culturally Jewish and only circumcise their boys because Mama would have a stroke if they didn't. But I think a lot of Jewish people do it because it is part of their evolution in their spiritual growth with God. And this is just one more step on that path.
There are many Christians who have that same thing with their children. They bring them to a church to be baptized. Now, they may or may not be active members. Some churches require that. But I see it differently. Maybe this is just the first step towards a more fulfilling relationship with God. And maybe that takes years and an ugly crisis. Or maybe you just fall into the rhythm of going to church, volunteering here and there and all the sudden, you realize, you are a God-girl and there is no place you would rather be than among other Christians.
We each follow our own paths and everyone is different. I did not have the Damascus Road experience that Paul had. Mine has come in spurts and drivels, sometimes taking many, many steps backwards before I gained a little ground. It makes me no less or better than Paul just because it is different.
Tonight, we were at a Tennessee Smokies' game in Seveirville TN. TN does not have the smoking laws that Georgia does and while you can't smoke in the stands, you can smoke right behind them. I am an ex-smoker. There is nothing worse about cigarettes than an ex. And then I realized that I was doing EXACTLY what I don't like Paul doing. I was criticizing someone for doing just what I had done. Condemning them might be too hard a word but I certainly wished that they were not there and that there were rules that banned them from my presence. Seriously.
Maybe that is human nature to be so mean to those who have not chosen to follow your 'new' path. But it is something to guard against and really pray to be humble and merciful to all regardless of what they are or are not doing.
July 14
Sorry to be late. Am at a family reunion in Sevierville, TN and we stayed up late watching The Fugitive. I should have worked on my Bible study in the afternoon which I spent lazing around on the back porch reading a book in a swing but ....
NT -- Romans 2:1-24
Look at verses 17-24. Instead of the word Jew, add the word Christian to those verses and see if you indict yourself. I have to admit that I have a bad tendency to be a little holier-than-thou which is what those verses are about. If we as Christians think we have some kind of lock on what is right and behave badly to those who don't, we are worse!! I am reminded of all those folks I know that say the church is full of hypocrites. And I guess it is. But the only person I can control (and darn little of that, sometimes) is me. I *have* to do the best I can and not act like I am some kind of glorified creature with rights and privileges afforded to me just because I am a God-person.
Paul was clearly dealing with the split that if you were Jewish and you knew the Law, it was okay to be bad to those who didn't or weren't.
So, how do we live this out in our real lives? I think it comes all the way back to that verse in Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God.
And maybe we just need to choose one of those attributes and work on it until we are confident we have that down pat. Something to think about.
NT -- Romans 2:1-24
Look at verses 17-24. Instead of the word Jew, add the word Christian to those verses and see if you indict yourself. I have to admit that I have a bad tendency to be a little holier-than-thou which is what those verses are about. If we as Christians think we have some kind of lock on what is right and behave badly to those who don't, we are worse!! I am reminded of all those folks I know that say the church is full of hypocrites. And I guess it is. But the only person I can control (and darn little of that, sometimes) is me. I *have* to do the best I can and not act like I am some kind of glorified creature with rights and privileges afforded to me just because I am a God-person.
Paul was clearly dealing with the split that if you were Jewish and you knew the Law, it was okay to be bad to those who didn't or weren't.
So, how do we live this out in our real lives? I think it comes all the way back to that verse in Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God.
And maybe we just need to choose one of those attributes and work on it until we are confident we have that down pat. Something to think about.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
July 13
Proverbs 19:6-7
Many curry favor with a ruler and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts. A poor man is shunned by all his relatives -- how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.
It is a fine line with gifts, isn't it? With our spouses, with our children, with our friends, business associates and politicians.
Just today, I was remembering all the toys that Matthew and Cole received as Christmas and birthday presents. So much stuff. And they really just loved those silly blocks and the matchbox cars. Some cardboard boxes and crayons and they were good to go. I was wishing that I had been more practical and put stuff away and cycled it through in bits and pieces but I guess I was just 'in the moment'. It was overwhelming to them then and can be now as well.
The fine line is when it ceases to be a gift and becomes an IOU.
At my farmer's markets, there are a couple of vendors who will not trade. They also don't buy other people's products. Most of them have few friends at the market. I have stood back and watched them isolate themselves and box themselves into a corner. And some of them don't care. But to be a good vendor, a successful one, I think, you really have to love who you stand next to week in and week out -- 100 degree heat and 30 degree wet rain.
Is that gift giving to trade? I think so. It says your product is as worthy as mine. And I am interested in what you do.
But rich man's gifts. Now that is a different story. I remember an episode of Lost (actually Cole and I are rewatching it this summer so it is rather recently watched for me...), where Hurley has found out he won the lottery but he hasn't told anyone yet. He and his buddy go on a wild spree have a big ole great time. They end up at the video/headphone store and Hurley asks the beautiful hip girl behind the counter out to a concert. His friend is standing there with his mouth open as Hurley asks her out. No, I can't go, she says, and fat Hurley says okay, and starts to walk away. But I can go on Saturday, she said. And he lights up! His friend is still in shock because apparently, Hurley has had a crush on this girl FOREVER but never did anything about it. Dude, Hurley says, I just wanted to ask her out before everything changes. The friend doesn't understand it but Hurley, you and I do. Rich men gifts.
And here is one that I witnessed just this evening. One parent against another parent gift.
Currying favor with the child by one upping or trying to outdo the other. The divorced daddy syndrome. Or maybe it is trying to get back at the other parent. I don't know. But more than once, I heard, well, at my daddy's house we get to do.... or Mama don't let me do that....
That whole gift thing. It takes skill, practice and wisdom and by the time we get all that, we are too old to know any better and we start gifting away, not following any sense.
And just a personal observation -- this part of Proverbs has really been speaking to me. Not that I didn't get anything out of the stay out of wickedness young man passages (and it is too bad I didn't read that section of Proverbs more often in my twenties...), but there is so much to think about in these little small snippets that I often find myself pondering them the next morning trying to see if they fit into my world view or if they are something I really need to work on. This one definitely is.
May the rain fall gently on you.
Many curry favor with a ruler and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts. A poor man is shunned by all his relatives -- how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.
It is a fine line with gifts, isn't it? With our spouses, with our children, with our friends, business associates and politicians.
Just today, I was remembering all the toys that Matthew and Cole received as Christmas and birthday presents. So much stuff. And they really just loved those silly blocks and the matchbox cars. Some cardboard boxes and crayons and they were good to go. I was wishing that I had been more practical and put stuff away and cycled it through in bits and pieces but I guess I was just 'in the moment'. It was overwhelming to them then and can be now as well.
