OT – Judges 13:1-14:20
Today, we meet Samson. It is ironic that Samson comes along just now as the other famous Nazirite in the Bible is John the Baptist, subject of yesterday’s post.
Just as a refresher, a Nazirite is one who has made a vow to God. Until the vow is fulfilled, they drink no fermented beverages and eat nothing unclean and touch no unclean things (animals or dead bodies). The Nazirite can make the vow for his/her (yes, you could be a woman and be a Nazirite, but only if the father or the husband approved) life or a specific period of time.
Samson’s mother and John the Baptist’s mother made the vows for their sons (both miraculously conceived) and their sons kept the vows for their lifetimes.
However, John the Baptist was on a mission to convert. Samson was on a mission to obliterate the Phillistines. But first, he had to curb his enormous appetites for food, fun, and women.
When he slays the lion on his way with his parents to ‘get his woman’, he leaves the dead animal where it died. Okay. But when he comes back and discovers the lion infested with honey bees and honey, he a)touches a dead animal (unclean) b)eats from a dead animal (double unclean) c)eats from an unclean animal in general (lions are predators and unclean). So, not good.
Samson just blithely ignores the statutes, and goes about doing what he wants to do.
God, however, uses this for his own purposes and Samson gets back on track after ditching the woman.
We will see this pattern repeated again and again with Samson.
Psalm 102:1-28
Here’s a fabulous clip of Billy Graham discussing this psalm
If your email does not display YouTube, click HERE.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
April 30
Is it all about me?
Am I the center of the universe?
What if my life isn’t driven by what I need, what I want, what makes me happy?
What if I stop trying to be the fixer of all that is broken?
What if I renounce my need to be perfect or moral or right?
What if I release my agenda for me: my hurts, my expectations, my desires?
What if I stop forcing reality to be the way I want it to be and forgive my reality for being what it is?
What if I am not set apart from the rest of the world, but a part of it?
What if I see myself, not through my own eyes, but through the eyes of God?
What if it isn’t all about me?
….
If it isn’t all about me, or you, or us, or them… is it all about God?
Is God the center of the universe?
What if we allow God to be who God really is, instead of who we need God to be?
What if my true identity isn’t defined by how I am a person like no other, but it’s found in a God who created me in the divine image, just like everyone else?
What if we are in God, and God is in us?
What if we stop expecting God to answer our prayers, and our lives become God’s answer to prayer?
What if God is bigger than one person, one religion, one country, one way of seeing the world?
What if each of us is a small piece of God’s presence in the world?
What if it’s all about God being in ALL, and ALL being in God?
Excerpt from Nancy’s Noodle
http://insidenancysnoodle.blogspot.com/2012/04/journey-to-center-of-universe.html
NT – Today we begin the Gospel of John. For the esoteric among us, John is the favorite. For the ones who love metaphor, allusions, and similes, John is the favorite. For the ones that want different, John is your man.
John is not a synoptic gospel. The first 3 – Matthew, Mark, and Luke have much of the same stories, plot lines, even in some cases, the same words. They are called ‘synoptic’ (meaning same to the eyes) gospels. There are loads of theories out there – my favorite being Mark was first, then Matthew used Mark and a book of sayings (called Q for Quella, meaning word lessons), and Luke was written to tidy up Matthew and provide an overarching view of the life of Jesus and the first 30 years of the early church in Acts and a missing part that covered Paul’s life in Rome.
John, however, is entirely different. There are 7 ‘sames’ in all 4 gospels. We have one in our scripture passage today.
John The Baptist is in all 4 gospels and in all 4 gospels there is tension as to whether or not John was the Messiah or Jesus was.
One commentary that I read long ago postulated that as the gospels were being written, John’s followers still had the primacy in Israel as far as followers. John clearly had a lot of followers. Peter and Andrew were followers of John before they came to Jesus. John clearly made the Pharisees mad as you know what. He seriously angered Herod who imprisoned him and then eventually, reluctantly according the synoptics, had him killed.
In John, John the Baptist repeatedly states he is not the Messiah, he is not the one, he is so much lower than Jesus. I think the true question the Pharisees were proposing was “why is he not here, baptizing, and you are?” And the truth, the final truth is – Jesus did not baptize anyone. Did you realize that? I didn’t until I really sat down and thought about it. John the Baptist baptized, Peter did, Paul did a bunch, Jesus, none.
What the rest of the Gospel of John does after this little interlude with John the Baptist is talk about what Jesus The Messiah is really like and what Jesus the Messiah really did and what Jesus the Messiah really is going to do.
The writer of the G. of J. was an educated man. He wrote in classical Greek and he wrote well. He was well versed in the plays and novellas of the day. The G. of J. has story archs, yes, metaphors and allusions, character development and different types of literature all woven together into a beautiful
piece about Jesus.
Proverbs 14:13-14
Even in laughter, the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.
