Bible2010

05/12/10

2010-05-12T22:00:00.002-04:00

Matthew 23-25

In chapter twenty-three, Jesus continues to speak to the crowds in the temple courts. He condemns "the teachers of the law and the Pharisees" as "blind guides" and "hypocrites." He condemns their demonstrative shows of holiness ("they make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues.") Seven times, he begins a statement with "Woe to you!"

Matthew twenty-four is apocalyptic in nature, as the disciples ask Jesus, "what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" He warns that "nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." He tells them that "false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect." Despite that, he says that "no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father," and that they must be faithful and keep watch. And when the time comes, "at the coming of the Son of Man, two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."

In chapter twenty-five, he illustrates for them the importance of keeping watch and being faithful stewards with the parables of the ten virgins and the talents. And he talks about the people being separated "as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." The righteous will have eternal life, the cursed will not. And he tells them that "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me...whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Matthew 23 is an extended passage that clearly places Jesus in the Jewish prophetic tradition. It sounds as if it could have come from Isaiah or Jeremiah.
Much of chapter 24 reads as if it could have come from Revelation.

Psalms 56

Psalm 56 is another with a tune specified.

Some of these I'll need to re-read after I've gone through 1 & 2 Samuel again. I don't remember the Philistines seizing David in Gath, so I'm not certain of the context of this psalm.

Psalm 56
For the director of music. To the tune of "A Dove on Distant Oaks." Of David. A miktam . When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
1 Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me;
all day long they press their attack.

2 My slanderers pursue me all day long;
many are attacking me in their pride.

3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.

4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?

5 All day long they twist my words;
they are always plotting to harm me.

6 They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps,
eager to take my life.

7 On no account let them escape;
in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.

8 Record my lament;
list my tears on your scroll —
are they not in your record?

9 Then my enemies will turn back
when I call for help.
By this I will know that God is for me.

10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise-

11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

12 I am under vows to you, O God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.

13 For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.

05/11/10

2010-05-11T21:35:00.002-04:00

Matthew 20-22

Chapter twenty opens with the parable of the workers in the vineyard, with Jesus telling his disciples that, when it came to the kingdom of heaven, "the last will be first, and the first will be last." Then, as they started to go up to Jerusalem, he again told his disciples that he would be betrayed and condemned to death, flogged and crucified, and that "on the third day he will be raised to life." When the mother of James and John asked that they be allowed to sit at his right and left hands in the kingdom of heaven, he told them that "you don't know what you are asking" and that "to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father." He then healed two blind men.

In chapter twenty-one, they approached Jerusalem, and he sent them to get a colt and a donkey, for him to ride into the city on, so that they prophecy of Zechariah would be fulfilled. Crowds lined the way, shouting "Hosanna!" Jesus entered the temple area and "drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves," before going back to spend the night in Bethany. The next morning, he cursed a fig tree that had no figs, and it withered immediately. While he was teaching in the temple courts, the elders and priests asked by whose authority he was teaching and healing, and he responded by asking them where John's baptism came from, heaven or earth. Not wanting to anger the crowds, they declined to respond, and he told them that he wouldn't tell them where his authority came from, either. He taught the parable of the two sons, and the parable of the tenants, and "when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them."

Chapter twenty-two starts with the parable of the wedding banquet, followed by the discussion of taxes. When the Pharisees asked Jesus whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, he pointed out Caesar's image on the coin and told them that they should "give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." In response to a discussion about marriage and multiple marriage, he taught them that "at the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." And he taught them that the greatest commandment was to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and the second was to "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Thoughts, questions, issues

I wrote about this in my commentary on Mark, I think, and may have mentioned it in Leviticus as well, but the story of the money changers and "those selling doves" has to have more to it. The law requires those who live far away to convert their offerings to silver, come to the temple and then buy doves to sacrifice. Those people are part of the Levitical system. We read that and we're "shocked - shocked! - to find that there are money-changers in the temple." But they're necessary for those who live far from the temple to be able to fulfill their sacrificial duties.

Psalms 50

This interesting in the way that the voice changes. At the beginning, the psalmist is praying directly to God - "Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea." But later, the voice changes, as he speaks not to God, but to another man, a friend - "it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God..."

Psalm 55
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David.
1 Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;

2 hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

3 at the voice of the enemy,
at the stares of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering upon me
and revile me in their anger.

4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death assail me.

5 Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.

6 I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest-

7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
Selah

8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm."

9 Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.

10 Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.

11 Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.

12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were raising himself against me,
I could hide from him.

13 But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,

14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
as we walked with the throng at the house of God.

15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the grave,
for evil finds lodging among them.

16 But I call to God,
and the LORD saves me.

17 Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.

18 He ransoms me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.

19 God, who is enthroned forever,
will hear them and afflict them—
Selah
men who never change their ways
and have no fear of God.

20 My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.

21 His speech is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.

22 Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

23 But you, O God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit of corruption;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you.

05/10/10

2010-05-10T20:00:00.001-04:00

Matthew 17-19

Chapter seventeen opens with Jesus, Peter, James and John on a high mountain, where he was "transfigured before them," and they saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus and heard "a voice from the cloud" say "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" As they later walked down, Jesus told them that they mustn't tell anyone what they had seen "until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead," and indicated that John the Baptist had been the second coming of Elijah. When they were back in the crowd, he drove a demon out of a boy and told the disciples that they had failed to do it because "you have so little faith." He also told them that he would be betrayed and killed, and raised "to life" "on the third day." In Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to them for the tax, and Jesus told Peter to go throw his line into the lake, and to open the mouth of the first fish that he caught "and you will find a four drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

In chapter eighteen, Jesus tells the disciples that "whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" and that "if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell." He uses the parable of the lost sheep to describe God's unwillingness that "any of these little ones should be lost." He tells them how to deal with a brother who "sins against you," giving him chances to repent and that "if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector," and then shares the parable of the unmerciful servant to show how God will treat those who are not forgiving.

In chapter nineteen, the Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce, and told them that "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard," and that "anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." Again, he told his disciples that "the kingdom of heaven belongs to" little children. A rich young man asked Jesus what he had to do to get eternal life, and, after confirming that he kept the commandments, Jesus told him to "sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me," which saddened him, and he went away. Jesus told his disciples that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," and they asked "who then can be saved?" Jesus told them, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Thoughts, questions, issues

I confess that the story of Jesus' transfiguration, complete with the presence of Moses and Elijah, reads more like pure theology than history. But all three of the synoptics have it, so it's clear that the apostles believed it.
I suspect that most of us, in chapter nineteen, read about the "rich young man" and focus on the word "rich." What strikes me today is the exchange where Jesus tells him, essentially, to follow the commandments and the law, and he replies that he has done so all of his life. So rather than think of him as "rich," I think we need to think of him as "pious." This is an observer of the law, a pious Jew, who has done everything that God commanded. Jesus tells him, in effect, "that's not good enough." This certainly isn't the first time - think back to the Sermon on the Mount, which consists, in several places, of "you have been told...but I tell you..." Jesus has been clear in all of his teaching that just following the law isn't enough. But here, there's an actual face put to it, an individual who has followed the commandments, and Jesus tells him specifically that it's not good enough.
Which of us cannot sympathize with the "rich young man?" Which of us would in fact be willing to give up everything? It's just as hard for us whether we're "rich" in our society or "poor." We all have worldly possessions to which we become attached, that we would never give up without great inducement. Indeed, if we were honest, we'd thank God daily that Jesus isn't here to demand it of us in person, because it's a lot easier to pretend that it doesn't apply to us when it's directed to a specific someone else.
I have heard/read many possible explanations for Jesus' comments about a camel passing through the eye of the needle. Among the plausible sounding:
- The "camel" is a large rope made of camel hair. Impossible to pass through the eye of a needle.
- The "eye of the needle" is a small city gate big enough for a man, through which it might be possible, though very difficult, to squeeze a camel.
- Literal camel, literal eye of needle. Clearly impossible.
While there may or may not be cultural or linguistic reasons to accept any of those hypotheses, I've seen nothing that makes me think it really requires that kind of analysis. It is clear, from the disciples' reaction ("who then can be saved?"), that what Jesus said, whatever the specific meanings of the object and the opening, was an impossible task. We cannot "earn" our way into heaven. It is only through the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that we can make our way into the presence.

Psalms 54

This is a prayer of David, a psalm of praise and supplication. He pleads for help - "Save me, O God...Hear my prayer, O God..." - and praises the Lord at the same time - "the Lord is the one who sustains me...in your faithfulness destroy them...I will praise your name, O LORD, for it is good..."

Psalm 54
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, "Is not David hiding among us?"
1 Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.

2 Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.

3 Strangers are attacking me;
ruthless men seek my life—
men without regard for God.
Selah

4 Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.

5 Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.

6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, O LORD,
for it is good.

7 For he has delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

05/07/10

2010-05-07T20:00:00.000-04:00

Matthew 14-16

Chapter fourteen starts with the story of Herod beheading John the Baptist at the behest of his brother Philip's wife Herodias' daughter. Jesus, upon hearing the news, "withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place" but crowds followed him on foot. "He had compassion on them and healed their sick." As night came, the disciples urged him to send the crowd away to find something to eat, but Jesus told the disciples to feed them. When they told him that they only had five loaves of bread and two fish, he prayed and broke them, and fed five thousand with twelve basketfuls left over. He then sent the disciples to the other side in the boat, and prayed by himself on the mountainside, then followed them by walking across the water. When they saw him they feared, but he told them not to be afraid, and Peter walked out on the water with him until he began to sink and cried for help. Jesus rebuked him for his doubt. When he climbed into the boat, the wind died down and "those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'"

In chapter fifteen, the Pharisees criticized the disciples for not ritually washing their hands before they ate, but Jesus called them hypocrites, and told them all that "what goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'" Later, he explained to the disciples that what goes in passes through, but what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart. In the region of Tyre and Sidon, he resisted the plea of a Canaanite woman to heal her daughter, saying that "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel," but her faith convinced him to grant her request. After another session of teaching and preaching on a mountainside by the sea of Galilee, he fed four thousand with seven loaved "and a few small fish."

In chapter sixteen, the "Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven," and again he told them that "none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." He told his disciples to beware the "yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." They thought that it was because they had no bread, but he rebuked them for their lack of understanding, and then they saw that he was referring to the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. At Caesarea Philippi, he asked them who he was, and after being told that "some say," he asked what they thought. Peter said, "you are the Christ, the Son of the living God," And Jesus blessed him, called him Peter, and told them that "on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Then he began to explain to them that "he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." When Peter protested, Jesus rebuked him for temptation, and told all of them that "if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" and "whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Everyone knows how hard it is to proof-read your own material. After you've written it and read it a couple of times, you cease to see what's actually on the page, and just see what you believe is on the page. In the same way, I've found it interestingly difficult to actually focus on three chapters of this gospel during a reading. As I've said, there is an awful lot of the bible which, though I've read, I don't know. But a) I've read the gospels several times and b) there is so much similarity between the synoptic gospels that reading them each twice is like reading one of them six times. Consequently, I frequently read a header, or the start of a sentence, and find myself sort of pretending to read the words but not really focusing on them.
I don't understand why he was resistant to helping the Canaanite woman. The notion that he came to earth "only to the lost sheep of Israel" conflicts with, well, pretty much everything else in the Gospels.
I commented, frequently, about the emphasis on the "lips" and the "tongue" in the book of Proverbs. It's exactly what Jesus tells his disciples and the Pharisees - it's what comes out, that which comes from the heart, that defiles a man.
When Peter tells him that he won't be put to death, Jesus responds exactly the same way he responded to the temptation in the desert - "get thee behind me, Satan." Peter is offering a temptation, a deceit that the easy path is possible, and Jesus knows that this is not true.

Psalms 53

I do not quite know what to do with this one. It reads as if it is trying to convey thoughts or ideas that aren't translating well. The start is fairly straightforward, but we immediately go from "the fool" to "they are corrupt and their ways are vile." Is "they" the plural of fool? Is it all men? The next verse does indeed refer to "the sons of men," but is that the same they as the first verse?

In some ways, it reads as a lament, as "everyone has turned away...become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."

Psalm 53
For the director of music. According to mahalath. A maskil of David.
1 The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.

2 God looks down from heaven
on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.

3 Everyone has turned away,
they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.

4 Will the evildoers never learn—
those who devour my people as men eat bread
and who do not call on God?

5 There they were, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.
God scattered the bones of those who attacked you;
you put them to shame, for God despised them.

6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

05/06/10

2010-05-06T20:28:00.000-04:00

Matthew 5-7

In chapter eleven, "after Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples," he went to preach and teach in the towns of Galilee and John sent his disciples to ask whether he was "the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" He told them to report to John what they "hear and see: he blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Later, he "began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent," telling that that "it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." And he told all that "are weary and burdened" to come to him and "find rest for your souls."

In chapter twelve, when they saw him and his disciples picking grain on the Sabbath, the Pharisees challenged them with violating the law. Jesus compared it to what David had done "when he and his companions were hungry" and told them that "the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" and continued to confound them by healing a man with a shriveled hand. He drove a demon out of a man, and when people said that he drove out demons through the power of the devil, he proclaimed that "every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined...If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself." And he told them that good fruit came from good trees and bad fruit from bad trees. When asked for a miraculous sign by some of the teachers of the law and Pharisees, he told them that "none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah...as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." And he told his followers that "whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Chapter thirteen begins with the parable of the sower, after which the disciples asked him why he spoke in parables. He quoted Isaiah, telling them that "this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." He then explained the parable of the sower, then told them another parable, the parable of the weeds, then the parables of the mustard seed and of the yeast. He came to his hometown and taught in the synagogue and "they were amazed," asking, "isn't this the carpenter's son?" But he did not do many miracles there "because of their lack of faith."

Thoughts, questions, issues

As many times as I've read this, I don't remember as many healings as I notice this time. I don't know whether they've all kind of "run together" in the past or what.
One of the very explicit acknowledgements in the Gospels of Jesus' true identity and mission is here in this passage, when he talks about the "sign of the prophet Jonah - the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
One of the intellectually dishonest aspects of the Jesus Seminar people, and any of the "quests for the historical Jesus" is when they throw out statements like this as late additions. They do so on the grounds that it was added by believers to strengthen the case, but once they throw it out, they use it's absence to argue that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God. That is, they don't believe that Jesus was the Son of God, they claim that every statement he made which makes the claim is spurious, and then they turn around and use the "fact" that the statements are spurious to argue for their original position.

Psalms 50

I've read this before, but didn't remember it. I don't remember any of the psalms being like this, which is essentially a curse, a condemnation - "Your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit. You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth." The note says "for the director of music," but it would seem to me that that has to mean something other than the obvious. I can believe this aimed at Saul or David, but it seems a lot of vitriol to be aimed at a (presumably essentially powerless) functionary. The target is called "you mighty man" and is said to "boast of evil...boast all day long." No, that's got to be David or Saul.

Psalm 52
For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: "David has gone to the house of Ahimelech."
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

2 Your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor,
you who practice deceit.

3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
Selah

4 You love every harmful word,
O you deceitful tongue!

5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
Selah

6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at him, saying,

7 "Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!"

8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love
for ever and ever.

9 I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

05/05/10

2010-05-05T21:49:00.002-04:00

Matthew 8-10

In chapter eight, Jesus came down from the mountainside with large crowds around him. He healed a man with leprosy, and the servant of a Centurion in Capernaum, without even entering the house, because the Centurion had "such great faith." In Peter's house, he healed Peter's mother-in-law of a fever, and then they brought him many who were demon-possessed and "he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick." Crossing the sea in a storm, he awoke and calmed the storm, while rebuking his disciples for their lack of faith, and then, "in the region of the Gadarenes," he drove demons out of two men and into a herd of pigs, which rushed down into the lack and died. "Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region."

In chapter nine, Jesus crossed the sea again "to his own town" and told a paralytic that his sins were forgiven. This enraged the "teachers of the law" who said that he was blaspheming, but Jesus rebuked them and told the man to "get up, take your mat and go home," which he did. Later, he called Matthew from the tax collector's booth, and he followed him. When people complained, that night, that he was eating with sinners, he said that he had "not come to call the righteous, but sinners." He compared his disciples to "guests of the bridegroom" when asked why they didn't fast, and later healed a sick woman and raised a dead girl, before healing two blind men and a mute. He "went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness" and told his disciples that "the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."

In chapter ten, therefore, he called his twelve disciples, giving them "authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness," and sent them out to "the lost sheep of Israel" to preach that "the kingdom of heaven is near." If any town or home into which they went was to prove undeserving, they were to "shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town" and it would "be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town." He told them that "the Spirit of your Father" would speak through them if they were brought before "governors or kings." He tells them that there will be conflicts, and that "all men will hate you because of me" because he "did not come to bring peace, but a sword." ""He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me."

Thoughts, questions, issues

In chapter eight, Jesus drove the demons out of two possessed men, and the result was that the townspeople "pleaded with him to leave their region." But why? Do they not realize what he did? Is the pressure of being in his presence too much for them to bear? Do they fear that his presence creates a "war zone?" I don't know. I think it likely that they were more frightened by a man that could drive out spirits, cause the pigs to stampede into the lake, than they were grateful to have their neighbors cleansed.
That ("they pleaded with him to leave") is the kind of detail that reeks of historicity. There's no obvious reason for someone to invent and insert it later.
By the way, who are the "Gadarenes?" They can't be Israelites, or they wouldn't have a herd of pigs, right? Is there a Jew/Gentile issue here?
Is this Matthew the author/compiler of the Gospel? Tradition has associated this book with that disciple, though we can't know for sure.

Psalms 51

This is one of the few psalms which we can tie to a specific event. Specifically, this represents David's repentance, upon being challenged by the prophey Nathan, of his sin in committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed. It is a cry of remorse and repentance, acknowledging the depth of his depravity and unworthiness of God's mercy. For those of us who have trouble with the description of David as "a man after God's own heart" in light of this story, this psalm represents the longing of a penitent spirit.

This is a psalm which I pray regularly, as our monthly communion at Park Street is preceded by a recitation.

Psalm 51
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

05/04/10

2010-05-04T17:32:00.002-04:00

Matthew 5-7

In chapters five through seven, Matthew records Jesus teachings to the crowd in the Sermon on the Mount. He starts with the beatitudes, compares Christians to salt and light, and tells them that he has come to fulfill the law, not abolish it. He tells them that the law forbids murder and adultery and divorce, but that it needs to actually go further than the acts to the feelings and motivations. He tells them to love their enemies and return good for evil. Chapter six starts with comments about prayer and fasting, a form to follow (The Lord's Prayer), and the proper attitude to take. They should, he tells them, be "stor[ing] up for yourselves treasures in heaven" and not fretting about the day to day needs of life, for "your heavenly Father knows that you need them...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." In chapter seven he tells them that they will be judged in the same way they judge others, not focus on others' faults but their own, and to be certain to ask for what they need, for "your Father in heaven [will] give good gifts to those who ask him!" He warns them about false prophets, tells them that not everyone who claims him as Lord will enter the kingdom, and finishes with the parable of the builders who built houses on stone and sand. And "the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority."

Thoughts, questions, issues

This is the longest extended passage of Jesus teaching in the bible. If you've got a "red-letter" version, virtually this who section is red, between an opening phrase at the beginning of chapter five and a closing phrase at the end of chapter seven.
It is also the extended passage with which I have the greatest familiarity. Obviously, this is Jesus' teaching, and if the Son of God came to redeeem us, well, we're pretty well obliged to listen to what he has to say to us while he's here. I've read this more than any other section (other than the 23rd Psalm or an occasional verse here and there) of scripture.
I've also got very little to say about this, simply because there is so much to say. I cannot give you, as I've tried to do, my "layman's first impression" kind of reaction to it, because I can't find that anymore. I know this too well, and I've seen and heard and read too many analyses of it. I've listened, many times, to an eight-sermon series that David Fisher gave on the Beatitudes, and a six-series sermon he gave on being salt and light. Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones' Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, which I've read, consists of 60 sermons, addressing every section of this teaching. My positions and opinions on this section, such as they are, have been deeply influenced in ways that are not true of my positions and opinions on other sections.
How many sermons have been given, for example, on Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"? Many, and that's just the first beatitude.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones position on the beatitudes influenced Dr. Fisher's. They both look at those descriptions and say, "the is Jesus describing his followers. These are the characteristics that mark a true Christian." But what does it mean to be "poor in spirit?" How does one "hunger and thirst after righteousness?" I know what the word "meek" means, but what does it mean in this context? There have been untold countless hours spent on these questions over the past 2,000 years, and there's no reason to suppose that there won't be far more spent on them in the future.

Psalms 50

In this psalm, the psalmist speaks mostly in the voice of God. Like the prophets, he conveys a message from the Lord. There's a brief introductory statement of praise, and then "our God comes and will not be silent." The psalmist then has God telling the people of Israel that they should "sacrifice thank offerings" but also that he has "no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens." In the last few verses, he speaks directly to "the wicked," condemning their sin and telling them that "you hate my instruction and cast my words behind you."

Psalm 50
A psalm of Asaph.
1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.

2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.

3 Our God comes and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.

4 He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:

5 "Gather to me my consecrated ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for God himself is judge.
Selah

7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.

8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,

10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?

14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,

15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

16 But to the wicked, God says:
"What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant on your lips?

17 You hate my instruction
and cast my words behind you.

18 When you see a thief, you join with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.

19 You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.

20 You speak continually against your brother
and slander your own mother's son.

21 These things you have done and I kept silent;
you thought I was altogether like you.
But I will rebuke you
and accuse you to your face.

22 "Consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:

23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,
and he prepares the way
so that I may show him the salvation of God."

05/03/10

2010-05-03T20:00:00.001-04:00

Matthew 1-4

The Gospel of Matthew opens with the genealogy of Jesus, from Abraham to David (14 generations), from David to the exile (14 generations) and from the exile to Jesus (14 generations). Matthew's genealogy traces Jesus descent through Joseph, who, though his father in the sense that he was married to his mother and raised him, was not his father through siring him. Matthew then tells how Mary "was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit" and an angel told Joseph not to divorce her. He did what the angel said, and "had no union with her until she gave birth to a son" whom they named Jesus.

Chapter two starts with the visit of the Magi, who came to where he was born in Bethlehem and gave him "gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." King Herod heard of the birth of the "king of the Jews" when the Magi came asking for him, and was upset, asking the priests "where the Christ was to be born" and being answered with the words of the prophet Micah. He sent the Magi to Bethlehem to search for the child, and they, after worshipping the child, and having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, "returned to their country by another route." After they had left, Joseph was told by an angel to go to Egypt "for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." Herod ordered that all boys in Bethlehem under two years of age would be killed. When Herod later died, Joseph and his family returned from Egypts and settled in Nazareth.

In chapter three, we hear the story of John the Baptist, who preached in the Desert of Judea, calling on men to "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." He baptized in the Jordan, but when Jesus came to be baptized, John "tried to deter him." He said to Jesus, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now," and John baptized him. "At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"

In chapter four, Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert where he fasted for forty days and nights and was "tempted by the devil." First, the devil challenged him to turn the stones to bread, then to throw himself off the highest point of the temple, and finally, to bow down and worship him, all of which temptations Jesus refused. Then he began his ministry in Capernaum, preaching the nearness of the kingdom of heaven. Beside the Sea of Galilee, he called Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew, then James and John, the sons of Zebedee. He went through Galilee preaching the good news and healing, and gathered a large following.

Thoughts, questions, issues

Matthew is the first gospel, the first book, in the New Testament, but it is not believed to be the oldest. Conventional wisdom is that Mark's gospel is the earliest of the gospels, and that both Matthew and Luke had access to it when compiling theirs.
There is tremendous similarity between the first three (commonly called the "synoptic") gospels, such that a cursory analysis might lead one to wonder why all three are in the canon. It's clear, though, that each has a different audience. Mark's gospel is plain statement of fact, unadorned, and early. It is aimed at an audience of believers, recording the story for them and for posterity. The other two synoptics are both history and evangelistic. Luke's gospel is intended for gentiles. And Matthew's is aimed at a Jewish audience. He is constantly quoting the Old Testament scriptures, everywhere pointing out how Jesus fulfills the messianic prophecies.
The nativity is better known from Luke's version, as Matthew does not record the census or the full inn and the stable. Nor does it mention the shepherds. But both Matthew and Luke mention the star, the Magi and the virgin birth.
The order in which the temptations in the desert are recorded differs between Matthew's and Luke's accounts.