The fine line is when it ceases to be a gift and becomes an IOU.
At my farmer's markets, there are a couple of vendors who will not trade. They also don't buy other people's products. Most of them have few friends at the market. I have stood back and watched them isolate themselves and box themselves into a corner. And some of them don't care. But to be a good vendor, a successful one, I think, you really have to love who you stand next to week in and week out -- 100 degree heat and 30 degree wet rain.
Is that gift giving to trade? I think so. It says your product is as worthy as mine. And I am interested in what you do.
But rich man's gifts. Now that is a different story. I remember an episode of Lost (actually Cole and I are rewatching it this summer so it is rather recently watched for me...), where Hurley has found out he won the lottery but he hasn't told anyone yet. He and his buddy go on a wild spree have a big ole great time. They end up at the video/headphone store and Hurley asks the beautiful hip girl behind the counter out to a concert. His friend is standing there with his mouth open as Hurley asks her out. No, I can't go, she says, and fat Hurley says okay, and starts to walk away. But I can go on Saturday, she said. And he lights up! His friend is still in shock because apparently, Hurley has had a crush on this girl FOREVER but never did anything about it. Dude, Hurley says, I just wanted to ask her out before everything changes. The friend doesn't understand it but Hurley, you and I do. Rich men gifts.
And here is one that I witnessed just this evening. One parent against another parent gift.
Currying favor with the child by one upping or trying to outdo the other. The divorced daddy syndrome. Or maybe it is trying to get back at the other parent. I don't know. But more than once, I heard, well, at my daddy's house we get to do.... or Mama don't let me do that....
That whole gift thing. It takes skill, practice and wisdom and by the time we get all that, we are too old to know any better and we start gifting away, not following any sense.
And just a personal observation -- this part of Proverbs has really been speaking to me. Not that I didn't get anything out of the stay out of wickedness young man passages (and it is too bad I didn't read that section of Proverbs more often in my twenties...), but there is so much to think about in these little small snippets that I often find myself pondering them the next morning trying to see if they fit into my world view or if they are something I really need to work on. This one definitely is.
May the rain fall gently on you.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
July 12
NT -- Romans 1:1-17
The New Testament is broken into 3 different sections, The Gospels and Acts, The Letters, and Revelations. The Gospels and Acts are more or less a history of Jesus' life on earth and the early years of the church specifically where Paul was concerned.
The Letters are grouped first by author, then by length. Paul is considered to be the author of the majority of the letters and he begins this section.
The mission statement of the letter to the Romans is in vs. 17 "The righteous will live by faith."
According to our scripture reading today, Paul had not yet been to Rome. This indicates that the church in Rome was not of his 'planting'. Acts does not mention a journey to Rome until Paul is brought there as a prisoner. However, there are numerous personal greetings so apparently, he knew some people in the church.
It is not known how the church in Rome got started although there is church tradition that Peter began the church. Acts does not mention Peter going to Rome so this may or may not be true.
In any regard, Paul does seem to have sway over the folks in the church.
Based on other statements in the letter, it was probably written between 54-59 AD. Nero was emperor and there were no active persecution of Jews or Christians during this time.
The conflict in the church seemed to be between the Jews and the Gentiles (I told you that you would be tired of hearing about this...) and the power in the church seemed to be fairly evenly split along those lines.
Enjoy!
The New Testament is broken into 3 different sections, The Gospels and Acts, The Letters, and Revelations. The Gospels and Acts are more or less a history of Jesus' life on earth and the early years of the church specifically where Paul was concerned.
The Letters are grouped first by author, then by length. Paul is considered to be the author of the majority of the letters and he begins this section.
The mission statement of the letter to the Romans is in vs. 17 "The righteous will live by faith."
According to our scripture reading today, Paul had not yet been to Rome. This indicates that the church in Rome was not of his 'planting'. Acts does not mention a journey to Rome until Paul is brought there as a prisoner. However, there are numerous personal greetings so apparently, he knew some people in the church.
It is not known how the church in Rome got started although there is church tradition that Peter began the church. Acts does not mention Peter going to Rome so this may or may not be true.
In any regard, Paul does seem to have sway over the folks in the church.
Based on other statements in the letter, it was probably written between 54-59 AD. Nero was emperor and there were no active persecution of Jews or Christians during this time.
The conflict in the church seemed to be between the Jews and the Gentiles (I told you that you would be tired of hearing about this...) and the power in the church seemed to be fairly evenly split along those lines.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
July 11
NT -- Acts 28:1-31
Thus ends Acts. See what I mean about Acts being a 2 of 3 books? Wouldn't you have loved to have read Book 3? I guess we will just have to wait until we get to heaven and hear it straight from Luke's mouth.
The years after Paul's death were turbulent ones for Rome until we hit AD 90 when things settle down for a while. Here is a great mini history lesson for that period if you want to read it.
Or if you want to go all out -- here is a wonderful podcast that gives you the history of Rome over a two year period in a weekly podcast. I am only starting to dip into this one. Looks really promising!
Proverbs 19:1-3
It is not good to have zeal without knowledge nor to be hasty wand miss the way.
How true. How many times have I gotten just a little bit of information and then gone full tilt only to discover if I have taken a little more time and gotten a little more information, I would have been a whole lot better off.
I think this is called thinking before you act.
Not my strong suit.
If Solomon is using the proverbs as a teaching tool to his children (and he had a bunch!), then this is probably one of the harder concepts to learn. I realize that there are some children who are naturally wise. I am not among them. I had to do most of the awful things on my own regardless of how much my parents told me not to do so and why. I am probably a hard core case but I suspect a lot of children are like me -- foolhardy and overly ambitious with a whole lot of disregard for the limits of body, mind and soul. And I cannot even say with totally resolve that I learn my lesson on the first go!
Perhaps I need to have this proverb tattoo'd on me rather than a chicken as planned.
(Another example of stupidness that I have only avoided because I had children who were watching and I knew they would want one too.)
Blessings on your reading and meditations.
Thus ends Acts. See what I mean about Acts being a 2 of 3 books? Wouldn't you have loved to have read Book 3? I guess we will just have to wait until we get to heaven and hear it straight from Luke's mouth.
The years after Paul's death were turbulent ones for Rome until we hit AD 90 when things settle down for a while. Here is a great mini history lesson for that period if you want to read it.
Or if you want to go all out -- here is a wonderful podcast that gives you the history of Rome over a two year period in a weekly podcast. I am only starting to dip into this one. Looks really promising!
Proverbs 19:1-3
It is not good to have zeal without knowledge nor to be hasty wand miss the way.