This is true. After my brother Nathan died, I went several times to a grief support group at church. One of the statements that the facilitator made was that ALL relationships end in grief. Somebody dies, somebody leaves, the relationship is broken. But you can’t stop having relationships because of that. Instead, you have to live in the moment.
This is a hard thing to do when you KNOW that grief is either just around the corner or coming up fast.
Many of the moms that I have been friends with at Woodward are my friends on FaceBook. They are all boo-hooing over the graduation of their kids. I have to say, I have done some of that myself. Here is a picture of Matthew on his first day of kindergarten. Here is a picture of him Friday, his last day in school uniform.
I posted that on FaceBook, thinking it would be a nice nostalgia for a lot of people who know me and him. Instead, I spent most of the afternoon moaning over my upcoming loss.
Our proverbs today address this very emotion. I AM proud of Matthew and all he has accomplished. I AM excited about his college choice – Presbyterian College in Clinton SC and I AM excited that he has achieved the goal of graduation from Woodward Academy.
But I am sad, sad, sad for me and Don and Cole. We will be very lonely without him.
The next proverb in our scripture, though, is comforting and in some way, challenging to me. “The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his.”
You can’t stop being in relationships because one – mother to an in-house son – ends. Things and people change and it is up to me to stay in the moment and keep working to the next goals.
Peace and grace to you this week. Even if you have to skimp, stay in the Word. God loves you and so do I.
Am I the center of the universe?
What if my life isn’t driven by what I need, what I want, what makes me happy?
What if I stop trying to be the fixer of all that is broken?
What if I renounce my need to be perfect or moral or right?
What if I release my agenda for me: my hurts, my expectations, my desires?
What if I stop forcing reality to be the way I want it to be and forgive my reality for being what it is?
What if I am not set apart from the rest of the world, but a part of it?
What if I see myself, not through my own eyes, but through the eyes of God?
What if it isn’t all about me?
….
If it isn’t all about me, or you, or us, or them… is it all about God?
Is God the center of the universe?
What if we allow God to be who God really is, instead of who we need God to be?
What if my true identity isn’t defined by how I am a person like no other, but it’s found in a God who created me in the divine image, just like everyone else?
What if we are in God, and God is in us?
What if we stop expecting God to answer our prayers, and our lives become God’s answer to prayer?
What if God is bigger than one person, one religion, one country, one way of seeing the world?
What if each of us is a small piece of God’s presence in the world?
What if it’s all about God being in ALL, and ALL being in God?
Excerpt from Nancy’s Noodle
http://insidenancysnoodle.blogspot.com/2012/04/journey-to-center-of-universe.html
NT – Today we begin the Gospel of John. For the esoteric among us, John is the favorite. For the ones who love metaphor, allusions, and similes, John is the favorite. For the ones that want different, John is your man.
John is not a synoptic gospel. The first 3 – Matthew, Mark, and Luke have much of the same stories, plot lines, even in some cases, the same words. They are called ‘synoptic’ (meaning same to the eyes) gospels. There are loads of theories out there – my favorite being Mark was first, then Matthew used Mark and a book of sayings (called Q for Quella, meaning word lessons), and Luke was written to tidy up Matthew and provide an overarching view of the life of Jesus and the first 30 years of the early church in Acts and a missing part that covered Paul’s life in Rome.
John, however, is entirely different. There are 7 ‘sames’ in all 4 gospels. We have one in our scripture passage today.
John The Baptist is in all 4 gospels and in all 4 gospels there is tension as to whether or not John was the Messiah or Jesus was.
One commentary that I read long ago postulated that as the gospels were being written, John’s followers still had the primacy in Israel as far as followers. John clearly had a lot of followers. Peter and Andrew were followers of John before they came to Jesus. John clearly made the Pharisees mad as you know what. He seriously angered Herod who imprisoned him and then eventually, reluctantly according the synoptics, had him killed.
In John, John the Baptist repeatedly states he is not the Messiah, he is not the one, he is so much lower than Jesus. I think the true question the Pharisees were proposing was “why is he not here, baptizing, and you are?” And the truth, the final truth is – Jesus did not baptize anyone. Did you realize that? I didn’t until I really sat down and thought about it. John the Baptist baptized, Peter did, Paul did a bunch, Jesus, none.
What the rest of the Gospel of John does after this little interlude with John the Baptist is talk about what Jesus The Messiah is really like and what Jesus the Messiah really did and what Jesus the Messiah really is going to do.
The writer of the G. of J. was an educated man. He wrote in classical Greek and he wrote well. He was well versed in the plays and novellas of the day. The G. of J. has story archs, yes, metaphors and allusions, character development and different types of literature all woven together into a beautiful
piece about Jesus.
Proverbs 14:13-14
Even in laughter, the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.
This is true. After my brother Nathan died, I went several times to a grief support group at church. One of the statements that the facilitator made was that ALL relationships end in grief. Somebody dies, somebody leaves, the relationship is broken. But you can’t stop having relationships because of that. Instead, you have to live in the moment.
This is a hard thing to do when you KNOW that grief is either just around the corner or coming up fast.
