It's so amazingly refreshing to hear the words of the Savior! I know I kept feeling like I've heard all these words before preached to me throughout my years in the church, but it's just so refreshing (I can't stop using this word) to read through these words from beginning to end. Not only that but after reading through Matthew and Mark before this, since a lot of the stories and language used are similar if not the same, it helps to cement them in. My prayer is that the Spirit will continue to remind me of these words long after I've moved on to other parts of the scriptures.
As it is, after reading through a lot of the Law and the OT, a lot of Jesus' words are ringing familiarity. I will read something and be like, "Now where have I heard that before? Oh yeah! That was in Numbers!" Without a study Bible it's kind of been nice to remember for oneself and not have to have someone else tell you where to find things and what to think about them. However, I have used Biblegateway to find exact pieces.
I realized somewhere in the middle of Luke that I've never read through this entire book before. A lot of things I attested to Luke were actually in Matthew. There were stories and verses that surprised me in here; I had either never heard them before or had not read them in the NLT version.
On to John. I'm excited because I relate more with John's Gospel than the others. It reads more as a narrative and life guide than a history book.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
On to the Gospels
So recently I was at a His House event and a minister asked people to think of their favorite verses about prayer. I tried to think of mine but I realized I couldn't remember any! I figured out that all my reading of the law kinda pushed out my memories of the New Testament! So back to the Gospels I go!
I gotta be honest. I don't think I'm going to reach my goal of finishing the bible before the end of summer. However, I'm not really sure that this was a good goal in the first place, because I have reached a different goal which I think is far better. I actually enjoy reading the Bible again! Honestly, I felt like I had heard the whole scripture throughin and throughout repeated to me ever the years of my life in the Christian Church. When I read, I didn't find many new things or challenging things. I would have to read commentaries, the archeology bible, or completely other works of literature in order to grasp anything new out of the same scripture I knew.
However, I know I may be a bad christian for saying this, but I am actually and finally enjoying this experience and the Lord is teaching me a lot through it. I feel more versed at the scripture, feel more confident in locating scripture again, and it's sticking with me in my head. My hope is that I continue to find more nuggets of joy out of these words, that they continue to find new meaning in my life, and that the life giving words of the Lord will continue to show me how to live for Christ.
I gotta be honest. I don't think I'm going to reach my goal of finishing the bible before the end of summer. However, I'm not really sure that this was a good goal in the first place, because I have reached a different goal which I think is far better. I actually enjoy reading the Bible again! Honestly, I felt like I had heard the whole scripture throughin and throughout repeated to me ever the years of my life in the Christian Church. When I read, I didn't find many new things or challenging things. I would have to read commentaries, the archeology bible, or completely other works of literature in order to grasp anything new out of the same scripture I knew.
However, I know I may be a bad christian for saying this, but I am actually and finally enjoying this experience and the Lord is teaching me a lot through it. I feel more versed at the scripture, feel more confident in locating scripture again, and it's sticking with me in my head. My hope is that I continue to find more nuggets of joy out of these words, that they continue to find new meaning in my life, and that the life giving words of the Lord will continue to show me how to live for Christ.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Deuteronomy
So I've finished the Pentateuch, the books of the law. I enjoyed the journey, at least now I know what the Hebrews had to live up to. Things I enjoyed were that I am amazed how much God honors women, widows, orphans, the poor, and the priests throughout the law. Those who in popular culture at the time had little to no rights were protected, provided for, and called the people to genuine compassion towards those the world downtroddens. I can understand and empathise with the poor rabbis and priests over the years who had to learn to interpret the law and figure out how it applied to their daily lives in their times. I feel bad for those whom Jesus called out in Mat 23:13, understand that they were just trying to figure out how to live God's law, but they were so blind to see that his law was being fulfilled right in front of them!
I also cannot believe that the Israelites wanted to hear the voice of a prophet rather than the voice of their God. I know the we have the Holy Spirit with us now who live in a most intimate way within our hearts, but I would have loved to just be there on the slopes of Sinai and heard the voice of the most high speaking directly to me. Not only did they ask for the prophets, they killed nearly every one of them! Apparently God's chosen people didn't want to hear God's voice no matter what the vehicle of delivery.
So now I think I need to move on to the Gospels. Apparently shoving in a bunch of the law is shoving out a bunch of the new testament in my head. I need my words of Jesus :)
I also cannot believe that the Israelites wanted to hear the voice of a prophet rather than the voice of their God. I know the we have the Holy Spirit with us now who live in a most intimate way within our hearts, but I would have loved to just be there on the slopes of Sinai and heard the voice of the most high speaking directly to me. Not only did they ask for the prophets, they killed nearly every one of them! Apparently God's chosen people didn't want to hear God's voice no matter what the vehicle of delivery.
So now I think I need to move on to the Gospels. Apparently shoving in a bunch of the law is shoving out a bunch of the new testament in my head. I need my words of Jesus :)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Numbers
VICTORY!!! I finished Numbers and live to tell the tale.
Wow. And I mean, Wow! This was really tough to get through. I thought Leviticus with all its sacrificial rules, purification rights and such was harsh. No no no, my friend; try three censuses and thousands and thousands of pounds of gold, silver, tin, incense, goats, bulls, pigeons, unleavened bread... It's enough to make you say OI!
I am really really curious how many people left Egpyt. The censuses put the people around 600,000 or so. That would make sense seeing as tens of thousands die each time they put a foot out of line. However, in my archeology bible, it states that probably no more than 20,000 entered into Canaan. It's possible that after the sinful generation died out that only 20,000 remained, but I just don't see this as likely. I mean, look at the numbers of Israelites that died in the conquest of Canaan. Unless the Hebrews can breed like rabbits and are endued with growth hormones, I don't see this happening.
A couple verses struck me. First, in chapter 10 it talks about the trumpets to be made and that they will remind the Lord of His covenant with Israel. I'm curious if there's any parallels here with the trumpets in Revelation? Verse 11:29 brings to mind the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14. I enjoyed chapter 12, especially when God speaks to talking to different people differently. "He sees the Lord as he is." Awesome. I also love the amazing amount of social rights that God allows to women in chapter 27. These were unprecedented and completely innovative for this time period in history! God is not repressive to women at all, he aids them and hears their cries and petitions as much as anyone else.
After I finally read the whole story of Balaam in context, it made a lot more sense and had a lot more significance than just a talking donkey. I mean, seriously, why do we take every story in the bible having to do with animals (Noah, Jonah, Adam and Eve) and turn it in to a children's story?! There's some messed up, violent, erotic, and genocidal stuff that goes on in these stories!! The bible is not a children's book. I don't know, maybe my opinions will change once I have a child... maybe...
Well, on to the last book of the Pentateuch. Maybe then I'll skip over to the New Testament, you know, just to mix it up :)
Wow. And I mean, Wow! This was really tough to get through. I thought Leviticus with all its sacrificial rules, purification rights and such was harsh. No no no, my friend; try three censuses and thousands and thousands of pounds of gold, silver, tin, incense, goats, bulls, pigeons, unleavened bread... It's enough to make you say OI!
I am really really curious how many people left Egpyt. The censuses put the people around 600,000 or so. That would make sense seeing as tens of thousands die each time they put a foot out of line. However, in my archeology bible, it states that probably no more than 20,000 entered into Canaan. It's possible that after the sinful generation died out that only 20,000 remained, but I just don't see this as likely. I mean, look at the numbers of Israelites that died in the conquest of Canaan. Unless the Hebrews can breed like rabbits and are endued with growth hormones, I don't see this happening.
A couple verses struck me. First, in chapter 10 it talks about the trumpets to be made and that they will remind the Lord of His covenant with Israel. I'm curious if there's any parallels here with the trumpets in Revelation? Verse 11:29 brings to mind the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14. I enjoyed chapter 12, especially when God speaks to talking to different people differently. "He sees the Lord as he is." Awesome. I also love the amazing amount of social rights that God allows to women in chapter 27. These were unprecedented and completely innovative for this time period in history! God is not repressive to women at all, he aids them and hears their cries and petitions as much as anyone else.