Psalms 49

A psalm of ... what, exactly? It isn't a praise psalm. It's not really a lamentation. There's not a strong plea, or deep despair. It contains a realistic viewpoint on the temporal quality of earthly riches ("Do not be overawed when a man grows rich...for he will take nothing with him when he dies"), though there's a touch of Ecclesiastes, as well ("all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish...their tombs will remain their houses forever...").

And I still don't know to whom "the Sons of Korah" refers.

Psalm 49
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who live in this world,

2 both low and high,
rich and poor alike:

3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the utterance from my heart will give understanding.

4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;
with the harp I will expound my riddle:

5 Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me-

6 those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their great riches?

7 No man can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for him-

8 the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough-

9 that he should live on forever
and not see decay.

10 For all can see that wise men die;
the foolish and the senseless alike perish
and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their tombs will remain their houses forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they had named lands after themselves.

12 But man, despite his riches, does not endure;
he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
Selah

14 Like sheep they are destined for the grave,
and death will feed on them.
The upright will rule over them in the morning;
their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.

15 But God will redeem my life from the grave;
he will surely take me to himself.
Selah

16 Do not be overawed when a man grows rich,
when the splendor of his house increases;

17 for he will take nothing with him when he dies,
his splendor will not descend with him.

18 Though while he lived he counted himself blessed—
and men praise you when you prosper-

19 he will join the generation of his fathers,
who will never see the light of life .

20 A man who has riches without understanding
is like the beasts that perish.

05/02/10

2010-05-02T21:41:00.004-04:00

Ruth 1-4

The first chapter of the book of Ruth tells of how, "in the days when the judges rules," there was a famine in the land and a man from Bethlehem in Judah named Elimelech went "to live for a while" in the country of Moab with his wife Naomi and his sons Mahlon and Kilion. Elimelech died there, and the sons took Moabite wives, Orpah and Ruth. After ten years, Naomi's sons died also, without fathering children. When Naomi heard that "the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them" she set out to go back to the land of Judah. She told her daughters-in-law that they should go back to their mother's houses but they said they would go with her. She told them again, and Orpah kissed her good-bye and left, but "Ruth clung to her" and told her that "your people will be my people and your God my God." So they returned to Bethlehem, and Naomi told them to call her Mara, "because the Almighty has made my life very bitter."

In chapter two, Ruth told Naomi to let her go pick up leftover grain in the fields behind anyone "in whose eyes I find favor." She ended up working behind Boaz, a relative of Elimelech's. When he found out who she was, he told her to stay with his servant girls in his field, and told the men not to touch her. When she asked why he would show her such kindness, he answered that it was because of all that she had done for Naomi. That night she told Naomi that she had been working for Boaz, and Naomi told her that "that man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers." So Ruth continued working with his servant girls.

In chapter three, Naomi told Ruth that she should "try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for." She tells her to dress in her best clothes, to wash and perfume herself, and to go that night and lie at Boaz' feet on the threshing floor. She did so, and when he awoke in the night, she was lying at his feet. He blessed her, saying that "this kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor." He tells her that there is a kinsman-redeemer "nearer than I" and that "if he is not willing [to redeem], I will do it." He sent her out in the morning while it was still dark, and gave her six measures of barley to take back to Naomi.

In chapter four, Boaz speaks with the kinsman-redeemer, telling him that he has the right to buy Elimelech's property, but that if he does, Ruth comes with it, and he replied that "I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself." So Boaz announced to the elders and all the people that they were witnesses to his purchase, from Naomi, of all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon, and also that he was taking Ruth as his wife "in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records." And Ruth bore Boaz a son, Obed, who fathered Jesse, who fathered David.

Thoughts, questions, issues

Ruth is set during the time of the Judges, but there's some internal evidence that's dispositive in determining that it was not a contemporaneous report. For one thing, there's the story of the handing off of the sandal in chapter four which acknowedges a bygone tradition. For another, there's the genealogy at the end, leading to David.
As to why the book is there, it seems clear that the genealogy is the reason.
I've seen speculation that this was originally part of Judges, originally part of 1 Samuel, and a very late fiction. I've no way of knowing if any of those are true or not.
There are obvious echoes of the story of Isaac and Rebekah here. And both Rebekah and Ruth, outsiders who "married in," are in the human genealogy of Jesus.

Psalms 48

A psalm of praise. "Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise...Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness..."

I do not know which "Sons of Korah" this Psalm would be referencing in its dedication. Korah was a descendant of Levi and fore-father of Moses and Aaron. Korah was also one who rebelled against the Lord and was swallowed up by the earth in Numbers.

Psalm 48
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.

2 It is beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth.
Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
the city of the Great King.

3 God is in her citadels;
he has shown himself to be her fortress.

4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,

5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.

6 Trembling seized them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.

7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
shattered by an east wind.

8 As we have heard,
so have we seen
in the city of the LORD Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure forever.
Selah

9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.

10 Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.

11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.

12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,

13 consider well her ramparts,
view her citadels,
that you may tell of them to the next generation.

14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.

04/30/10

2010-04-30T20:00:00.001-04:00

Romans 14-16

In chapter fourteen, Paul preaches to the Romans about being accomodating to one another's differences "without passing judgment on disputable matters," instead being careful "not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way." He tells them that he is convinced that "no food is unclean in itself but if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean." They should not be overly concerned with others' dietary habits because "the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit...anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men." This continues in chapter fifteen with his exhortation that those "who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves." He prays that God will give them "a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus," and tells them that "Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." "For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God his mercy." He tells thems that he is convinced that they are "full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another." He acknowledges that he has "written boldly on some points" and he did so "because of the grace that God gave [him] to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles."

He finishes chapter fifteen by sharing his plan to go to Spain and his hope and intention of visiting them while passing through. At the time, however, he was on his way to Jerusalem "in the service of the Saints there." He urges them to pray for him. In chapter sixteen, he closes with specific greetings to individuals, such as "our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea." He warns them "to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned." He shares with them the greetings of Timothy and three of his (Paul's) relatives, and we learn that Tertius was the scribe who wrote down the letter. He ends with a benediction.

Thoughts, questions, issues

A wonderful sermon throughout, in this letter Paul lays out the fundamental beliefs of the church. Jesus died on the cross in atonement for our sins, and through his sacrifice, we are all saved for life with God. There's no question why this is such a treasured letter, and why it has pride of place as the first canonical epistle.
One of the things that I love about this epistle is the closing passage with the individual greetings and the scribal acknowledgement. It bears all of the unmistakeable accents of historical accuracy. And we know that Paul got to Rome in the early 60s AD, within 30-35 years after the crucifixion. This all makes for a compelling counter-argument against the position that the doctrines of Christ as the son of God, salvation through the taking on of sins for mankind and salvation by faith are late additions and corruptions.

Proverbs 31

The last chapter of the book of Proverbs begins with these "sayings of King Lemuel," and ends with an "Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character." The eight verses attributed to Lemuel are fairly standard proverbial material - "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute" - albeit too short to really make much of. They are clearly presented as things that "his mother taught him."

The Epilogue is as set of sayings on the activities and virtues which mark a wife as being of noble character, and the benefits that accrue to her and her family as a result of those activities and virtues. And, as the book started with the fear of the Lord associated with wisdom, so it ends, as the penultimate verse reads "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

Proverbs 31
Sayings of King Lemuel
1 The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle his mother taught him:

2 "O my son, O son of my womb,
O son of my vows,

3 do not spend your strength on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.

4 "It is not for kings, O Lemuel—
not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,

5 lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

6 Give beer to those who are perishing,
wine to those who are in anguish;

7 let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.

8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.

9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

04/29/10

2010-04-29T20:00:00.000-04:00

Romans 12-13

In chapter twelve, Paul urges the Romans to "offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God." They are not to "conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Then he instructs them, through the rest of the chapter, of what that means, and exhorts them to live that way. He urges them to be modest and sober of judgement, analogizing that each of them is like a part of a body, serving a function that the body needs, and together "in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Each man's gift should be used in God's service appropriately. They should "hate what is evil; cling to what is good...bless those who persecute you...do not repay anyone evil for evil." In this way, they will "not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

In chapter thirteen, he tells them that they should submit to the governing authorities, because "the authorities that exist have been established by God." He tells them to pay taxes if they owe them; "if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." They want to have no outstanding debts, except the ever-present debt to love one another. All of the commandments are "summed up" in that rule - "love your neighbor as yourself." And he tells them that the hour of their salvation "is nearer now than when we first believed" so they need to "wake up from your slumber" and "clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thoughts, questions, issues

Chapter twelve is a clear behavioral sermon. Do this, not that, think this, not that. It's like some passages of Proverbs, but he doesn't use metaphor.
I know that one isn't to pick and choose. But I think that Paul was just wrong about earthly governing authorities. There are a great many of them that have been, and should have been, resisted, not submitted to.

Proverbs 30

These verses are attributed to "Agur son of Jakeh—an oracle." And it does not read like much of the rest of the book. This is a prophetic section, not, as is the case of most of the books, verses of unconnected words of wisdom. Some of this is very interesting, as he keeps putting out lists of "three things...four things."

Proverbs 30
Sayings of Agur
1 The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an oracle:
This man declared to Ithiel,
to Ithiel and to Ucal:

2 "I am the most ignorant of men;
I do not have a man's understanding.

3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands?
Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and the name of his son?
Tell me if you know!

5 "Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6 Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:

8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

10 "Do not slander a servant to his master,
or he will curse you, and you will pay for it.

11 "There are those who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers;

12 those who are pure in their own eyes
and yet are not cleansed of their filth;

13 those whose eyes are ever so haughty,
whose glances are so disdainful;

14 those whose teeth are swords
and whose jaws are set with knives
to devour the poor from the earth,
the needy from among mankind.

15 "The leech has two daughters.
'Give! Give!' they cry.
"There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say, 'Enough!':

16 the grave, the barren womb,
land, which is never satisfied with water,
and fire, which never says, 'Enough!'

17 "The eye that mocks a father,
that scorns obedience to a mother,
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
will be eaten by the vultures.

18 "There are three things that are too amazing for me,
four that I do not understand:

19 the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a maiden.

20 "This is the way of an adulteress:
She eats and wipes her mouth
and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.'

21 "Under three things the earth trembles,
under four it cannot bear up:

22 a servant who becomes king,
a fool who is full of food,

23 an unloved woman who is married,
and a maidservant who displaces her mistress.

24 "Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:

25 Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer;

26 coneys are creatures of little power,
yet they make their home in the crags;

27 locusts have no king,
yet they advance together in ranks;

28 a lizard can be caught with the hand,
yet it is found in kings' palaces.

29 "There are three things that are stately in their stride,
four that move with stately bearing:

30 a lion, mighty among beasts,
who retreats before nothing;

31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
and a king with his army around him.

32 "If you have played the fool and exalted yourself,
or if you have planned evil,
clap your hand over your mouth!

33 For as churning the milk produces butter,
and as twisting the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger produces strife."

04/28/10

2010-04-28T21:48:00.002-04:00

Romans 4-5

In chapter nine, Paul tells them that he has "great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart" for the Jews that are "cut off" from Christ. They were adopted by God, they received the law and the covenants and theirs is the "human ancestry of Christ." But God's word hasn't failed, because "not all who descended from Israel are Israel," nor are they all Abraham's children, but the children of the promise are Abraham's children, those through the line of Isaac, and then through Jacob. But none of this makes God unjust, he tells them - it does not depend on man's desire or effort but on God's mercy. He suggests that God, as the creator, has the right to use the creation as he chooses, and that maybe some of those destroyed were specifically "prepared for destruction" to "make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory."

In chapter ten, he tells them that "my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved," but that they must have faith, because "the righteousness that is by the law" cannot save them. Then in chapter eleven, he makes it clear that God did not reject "his people." After all, he tells them, "I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin." The Israelites are not fallen "beyond recovery" but "because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious." He tells that though his ministry has been to the Gentiles, "I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them." He compares the Romans to a wild olive branch which has been grafted onto the root of a tree. But he tells them no to be arrogant, but afraid, "for if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either." He quotes Isaiah and expresses a believe that "God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." He closes the chapter with a prayer to God's glory.

Thoughts, questions, issues

This is tough to summarize. It's fairly dense theology, with some repetitiveness, but repetitiveness with subtle differences.
As I noted the other day, it's easy to see why this is the first epistle in the book. This is very rich, and, for the most part, not limited to any specific problems, but filled with theology, theodicy and praise that is applicable or relevant to all believers.

Proverbs 29:15-27

More on the power of the tongue - "Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

"The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy; he is put under oath and dare not testify." - A more modern take - "three can keep a secret if two of them are dead."

Proverbs 29:15-27 (New International Version)

15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom,
but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

16 When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
but the righteous will see their downfall.

17 Discipline your son, and he will give you peace;
he will bring delight to your soul.

18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
but blessed is he who keeps the law.

19 A servant cannot be corrected by mere words;
though he understands, he will not respond.

20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

21 If a man pampers his servant from youth,
he will bring grief [a] in the end.

22 An angry man stirs up dissension,
and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.

23 A man's pride brings him low,
but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

24 The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy;
he is put under oath and dare not testify.

25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

26 Many seek an audience with a ruler,
but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.

27 The righteous detest the dishonest;
the wicked detest the upright.

04/26/10

2010-04-26T20:06:00.000-04:00

Romans 6-8

Having just told them that "as sin increased, grace increased all the more," Paul starts Romans 6 by asking "shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase," and quickly answers, "by no means!" Instead, he tells them, they have "died to sin" and "just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." He therefore encourages them to "count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" and not to "let sin reign in your mortal body." He tells them that they are "not under law, but under grace." That is "by no means" reason to sin, though. They are now "slaves to righteousness" rather than sin. And the benefit leads to holiness "and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

In chapter seven, he analogizes their situation to that of a woman whose husband died. While he lived, she could not marry another man by law, but when he has died, she is no longer under that law. Likewise, the Christians have died to the law "through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another." They have been released from the law, from the "old way of the written code" to serve "in the new way of the Spirit." He tells them that the law is not sin, but it reveals sin, and sin "deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death." But the law is spiritual, and Paul tells them that he is unspiritual, "sold as a slave to sin... if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." He considers himself a "slave to God's law" in his mind, but "in the sinful natiure a slave to the law of sin."

In chapter eight, he tells them that "through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." The law was powerless to set men free, but God did it by sending "his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering." He says that those who live according to sinful nature have their minds set on sin, but those who "live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." They have an obligation, he tells them, to live according to the Spirit, which "testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." He tells them that their present sufferings aren't worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in them and says that all of creation "has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." He says that "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." And he introduces the concept of predestination, saying that "those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."

Thoughts, questions, issues

This passage contains, if I'm not mistaken, the first words on predestination in the New Testament. As always, the term raises questions. How does predestination exist with free will? If faith saves, can it save someone who hasn't been predetermined to be saved? If one is not predestined but then has faith, is the faith in vain? I'm not going to pretend that there are easy questions to any of these, despite the fact that people have been asking them, well, since Paul wrote this, at least. I am not a predestinationist, myself.
One can make a case that, if increasing sin increases grace even more, then sinning is a good thing. Paul is quick to knock that one down.

Proverbs 29:1-14

By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down....If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure

Those verses reference "kings," but it really works for anyone in a position of power. Success is much more likely when one is just and fair with subordinates.

Proverbs 29

1 A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes
will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.

2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.

3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

4 By justice a king gives a country stability,
but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.

5 Whoever flatters his neighbor
is spreading a net for his feet.

6 An evil man is snared by his own sin,
but a righteous one can sing and be glad.

7 The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.

8 Mockers stir up a city,
but wise men turn away anger.

9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool,
the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

10 Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity
and seek to kill the upright.

11 A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control.

12 If a ruler listens to lies,
all his officials become wicked.

13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:
The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.

14 If a king judges the poor with fairness,
his throne will always be secure.

04/25/10

2010-04-25T20:00:00.001-04:00

Romans 4-5

In chapter four, Paul continues his discussion of the importance of faith by citing Abraham, who "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." He contrasts justification to wages, which are "not credited to [a man] as a gift, but as an obligation." Likewise, he says, "to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness." He cites the psalms, where we are told that "blessed is the man whose sins the Lord will never count against him." And then he asks whether this blessing is only for the circumcised. No, he says, for Abraham's faith was counted as righteousness "not after [circumcision], but before!" In this way, Abraham is the father, not only of the circumcised (the Jews) but the uncircumcised, those who believed without circumcision. After all, "It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith." So the promise of the Gospel comes by faith, not by the law, not by works. "Jesus our Lord ... was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."

Chapter five continues, "since we have been justified through faith, we[e]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." We rejoice in our hope of the glory of God, but also in our sufferings "because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope." He comments on the power of Jesus' action, noting that one might occasionally see someone die for a good man, but "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." So "we have now been justified by his blood" and "reconciled to [God] through the death of his Son." So just as sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and death came with it, so in Christ all men are saved, "so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Want to know what Paul believed the Gospel said? You really don't have to go looking any further for it than this. This is very likely not the earliest epistle composed, but it's easy to understand why it gets pride of place as the first one in the canon. Paul, who was spoken to directly by Jesus, who evangelized the Gentiles, tells us that Jesus died for our sins and we are justified not by any actions we can take, but by the action he has already taken, and our faith in him. There's no sugar-coating here, no wishy-washiness or "mights" or "maybes." This is it, the Gospel, fully formed within a generation of the crucifixion.

Proverbs 28:15-28

There is a theme running through this set of proverbs. "He who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life...one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty...one eager to get rich will not go unpunished...stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him...greedy man stirs up dissension...who gives to the poor will lack nothing..." Note that the condemnation here is not to one who succeeds and accumulates wealth, for "he who works his land will have abundant food," but to those who are "greedy" or "stingy." Those who are "eager to get rich." These people are focused on the wrong thing. It's a focus on material wealth over the love of God.

Proverbs 28:15-28 (New International Version)

15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people.

16 A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment,
but he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life.

17 A man tormented by the guilt of murder
will be a fugitive till death;
let no one support him.

18 He whose walk is blameless is kept safe,
but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.

19 He who works his land will have abundant food,
but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

20 A faithful man will be richly blessed,
but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

21 To show partiality is not good—
yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

22 A stingy man is eager to get rich
and is unaware that poverty awaits him.

23 He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor
than he who has a flattering tongue.

24 He who robs his father or mother
and says, "It's not wrong"—
he is partner to him who destroys.

25 A greedy man stirs up dissension,
but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

26 He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

28 When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding;
but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.

04/23/10

2010-04-23T22:31:00.001-04:00

Romans 1-3

Paul begins his epistle to the Romans with prayers and greetings, and expressed a desire to visit the church in Rome. He praises them for their "faith is being reported all over the world" and tells them that they are in his prayers "at all times" and he prays that "at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you." He wants to see them to "impart to you some spiritual gift" and they and he "may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." And he tells them that he is eager to preach the gospel in Rome, and that he is "not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." Then he spends the rest of the first chapter talking about God's wrath, about those who "neither glorified him...nor gave thanks to him" and how they were fools that God allowed to follow their own folly unto destruction.

Chapter two continues on the same theme, and tells them that anyone passing judgment on another condemns himself "because you who pass judgment do the same things." Stubborness and unrepentence "are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath." And he begins talking of the law, telling them that "all who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law." Hearing the law doesn't make one righteous in God's sight, but obeying it. And those who do what the law says, even Gentiles who don't have the law, "show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts" and will be judged accordingly "on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ." The law only has value, he tells them, only for those that obey it, but those who have the law and break it are condemned as if they never had it. "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit."

In chapter three, he asserts that there is, nevertheless, advantage in being a Jew, because "they have been entrusted with the very words of God." God righteousness is even clearer in the reflection of our unrighteousness, but that doesn't excuse us for it - we should never say "let us do evil that good may result." But Jew and Gentile alike are under sin, and "no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law" but the law makes us aware of our sin. And he finishes the chapter with the argument that righteousness "comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe...we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law." And God is the God of the gentiles also, "since there is only one God."

Thoughts, questions, issues

One of the things that Paul does in the opening chapter is make the general revelation argument. "Since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
As I noted during the discussion of Galatians, Paul is the "faith" writer of the New Testament. It all comes down to faith with him, faith rather than works, faith rather than law.

Proverbs 28:1-14

The book of proverbs tells us, very early, that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." It's a theme that runs all the way through it, as we see here in chapter 28: "Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble."

Proverbs 28

1 The wicked man flees though no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

2 When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers,
but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

3 A ruler who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law resist them.

5 Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

6 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless
than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

7 He who keeps the law is a discerning son,
but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

8 He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest
amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law,
even his prayers are detestable.

10 He who leads the upright along an evil path
will fall into his own trap,
but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

11 A rich man may be wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

12 When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;
but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.

13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

14 Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD,
but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

04/22/10

2010-04-22T20:00:00.001-04:00

Judges 19-21

Judges 19 starts with a Levite taking a concubine from Bethlehem, "but she was unfaithful to him," left and went back to her father's house. After four months, he went to get her, and stayed for a few days at her father's behest. Leaving, and headed towards Jerusalem, he stopped for the night in Gibeah rather than a city of the Jebusites because he said that "we won't go into an alien city, whose people are not Israelites." In Gibeah, an old man welcomed them in to his house, but that night, "some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house" and demanded that the traveler come out so they could "have sex with him." The man sent his concubine out instead "and they raped her and abused her throughout the night" and she was found dead at the door the next morning. He took her body, when he had reached his home, and cut it in to twelve parts "and sent them into all the areas of Israel."

In chapter 20, the Israelites all demanded to know what had happend, and when he told them, "all the people rose as one man," saying that they would "go [against Gibeah] as the lot directs...[to] give them what they deserve for all this vileness done in Israel." The other Israelites sent men amongst the Benjamites demanding that they "surrender those wicked men of Gibeah" but the Benjamites refused. So the Israelites went up to Bethel and asked who should go in first to fight the Benjamites, and God replied "Judah shall go first." When the battle began, the Benjamites killed many Israelites durig two days of battle, so that the Israelites went back to Bethel to ask the LORD whether they should battle them, and the LORD replied that "tomorrow I will give them into your hands." They set up an ambush, and while the Benjamites thought they were winning as before, "the LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel." And the Israelites put all of the towns of Benjamin "to the sword...all the towns they came across they set on fire."

In chapter 21, the Israelites wept at Bethel, for "why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?" They had taken an oath not to any of them give their daughters in marriage to a Benjamite, but decided that they wanted to "provide wives for those who are left." When they realized that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp, they sent twelve thousand warriors to kill all of the men and all of the women who were not virgins in Jabesh Gilead. They brought back four hundred young women to Shiloh in Canaan, then sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites. They returned, but there were not enough women for all of them. So they told the Benjamites that they could kidnap girls dancing in the vineyards at the annual festival of the LORD in Shiloh. They did that, then returned to their inheritance and rebuilt their towns. "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit."

Thoughts, questions, issues

The whole book is summarized in the last line - "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit."
The language issue is a serious problem here. What, for example, does the word which is translated "concubine" mean? Because the Levite is then referred to as her "husband."
I mentioned earlier that I got some time with Dr. Hugenberger last fall about this book. It's this utterly horrifying story of the Levite's concubine which sent me asking questions. What is it doing here? What is the point? His answer made sense, but I don't believe that I can do it justice. Part of it, though, is that he believes that the story was recorded during the time of David and Saul, and that part of the point (and also with Micah's idols) is to praise Judah while condemning Dan and Benjamin and Gibeah, where Saul was from.
There's clearly an echo of the angels' visit to Sodom when the Levite reaches Gibeah.
The book opens with the Israelites asking who was going to lead into battle and the LORD answering "Judah," so Judah leads Israel against the Canaanites in the conquest. The book ends with Israel asking who is going to go first against the Benjamites, one of their own tribes, and the LORD answering, "Judah." During the reign of the Judges (when "Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit") they moved from attacking the Canaanites and taking the land that God had promised them to attacking one of their own tribes.