Many of the moms that I have been friends with at Woodward are my friends on FaceBook. They are all boo-hooing over the graduation of their kids. I have to say, I have done some of that myself. Here is a picture of Matthew on his first day of kindergarten. Here is a picture of him Friday, his last day in school uniform.
I posted that on FaceBook, thinking it would be a nice nostalgia for a lot of people who know me and him. Instead, I spent most of the afternoon moaning over my upcoming loss.
Our proverbs today address this very emotion. I AM proud of Matthew and all he has accomplished. I AM excited about his college choice – Presbyterian College in Clinton SC and I AM excited that he has achieved the goal of graduation from Woodward Academy.
But I am sad, sad, sad for me and Don and Cole. We will be very lonely without him.
The next proverb in our scripture, though, is comforting and in some way, challenging to me. “The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his.”
You can’t stop being in relationships because one – mother to an in-house son – ends. Things and people change and it is up to me to stay in the moment and keep working to the next goals.
Peace and grace to you this week. Even if you have to skimp, stay in the Word. God loves you and so do I.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
April 29
OT – Judges 9:22-10:18
I admit it. I am too sensitive to male chauvinism. Vs. 54 “Hurriedly he called to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, ‘A woman killed him.’ So his servant ran him through and he died.”
Now, I recognize this culture is not the same as my own. But just today, some dude was joking with his buddy at the market and I overheard, “I’d rather be ANYTHING than a woman.” I have no idea the context. I really don’t care. All I know is that attitude is still out there and it really makes me mad. I’d use another word but this is Blogger. Someone would report me.
When I read stuff like that in the Bible, I just want to throw the book out the window.
Now, other people read it and they hear anti-Semitism in the NT. Or endorsement of oppression of those who aren’t of the same faith.
I have a bunch of Jewish associates (and some Christian ones, too) that use Biblical scriptures as a direct method to oppress and kill Muslims. Especially those who live on ancestral lands in “The Holy Land”.
All of this, all of this, makes me angry.
So what am I to do with scriptures like Judges 10:11 “The Lord replied, When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their lands.” The Israelites INVADED these people’s lands. They weren’t supposed to fight for them????
What do you do with these kinds of feelings when you butt up against them in the scriptures?
Me, I am planning on just living with them. I can’t understand God and I can’t see the big plan. I also don’t have the luxury of knowing all the stories that go with all the scriptures. I don’t have to like them to be moved by them.
But I do know one thing – I drop a water jar on somebody’s head who is trying to kill my family and he asks to be run through so he won’t be killed by me, a woman, and I am going to drop another rock right away. Then we’ll see who gets to run around saying they died some other way.
NT – Luke 24:13-53
Thank goodness for the different scriptures. After the bloodbath of OT, we come to The Walk to Emmaus in Luke. I find it interesting that only one is identified. Is this because Luke only talked and verified from Cleopas? Or was the other one purposefully left out due to some later problem or indiscretion?
I am glad that he finally used his power to open their minds to the Scriptures. I never realized that he finally had to do it in order for them to KNOW what and who Jesus was and is.
Psalm 100
This is one of the shortest psalms in the Bible but one of the nicest. If you haven’t already, memorize it. It is a lovely one to have on hand.
I admit it. I am too sensitive to male chauvinism. Vs. 54 “Hurriedly he called to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, ‘A woman killed him.’ So his servant ran him through and he died.”
Now, I recognize this culture is not the same as my own. But just today, some dude was joking with his buddy at the market and I overheard, “I’d rather be ANYTHING than a woman.” I have no idea the context. I really don’t care. All I know is that attitude is still out there and it really makes me mad. I’d use another word but this is Blogger. Someone would report me.
When I read stuff like that in the Bible, I just want to throw the book out the window.
Now, other people read it and they hear anti-Semitism in the NT. Or endorsement of oppression of those who aren’t of the same faith.
I have a bunch of Jewish associates (and some Christian ones, too) that use Biblical scriptures as a direct method to oppress and kill Muslims. Especially those who live on ancestral lands in “The Holy Land”.
All of this, all of this, makes me angry.
So what am I to do with scriptures like Judges 10:11 “The Lord replied, When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their lands.” The Israelites INVADED these people’s lands. They weren’t supposed to fight for them????
What do you do with these kinds of feelings when you butt up against them in the scriptures?
Me, I am planning on just living with them. I can’t understand God and I can’t see the big plan. I also don’t have the luxury of knowing all the stories that go with all the scriptures. I don’t have to like them to be moved by them.
But I do know one thing – I drop a water jar on somebody’s head who is trying to kill my family and he asks to be run through so he won’t be killed by me, a woman, and I am going to drop another rock right away. Then we’ll see who gets to run around saying they died some other way.
NT – Luke 24:13-53
Thank goodness for the different scriptures. After the bloodbath of OT, we come to The Walk to Emmaus in Luke. I find it interesting that only one is identified. Is this because Luke only talked and verified from Cleopas? Or was the other one purposefully left out due to some later problem or indiscretion?