After I finally read the whole story of Balaam in context, it made a lot more sense and had a lot more significance than just a talking donkey. I mean, seriously, why do we take every story in the bible having to do with animals (Noah, Jonah, Adam and Eve) and turn it in to a children's story?! There's some messed up, violent, erotic, and genocidal stuff that goes on in these stories!! The bible is not a children's book. I don't know, maybe my opinions will change once I have a child... maybe...
Well, on to the last book of the Pentateuch. Maybe then I'll skip over to the New Testament, you know, just to mix it up :)
Friday, July 17, 2009
Struggling
I'm struggling through Numbers right now, have only completed 8 chapters in three days. People have always told me it's boring but I just thought they couldn't handle it... poor, sad, silly Jesse.
If you read this, motivate me! I don't have much time left on my goal...
If you read this, motivate me! I don't have much time left on my goal...
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Leviticus
Gotta say thank you to Ben who suggested getting through Leviticus in two days. If I went through this in my study bible or my archeology bible, it would have taken me weeks!
I fully recognized when I went through this that this book wasn't necessarily for me or for the general public, but as the title suggests, the book is primarily for the Levite priests. Because of this, for the majority of the book, I didn't think it was necessary to pay that close attention to the specifics.
I liked reading through the commandments and regulations just for the knowledge factor behind it: "Well, at least now I know... not that I have to do anything about it because of Jesus and all." I think if we were still required to obey all these laws: (1) We'd have no more animals left on earth, (2) PETA would sue us all, and (3) there'd probably be less worshipers of YHWY. Praise be to God for Jesus fulfilling the law!
I was surprised by how many times I read "be holy because the Lord is holy."
I've also head that the law was meant to bring life, not death, but it's difficult for me to see how the commandments were life giving except for the fact that if you obeyed the law you were probably less likely to get diseases, spread infection and live a healthy sexual life. Other than that I didn't really feel inspired by the law. But that's ok.
Conversation I had with Lodi: "So, what are you supposed to do with red mildew?" "Well first you get the priest to check it out and close up the house, then if it's still there and spread 7 days later you..." on and on and on. Funny how much I actually retain, eh?
I fully recognized when I went through this that this book wasn't necessarily for me or for the general public, but as the title suggests, the book is primarily for the Levite priests. Because of this, for the majority of the book, I didn't think it was necessary to pay that close attention to the specifics.
I liked reading through the commandments and regulations just for the knowledge factor behind it: "Well, at least now I know... not that I have to do anything about it because of Jesus and all." I think if we were still required to obey all these laws: (1) We'd have no more animals left on earth, (2) PETA would sue us all, and (3) there'd probably be less worshipers of YHWY. Praise be to God for Jesus fulfilling the law!
I was surprised by how many times I read "be holy because the Lord is holy."
I've also head that the law was meant to bring life, not death, but it's difficult for me to see how the commandments were life giving except for the fact that if you obeyed the law you were probably less likely to get diseases, spread infection and live a healthy sexual life. Other than that I didn't really feel inspired by the law. But that's ok.
Conversation I had with Lodi: "So, what are you supposed to do with red mildew?" "Well first you get the priest to check it out and close up the house, then if it's still there and spread 7 days later you..." on and on and on. Funny how much I actually retain, eh?
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Exodus
This was the first time that I've read Exodus from cover to cover, and after doing so it makes a lot more sense. When I've read this book per-verse (not perverse) it seemed pretty disjointed and God seemed incredibly grouchy. But after reading everything in context, God's actions against the Egyptians and occasionally the Hebrews seem very justified.
In regards to the Ten Plagues, I found this article to be very helpful in my understanding of why God brought these specific plagues against Egypt. http://hubpages.com/hub/Ten-Plagues-For-Ten-Gods Granted it's just theory and conjecture, for who can truly know what happened and who can truly know the heart and intentions of the Lord? But with some 3000 years to study these events, we're probably at a good position to offer explanations and analysis.
The thing that I've struggled with over the years about the Exodus story is (1) why would God punish the Egyptians so harshly and (2) why would God purposefully harden the heart of pharaoh as the book says many times? Some explanation might be found in chapter 3 verses 19-22, where it says that pharaoh will not bend unless under harsh pressure and to allow the Hebrews to plunder their slave master. To some people this seems to harsh to the Egyptians, but I invite these people to go under the slave master's whip sometime and say the same :) I also think some explanation might be found in 4:22-23 where God calls Israel his firstborn son, so he will take the firstborn son of the Egyptians. God also says throughout the Bible that he brought these plagues in order to punish the gods of Egypt and to spread his fame through His wonders. God refers to this story over and over again throughout the Bible because this is His story, His great battle where He saved His people. Read 9:15-16.
It was actually good for me to read all the commandments that God laid out for them on Sinai. From the limited knowledge I have of ancient culture's laws, these laws that God is laying out here in terms of social responsibility, sacrifice, rest and work, these ideas were revolutionary for their time. Never before had woman had such protection! Just one example. And yet we don't read this as particularly revolutionary because these laws are almost woven into the fabric of modern society (except the sacrificial animals bits).
I also love the narratives of Moses' relationship with God. They had a fitful start (ie. 4:1, 10, 13, 24-26), but their relationship grew as God tested Moses' character and refined him to care for his people (ie, chapter 32, specifically verses 9-14). In the end God came to view Moses as His friend (33:11, 17). I hope that someday, through testing and refining, that I may come to know God in this way and that I may be his friend because my actions and thoughts are so close to the Lord's.
After reading about all the wonders that God performed, I'm still surprised every time I read this that the people rebelled so much. Good riddens that He killed off 3000 or so.
By the way, I want and ephod and chestpiece. Easy way for the people to discern the will of God. Although we have the Spirit with us now and He is able to tell us the will of the Lord, sometimes it's still ambiguous and hard to discern. I can't imagine with the Urim and Thummim it was always easy, but it took out a lot of ambiguity.
24:9-11 are some of my favorite verses in the Bible. I want to do this someday.
In regards to the Ten Plagues, I found this article to be very helpful in my understanding of why God brought these specific plagues against Egypt. http://hubpages.com/hub/Ten-Plagues-For-Ten-Gods Granted it's just theory and conjecture, for who can truly know what happened and who can truly know the heart and intentions of the Lord? But with some 3000 years to study these events, we're probably at a good position to offer explanations and analysis.
The thing that I've struggled with over the years about the Exodus story is (1) why would God punish the Egyptians so harshly and (2) why would God purposefully harden the heart of pharaoh as the book says many times? Some explanation might be found in chapter 3 verses 19-22, where it says that pharaoh will not bend unless under harsh pressure and to allow the Hebrews to plunder their slave master. To some people this seems to harsh to the Egyptians, but I invite these people to go under the slave master's whip sometime and say the same :) I also think some explanation might be found in 4:22-23 where God calls Israel his firstborn son, so he will take the firstborn son of the Egyptians. God also says throughout the Bible that he brought these plagues in order to punish the gods of Egypt and to spread his fame through His wonders. God refers to this story over and over again throughout the Bible because this is His story, His great battle where He saved His people. Read 9:15-16.
It was actually good for me to read all the commandments that God laid out for them on Sinai. From the limited knowledge I have of ancient culture's laws, these laws that God is laying out here in terms of social responsibility, sacrifice, rest and work, these ideas were revolutionary for their time. Never before had woman had such protection! Just one example. And yet we don't read this as particularly revolutionary because these laws are almost woven into the fabric of modern society (except the sacrificial animals bits).
I also love the narratives of Moses' relationship with God. They had a fitful start (ie. 4:1, 10, 13, 24-26), but their relationship grew as God tested Moses' character and refined him to care for his people (ie, chapter 32, specifically verses 9-14). In the end God came to view Moses as His friend (33:11, 17). I hope that someday, through testing and refining, that I may come to know God in this way and that I may be his friend because my actions and thoughts are so close to the Lord's.
After reading about all the wonders that God performed, I'm still surprised every time I read this that the people rebelled so much. Good riddens that He killed off 3000 or so.