Proverbs 27:15-27

Nothing really leaps out of this set of verses at me today.

Proverbs 27:15-27 (New International Version)

15 A quarrelsome wife is like
a constant dripping on a rainy day;

16 restraining her is like restraining the wind
or grasping oil with the hand.

17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another.

18 He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who looks after his master will be honored.

19 As water reflects a face,
so a man's heart reflects the man.

20 Death and Destruction are never satisfied,
and neither are the eyes of man.

21 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but man is tested by the praise he receives.

22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar,
grinding him like grain with a pestle,
you will not remove his folly from him.

23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
give careful attention to your herds;

24 for riches do not endure forever,
and a crown is not secure for all generations.

25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grass from the hills is gathered in,

26 the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.

27 You will have plenty of goats' milk
to feed you and your family
and to nourish your servant girls.

04/21/10

2010-04-21T20:00:00.000-04:00

Judges 16-18

Judges 16 contains the well-story of Samson and Delilah. Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, and the rulers of the Philistines promised her great wealth if she could find out the secret of Samson's great strength for them. He first told her that if he were tied with seven fresh thongs, then if he were tied with seven new ropes, then if his hair was woven and pinned, but each time, when bound, he snapped the restraints easily. She kept asking, though, and "with such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death, so he told her everything." When he was sleeping, she had his head shaved "and his strength left him." The Philistines took him, gouged his eyes out, and took him to prison. Then they arranged a sacrifice to their god Dagon, and brought Samson in to entertain them. He prayed to the LORD to strengthen him just once more, and he pushed the center pillars apart, bringing the temple down, killing everyone there, as well as himself. "Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived."

Chapter 17 starts with a man named Micah, out of the hill country of Ephraim, who admits to his mother that he took the eleven hundred shekels that she was missing. He returned the silver and she took some to the silversmith and had made an image and an idol, which he put in his house, making a shrine. "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." A Levite from Bethlehem, looking for a place to stay, agreed to stay with Micah and be his priest.

In chapter 18, five Danites, looking for their tribe's inheritance. They stopped at Micah's house and the Levite priest told them that their journey had the LORD's approval. They went into Laish and saw that the land lacked nothing and the people living there did not expect an attack. So six hundred Danites started towards Laish, but stopped in Ephraim, and took Micah's priest, and his idols and household gods. Micah challenged them, but recognized that they were stronger than he, and let them go. They took Laish, and renamed it Dan. "There the Danites set up for themselves the idols... they continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh."

Thoughts, questions, issues

I'm sorry, but how dumb is Samson? Every time he tells her the false secret of his strength, she ties him up and calls the Philistines. What did he expect to happen when he told her the real secret?
Samson is the last of the Judges in the book. The story of Micah and his household idols is the first of the two epilogues I spoke of earlier.

Proverbs 27:1-14

Some of the things that are in this book make me chuckle. Like this one - "If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse." True, of course, but the kind of thing that seems almost too trite and obvious to be in here.

Proverbs 27

1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
someone else, and not your own lips.

3 Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
but provocation by a fool is heavier than both.

4 Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?

5 Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.

6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.

7 He who is full loathes honey,
but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

8 Like a bird that strays from its nest
is a man who strays from his home.

9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.

10 Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father,
and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you—
better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;
then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.

12 The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

13 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.

14 If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning,
it will be taken as a curse.

04/20/10

2010-04-20T21:55:00.002-04:00

Judges 13-15

In Judges chapter 13, "again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years." Toward the end of that time, a childless couple was visited by the angel of the LORD, who told them that they would have a son, and that "no razor may be used on his head" because he was to be a Nazirite. And when he was born, they named him Samson.

In chapter 14, Samson saw a Philistine woman and wanted her for his wife. While he was going down to Timnah to see her, a lion attacked and "the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands." Later, when he went back to marry her, he look at the lion's carcass and saw that bees had nested there, and he scooped out honey and ate it. When he made a wedding feast, he gave a riddle to the 30 companions he had been given, to which the answer was the honey, but no one could solve it. His wife pressed him for the answer, and he finally gave it to her, and she explained it to her people. They then answered it before the deadline, and he had to give suits of clothes to the 30 companions. He struck down thirty in Askelon and gave those clothes to those who had answered the riddle and returned to his father's home. His wife was then given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding.

In chapter 15, Samson went to see his wife and found that she'd been given to his friend. He was mad and got even with the Philistines by catching three hundred foxes, tying their tails together, tying lit torches to each pair of tails and setting them loose in the Philistines' grain. When the Philistines found out who had done it and why, they burned his wife and her father to death. Samson vowed further revenge on the Philistines. Three thousand men from Judah came to him and asked why he was doing what he was doing (because, after all, the Philistines were rulers over Israel.) They told him that they had come to tie him up and take him to the Philistines and he agreed as long as they promised not to kill him themselves. They tied him up, but as they approached Lehi and the Philistines came towards him shouting, "the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands." He grabbed the fresh jawbone of a donkey and struck down a thousand of them. He then prayed and the LORD opened up a well from which he drank, and his strength returned. "Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Samson's parents are told by the angel of the LORD that he is to be a Nazirite. This is the second time of three times that the term is used in the Old Testament. The first time it appears is in Numbers 6, when the Nazirite is described, and the third is in the writings of the prophet Amos, who talks about Israel's treatment of prophets and Nazirites. The Nazirite is set apart for God.
Obviously, Samson shouldn't be marrying a Philistine. The Israelites are supposed to have driven out the Philistines. Of course, the scripture says that the LORD wanted this because he "was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines."

Proverbs 20:15-25

Words, words, words - much more here about words.

I thinks this is an amusing verse: "Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own." Very descriptive.

And that frequent theme of the proverbs, "fervent lips...disguises with his lips...a lying tongue...a flattering mouth..."

Proverbs 26:17-28 (New International Version)

17 Like one who seizes a dog by the ears
is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

18 Like a madman shooting
firebrands or deadly arrows

19 is a man who deceives his neighbor
and says, "I was only joking!"

20 Without wood a fire goes out;
without gossip a quarrel dies down.

21 As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

22 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to a man's inmost parts.

23 Like a coating of glaze [a] over earthenware
are fervent lips with an evil heart.

24 A malicious man disguises himself with his lips,
but in his heart he harbors deceit.

25 Though his speech is charming, do not believe him,
for seven abominations fill his heart.

26 His malice may be concealed by deception,
but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

27 If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it;
if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.

28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.

04/18/10

2010-04-18T20:52:00.001-04:00

Judges 10-12

Judges ten starts with brief descriptions of two minor judges, Tola and Jair, who "led Israel" for 23 and 22 years after the time of Abimelech. Then Israel turned away from God and he put them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites. The Israelites cried out to God, acknowledged their sin, "got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD."

Chapter eleven tells the story of Jephthah, a son of Gilead by a prostitute, who was driven away by his legitimate brothers. But he was a mighty warrior and when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead begged him to be their commander. They promised that he would be their leader if he agreed, even after the battle, some he came to Mizpah and agreed to lead them. He sent word to the king of the Ammonites asking why he had attacked Israel, and was told that when Israel came out of Egypt, "they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably." Jephthah answered that Israel had requested passage through Edom and Moab and been refused, and so had skirted those territories and then been attacked anyway. "The LORD...gave Sihon and all his men into Israel's hands" and they took all that land. And no one had even tried to take it back in three hundred years. "I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me." But the king of Ammon ignored him. "Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah." He made a vow to sacrifice the first thing that came out of his door when he returned home if the LORD gave the Ammonites into his hands, which he did when he went to fight them. When Jephthah returned home, the first thing that came out of his door was his daughter, his only child. He cried and tore his clothes, and she told him that he must keep his vow to the LORD, but asked for two months "to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry." And when she returned, he did as he had vowed.

Chapter twelve starts with an altercation between Jephthah and the men of Ephraim. The men of Ephraim threatened to burn Jephthah's house down because he had not called them to fight the Ammonites. He called the men of Gilead together and fought against them. The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim and killed and Ephraimite that tried to cross. Jephthah led Israel for six years. The chapter ends with brief notes on three more minor judges, Ibzan (seven years), Elon (ten) and Abdon (eight).

Thoughts, questions, issues

Does Abimelech count as a judge? I'm not sure. In any event, it's easy to see the parallels between he and Jephthah. Each is the son of a prominent man, but not by a wife (and it might be interesting to do a study of what the difference is between the usage of the words translated as "concubine" and "prostitute"). Each is a warrior, shunned by the prominent man's other sons. But they certainly did not follow the same path.
The LORD told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, and he prepared to do so, but the angel of the LORD stopped him. No one told Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter - he made an extravagant but stupid vow, and while one can understand that he felt a need to complete it, it's hard to make much sense of this story. How does one honor the LORD by committing an act which is objectively evil? Was not one of the evils of the culture of Canaan the act of child sacrifice to Baal or Moloch? I cannot make this one work.

Proverbs 26:1-16

I'm not sure what to make of this:

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.

Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.

Yes, they are not directly contradictory, because the secondary clauses are not opposite. But the first verse says don't answer a fool, the second verse says, essentially, that you should.

There are several more proverbs by analogy in this section.

Proverbs 26

1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
honor is not fitting for a fool.

2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

3 A whip for the horse, a halter for the donkey,
and a rod for the backs of fools!

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself.

5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.

6 Like cutting off one's feet or drinking violence
is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.

7 Like a lame man's legs that hang limp
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

8 Like tying a stone in a sling
is the giving of honor to a fool.

9 Like a thornbush in a drunkard's hand
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

10 Like an archer who wounds at random
is he who hires a fool or any passer-by.

11 As a dog returns to its vomit,
so a fool repeats his folly.

12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road,
a fierce lion roaming the streets!"

14 As a door turns on its hinges,
so a sluggard turns on his bed.

15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven men who answer discreetly.

04/17/10

2010-04-17T20:49:00.000-04:00

James 3-5

In chapter seven, Gideon (who is also called Jerub-Baal, because he tore down Baal's altar) was told by the LORD that he had too many men, because if they defeated Midian with that many, Israel might boast of its own strength rather than the LORD. So Gideon told his many that any who were afraid should go home, and twenty-two thousand left, leaving ten thousand. The LORD told Gideon that there were still too many, so they went down to the spring, and separated "those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." Those who got down on their knees were sent home, leaving Gideon with three hundred men. That night, the LORD told Gideon to go down into the valley where the Midianite camp was and "listen to what they are saying." When he did, he heard a man tell another of a dream which they interpreted as meaning that God had given the Midianites and the whole camp into Gidon's hands. He divided his three hundred into three companies, and all took trumpets and empty jars. They approached the Midian camp and blew their trumpets and broke the jars and the Midianites all fled, and the LORD caused the men in the camp to attack each other with swords. The army fled and Gideon sent messengers into the hill country calling the Ephraimites to take the Jordan ahead of them. They did, and captured and killed two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb.

In chapter eight, the Ephraimites are resentful of Gideon not calling them at the beginning, but he praise their grapes and said that God gave Oreb and Zeeb into their hands, and their resentment subsided. As Gideon and his men chased the remains of the Midianites, they were exhausted and asked for bread in Succoth, but the officials refused and Gideon promised to "tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers." In Peniel, the same refusal was made and he swore to tear down their tower. Gideon caught up to the armies of Zebah and Zalmunna (two kings of Midian) and routed their forces. As they returned through Succoth, he punished the men with desert thorns and briers, and he had said he would. "He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town." He told his oldest son Jether to kill the two kings, but he was only a boy and afraid so he did it himself. Then the Israelites wanted to make him a king, but he refused, saying that "the LORD will rule over you." But he asked for one earring from each from their share of the plunder. He made all the gold into an ephod which he plaeced in his town, Ophrah, and "Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family." So during Gideon's lifetime, Israel had forty years of peace. He went home to live and seventy sons by many wives, and a son Abimelech by a concubine in Shechem. But as soon as he died, Israel turned back to Baal, and failed to show kindness to the family of Gideon for all that he had done.

Chapter nine tells of how Abimelech, son of Gideon by a concubine in Schechem, went to his mother's brothers and clan and asked whether they'd rather have seventy of Jerub-Baal's sons rule over them or just him, their own flesh and blood. The Shechemites agreed to follow him and gave him silver, with which he hired "reckless adventurers" and went to Ophrah and killed the seventy sons, other than Jotham, the youngest, who escaped by hiding. Jotham went to the top of Mount Gerizima nd called out to the people of Shechem a story of trees seeking a king, which ended with a warning or prophecy. He told them that if they had "acted honorably and in good faith" when they had made Abimelech king, "may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too!" But if not, "let fire come out from Abimelech and consume you...and let fire come out from you...and consume Abimelech!" And then Jotham fled. Abimelech governed Israel for three years and then "God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem." Gaal moved with his brothers into Schechem and he asked, "who is Abimelech that we should be subject to him?" News of this reached Abimelech who gathered his troops and took up position outside the city in four companies. There was a battle and Gaal and his brothers were driven out of Shechem. The next day, Abimelech took the city, destroyed it and salted it. He burned the tower of Shechem, killing the people who had taken refuge there. Then he moved on to Thebez, and repeated the process. As he tried to set it on fire, however, a woman dropped a millstone on his head and cracked his skull. He told his armor-bearer to kill him, so that it couldn't be said that "a woman killed him." "Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. God also made the men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them."

Thoughts, questions, issues

The citizens of Succoth and Peniel were not particularly accommodating or helpful to Gideon and his men, but it's hard to see that the response of killing them all is justified.
The story of Judges, again, is the repeated failure of the people of Israel to follow God. They are repeatedly seduced by the culture around them. And every time, God saves them, and then they turn away. Again.

Proverbs 25:15-28

This section features several analogies. "Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble....Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." I once heard someone in a speech say something that I like, and have thought of many times - "I like analogies, because they create a picture in the mind." We can understand intellectually that false testimony is bad, but we can also try to justify or rationalize it. The comparison to a "club or a sword or a sharp arrow" makes it a lot hard to rationalize away.

Proverbs 25:15-28 (New International Version)

15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

16 If you find honey, eat just enough—
too much of it, and you will vomit.

17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house—
too much of you, and he will hate you.

18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor.

19 Like a bad tooth or a lame foot
is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.

20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
or like vinegar poured on soda,
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.

23 As a north wind brings rain,
so a sly tongue brings angry looks.

24 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

25 Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.

26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

27 It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

28 Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control.

04/16/10

2010-04-16T23:03:00.003-04:00

Judges 4-6

In chapter four, we find out that "after Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD." (This is, of course, the theme of the book.) The LORD put Israel under the reign of Jabin, "a king of Canaan," who oppressed them for twenty years. Deborah, "a prophetess... was leading Israel at that time." She sent for Barak, the son of Abinoam and told him that the LORD commanded him to take 10,000 men "and lead the way to Mount Tabor." He said that he'd go only if she when with him and she agreed, but said that "because of the way you are going about this," the LORD was going to hand Sisera (the command of Jabin's army) "over to a woman." During the battle, "the LORD routed Sisera" and he fled, and stopped at the tent of Jael, wife of Heber (a Kenite). She gave him milk and put a cloth over him, then, while he was sleeping, drove a tent spike through his temples into the ground, killing him. When Barak came looking for him, Jael showed him lying dead on the ground.

Chapter five features the Song of Deborah, a song that Deborah and Barak sang praising the lord, and telling the story of their suffering under Jabin, the battle that they won, and the deeds of Jael. "Then the land had peace forty years."

Chapter six begins with, "again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD." This time the LORD raised up Midian as an oppressor, and "Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help." The LORD sent an angel to Gideon to say that "the LORD is with you, mighty warrior." Gideon was resistant to the call, saying that he was the weakest in his family, and his "clan is the weakest in Manasseh." The LORD told him that he would be with him. Gideon offered a sacrifice, and was afraid when "fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread." The LORD then told him to tear down his father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole, and he did it in the night as he was afraid of the reaction of his family and the men of the town. In the morning, when the others saw what had been done, they asked who did it, and investigation reveals that it was Gideon. When the town's people wanted to kill him, his father Joash defended him, ask "are you going to plead Baal's cause?" So "the spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon" and he blew a trumpet, gathering people to join him. He then asked the LORD to give him more signs, first asking that he leave dew on a fleece while the rest of the ground was dry, and then leaving the fleece dry with dew on the rest of the ground, each of which the LORD did.

Thoughts, questions, issues

One of the things about the judges is that almost all of them are people who are, or come from circumstances which are, unexpected. Gideon was the weakest member of the weakest family of one of the tribes, Ehud was crippled in his right hand, Deborah was a woman, but each was called and led.
It's interesting that, no matter how much evidence the LORD gave Gideon, he kept asking for more. Yet he is remembered as one of the major judges.

Proverbs 25:15-25

There's an interesting note to this passage, as these are alleged to be proverbs of Solomon, but they were "copied by the men of Hezekiah" who ruled much later. Were they added to a book late, creating the book of proverbs we know? Were all of the proverbs gathered in the time of Hezekiah? I seem to have a vague recollection of books of the law being rediscovered during one of the reigns, maybe Hezekiah's. It's something that I'll try to keep in mind when I get to Kings...

Proverbs 25
More Proverbs of Solomon
1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

4 Remove the dross from the silver,
and out comes material for the silversmith;

5 remove the wicked from the king's presence,
and his throne will be established through righteousness.

6 Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence,
and do not claim a place among great men;

7 it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here,"
than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.
What you have seen with your eyes

8 do not bring hastily to court,
for what will you do in the end
if your neighbor puts you to shame?

9 If you argue your case with a neighbor,
do not betray another man's confidence,

10 or he who hears it may shame you
and you will never lose your bad reputation.

11 A word aptly spoken
is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is a wise man's rebuke to a listening ear.

13 Like the coolness of snow at harvest time
is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the spirit of his masters.

14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.

04/15/10

2010-04-15T20:58:00.003-04:00

Judges 1-3

Judges chapter one begins after the death of Joshua, but immediately "flashes back" to the middle of the conquest. The chapter starts with the Israelites asking the LORD who would be first to go up and fight against the Canaanites and being told that Judah would go. The Simeonites went with them to fight for Judah's territory after being promised that Judah would help them fight for theirs. Judah attacked and "the LORD gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands." At Bezek they fought against Adoni-bezek who fled, but they captured him and cut off his thumbs and big toes, which he said he had done to seventy kings, and by which he also said, "God has paid me back for what I did to them." They took Jerusalem and then went to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country. After taking Hebron, Caleb offered his daughter Achsah to "the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher" and Othniel, his younger brother did so. (This story is repeated verbatim from chapter 15 of Joshua.) Judah took the hill country "but they were unable to drive the people from the plains." Likewise, "the Benjamites ... failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem" and "Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements" and all of the other tribes had people that they failed to drive out.

In chapter two, the angel of the LORD came to Bokim and told the Israelites that they had disobeyed the LORD, as they had not driven out all of the people. "Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you." The "people wept aloud" and offered sacrifices to the LORD. It then goes on to tell of Joshua's death and burial. "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel." It describes the process which is repeated throughout the book, in which Israel drifts away from the LORD, is punished, cries out for help, the LORD raised up judges, the judges save the people and they follow the LORD until the next generation after the death of the judge, and then the process repeats.

Chapter three starts with a list of some of the nations "the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan," which he did "to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience." The Israelites then "did evil in the eyes of the LORD" and he "sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim." After eight years, Othniel became Israel's judge and went to war and freed them, and there was peace for forty years until Othniel died. Then, again, "the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD," and he "gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel." Again he raised a deliverer, Ehud, who slew Eglon and led Israel in battle against Moab. "After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Unlike most of what I'm commenting on this year, I've read the book of Judges recently. I spent some time last fall reading it (as well as 1 and 2 Samuel). In addition, Dr. Gordon Hugenberger, who is our Senior Pastor at Park Street Church, a noted Old Testament scholar, and a man who is currently writing a commentary on the book, has been preaching on it for the past couple of months. Not only that, but he gave me twenty minutes of commentary on a very difficult passage at the end of this book last fall when I read it. So a) I have more background information on this book as I get into it than I've had on most of them and b) a lot of what I'll probably be saying is Gordon's interpretation. It will be much better coming from him, and I'm very much looking forward to the commentary, assuming that he can bring himself to consider it done and let it get published.
Structurally, the book has essentially two prologues and two epilogues, with stories of twelve Judges in the middle. It is placed historically post-conquest, as the Israelites have occupied the promised land, but before the establishment of the Kingdom.
The first prologue covers the conquest, and the failure of the Israelites to remove the various Canaanites peoples that they left in the land. It runs up through the death of Joshua at the beginning of chapter two. The second describes the process of repeated evil, subjugation and redemption which takes place in the book.
The book can be summed up by this line, variations of which appear in several places: "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit."
It is difficult to tell exactly where the flashback in chapter one begins. Certainly, the story of Caleb, Achsah and Othniel is a verbatim copy of the same story from Joshua fifteen. Whether it was a "flash-forward" then, and Joshua was dead when it happened, or a "flash-back" here, I don't know how you'd tell. There's enough reference to events which were, or at least may have been, previously referenced in Joshua, that my inclination is towards the latter, but I'm certainly not sure.
One of the reasons I believe that is that chapter two recounts Joshua's death and burial again. I believe that most, if not all, of the action from chapter one takes place before Joshua's death.
The story of Ehud is far more interesting than I made it sound. (The link is to a recent sermon from Dr. Gordon Hugenberger, and I highly recommend it. I am really looking forward to the commentary.)

Proverbs 24:23-34

This passage contains a couple of back to back verses that address things I've written of frequently or recently.

Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, or use your lips to deceive. Do not say, "I'll do to him as he has done to me; I'll pay that man back for what he did.

Proverbs 24:23-34 (New International Version)

23 These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judging is not good:

24 Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent"—
peoples will curse him and nations denounce him.

25 But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come upon them.

26 An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.

27 Finish your outdoor work
and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.

28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause,
or use your lips to deceive.

29 Do not say, "I'll do to him as he has done to me;
I'll pay that man back for what he did."

30 I went past the field of the sluggard,
past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;

31 thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.

32 I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:

33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-

34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man. [a]

04/14/10

2010-04-14T20:00:00.002-04:00

James 3-5

In chapter three, James talks about, well, talk. Like many of the proverbs, he spends time talking about the power of the tongue, calling it "a world of evil among the parts of the body" for "it corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire...No man can tame the tongue." He then writes of wisdom, both that which comes from heaven, "all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere," and that which is "earthly, unspiritual, of the devil" and is represented by "bitter envy and selfish ambition."

In chapter four, he encourages the readers to submit themselves to God. He tells them both that they do not have what they want because they don't ask God, and that when they do ask, they "do not receive, because [they] ask with wrong motives." He tells them that they must "humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." He urges them not to slander one another, and not to judge the law, for "there is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy." And he warns them not to boast of what will happen in the future, because, after all, "you do not even know what will happen tomorrow...you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

Chapter five starts with a warning to the rich because earthly riches cannot last. Particularly, those who have gotten rich immorally should beware "because of the misery that is coming upon you." He tells them that all must be patient in faith "until the Lord's coming," and repeats admonition not to swear, but to just say "yes" or "no." Finally, he urges them to prayer, in all conditions. "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

Thoughts, questions, issues

I think I already said this, but James is clearly a "works" guy, as opposed to a "faith" guy.
There's a lot of this epistle that just kind of "feels" like a section of proverbs. Yes, the form is a little bit different, but I don't detect much in the way of specific issues that he's addressing. There's some general wisdom, in little sections, and exhortations to be wise, control the tongue, and pray.
The end of the epistle is rather abrupt. I can understand someone removing a good-bye, I suppose, but it didn't really feel as if he had a message that he was conveying and he got to the end of it. It's as if he wrote out some thoughts that he had about the way Christians should be living and then decided to pass it around for everyone to see and share.

Proverbs 20:15-25

I commented the other day that it was not always easy to avoid the wicked. We get that admonition twice more in the first half of chapter 24.

Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble...Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

The injunction from verse 17, "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice," is probably even harder. Which of us hasn't felt it? And, more importantly, if our enemy is wicked, or evil, why should we not feel it? When the wicked stumble, is not justice being done? Don't we look at the consequence of sin and feel that God has taken a hand?