I am glad that he finally used his power to open their minds to the Scriptures. I never realized that he finally had to do it in order for them to KNOW what and who Jesus was and is.
Psalm 100
This is one of the shortest psalms in the Bible but one of the nicest. If you haven’t already, memorize it. It is a lovely one to have on hand.
Friday, April 27, 2012
April 27
OT -- Judges 8:18-9:21
Wow, 70 sons plus one from a concubine. Don't know how many wives he had but that seems like a ton of boy babies. I'm thinking there must have been a goodly number of girl ones too. It was probably a good thing he shared in the plunder, although I wish he hadn't tried to make Jether kill the jerks who killed his brothers. Gideon sometimes does not show a lot of forethought.
And Abimelech. Even his name sounds wretched. Clearly, he carried a ton of resentment for being the only son who didn't live with his dad in the compound. Still doesn't give him the right to chop everyone's head off. And what do you think *he* did with the girls? I am not thinking pretty thoughts here.
My reading cuts the story off right at the apex and it is taking a lot of resolve for me not to read on but I am resisting.
NT -- Luke 23:44-24:12
What an impossible story! Who would believe the women? They didn't even believe themselves and had to have angels appear. One of the practical commentaries that I read about this passage talked about the spices and perfumes. In that climate, a day and half old dead body is absolutely, horrifyingly smelly and bug filled. For the women to even think that they could place spices and perfumes on the body was a show of how much they loved and adored Jesus. No one would open a tomb that soon. You couldn't physically stand it. But there they were, with their bowls and baskets, ready to take care of their Lord. What incredible faith.
Read the next part only if you want to get the CSI details. Otherwise, skip to the Psalms.
"Let me tell you briefly what putrefactive changes are. When a person dies, his body can no longer defend itself against the bacteria - both inside and outside his body. Our environment is full of millions of bacteria although we can not see them. If they could have their way, they would invade our body immediately. But the defence mechanisms of our body keep them at bay. After death they attack the body both from outside and within and cause it to deteriorate. By their actions on the body tissues they form a gas called hydrogen sulphide. When eggs get rotten, same gas is liberated. The peculiar smell of rotten eggs is due the hydrogen sulphide only. This gas interacts with the haemoglobin present within the red blood cells, and forms a greenish coloured compound sulphmethaemoglobin. This compound is greenish black in colour. Because of this the body assumes a greenish colour. The first part of body to become green is the right lower side of abdomen. This colour appears 12 to 24 hours after death. Thus if we see the greenish discolouration of the right lower side of the abdomen in a dead body, we can say that the person must have been dead for at least 12-24 hours. In the next 24 hours i.e. after 36 to 48 hours after death, the whole body turns greenish-black. Around the same time another peculiar change appears in the dead body. It is called marbling. In this change several parts of the body such as legs, arms, shoulders and chest show long tortuous greenish coloured streaks. These streaks are nothing but veins, which are stained by the sulpmethaemoglobin produced within the body. After death, the red blood cells break down, and haemoglobin from them is released. This haemoglobin combines with hydrogen sulphide gas and forms sulphmethaemoglobin as already explained. This compound then stains the vessels of the skin, in much the same way ink stains your hands. Thus the veins, which are normally invisible become visible as green streaks. Marbling begins in about 24 hours and is well pronounced in 36-48 hours. When I see pronounced marbling in a dead body, I can say that the person must have been dead for almost 36 to 48 hours!
Another putrefactive change is the appearance of gases. When bacteria feed on body tissues, they release foul smelling gases. These gases collect beneath the tissues, and bloat the features of the dead person. The tongue may begin to protrude. The features may become so distorted that even close relatives find it hard to identify the dead body.
After about 36 hours, flies lay eggs around the natural orifices of the body such as nose, mouth, eyes, ears, anus and vagina. These places provide a safe nidus for the young ones of insects and they choose these places quite instinctively. In the next 24 hours, maggots come out of these eggs. These maggots look very much like miniature earthworms. Each maggot is of the size of a rice grain, and is seen wriggling leisurely. Thousands of such worms may be found wriggling all over the body. This is not a very pleasant sight, and most persons will begin to retch at such a sight. Only a forensic pathologist is well trained to stand such a ghastly sight. These maggots become pupa in the next 4-5 days, and in another 4-5 days, the pupa becomes the adult fly and flies away from the dead body. Thus we can roughly calculate the time of death from the appearance of these maggots."
Psalm 99:1-9
Thank goodness that we have a glory psalm after Jesus' death. I think that is important to remember when we are in the depths of some of these passages -- God is the King and He rules over everything, including death, injustice, and cruelty.
And He is a good God. He loves justice, mercy, and kindness. He is not vicious or cruel. He forgives us over and over and over. And most of all, He loves us. He loved Gideon. He loved Abimelech. And He loves you and me. How fortunate we are that He is our God.
