April 9

NT – Luke 13:1-21
I thought we were through with poor, blighted fig trees but I guess not. Although I like this version better than Jesus cursing the fig tree that was not in season yet didn’t produce fruit. All of these allusions were set out to make a point – the kingdom of God is not what we think it is.
As I write this post, I am on an AirTran 737 heading back to Atlanta from Chicago. Airline travel is something Jesus’ disciples could not believe, yet we willingly jump through hoops with shoes off, laptops out of their cases, no outside fluids (not even 7 oz toothpaste tubes that made it through security in Atlanta but did not in Chicago) to be herded into aluminum tubes that squish us all together and whisk us from one part of the world to another in minutes or hours. Walking to Jerusalem for the disciples took DAYS.
And we still have the same problems understanding what the kingdom of God will be like. Do you think Jesus was being deliberately obtuse about it when he compares it to a mustard tree and yeast? Earlier, he had called the Pharisees yeast. And not in a good way.
It seems like our ideas about who will populate the kingdom and who will lead it are topsy turvy from what present society is like. You see this on this airplane. Who gets to get on first? The rich. Even though it would make so much more sense to board from the back to the front, ‘business class’ boards first. Me, I would put everyone on the plane from back to front, then load the babies and toddlers, then load first class and take off. If you pay your money, you go first. Except in the kingdom. It is not money that gets you in, it is doing what is required by God with a pure heart and believing that Jesus is the Son of God. I am thinking it is the pure heart that is going to trip me.
Here is a YouTube of a mustard seed song. Click here if your email does not display YouTube videos.



Psalm 78:65-72
Gosh, this is a long psalm. I have had to go back and reread the three earlier sections to understand where we are. As a recap, this psalm traces the history of Israel from Jacob and his children, through the flight to Egypt, up out of Egypt, through the desert with all the wonders, and through the conquest of Israel. The psalm talks about the sinning of the people and how God would become angry and let them be overwhelmed.
Today’s section is the victorious David, the champion of God, taking the kingship and the reins of the people. Clearly, this was written at the beginning of David’s reign. Everything is glorious.
I recently got a comment on the blog which I deleted because of its harsh tone and its anonymous user. But I think the psalm refutes part of the commenter’s statement which was basically that the exiles in Babylon made Moses up to provide hope. This psalm does not follow even closely the wording or the ‘feel’ of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Yet it tells the same stories, albeit from decidedly different perspectives. And while Moses is not named, clearly there was a leader that God provided to shepherd his flock through the flight and during the conquest. And this psalm was almost certainly written during David’s early reign. Notice that there is no mention of the capitol being Jerusalem, rather Shiloh is mentioned. David moved the capitol to Jerusalem in the early/middle part of his reign.
One of my favorite TV shows is the remake of BattleStar Galactica which aired from 2003-2009. A million times better than the original, the characters are flawed and ‘real’ human beings, even the Cylons who are machines. In one episode, Laura Roslin, the president of the Colonies tells Adama that he is lucky. Why, Adama asks. In battle you die once, says Roslin. In politics you die a thousand times. I think David would have agreed with Roslin. I am looking forward to studying David in this Bible study.
OT – Deuteronomy 33:1-29 Last full day in Deuteronomy
Is it me or is this little bit of poetry different from the earlier sermons that Moses gave in Deuteronomy? I am thinking this is another of those inserts during the disagreements with the Jehovah line and the priestly line.
I looked in my Stone Chumash to see what “king over Jeshurun” meant. Here is what Rashi had to say about that. Maybe I am mistaken but I don’t think I have ever seen Jacob described that way. “Jeshurun, i.e. Israel. This title of honor is from the word meaning straight, righteous. It designates Israel in its ideal state as God’s upright nation.
Once Israel declared its eternal loyalty to the Torah (vs. 3-4), GOD became ‘king of Jeshurun’, because it is only among those who grasp and diligently involve themselves in its study that He is truly King.” Stone Chumash p. 1113
Proverbs 12:25 Truer words have never been spoken. Anxiety weighs a million pounds per square item.

And just an administrative note. This is a Bible blog, written by someone who has not been to seminary nor do I have a degree in any kind of Biblical studies. I do make mistakes and I do question a lot. I do call myself a Christian although I recognize there are those out there who would not. I don’t mind people taking me to task on my beliefs either by a comment or by email or even in the grocery store, but I do expect you to be civil and I do expect you to provide your contact information to reply or rebut as I see fit. I am open to alternative views and would have like to have seen the material that the poster quotes but does not source. I have my own questions about Moses. During this time of study, I have tried to suspend some of my previous thoughts about him and I am the richer in Bible knowledge for it. That does not mean that my questions or my doubts have gone away, if anything, they are more numerous and larger. A Bible study of this magnitude and depth will change you and I am open to the change – for good or worse. Civility is my choice for arguments of all kinds. Since this is my blog, I would appreciate the courtesy of same.