NT -- Hebrews 11:32-12:13
So very, very much in this section of scripture that I really relate to.
I love the whole imagery of the great cloud of witnesses. I have several really awesome people that have already died that I regard as true spiritual guides and the fact that they are still with me, encouraging me and hopefully helping me make the right decisions is a powerful one.
I have heard the verses 12:1-2 referred to as the "Resign as the Master of Universe" pitch. We really aren't in control and any false assumptions that we are in control usually meet with poor results.
But the one that hits me right where I need it to is verse 12:7 "Endure hardship as a discipline; God is treating you like a son."
Forgive the garden imagery but this is true in the garden as well.
If you start tomato plants inside and do not simulate harsh conditions, when the tomato plant goes out, it will wither and die. You actually have to swish the plant back and forth every day in order to prevent this. It develops resistance and fibers in the stem.
This is true in my life as well. Oh, I know I don't feel that way at the time and have an amazing ability to gripe and grumble, but after the crisis is passed, I am generally the stronger for it.
But not this strong:
Proverbs 27:17
An iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens another.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
November 13
OT -- Ezekiel 27:1-28:26
An interesting tidbit -- vs 28:3 "Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you?"
Is this the Daniel of the book? My study Bible and Rashi are silent on this verse. The timing is correct for the man, of course, since Ezekiel is prophesying after the young, rich, educated have been taken to Nebuchadnezzar's court but prior to N's death. But not the book of Daniel in the Bible. Those stories were codified and written in approximately 168 BCE. An interesting sideline.
Otherwise, more of the same doom and gloom for all the little nations around Judah.
NT -- Hebrews 11:17-31
Still keeping on with the 'by faith' stories and I have to admit, he picked some of my favorites. As a note -- vs. 23 "By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict." This is referring to the fact that Moses was born circumcised. But since that is Paul's big hangup, he doesn't actually mention WHY Moses was known as no ordinary child.
How do I know this?
Exodus 2:2 says that when Jocebed (Moses' mother) saw him, she saw that he was good. This is a euphemism for circumcised per Rashi.
An interesting tidbit -- vs 28:3 "Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you?"
Is this the Daniel of the book? My study Bible and Rashi are silent on this verse. The timing is correct for the man, of course, since Ezekiel is prophesying after the young, rich, educated have been taken to Nebuchadnezzar's court but prior to N's death. But not the book of Daniel in the Bible. Those stories were codified and written in approximately 168 BCE. An interesting sideline.
Otherwise, more of the same doom and gloom for all the little nations around Judah.
NT -- Hebrews 11:17-31
Still keeping on with the 'by faith' stories and I have to admit, he picked some of my favorites. As a note -- vs. 23 "By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict." This is referring to the fact that Moses was born circumcised. But since that is Paul's big hangup, he doesn't actually mention WHY Moses was known as no ordinary child.
How do I know this?
Exodus 2:2 says that when Jocebed (Moses' mother) saw him, she saw that he was good. This is a euphemism for circumcised per Rashi.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
November 12
NT -- Hebrews 11:1-6
This is the 'by faith' section of the letter. Paul picks out Genesis heros who did what they were told to do even though they couldn't see the end result nor use reason to say, "this is the right thing to do".
Martin Luther King, Jr. said this:
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
Certainly, this is a motivating pitch for me who loves to see the whole plan, the whole end result. And rarely in my life does that happen!
Paul's conclusion is that with God as your lead man, you don't have to see the whole plan nor should you question the plan. It is what it is. When God says go, you should go.
Proverbs 27:14
If a man blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.
Maybe I had better keep my singing to sotto voce when the sunrise moves me....
As we come ever closer to the hustle and bustle of holiday season, I challenge you to remain steadfast in your studies and keep going.
38 days until Christmas
This is the 'by faith' section of the letter. Paul picks out Genesis heros who did what they were told to do even though they couldn't see the end result nor use reason to say, "this is the right thing to do".
Martin Luther King, Jr. said this:
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
Certainly, this is a motivating pitch for me who loves to see the whole plan, the whole end result. And rarely in my life does that happen!
Paul's conclusion is that with God as your lead man, you don't have to see the whole plan nor should you question the plan. It is what it is. When God says go, you should go.
Proverbs 27:14
If a man blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.
Maybe I had better keep my singing to sotto voce when the sunrise moves me....
As we come ever closer to the hustle and bustle of holiday season, I challenge you to remain steadfast in your studies and keep going.