By the way, I want and ephod and chestpiece. Easy way for the people to discern the will of God. Although we have the Spirit with us now and He is able to tell us the will of the Lord, sometimes it's still ambiguous and hard to discern. I can't imagine with the Urim and Thummim it was always easy, but it took out a lot of ambiguity.
24:9-11 are some of my favorite verses in the Bible. I want to do this someday.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wish there was a way to widen the columns in this blog so it doesn't seem like I'm writing so much. Honestly! When I'm writing it in the new blog posts section, it doesn't even seem a page long!
Also I'm hoping I got the comments' settings worked out now that anyone can comment. If it doesn't work just send me an email :)
Also I'm hoping I got the comments' settings worked out now that anyone can comment. If it doesn't work just send me an email :)
1 & 2 Samuel
So I finished 1st and 2nd Samuel over the last couple days. Here's some thought I remember from my readings.
I can't really tell why these books were named after Samuel. He fades out of most of the stories after a while and by the first half of 2nd Samuel he dies (granted he's brought back by a medium, but hey, who's counting posthumous encounters?). I never realized that Samuel was a judge either. I've always viewed him as a prophet, but it's not like the Judges never served as prophets at all, so it makes sense. But I always put Samuel in the elite class of prophets with Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Not to say his status was lowered at all in my mind, just a different nuance to the man I never noticed before. I gotta say that after reading these texts, I really really respect the character of Samuel. Out of everything written down, he did everything right! He was a badass Nazarite with the hippie hair and started out really young, but he never set a foot out of line! Here was a man who knew the character of God because he could stand up to kings and rebuke them to their faces under threats of death; but Samuel knew the God of Israel was behind him so there was no fear.
For Saul, I actually feel really sorry for the guy. His main beginning downfalls were impatience and greed. Impatience for not waiting for Samuel to get there before offering the sacrifices, which implies he was fearful and not trusting in the Lord. And either his greed or his sympathy overtook him when it came to Amalikites; greed for plunder which God told him to destroy, or sympathy for not wanting to kill all the children and women (and their king apparently). I have to wonder, if God put me in this position, would I do the same?
His son Jonathan continues to be one of my favorite people in the Bible. He is loyal to a fault. He trusts in the Lord and defeats his enemies while Saul and his priest are still praying for a sign. He protects the life of his friend and honors the covenant between them to his death. It's a shame that he had to be caught up in the death of his father, but I suppose the sins of the father pass on.
I'd like to take a minute to talk about the relationship between Jonathan and David. People have used this friendship and the love between them to suggest that Jonathan and David were homosexual lovers, that no men could love each other like these two did without being romantically involved. I gotta say, I just can't see it this way. I'm not going to say "absolutely not!" because I wasn't there and I didn't see it. However, it seems to me that God was punishing every itty bitty sin and ignorance of the law on pain of death and plague; He didn't let anyone get away with anything that went against his laws. So why would God ignore a breach of His laws that specifically outlined that homosexual relationships were forbidden? Why would He ignore this in his chosen King when God pointed out every other sin that David had committed? My inference would be that there was no breach of the law, there was no romantic relationship.
I think that the lesson that should be taken from this friendship is that this is the ideal of what male companionship should be: being loyal, honoring, protecting and committed friends. A lot of men these days don't know how to be friends. I barely do! Men's companionships have been so tainted by the threat or appearance of homosexuality, or because of a hyper-inflated view of masculinity, that we don't know what a true male friendship should look like. But "Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself. 1 Sam 20:17" and David said of him "Oh, how much I loved you!And your love for me was deep,deeper than the love of women! 2 Sam 1:26." The bond between David and Jonathan went deeper than friendship, deeper than lust or sex, deeper than what men typically view as a friendship; it was more of a brotherhood, a second self in a way. I hope people don't sully the relationship that was here by suggesting it was something it was not, but I hope more men can experience the kind of true friendship that David found in Jonathan. The world would probably be a better place for it.
Finally to talk about David. Now that I've read his whole story from front to back instead of in little pieces, I gotta say that I really respect this man. I would love to have known him. He seems like the most human character in the old testament, filled with joys and love of the Lord, pains and sorrows, triumphs and defeats, high points and embarrassments. He truly loved the Lord, throughout his entire life! The funny thing is that, speaking of masculinity, he was a warrior and a king, but he was also a poet and a musician. These things are typically not attributed to bounding masculinity, but I don't think anyone would ever accuse David of being a sissy! Here was an all around man of God, full of passions, violence, artistry, command, and strength. His commitment to keep God's precepts and honor his name just amazes me.
Now when it comes to David's 'downfall', given his adultery with Bathsheba and his killing of Uriah, I think this is just another example of how human David is. How many men of power throughout history have we heard of that have taken the path of David in one form or another? Power corrupts. And David paid for it tenfold just as God promised in 12:11&12. Not only did his son through Bathsheba die, but Absalom's rebellion can be seen as a direct result. His 'humanness' isn't to say he is not at fault or that we give him too little credit, but I think this story is in here to remind us that God works his wonders through fallen people. His word is hidden in jars of clay: failing, faulting, fumbling people. Through Bathsheba God not only punished, but He worked through it by giving birth to Solomon and by establishing David's rule later in life after Absalom. Not only that but his life was worked as an example for us that no matter how hard or far you fall, the Lord can forgive us and restore us if we admit our sins and turn back to him.
Difficulty Points: The parts I had difficulty with in the books were first, that it was not in chronological order. I understand that this is a persnickety qualifier for the Western thinker and that this is an Eastern thinker story line, but it really would have helped when it came to clarifying questions. This make me not look forward to reading Chronicles.
Second, in 2 Sam 24 it says that God caused David to Israel by taking a census. But when David actually does take a census, it's seen as a sin in God's eyes (probably for greed or pride). So my question is, did God cause David to take a census knowing full well that David would sin as a result? Or did God cause David to take a census, but the intent was changed in David's heart from something honoring God to a prideful self-centered thing, and then David sinned? The first scenario doesn't sit well with me. I don't like knowing that God's plans include men sinning against Him, it seems to be the opposite of God character, and James 1:13 says that God never tempts anyone. The second scenario doesn't sit right with me either because there's just not text to support it. I hope that God will open my eyes to understand his will in this. I you, dear reader, have any incite I'd love to hear it.
Further in and further up.
I can't really tell why these books were named after Samuel. He fades out of most of the stories after a while and by the first half of 2nd Samuel he dies (granted he's brought back by a medium, but hey, who's counting posthumous encounters?). I never realized that Samuel was a judge either. I've always viewed him as a prophet, but it's not like the Judges never served as prophets at all, so it makes sense. But I always put Samuel in the elite class of prophets with Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Not to say his status was lowered at all in my mind, just a different nuance to the man I never noticed before. I gotta say that after reading these texts, I really really respect the character of Samuel. Out of everything written down, he did everything right! He was a badass Nazarite with the hippie hair and started out really young, but he never set a foot out of line! Here was a man who knew the character of God because he could stand up to kings and rebuke them to their faces under threats of death; but Samuel knew the God of Israel was behind him so there was no fear.
For Saul, I actually feel really sorry for the guy. His main beginning downfalls were impatience and greed. Impatience for not waiting for Samuel to get there before offering the sacrifices, which implies he was fearful and not trusting in the Lord. And either his greed or his sympathy overtook him when it came to Amalikites; greed for plunder which God told him to destroy, or sympathy for not wanting to kill all the children and women (and their king apparently). I have to wonder, if God put me in this position, would I do the same?
His son Jonathan continues to be one of my favorite people in the Bible. He is loyal to a fault. He trusts in the Lord and defeats his enemies while Saul and his priest are still praying for a sign. He protects the life of his friend and honors the covenant between them to his death. It's a shame that he had to be caught up in the death of his father, but I suppose the sins of the father pass on.