But when we do that, we overlook or forget or ignore our own sin. Which of us is really ready for, yearning for, God's justice over all of our actions?

This is not easy. But it is something that is not only here in the proverbs, it is something that Jesus told us. It's a struggle, a constant struggle. At least, it is for me. There are many sins I struggle with for which the struggle is, I'm certain, not shared by all. Likewise, there are some sins that are a mighty struggle for others to which I'm not at all tempted. But I really don't understand how someone could not be tempted by this one...

Proverbs 24

1 Do not envy wicked men,
do not desire their company;

2 for their hearts plot violence,
and their lips talk about making trouble.

3 By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;

4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.

5 A wise man has great power,
and a man of knowledge increases strength;

6 for waging war you need guidance,
and for victory many advisers.

7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say.

8 He who plots evil
will be known as a schemer.

9 The schemes of folly are sin,
and men detest a mocker.

10 If you falter in times of trouble,
how small is your strength!

11 Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

12 If you say, "But we knew nothing about this,"
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.

14 Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul;
if you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.

15 Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man's house,
do not raid his dwelling place;

16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again,
but the wicked are brought down by calamity.

17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,

18 or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from him.

19 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of the wicked,

20 for the evil man has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.

21 Fear the LORD and the king, my son,
and do not join with the rebellious,

22 for those two will send sudden destruction upon them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?

04/13/10

2010-04-13T20:00:00.000-04:00

James 1-2

The Epistle of James opens with greeting "to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations." He then encourages "my brothers" to "consider it pure joy" whenever they face trials because "the testing of your faith develops perseverance." He tells them that the positions of both the poor and the "will fade away" and that "blessed is the man who perseveres under trial." He tells them that no one should ever say "God is tempting me," for each is tempted "by his own evil desire," but "every good and perfect gift is from above." Everyone should be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger." It's not enough to "merely listen to the word...do what it says." And anyone who does not "keep a tight rein on his tongue...his religion is worthless."

In chapter two, he tells the believers not to practice favoritism, using, as his example, a well dressed man and a "poor man in shabby clothes." "If you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers." Because whichever part of the law you break, makes you a lawbreaker. And "judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful" because "mercy triumphs over judgment." In the rest of chapter two, he discusses the issue of faith vs. works (deeds). "What good is it," he asks, "if a man claims to have faith by has no deeds?" It is not enough to believe in the one God, because "even the demons believe that - and shudder." He describes Abraham's faithfulness as doing what God ordered when he bound Isaac - deeds, not faith. In the same way, Rahab is praised for her deeds, not her faith.

Thoughts, questions, issues

The Epistle of James was almost certainly written by the James who was one of the leaders of the first Jerusalem council (Acts 15). Some Protestant tradition holds that he was a half-brother of Jesus, a son of Mary, while Catholic tradition holds that Mary had no other children so he was a different James, and maybe a cousin but not a brother.
Paul made it very clear, in his epistle to the Galatians, that he was on the faith side of the faith/works debate. James is on the works side. That's the focus of the second chapter.

Proverbs 23:19-35

There's some practical advice in this section, with several warnings about the dangers of over-indulging in wine. There's praise of wisdom and fidelity and condemnation of folly and sexual promiscuity. In other words, it's a lot like many other sections of proverbs.

19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
and keep your heart on the right path.

20 Do not join those who drink too much wine
or gorge themselves on meat,

21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.

23 Buy the truth and do not sell it;
get wisdom, discipline and understanding.

24 The father of a righteous man has great joy;
he who has a wise son delights in him.

25 May your father and mother be glad;
may she who gave you birth rejoice!

26 My son, give me your heart
and let your eyes keep to my ways,

27 for a prostitute is a deep pit
and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

28 Like a bandit she lies in wait,
and multiplies the unfaithful among men.

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

30 Those who linger over wine,
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.

31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!

32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.

33 Your eyes will see strange sights
and your mind imagine confusing things.

34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.

35 "They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt!
They beat me, but I don't feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?"

04/12/10

2010-04-12T21:06:00.003-04:00

Joshua 22-24

After having divided the land, in chapter 22 the Israelites and Joshua say good-bye to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, who have taken their land on the east side of the Jordan. They had promised to participate in the conquest, and they had done so and returned home with Joshua's blessing, and admonition to keep the law of the LORD. As those tribes leave Israel, they stopped and "built an imposing altar there by the Jordan." When the rest of the Israelites heard this, they prepared to go to war against them. They sent Phinehas the priest to talk to them, along with a delegation of leaders for each remaining tribe, to ask how they could "break faith with the God of Israel...[and] turn away from the LORD." They responded that they hadn't built the altar out of rebellion and had no intention of using it for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but to act "as a witness between us and you and the generations that follow." So Phinehas and the others returned and praised God. "And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God."

In chapter 23, Joshua prepares "to go the way of all the earth," and calls the leaders of Israel together for farewells and admonitions, telling them to "obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left." Then, in chapter 24, he assemled "all the tribes of Israel at Shechem" and they renewed the covenant. Joshua recites for the Israelites the litany of the children of Abraham, how the LORD brought them out of bondages, how they wandered in the desert and how he had led them in the conquest and given them the promised land. He implores them to "fear the LORD and serve him with all fathfulness." He tells them they must choose who they will serve, but "as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." The people cried that they would also serve the LORD, and when Joshua warned that they would fail and he would not "forgive your rebellion and your sin," they still cried that they would serve the LORD, at which point Joshua said that they were witnesses against themselves, and they agreed. Then Joshua "drew up for them decrees and laws...and recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God." Joshua died at 110 years old and was buried in his inheritance at Timnath Serah, and Joseph's bones were buried at Shechem, and Eleazet diead and was buried at Gibeah.

Thoughts, questions, issues

I've read the story of the the altar ("A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God") a couple of times, and apparently it's either tougher to follow than it looks, or I'm even denser than I think I am, or I still haven't read it carefully enough, because I can't really explain what's happening there. I understand, I think, what the Israelites are upset about - they're inferring that the altar is going to be used for sacrifices where it shouldn't be, or possibly even to gods that are not the LORD. The logic behind the "witness," however, hasn't quite penetrated yet. I'll try again tomorrow, I think. For now, this is just another of the myriad passages that I don't quite get.
The passing of Joshua is a significant milestone in the history of the Israelites. For the first time since the LORD brought Moses to them to lead them out of Egypt, they do not have a prophet over all the tribes. There are ramifications to come.

Proverbs 23:1-18

"Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD." As is the case with so many of the proverbs, that's a lot easier said than done. We find it easy to be jealous of those who succumb to temptation, seeing only the pleasure of the temptation. We resent our consciences, and the rules that cause us to refrain from experiences which we would find physically pleasing. In the long run, I think, we can look back and be pleased that we've resisted, satisfied that we've done the right thing in God's eyes. Even that, though, can be little consolation, because we recognize how much and how often we've not done the right things.

Proverbs 23

1 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what is before you,

2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to gluttony.

3 Do not crave his delicacies,
for that food is deceptive.

4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
have the wisdom to show restraint.

5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

6 Do not eat the food of a stingy man,
do not crave his delicacies;

7 for he is the kind of man
who is always thinking about the cost.
"Eat and drink," he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.

8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten
and will have wasted your compliments.

9 Do not speak to a fool,
for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.

10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

11 for their Defender is strong;
he will take up their case against you.

12 Apply your heart to instruction
and your ears to words of knowledge.

13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.

14 Punish him with the rod
and save his soul from death.

15 My son, if your heart is wise,
then my heart will be glad;

16 my inmost being will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right.

17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.

18 There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.

04/10/10

2010-04-10T20:32:00.002-04:00

Joshua 19-21

In chapter 19, they finish dividing up the land, apportioning areas and towns to Simeon (which actually was within the territory of Judah, which had more than they need), Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and Dan. Finally, Joshua was given Timnath Serah "in the hill country of Ephraim." In chapter 20, they set aside "Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah" as sanctuary cities, as well as "Bezer in the desert on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh" on the east side of the Jordan. And in chapter 21 they allotted cities and pastureland to the descendants of Levi, the Kohathites, Gershonites and Merarites. They gave them forty-eight towns in all, each with the pasturelands surrounding it.

"So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled."

Thoughts, questions, issues

I really don't have anything tonight. Virtually the entire passage consists of lists of towns given to the various tribes and sub-tribes.

Proverbs 22:17-29

For the first time in a long while, there's something that makes it seem as if this book is aimed at, intended for, someone specific.

Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you?

Obviously, we've seen far more than thirty sayings, and there are far more than thirty left. Is there a specific reference here? A specific author and target reader?

Sayings of the Wise
17 Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,

18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.

19 So that your trust may be in the LORD,
I teach you today, even you.

20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,

21 teaching you true and reliable words,
so that you can give sound answers
to him who sent you?

22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,

23 for the LORD will take up their case
and will plunder those who plunder them.

24 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man,
do not associate with one easily angered,

25 or you may learn his ways
and get yourself ensnared.

26 Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge
or puts up security for debts;

27 if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.

28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
set up by your forefathers.

29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will serve before kings;
he will not serve before obscure men.

04/09/10

2010-04-09T20:00:00.000-04:00

Joshua 16-18

In this section, the division of the land continues. The first allotment discussed is that for Ephraim and Manasseh, the half tribes of Joseph. Manasseh was on the east side of the Jordan, Ephraim was in the promised land on the west. The division continued, with details on the boundaries and towns within different parts of the division. The division continued with Judah in the south, Joseph in the north, and the areas between to be determined by lots, and chapter 18 describes the portion of Benjamin in detail.

Thoughts, questions, issues

This section is a cartographer's dream. I'm not a cartographer.
There are a couple of noteworthy passages. First, the Ephraimites "did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor." Then, "the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor." This seems to be a clear violation of the LORD's instructions to the Israelites.
This passage also contains what I believe is the third reference to Zelophehad son of Hepher and his five daughters (Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah) and no sons. There seems to clearly be a message that the daughters are considered significant.

Proverbs 22:1-16

This - the sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!" - is an interesting verse. I don't suppose we normally worry about lions outside, but clearly the point is, someone who doesn't want to do something (like work) will find an excuse not to do it.

Proverbs 22

1 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

2 Rich and poor have this in common:
The LORD is the Maker of them all.

3 A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge,
but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

4 Humility and the fear of the LORD
bring wealth and honor and life.

5 In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares,
but he who guards his soul stays far from them.

6 Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.

7 The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is servant to the lender.

8 He who sows wickedness reaps trouble,
and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.

9 A generous man will himself be blessed,
for he shares his food with the poor.

10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.

11 He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious
will have the king for his friend.

12 The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!"
or, "I will be murdered in the streets!"

14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit;
he who is under the LORD's wrath will fall into it.

15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and he who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

04/08/10

2010-04-08T19:44:00.002-04:00

Joshua 13-15

At the end of chapter 12, the land was resting from the wars of the conquest. As chapter 13 opens, Joshua is "old and well advanced in years" and the LORD told him that "there are still very large areas of land to be taken over," including the regions held by the Philistines and Geshurites. The LORD tells him that "I myself will drive them out before the Israelites." The rest of chapter 13, as well as chapters 14 and 15, begins to outline, in detail, the allotment and division of the land, starting with Rueben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the Jordan.

Thoughts, questions, issues

It seemed as if there were two possible approaches to this material. One is to get a map, attempt to identify all of the spots named and draw maps. The other is to read it, recognize the time required for the first, and go on to tomorrow's reading tomorrow. I've obviously chosen the latter.

Proverbs 21:17-31

Man proposes, God disposes. Man plans and God laughs. "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD."

And again, one of the most frequent themes of the book- "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity."

Proverbs 21:17-31 (New International Version)

17 He who loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.

18 The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
and the unfaithful for the upright.

19 Better to live in a desert
than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.

20 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil,
but a foolish man devours all he has.

21 He who pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.

22 A wise man attacks the city of the mighty
and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.

23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself from calamity.

24 The proud and arrogant man-"Mocker" is his name;
he behaves with overweening pride.

25 The sluggard's craving will be the death of him,
because his hands refuse to work.

26 All day long he craves for more,
but the righteous give without sparing.

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—
how much more so when brought with evil intent!

28 A false witness will perish,
and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.

29 A wicked man puts up a bold front,
but an upright man gives thought to his ways.

30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the LORD.

31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the LORD.

04/07/10

2010-04-07T20:00:00.002-04:00

Joshua 10-12

In chapter 10, Adoni-Zedek, the king of Jerusalem, saw what had happened to Ai and Jericho and Gibeon, and joined with four other kings of the Amorites, the kings of Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon, to attack Gibeon "because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites." When the attack began, the Gibeonites sent word to Joshua at Gilgal, saying "do not abandon your servants." Joshua gathered his entire army and marched up from Gilgal, and the LORD said to him, "I have given them into your hand." The Israelites marched all night and took the five kings and their troops by surprise. They "cut them down allthe way to Azekah and Makkedah" and the LORD sent hailstones down on them which killed even more of them than the Israelite swords had. At the defeat of the Amorites, Joshua "said to the LORD in the presence of Israel" to let the sun "stand still over Gibeon...so the sun stood still...till the nation avenged itself on its enemies." After Joshua returned with the Israelites to Gilgal, he was told that the five kings of the Amorites had hidden in a cave a Makkedah. He said to cover the mouth of the cave with large rocks and guard it, and to pursue and kill the rest of the Amorites "for the LORD your God has given them into your hand." After destroying the armies, they brought out the five kings and Joshua killed them and "hung them on five trees." At sunset, they took the bodies down, threw them into the cave and covered the entrance with large rocks. And "Joshua took Makkedah...he left no survivors."

Joshua "and all Israel" move from Makkedah to Libnah, Lachish, to Eglon, to Hebron and to Debir, and in each city, "they totally destroyed it and everyone in it." "Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel."

In chapter 11, a similar scenario plays out with the northern kingdoms. Jabin, king of Hazor, many other kings of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites to fight against Israel, but the LORD told Joshua not to be afraid. So Joshua and his whole army attacked them at the Waters of Merom, and "the LORD gave them into the hand of Israel." "Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them...Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon." Then the land rested. And in chapter 12, there is a list of the kings and cities that the Israelites under Moses and then Joshua took in the conquest of the promised land.

Thoughts, questions, issues

I really don't have much to say about this. Everything I said about Jericho and Ai still applies, and these stories are essentially repeats of those. The LORD told them to go into the promised land and destroy the inhabitants, and that's what they did.
The impression one gets is that the time elapsed from the crossing of the Jordan to the destruction of the existing population that is covered in the last five chapters only took a few days. I suspect that that was not actually the case. But there's no perceptible and significant passage of time.

Proverbs 21:1-16

One could probably expound for pages on most of these verses. I like this one - "To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice." These proverbs date to Solomon, a time when Israel was very much under the law, and the sacrificial system was in full swing. And there's another "truth and tongue" verse - "a fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare."

Proverbs 21

1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD;
he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

2 All a man's ways seem right to him,
but the LORD weighs the heart.

3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
the lamp of the wicked, are sin!

5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.

6 A fortune made by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.

7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away,
for they refuse to do what is right.

8 The way of the guilty is devious,
but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

9 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

10 The wicked man craves evil;
his neighbor gets no mercy from him.

11 When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
when a wise man is instructed, he gets knowledge.

12 The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked
and brings the wicked to ruin.

13 If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,
he too will cry out and not be answered.

14 A gift given in secret soothes anger,
and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

15 When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.

16 A man who strays from the path of understanding
comes to rest in the company of the dead.

04/06/10

2010-04-06T21:44:00.002-04:00

Joshua 7-9

Joshua chapter seven describes the aftermath of the battle of Jericho. One of the Israelites, Achan (of the tribe of Judah) took "some of the devoted things...so the LORD's anger burned against Israel." Joshua, not knowing this, sent men to Ai to "spy out the region" and they returned saying that only a few men were there and two or three thousand Israelites would be sufficient to take the city. But when three thousand went, they were routed and chased away. Joshua "tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD" and asked the LORD why he had let them cross the Jordan. The LORD told him to stand, and told him that Israel had violated the covenant by taking some of the "devoted things" and that he would not be with them anymore unless they destroyed them. The LORD told Joshua to have the people consecrate themselves, and that could not "stand against your enemies" until they removed the "devoted things." The next morning, they went through the tribes and identified Achan as the man who had taken them, and he admitted that he had taken "a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels" and hidden them under his tent. Joshua sent messengers to get the things, and they returned with them, and then they took the things and Achan and "his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had" our to the valley of Achor, where they stoned them all and burned everything. "Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger."

In chapter eight, the Israelites destroy the city of Ai. The LORD told Joshua not to be afraid or discourages, "and go up and attack Ai." Joshua sent thirty thousand men out to set an ambush behind the city during the night and then marched on the city the next morning. The king of Ai saw the approaching army and moved out to mee them in battle "at a certain place overlooking the Arabah." Joshua and his men let themselves be driven back and fled into the desert, with "all the men of Ai" chasing them. Then the LORD told Joshua to hold his spear out towards the city, and the men waiting in ambush rushed into the city and set it afire. The men of Ai saw the smoke, but "had no chance to escape in any direction, for the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the desert had turned back against their pursuers." The Israelites surrounded them and "cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives." They destroyed the city, carried off the livestock and plunder, and burned the remains, leaving "a permanent heap of ruins." The king of Ai was "hung...on a tree," and then his body was thrown in the entrance of the city gate and a large pile of rocks raised on it "which remains to this day." Then they build an altar to the LORD on Mount Ebal and Joshua read "all the words of the law - the blessings and the curses" to "the whole assembly of Israel."

In chapter nine, the Gibeonites did not join the other tribes in making war against Joshua and the Israelites. "All the kings west of the Jordan" heard what had happened to Jericho and Ai, and "came together to make ware against Joshua and Israel." But the Gibeonites "resorted to a ruse." They dressed as if they had traveled a long way and went as a delegation to Gilgal and asked to make a treaty. The Israelites wanted to know where they came from even after they told them that they would be their servants. The Gibeonites told them that they had traveled "from a very distant country" because they had heard "of the fame of the LORD your God," including what he had done in Egypt and in the lands on the east side of the Jordan. Joshua made a treaty of peace to let them live "and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath." Just three days later they discovered that they were neighbors, and set out for their cities, but didn't attack "because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel." The people of Israel "grumbled" but the leaders asserted that they had given their oath by the LORD "and we cannot touch them now." Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and berated them for their deception, and told them that they were "now under a curse: You will never cease to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God." The Gibeonites told him that they had feared for their lives and were now in Israel's hands. So they did not kill the Gibeonites, who were made "woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the LORD...And that is what they are to this day."

Thoughts, questions, issues

There is some detail about the "devoted things" (a robe, silver and gold) but the terminology is a little vague. I assume that the silver and gold were in the form of idols or "gods" that the Canaanites worshipped in their religion, and that that's the source of the LORD's anger. But that may well be reading too much into it. Clearly (Joshua 6:19) all of the gold and silver were to go to the LORD's treasury.
The punishment seems a bit harsh, if not for Achan (though even for him it seems disproportionate), then certainly for his "sons and daughters." Is the purpose to "erase his name from Israel?" They don't say so, though there are other times when that, or avoiding that, is a motive for actions.
Joshua "hung the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening." In the Old Testament, there are references to hanging someone "on a tree" as a particularly demeaning or degrading punishment. This is another one of the cultural references that is hard for us to understand in the context of the crucifixion. We may think of it as a particularly brutal method of execution, but there is, or at least may be, a cultural level of degradation that we don't viscerally get.
There's a real dilemma for the Israelites with regard to the Gibeonites. The LORD was very clear that they were to kill all of the other tribes and ruthlessly drive them out of the land. On the other hand, they took an oath to the LORD, albeit under false pretenses, not to hurt them.

Proverbs 20:15-30

A wonderful image illustrating "honesty is the best policy" - "food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel."

16 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.

17 Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man,
but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

18 Make plans by seeking advice;
if you wage war, obtain guidance.

19 A gossip betrays a confidence;
so avoid a man who talks too much.

20 If a man curses his father or mother,
his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.

21 An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning
will not be blessed at the end.

22 Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!"
Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

23 The LORD detests differing weights,
and dishonest scales do not please him.

24 A man's steps are directed by the LORD.
How then can anyone understand his own way?

25 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly
and only later to consider his vows.

26 A wise king winnows out the wicked;
he drives the threshing wheel over them.

27 The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man;
it searches out his inmost being.

28 Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
through love his throne is made secure.

29 The glory of young men is their strength,
gray hair the splendor of the old.

30 Blows and wounds cleanse away evil,
and beatings purge the inmost being.

04/05/10

2010-04-05T20:00:00.001-04:00

Joshua 4-6

Chapter four of Joshua tells how the Israelites made a pile of stones after they crossed the Jordan. The Lord told Joshua to have one man of each tribe take a stone from where the priests stood in the middle of the river and carry it to the campground. There, they would pile the stones as a sign, and to tell their children that "the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD...and they are there to this day." When all had been done and everyone had crossed, the priests walked out of the river and "the waters of the Jordan returned to their place." They set the stons up at Gilgal.

In chapter five, the Lord commanded Joshua to make flint knives "and circumcise the Israelites again." The generation of men of military age who came out of Egypt had all died off, and they had all been circumcised, but the men born in the desert had not been. The LORD told Joshua to have them all circumcised, and he did, and they "remained where they were in camp until they were healed." After they celebrated the passover, while camped at Gilgal, they ate some of the produce of the land and "the manna stopped the day afgter they ate this food from the land." As Joshua neared Jericho, he saw a man with a drawn sword and asked if he was "for us or for our enemies?" The man replied that he was the "commander of the army of the LORD." Joshua fell facedown and asked what the message was, and was told to "take off your sandals, for theplace where you are standing is holy."

In chapter six, the Israelites take Jericho. Following the LORD's instructions, they marched around the city blowing the trumpets for six days, once per day. On the seventh day, they marched around seven times and then blew the trumpes while all of the poeple gave a loud shout, and "the wall collapsed." The Israelites "destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys." But the spies who had gone in to the promised land earlier went to the house of Rahab and brought her out, "her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her," so that they were spared while the rest of the city was destroyed. Then they "burned the whole city and everything in it" though they put the silver and gold and bronze in "the treasury of the LORD's house."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Reading chapter four in the King James version, it seems as if there are two piles of stones, one which is place in the river where the priests are and one which comes out of the river to sit in the campground. It didn't seem to make much sense, but that's the impression I got. That is not how the NIV reads.
The "commander of the army of the LORD" said the same thing to Joshua that the LORD had said to Moses on Mt. Sinai - "take off your sandals, you are on holy ground."
This is not the first military encounter for the Israelites, but it again raises one of the troubling aspects of the scriptures, at least from our modern point-of-view, and that is God's advocacy of total war and conquer by the sword. The idea that he has them killing even the women and children, while it might make sense from a strictly military point of view, or from a tribal dominance point-of-view, is something that we frown on. We pride ourselves in not targeting non-combatants, and the loss of life associated with the sack of Jericho seems cruel and wasteful. As I've said before, there are things that make us uncertain if we even want to worship God, and this is one of them.
And again, God' perspective is not ours. Our ways are not his (though we long to make his ours.) Certainly there are reasons, but it's not easy or obvious for us to see them.

Proverbs 19:15-29

I've commented, a couple of times, on one of the differences between Jewish and Christian prayers, that is, the idea in Christian prayer that one cannot justify oneself - only Jesus justifies us. There are prayers in the Psalms, for example, where the psalmist would seem to be demanding as his right God's justice, whereas the Christian would not. But here's a proverb in which we see the essential Christian attitude: "Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?"

Proverbs 20

1 Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

2 A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion;
he who angers him forfeits his life.

3 It is to a man's honor to avoid strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel.

4 A sluggard does not plow in season;
so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

5 The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters,
but a man of understanding draws them out.

6 Many a man claims to have unfailing love,
but a faithful man who can find?

7 The righteous man leads a blameless life;
blessed are his children after him.

8 When a king sits on his throne to judge,
he winnows out all evil with his eyes.

9 Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure;
I am clean and without sin"?