Selah
Wow, 70 sons plus one from a concubine. Don't know how many wives he had but that seems like a ton of boy babies. I'm thinking there must have been a goodly number of girl ones too. It was probably a good thing he shared in the plunder, although I wish he hadn't tried to make Jether kill the jerks who killed his brothers. Gideon sometimes does not show a lot of forethought.
And Abimelech. Even his name sounds wretched. Clearly, he carried a ton of resentment for being the only son who didn't live with his dad in the compound. Still doesn't give him the right to chop everyone's head off. And what do you think *he* did with the girls? I am not thinking pretty thoughts here.
My reading cuts the story off right at the apex and it is taking a lot of resolve for me not to read on but I am resisting.
NT -- Luke 23:44-24:12
What an impossible story! Who would believe the women? They didn't even believe themselves and had to have angels appear. One of the practical commentaries that I read about this passage talked about the spices and perfumes. In that climate, a day and half old dead body is absolutely, horrifyingly smelly and bug filled. For the women to even think that they could place spices and perfumes on the body was a show of how much they loved and adored Jesus. No one would open a tomb that soon. You couldn't physically stand it. But there they were, with their bowls and baskets, ready to take care of their Lord. What incredible faith.
Read the next part only if you want to get the CSI details. Otherwise, skip to the Psalms.
"Let me tell you briefly what putrefactive changes are. When a person dies, his body can no longer defend itself against the bacteria - both inside and outside his body. Our environment is full of millions of bacteria although we can not see them. If they could have their way, they would invade our body immediately. But the defence mechanisms of our body keep them at bay. After death they attack the body both from outside and within and cause it to deteriorate. By their actions on the body tissues they form a gas called hydrogen sulphide. When eggs get rotten, same gas is liberated. The peculiar smell of rotten eggs is due the hydrogen sulphide only. This gas interacts with the haemoglobin present within the red blood cells, and forms a greenish coloured compound sulphmethaemoglobin. This compound is greenish black in colour. Because of this the body assumes a greenish colour. The first part of body to become green is the right lower side of abdomen. This colour appears 12 to 24 hours after death. Thus if we see the greenish discolouration of the right lower side of the abdomen in a dead body, we can say that the person must have been dead for at least 12-24 hours. In the next 24 hours i.e. after 36 to 48 hours after death, the whole body turns greenish-black. Around the same time another peculiar change appears in the dead body. It is called marbling. In this change several parts of the body such as legs, arms, shoulders and chest show long tortuous greenish coloured streaks. These streaks are nothing but veins, which are stained by the sulpmethaemoglobin produced within the body. After death, the red blood cells break down, and haemoglobin from them is released. This haemoglobin combines with hydrogen sulphide gas and forms sulphmethaemoglobin as already explained. This compound then stains the vessels of the skin, in much the same way ink stains your hands. Thus the veins, which are normally invisible become visible as green streaks. Marbling begins in about 24 hours and is well pronounced in 36-48 hours. When I see pronounced marbling in a dead body, I can say that the person must have been dead for almost 36 to 48 hours!
Another putrefactive change is the appearance of gases. When bacteria feed on body tissues, they release foul smelling gases. These gases collect beneath the tissues, and bloat the features of the dead person. The tongue may begin to protrude. The features may become so distorted that even close relatives find it hard to identify the dead body.
After about 36 hours, flies lay eggs around the natural orifices of the body such as nose, mouth, eyes, ears, anus and vagina. These places provide a safe nidus for the young ones of insects and they choose these places quite instinctively. In the next 24 hours, maggots come out of these eggs. These maggots look very much like miniature earthworms. Each maggot is of the size of a rice grain, and is seen wriggling leisurely. Thousands of such worms may be found wriggling all over the body. This is not a very pleasant sight, and most persons will begin to retch at such a sight. Only a forensic pathologist is well trained to stand such a ghastly sight. These maggots become pupa in the next 4-5 days, and in another 4-5 days, the pupa becomes the adult fly and flies away from the dead body. Thus we can roughly calculate the time of death from the appearance of these maggots."
Psalm 99:1-9
Thank goodness that we have a glory psalm after Jesus' death. I think that is important to remember when we are in the depths of some of these passages -- God is the King and He rules over everything, including death, injustice, and cruelty.
And He is a good God. He loves justice, mercy, and kindness. He is not vicious or cruel. He forgives us over and over and over. And most of all, He loves us. He loved Gideon. He loved Abimelech. And He loves you and me. How fortunate we are that He is our God.
Selah
Thursday, April 26, 2012
April 27
NT – Luke 23:13-43
Do you ever ponder the two criminals hanging to either side of Jesus? Do you think they were criminals together or were they just convicted at the same time of separate crimes? And what had they done that warranted crucifixion?
Go check out this website that has Josephus’ references to crucifixion. Josephus is our #1 reference to this time period in the Palestine. He was a Jew that turn coated on his fellows during the Jewish revolt. He was an educated, extremely well-connected man who was the sole survivor of a suicide pact and was imprisoned. After this, he had ‘revelation’ that Vespasian would be emperor and was eventually released.