I'd like to take a minute to talk about the relationship between Jonathan and David. People have used this friendship and the love between them to suggest that Jonathan and David were homosexual lovers, that no men could love each other like these two did without being romantically involved. I gotta say, I just can't see it this way. I'm not going to say "absolutely not!" because I wasn't there and I didn't see it. However, it seems to me that God was punishing every itty bitty sin and ignorance of the law on pain of death and plague; He didn't let anyone get away with anything that went against his laws. So why would God ignore a breach of His laws that specifically outlined that homosexual relationships were forbidden? Why would He ignore this in his chosen King when God pointed out every other sin that David had committed? My inference would be that there was no breach of the law, there was no romantic relationship.
I think that the lesson that should be taken from this friendship is that this is the ideal of what male companionship should be: being loyal, honoring, protecting and committed friends. A lot of men these days don't know how to be friends. I barely do! Men's companionships have been so tainted by the threat or appearance of homosexuality, or because of a hyper-inflated view of masculinity, that we don't know what a true male friendship should look like. But "Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself. 1 Sam 20:17" and David said of him "Oh, how much I loved you!And your love for me was deep,deeper than the love of women! 2 Sam 1:26." The bond between David and Jonathan went deeper than friendship, deeper than lust or sex, deeper than what men typically view as a friendship; it was more of a brotherhood, a second self in a way. I hope people don't sully the relationship that was here by suggesting it was something it was not, but I hope more men can experience the kind of true friendship that David found in Jonathan. The world would probably be a better place for it.
Finally to talk about David. Now that I've read his whole story from front to back instead of in little pieces, I gotta say that I really respect this man. I would love to have known him. He seems like the most human character in the old testament, filled with joys and love of the Lord, pains and sorrows, triumphs and defeats, high points and embarrassments. He truly loved the Lord, throughout his entire life! The funny thing is that, speaking of masculinity, he was a warrior and a king, but he was also a poet and a musician. These things are typically not attributed to bounding masculinity, but I don't think anyone would ever accuse David of being a sissy! Here was an all around man of God, full of passions, violence, artistry, command, and strength. His commitment to keep God's precepts and honor his name just amazes me.
Now when it comes to David's 'downfall', given his adultery with Bathsheba and his killing of Uriah, I think this is just another example of how human David is. How many men of power throughout history have we heard of that have taken the path of David in one form or another? Power corrupts. And David paid for it tenfold just as God promised in 12:11&12. Not only did his son through Bathsheba die, but Absalom's rebellion can be seen as a direct result. His 'humanness' isn't to say he is not at fault or that we give him too little credit, but I think this story is in here to remind us that God works his wonders through fallen people. His word is hidden in jars of clay: failing, faulting, fumbling people. Through Bathsheba God not only punished, but He worked through it by giving birth to Solomon and by establishing David's rule later in life after Absalom. Not only that but his life was worked as an example for us that no matter how hard or far you fall, the Lord can forgive us and restore us if we admit our sins and turn back to him.
Difficulty Points: The parts I had difficulty with in the books were first, that it was not in chronological order. I understand that this is a persnickety qualifier for the Western thinker and that this is an Eastern thinker story line, but it really would have helped when it came to clarifying questions. This make me not look forward to reading Chronicles.
Second, in 2 Sam 24 it says that God caused David to Israel by taking a census. But when David actually does take a census, it's seen as a sin in God's eyes (probably for greed or pride). So my question is, did God cause David to take a census knowing full well that David would sin as a result? Or did God cause David to take a census, but the intent was changed in David's heart from something honoring God to a prideful self-centered thing, and then David sinned? The first scenario doesn't sit well with me. I don't like knowing that God's plans include men sinning against Him, it seems to be the opposite of God character, and James 1:13 says that God never tempts anyone. The second scenario doesn't sit right with me either because there's just not text to support it. I hope that God will open my eyes to understand his will in this. I you, dear reader, have any incite I'd love to hear it.
Further in and further up.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Ruth
So maybe this book is lost on me because I'm a man, or maybe just because I'm not an Israelite and don't understand the context. Either way, I really don't get a lot out of this book. It's a great thing to me that Ruth drops everything to stay with and support her mother-in-law, adopting her people and God as her own. However, at this point, Ruth really didn't have much anyway; her husband's dead, she has no property or children or inheritance, and if she goes back to her own people, who's to say they'd ever take her back anyway? Pastors of my past have lauded Ruth for her faith that God would take care of her, but I kind of think that may be reading into the story a little more than what's actually there, or religifying the text more than what's actually there; she really didn't have a whole lot of options.
I actually admire Boaz more in this story than Ruth. He took pity on Ruth and generously helped her and treated her with special favor, beyond what was necessary or even required by the law. He also made sure, when he was sure he wanted to marry Ruth, that he took all the proper and legal steps to make sure it would happen. He didn't just jump right into marriage and say screw it to the consequences; he made sure he did the right thing by making sure no one else had claim on Ruth or Naomi's property before he did. Honestly, this story shows me that Boaz's character was admirable and upright than that of the women of this story who seemed to just be looking out for their futures.
I also don't really understand why this story is here in the Bible in the first place (except to establish a genealogy to David). What does the story teach us except how to catch a man? I'm praying God opens my eyes to a little more incite, to read between the lines a little, but it's just not coming. Any thoughts out there?
I actually admire Boaz more in this story than Ruth. He took pity on Ruth and generously helped her and treated her with special favor, beyond what was necessary or even required by the law. He also made sure, when he was sure he wanted to marry Ruth, that he took all the proper and legal steps to make sure it would happen. He didn't just jump right into marriage and say screw it to the consequences; he made sure he did the right thing by making sure no one else had claim on Ruth or Naomi's property before he did. Honestly, this story shows me that Boaz's character was admirable and upright than that of the women of this story who seemed to just be looking out for their futures.
I also don't really understand why this story is here in the Bible in the first place (except to establish a genealogy to David). What does the story teach us except how to catch a man? I'm praying God opens my eyes to a little more incite, to read between the lines a little, but it's just not coming. Any thoughts out there?
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Ezekiel 12-48
So my overall feel about this book is that (1) God is royally pissed, (2) the Israelites really don't get it and wouldn't know a warning if it hit 'em in the face, and (3) even in the midst of total destruction and utter chaos, God still provides hope for those who actually love and serve him.
I need someone to explain to me the whole 'Son of Man' thing. I can understand why God called Ezekiel this, being a son of a man and all; but why call him this over and over again, what's the significance? Then someone has to explain to me why this phrase was suddenly associated with the messiah and why Jesus used it on himself. After reading Ezekiel I saw some references to the Christ (such as 34:11-24), but none of these references were around the 'son of man' phrase. So I just don't understand the association or significance. Someone with more knowledge, please explain!
There a lot of verses and chapters in here that remind me a lot of the language used in Revelation, specifically in chapter 37:27, chapter 30-41, and chapter 47. It makes me wonder if when the Jews heard this language again when John wrote his revelation that their minds would automatically say: 'hmm, hey, I recognize this stuff.' In Ezekiel, the prophets were telling them how glorious life would be when they finally returned out of exile (that caused by sin and idolatry), that God would make his home with them (48:35 Yahweh Shammah). In Revelation, John is telling the persecuted Christians how glorious life would be when they finally enter their true exile (that caused by sin), and that God would truly and forever make their home among them (Rev 21:3).
The whole message to Tyre in Chapter 27 & 28 actually taught me a bit of history. I understood that Tyre was destroyed by Alexandre the Great, but I hadn't know that it was attacked by the Babylonians first (which apparently they did in 586). However, the way God talks about it, it makes it seem that Tyre will be completely destroyed by the first attack, which it wasn't. In fact, God says to the King of Babylon in chapter 29:11-21 that since he didn't really actually destroy the city, He'll give the King Egpyt instead. It's funny to me because it just seems that a lot of the justice you're seeing in this book is quick, swift and brutal; yet in Tyre's case, Nebuchadnezzar didn't succeed, so God's waiting till the Persians try it out, and then finally Alexandre, then justice is finally served. Delayed punishment. I wonder if Daniel had anything to say about this?