10 Differing weights and differing measures—
the LORD detests them both.

11 Even a child is known by his actions,
by whether his conduct is pure and right.

12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—
the LORD has made them both.

13 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;
stay awake and you will have food to spare.

14 "It's no good, it's no good!" says the buyer;
then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.

15 Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,
but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

04/03/10

2010-04-03T18:38:00.002-04:00

Joshua 1-3

The book of Joshua opens immediately after the book Deuteronomy, with the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan and having just mourned the death of Moses. God commands Joshua to get the people ready to cross the Jordan, and tells him the boundaries of the land he is giving the Israelites. He also tells him not to "let this Book of hte Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night...then you will be prosperous and successful." He tells him that he, the LORD, will be with him wherever he goes. Joshua ordered the officer to go through the camp and prepare the people to depart, and they did so. This included the men of the Reubenites, Gadites and Manasseh who were taking the land on the east side of the Jordan.

In chapter two, Joshua sends two spies into the land, "especially Jericho," and they "entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there." The king of Jericho had been warned that there were Israelite spies, but when he sent a message to Rahab, she hid the spies in the flax on her roof and told the men of Jericho that they had left, and encouraged them to chase "quickly" and they might "catch up with them." That night she told the spies that she knew that the Lord had given the promised land to the Israelites, and that "a great fear of you has fallen on us...all who live in this country are melting in fear." She pleaded with them to swear by the Lord that she and her family would be spared, and they agreed as long as she didn't tell anyone. She let them down out of the city on a rope through a window, and tied a scarlet cord in the window as a sign of protection. After three days of hiding in the hills, the spies went back to Joshua and told him "everything that had happened to them" and that "all the people are melting in fear."

Joshua and the people moved and camped at the edge of the Jordan from three days and then prepared to cross into the promised land. The priests took the ark of the covenant, at Joshua's bidding, and went ahead of the people. As soon as the priests carrying the ark stepped into the Jordan, the LORD stopped the waters, so that they "piled up in a heap a great distance away...while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah was completely cut off." The priests with the ark stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all of the nation crossed over.

Thoughts, questions, issues

The LORD said that he would exalt Joshua. In doing this, he used essentially one of the same miracles he had used to exalt Moses, as he "parted the waters." Yes, this was stopping a river as opposed to parting a sea, but the people, again, passed through a body of water on dry ground.
One of the questions as we read translations of the bible texts is how does the translation differ from the original? In the case of the older OT documents, there are significant differences that are unavoidable. For example, apparently there are only two tenses in ancient Hebrew which map to twelve different English tenses. This results, obviously, in potentially ambiguous texts. The issue I'm more interested in right here, however, is style. I thought to write that there are no obvious stylistic differences between Joshua and the books that preceded it, but as I started, it occured to me that I don't know enough to say that. Whatever the style of the original writers, it's an old language translated to a new one, mainly by the same people. The books are going to read similarly regardless of how different they may have appeared to their original audiences.

Proverbs 19:15-29

Verse 21 carries a message that has frequently been put, rather pithily, as "man proposes, God disposes." ("Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.")

Proverbs 19

15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and the shiftless man goes hungry.

16 He who obeys instructions guards his life,
but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die.

17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will reward him for what he has done.

18 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope;
do not be a willing party to his death.

19 A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty;
if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.

20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
and in the end you will be wise.

21 Many are the plans in a man's heart,
but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

22 What a man desires is unfailing love [b] ;
better to be poor than a liar.

23 The fear of the LORD leads to life:
Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
he will not even bring it back to his mouth!

25 Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;
rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.

26 He who robs his father and drives out his mother
is a son who brings shame and disgrace.

27 Stop listening to instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28 A corrupt witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

29 Penalties are prepared for mockers,
and beatings for the backs of fools.

04/02/10

2010-04-02T20:00:00.000-04:00

Galatians 4-6

Chapter four continues the discussion from chapter three about the inheritance of the promise to Abraham. He tells the Galatians that when "the heir is a child, he is no diffeent from a slave" because he is controlled by guardians and trustees, and that "we in slavery under the basic principles of the world" until that time when "God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons..." So, he tells them, they are no longer slaves but sons and heirs to the promise. When the "did not know God," they were "slaves to those who by nature are not gods." He asks why they would turn back to those times, and asserts that he is "perplexed about you!" He continues the heir analogy by discussing Sarah and Hagar, and how Isaac was heir to the promise and Ishmael was not, how "one covenant is from Mount Sinai [Hagar] and bears children who are to be slaves...but the Jerusalem that is above [Sarah] is free, and she is our mother." He tells them that they, "like Isaac, are children of promise."

In chapter five, he tells the Galatians not only that "Christ has set us free," but that "if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all." Those "who are trying to be justified by law...have fallen away from grace." He tells thems that the "were called to be free," and encourages them to love one another, not to keep "biting and devouring each other." They must "live by the spirit" rather than "gratify[ing] the desires of the sinful nature, for the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit." The acts of the sinful nature, he says, are obvious, and then lists many, and warns that "those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." The fruit of the spirit, on the other hand, he also lists and says that "against such things there is no law" and that "since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

In chapter six, he instructs them to "restore...gently" someone caught in sin, but also to "watch yourself, or also may be tempted." He tells them to carry one another's burden and "fulfill the law of Christ." He warns them that "if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself." Finally, he apparently wrote the last part himself instead of dictating, because he comment on "what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!" And tells them, again, that "neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation."

Thoughts, questions, issues

I've looked at a couple of things discussing the timing of this epistle, and its relationship to the first council in Jerusalem, and I don't know what the consensus position is. I can see it either pre-or-ante-dating, though it seems to me more likely that it predates it. Afterwards, it seems that there would like be less concern over the issue of circumcision, and that Paul might have referenced that decision in his letter. But I'm not at all certain.
The whole epistle is, in fact, an argument against circumcision. Not, I think, for any inherent problems with the procedure, but to avoid the symbolic victory it would represent for that faction preaching that Christians must also be followers of the Mosaic law. That was a pressing concern, a major issue, and circumcision was one of, if not the single, most visible symbol of the two different positions.

Proverbs 19:1-14

Verses 5 and 9 here are almost identical: "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will - not go free (5)/perish (9)." This is related to what I saw as the most prominent theme in chapter 18, and which we see again at the start of 19, "the tongue has the power of life and death..."

Proverbs 19

1 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless
than a fool whose lips are perverse.

2 It is not good to have zeal without knowledge,
nor to be hasty and miss the way.

3 A man's own folly ruins his life,
yet his heart rages against the LORD.

4 Wealth brings many friends,
but a poor man's friend deserts him.

5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who pours out lies will not go free.

6 Many curry favor with a ruler,
and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.

7 A poor man is shunned by all his relatives—
how much more do his friends avoid him!
Though he pursues them with pleading,
they are nowhere to be found. [a]

8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;
he who cherishes understanding prospers.

9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who pours out lies will perish.

10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury—
how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

11 A man's wisdom gives him patience;
it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

12 A king's rage is like the roar of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.

13 A foolish son is his father's ruin,
and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.

14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,
but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

04/01/10

2010-04-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

Galatians 1-3

Galatians is a letter that Paul wrote to the church Galatia. Which church, specifically, this epistle was aimed at is a matter for debate (there is a "north theory" and a "south theory"), but geographically, it was somewhere in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, and dates to somewhere between 49 and 62 AD. After opening greetings, Paul immediately expresses surprise and disappointment that the Galatians are "so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel." He tells them that if he were "still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ," and that anyone teaching a different gospel, even "angel from heaven," should be condemned. The gospel he preached to them was "not something that man made up" but he "received it by revelation from Jesus Christ." He reminds them of his conversion story, and tells them that he didn't go to Jerusalem to meet Peter or see any of the other apostles until "after three years."

In chapter two, he talks about going to Jerusalem fourteen years later with Barnabas and Titus, and "set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles...privately to those who seemed to be leaders." And that "those who seemed to be important...added nothing to my message," recognizing that he "had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews." He then relates a story of Peter coming to Antioch and eating with the Genitles, then "draw[ing] back and separat[ing] himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group." Paul said that he had "opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong." Paul insists that "a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ..for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Chapter three continues the discussion of faith and the observance of the Mosaic law. Paul challenges them on how they received the holy spirit, "by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?" He chastises them for "trying to attain your goal by human effort." He tells them that those who believe "are children of Abraham," who "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." He reminds them that God told Abraham that "all nations will be blessed through you." He tells them that those relying on observing the law are "under a curse" and that "no one is justified before God by the law." He points out to them that a human covenant, once established, cannot be "set aside or add[ed] to." He then says that the promise to Abraham, the covenant established by God, was to "Abraham and his seed" rather than "seeds." The promise, therefore, is not for many but for one, "who is Christ." He goes on to explain that by this he means that the law "introduced 430 years later" does not set aside the Abrahamic covenant or do away with the promise, "for if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise." The law, he tells them, "was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come." But clearly, the law cannot be "opposed to the promises of God." No, he tells them, "the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law." And he tells them that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Thoughts, questions, issues

I'm certain that people have strong understandings or at least theories, about the "different gospel" that Paul refers to. I haven't done the research to address that question, so I don't know exactly what the context of the epistle is. Clearly, Paul has received reports which concern him about the behavior of some in the churches that he's planted.
Having read through the first half of the book, it seems exceedingly likely to me that the "different gospel" which concerns Paul is a gospel of salvation through works and the law. I still don't know the source of that gospel, but I think it's reasonable to assume, based on what he writes, that that is the issue.

And as you read this, you'll see that I write some of the comments before I get to the end of the reading and digest it all...
As we saw in Acts, one of the early conflicts in the church was whether the Gospel was for those who lived by the law of Moses or for everyone, and whether Gentile converts needed to be circumcised and follow the dietary laws. Some said yes, others no, and the conflict between those groups can be seen in this epistle, in the story of Peter in Antioch.
Another conflict, and not just in the early church, is between "faith" and "works." Paul is clearly, and very explicitly in this epistle, on the "faith" side of that argument. "If a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law."
Paul tells the Galatians that ""no one is justified before God by the law," which is something I've mentioned a couple of times when discussing various psalms. The psalmist, on occasion, would justify himself before God "by the law," while Christians do not believe that is possible.
It's not immediately obvious to me how to harmonize Paul's contention that "now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law" with Jesus' statement that "until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." I guess one could argue that the resurrection "accomplished everything" that needed to be accomplished, but whether that would have been Paul's contention or not, I've no idea.

Proverbs 18

Back to proverbs, and again, it's difficult to speak about passages or chapters. This particular set of verses does have a theme which appears in many of them, though.

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions...The words of a man's mouth are deep waters... A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts. He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame...The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him...The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Emphasis mine, and I think it's the takeaway from this set of verses. The world we have been given is one in which communication takes place between people, interaction between people, via verbal communication. This was truer in the days before the press, of course, but it remains true today. What we say has an enormous impact on the people around us, and on ourselves. "The tongue has the power of life and death..."

03/30/10

2010-03-30T20:00:00.000-04:00

Deuteronomy 31-34

In Deuteronomy 31, Moses tells the Israelites that "I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you." He tells them that the LORD has told him that he will not cross the Jordan. He then tells that Joshua will lead them and that "your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Moses wrote down the law and gave it to the priests "and to all the elders of Israel," and told that every seven years during the feast of Tabernacles they should assemble all the people and "read this law before them in their hearing" because "their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." Moses and Joshua went into the tent of Meeting, and the LORD commissioned Joshua. Then the LORD told Moses that he was "going to rest with [his] fathers" and that the Israelites would "soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering." He taught Moses a song to write down and "teach...to the Israelites and have them sing it so that it may be a witness for me against them." Moses wrote "in a book the words of this law from beginning to end" and gave it to the Levites to carry inside the ark of the covenant.

And in chapter 32, Moses "recited the words of this song from beginning to end." The song praises the Lord, repeatedly calls him "the rock," and condemns the people who have "acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation." It is a song of both praise and judgement. Then, that same day, the LORD told Moses to go up to Mount Nebo in Moas and view Canaan, and then he would die and "be gathered to [his] people," just like Aaron died on Mount Hor, because they "broke faith" with God at the waters of Meribah Kadesh.

In chapter 33, Moses blesses the tribes of Israel, each tribe by name. Then, in chapter 34, Moses climbed Mount Nebo, "to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho," and the LORD "showed him the whole land" and told him it was "the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." And Moses died and was buring in the valley "opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is." he was one hundred and twenty years old "yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone." The Israelites grieved for thirty days. And after that, Joshua "was filled with the spirit of wisdom" and the Israelites "listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Moses's song would fit right in the book of Isaiah or Jeremiah, no questions asked. Parts of it would fit in Psalms, too. There is a common theme running through the Old Testament, and that is how badly the Israelites have strayed from God, no matter what he does for them.
I've heard it said that the chapters had to be written by someone else, because Moses died, but I don't see any need for change in authorship. The whole Pentateuch is written in third person, and if Moses wrote some of the law specifically himself with his own hand, it seems doubtful that he would have written it all. Surely, there were scribes accessible to him, and whoever put the words down in "the book," they were certainly about Moses and with his cooperation and approval, until the last chapter. But that doesn't mean that there was any scribal change or significant difference in the way the last chapter was recorded. After all, it just says, essentially, "Moses died, the Israelites grieved, Joshua took over."
Whatever else one wants to say about the relationship between God and the Israelites, one cannot say that they didn't get proper warning. Over and over and over again they were told what to do and what not to do. And over and over and over again they neglected the former and performed the latter.

Psalms 47

A psalm of praise. Unadulterated and exuberant, uninhibited praise of the Lord. The kind of praise we should be giving every day!

Psalm 47
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.

2 How awesome is the LORD Most High,
the great King over all the earth!

3 He subdued nations under us,
peoples under our feet.

4 He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
Selah

5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.

7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.

8 God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.

9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.

03/26/10

2010-03-26T23:04:00.002-04:00

Deuteronomy 27-30

As Deuteronomy moves into chapter 27, there's a change in voice, as Moses is now joined by "the elders of Israel" in commanding the people. Together, they tell them to keep all of the commands that they are giving them, and they tell them that, when they cross the Jordan, they are to set up some large stones on Mount Ebal, plaster them and write the words of the law on them. They should also build an altar there and "offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God." Moses then told them that the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin were to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, and the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali were to stand on Mount Ebal and pronounce curses on the people. And there were a list of curses for the Levites to recite, after each of which "all the people shall say, 'Amen!'" This is followed, in chapter 28, with a list of more blessings which would accrue to them for obedience to God's law, and a list of more curses which would befall them for failure to obey God's law.

In chapter 29, the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, "in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb." Moses reminds them of the things that they have seen, the way that the LORD brought them out of Egypt. He reminds them of their victory over Sihon and Og, and how they took their land and vave it to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. He tells them to "carefully follow the terms of the covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do." He makes it clear that the covenant is generational so that "I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God but also with those who are not here today." They must be careful not worship the pagan gods of other nations. A person who does "invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, 'I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.' This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. The LORD will never be willing to forgive him." Disaster will come if they do not obey and they will be made an example of "because this people abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers." And, in chapter 30, he continues to bless them with properity if they obey the covenant, and to curse them if they turn away. "I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Not content commentary, but this is, I think, the longest single reading thus far. Four chapters, one of which covers 68 verses, this is a total of nearly 4000 words in the NIV.
The list of curses in chapter 28 is significantly longer than the list of blessings. Most of them ended up coming true.

Psalms 46

A praise psalm, with apocalyptic imagery to emphasize the faith that the psalmist has in the LORD. we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging...he LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."

Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields [b] with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

03/25/10

2010-03-25T20:00:00.002-04:00

Deuteronomy 23-26

Deuteronomy 23 addresses people who are to be excluded from "the assembly of the LORD," including those who have been "emasculated" ("he that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off" [KJV]), those of illegitimate birth (and their descendants), and Ammonites and Moabites. Edomites ("he is your brother") and Egyptians ("you lived as an alien in his country") are not to be "abhorred."

The next few verses deal with the issue of "uncleanness" when "encamped against your enemies," as the laws and regulations on uncleanness all deal with the tabernacle, and when encamped, they are some distance from it. They must set up a place outside the camp to relieve themselves, and they must keep the camp holy so that the LORD "will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you." The reset of the chapter contains some miscellaneous laws, including injunctions not to hand slaves back to their masters, not to become shrine prostitutes and not to practice usury with your "brother Israelite."

In chapters 24 and 25, the set of short and miscellaneous regulations continue, including the means and mechanisms for divorce, requirements that a recently married man "be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married" for one year, not to take millstones as security for a debt, to follow the priestly laws in the case of leprous diseases. There are a couple of these regulations aimed at protecting the "poor and needy...the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this." Disputes must go to court and judges decide the case, flogging must not include more than forth lashes, a man who's brother dies must "take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law" and "the first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel." They must use honest weights and honest scales and "blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."

Deuteronomy 26 is another reminder passage. First, he reminds the Israelites that the firstfruits of the harvest must be given to the LORD. They must set apart a tenth of all their produce in the third year to give to the Levite and the unfortunate. And again, he tells them of their obligation to follw the LORD's commands, "carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Every verse in chapter 24 could be a sermon source. And probably has been at some point. There's a reason that the Talmud is much, much longer than the Torah. It's been said that God's law boils down to "love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Everything else is commentary." This section is commentary. It contains specific rules and regulations for that society in that place at that time, based on the more timeless principles of the Ten Commandments.
I'm sorry, this one just made me laugh.
If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity. (Dt 25:11-12)
What the issue is here, I really have no idea. Is it purity/uncleanness? Womanly modesty? Is it considered grossly dangerous or unfair to attack a man that way? I don't know what to make of this one at all, but it made me laugh anyway. (Remember, this is Moses, not the LORD.)

Psalms 45

Another psalm with a tune specified.

This is interesting in that it is not really a prayer. There are a couple of verses praising God, but this is, well, a wedding song. I've never noticed it before, and it seems rather odd that it's in that book.

Psalm 45
For the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. A wedding song.
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,
since God has blessed you forever.

3 Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one;
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.

4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness;
let your right hand display awesome deeds.

5 Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies;
let the nations fall beneath your feet.

6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.

7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.

8 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
from palaces adorned with ivory
the music of the strings makes you glad.

9 Daughters of kings are among your honored women;
at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.

10 Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear:
Forget your people and your father's house.

11 The king is enthralled by your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.

12 The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift,
men of wealth will seek your favor.

13 All glorious is the princess within her chamber ;
her gown is interwoven with gold.

14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king;
her virgin companions follow her
and are brought to you.

15 They are led in with joy and gladness;
they enter the palace of the king.

16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princes throughout the land.

17 I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;
therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.

03/24/10

2010-03-24T20:00:00.000-04:00

Deuteronomy 20-22

Deuteronomy 20 contains instructions from Moses to the Israelites on behavior when going to war. He urges them not to be afraid, even against "an army greater than yours" because God "will be with you." He outlines some of the things for the officers to say to get the right troops in the right attitude and then tells them that when they go to attack a city, they should first make an offer of peace. If the inhabitants accept, then they will be subject to the will of the Israelites. If they refuse, kill all the men and take the women and children, and goods, as plunder. This only applies to distant cities however, as the cities in the nations that God is giving the Israelites, those of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, are to be utterly destroyed - "do not leave alive anything that breathes."

Deuteronomy 21 and 22 have several different shorter sections of law. First, there are instructions for dealing with a slain man outside of a city "if it is not known who killed him." The elders of the town closest to the body must make a sacrifice and declare, "our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done" in atonement. Then, there are instructions related to capturing an enemy woman and marrying her after her period of mourning. The Israelite must "let her go wherever she wishes" is he doesn't want to keep her as a wife, because "since you have dishonored her." A man with two wives must honor his first-born son with the birthright (double portion) of the firstborn even if he prefers the other wife to the first-born's mother. A rebellious son, who will not obey his parents' discipline, can be taken to the elders and then stoned to death by the community, for "you must purge the evil from among you." And anyone put to death and hanged on a tree must not be left overnight, but buried the same day, "because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse."

Chapter 22 starts with several verses of law which do not appear to have a signficant common theme, including laws forbidding cross-dressing, taking mother birds, planting two kinds of seed in your vineyard, wearing wool and linen woven together and yoking an ox and a donkey together. Positive laws include requirements to help "if you see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen on road," to build a parapet around the roof of a new house so that no one will fall from the roof, and to wear tassels on the corners of a cloak. The rest of the chapter gets back to marriage and sexual matters, including dealing with various forms of adultery. For all of the concern about double standards (which might include the section in this chapter on female virginity), "if a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die." There's another interesting regulation on rape, whereas an unmarried girl is raped in a town, they are both to be stoned, because she could have yelled, but if an unmarried girl is raped in the country, "only the man who has one this shall die," the girl "has committed no sin deserving death...though the betrothed girl screamed, there was no one to rescue her."

Thoughts, questions, issues

The instructions with regard to the Canaanite tribes are harsh and unambiguous. There is obviously a great concern about the example that those tribes will set, the influence they may have on the Israelites, if they are not destroyed.
The passage on unsolved murders is very interesting. Murders form, for many of us, a high percentage of our entertainment, because there's always (or almost always) a clear right or wrong resolution. So we're very interested in "whodunnit," in books and movies and television shows. There is no consideration in this section whatsoever for "whodunnit." The primary concern is that someone needs to take responsibility for making the appropriate sacrifices. I'm positive that there's a good theological statement to be made here, based on it, but I'm not sure what it is at the moment.
The crucifixion had special meaning for the Jews, because "anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse." In this way, Jesus takes God's curse for all of us. Again, it's all preparation for the incarnation and resurrection.
I wonder at the term rape. It almost seems, at times, as if it is being used to describe consensual but non-married and thus illegitimate, activity.

Psalms 44

This is a fascinating psalm. For the first eight verses, the psalmist praises God, praises what "our fathers have told, what you did in their days." He makes it clear that he knows that "it was not by their sword that they won the land...it was your right hand, your arm and the light of your face." "In God we make our boast all day long."

But the rest of the psalm is a lamentation. "Now you have rejected and humbled us." He insists that "we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant...our feet had not strayed from your path...or spread out our hands to a foreign god."

we can understand the lament, as we've all felt it. Which of us has not cried into the darkness, "how long, O Lord, how long?" We want things done on our time. We want answers, we want them immediately, and we want the answers that we want. But sometimes, we don't get those, and the answers take forms that confuse us. The psalm ends with a plea, a plea that we've all made, "Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love." And we have faith that he will, as the psalmist still has faith, else would he not be making the plea. But the answers may not be answers we like, and they'll come in God's time, not ours.

Psalm 44
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
1 We have heard with our ears, O God;
our fathers have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.

2 With your hand you drove out the nations
and planted our fathers;
you crushed the peoples
and made our fathers flourish.

3 It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.

4 You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for Jacob.

5 Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.

6 I do not trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;

7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.

8 In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
Selah

9 But now you have rejected and humbled us;
you no longer go out with our armies.

10 You made us retreat before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered us.

11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep
and have scattered us among the nations.

12 You sold your people for a pittance,
gaining nothing from their sale.

13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.

14 You have made us a byword among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads at us.

15 My disgrace is before me all day long,
and my face is covered with shame

16 at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

17 All this happened to us,
though we had not forgotten you
or been false to your covenant.

18 Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.

19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals
and covered us over with deep darkness.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?

22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

23 Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.

24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?

25 We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.

26 Rise up and help us;
redeem us because of your unfailing love.

03/23/10

2010-03-23T20:00:00.000-04:00

Deuteronomy 17-19

Deuteronomy 17 begins with a reminder that the offerings to the LORD must be without "any defect or flaw," and continues with instructions to stone to death "a man or woman living among you...found doing evil in the eyes of the LORD you God in violation of his covenant," specifically with regard to worshipping other Gods. The punishment is only to be imposed, however, on testimony of more than one witness - "no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness." Moses then discusses the judging of difficult cases, telling the people that if cases come to court which are "too difficult for you to judge," take them to the priests and they will give you the verdict.

He tells them that when they have taken possession of the promised land and say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," to be certain that the chosen king is the one that God chooses. He must be "from among your brothers." And then he says that the king must not "acquire great numbers of horses for himself...take many wives...[or] accumulate large amounts of silver and gold." The king must "write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law...He is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God."