How true. How many times have I gotten just a little bit of information and then gone full tilt only to discover if I have taken a little more time and gotten a little more information, I would have been a whole lot better off.
I think this is called thinking before you act.
Not my strong suit.
If Solomon is using the proverbs as a teaching tool to his children (and he had a bunch!), then this is probably one of the harder concepts to learn. I realize that there are some children who are naturally wise. I am not among them. I had to do most of the awful things on my own regardless of how much my parents told me not to do so and why. I am probably a hard core case but I suspect a lot of children are like me -- foolhardy and overly ambitious with a whole lot of disregard for the limits of body, mind and soul. And I cannot even say with totally resolve that I learn my lesson on the first go!
Perhaps I need to have this proverb tattoo'd on me rather than a chicken as planned.
(Another example of stupidness that I have only avoided because I had children who were watching and I knew they would want one too.)
Blessings on your reading and meditations.
Monday, July 9, 2012
July 10
OT -- 1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14
I am beginning to think that the compiler of Chronicles had a serious case of ADD. He does not stay on one topic for very long and skips from genealogy to history back to genealogy and doesn't even stay in the same time period. I am pressing on through but I find it very disconcerting to read.
Psalm 8:1-9
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"
One of my favorite classical pieces used to be Gustav Holst's The Planets. Don also likes it and one of our first dates was to hear part of it performed by the Atlanta Symphony orchestra. When I read the above verse from psalm 8, it reminded me of that evening because the work is so overwhelming that you feel much of the music in your body.
Listen to this rendition of the movement of Mars:
I actually knew nothing about Holst or what his vision for the music was. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that he really disliked this piece of music!
Check out this website
Are there musical pieces that remind you of the celestial?
Proverbs 18:23-24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Did you notice the modifier to friend? *A* If you have one such friend who sticks by you through it all, how rich you are! And if you are the friend, what powerful loyalty you have!
I am beginning to think that the compiler of Chronicles had a serious case of ADD. He does not stay on one topic for very long and skips from genealogy to history back to genealogy and doesn't even stay in the same time period. I am pressing on through but I find it very disconcerting to read.
Psalm 8:1-9
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"
One of my favorite classical pieces used to be Gustav Holst's The Planets. Don also likes it and one of our first dates was to hear part of it performed by the Atlanta Symphony orchestra. When I read the above verse from psalm 8, it reminded me of that evening because the work is so overwhelming that you feel much of the music in your body.
Listen to this rendition of the movement of Mars:
I actually knew nothing about Holst or what his vision for the music was. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that he really disliked this piece of music!
Check out this website
Are there musical pieces that remind you of the celestial?
Proverbs 18:23-24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Did you notice the modifier to friend? *A* If you have one such friend who sticks by you through it all, how rich you are! And if you are the friend, what powerful loyalty you have!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
July 9
OT -- 1st Chronicles 7:1-8:40
8:8 Sons were born to Shaharaim in Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara.
I never remember hearing a specific person who was divorced thus far in the OT. Even in the NT, all I remember is Joseph deciding he would 'quietly' divorce Mary and Jesus talking about divorce in the abstract. This is the first time I have ever actually heard a specific. Even David did not divorce crazy Michel (Saul's daughter). He just sent her away. And Samson's wife was just 'given' to his best friend, no divorce mentioned.
Here are the Deuteronomic requirements for divorce: (Deuteronomy 24:1-4)
If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
That's it. So, why wasn't divorce mentioned more frequently in the Bible? After all, this is a pretty loose standard. Heck, in today's no fault divorce world, this is easy-peasy divorce.
I do not think it was because the Bible people were any better than we are today. Nor do I think it was because the Jewish people were somehow 'better at marriage'. What I do think is probably the cause is dowry and property rights. If you divorced, you had to return the dowry and if the woman came with property, you had to give it back. Plus, you probably had to deal with her father and brothers. And justice was a little more physical than it is today.
So, my answer is money and land.
Do you disagree?
Proverbs 18:22
And I think it is funny that the proverb today is : He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.
8:8 Sons were born to Shaharaim in Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara.
I never remember hearing a specific person who was divorced thus far in the OT. Even in the NT, all I remember is Joseph deciding he would 'quietly' divorce Mary and Jesus talking about divorce in the abstract. This is the first time I have ever actually heard a specific. Even David did not divorce crazy Michel (Saul's daughter). He just sent her away. And Samson's wife was just 'given' to his best friend, no divorce mentioned.
Here are the Deuteronomic requirements for divorce: (Deuteronomy 24:1-4)
If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
That's it. So, why wasn't divorce mentioned more frequently in the Bible? After all, this is a pretty loose standard. Heck, in today's no fault divorce world, this is easy-peasy divorce.
I do not think it was because the Bible people were any better than we are today. Nor do I think it was because the Jewish people were somehow 'better at marriage'. What I do think is probably the cause is dowry and property rights. If you divorced, you had to return the dowry and if the woman came with property, you had to give it back. Plus, you probably had to deal with her father and brothers. And justice was a little more physical than it is today.
So, my answer is money and land.
Do you disagree?
Proverbs 18:22
And I think it is funny that the proverb today is : He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
July 8
OT -- 1st Chronicles 5:18-6:81
So, I am reading along, enjoying the genealogy of various tribes and trying to stay focused on the task at hand. I enjoyed the little tidbit about the children of Amram "the children of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam" because Miriam has always been one of my favorite characters. Minor player in the story of Moses that is true but having babysat most of my life for young cousins, younger brother, and myriad of neighbor children, I sympathized with her Moses boat watching. And I am assuming her quick response to Pharaoh's daughter.
At any rate, I read on and on about Aaron's kids looking forward to hearing about Miriam. After all, did she ever marry? How did her husband feel about her prophesying when they crossed the Red Sea? What about her water finding ability? Were her kids ashamed of her 'talent' like mine have been in the past?
Nothing. Not a peep about Miriam. And then I realize there is none about Moses' kids.
Now, I know he had at least 2 boys because Zipporah circumcised them to prevent God from killing Moses right before he returned to Egypt (Exodus 4:24). What happened to them?
Well, check out this link:
The Straight Dope
Yes, I read ahead just to check it out. You just have to wonder why Moses' sons weren't anything but ordinary. Was it because he didn't spend enough time with them or were the others in his cavalcade ugly to them because they were half Midianites? Remember, there was an ugly fight with the Midianites on the 40 year wander. (Numbers 31)
At any rate, it seems sad that they were only so-so.
And that answered for me, what became of Moses' sons. But not of Miriam.
NT -- Acts 26:1-32
The death knell "this man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar".
Psalm 6
Another lament psalm.