In chapter 28, verses 11-19, God talks about the King of Tyre in a very metaphorical and poetic way. I've heard these verses used to describe the fall of Lucifer and have nothing to do with the king. I can see how that argument can be made with language like 'you were in Eden, the garden of God', 'You were the perfection of wisdom and beautify', 'anointed you as a mighty angelic guardian', 'you had access to the mountain of God'. If this language is to be taken literally as the story of Satan, we can see in the later verses why Lucifer actually fell because of his pride, greed and violence. However, what if this language actually is literally about the King of Tyre instead, then why all this figurative language? Why say that this man was in Eden? It almost sets this man up as this wonderful creation when he's just a man, another fallen creature like the rest of us. It's hard for me to just let this be about the King, but that it might have a laced double meaning. What's your thoughts?
Finally, I can't leave Ezekiel without talking about chapter 37, the valley of dry bones. This is one of the only "childhood"-ish stories I've ever heard out of the major prophets (or at least this major prophet). The whole thing is God's poetry at His finest, and the more I read of the bible, the more I realize God is an artist and poet, but since the normal person doesn't really understand art and poetry, we kinda gloss over these aspects of God's personality. I understand the point of this vision is that God can make something out of nothing, that he can take the small remnant of Israel of make it into a great nation. And in our lives, He can take our own valley of dry bones, our sin our pain our selfishness our laziness our apathy, and he can make something beautiful out of it, something huge and great. John 14:12, 'I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.'
Now, what's next?
I need someone to explain to me the whole 'Son of Man' thing. I can understand why God called Ezekiel this, being a son of a man and all; but why call him this over and over again, what's the significance? Then someone has to explain to me why this phrase was suddenly associated with the messiah and why Jesus used it on himself. After reading Ezekiel I saw some references to the Christ (such as 34:11-24), but none of these references were around the 'son of man' phrase. So I just don't understand the association or significance. Someone with more knowledge, please explain!
There a lot of verses and chapters in here that remind me a lot of the language used in Revelation, specifically in chapter 37:27, chapter 30-41, and chapter 47. It makes me wonder if when the Jews heard this language again when John wrote his revelation that their minds would automatically say: 'hmm, hey, I recognize this stuff.' In Ezekiel, the prophets were telling them how glorious life would be when they finally returned out of exile (that caused by sin and idolatry), that God would make his home with them (48:35 Yahweh Shammah). In Revelation, John is telling the persecuted Christians how glorious life would be when they finally enter their true exile (that caused by sin), and that God would truly and forever make their home among them (Rev 21:3).
The whole message to Tyre in Chapter 27 & 28 actually taught me a bit of history. I understood that Tyre was destroyed by Alexandre the Great, but I hadn't know that it was attacked by the Babylonians first (which apparently they did in 586). However, the way God talks about it, it makes it seem that Tyre will be completely destroyed by the first attack, which it wasn't. In fact, God says to the King of Babylon in chapter 29:11-21 that since he didn't really actually destroy the city, He'll give the King Egpyt instead. It's funny to me because it just seems that a lot of the justice you're seeing in this book is quick, swift and brutal; yet in Tyre's case, Nebuchadnezzar didn't succeed, so God's waiting till the Persians try it out, and then finally Alexandre, then justice is finally served. Delayed punishment. I wonder if Daniel had anything to say about this?
In chapter 28, verses 11-19, God talks about the King of Tyre in a very metaphorical and poetic way. I've heard these verses used to describe the fall of Lucifer and have nothing to do with the king. I can see how that argument can be made with language like 'you were in Eden, the garden of God', 'You were the perfection of wisdom and beautify', 'anointed you as a mighty angelic guardian', 'you had access to the mountain of God'. If this language is to be taken literally as the story of Satan, we can see in the later verses why Lucifer actually fell because of his pride, greed and violence. However, what if this language actually is literally about the King of Tyre instead, then why all this figurative language? Why say that this man was in Eden? It almost sets this man up as this wonderful creation when he's just a man, another fallen creature like the rest of us. It's hard for me to just let this be about the King, but that it might have a laced double meaning. What's your thoughts?
Finally, I can't leave Ezekiel without talking about chapter 37, the valley of dry bones. This is one of the only "childhood"-ish stories I've ever heard out of the major prophets (or at least this major prophet). The whole thing is God's poetry at His finest, and the more I read of the bible, the more I realize God is an artist and poet, but since the normal person doesn't really understand art and poetry, we kinda gloss over these aspects of God's personality. I understand the point of this vision is that God can make something out of nothing, that he can take the small remnant of Israel of make it into a great nation. And in our lives, He can take our own valley of dry bones, our sin our pain our selfishness our laziness our apathy, and he can make something beautiful out of it, something huge and great. John 14:12, 'I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.'
Now, what's next?
Ay yi yi
Finished Ezekiel today. Will post some comments soon, but wow, you really need a mature perspective about God and His character to justify or even understand a lot of His destructive actions in this text. Hopefully mine is mature enough, but probably not :)
Posts yet to come, gotta decide what to read next.
Posts yet to come, gotta decide what to read next.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Change of Tactics
Ok, I'm changing my approach to this blog, since it's taking me forever to get through just one post. Instead of writing a book per paragraph (ala NT 'Tom' Wright) we're gonna simplify as best I can! Which means people might be able to read this without hurting themselves :)
Also, since the wife and I having been reading through books of the bible and discussing them together I figured it'd be ok to count them in here as well. :D
Enjoy!
Also, since the wife and I having been reading through books of the bible and discussing them together I figured it'd be ok to count them in here as well. :D
Enjoy!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Vacation Time
Incommunicado until Monday. I know you're all just dying for the next chapter of my book here , but you'll just have to wait :D Apparently I've also been having issues with my comments, which I will try to fix, but until then, grace and peace be with you!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Ezekiel 11
I actually got a lot out of this chapter (imagine that) so I wanted to make it it's own separate entry.
Chapter 11 - More Judgement and a Little Ray of Hope
Vs 1-13. It's interesting to me that God actually singles out 25 prominent leaders for judgement, and names 2 in particular. The death of Pelatiah at the end of the section echoes a later verse in 12:25 "There will be no more delays, you rebels of Israel. I will fulfill my threat of destruction in your own lifetime. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” Someone's going to have to explain to me the significance of the iron pot the Lord keeps speaking of; was this a typical utensil or is there some kind of symbolic significance behind it being iron?
Vs 14-20. Again we find a little hope in the total destruction of Israel and its people. But this message is to those in exile, which is interesting because it's a future hope for people who have survived and are taken from their land by God's will. I am struck by vs 16 & 17, particularly the part saying "I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile." It's interesting to note that synagogues (local jewish places of worship) didn't exist until the exile because God always wanted them to worship at his central location, the Temple. However,k the people needed to worship, bind together as a community, and read and review the law when there was no temple to worship in. Thus the synagogue was born to meet this need. I guess you could interpret the above scripture as prophecy saying that God would provide for them a place of worship even when his temple was destroyed. Another interpretation would be that God would never leave them completely alone, that he wouldn't forget his covenants with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, etc. He will be their place of refuge in a foreign land, He will be their help in times of trouble. This speaks not only to the people but the prophets in exile too such as Daniel.
This also speaks to us because God is always with us, even in our times of exile. This exile is usually self-imposed, an exile borne out of sin and rebellion or a lack of true communion with with the body, but can also be imposed on a person through hurt from others and the Church. It is hard to remind oneself that God is with us even during our exiles, but I think a lot of this has to do with our emotional state rather than our spiritual state or logical mind. Americans tend to over-emphasize emotion when it comes to our spiritual state: if we don't feel like God is close, He must not be. But God is faithful, He is our sanctuary regardless if we feel it or not. He is bigger than our emotions, and bigger than our sins; His grace extends to us throughout the Earth, no matter where our exile takes us! Praise be to God!
Vs 22-24. The creepy looking seraphim and their technicolor flying machine are back, this time to escort God's presence from Jerusalem. At first I thought this may foreshadow God's eventual leaving of the temple after the death of Christ, but now that I think about it, this over-interprets and over-extends the original purpose of this scripture. After Christ died, His presence didn't leave Jerusalem; it actually finally came to Jerusalem! His presence now filled the hearts of the people, the temple of humanity's soul, in the most intimate means possible. No longer confined to a building made of brick and mortar, but that of the very intentions and will of man. It's so awe inspiring and humbling at the same time.