In chapter 18, Moses reminds the Israelites that the Levites "are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel," and that they "shall live on the offerings made to the LORD by fire, for that is their inheritance." He emphasizes, again, that they are not to "imitate the detestable ways of the nations" whom they are driving out of the promised land. He tells them that though the Canaanite nations "listen to those who practice sorcery or divination" but that the Israelites are not to do so. But the Lord "will raise up for a prophet like me from among your own brothers" and they must listen to him. But a prophet who would speak in God's name without God's word "must be put to death." They would know the truth or falsehood because "if what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken."

Deuteronomy 19 talks about the sanctuary cities, the "cities of refuge," which were first described in Numbers 35. Three of them are on the east side of the Jordan and there are to be three more in the promised land. They exist to offer a place of refuge for one who accidentally, "without malice aforethought," kills his neigbor. If Israel obeys the Lord and prospers, such that their territory is enlarged, they are to add three more. "Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land." And he tells them again that "one witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed." And if someone perjures himself in order to injure another, the man guilty of perjury should be punished the same way that he tried to have the other man punished. They are told to "show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Over 200 years ago, our ancestors threw of the yoke of a king, and we feel that monarchy is a bad and outdated idea. The Israelites, however, lived in a time when that was considered to be an acceptable and desirable form of government. This will come up again, as the book of Judges continuously tells us that "everyone did what was right in his own eyes because there was no King." And Moses and the LORD knew that the Israelites would expect and want a king. So there were instructions left for him, and requirements for him.
I have always tended to think of the Old Testament prophets as ... well, I'm not sure how to say this. Outside of societal norms, I guess. Someone that the average person would look at and tend to ignore. Here, again, we see that the context for those prophets is something that we need to understand. It's actually an official title for the LORD's messengers, and the Israelites know that they'll be coming and that they need to be listened to.
I have always been a "well, the New Testament is where Christ is so that's the important part" Bible reader. But as I go through these Old Testament books in a more careful (and, hopefully, more thoughtful) way, it seems to me that everything here either points to Jesus or prepares the ground for his arrival. The whole of the law, it seems to me, creates a context in which Jesus can come to earth as a man and perform the act of redemption which enables us to know God, and we would be able to see and understand it. There had to be a sacrificial system for him to fit into. We had to have a context for understanding the "lamb of God." There had to be prophets for us to see that God could talk to man. The Old Testament is the history of the Israelites, but it is preparation for everyone for understanding the ministry and mission of Jesus.

Psalms 43

A psalm of supplication and praise. The psalmist is oppressed and prays God's help ("plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men") and feels cut off ("Why have you rejected me?"). But still, he has faith in God's will, and that God will help and he will praise God ("Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.")

Psalm 43

1 Vindicate me, O God,
and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

2 You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?

3 Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

4 Then will I go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

03/22/10

2010-03-22T20:00:00.000-04:00

Deuteronomy 14-16

Chapter 14 of Deuteronomy includes a repeat of the dietary laws from Leviticus chapter 11, which explain that the Israelites "may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud." It also tells them not to "cook a young goat in its mother's milk." Moses also tells them to "set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year" as a tithe for the LORD. He tells them, if the place set aside for the making of offerings is too far away, to convert the offerings to silver and carry that, then convert it again at the other end of the journey. And they are told to bring all of the tithe's and "store it in your towns" every three years, to provide for the Levites "(who have no allotment or inheritance of their own)" and also for the "aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns."

In chapter fifteen, there is a reminder of the obligation to "cancel debts" among fellow Israelites every seven years (Lv 25), as well as admonitions not to abuse that. They are told that a Hebrew who "sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free." And they are reminded to set apart for the LORD "every firstborn male of your herds and flocks."

Deuteronomy 16 reminds the Israelites of the instructions to celebrate the Passover, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles, as they were told in Leviticus 23. They are also told to appoint judges "for each of your tribes in every town the LORD your God is giving you," and warned, again, not to worship other Gods.

Thoughts, questions, issues

If I'm not mistaken, Deuteronomy 14:21, "do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk," is the source of the kosher requirements for two sets of dishes, one for meat and another for dairy.
Three of the Gospels tell the story of Jesus cleaning the money-changers and merchants out of the temple.

"It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.' " (Mt 21:13)

And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: " 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.' " (Mk 11:17)

"It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be a house of prayer' ; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.' " (Lk 19:46)

Many of us, first encountering Jesus' anger in the temple, assume that there's no reason for the "moneychangers" and "those selling doves" to be there in the first place, and therefore, Jesus' anger is prima facie justified. After reading Deuteronomy 14, however, the story makes more sense culturally, but the anger is harder to explain. There must be something behavioral going on beyond the mere fact of the existence and presence of money changers and dove sellers in the temple. That presence is, if not demanded, at least explained and justified in Deuteronomy 14:24-26.

If that place [that the LORD orders for the sacrifices] is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish...

So those merchants are necessary for Jews traveling too far to bring their sacrifices. Their mere presence should not cause the kind of reaction that Jesus had - there is more going on than that.
They were certainly told often enough, or more than often enough, not to worship idols and other Gods. It didn't work.

Psalms 42

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." A wonderful image, and deep down, I believe it's true. But up on top, it's hard. Do we really "pant...as the deer pants for streams of water?" Many of us, I fear, are scared of the commitment that comes from desiring God that way. What if we commit ourselves, our souls "thirst[ing] for God," and then "men say to me all day long, 'Where is your God?'" We fear having to ask, ""Why have you forgotten me?"

Jesus said that "blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled." May it please God to have that be us, all the time, hungering and thirsting for righteousness and for God.

Psalm 42

For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"

4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"

10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"

11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

03/21/10

2010-03-21T22:02:00.002-04:00

Deuteronomy 11-13

Deuteronomy chapter 11 contains an extended exhortation to love and obey the lord and "keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always." Moses reminds the Israelites that they need to remember that "your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm; the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt." He warns them to be careful "or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the LORD's anger will burn against you."

In chapter 12, Moses reiterates the command to completely destroy the nations that they will be driving out of the land, all of their altars and idles and "wipe out their names from those places." The Israelites must not be seduced into the worship practices of those nations. And once they have taken possession of the promised land, "the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name" and all sacrificed must be brought there. "Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Offer them only at the place the LORD will choose." If the place is too far distant, the sacrifice can be converted to money and then exchanged at the place for the appropriate sacrifice, but they must not worship as the other nations do.

In chapter 13, he emphasizes yet again the importance of not worshipping other Gods. For example, if a prophet should announce a miraculous sign which takes place and then urges them to follow other Gods, "you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Moses gave the Israelites, explicitly, both a blessing and a curse. Entirely dependent upon their behavior.

I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse - the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods
Earlier, during my commentary on Leviticus, I mentioned that I understood why Christians didn't need to perform animal sacrifices, but I didn't know why Jews no longer did. A little bit of research indicated that it was related to the destruction of the temple and instructions to do it only in a specific place. Part of the answer is here in Deuteronomy 12.

Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. 14 Offer them only at the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you.

Presumably, the LORD ended up telling them to do it in Jerusalem, they built the temple, and that's where the sacrifices were done. And then the Romans destroyed the temple, and now the place where they needed to do the sacrifices isn't there anymore. The interesting question now is, if they were to rebuild the temple, would the ritual sacrifices re-commence?

Psalms 41

In a random universe, coincidences will occur. In a God-created and directed universe, coincidences will occur. Whether we see divine providence in them will obviously depend upon our world-view, and often on the import and unlikeliness of the coincidence. There have been a couple of things happen during the course of the year so far where different items have lined up with my reading/writing schedule, and today saw another of them. Today was Enable Boston Sunday where we had a ministry moment and a testimony at church related to the Enable Boston ministry, a ministry dealing with differently able persons with all sorts of disabilities. In addition to the testimony, ministry moment and prayer, the sermon touched on the topic, and a blind woman played the offeratory on the piano (spectacularly.)

And I opened up the reading schedule to see that the wisdom reading for the day is Psalm 41.

Which opens, "blessed is he who has regard for the weak."

Coincidence?

Psalm 41
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak;
the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.

2 The LORD will protect him and preserve his life;
he will bless him in the land
and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.

3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed
and restore him from his bed of illness.

4 I said, "O LORD, have mercy on me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you."

5 My enemies say of me in malice,
"When will he die and his name perish?"

6 Whenever one comes to see me,
he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
then he goes out and spreads it abroad.

7 All my enemies whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,

8 "A vile disease has beset him;
he will never get up from the place where he lies."

9 Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me.

10 But you, O LORD, have mercy on me;
raise me up, that I may repay them.

11 I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does not triumph over me.

12 In my integrity you uphold me
and set me in your presence forever.

13 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.

03/20/10

2010-03-20T20:52:00.002-04:00

Deuteronomy 8-10

Deuteronomy eight is an exhortation from Moses for the Israelites to remember the Lord, to "remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you...as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you." And remembering the Lord means observing his commands, "walking in his ways and revering him." He extols the virtues of the land that has been promised them, and tells them to praise the Lord "when you have eaten and are satisfied," to be careful not to forget. Because "if you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods...you will surely be destroyed."

In chapter nine, Moses warns the Israelites not to attribute God's promises to them to their own righteousness. They are going to drive out the larger nations currently holding Canaan with God's help because of the wickedness of those nations, not the righteousness of the Israelites. He reminds them of the Golden Calf at Mount Horeb, and how "you also made the LORD angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah," and how, when the Lord sent them out from Kadesh Barnea to take the land, they had rebelled and angered him again. He told them how he has stood between them and the Lord's wrath on many occasions and reminded God that the Israelites are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm."

In chapter ten, he tells them that he chiselled out two tables, like the first ones which he had destroyed, and the LORD wrote on them. And how they made the ark and the tablets with the Ten Commandments lay within. He reminded them how the LORD had set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark and to minister and pronounce blessings in his name. And again, he reminds them to fear the Lord, "to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good." He reminds them that Israel went into Egypt as seventy men "and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky."

Thoughts, questions, issues

The summary and rehash continues. It's like a valedictory address.
I don't remember this passage from the last time I read this book:

You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

There are a lot of people, myself as much as anyone else, who need to remember that.
That does not, however, give someone else the right to confiscate it.

Psalms 40

A psalm of praise. "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry...he set my feet on a rock...put a new song in my mouth."

Psalm 40
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.

8 I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."

9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.

10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.

12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

14 May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.

15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
be appalled at their own shame.

16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"

17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

03/19/10

2010-03-19T20:00:00.001-04:00

Deuteronomy 5-7

Deuteronomy five continues the summary and review of the law that Moses is giving the Israelites who will take the promised land. It starts with the ten commandments, as previously set forth in Exodus 20, which were then written on stone tablets and given to Moses. He tells them that they "heard the voice out of the darkness" and responded that they would "listen and obey." So they must "walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess." These reminders are followed, in chapter six, with repeated exhortations to "love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." And they were to teach their children about God bringing them out of Egypt, and if they were "careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."

In chapter seven, Moses tells them that when they take the promised land, and drive out (with God's help) the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, they must utterly destroy those nations, their altars and idols and every remnant of their civilization. "Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you." He emphasizes the importance of the "commands, decrees and laws I give you today," and stresses that God will bless them if they do that, and punish them if they do not.

Thoughts, questions, issues

One of things that's interesting in the first seven chapters of Deuteronomy is that the voice being heard is Moses'. We're not getting "the Lord said to Moses" at all, just "Moses said to the Israelites." Now, much of what he's saying is, "remember that the Lord said..." but it's specifically Moses attributing it, and the author attributes to Moses rather than the Lord directly.
This is, again, a repetition of earlier material. We don't learn, generally, on being told something once, so here God's word is repeated for the Israelites. Moses is not going to cross the Jordan with them, and everyone knows it, and he's the one who has been in direct communication with the Lord. It is important for everyone that he highlight and emphasize the important parts of the message, and repeats it in such a way that they will be able to remember it when he's gone.
Thus far, there's been no "action," if you will, and no new law or even commentary. This is the summary of the lessons of the forty years in the wilderness.

Psalms 39

Many of the psalms read like proverbs. This reads like a passage from Ecclesiastes. The teacher says many things like "you have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath." And here, the psalmist is aging and, in the words of Dylan Thomas, "rag[ing] against the dying of the light." It's interesting in that this one ends with a plea for God to turn away. There's a strong sense of alienation, and it isn't the joyful or penitent prayer that so many of the psalms are.

Psalm 39
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, "I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence."

2 But when I was silent and still,
not even saying anything good,
my anguish increased.

3 My heart grew hot within me,
and as I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:

4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.

5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah

6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

7 "But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.

8 Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.

9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.

10 Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.

11 You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;
you consume their wealth like a moth—
each man is but a breath.
Selah

12 "Hear my prayer, O LORD,
listen to my cry for help;
be not deaf to my weeping.
For I dwell with you as an alien,
a stranger, as all my fathers were.

13 Look away from me, that I may rejoice again
before I depart and am no more."

03/18/10

2010-03-18T20:00:00.001-04:00

Deuteronomy 1-4

The book of Deuteronomy follows Numbers, and opens with the Israelites camped on the east side of the Jordan. Moses "spoke to all Israel in the desert" and for the first three chapters, he reviews with them the events which have followed the Exodus, as they have wandered the desert. In chapter one, he talks about the command to leave Horeb (Num 10), the appointment of leaders among the Israelites to help Moses (Num 11), the spying excursion into Canaan (Num 13) and the rebellion when the people would not go into the promised land (Num 14). Chapter two talks of how they wandered in the desert for thirty-eight years while "that entire generation of fighting men [who rebelled and refused to take the promised land] had perished from the camp," and how they defeated Sihon, the King of Heshbon (Num 21). Chapter three covers the defeat of Og, King of Bashan (Num 21), the division of the land on the east side of the Jordan (Num 32), and of Moses being forbidden to cross the Jordan (Num 20, 27).

Chapter four begins a restatement of the law, starting with admonitions to be obedient to the law of the Lord as he has given it to them. "Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb...He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow." Idolatry is forbidden, and if the Israelites "become corrupt and make any kind of idol...you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess." The Lord is God - "acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other." After setting aside three sanctuary cities east of the Jordan, Moses reiterated the "stipulations, decrees and laws Moses gave them when they came out of Egypt."

Thoughts, questions, issues

"These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert..." If I remember correctly (and I'll know for sure in a week and a half), those opening words are an excellent summary of the book.
The first few chapters are a summary of the things that have happened to the Israelites since they came out of Egypt. No new law is handed down, no new events take place.
The ways of the LORD are not our ways, and we cannot see all that he sees. How can God allow bad things to happen to good people? "The LORD took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance...From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you..." There are no easy answers, and sometimes even the true answers are not comforting.

Psalms 38

The psalmist prays for comfort and help, struggling under a load of guilt. Many of the psalms are martial in nature, with afflictions caused by worldly enemies. This one is penitent, recognizing the wrath which sin has earned.

Psalm 38
A psalm of David. A petition.
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.

2 For your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down upon me.

3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
my bones have no soundness because of my sin.

4 My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.

5 My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.

6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.

7 My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.

8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.

9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.

10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.

11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
my neighbors stay far away.

12 Those who seek my life set their traps,
those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
all day long they plot deception.

13 I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear,
like a mute, who cannot open his mouth;

14 I have become like a man who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.

15 I wait for you, O LORD;
you will answer, O Lord my God.

16 For I said, "Do not let them gloat
or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips."

17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.

18 I confess my iniquity;
I am troubled by my sin.

19 Many are those who are my vigorous enemies;
those who hate me without reason are numerous.

20 Those who repay my good with evil
slander me when I pursue what is good.

21 O LORD, do not forsake me;
be not far from me, O my God.

22 Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my Savior.

03/17/10

2010-03-17T20:05:00.000-04:00

Acts 26-28

In chapter 26, Agrippa tells Paul to speak for himself, and he begins by claiming that "according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee," and that he is on trial because of his "hope in what God has promised our fathers." He points out that the Jews are also hoping to see God's promise fulfilled, and working for that, and wonders why anyone should "consider it incredible that God raises the dead." He tells Agrippa of his work persecuting the church, and his conversion on the road to Damascus, and how he has "not [been] disobedient to the vision from heaven." When he told them that he proclaimed nothing beyond what Moses and the prophets would say, that "the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles," Festus interrupted him, telling him that he was insane. Agrippa agreed that he was "not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment," and tells Festus that he could have been released if he hadn't appealed to Caesar.

In chapter 27, Paul sails for Rome with several traveling companions, including, apparently, Luke, a centurion named Julius and Aristarchus, "a Macedonian from Thessalonica." They stopped in Sidon and then continued their journey, but it was late in the year and "sailing had already become dangerous." Paul warned the men ofthe ship that the voyage would be disastrous "and bring great loss to ship and cargo," but the centurion listened to the ship's pilot and owner rather than Paul and they sailed on, "hoping to reach Phoenix [a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest] and winter there." A south wind seemed as if it was what they wanted, but blew up into a hurricane force "northeaster" and the ship was driven along, eventually being wreck on a sandbar just off the island of Malta. As Paul had prophesied, all on-board survived.

Acts 28 starts with Paul and his companions shipwrecked on the island of Malta. The islanders welcomed them, building a fire in the rain and cold. Paul was bitten by a viper, and the islanders thought he must be a murderer not escaping justice, but when he didn't die they thought he was a God. They were welcomed into the home of the island's chief official, Publius, and Paul healed his father who was sick with fever and dysentery, and then the rest of the sick on the island were healed . They honored Paul and his companions and provided them with supplies when they were ready to sail three months later.

They sailed for Rome, and spent a week in Puteoli with some Christian brothers. When they reached Rome, "Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him." He called together the leaders of the Jews and explained his situation, and then said that they had received no letters about him from Judea, but wanted to hear what he had to say. They came on a day that they had arranged to meet and "from morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets." Some believed but others did not, and Paul finished by quoting Isaiah and telling them that "I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" The book ends there, telling us that Paul stayed in his own rented house for two years, preaching the Gospel boldly and unhinderedly.

Thoughts, questions, issues

The first sermon that I ever heard in Park Street Church was given by David Fisher on a Sunday evening at the end of May, 1989, and he spoke about the book of Acts. More specifically, the last word of Acts, which is, in Greek, "unhinderedly." He noted that it sounds ungrammatical in English to end a sentence with an adverb, but that it sounds awkward in Greek, also.

There are speculations, because of this, that the end of the book is missing, or that Luke planned a third volume. But Fisher's position was that it was an appropriate ending, as what the book of Acts shows us is the Gospel moving out into the world, unhindered by any of those who have tried to stop it. From a small group of frightened disciples huddling in Jerusalem, the Gospel has, in the space of just two short generations (or one long one), acquired thousands or tens of thousands of believers and moved to the heart of the greatest empire on the earth. Ending the book would imply an ending, symbolically, to the acts of the apostles and the spread of the Gospel. Theologically, "unhinderedly" is an appropriate close, because the Gospel isn't ending and the acts of the apostles and disciples of Christ aren't ending - they continue to this day, and will continue until there are no more days.
This has been my most in-depth reading of this book, and I come away with an increased sense of historicity. There's almost nothing in here that doesn't read and ring true. While clearly written as a theological document, it's also clearly a history, with names and places of people and events clearly identified. The presence of the first person voice in places enhances the the believability, as it is clear when the author is speaking from personal knowledge and when he's getting information second hand. And the two voices carry the same message, from start to finish - the Gospel cannot be stopped by men.

Psalms 36:23-40

Everything I wrote yesterday about the first half of this psalm holds true for the second. It really is a collection of proverbs, of wisdom statements, praising the wise man and God, while condemning the wicked, and equating wickedness with failing to follow the Lord's way.

23 If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;

24 though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.

26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.

27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.

28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They will be protected forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

29 the righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just.

31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking their very lives;

33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Wait for the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future for the man of peace.

38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
the future of the wicked will be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

03/16/10

2010-03-16T21:26:00.002-04:00

Acts 23-25

In Acts 23, Paul faces the Sanhedrin and declares that he has "fulfilled [his] duty to God in all good conscience to this day." "Knowing that some were Sadducees and the others Pharisees," he tells them that he is "a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee." This started an argument between the various members of the Sanhedrin, and some of the Pharisees defended him. The commander took Paul back to the barracks to protect him. "The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, 'Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.'"

The next morning, several of the Jews formed a conspiracy to kill Paul, but Paul's sister's son found about it and went to the centurions. The commander had a detachment of his centurions take Paul to Caesarea, with a letter to the Roman Governor Felix saying that he found "no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment." In Caesarea, Paul was kept under guard in Herod's palace.

Acts 24 tells about Paul's trial, about a week later, in front of the Governor. The high priest (Ananias) had come to Caesarea with a lawyer named Tertullus to present the charges, of being "a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world." Paul defended himself, saying that he didn't argue with anyone in the temple or stir up crowds in the synagogue or anywhere else in the city. And he professed his belief in God and that he was "a follower of the Way." "Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings." He told the commander to keep Paul under guard but "give him some freedom." Later, he spoke with his wife ("Drusilla, who was a Jewess") and then sent for Paul and listend to him talk of his faith in Jesus. "Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, 'That's enough for now!'" For two years Paul remained in prison until Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus.

In Acts 25, Paul is tried before Festus, who wants to send him to Jerusalem to be tried by the Jews. But Paul said that he was standing in Caesar's court, where he should be tried. After Festus conferred with his council, he agreed that "to Caesar you will go!" A few days later, King Agrippa arrived at Caesarea and Festus discussed Paul's case with him. Agrippa expressed interest in hearing Paul for himself. And Agrippa entered Festus' audience room the next day, and Paul was brought in to see him.

Thoughts, questions, issues

Paul's pugnacious side is on display here. He's not going to back down, at all, from his beliefs or acquiesce to those who want him stopped.
This is another section of the book that carries the unmistakeable air of historical truth.

Psalms 36:1-22

The psalmist here is again giving us essentially proverbs. As we saw so often in the book of proverbes, we've got the comparison of the wicked and the righteous, and how trust in the Lord is essential for a good life.

Psalm 37
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.

15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever.

19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:
The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;

22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be cut off.

03/15/10

2010-03-15T21:00:00.000-04:00

Acts 19-22

In Acts 19, Paul arrives in Ephesus and asks some of the disciples whether they had received the Holy Spirit when they were baptized. Told that they hadn't he aked what baptism they'd received, and was told, "John's." Paul told them that John's was a baptism of repentance and baptized them "into the name of the Lord Jesus...the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied." Paul preached in the synagogue there for three months, then, after some "became obstinate...publicly maligned the Way," he took the disciples and "had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus" for two years, and God did "extraordinary miracles" through Paul. Some Jews who had driven out spirits "tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed," but a demon replied "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" And the possessed man "overpowered them all," a story which had all of the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus "seized with fear" and honoring the name of Jesus. Many who had practiced sorcery "brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly," scrolls valued at fifty thousand drachmas. After all this, Paul decided to go through Macedona and Achaia on his way to Jerusalem, and that he must visit Rome. He sent Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia.

"About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way." A silversmith (Demetrius) who made pagan idols, called the craftsmen together, and expressed concern that Paul's work would endanger their trade and "that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself." They caused a great riot, and "the people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia." Paul wanted to address the crowd but the disciples held him back. But the city clerk addressed the crowd and told them that "these men...have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess," and dismissed the assembly.

In chapter 20, Paul traveled through Macedonia and Greece with several companions. They all met and spent a week in Troas where Paul raised a young man named Eutychus who had fallen from a third story window. Paul then traveled on foot to Assos and met the ship carrying his companions, and then decided to hurry to Jerusalem, by Pentecost if possible. He had the leaders of the church in Ephesus come to Miletus to meet with him, and gave them his farewell, telling them that "compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there," and that "none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again." They wept and prayed with him, and accompanied him to his ship.