I read in the Atlanta Journal recently that a significant percentage of dementia and Alzheimer's patients see vast improvements when their insomnia is corrected. Mostly through the use of medication but also through meditations and behavior changes, the patients saw increased judgment, memory retention and significantly less emotional swings.
The same is probably true when you are grieving or anxious. It is a terrible spiral, no sleep, more anxiety. Not that I am endorsing sleeping pills but nothing looks better and you have precious little judgment when you have not slept the night before.
For years after Nathan died, I woke up every night at 3 AM and worried about everything. My parents, my kids, money, the roof, you name it. Alcohol, pills, exercise, nothing was any help. And buddy, by the time 5 PM rolled around every afternoon, I was a screaming you-know-what.
One day in Sunday School, a man that I have almost no respect for because of his scheming, conniving ways was talking to someone else about how you cure the 3 AM worries. He said you claim whatever it is that you are obsessing about as a blessing then start naming all your other blessings. Instant sleep. Well, maybe not instant, but very quick. It is hard to obsess when you are listing out all the wonderful things that God has gifted you with.
I won't pretend that I don't still wake up at 3 AM but not every night and I am usually able to get back to sleep fairly quickly with no 5 PM meltdowns. And for that I add the above gentleman to my list of blessings.
May your 'couch' be dream filled and seldom filled with groaning and tears.
So, I am reading along, enjoying the genealogy of various tribes and trying to stay focused on the task at hand. I enjoyed the little tidbit about the children of Amram "the children of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam" because Miriam has always been one of my favorite characters. Minor player in the story of Moses that is true but having babysat most of my life for young cousins, younger brother, and myriad of neighbor children, I sympathized with her Moses boat watching. And I am assuming her quick response to Pharaoh's daughter.
At any rate, I read on and on about Aaron's kids looking forward to hearing about Miriam. After all, did she ever marry? How did her husband feel about her prophesying when they crossed the Red Sea? What about her water finding ability? Were her kids ashamed of her 'talent' like mine have been in the past?
Nothing. Not a peep about Miriam. And then I realize there is none about Moses' kids.
Now, I know he had at least 2 boys because Zipporah circumcised them to prevent God from killing Moses right before he returned to Egypt (Exodus 4:24). What happened to them?
Well, check out this link:
The Straight Dope
Yes, I read ahead just to check it out. You just have to wonder why Moses' sons weren't anything but ordinary. Was it because he didn't spend enough time with them or were the others in his cavalcade ugly to them because they were half Midianites? Remember, there was an ugly fight with the Midianites on the 40 year wander. (Numbers 31)
At any rate, it seems sad that they were only so-so.
And that answered for me, what became of Moses' sons. But not of Miriam.
NT -- Acts 26:1-32
The death knell "this man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar".
Psalm 6
Another lament psalm.
I read in the Atlanta Journal recently that a significant percentage of dementia and Alzheimer's patients see vast improvements when their insomnia is corrected. Mostly through the use of medication but also through meditations and behavior changes, the patients saw increased judgment, memory retention and significantly less emotional swings.
The same is probably true when you are grieving or anxious. It is a terrible spiral, no sleep, more anxiety. Not that I am endorsing sleeping pills but nothing looks better and you have precious little judgment when you have not slept the night before.
For years after Nathan died, I woke up every night at 3 AM and worried about everything. My parents, my kids, money, the roof, you name it. Alcohol, pills, exercise, nothing was any help. And buddy, by the time 5 PM rolled around every afternoon, I was a screaming you-know-what.
One day in Sunday School, a man that I have almost no respect for because of his scheming, conniving ways was talking to someone else about how you cure the 3 AM worries. He said you claim whatever it is that you are obsessing about as a blessing then start naming all your other blessings. Instant sleep. Well, maybe not instant, but very quick. It is hard to obsess when you are listing out all the wonderful things that God has gifted you with.
I won't pretend that I don't still wake up at 3 AM but not every night and I am usually able to get back to sleep fairly quickly with no 5 PM meltdowns. And for that I add the above gentleman to my list of blessings.
May your 'couch' be dream filled and seldom filled with groaning and tears.
Friday, July 6, 2012
July 7
Proverbs 18:19
"An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel."
Some of the ugliest arguments I have ever heard were uttered between siblings.
Here is one that happened between my sister Debbie and myself. We still argue about it and it has been 33 years since it happened.
I was 16 and we were getting ready to go to church. We had a full house at the time, my mother's mother and my father's father were both living with us. Most of the time, my cousins Dexter and Brian were there and Dexter definitely was that weekend. I also think Alfred had a friend who was sort of living with us as well. Lots of people, with lots of energy.
When I got dressed, I couldn't find a pair of panty hose that did not have runs in them. Debbie and I were sharing my room at the time so I opened the drawers of my dresser (although it had HER things in it) and took a new pair out, put them on and walked down the hall to the bathroom. Debbie, apparently, at that particular time, went to put on panty hose and found none there. Down the hall she came like a banshee waving her hairbrush. "You ripped those pantyhose off of me." And whap! She broke he hairbrush over my head.
Okay, I did steal them. But the hairbrush was not called for. I wouldn't have given them back in any regard.
Sisters.
When my mother's father died, I was 8. I witnessed the most heinous arguments of all time over his things. My grandmother was still alive and still living in the house. But my mother's brothers and sisters started carrying furniture, pictures, quilts and STUFF out of the house, all the while shouting at each other 'Daddy wanted me to have this. He said so!'
And when my grandmother finally died 20 years later, all h*ll broke loose over her miserable little 100,000 estate. She died in 1998 and this Christmas is the first time two of the brothers have spoken since. I am proud to say that I had a small hand in their speaking. I wouldn't call it a reconcilation but one of them is dying and he really just wants to make peace. They shook hands at my mother's Christmas party and it was a pretty moving experience for me and everyone who witnessed it.
When families are involved, it really doesn't matter about right and wrong. What matters is who holds the power and who can push the buttons of the others best.
Ugliness.
So, how do you avoid this in your own family?
The Bible is full of cautionary tales about treating one child differently than the others. Isaac and Jacob RUINED their children's lives by favoritism.
But that isn't the only way to start feuds. Secrets, lies and deceipt. Helping one child but not the other. Allowing children to behave badly and not disciplining them for bad behavior. Think about David and his vast brood. He made the mess and left Solomon to clean it up.
My own children are two totally separate individuals. What worked with Matthew backfired with Cole. Challenges that made Cole more empathetic bring out ringing tones of judgment in Matthew. They have different interests and talents. It would be easy to favor one over the other but I try, oh I try not to do that. How successful I am at this job of mothering will require decades to show. And I am not sure that one giant misstep won't undo all the work we have done to date.