Josephus' Wikipedia Biography
But back to the criminals. Crucifixion is extremely painful. Let’s take the mocker first. When you are in that much pain, how on earth can you be so hateful to someone who is undergoing what you are? I could understand the ‘save yourself and us’ but not the insults. My translation uses the verb ‘hurled’. That is vehement!
And the other criminal. What gave him his compassion for Jesus? And how did he know him?
When you read familiar Bible stories, one way to make them fresh and new for you is to figure out who YOU are in the story. Are you the mocking soldiers who make fun of the faith of others? The people who stood watching? The mocking criminal, the humble criminal?
For me, I see myself as the watching people. I know I should be at the feet of Jesus, weeping like the women. I HOPE I am not the mocking criminal and I know that in my arrogance, I am not the humble criminal. I am kind of a sideline person. One of the things this Bible study is doing is making me realize that God wants ’all in’ people. It isn’t enough to go on Sunday, put your check in the plate and work on a few committees. He expects Life Transformation and He expects me to transform myself and help others. I guess I should also identify people in the story that I WANT to be. I really don’t want to be a wailing woman. That really isn’t my style. I am much more the ‘let’s get things done’ and I am not crazy about crying in public. Maybe when I can figure out who I want to be, I can work on taking on those qualities.
I do love that tag line at the end of the passage and have used it more than once as I sat with the dying “this day, you shall be with me in Paradise.” THIS DAY.
Psalm 97:1-98:9
One of the things I learned in my Interfaith dinners this winter was that they do not use instruments in most Jewish synagogues. Only the most reformed will use instruments and then not during the High Holidays. When I asked why, Sandy from Or Hadash told me that it was because after the Temple was destroyed for good in AD 70, the rabbis said no more instruments.
The psalms mention a lot of instruments including those that are mentioned in today’s scripture – the lyre (or harp), trumpets, and the ram’s horn. Oh, I should mention, there is a special dispensation for the ram’s horn in the synagogue. The shofar is used to bring in the New Year.
Music is a conveyance of worship. However, when the music used in worship is not the music of the times, it is really hard to reach people through it.
I went to Evensong at St Phillips once and thought it was lovely and calming and meditative. That is until the middle schooler behind me started having a ‘when are we leaving, how much longer does the s*** go on, etc. etc. He was not calmed at all. As a matter of fact, it was painful to him.
As much as we would like worship to be just about God, if part of it is painful to the congregants, at least the majority of them, it won’t have the desired effect. Bad preaching, crummy sound system, lousy choir, no choir, out of tune instruments, bad instrumentalist, and probably the very worst of all, bad handbells.
I can say this now, 18 years and another church later, but I played in the world’s worst handbell choir. OMG! They had fights over whether the tablecloths needed to be ironed when really , we needed to be practicing the pieces. Actually, we needed to ditch one family who apparently THOUGHT they were musical but really had no rhythm and dang sure couldn’t read music. But we had the nicest choir director and after all, those ladies had sewed those tablecloths. But we were AWFUL.
Last weekend, Mt Vernon dedicated the handchimes to Dorothy Michie, one of the sweetest ladies ever to walk the face of the earth. Dorothy died last year but prior to that, she was a staunch choir member, gifted piano player and excellent handbell player. (But she wouldn’t have thrown out the ladies from my previous church either. She really was the sweetest woman.)
The handbell choir played the most beautiful piece. No one who sat there would think they weren’t doing their part for worship. May it always be so.
Here is one of the few contemporary Christian songs that I like.
If your email does not display YouTube, click here.
May your mediations be fruitful.
Do you ever ponder the two criminals hanging to either side of Jesus? Do you think they were criminals together or were they just convicted at the same time of separate crimes? And what had they done that warranted crucifixion?
Go check out this website that has Josephus’ references to crucifixion. Josephus is our #1 reference to this time period in the Palestine. He was a Jew that turn coated on his fellows during the Jewish revolt. He was an educated, extremely well-connected man who was the sole survivor of a suicide pact and was imprisoned. After this, he had ‘revelation’ that Vespasian would be emperor and was eventually released.
Josephus' Wikipedia Biography
But back to the criminals. Crucifixion is extremely painful. Let’s take the mocker first. When you are in that much pain, how on earth can you be so hateful to someone who is undergoing what you are? I could understand the ‘save yourself and us’ but not the insults. My translation uses the verb ‘hurled’. That is vehement!
And the other criminal. What gave him his compassion for Jesus? And how did he know him?
When you read familiar Bible stories, one way to make them fresh and new for you is to figure out who YOU are in the story. Are you the mocking soldiers who make fun of the faith of others? The people who stood watching? The mocking criminal, the humble criminal?