In chapter 21, Paul returns to Jerusalem, passing through Rhodes and Cyprus and Tyre. He and his companions spent seven days in Tyre, with the disciples urging them not to go to Jerusalem. He traveled from Tyre to Caesarea, staying at the house of "Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven." A prophet named Agabus traveled from Judea, and tied Paul's hands and feet with his own belt, saying that "In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles." Paul was not dissuaded, insisting that he was ready not just to be bound "but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." And they went up to Jerusalem, where they were received warmly by the disciples. The next day, they went to see James, with all of the elders, and Paul greeted them and "reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry." The praised God, and then told Paul that the Jewish believer were "zealous for the law" and had been informed that Paul was teaching Jews to "turn away from Moses." They proposed that he take four men among them who had made a vow and "join in their purification rites and pay their expenses" so that people would "know there is no truth in these reports." The next day, he purified himself along with them, then gave notice at the temple of the days when the purification would end and the offering be made. When the time of purification was almost over, Paul was publically accused of teaching against the Mosaic law, seized and dragged from the temple. The commander of the Roman troops heard of the uproar as the crowd was trying to kill Paul, and tooks some soldiers to stop the riot. He arrested Paul and had him chained up, and asked the crowd who he was, but there was too much tumult to get an answer, so he had him taken away to the barracks. When they got there, Paul told them that he was a Jew from Tarsus, and asked to speak to the people. They allowed him to, and he addressed the crowd in Aramaic.

In chapter 22, Paul defended himself, in Aramaic, before the crowd. He told them that he was a Jew, "thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers" under Gamaliel, and "just as zealous for God as any of you are today." He told them of how he persecuted the church, and then shared the story of his conversion on the road to Damascus. When he told them that the Lord said to him that "I will send you far away to the Gentiles," the crowd "raised their voices" and called for his execution. The Roman commander had him taken into the barracks and directed that he be flogged and questioned, but Paul asked whether it was legal to flog a Roman citizen who hadn't been convicted of anything. When asked, he told them that he was born a citizen, and they did not flog him. The next day, he released him and order the priests and Sanhedrin to assemble, and had Paul brought before them.

Thoughts, questions, issues

As in chapter 16, Luke reports some of these journeys and events in the first person plural, as a participant and eyewitness.
The story of Eutychus is one that could be true without any miracle, if the first people to reach him just thought he was dead and didn't make a thorough examination before Paul got there. I frankly dislike the resurrection stories in Acts, because they don't ring true to me. The barrier between life and death is a significant one, a veil that Jesus pierced, if you will, and it's hard for me to believe that God would have the apostles doing it willy-nilly afterwards.
The story of the silversmith and the riot in Ephesus, on the other hand, absolutely rings true. Certainly, those in the business of making idols were going to be hurt if the market for idols dried up.
I find the reference to "Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven" perplexing. One of the Seven what? Of course, as I write this, a memory stirs - hold on just a second...Yup, my bad, never mind. Philip is, of course, one of the seven chosen to offload the chores of day-to-day living from the apostles back in Acts 6:5, along with Stephen and five others.
The reading schedule stopped after chapter 21, but I thought that was a bad place for it, so I did chapter 22 also.

Psalms 36

For four verses, the psalmist deals in "the sinfulness of the wicked." The first, and most serious charge, is that "there is no fear of God before his eyes." I've mentioned before that there are parts of the Psalms, translated into English and broken into verses, that read much like parts of the book of proverbs. Well, Proverbs tells us that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge," and here the Psalmist tells us that the lack of that fear is the "sinfulness of the wicked."

And there's a lot of truth here. That is, in the end, what sin is - it's a turning away from God, from God's word. Sinfulness comes when we focus on ourselves and "in [our] own eyes [we] flatter [ourselves] too much to detect or hate [our] sin..."

Psalm 36
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD.
1 An oracle is within my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before his eyes.

2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself
too much to detect or hate his sin.

3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;
he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

4 Even on his bed he plots evil;
he commits himself to a sinful course
and does not reject what is wrong.

5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.

6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

7 How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find [b] refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.

9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

10 Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.

11 May the foot of the proud not come against me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 See how the evildoers lie fallen—
thrown down, not able to rise!

03/14/10

2010-03-14T20:00:00.000-04:00

Acts 16-18

In chapter 16, Paul went to Derbe and then to Lystra, where he met Timothy, whose mother was Jewish and whose father was Greek, who was a believer. Paul wanted to take him along, so he was circumcised and and went with Paul as they traveled through the churches, bearing the decisions from the council in Jerusalem. Laster, as they were in Troas, Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia begging him to come and help them. So they sailed from Troas and made their way to Philippi ("a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia") and stayed there for a while. On the Sabbath, they spoke outside the city gate and converted a woman named Lydia, and she and her household were baptized, and Paul and his companions stayed there. After driving a spirit out of a slave girl, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into jail for "throwing [the] city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for ... Romans to accept or practice." In the middle of the night, there was an earthquake throwing open the doors of the jail and striking off the shackles of the prisoners. The jailer, seeing the doors opened, "was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped," but Paul called to him to tell him that all of the prisoners were still there. The jailer "rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas" and asked them what he had to do to be saved. The jailer took them to his home and he and his family were baptized. When the magistrates learned, the following day, that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they took them out of prison and asked them to leave the city.

In chapter 17, Paul travels to Greece. First in Thessalonica and then in Berea, they went in to the synagogues and the Jews were outspoken against them. In Berea, Timothy and Silas stayed while Paul went on to Athens. There "he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols." He reasoned with Jews and Greeks in the synagogues and the marketplace. A group of philosophers that he argued with brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus to "know what this new teaching is." He talked about an inscription - "To an unknown God" - and told them that "the God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands." Many sneered but some wanted to hear more and were converted.

Acts 18 tells of Paul going to Corinth, where he worked as a tentmaker with a Jew named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. Whn Silas and Timothy joined him, Paul "devoted himself exclusively to preaching" but when the Jews opposed him, he "shook out his clothes in protest" and declared that he would, from now on, "go to the Gentiles." And he stayed in Corinth for a year and a half. He later sailed for Syran with Priscilla and Aquila, had his hair cut off in Cenchrea "because of a vow he had taken" and arrived at Ephesus where he left Priscilla and Aquila. He again preach in a synagogue, but refused when they asked him to stay, saying "I will come back if it is God's will." He visited the church at Caesarea and then went to Antioch. After some time there, he traveled again, through the region of Galatia and Phrygia.

A native of Alexandria, a Jew named Apollos, came to Ephesus with a "thorough knowledge of the Scriptures" and "taught about Jesus accurately." When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they invited him to their home for further discussion. "He was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ."

Thoughts, questions, issues

One of the most notable aspects of chapter 16 is the sudden change in voice. Through the first 15 chapters, everything is third person. In chapter 16, we get a shift into first person plural. While Luke the historian passes on what he has been told about the events in the Gospel and the first 15 chapters of Acts, he relates at least some of what happens next as an eyewitness to the events.
Interesting that Paul cutting off his hair because of a vow was noteworthy, but not noteworthy enough to give us anydetails about it.
It's hard, strictly using the internal sources in Acts, to date any of these even with any specificity. Or at least it seems that way to me.

Psalms 35

The psalmist cries for help. A martial plea for martial virtue and martial aid.

Psalm 35
Of David.
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me.

2 Take up shield and buckler;
arise and come to my aid.

3 Brandish spear and javelin [a]
against those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
"I am your salvation."

4 May those who seek my life
be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plot my ruin
be turned back in dismay.

5 May they be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the LORD driving them away;

6 may their path be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

7 Since they hid their net for me without cause
and without cause dug a pit for me,

8 may ruin overtake them by surprise—
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.

9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD
and delight in his salvation.

10 My whole being will exclaim,
"Who is like you, O LORD ?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them."

11 Ruthless witnesses come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.

12 They repay me evil for good
and leave my soul forlorn.

13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,

14 I went about mourning
as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
as though weeping for my mother.

15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
attackers gathered against me when I was unaware.
They slandered me without ceasing.

16 Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked [b] ;
they gnashed their teeth at me.

17 O Lord, how long will you look on?
Rescue my life from their ravages,
my precious life from these lions.

18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
among throngs of people I will praise you.

19 Let not those gloat over me
who are my enemies without cause;
let not those who hate me without reason
maliciously wink the eye.

20 They do not speak peaceably,
but devise false accusations
against those who live quietly in the land.

21 They gape at me and say, "Aha! Aha!
With our own eyes we have seen it."

22 O LORD, you have seen this; be not silent.
Do not be far from me, O Lord.

23 Awake, and rise to my defense!
Contend for me, my God and Lord.

24 Vindicate me in your righteousness, O LORD my God;
do not let them gloat over me.

25 Do not let them think, "Aha, just what we wanted!"
or say, "We have swallowed him up."

26 May all who gloat over my distress
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me
be clothed with shame and disgrace.

27 May those who delight in my vindication
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, "The LORD be exalted,
who delights in the well-being of his servant."

28 My tongue will speak of your righteousness
and of your praises all day long.

03/12/10

2010-03-12T23:27:00.002-05:00

Acts 13-15

In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit said to the prophets and teachers at Antioch to "set apart for me Barnabas and Saul." So they fasted and prayed and laid hands on them and sent them off. They went to Seleucia and sailed for Cyprus, where "they proclaimed the word of God" in the synagogues. In Paphos, they met a Jewish sorceror (Bar-Jesus or Elymas) who attended the proconul (Sergius Paulus). The proconsul wanted to hear Saul and Barnabas had to say but Elymas opposed them. Saul "filled with the Holy Spirit" looked at him, accused him of being "a child of the devil and an aenemy of everything that is right" and told him he would be blind, and "immediately mist and darkness came over him." The proconsul saw what had happened and believed. Later, Paul (formerly Saul) and his companions whent to Psidian Antioch where they were invited to speak in the synagogue. Paul preached the God of Israel and the Gospel of Jesus and the people invited them to speak more about these things on the next sabbath. The next sabbath "almost the whole city gathered" but the Jews "were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying." The word of God spread through the regious, but the Jews stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and they "shook the dust from their feet in protest...and went to Iconium."

In chapter 14, Paul and Barnabas went and preached "as usual" at the synagogue. They were so effective that many believed, but the Jews who didn't "stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers." They remained and the Lord "confirmed the mssage of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders." They found out about a plot to stone them and fled to the cities of Lystra and Derbe "where they continued to preach the good news." In Lystra told a crippled man to rise, and he did, which aroused the people to think that they were the gods Zeus (Barnabas) and Hermes and to gather food to sacrifice to them. But Paul and Barnabas stopped them, insisting that "we too are only men, human like you." They stopped the sacrifices with difficulty, but then "some Jews came from Antioch and Ioconium and won the crowd over." Paul was stoned, dragged out of the city and left for dead, but "after the disciples gather around him," he arose. Then he and Barnabas left for Derbe, where they preached the Gospel and "won a large number of disciples." They then returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, encouraging the churches they had planted.

Acts 15 describes the council at Jerusalem, at which there was discussion about how much of the Mosaic code must apply to Gentile believers, starting with concerns about circumcision. Some pharisaic believers said that the Gentiles should be required to be circumcised. Peter reminded them of his vision in which God "made no distinction between us and them" and suggested that they should not "try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear." Paul and Barnabas talked about the miracles and wonders they had witnessed among the Gentiles, and James suggested that they "should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God," that they should tell them "to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood." This decision was put into a letter and sent to Antioch with Paul, Barnabas, Silas and Judas (Barsabbas). Silas and Judas later returned to Jerusalem, but Paul and Barnabas remained teaching in Antioch. Some time after that, Paul wanted to go back to the towns where they had preached, but they had a disagreement when Barnabas wanted to take John Mark but Paul didn't ("because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.") Barnabas took Mark and went to Cyprus, while Paul took Silas and went through Syria and Cilicia, "strengthening the churches."

Thoughts, questions, issues

In chapter 15, we make the conversion from Saul to Paul. There is no explanation, not that I can see anyway, but he's never Saul again.
Obviously, the council of Jerusalem was a tremendously significant historical account. The spread of Christianity could have been hampered greatly by a decision to impose the Mosaic code and Levitical laws against Gentile converts.
It's interesting that Paul can blind a man who doesn't believe, and heal one that does, but he and Barnabas can't work out whether to bring Mark along on their journey and actually separate as a result of the disagreement. But it is the kind of "warts and all" detail that authentic history tends to contain and hagiography tends to leave out.

Psalms 34

Praise. Constant and unadulterated. It's a proverb made into a song, a prayer of praise and thanksgiving sung to the Lord...

Psalm 34
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.
1 [a] I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.

2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,

13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.

14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;

16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;

20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

22 The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

03/10/10

2010-03-10T21:12:00.002-05:00

Acts 10-12

In Acts 10, a centurion at Caesarea named Cornelius had a vision, which told him to send men to Joppa and bring back a man named Simon and called Peter. He sent two of his servants and a devout soldier to do so. At the time when they were approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. As he did so, he became hungry, and while the meal was being prepared "he fell into a trance." In a vision, he saw "something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners," containing all manner of animals, and a voice told him to "kill and eat." Peter replied, "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean," but the voice told him that he should not "call anything impure that God has made clean." This happened three times "and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven." The men sent by Cornelius arrived while Peter was contemplating this vision, and the spirit told him that they were there, and that he should go with them. The next day, he went with them to Caeserea, and when he entered the house, Cornelious fell at his feet. Peter told him to rise, "I am only a man myself." He then asked why he was sent for, and Cornelius told him about his vision. Peter preached the gospel to them and many received the Holy Spirit, even the gentiles, which surprised the Jews. Peter ordered them all baptized and they asked him to stay for a few days.

Peter was challenged, in Acts 11, by other "circumcised believers" for having gone into the house of Gentiles and eating with them. He explained the vision that he had seen, and reminded them of what Jesus had said - "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." And he told them that he realized, "if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?" To this, "they had no further objections."

Those disciples who had left Jerusalem, "scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen," traveled to places as widespread as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching to Jews only. Some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene, however, when to Antioch "and began to speak to Greeks also," and many believed and "turned to the LORD." When the church in Jerusalem heard this, they sent Barnabas, who "saw the evidence of the grace of God" and encouraged them, before going to Tarsus looking for Saul. He found him and took him to Antioch, and they taught there for a year. "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." And a prophet named Agabus who went from Jerusalem to Antioch predicted a famine (which "happened during the reign of Claudius") and the disciples provided help for those in Judea, "sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul."

Chapter 12 tells about the persecution under King Herod in which James, the brother of John, was killed and Peter was seized. He put him in prison, guarded by four squads of soldiers, intending to try him publically after the Passover. The night before he was to be tried, an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He woke Peter and struck his chains off, and led him out of the prison. He went to the house of "Mary the mother of John, also called Mark" and knocked. They were astonished to see him, and described to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. The next morning, Herod had his guards executed for having let him escape. "Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while," where the people of Tyre and Sidon, who had been quarreling with him, sought an audience. He sat on his throne, in his royal robes, and delivered a public address, and the people shouted "this is the voice of a god, not of a man." When Herod "did not give praise to God" he "was eaten by worms and died."

"When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem," taking John Mark with them.

Thoughts, questions, issues

Peter was present when Jesus said, "What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'" (Mt 15:11) He heard the resurrected Christ give him, and the rest of the apostles, the great commission - "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Mt 28:19-20) Yet he is still faithfully following the dietary laws, and the laws of ritualistic cleanliness. It takes a vision from the Lord in order to move him out of Jewish circles and in to contact with Gentiles.
On a similar note, it occurs to me that Saul, as much as he was the key evangelist out into the world in the first generation, helped spread the Gospel even more than we normally give him credit for. The overt evangelism we all know. A significant portion of the New Testament is Paul-centric, consisting of either the stories of his deeds in Acts, or the records of his words in the epistles. But even before he began actively proseletyzing, his actions had the effect of spreading the Gospel.

In Acts 11:19, we are told that "those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch." Saul, of course, was a key and zealous part of the persecution. "All except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria" as "Saul began to destroy the church." (Acts 8:1-3)

It was this persecution that moved the Gospel for the first time beyond Jerusalem. And moved the Gospel beyond the Jewish community.

The resurrected Jesus gave his apostles the great commission. They were to "go and make disciples of all nations." Yet they were unable to see beyond the borders of their own world. Certainly Jerusalem was a mission field, and certainly many there were ready for the Gospel. But not everyone ready was in Jerusalem, and the disciples were so caught in their own habits, living in the streets and houses and temple courts that they new, that they never took the Gospel "on the road." They knew the mission, but were unable to see themselves carrying it out into the world. It took a persecution to push them out of their comfort zone. They took the Gospel with them wherever they went, but until the pressure was put on them to move, they never went anywhere.

So Saul was fighting the church and spreading it at the same time. He was fighting God's word but simultaneously doing God's work.
And that, in essence, is the whole story of the book of Acts. How the small, desperate group of disciples were transformed by the resurrection appearances and the Holy Spirit into a movement that moved out of historical geography into the whole world (as it was then known), growing by leaps and bounds until the followers were numbered in the tens or hundreds of thousands, and preaching at the center of the greatest empire on the earth.

Psalms 33

A psalm of praise, a song of singing and joy. A psalm of wonderment at the strength and goodness of GOd.

Psalm 33

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.

5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.

6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.

9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.

13 From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;

14 from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth-

15 he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.

21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.

03/09/10

2010-03-09T19:59:00.002-05:00

Acts 7-9

Acts 7 details Stephen's speech in front of the Sanhedrin. Challenged on charges of blasphemy, Stephen responds by preaching to them the history of the Jewish people, how GOD made the covenant with Abraham, how the patriarchs sold Joseph into slavery, how he later saved them during the famine, how Moses was born and grew and spoke to the LORD, how they were brought out of Egypt and how they had the tabernacle of the Testimony in the desert, how they brought it with them during the conquest, and kept it through the time of David until Solomon built the temple. Stephen then spoke to the Sanhedrin as a prophet, calling them a "stiff-necked people" and saying, "you always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?" They were angered, but Stephen, "full of the Holy Spirit," look up and told them that he could see heaven "and the son of Man standing at the right hand of GOD." They dragged him out of the city and stoned him. He prayed while this was happening, then cried out "Lord, do not hold this sin against them," then died. One of the witnesses was a young man named Saul.

Following the stoning of Stephen, in chapter eight a persecution broke out against the church, and Saul was one of the leaders, going house to house and dragging the church leaders to prison. Many of the leaders scattered out of Jerusalem, preaching wherever they went. Philip proclaimed Christ in Samaria and healed many. A man named Simon who had practiced sorcery there believed and was baptized, and followed Philip everywhere. When the news reached Jerusalem of the spread of the Gospel, Peter and John came to Samaria. The prayed that the Holy Spirit would come on the new believers, because they had so far "simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." But Peter and John laid on hands and "they received the Holy Spirit." Simon the sorceror offered Peter and John money for the Holy Spirit, but Peter rebuked him "because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money...your heart is not right before God." After they had preached and testified in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. Philip, at the behest of an angel of the Lord, traveled south and met an important Ethiopian official in his chariot, reading the book of Isaiah. He did not understand it, and asked Philip to sit with him and explain. So Philip preached the Gospel, and, when they passes some water, the Ethiopian asked to be baptized, and Philip baptized him. "When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again...Philip...appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea."

Acts nine tells of Saul's conversion. Saul continued to "breath out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples," persecuting the church wherever he found it. He asked the high priest for letters to the synagogue in Damascus that he might take any believers prisoner back to Jerusalem. On the road to Damascus, a "light from heaven flashed around him" and he heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” When he asked who it was, the voice said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." He continued into the city and for three days, blind, he ate and drank nothing. The voice of the LORD called to a disciple in Damascus named Ananias and told him to go lay hands on Saul and restore his sight. Ananias was resistant because of all the harm that Saul had done, but the LORD said "this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel." Ananias went, and laid on his hands, and "something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again." He got up and was baptized.

Saul stayed for a time in Damascus, and preached in the synagogue that Jesus is the Son of God. The people wondered at his transformation but he "grew more and more powerful" and, many days later, inspired the Jews to kill him. But he learned of their plans and escaped by being lowered in a basket through an opening in the wall by his followers. In Jerusalem, the disciples feared that Saul's conversion was only a ploy to find them, but Barnabas took him to them. He stayed with them and moved about in Jerusalem, "speaking boldly in the name of the Lord." He debated with the Grecian Jews, "but they tried to kill him," so the apostles sent him off to Tarsus.

Peter visited the Christians in Lydda, and healed a paralytic named Aeneas. There was also a disciple named Tabitha (Dorcas in Greek) that became sick and died. The disciples heard that Peter was there and called him, and when he came, he was taken upstairs to the room where the body was. He sent everyone out of the room, then got down on his knees and prayed, then told her to get up. He then called the believers "and presented her to them alive."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Stephen's summary of the Pentateuch is excellent.
In Bruce Metzger's textual commentary on the Greek New Testament, he addressed the issue of Christ's statement (Lk 23:34) from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." It is actually not in the earliest manuscripts. The editors of the Greek New Testament left it in because
the logion, though probably not part of the original Gospel of Luke, bears self-evident tokens of its dominical origin, and was retained...in its traditional place where it had been incorporated by unknown copyists early in the transmission of the Third Gospel.
"Domionical origins" simply means that it originated with Christ. One of the "self-evident tokens of its dominical origin" is that it's a hard saying. It's easy to imagine a copyist taking it out - it's harder to imagine why one would stick it in if it were not authentic. But another reason is that Stephen said it during his martyrdom in Acts 7. This would have been an exceptionally presumptuous had Christ not said exactly the same thing from the cross.
I said yesterday that there was a danger in the apostolic healing stories to cause people to think of God as a resource to be used or manipulated as opposed to a creator to be worshipped. I was not thinking of Simon the Sorceror when I wrote that, but he exhibits exactly the kind of attitude that I was talking about.
I suspect that the story of Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus is the single best known story from the book of Acts, and that the single best-known line is, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Psalms 32

The first half of this one contains very psalmist rhetoric. "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven...blessed is the man...in whose spirit is no deceit." The second half reads, in places, like a section of proverbs. "Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you."

Psalm 32
Of David. A maskil.
1 Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the man
whose sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Selah

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.

7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!

03/08/10

2010-03-08T21:06:00.002-05:00

Acts 4-6

In chapter four, Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin. The priests and temple guards were disturbed by their preaching and healing, and put them in jail until the next day, but many believed their preaching and the number of believers grew to about five thousand. The next day, they were brought before the rulers and elders and teachers of the law, and asked in whose name, by what power, did they heal and preach. Peter, "filled with the Holy Spirit," told them that they did it "by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead." When they saw that Peter and John were ordinary men, not schooled, "they were astonished." They ordered them out and conferred, and knew that they could not deny the miracle but wanted to "stop this thing from spreading any further." THey brought them in and warned them not to speak or preach about Jesus, but Peter asked whether they should obey the council rather than GOD, so, after more threats, they let them go. Peter and John went back and all of "their own people" prayed to GOD together. There was an earthquake where they met, and "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." And the believers all shared everything they had with one another.

Chapter five tells of Ananias and his wife Sapphira who also sold a piece of property and brought the money to the apostles, but held back some for himself. Peter asked him how it was that Satan had filled his heart so that he lied to the Holy Spirit and GOD, and Ananias, on hearing this, dropped dead. When his wife Sapphira came, about three hours later, not knowing what had happened to Ananias, she answered, "Yes," when Peter asked if they had received for the land what Ananias had said. Peter told her that the men who had buried her husband were ready to carry her out also, and she fell down and died. "Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events."

"The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people," including many healings, gathering great crowds from the towns around Jerusalem. But the high priest and his fellow Sadducees "were filled with jealousy" and arrested the apostles. But during the night, the doors were opened by an Angel and they came out. He told them to preach in the temple courts, so they entered at daybreak and did as the Angel had said. When the high priest called together the Sanhedrin and sent to the jail for the prisoners, the officers did not find them there. Someone told them that they were preaching in the temple courts and the officers went and brought them. Peter and the others responded to their questions and charges by saying that "we must obey God rather than men!" The Sanhedrin was furious, but a Pharisee named Gamaliel told them that if their activity was of human origin it would fail, and if not, they'd be "fighting against GOD." So they had the apostles flogged, ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and sent them away. The apostles continued preaching and rejoiced "because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."