My boys are very close buddies and I have worked hard to make it that way. I pray that it will always be so.
Debbie and I may argue but I am confident that she has my back. I know I can depend on her. I try not to take advantage of that and I really have worked to smooth out the edges that drive her crazy. Maybe that is the best you can hope for. I certainly do not want to be like the brothers in the proverb.
To God be the glory.
"An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel."
Some of the ugliest arguments I have ever heard were uttered between siblings.
Here is one that happened between my sister Debbie and myself. We still argue about it and it has been 33 years since it happened.
I was 16 and we were getting ready to go to church. We had a full house at the time, my mother's mother and my father's father were both living with us. Most of the time, my cousins Dexter and Brian were there and Dexter definitely was that weekend. I also think Alfred had a friend who was sort of living with us as well. Lots of people, with lots of energy.
When I got dressed, I couldn't find a pair of panty hose that did not have runs in them. Debbie and I were sharing my room at the time so I opened the drawers of my dresser (although it had HER things in it) and took a new pair out, put them on and walked down the hall to the bathroom. Debbie, apparently, at that particular time, went to put on panty hose and found none there. Down the hall she came like a banshee waving her hairbrush. "You ripped those pantyhose off of me." And whap! She broke he hairbrush over my head.
Okay, I did steal them. But the hairbrush was not called for. I wouldn't have given them back in any regard.
Sisters.
When my mother's father died, I was 8. I witnessed the most heinous arguments of all time over his things. My grandmother was still alive and still living in the house. But my mother's brothers and sisters started carrying furniture, pictures, quilts and STUFF out of the house, all the while shouting at each other 'Daddy wanted me to have this. He said so!'
And when my grandmother finally died 20 years later, all h*ll broke loose over her miserable little 100,000 estate. She died in 1998 and this Christmas is the first time two of the brothers have spoken since. I am proud to say that I had a small hand in their speaking. I wouldn't call it a reconcilation but one of them is dying and he really just wants to make peace. They shook hands at my mother's Christmas party and it was a pretty moving experience for me and everyone who witnessed it.
When families are involved, it really doesn't matter about right and wrong. What matters is who holds the power and who can push the buttons of the others best.
Ugliness.
So, how do you avoid this in your own family?
The Bible is full of cautionary tales about treating one child differently than the others. Isaac and Jacob RUINED their children's lives by favoritism.
But that isn't the only way to start feuds. Secrets, lies and deceipt. Helping one child but not the other. Allowing children to behave badly and not disciplining them for bad behavior. Think about David and his vast brood. He made the mess and left Solomon to clean it up.
My own children are two totally separate individuals. What worked with Matthew backfired with Cole. Challenges that made Cole more empathetic bring out ringing tones of judgment in Matthew. They have different interests and talents. It would be easy to favor one over the other but I try, oh I try not to do that. How successful I am at this job of mothering will require decades to show. And I am not sure that one giant misstep won't undo all the work we have done to date.
My boys are very close buddies and I have worked hard to make it that way. I pray that it will always be so.
Debbie and I may argue but I am confident that she has my back. I know I can depend on her. I try not to take advantage of that and I really have worked to smooth out the edges that drive her crazy. Maybe that is the best you can hope for. I certainly do not want to be like the brothers in the proverb.
To God be the glory.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
July 6
NT- Acts 24:1-27
United States Constitution
Amendment 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses. Ratified 12/15/1791.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
Paul languished *2* years in jail under Festus. Acts says that Festus wanted a bribe from Paul and apparently it was not forthcoming so he just left him there when he was replaced.
In America today, we enjoy the privilege of a speedy trial. It is one of our 'rights'. We are fortunate to live here; other nations do not have this 'right'. Paul certainly didn't. We have so very much to be grateful for and I know that I frequently forget them.
Much of today was spent cleaning up after a limb from a neighbor's tree smashed my chicken shed. We were so fortunate. No chickens were lost. Because we were in Destin, our cross the street neighbors Jim and Cathy pulled the massive limb off, tarped the gaping hole and bungee corded the doors that were ripped off so that no chickens got eaten in the night by our not-so-friendly neighborhood raccoon.
Even in this one silly incident, the law of our land is ever present. Even though it was my neighbor's tree that dropped this limb on my shed, it is my responsibility and to my expense. These situations are not brought before judges who are bribed, nor was anyone paid off so that we could rebuild. I am not so naive to know that there are judges who are bribed and that enforcers do rear their heads on occasions. But this is the rarity. For the most part, normal law happens, garbage gets picked up and neighbors take care of what is their job, commiserating with one another over the freaks of nature and sharing chain saws where necessary.
Paul did not live in such times. For the vast amounts of history, no one did. I am certain that the mentions in Chronicles of so and so was their sister was because she was a piece of chattel, used as a bargaining chip for whatever purpose.
And though America is far, far, far from perfect, it is so much better than anything the world has ever known. Let us commit to preserving this so that situations like Paul are not in *our* future.
Psalm 4
This is the first of the Lament psalms. Over half of the psalms included in the Bible are ones of Lament.
Listen to what Walter Brueggerman has to say about lament poetry in the Bible:
"It has been noticed by many readers of the Psalms that there is a recurring, disciplined form to the complaints and laments. Israel knew how to order its grief, not only to get that grief fully uttered and delivered, but also to be sure that, said in its fullness untameable, it is not turned loose with destructiveness." Preface to Ann Weems' Psalm of Lament p.x
Not turned loose with destructiveness.
A neat turn of phrase to someone who is retching from the bottom of their soul. The psalms of lament almost always end on a positive note. It is like the psalmist, once they have said their piece to God, no matter how ugly, now have moved on and can once again see God's glory.
And that is where I see a flaw in modern civilization's grief expression. We don't have these retching/wrenching moments to pile on God through poems, art, riding a horse all day, wailing, in the community that held you close. Now, we are supposed to have polite sobs, but not at the funeral home, only at the funeral, grieve for the weekend and then show up on Monday with a brave face. Grieving is supposed to be done in private and in a seemly amount of time and better not blame God, because he might strike *you* dead and then where would your family be??
The lament psalms are not like that. Excuse the expression but the psalmist give God hell. Answer me. Be merciful to me. How long? No striking dead here.
And we have to assume that God hears because the relief is forthcoming. As it is for us if we will just give all that up to God. Not that it won't come back because it has been my experience that you go in loop-de-loops with grief. Over and over and over again. But if you will let him, God will hold your hand.
Grace and peace to each of you.