Chapter 11 - More Judgement and a Little Ray of Hope
Vs 1-13. It's interesting to me that God actually singles out 25 prominent leaders for judgement, and names 2 in particular. The death of Pelatiah at the end of the section echoes a later verse in 12:25 "There will be no more delays, you rebels of Israel. I will fulfill my threat of destruction in your own lifetime. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” Someone's going to have to explain to me the significance of the iron pot the Lord keeps speaking of; was this a typical utensil or is there some kind of symbolic significance behind it being iron?
Vs 14-20. Again we find a little hope in the total destruction of Israel and its people. But this message is to those in exile, which is interesting because it's a future hope for people who have survived and are taken from their land by God's will. I am struck by vs 16 & 17, particularly the part saying "I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile." It's interesting to note that synagogues (local jewish places of worship) didn't exist until the exile because God always wanted them to worship at his central location, the Temple. However,k the people needed to worship, bind together as a community, and read and review the law when there was no temple to worship in. Thus the synagogue was born to meet this need. I guess you could interpret the above scripture as prophecy saying that God would provide for them a place of worship even when his temple was destroyed. Another interpretation would be that God would never leave them completely alone, that he wouldn't forget his covenants with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, etc. He will be their place of refuge in a foreign land, He will be their help in times of trouble. This speaks not only to the people but the prophets in exile too such as Daniel.
This also speaks to us because God is always with us, even in our times of exile. This exile is usually self-imposed, an exile borne out of sin and rebellion or a lack of true communion with with the body, but can also be imposed on a person through hurt from others and the Church. It is hard to remind oneself that God is with us even during our exiles, but I think a lot of this has to do with our emotional state rather than our spiritual state or logical mind. Americans tend to over-emphasize emotion when it comes to our spiritual state: if we don't feel like God is close, He must not be. But God is faithful, He is our sanctuary regardless if we feel it or not. He is bigger than our emotions, and bigger than our sins; His grace extends to us throughout the Earth, no matter where our exile takes us! Praise be to God!
Vs 22-24. The creepy looking seraphim and their technicolor flying machine are back, this time to escort God's presence from Jerusalem. At first I thought this may foreshadow God's eventual leaving of the temple after the death of Christ, but now that I think about it, this over-interprets and over-extends the original purpose of this scripture. After Christ died, His presence didn't leave Jerusalem; it actually finally came to Jerusalem! His presence now filled the hearts of the people, the temple of humanity's soul, in the most intimate means possible. No longer confined to a building made of brick and mortar, but that of the very intentions and will of man. It's so awe inspiring and humbling at the same time.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Ezekiel 4 - 10
Chapter 4 - Holy Poop
I think this chapter shows the beginning of the social protest movement. All you hippees that thought you had it right in the 60 had nothin' on this old man! I mean come on! Ezekiel was made to lie on his left side for 390 days and on his right for 40, one day for every sin of Judah and Israel (the split kingdoms). This is hard core, man! Almost a year and four months not being able to get up, stretch your feet, walk around, go to the bathroom... Can you imagine how sore you'd be, or the sores that would develop, or the atrophy? Gandhi's got nothin on this guy! I just wonder how God took care of him during this time and what the public reaction would be.
What's more is that God tells him in verse 12 to make his food provisions over a fire using dried human dung... If Ezekiel had ever had doubts about getting into the prophet business, now would be the time. However, even in this time God listens to his prophet and allows provisions, sort of. Instead of human dung God allows Ezekiel to use cow dung instead. Well thanks!
All this is to show Israel just how much they've defiled themselves in their sin. They might as well have eaten crap. It parallels Jesus' warnings to the Pharisees in Matthew 23, how they clean the outside but the inside is still filthy. It's not enough that your actions are holy but your mind and heart must be as well.
Chapter 5 -7 - Coming Judgement
A lot of this book is designed to warn Israel of its coming judgement. Israel has prostituted itself to other gods; lesser gods who have no feeling or any care for their followers. Verse 13 talks to God's jealous anger. After hearing what the Israelites have done, how they have completely defiled the temple, ignored the law, sent false prophets to appease the hearts of the people, and broken the covenant so completely, it's just mind blowing that God didn't wipe them out by this point, before it got to be so bad. He uses such violent imagery: parents eating their children and children their parents; that God is their enemy, that He will hide His eyes while the robbers invade and violate the land, that Israel will become an object of mockery and horror, showers of arrows, fire, and just overall devastation. Ch 7 V 13 "Not one person whole life is twisted by sin will recover"
But through it all there is still hope. Particularly in chapter 6 vs 8-10. God speaks of the remnant He will save from the destruction, a remnant of a remnant. "Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their detestable sins." You see the heart of God coming through here. He never wanted this on His people; He is pained for having to do this, but His people will not change! But those who are saved will understand God's heart, seeing all the sins they have committed, and will be so destroyed emotionally by it that they will hate themselves.
I'm not sure which people group I'd rather be in: those destroyed in God's wrath, or those who survive just to fully grasp what's going on. To be in the first and face the full fury of a jealous YHWY, or to be in the second and want to kill myself from the shame I've brought on my people.
Notice also that in 5:7&8 God talks about the sins of the community being worse than their neighbors... the pagans... who don't know any better. That's gotta be bad. It also reflects on how the sins of the few affect the whole community. God sees sin not just at a personal and individual level (as American Christians are trained to believe) but in the whole context as a community. Sin spreads, infects, festers and reproduces. How do my sins affect my community? How does something I consider small and meaningless spread and infect? How am I responsible for the judgement passed on my community in the end? Will it be for good or ill?
Chapters 8-10 - Sin within the Temple
Throughout the whole of chapter 8, God brings Ezekiel in a vision through a tour of the temple to show him the many sins and idolatry taking place. Since this is a vision (v 3) you have to wonder if these events are just symbolic or if they're actually word-for-word taking place. If they actually are taking place, I cannot believe the audacity of these men who think they can get away with this right under God's nose! On his doorstep! An idol in the courtyards, secret worship of mystical beasts behind closed doors, worship of the sun at the east gate, weeping for foreign gods. The Israelites were falling in to the same practices their neighbors were, worshiping multiple gods at one temple, a whole one-stop worship time to cover all your bases. By the time we get to chapter 10, the serephim are back and escort the Lord's presence from the Temple. Check out ch 8 verse 6, “Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple?"
When I read this I just hear the hurt in God's voice. He allowed them to build the temple for Him against his first wishes (1 Chrn 17:5), then fills it with his presence in awesome splendor complete with ark (2 Chrn 7), and has remained there faithfully and accepts their sacrifices. Now they defile it in the most abhorrent ways. If my children, living under my roof and under my protection and provision, suddenly starting bringing other adults into my home to set up as their newer and better parents, despite all I've done for them, I'd go insane! I just can't help but hear the pain in this.
How wide His shoulders must be to carry the burdens he does. How thick his skin must be to handle all the blows to his character. People may accuse Him of having a heart of stone, but for all the abuse he takes at our expense, can you blame him? And yet he is patient with us, big enough for our doubts and our fears, and readily willing to wipe us clean if we but say the word. What a great God we serve! Thank you for loving me no matter how I kick and scream and doubt and worry and pester and how self centered I am. Thank you for being big enough to handle all I throw at you.
I think this chapter shows the beginning of the social protest movement. All you hippees that thought you had it right in the 60 had nothin' on this old man! I mean come on! Ezekiel was made to lie on his left side for 390 days and on his right for 40, one day for every sin of Judah and Israel (the split kingdoms). This is hard core, man! Almost a year and four months not being able to get up, stretch your feet, walk around, go to the bathroom... Can you imagine how sore you'd be, or the sores that would develop, or the atrophy? Gandhi's got nothin on this guy! I just wonder how God took care of him during this time and what the public reaction would be.