For me, I see myself as the watching people. I know I should be at the feet of Jesus, weeping like the women. I HOPE I am not the mocking criminal and I know that in my arrogance, I am not the humble criminal. I am kind of a sideline person. One of the things this Bible study is doing is making me realize that God wants ’all in’ people. It isn’t enough to go on Sunday, put your check in the plate and work on a few committees. He expects Life Transformation and He expects me to transform myself and help others. I guess I should also identify people in the story that I WANT to be. I really don’t want to be a wailing woman. That really isn’t my style. I am much more the ‘let’s get things done’ and I am not crazy about crying in public. Maybe when I can figure out who I want to be, I can work on taking on those qualities.
I do love that tag line at the end of the passage and have used it more than once as I sat with the dying “this day, you shall be with me in Paradise.” THIS DAY.
Psalm 97:1-98:9
One of the things I learned in my Interfaith dinners this winter was that they do not use instruments in most Jewish synagogues. Only the most reformed will use instruments and then not during the High Holidays. When I asked why, Sandy from Or Hadash told me that it was because after the Temple was destroyed for good in AD 70, the rabbis said no more instruments.
The psalms mention a lot of instruments including those that are mentioned in today’s scripture – the lyre (or harp), trumpets, and the ram’s horn. Oh, I should mention, there is a special dispensation for the ram’s horn in the synagogue. The shofar is used to bring in the New Year.
Music is a conveyance of worship. However, when the music used in worship is not the music of the times, it is really hard to reach people through it.
I went to Evensong at St Phillips once and thought it was lovely and calming and meditative. That is until the middle schooler behind me started having a ‘when are we leaving, how much longer does the s*** go on, etc. etc. He was not calmed at all. As a matter of fact, it was painful to him.
As much as we would like worship to be just about God, if part of it is painful to the congregants, at least the majority of them, it won’t have the desired effect. Bad preaching, crummy sound system, lousy choir, no choir, out of tune instruments, bad instrumentalist, and probably the very worst of all, bad handbells.
I can say this now, 18 years and another church later, but I played in the world’s worst handbell choir. OMG! They had fights over whether the tablecloths needed to be ironed when really , we needed to be practicing the pieces. Actually, we needed to ditch one family who apparently THOUGHT they were musical but really had no rhythm and dang sure couldn’t read music. But we had the nicest choir director and after all, those ladies had sewed those tablecloths. But we were AWFUL.
Last weekend, Mt Vernon dedicated the handchimes to Dorothy Michie, one of the sweetest ladies ever to walk the face of the earth. Dorothy died last year but prior to that, she was a staunch choir member, gifted piano player and excellent handbell player. (But she wouldn’t have thrown out the ladies from my previous church either. She really was the sweetest woman.)
The handbell choir played the most beautiful piece. No one who sat there would think they weren’t doing their part for worship. May it always be so.
Here is one of the few contemporary Christian songs that I like.
If your email does not display YouTube, click here.
May your mediations be fruitful.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
April 26
OT and Psalm
Judges 6:1-40 and Psalm 95:1-96:13
Judge #5 is Gideon. And yes, before anyone asks, this is who the Gideon Bible is named for. I read up on how the organization got started and this is a quote:
The organization describes its link to the story of Gideon:
" Gideon was a man who was willing to do exactly what God wanted him to do, regardless of his own judgment as to the plans or results. Humility, faith, and obedience were his great elements of character. This is the standard that The Gideons International is trying to establish in all its members, each man to be ready to do God's will at any time, at any place, and in any way that the Holy Spirit leads. "
Sorry, but when I read the story of Gideon, obedience is not a characteristic that comes shining through. Questioning and doubting are what I read.
But to the scripture.
In my NIV version, the person who visits Gideon flips between the Angel of the Lord and the Lord himself several times. Also, in the Psalm, in the middle, it shifts from third person to first person. No warning, and no antecedents. It just doesn't make sense. I could not find anything in Midrash or commentary regarding either of these instances. I think it is just the ex-teacher in me that doesn't like the change-abouts.
I did however, find an interesting paper on Gideon's name and this further complicates the Gideon Bible stuff.
Click Here to read the paper.
Thank you for taking the time to read along with me.
Judges 6:1-40 and Psalm 95:1-96:13
Judge #5 is Gideon. And yes, before anyone asks, this is who the Gideon Bible is named for. I read up on how the organization got started and this is a quote:
The organization describes its link to the story of Gideon:
" Gideon was a man who was willing to do exactly what God wanted him to do, regardless of his own judgment as to the plans or results. Humility, faith, and obedience were his great elements of character. This is the standard that The Gideons International is trying to establish in all its members, each man to be ready to do God's will at any time, at any place, and in any way that the Holy Spirit leads. "
Sorry, but when I read the story of Gideon, obedience is not a characteristic that comes shining through. Questioning and doubting are what I read.
But to the scripture.
In my NIV version, the person who visits Gideon flips between the Angel of the Lord and the Lord himself several times. Also, in the Psalm, in the middle, it shifts from third person to first person. No warning, and no antecedents. It just doesn't make sense. I could not find anything in Midrash or commentary regarding either of these instances. I think it is just the ex-teacher in me that doesn't like the change-abouts.