38 days until Christmas
Saturday, November 10, 2012
November 11
Ezekiel 23:1-49
A totally gross passage.
Ezekiel likens Israel and Judah to 2 prostitutes and I am sorry to say but it is extremely graphic. It is very hard to focus on Bible stuff when the scripture is talking about donkey parts and horse 'emissions'. Let me just leave it at that.
Psalm 109:1-31
Vs. 26 "Help me O Lord my God; save me in accordance with your love."
What a miraculous phrase. 'in accordance with your love'. Earlier in this psalm, the psalmist is saying the most ugly and nasty things about his enemies. And then he turns around and asks God to save 'him'. Actually, what the psalmist wants is for GOD to do the awful, nasty things to his enemies.
What is particularly powerful to me is that the psalmist makes no apologies for what he asks for and boldly states what and where he wants, even yucky stuff.
And I think, he expects God to do it!
Something to think about when we have great big emotions that are too large or powerful for us to handle. God certainly can much better than say -- a tire or a window or a spouse. Dump it on Him.
A totally gross passage.
Ezekiel likens Israel and Judah to 2 prostitutes and I am sorry to say but it is extremely graphic. It is very hard to focus on Bible stuff when the scripture is talking about donkey parts and horse 'emissions'. Let me just leave it at that.
Psalm 109:1-31
Vs. 26 "Help me O Lord my God; save me in accordance with your love."
What a miraculous phrase. 'in accordance with your love'. Earlier in this psalm, the psalmist is saying the most ugly and nasty things about his enemies. And then he turns around and asks God to save 'him'. Actually, what the psalmist wants is for GOD to do the awful, nasty things to his enemies.
What is particularly powerful to me is that the psalmist makes no apologies for what he asks for and boldly states what and where he wants, even yucky stuff.
And I think, he expects God to do it!
Something to think about when we have great big emotions that are too large or powerful for us to handle. God certainly can much better than say -- a tire or a window or a spouse. Dump it on Him.
Friday, November 9, 2012
November 10
Psalm 108:1-13
Because of the way my life plays out, I see lots of dawns, very few sunsets. Some mornings as I am walking Howler and see that magnificent sunrise, I know exactly how the psalmist feels -- "My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn."
Don't worry if you live in my neighborhood -- I don't sing loud but some mornings I DO sing, it is that glorious.
And I wonder why humans find that glorious -- all those different colors and textures of what is an ever changing sky. But we do and it is not infrequent that people standing in line at my RaceTrac buying coffee will comment on what a beautiful sky it was that morning. Is it any wonder that ancient man assumed it was a god who made the sun rise and set with his chariot of fire?
Proverbs 27:12
The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
I watched an episode of the West Wing last night that had this little story in it:
A man falls down in a hole and cannot get out.
A priest walks by and hears the man yelling for help. He looks in the hole, writes a prayer on a piece of paper, tosses it in and walks on by.
A doctor walks by and hears the man begging for help. He looks in the hole, writes out a prescription for painkillers, tosses it in and walks on by.
A young woman walks by and hears the man sobbing. She jumps down in the hole. Why did you do that, asks the man. Now we are both in the hole. The young woman answers, ah, but I have been here before and I know the way out.
The way out. If you don't know it, you need to stop what you are doing and find someone that does. And in order to do that, you have to speak up and about your problem.
Grace to each of you.
Because of the way my life plays out, I see lots of dawns, very few sunsets. Some mornings as I am walking Howler and see that magnificent sunrise, I know exactly how the psalmist feels -- "My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn."
Don't worry if you live in my neighborhood -- I don't sing loud but some mornings I DO sing, it is that glorious.
And I wonder why humans find that glorious -- all those different colors and textures of what is an ever changing sky. But we do and it is not infrequent that people standing in line at my RaceTrac buying coffee will comment on what a beautiful sky it was that morning. Is it any wonder that ancient man assumed it was a god who made the sun rise and set with his chariot of fire?
Proverbs 27:12
The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
I watched an episode of the West Wing last night that had this little story in it:
A man falls down in a hole and cannot get out.
A priest walks by and hears the man yelling for help. He looks in the hole, writes a prayer on a piece of paper, tosses it in and walks on by.
A doctor walks by and hears the man begging for help. He looks in the hole, writes out a prescription for painkillers, tosses it in and walks on by.
A young woman walks by and hears the man sobbing. She jumps down in the hole. Why did you do that, asks the man. Now we are both in the hole. The young woman answers, ah, but I have been here before and I know the way out.