What's more is that God tells him in verse 12 to make his food provisions over a fire using dried human dung... If Ezekiel had ever had doubts about getting into the prophet business, now would be the time. However, even in this time God listens to his prophet and allows provisions, sort of. Instead of human dung God allows Ezekiel to use cow dung instead. Well thanks!
All this is to show Israel just how much they've defiled themselves in their sin. They might as well have eaten crap. It parallels Jesus' warnings to the Pharisees in Matthew 23, how they clean the outside but the inside is still filthy. It's not enough that your actions are holy but your mind and heart must be as well.
Chapter 5 -7 - Coming Judgement
A lot of this book is designed to warn Israel of its coming judgement. Israel has prostituted itself to other gods; lesser gods who have no feeling or any care for their followers. Verse 13 talks to God's jealous anger. After hearing what the Israelites have done, how they have completely defiled the temple, ignored the law, sent false prophets to appease the hearts of the people, and broken the covenant so completely, it's just mind blowing that God didn't wipe them out by this point, before it got to be so bad. He uses such violent imagery: parents eating their children and children their parents; that God is their enemy, that He will hide His eyes while the robbers invade and violate the land, that Israel will become an object of mockery and horror, showers of arrows, fire, and just overall devastation. Ch 7 V 13 "Not one person whole life is twisted by sin will recover"
But through it all there is still hope. Particularly in chapter 6 vs 8-10. God speaks of the remnant He will save from the destruction, a remnant of a remnant. "Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their detestable sins." You see the heart of God coming through here. He never wanted this on His people; He is pained for having to do this, but His people will not change! But those who are saved will understand God's heart, seeing all the sins they have committed, and will be so destroyed emotionally by it that they will hate themselves.
I'm not sure which people group I'd rather be in: those destroyed in God's wrath, or those who survive just to fully grasp what's going on. To be in the first and face the full fury of a jealous YHWY, or to be in the second and want to kill myself from the shame I've brought on my people.
Notice also that in 5:7&8 God talks about the sins of the community being worse than their neighbors... the pagans... who don't know any better. That's gotta be bad. It also reflects on how the sins of the few affect the whole community. God sees sin not just at a personal and individual level (as American Christians are trained to believe) but in the whole context as a community. Sin spreads, infects, festers and reproduces. How do my sins affect my community? How does something I consider small and meaningless spread and infect? How am I responsible for the judgement passed on my community in the end? Will it be for good or ill?
Chapters 8-10 - Sin within the Temple
Throughout the whole of chapter 8, God brings Ezekiel in a vision through a tour of the temple to show him the many sins and idolatry taking place. Since this is a vision (v 3) you have to wonder if these events are just symbolic or if they're actually word-for-word taking place. If they actually are taking place, I cannot believe the audacity of these men who think they can get away with this right under God's nose! On his doorstep! An idol in the courtyards, secret worship of mystical beasts behind closed doors, worship of the sun at the east gate, weeping for foreign gods. The Israelites were falling in to the same practices their neighbors were, worshiping multiple gods at one temple, a whole one-stop worship time to cover all your bases. By the time we get to chapter 10, the serephim are back and escort the Lord's presence from the Temple. Check out ch 8 verse 6, “Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple?"
When I read this I just hear the hurt in God's voice. He allowed them to build the temple for Him against his first wishes (1 Chrn 17:5), then fills it with his presence in awesome splendor complete with ark (2 Chrn 7), and has remained there faithfully and accepts their sacrifices. Now they defile it in the most abhorrent ways. If my children, living under my roof and under my protection and provision, suddenly starting bringing other adults into my home to set up as their newer and better parents, despite all I've done for them, I'd go insane! I just can't help but hear the pain in this.
How wide His shoulders must be to carry the burdens he does. How thick his skin must be to handle all the blows to his character. People may accuse Him of having a heart of stone, but for all the abuse he takes at our expense, can you blame him? And yet he is patient with us, big enough for our doubts and our fears, and readily willing to wipe us clean if we but say the word. What a great God we serve! Thank you for loving me no matter how I kick and scream and doubt and worry and pester and how self centered I am. Thank you for being big enough to handle all I throw at you.
Ezekiel 1 - 3
Chapter 1 - Ezekiel's Vision of God
Wow, I've read this before, but I'm always blown away by the imagery here. Obviously Ezekiel is seeing something that he cannot understand or fully describe (I mean, who could in his position?), so much so that at the end he fell face down in awe of the spectacle before him. Some people claim that this is proof that the bible shows evidence of alien visitation, and honestly, I can give them a little credit here. I can't decide who would be more closed minded and who would be more open minded in this situation: the person who believes it's an actual vision of God, or an alien visitation.
Conventional wisdom says that one can't approach this scripture as if it is a literal description of what Ezekiel actually saw, but is rather more metaphorical and symbolic. Some of the imagery I can understand but most I can't. I'll write about the imagery I can comprehend, but if you know anything about the imagery I don't, please comment and teach me!!
Some of the imagery I can understand such as the description of the serephim such as the multiple wings, faces and eyes all over. In fact this imagery is used elsewhere in the Bible. The wings represent their holiness and other-ness, different and more divine than that of the human form; and the fact that they hinder their eyes shows that they stand in the presence of the Lord and it's even hard for them to lay eyes on Him that is all holy. The faces are interesting. An old youth minister, Donny, once described to me that the faces represent the different aspects of god Himself. The human face: showing the Lord's connection to humanity and image bearingness. The ox's face: showing the Lord's service and self sacrifice fully exemplified through Christ. The lion's face: showing the Lord's kingliness and strength, but also his ferociousness, meant to be feared and respected. The eagle's face: representing the Lord's divinity, being above humanity. Being covered all in eyes, although creepy, just shows us that God sees all. Some cultures believe in the Evil Eye, a force that saw all things and needed to be warded away or to hide yourself from its judgement (Kabala comes to mind). However, with all these eyes on the serephim and the wheels, nothing's going to escape His sight! Not when even the underarms of the angels are covered as well!
The imagery I don't understand: (1) The wheels and the significance that there's wheels inside of wheels and the directions they take when the angles move. (2) The clear blue surface above the angel's heads (3) The significance of a sapphire throne, what does the sapphire represent to an exiled Jew? (4) Why it mattered about the direction of movement so much to be mentioned time after time.
Chapter 2 & 3 - Ezekiel's Call and A Watchman for Israel
2:2 - Mention of the Spirit (Rauch Hako'desh). Time after time in these chapter the Holy Spirit is mentioned as the one who lifts Ezekiel to his feet, empowering and strengthening him to see God face to face (2:2, 3:12, 3:14, 3:24, etc.) It's also interesting that in 3:14 and later, the Spirit whips Ezekiel away, similar to what He did to Phillip in Acts 4:39. I've never heard of the Spirit acting so in the Old Testament, but it's great to learn that He didn't just magically appear in the New Testament, but was actively working as an empowerer and revealer of God's glory.
God keeps telling Ezekiel in this charge not to fear the people of Israel. I heard once that 'do not fear' is the most often repeated commandment in the Bible (confirm?). Seems pretty important I guess :)
3:5-7. God says he's sending Ezekiel to his own people, not to foreigners otherwise the foreigners would listen and repent. How many times are we attracted to share the Good News with those who are the foreigners in our lives, but not with those who are out own people? This could be our families, our best friends, our coworkers, our neighbors. Heck, this could also just include Americans as a whole. Christians in America have an unhealthy attraction to go spread the gospel to foreign nations rather than those right here at home. I've heard that more missionaries are sent to America more than any other nation, and yet we send so many of our boldest brothers and sisters out! God give me the charge and the strength through your Spirit to spread the words of life to my own people!