United States Constitution
Amendment 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses. Ratified 12/15/1791.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
Paul languished *2* years in jail under Festus. Acts says that Festus wanted a bribe from Paul and apparently it was not forthcoming so he just left him there when he was replaced.
In America today, we enjoy the privilege of a speedy trial. It is one of our 'rights'. We are fortunate to live here; other nations do not have this 'right'. Paul certainly didn't. We have so very much to be grateful for and I know that I frequently forget them.
Much of today was spent cleaning up after a limb from a neighbor's tree smashed my chicken shed. We were so fortunate. No chickens were lost. Because we were in Destin, our cross the street neighbors Jim and Cathy pulled the massive limb off, tarped the gaping hole and bungee corded the doors that were ripped off so that no chickens got eaten in the night by our not-so-friendly neighborhood raccoon.
Even in this one silly incident, the law of our land is ever present. Even though it was my neighbor's tree that dropped this limb on my shed, it is my responsibility and to my expense. These situations are not brought before judges who are bribed, nor was anyone paid off so that we could rebuild. I am not so naive to know that there are judges who are bribed and that enforcers do rear their heads on occasions. But this is the rarity. For the most part, normal law happens, garbage gets picked up and neighbors take care of what is their job, commiserating with one another over the freaks of nature and sharing chain saws where necessary.
Paul did not live in such times. For the vast amounts of history, no one did. I am certain that the mentions in Chronicles of so and so was their sister was because she was a piece of chattel, used as a bargaining chip for whatever purpose.
And though America is far, far, far from perfect, it is so much better than anything the world has ever known. Let us commit to preserving this so that situations like Paul are not in *our* future.
Psalm 4
This is the first of the Lament psalms. Over half of the psalms included in the Bible are ones of Lament.
Listen to what Walter Brueggerman has to say about lament poetry in the Bible:
"It has been noticed by many readers of the Psalms that there is a recurring, disciplined form to the complaints and laments. Israel knew how to order its grief, not only to get that grief fully uttered and delivered, but also to be sure that, said in its fullness untameable, it is not turned loose with destructiveness." Preface to Ann Weems' Psalm of Lament p.x
Not turned loose with destructiveness.
A neat turn of phrase to someone who is retching from the bottom of their soul. The psalms of lament almost always end on a positive note. It is like the psalmist, once they have said their piece to God, no matter how ugly, now have moved on and can once again see God's glory.
And that is where I see a flaw in modern civilization's grief expression. We don't have these retching/wrenching moments to pile on God through poems, art, riding a horse all day, wailing, in the community that held you close. Now, we are supposed to have polite sobs, but not at the funeral home, only at the funeral, grieve for the weekend and then show up on Monday with a brave face. Grieving is supposed to be done in private and in a seemly amount of time and better not blame God, because he might strike *you* dead and then where would your family be??
The lament psalms are not like that. Excuse the expression but the psalmist give God hell. Answer me. Be merciful to me. How long? No striking dead here.
And we have to assume that God hears because the relief is forthcoming. As it is for us if we will just give all that up to God. Not that it won't come back because it has been my experience that you go in loop-de-loops with grief. Over and over and over again. But if you will let him, God will hold your hand.
Grace and peace to each of you.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
July 5
OT -- 1Chronicles 1:1-2:17
I have to admit this. I do not think I have ever read Chronicles. I knew it was there. I knew it contained the similar stories to Kings. But when I turned to chapter 1 of Chronicles, you could have picked up my chin off the floor. Well, that is probably too exaggerated for today. But I was shocked to see the genealogy from Adam start the book.
And just like when we started Matthew, I found myself going la-la-la over the genealogy. Big mistake. There are stories told here that I do not know.
For example Peleg, son of Eber, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem. vs 19
I know nothing of him. And what does it mean that his time on the earth was divided?
Back I went to my Stone Chumash who tantalizingly makes no comment about Peleg.
But then you go to the web and what do you stumble into? No less than the Mayan calendar conspiracy. I have a link here. Go see what people do in their spare time.
Mayan Calendar and Peleg
But it did point out what that phrase meant 'the earth divided' and when I went back to the Stone, I understood.
Here is what Stone had to say p. 48
"...a fundamental principle of the Torah is that the universe was created ex nihilo, and Adam was the forerunner of the human race. Since the human race was later dispersed over all the earth and divided into different families speaking very dissimilar languages, people might come to doubt that they could all have originated from one person. Therefore the Torah records the genealogy of the nations, why they were dispersed, and the cause of the formation of their different languages."
Immediately after the genealogy of Noah is the Tower of Babel. This is the division of the earth. And Peleg lived to see it.
Interestingly, the conspiracy link above quotes Rashi who is the primary commentator of the Stone Chumash with the dates. I guess even conspirators have good taste to use the best rabbi....
The Tower of Babel occurred when Noah was still alive and guess who else was already born and well into his middle age? Abram, who in another 50 or so years would be Abraham. Makes you wonder why the people of Babel listened to Nimrod (so Rashi says) and not wise old Noah or blessed Shem (remember he is the high priest that brings the first communion to Abraham after Isaac was almost sacrificed) or even "I talk to the Lord and he says leave Ur" Abram.
Oh, oh, oh, how I miss my Jewish commentaries in this section of the OT.
See what I mean about doing the la-la-la? You miss out. I learned a lot just chasing a lead about what Peleg having a name that means divided.
Proverbs 18:14
A man's spirit sustains him in sickness but a crushed spirit who can bear?
Wow, truer words have never been spoken. But the truth of the matter is that only you can lift your spirits and you cannot lift someone else's. We would like to and we certainly can be kind and gentle to one another but we cannot change someone else.
I laughed recently when someone told me the proverb: "Men always want to change their wives into their mothers; women just want to change their men." Well, in my experience, both wants are bound for disappointment.
In the news today was the release of the home test for AIDS and some doctor was on there being all huffy about it. "Now, no one will go to the doctor and who will explain the ramifications of the disease?" Stupid. Anyone in today's world KNOWS the ramifications of the disease. And don't think there won't be some spirit crushing. Some will come through and others will die, obstensibly from the disease but really from soul death. Not all things are bearable to all people. Spirit certainly plays a huge role in it.
A dear friend of mine lost his wife almost 2 years ago. Since then, I have watched this vibrant, funny man lose his spark, his will to live and to be among the living. His spirit died though his body lives on.
May your spark be bright tonight. Tomorrow, who knows? Yesterday, it doesn't matter. Burn bright in the moment.
Much grace and peace.