The way out. If you don't know it, you need to stop what you are doing and find someone that does. And in order to do that, you have to speak up and about your problem.
Grace to each of you.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
November 9
OT -- Ezekiel 20:1-49
Dang it. Back to the 'your fathers sinned so I am going to punish you and your children.' Just when I thought it was safe to come out of hiding.
The big deal with Ezekiel seems to be idol worshiping (as my friend Milt says all the time -- God will get you for that!) and not keeping the Sabbath. Hey, always important to know which rules are the 'biggies' and which ones you can bend on.
All kidding aside, Ezekiel seems to be some sort of oracle for the people of his time as they come to consult with him. And then as an aside, he speaks to God and says 'they think I speak in parables'. I guess no one liked listening to him then either.
Psalm 107:1-43
Look at vs 25-30. Doesn't that sound like Jesus' calming the storm that has his disciples all shook up?
25 For he (God) spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea[b] were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Just in case you are having the same issues I am with our current selections of readings, please stick with it. We are almost through. Surely, these writing have meaning and sustenance for us even if we don't know it yet.
Dang it. Back to the 'your fathers sinned so I am going to punish you and your children.' Just when I thought it was safe to come out of hiding.
The big deal with Ezekiel seems to be idol worshiping (as my friend Milt says all the time -- God will get you for that!) and not keeping the Sabbath. Hey, always important to know which rules are the 'biggies' and which ones you can bend on.
All kidding aside, Ezekiel seems to be some sort of oracle for the people of his time as they come to consult with him. And then as an aside, he speaks to God and says 'they think I speak in parables'. I guess no one liked listening to him then either.
Psalm 107:1-43
Look at vs 25-30. Doesn't that sound like Jesus' calming the storm that has his disciples all shook up?
25 For he (God) spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea[b] were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Just in case you are having the same issues I am with our current selections of readings, please stick with it. We are almost through. Surely, these writing have meaning and sustenance for us even if we don't know it yet.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
November 8
OT -- Ezekiel 18:1-19:14
What an interesting passage in Ezekiel! I haven't ever read anything else previous to this in the OT that has this particular theology.
The basics of Judaism are this: Sins committed by the father extend to the 7th generation while righteousness extends to the seventh generation as well but only if the succeeding generations follow the commandments.
Ezekiel says that this is not true. If a father sins and sins grievously, he will be killed. If the son sees how wicked his father is and does not follow in his footsteps, he will not be killed. If a man is righteous, he will live. If his son is evil, the son will die. Individual redemption. Really, quite different from the rest of the prophets who condemned the whole population, lock, stock and barrel.
Now, there are pros and cons of both sides.
But since my first reaction is to favor the individual versus the masses, I have been playing devil's advocate with myself over this one.
So, here goes:
If there is individual redemption and you have a really awful father, what kind of example do you have?
In the business world where I hover, many of our contacts think absolutely nothing of lying. What if that was the example you had as a child? It would be awfully hard to break that habit and that mold.
And to the community at large, if you are a bad person, doesn't the community suffer when your business implodes or you take advantage of the weak?
This is going to take some thought on my part.
Proverbs 27:10
I understand the first part -- "Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father" but have no idea on the second part "do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you -- better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away."
Anyone out there have any ideas?
My study Bible is silent on this one.
What an interesting passage in Ezekiel! I haven't ever read anything else previous to this in the OT that has this particular theology.
The basics of Judaism are this: Sins committed by the father extend to the 7th generation while righteousness extends to the seventh generation as well but only if the succeeding generations follow the commandments.
Ezekiel says that this is not true. If a father sins and sins grievously, he will be killed. If the son sees how wicked his father is and does not follow in his footsteps, he will not be killed. If a man is righteous, he will live. If his son is evil, the son will die. Individual redemption. Really, quite different from the rest of the prophets who condemned the whole population, lock, stock and barrel.
Now, there are pros and cons of both sides.
But since my first reaction is to favor the individual versus the masses, I have been playing devil's advocate with myself over this one.
So, here goes:
If there is individual redemption and you have a really awful father, what kind of example do you have?
In the business world where I hover, many of our contacts think absolutely nothing of lying. What if that was the example you had as a child? It would be awfully hard to break that habit and that mold.
And to the community at large, if you are a bad person, doesn't the community suffer when your business implodes or you take advantage of the weak?
This is going to take some thought on my part.
Proverbs 27:10
I understand the first part -- "Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father" but have no idea on the second part "do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you -- better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away."
Anyone out there have any ideas?
My study Bible is silent on this one.
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