3:18-21. This is interesting stuff. God says basically if you don't say what I want you to say and they die, their blood is on your hands, and God will demand Ezekiel's blood for theirs. "But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.” I don't know if I'm going too far in saying that this applies to we Christians as well in terms of the Gospel's good news. The Gospel is the good news because it gives life to those who are dead in their sins, so shouldn't it stand to reason that all these warnings apply to us as well? So if you don't share the Gospel and those we know die in the sins, is their blood on our hands? Will we be called into account for what we have said and not said? I don't want to guilt trip myself or others, but as Ben has said on a number of occasions, sometimes the whole 'Social Gospel' movement and 'living the Gospel' rather than sharing it sometimes misses the mark. There should be an urgency here! People are dying in their sins and we've been given the gift of life and the words of the Lord on our tongues, why are we ok to sit back and watch them die?! God give me the strength and the courage to seize the opportunity you put in front of me, to interpret the best way to handle the situation, and to give life to those who are dying!
Wow, I've read this before, but I'm always blown away by the imagery here. Obviously Ezekiel is seeing something that he cannot understand or fully describe (I mean, who could in his position?), so much so that at the end he fell face down in awe of the spectacle before him. Some people claim that this is proof that the bible shows evidence of alien visitation, and honestly, I can give them a little credit here. I can't decide who would be more closed minded and who would be more open minded in this situation: the person who believes it's an actual vision of God, or an alien visitation.
Conventional wisdom says that one can't approach this scripture as if it is a literal description of what Ezekiel actually saw, but is rather more metaphorical and symbolic. Some of the imagery I can understand but most I can't. I'll write about the imagery I can comprehend, but if you know anything about the imagery I don't, please comment and teach me!!
Some of the imagery I can understand such as the description of the serephim such as the multiple wings, faces and eyes all over. In fact this imagery is used elsewhere in the Bible. The wings represent their holiness and other-ness, different and more divine than that of the human form; and the fact that they hinder their eyes shows that they stand in the presence of the Lord and it's even hard for them to lay eyes on Him that is all holy. The faces are interesting. An old youth minister, Donny, once described to me that the faces represent the different aspects of god Himself. The human face: showing the Lord's connection to humanity and image bearingness. The ox's face: showing the Lord's service and self sacrifice fully exemplified through Christ. The lion's face: showing the Lord's kingliness and strength, but also his ferociousness, meant to be feared and respected. The eagle's face: representing the Lord's divinity, being above humanity. Being covered all in eyes, although creepy, just shows us that God sees all. Some cultures believe in the Evil Eye, a force that saw all things and needed to be warded away or to hide yourself from its judgement (Kabala comes to mind). However, with all these eyes on the serephim and the wheels, nothing's going to escape His sight! Not when even the underarms of the angels are covered as well!
The imagery I don't understand: (1) The wheels and the significance that there's wheels inside of wheels and the directions they take when the angles move. (2) The clear blue surface above the angel's heads (3) The significance of a sapphire throne, what does the sapphire represent to an exiled Jew? (4) Why it mattered about the direction of movement so much to be mentioned time after time.
Chapter 2 & 3 - Ezekiel's Call and A Watchman for Israel
2:2 - Mention of the Spirit (Rauch Hako'desh). Time after time in these chapter the Holy Spirit is mentioned as the one who lifts Ezekiel to his feet, empowering and strengthening him to see God face to face (2:2, 3:12, 3:14, 3:24, etc.) It's also interesting that in 3:14 and later, the Spirit whips Ezekiel away, similar to what He did to Phillip in Acts 4:39. I've never heard of the Spirit acting so in the Old Testament, but it's great to learn that He didn't just magically appear in the New Testament, but was actively working as an empowerer and revealer of God's glory.
God keeps telling Ezekiel in this charge not to fear the people of Israel. I heard once that 'do not fear' is the most often repeated commandment in the Bible (confirm?). Seems pretty important I guess :)
3:5-7. God says he's sending Ezekiel to his own people, not to foreigners otherwise the foreigners would listen and repent. How many times are we attracted to share the Good News with those who are the foreigners in our lives, but not with those who are out own people? This could be our families, our best friends, our coworkers, our neighbors. Heck, this could also just include Americans as a whole. Christians in America have an unhealthy attraction to go spread the gospel to foreign nations rather than those right here at home. I've heard that more missionaries are sent to America more than any other nation, and yet we send so many of our boldest brothers and sisters out! God give me the charge and the strength through your Spirit to spread the words of life to my own people!
3:18-21. This is interesting stuff. God says basically if you don't say what I want you to say and they die, their blood is on your hands, and God will demand Ezekiel's blood for theirs. "But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.” I don't know if I'm going too far in saying that this applies to we Christians as well in terms of the Gospel's good news. The Gospel is the good news because it gives life to those who are dead in their sins, so shouldn't it stand to reason that all these warnings apply to us as well? So if you don't share the Gospel and those we know die in the sins, is their blood on our hands? Will we be called into account for what we have said and not said? I don't want to guilt trip myself or others, but as Ben has said on a number of occasions, sometimes the whole 'Social Gospel' movement and 'living the Gospel' rather than sharing it sometimes misses the mark. There should be an urgency here! People are dying in their sins and we've been given the gift of life and the words of the Lord on our tongues, why are we ok to sit back and watch them die?! God give me the strength and the courage to seize the opportunity you put in front of me, to interpret the best way to handle the situation, and to give life to those who are dying!
In the beginning, there was the first post
Hello, welcome to Jesse's Cacophony. I began this blog as a spiritual discipline of sorts. I got motivated at the beginning of summer to read through my Bible, a task I've never seriously undertaken. Reasons being: (1) I don't process well unless I write, and doing this manually takes more time than it takes for my mind to think it (2) I don't usually process scripture well unless I have meaningful discussion involved (3) lack of motivation and just plain laziness (4) It's a daunting task, I mean, have you ever actually desired to read through genealogies and Mosaic law?! and (5) I tend to be way cynical, so sometimes I don't appreciate scripture enough.
Back before the invention of the printing press (thereby making the written Word more accessible to common folk) the scriptures were rarely read alone, individually, but were always read en masse. This helped others learn because not everyone is a visual learner, kept the reader accountable for his or her interpretation of scripture (especially in Jewish contexts), and bound the whole community together as one body. For this reason, I believe strongly that scriptures need to be interpreted and applied as a community, not just as an individual, because we are the body of Christ, not the disassociated severed head or fingers of the body.
So if you're reading this I would really appreciate your interpretations of the scriptures I am blogging about. This will help me vastly by: (1) keeping me accountable to my goals (2) keeping me accountable to heretical or imprecise interpretations of the scripture (3) enlightening me by your interpretations, experiences and incites which I whole-heartily invite, and (4) that we can learn together as a body and hopefully inspire others.
A disclaimer: those of your who know me know that I can be very long winded, so read at your own risk of boredom. Also, given the experiences I've had as a believer, our interpretations of scripture may not line up perfectly (they may not even be in the same ball park!), but if you feel strongly about something, comment and post! The best way for us both to learn is to learn together. I believe in the art of agreeing to disagree, thus exemplified by the new testament church and not so well exemplified by the modern church.
Anyway, here's your ticket, take a ride with me. May the peace of God be upon you!
Back before the invention of the printing press (thereby making the written Word more accessible to common folk) the scriptures were rarely read alone, individually, but were always read en masse. This helped others learn because not everyone is a visual learner, kept the reader accountable for his or her interpretation of scripture (especially in Jewish contexts), and bound the whole community together as one body. For this reason, I believe strongly that scriptures need to be interpreted and applied as a community, not just as an individual, because we are the body of Christ, not the disassociated severed head or fingers of the body.
So if you're reading this I would really appreciate your interpretations of the scriptures I am blogging about. This will help me vastly by: (1) keeping me accountable to my goals (2) keeping me accountable to heretical or imprecise interpretations of the scripture (3) enlightening me by your interpretations, experiences and incites which I whole-heartily invite, and (4) that we can learn together as a body and hopefully inspire others.
A disclaimer: those of your who know me know that I can be very long winded, so read at your own risk of boredom. Also, given the experiences I've had as a believer, our interpretations of scripture may not line up perfectly (they may not even be in the same ball park!), but if you feel strongly about something, comment and post! The best way for us both to learn is to learn together. I believe in the art of agreeing to disagree, thus exemplified by the new testament church and not so well exemplified by the modern church.
Anyway, here's your ticket, take a ride with me. May the peace of God be upon you!
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