I did however, find an interesting paper on Gideon's name and this further complicates the Gideon Bible stuff.
Click Here to read the paper.
Thank you for taking the time to read along with me.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
April 25
OT – Judges 4:1-5:31
Judge #4 is Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth. Apparently, Deborah was a ‘real’ judge in the sense that she was adjudicating cases. But clearly, if a WOMAN was adjudicating, even one of such great value (and the Midrash quotes Proverbs 14:1!!! Yesterday’s proverb.), things must really be bad in Israel.
When you read the Midrash on this little gem of a story, wow! Lots of back and forth about what the verses mean.
Here is an encapsulated version of the real Midrash.
Deborah.
What I found most fascinating is the whole question of whether or not Barak is her husband. I just have to say, I have read this story countless times. NEVER did I guess that Barak could be her husband. And this is just one other example of ‘back story’ that we miss being in English ‘the wife of Lappidoth’. Wick maker. Just an amazing piece that we don’t understand in our Christian Bibles because we don’t have the Rabbis.
The commentaries on Deborah say that the Song of Deborah is one of the oldest piece of literature in the Bible. It was either written by Deborah or at least an eyewitness. The historical stuff is part of the compilation from David’s time.
NT – Luke 22:35-53
Do you find it amazing that even at the betrayal, the disciples do not understand what Jesus is saying? Pack your bag. Get a weapon. They are coming for you. Jesus meant his disciples not himself. They thought he was sticking around. They either a)didn’t listen or b) didn’t believe him. I am planning on pondering that idea tonight in my sleep. What are your thoughts? Didn’t Jesus follow through with everything he told his disciples he would do? Or did they just think all that talk about dying was double speak?
Proverbs 14:3-4
“Where there is no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. “
Take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you. Don’t buy cheap tools. Buy the most expensive you can and take care of them. Treat your workers like gold and they will treat your customers the same way.
These were all buzzy mantras of the one management course my father made me take at UGA. He also made me take an accounting course and that was a disaster. I find it very amusing that in my job life, I do accounting and compliance work and a good bit of management. Definitely in my home life, those two are big parts of my responsibility. So, do I believe the proverb? Well, I would like not to believe. I would like to think you could start with the bare bones and create something memorable. But I have come to think that this just isn’t possible. You need a good working base. And then you need to take care of it. So, where do you get this base? Is this our education? Our home values that are instilled? Or cooperation with one another to help when and where we can?
I think I squandered a good bit of my base. I think a lot of young people do. I hope I have learned my lesson.
Peace and grace to you all.
Judge #4 is Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth. Apparently, Deborah was a ‘real’ judge in the sense that she was adjudicating cases. But clearly, if a WOMAN was adjudicating, even one of such great value (and the Midrash quotes Proverbs 14:1!!! Yesterday’s proverb.), things must really be bad in Israel.
When you read the Midrash on this little gem of a story, wow! Lots of back and forth about what the verses mean.
Here is an encapsulated version of the real Midrash.
Deborah.
What I found most fascinating is the whole question of whether or not Barak is her husband. I just have to say, I have read this story countless times. NEVER did I guess that Barak could be her husband. And this is just one other example of ‘back story’ that we miss being in English ‘the wife of Lappidoth’. Wick maker. Just an amazing piece that we don’t understand in our Christian Bibles because we don’t have the Rabbis.
The commentaries on Deborah say that the Song of Deborah is one of the oldest piece of literature in the Bible. It was either written by Deborah or at least an eyewitness. The historical stuff is part of the compilation from David’s time.
NT – Luke 22:35-53
Do you find it amazing that even at the betrayal, the disciples do not understand what Jesus is saying? Pack your bag. Get a weapon. They are coming for you. Jesus meant his disciples not himself. They thought he was sticking around. They either a)didn’t listen or b) didn’t believe him. I am planning on pondering that idea tonight in my sleep. What are your thoughts? Didn’t Jesus follow through with everything he told his disciples he would do? Or did they just think all that talk about dying was double speak?
Proverbs 14:3-4
“Where there is no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. “
Take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you. Don’t buy cheap tools. Buy the most expensive you can and take care of them. Treat your workers like gold and they will treat your customers the same way.
These were all buzzy mantras of the one management course my father made me take at UGA. He also made me take an accounting course and that was a disaster. I find it very amusing that in my job life, I do accounting and compliance work and a good bit of management. Definitely in my home life, those two are big parts of my responsibility. So, do I believe the proverb? Well, I would like not to believe. I would like to think you could start with the bare bones and create something memorable. But I have come to think that this just isn’t possible. You need a good working base. And then you need to take care of it. So, where do you get this base? Is this our education? Our home values that are instilled? Or cooperation with one another to help when and where we can?
I think I squandered a good bit of my base. I think a lot of young people do. I hope I have learned my lesson.
Peace and grace to you all.
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