I have to admit this. I do not think I have ever read Chronicles. I knew it was there. I knew it contained the similar stories to Kings. But when I turned to chapter 1 of Chronicles, you could have picked up my chin off the floor. Well, that is probably too exaggerated for today. But I was shocked to see the genealogy from Adam start the book.
And just like when we started Matthew, I found myself going la-la-la over the genealogy. Big mistake. There are stories told here that I do not know.
For example Peleg, son of Eber, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem. vs 19
I know nothing of him. And what does it mean that his time on the earth was divided?
Back I went to my Stone Chumash who tantalizingly makes no comment about Peleg.
But then you go to the web and what do you stumble into? No less than the Mayan calendar conspiracy. I have a link here. Go see what people do in their spare time.
Mayan Calendar and Peleg
But it did point out what that phrase meant 'the earth divided' and when I went back to the Stone, I understood.
Here is what Stone had to say p. 48
"...a fundamental principle of the Torah is that the universe was created ex nihilo, and Adam was the forerunner of the human race. Since the human race was later dispersed over all the earth and divided into different families speaking very dissimilar languages, people might come to doubt that they could all have originated from one person. Therefore the Torah records the genealogy of the nations, why they were dispersed, and the cause of the formation of their different languages."
Immediately after the genealogy of Noah is the Tower of Babel. This is the division of the earth. And Peleg lived to see it.
Interestingly, the conspiracy link above quotes Rashi who is the primary commentator of the Stone Chumash with the dates. I guess even conspirators have good taste to use the best rabbi....
The Tower of Babel occurred when Noah was still alive and guess who else was already born and well into his middle age? Abram, who in another 50 or so years would be Abraham. Makes you wonder why the people of Babel listened to Nimrod (so Rashi says) and not wise old Noah or blessed Shem (remember he is the high priest that brings the first communion to Abraham after Isaac was almost sacrificed) or even "I talk to the Lord and he says leave Ur" Abram.
Oh, oh, oh, how I miss my Jewish commentaries in this section of the OT.
See what I mean about doing the la-la-la? You miss out. I learned a lot just chasing a lead about what Peleg having a name that means divided.
Proverbs 18:14
A man's spirit sustains him in sickness but a crushed spirit who can bear?
Wow, truer words have never been spoken. But the truth of the matter is that only you can lift your spirits and you cannot lift someone else's. We would like to and we certainly can be kind and gentle to one another but we cannot change someone else.
I laughed recently when someone told me the proverb: "Men always want to change their wives into their mothers; women just want to change their men." Well, in my experience, both wants are bound for disappointment.
In the news today was the release of the home test for AIDS and some doctor was on there being all huffy about it. "Now, no one will go to the doctor and who will explain the ramifications of the disease?" Stupid. Anyone in today's world KNOWS the ramifications of the disease. And don't think there won't be some spirit crushing. Some will come through and others will die, obstensibly from the disease but really from soul death. Not all things are bearable to all people. Spirit certainly plays a huge role in it.
A dear friend of mine lost his wife almost 2 years ago. Since then, I have watched this vibrant, funny man lose his spark, his will to live and to be among the living. His spirit died though his body lives on.
May your spark be bright tonight. Tomorrow, who knows? Yesterday, it doesn't matter. Burn bright in the moment.
Much grace and peace.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
July 4
Happy Birthday, USA!
I am proud to be an American! I give thanks and gratitude for all who died so that I might live free.
OT -- 2nd Kings
Today, we end the reign of the kings in Judah. And what a miserable end it was. After years of paying tribute to Pharaoh, the Babylonians finally come into their own and wipe out Jerusalem.
It is a sorry end.
I have been thinking what about what I am supposed to take away from this whole narrative. And I keep repeating that verse from Psalm 146 -- do not put your trust in princes. But if we are the common folk, and I certainly am, I depend on my 'prince' to protect me from my 'Babylonians'. And it seemed no matter if they were bad or good, the king still was unable to hold out for very long against the invaders. There was still war, famine, and people were still sacrificing to the wrong gods in wrong places.
This still true today. It is a depressing thought.
For all those who think that God blesses America and this will keep us safe, let Israel/Judah be a cautionary tale. Very negative thoughts to have on the 4th of July. So sorry.
Acts 22:17-23:10
Wow, Paul does it again with the Roman citizens card. I was amazed that the commander would just take his word for it. Do you have to have papers or are they tattooed? What if you lied?
He clearly had made a bunch of people -- Jews and Christians alike -- very, very angry. Mob rule, indeed. What was he thinking coming back to Jerusalem?
I am proud to be an American! I give thanks and gratitude for all who died so that I might live free.
OT -- 2nd Kings
Today, we end the reign of the kings in Judah. And what a miserable end it was. After years of paying tribute to Pharaoh, the Babylonians finally come into their own and wipe out Jerusalem.
It is a sorry end.
I have been thinking what about what I am supposed to take away from this whole narrative. And I keep repeating that verse from Psalm 146 -- do not put your trust in princes. But if we are the common folk, and I certainly am, I depend on my 'prince' to protect me from my 'Babylonians'. And it seemed no matter if they were bad or good, the king still was unable to hold out for very long against the invaders. There was still war, famine, and people were still sacrificing to the wrong gods in wrong places.
This still true today. It is a depressing thought.
For all those who think that God blesses America and this will keep us safe, let Israel/Judah be a cautionary tale. Very negative thoughts to have on the 4th of July. So sorry.
Acts 22:17-23:10
Wow, Paul does it again with the Roman citizens card. I was amazed that the commander would just take his word for it. Do you have to have papers or are they tattooed? What if you lied?
He clearly had made a bunch of people -- Jews and Christians alike -- very, very angry. Mob rule, indeed. What was he thinking coming back to Jerusalem?
Monday, July 2, 2012
July 3
NT -- Acts 21:37-22:16
When Paul says he was a student of Gamaliel, he was quoting very impressive credentials that anyone in Palestine or anyone who was Jewish would heave a huge gasp of AH!
Gamaliel was the grandson of the Hillel, the foremost scholar of Judaism. Hillel was credited with the creation of the Mishnah and the Talmud, the key documents that are the commentaries on the Torah.
Acts mentions Gamaliel twice -- once in reference to letting Peter go on as he was preaching in the Temple and this reference to his student Paul.
Regardless, Gamaliel was listed as the head of the Sandhedrin Council and thus sat over all the Jewish scholarship in Jerusalem. For Paul to claim that he 'sat at the feet of Gamaliel as a student" was tantamount to saying he was an incredible scholar since Gamaliel would have taught only the best of the best.
To leave such an exalted position to become an itenerant preacher was unthinkable.
Yet Paul did it.
What am I willing to sacrifice?
Check out this video.
Click here if your email does not support YouTube.