In chapter six, the number of disciples was increasing and there were conflicts between the Grecian Jews and Hebraic Jews. The apostles felt that "it would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables," so they told the rest of the disciples to choose seven men to handle the worldly responsibilities. "They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism" and the apostles prayed and laid hands on them. Stephen did "great wonders and miraculous signs among the people" and was brought before the Sanhedrin on charges of blasphemy, trying him with false witnesses.

Thoughts, questions, issues

The story of Ananias and Sapphira has an Old Testament feel to it. And it's hard to see any crime here. They did sell their land and they did give money to the apostles. Surely, there must be room for people who are willing to help even if they aren't willing to give every last cent. Maybe they'll never fully achieve was GOD wants, but they are actively helping, aren't they? And while none of us can get in to heaven on our own acts, it seems as if these two are being punished for actions which are objectively supportive of the early church.
There's a great danger in stories like the healing of the cripple by Peter, and of great crowds gathering and "all of them were healed." Actually two of them.
1. GOD is not a magician. Healing is not a parlor trick. When Jesus healed, he was exercising his rightful powers as ruler of the universe, and demonstrating his person, and his power. When Peter does it, or John or Paul or Stephen or anyone else, or even when Moses brought forth water from the stone at Meribah, there is a risk of sending the wrong message. Not that GOD is the rightful LORD of all creation, but that if you can just manipulate him the right way, you can get him to set everything right in your life. GOD is not a cosmic vending machine, where if you just put in the right coin, you get out a magic talisman of health. GOD cannot be manipulate or controlled.
2. I love Norman Vincent Peale's The Power Of Positive Thinking, but its attitude of "just pray enough, think the right thoughts, and you'll be healthy" is dangerous. (Robert Schuller's work has the same issue.) And it's a danger fed by passages like these. They run a real risk of inducing in people an attitude of blaming the victim. I'm a huge believer in positive attitude, in mental health promoting physical health, and in the power of prayer. But we aren't going to like the answers to all of our prayers.
  
  The psalmist asked, "if GOD is for me, who can stand against me?" But GOD's purposes are not ours, and we cannot see all the possible ends and implications of our actions, or GOD's. Some healthy people who pray are nevertheless going to get sick. Some sick people who pray are nevertheless going to die. (In the long run, of course, we are all going to die.) The attitude of a naive belief in Jesus' words, "ask and it will be given to you" results in condemnation of the sick, because logically, they must not be praying hard enough, or maintaining the right mental attitude.
  
  That's wrong. That's a dangerous and wrong attitude, and it is, or at least, it can be fostered and strengthened by passages like these.

Psalms 31

Another balanced psalm, with praise - "I trust in you, O LOR...my times are in your hands" - and pleading - "be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress."

Psalm 31
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.

2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.

3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4 Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I trust in the LORD.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.

8 You have not handed me over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief.

10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.

11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me

12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.

13 For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side;
they conspire against me
and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."

15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.

16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.

17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and lie silent in the grave.

18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19 How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in you.

20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from the intrigues of men;
in your dwelling you keep them safe
from accusing tongues.

21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed his wonderful love to me
when I was in a besieged city.

22 In my alarm I said,
"I am cut off from your sight!"
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.

23 Love the LORD, all his saints!
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but the proud he pays back in full.

24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.

03/07/10

2010-03-07T20:13:00.000-05:00

Acts 1-3

The book of Acts begins with Luke's note to Theophilus that this continues the story which he began in the Gospel of Luke, "about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven." He tells that Jesus appeared to the apostles "and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive." Jesus told the disciples, during this post-resurrection time, that they were to wait in Jerusalem, because a gift from GOD was coming, that they would "be baptized with the Holy Spirit." They asked when the kingdom was going to be restored, and he told them that it was not for them "to know the times and dates the Father has set." But they would receive power, and be Jesus' witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." At which time he was taken up into the clouds. As they stood looking to where he had disappeared, two men "dressed in white" told them that he would come back "the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

The disciples met in Jerusalem and decided that they needed to add one more apostle, replacing Judas, bringing the number back to twelve. They considered two men, and, after praying and casting lots, chose Matthias.

Chapter 2 relates that on the day of Pentecost "a sound like the blowing of a violent winde came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting," and tongues of fire rested on them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in other tongues "as the Spirit enabled them." A crowd gathered, including "God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven" and were amazed, each of them, to hear in their own languages. Some in the crowd mocked, saying, "they have had too much wine," but Peter addressed the crowd, telling them that this was the fulfillment of what the prophet Joel had said, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people." And he preached to them of Jesus, "accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs," and that "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." And many believed and "about three thousand were added to their number that day." And they "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching," and the believers met togeter and sold their possessions and good and gave to anyone who needed, and continue to meet in the temp courts. "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

In chapter 3, Peter heals a beggar at the temple gate, a man crippled from birth. He asked for money, but Peter told him that he had no silver or gold, but "what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." He helped him up and "instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong." He "jumped to his feet and began to walk." The people that saw him recognized him and were amazed. When they came running, Peter preached to them about how GOD, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, "our fathers," had glorified Jesus. He tells them that they had acted in ignorance, and that it was time to repent, because they were "heirs of the prophets and of the covenant GOD made with your fathers."

Thoughts, questions, issues

The great commission from Matthew 27 is not contained in Luke's Gospel, but he does include it in Acts, telling the apostles that "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Matthew has essentially the same story at essentially the same place, during the resurrection appearances when there are only eleven apostles. Luke did not include it in his Gospel, but Acts picks up essentially where the Gospel ends off.
There is one echo of Luke 24 in Acts 1, when Jesus tells the apostles to stay in Jerusalem and they will receive power.
Is the Matthias who becomes the 12th apostle in Acts 1 the same Matthew to whom the Gospel is attributed? That seems like a question that I ought know the answer to - honestly compels me to admit that I don't. I'm sure that I've read something along the way that addressed that, but I do not remember the answer.
Consensus seems to be that this book was finished before 70 AD. That would be well within the lifetime of many witnesses to the events contained therein. Again, contrary to the beliefs of the skeptics that there is no credible attestation to the incarnation and resurrection.
I think it's important to note that when Peter heals, he does so "in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth."
Luke was, according to tradition, a gentile. It is, I think, a sign of the historicity of this account that he doesn't ever refer to Hebrew scripture, but does quote Peter as doing so.

Psalms 30

"Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning..."

A Psalm of exaltation and praise for the Glory of the LORD. The NIV says in verse 5 that "rejoicing comes in the morning," but I prefer the KJV formulation, that "joy cometh in the morning." Several authors have like that phrase as well, including P.G. Wodehouse and Betty Smith.

"...you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever..."

Psalm 30
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.

3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."

7 O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9 "What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Resources

2010-03-07T14:28:00.002-05:00

A few on-line resources for Bible Study:

Reading Plan - The reading plan I'm following has 25 reading days per month, and two readings per day, alternating readings between (1) the Old and the New Testaments, and (2) the wisdom literature and the book of Isaiah.
Bible Gateway - An online bible site with many different available translations, this site will give you up to a dozen chapters on a single web page, so you can get a day's reading without any extra navigation.
Biblos - Another on-line bible site, this one has some excellent study aids, such as parallel readings and the original hebrew and greek with click-through concordances for word study. An excellent resource that I should be using more than I am.
BibleMap - Online interactive maps, searchable by scripture passages.

03/06/10

2010-03-06T20:58:00.003-05:00

Numbers 34-36

In chapter 34, the LORD outlines the boundaries of the land that he is giving the Israelites, by noteworthy cities and towns, and geographical barriers. The western boundary is the Mediterranean, "the coast of the Great Sea." To the south, it reaches to the Wadi of Egypt, on the east it extends to the Jordan and the "Salt Sea," and to the north it coes to Mount Hor. It was to be divided among 9 1/2 tribes, with Reuben, Gad and Manasseh already having received theirs on the east side of the Jordan "toward the sunrise." One man from each of the remaining ten tribes were set to assist Eleazar and Joshua in assigning the land.

The Levites were given towns in chapter 35, and the pastureland around them extending out for 3000 feet for their cattle and livestock. Six of the forty-eight towns assigned to the Levites were to be Sanctuary Cities, three on each side of the Jordan. The Sanctuary cities were to be a refuge for anyone, Israelite or alien, to flee to in case they accidentally killed another. Anyone striking someone with "an iron object" or "a stone in his hand" or "a wooden object in his hand" such that that person dies is a murderer. "The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him." But someone killing another "without hostility," unintentionally, shall be protected from "the avenger of blood" in the sanctuary cities until the high priest dies, and then he can return to his home. The penalty for murder is death, but there must be witnesses and "no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness."

In chapter 36, some of the heads of Israelite clans discussed, again, the issue of Zelophehad's daughters and their inheritance. The issue was that if they married men from other tribes, the inheritance would end up leaving their tribe. Moses said that the LORD said they could marry anyone they wanted as long as it was "within the tribal clan of their father" and that no inheritance in Israel was to pass from tribe to tribe. And the book of Numbers ends with "these are the commands and regulations the LORD gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho."

Thoughts, questions, issues

Numbers is a bit of a smorgasbord. There are passages of law, narrative stories, scenes of sex and war, obedience and reward, disobediance and punishment, and long passages of historical data, such as the two censuses, the travel itinerary and the historical boundaries of the promised land. It covers almost the entire forty year span of the Israelites wandering between the exodus and the conquest.
The boundaries of the promised land are well defined. I'm curious, though, as to how well we understand any of them today. Clearly, the Jordan and the Mediterranean are what they are, but the rest of the identifying boundaries are based on place names. How well do we understand, now, where the places referred to are or were?
The concept of Sanctuary as we currently understand it apparently dates back to Numbers 35. Interestingly, though, it does not exist to protect murderers, but accidental killers.

Psalms 25

A psalm of praise of the power and glory of GOD.

Psalm 29
A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.

5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.

8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"

10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

11 The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.

03/05/10

2010-03-05T23:02:00.003-05:00

Numbers 31-33

In Numbers 31, the Israelites attack the Midianites. The LORD told Moses to have the Israelites "take vengeance on the Midianites," after which he would "be gathered to your people." So Moses told the people to arm some of their men to go to war. So twelve thousand men, one thousand from each tribe, were supplied and went out to fight, along with Phinehas (son of Eleazar) who took articles from the Sanctuary and the trumpets. They killed every man, including the five kings of Midian, and also killed Balaam. They captured the women and children and gathered all of the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. When they returned, Moses was angry for them having allowed the women to live, as they were the ones "who followed Balaam's advice" and "were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD." He told them to kill all of the boys and women "who have lain with a man" but to save the virgins for themselves. And then they all had to be purified who had killed or touched a dead body. They gave half of the spoils to the men who had fought, and the other half to the rest of the Israelites. Of the soldiers plunder, one five-hundredth went to the priests, and of the rest, one-fiftieth went to the Levites.

In chapter 32, the Reubenites and Gadites, with large flocks, "saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock." So the told Moses and Eleazar that they would prefer to stay there, but Moses was angry with them, as they were expected to fight with the rest of the tribes to take the land that the LORD had promised them. They said that they would carry arms and participate in the conquest, and Moses agreed that they could, after the conquest, "return and be free from your obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the LORD."

Numbers 33 contains the "travelogue," a list of the places that the Israelites traveled and camped during their forty years in the desert. And the LORD said to Moses to tell the Israelites to "drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess... if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live."

Thoughts, questions, issues

It's rather stunning to see Balaam re-appear here. In his prior appearance, he refused to curse the Israelites for Balak, and did everything the LORD told him. There's no intermediate indication that he did anything wrong, so for them to blame him for Midian's seduction and kill him is more than a little bit surprising.
The killing of the male children and the non-virgin women is the kind of total war that makes for shocking reading.
It's easy to look at the Reubenites and Gadites and think, "they are satisfied with what they have - good for them." But it doesn't work that way. There's a covenant, and while GOD's part is to watch over them and deliver the promised land, their part is to follow his laws and take it.
In the forty years of wandering, the Israelites "camped at" forty-two different places, a little over one per year.

Psalms 28

Again, the psalmist turns to GOD from despair, crying out for mercy from the GOD he praises.

Psalm 28
Of David.
1 To you I call, O LORD my Rock;
do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.

2 Hear my cry for mercy
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your Most Holy Place.

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.

4 Repay them for their deeds
and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
and bring back upon them what they deserve.

5 Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD
and what his hands have done,
he will tear them down
and never build them up again.

6 Praise be to the LORD,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.

7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.

8 The LORD is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

9 Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.

03/04/10

2010-03-04T21:47:00.002-05:00

Numbers 28-30

In Numbers 28-29, the LORD reiterates and systematically describes the offering schedule. He lists first the offerings that are to be made daily, then the offerings made on the Sabbath and the monthly offerings ("on the first of every month"). This is followed by the offering instructions for the Passover ("on the fourteenth day of the first month"), the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets ("first day of the seventh month"), the Day of Atonement ("tenth day of this seventh month") and the Feast of Tabernacles (eight days, from the "fifteenth day of the seventh month").

Chapter 30 contains instructions from the LORD on the keeping of oaths and vows. A man who makes a vow to the LORD must keep it. A woman still living in her father's house was not obligated to keep the vow unless her father hears it and says nothing. If he forbids, however, "the LORD will release her." Likewise, a married woman makes vows only subject to the approval of her husband. A widow or divorced woman can make binding vows.

Thoughts, questions, issues

I presume that the offering regulations here are in harmony with those offered elsewhere, in Exodus and Leviticus, but I haven't had a chance to examine the various passages. I may do that at some point, because it strikes me that a harmony of the offerings would be interesting. On the other hand, there are probably 50 of them available on the internet right now, so I may not.
It strikes me reading this passage that the "odor pleasing to the LORD" is going to be an odor pleasing to the people, as well. The Tabernacle is going to, well, reek. There's blood everywhere. Animal blood baking in the sun is an upleasant odor. Certainly, the burning offering are going to give off an odor that masks that and is far less unpleasant.
The obvious reaction to the vows section in chapter 30 is that it's horribly sexist. But I don't know that that's the correct way to read it. If women were considered incapable, however, divorced and widowed women would not be able to make binding vows. Certainly, the husband and father relationships are given more authority, but also more responsibility. Culturally, in a time and place without advanced medical care or contraception, the responsibility for going out into the world and supporting a family could not - literally could not - fall to a child-bearing woman.
It's important to remember that GOD was speaking, always, to a specific people, in a specific time and place and condition. We need to study his word because it is his word, but the specific applications are to conditions as the Israelites found them in the desert, in Moab.

Psalms 27

When we are frightened, scared of the world around us, when we feel as if "evil men advance against me" but we turn to the LORD in prayer, that's when we're praying as the psalmist did in Psalm 27. And really, everything in the middle is just commentary or amplification on the first and last lines. "The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? ... Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD!" As the Veggie-Tales characters sang, "GOD is bigger than the boogey-man."

Psalm 27
Of David.
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh, [a]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

03/03/10

2010-03-03T20:13:00.000-05:00

Numbers 25-27

Numbers 25 relates the seduction of Israel by Moab. As they were waiting in Shittim, the men "began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women." This led them into making sacrifices to Baal, to eating and bowing down before and worshiping Baal, "and the LORD's anger burned against them." The LORD said to Moses to take the leaders and kill them, so Moses told Israel's judges to "put to death those of your men" who were worshipping Baal. One of the Israelites (Zimri, son of Salu, a Simeonite) brought a Moab woman "right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel." Phinehas, son of Eleazar (high priest since the death of his father Aaron) took a spear, entered the tent and killed both Zimri and the Moabite woman with one thrust. This stopped the plague spreading through the camp, but 24,000 had already died. The LORD expressed pleasure with Phinehas "for he was as zealous as I am for my honor" and made a covenant of a lasting priesthood with him and his descendants. The LORD told Moses to "treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them" because they had seduced the people of Israel.

In chapter 26, they take another census of the people, finding that the count is essentially unchanged since the exodus, though some tribes have had significant changes. The total count, including the Levites, was 624,730 at the time of the second census. The LORD told Moses that the land was to be allotted to them "based on the number of names," with larger groups getting larger portions and smaller groups smaller portions. The number for the division was 601,730, because the Levites had no inheritance of the land. And there were no men in this census who were also in the first census other than Caleb, Joshua and Moses.

In chapter 27, the daughters of Zelophehad (Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah) of the tribe of Manasseh approached the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and told Moses, Eleazar and the whole assembly that it was not right that their "father's name [should] disappear from his clan because he had no son," and that they should have property among their father's relatives. Moses brought this to the LORD, who agreed and said that they should have property as an inheritance among their father's relatives. And he gave the Israelites the law of inheritance. Then the LORD told Moses to "go up this mountain...and see the land I have given the Israelites." Because of the failure of Moses and Aaron to honor GOD at Meribah Kadesh, Moses was to be "gathered to your people" just as Aaron had been. Moses asked the LORD to appoint a successor "so the LORD's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd." The LORD told him to lay his hands upon Joshua, and Moses did as the LORD had instructed him.

Thoughts, questions, issues

Obviously, this is not the first time that sex is an issue. Nor will it be the last. It is very possibly the single aspect of our being most easily corrupted and misused.

The second census:

The Second Census - Numbers 26
Tribe	Count (2nd census)	Count (first census)	Increase
Reuben	43,730	46,500	-2,770
Simeon	22,200	59,300	-37,100
Gad	40,500	45,650	-5,150
Judah	76,500	74,600	1,900
Issachar	64,300	54,400	9,900
Zebulun	60,500	57,400	3,100
Joseph (Ephraim)	32,500	40,500	-8,000
Joseph (Manasseh)	52,700	32,200	20,500
Benjamin	45,600	35,400	10,200
Dan	64,400	62,700	1,700
Asher	53,400	41,500	11,900
Naphtali	45,400	53,400	-8,000
Total	601,730	603,550	-1,820
Levi (Numbers 3)	23,000	22,000	1,000
Twelve Tribes	624,730	625,550	-820

It is not clear exactly how much has elapsed between the first and second censuses. The last specific time reference was much earlier in the book, in chapter 9, when the LORD spoke to Moses "in the first month of the second year" after the exodus. The "wandering" didn't really start until chapter 14, after they balked at entering the promised land following the report of the exploration. Moses is still alive even though he was old when they started. On the other hand,
Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. For the LORD had told those Israelites they would surely die in the desert, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
So some significant amount of time has to have elapsed. Is this the full "40 years" that is traditionally attributed to the wandering in the desert? I don't know, though presumably I'll understand more by the time I get to the end of Deuteronomy.
However long it's been, there have been significant population shifts. The most extreme are Simeon, which lost nearly 63% of its population, and Mannasseh, which grew by 63%. On the whole, however, the nation is almost exactly the same size as it was at the foot of Mt. Sinai. At the rate of growth experienced in Egypt, and assuming forty more years, it would have been over 1.8 million people, almost three times the size that it is.
Obviously, wandering in the desert isn't the ideal circumstance for having and raising healthy kids. Also, there were several instances in which significant numbers were killed.
Numbers 11:1 - "Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp."
Numbers 11:33 - "the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague."
Numbers 14:45 - "Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah."
Numbers 16:32 - "and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions"
Numbers 16:35 - "And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense."
Numbers 16:49 - "But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah."
Numbers 21:6 - "Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died."
Numbers 25:9 - "but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000"
The enumerated casualties (24,000 + 14,700 + 250) equal 38,950, a miniscule portion of the missing 1.2 million, even if the casualties had all been incurred on the first day. But there were many more dead who were not enumerated, and doubtless other instances of mass casualties which aren't mentioned.
One can easily understand the LORD's anger with the constant complaining and questioning of the Israelites. But this missing population is interesting, too. Clearly, the population did not grow while wandering the desert. After a survivor birth rate of ~3.4 while in Egypt, the years of wandering produced a survivor birth rate at just about replacement level (~2). It was clearly a hard living, even under the care and protection of GOD.

Moses is going to die without entering the promised land. Is it kindness or torment to be allowed to see it? One could read it as the latter, as an additional punishment, but I think it's more likely that the former is correct. GOD's saying to Moses, "I've told you that you can't go in, but you can see what you're work has achieved for my people."

Psalms 26

I've written before of the difference in the Christian and Jewish outlook towards judgement, and we see those differences as being very apparent in the psalms. Here, again, the psalmist is claiming GOD's mercy as his due, as something that he has earned.

Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have led a blameless life...I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked...Do not take away my soul along with sinners...I lead a blameless life...in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.

We pray the psalms, as they are prayers of historic significance, which men through the ages have recognized as great. But this is not a Christian prayer...

Psalm 26

1 Vindicate me, O LORD,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD
without wavering.

2 Test me, O LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;

3 for your love is ever before me,
and I walk continually in your truth.

4 I do not sit with deceitful men,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;

5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.

6 I wash my hands in innocence,
and go about your altar, O LORD,

7 proclaiming aloud your praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

8 I love the house where you live, O LORD,
the place where your glory dwells.

9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
my life with bloodthirsty men,

10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes.

11 But I lead a blameless life;
redeem me and be merciful to me.

12 My feet stand on level ground;
in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.

03/02/10

2010-03-02T20:00:00.001-05:00

Numbers 22-24

In Numbers 22, the Israelites have camped along the Jordan river, across the river from Jericho. Balak, the king of Moab, was fearful because of what Israel had done to the Amorites, so he send a delegation of the elders of Midian to summon Balaam to curse the Israelites. But GOD told Balaam not to go, so they returned his answer to Balak. He sent another delegation, and this time, GOD told him to go with them, but only to do what he said. The next morning, Balaam mounted his donkey and went with the delegation of Moabites, but "GOD was very angry when he went." An Angel of the Lord blocked his path so that his donkey would not continue, and he beat her. This happened three times, and the "LORD opened the donkey's mouth" so that she could ask what she had done to be beaten. Then "the LORD opened Balaam's eyes" and he saw the angel and "bowed low and fell facedown." The Angel told him to go on, "but speak only what I tell you." When he arrived, Balak greeted him and berated him for not coming sooner, but Balaam told him that "I must speak only what God puts in my mouth." After a sacrifice, Balak took him to Bamoth Baal, where he could see part of the Israelite camp.

Over the next two chapters, Numbers 23-24, Balak and Balaam build seven altars on three different sites at three different times, sacrificed a bull and a ram on each, and Balaam provided an oracle. In each of the three cases, Balaam offered an oracle ("the LORD put a message in Balaam's mouth") which refused to curse Israel. "How can I curse those whom GOD has not cursed? ... No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The LORD their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them...Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse them? 'May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!'" Each time, Balak berates Balaam, and Balaam responds that he had told Balak the he must say what the LORD puts in his mouth. "Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam" and he told him that there would be none of the promised reward. But Balaam delivered another oracle to Balak, telling him that "a star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab...A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city." He also foretold doom for the Amalekite and Kenites and Asshurites, before returning to his home.

Thoughts, questions, issues

I thought that the story of Balaam's ass was later, somewhere in Kings or Chronicles. I was wrong.
There are several strange or curious aspects to this story.
- Who is Balaam?
- How does he know GOD, and talk to GOD? This is one of the few indicators in the Pentateuch that GOD is not just talking to the Israelites. Melchizedek, back in Genesis 14, was another.
- GOD tells Balaam to go with the Midianites. The next morning, he is angered when Balaam does so. What's missing?
Balak was not a very good listener. (An occupational hazard of royalty, of course.)
OK, I'll admit it - sometimes, I have difficulty focusing on the story and the point of the story if there's something about it that distracts me. And what distracts me about this is how did this story get included in this part of the book of Numbers? There are no Israelites here, other than distant object of fear (Balak) and veneration (Balaam). How did the story get into the books of Moses?

Psalms 25

A psalm of praise and supplication. "To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul...may integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you." The psalmist expresses his trust in the LORD, and asks for guidance and protection. Yes, that's a fairly generic comment which could apply to most of the psalms.

Verses 4-5 have been set by Walter Pelz in a lovely anthem which I've done several times, and like.

Psalm 25
Of David.
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.

4 Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;

5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.

8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.

10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11 For the sake of your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

13 He will spend his days in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.

14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.

15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish.

18 Look upon my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.

19 See how my enemies have increased
and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you.

22 Redeem Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!