Psalm 1 OT -- 2nd Kings 22:3-23:30
Does psalm 1 countradict 2nd Kings reading today? David mentions the law of the Lord yet 2nd Kings said no one had celebrated the Passover since the days of the Judges? And how can the king be accountable to the Law if he doesn't even know the Law exists and what it said?
And why,if Josiah is such an awesome dude, are the Children of the Israel being punished for Manasseh who is dead?
I am not buying.
But I do love psalm 1. Love the list:
1. doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked
2. stand in the way of sinners
3. sit in the seat of mockers
but,
delights in the Law of the Lord.
Blessings on your readings.
When Paul says he was a student of Gamaliel, he was quoting very impressive credentials that anyone in Palestine or anyone who was Jewish would heave a huge gasp of AH!
Gamaliel was the grandson of the Hillel, the foremost scholar of Judaism. Hillel was credited with the creation of the Mishnah and the Talmud, the key documents that are the commentaries on the Torah.
Acts mentions Gamaliel twice -- once in reference to letting Peter go on as he was preaching in the Temple and this reference to his student Paul.
Regardless, Gamaliel was listed as the head of the Sandhedrin Council and thus sat over all the Jewish scholarship in Jerusalem. For Paul to claim that he 'sat at the feet of Gamaliel as a student" was tantamount to saying he was an incredible scholar since Gamaliel would have taught only the best of the best.
To leave such an exalted position to become an itenerant preacher was unthinkable.
Yet Paul did it.
What am I willing to sacrifice?
Check out this video.
Click here if your email does not support YouTube.
Psalm 1 OT -- 2nd Kings 22:3-23:30
Does psalm 1 countradict 2nd Kings reading today? David mentions the law of the Lord yet 2nd Kings said no one had celebrated the Passover since the days of the Judges? And how can the king be accountable to the Law if he doesn't even know the Law exists and what it said?
And why,if Josiah is such an awesome dude, are the Children of the Israel being punished for Manasseh who is dead?
I am not buying.
But I do love psalm 1. Love the list:
1. doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked
2. stand in the way of sinners
3. sit in the seat of mockers
but,
delights in the Law of the Lord.
Blessings on your readings.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
July 2
OT -- 2 Kings 20:1-22:2
Just out of curiosity because Manasseh reigned so long (55 years), I looked on the web and found this great sermon by Charles Spurgeon.
Click here to read it.
I am going along and going along and cannot figure out why Spurgeon keeps referring to Manasseh as a reformed sinner. *MY* scripture says none of that. Then, I realize that Spurgeon is quoting from 2 Chronicles. Turn to that scripture and it is word for word on 2 Kings EXCEPT it adds this:
2 Chronicles 33:10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
14 Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.
15 He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.
18 The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.[a] 19 His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself—all these are written in the records of the seers.[b] 20 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.
Now, why did 2 Kings leave this out? I know I keep harping on this but this is true in BibleLand just like it is true in History books, newspapers and radio newscasts. You have to know the bias and the reason BEHIND the work to understand why you get what you get.
2 Kings was written to explain why the Children of Israel were taken into captivity. Plain and simple. It suited the authors of 2 Kings to have an unrepentant Manasseh.
2 Chronicles is from a different group of rabbis who took 2 Kings and added their own commentary. When we read it in a few days, please don't say "I've already read that". You did. But what you should be looking for is the different. And for that, you can't skim. Tempting but you will miss.
Psalm 150
The last psalm in the Bible.
Tomorrow, we start over with the psalms and I have already heard this in my head so maybe you said it, too "Let's just not read those. Poems. Ick. I have had enough and especially when we are about to start the prophets....".
Well. I want you to watch Sarah Kay perform HER poem and then let's talk about poems.
Krista Tippett had Sarah Kay on her podcast On Being and on Thursday, I listened to this show that was a month old. Sarah is a spoken word poet. She spoke with Krista about how she tries to get high school students to rediscover wonder through poetry.
Here is the link to On Being. I used to know how to embed podcasts into Blogger but seem to have forgotten the knack. It is well worth downloading the podcast or just to listen to the whole show on your computer.
But for now, I want us to think of the Psalms as our imagery into the wonder and majesty that is shared human experience of God.
Let's do the next round of scripture reading differently.
Read it aloud. Change versions. Get someone to read it to you. Add your name every time the psalmist asks for personal help. Memorize one verse from each and see how long you can keep remembering psalm 1, psalm 2 etc.
Just out of curiosity because Manasseh reigned so long (55 years), I looked on the web and found this great sermon by Charles Spurgeon.
Click here to read it.
I am going along and going along and cannot figure out why Spurgeon keeps referring to Manasseh as a reformed sinner. *MY* scripture says none of that. Then, I realize that Spurgeon is quoting from 2 Chronicles. Turn to that scripture and it is word for word on 2 Kings EXCEPT it adds this:
2 Chronicles 33:10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
14 Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.
15 He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.
18 The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.[a] 19 His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself—all these are written in the records of the seers.[b] 20 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.
Now, why did 2 Kings leave this out? I know I keep harping on this but this is true in BibleLand just like it is true in History books, newspapers and radio newscasts. You have to know the bias and the reason BEHIND the work to understand why you get what you get.
2 Kings was written to explain why the Children of Israel were taken into captivity. Plain and simple. It suited the authors of 2 Kings to have an unrepentant Manasseh.
2 Chronicles is from a different group of rabbis who took 2 Kings and added their own commentary. When we read it in a few days, please don't say "I've already read that". You did. But what you should be looking for is the different. And for that, you can't skim. Tempting but you will miss.
Psalm 150
The last psalm in the Bible.
Tomorrow, we start over with the psalms and I have already heard this in my head so maybe you said it, too "Let's just not read those. Poems. Ick. I have had enough and especially when we are about to start the prophets....".
Well. I want you to watch Sarah Kay perform HER poem and then let's talk about poems.
Krista Tippett had Sarah Kay on her podcast On Being and on Thursday, I listened to this show that was a month old. Sarah is a spoken word poet. She spoke with Krista about how she tries to get high school students to rediscover wonder through poetry.
Here is the link to On Being. I used to know how to embed podcasts into Blogger but seem to have forgotten the knack. It is well worth downloading the podcast or just to listen to the whole show on your computer.
But for now, I want us to think of the Psalms as our imagery into the wonder and majesty that is shared human experience of God.
Let's do the next round of scripture reading differently.
Read it aloud. Change versions. Get someone to read it to you. Add your name every time the psalmist asks for personal help. Memorize one verse from each and see how long you can keep remembering psalm 1, psalm 2 etc.
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