Friday, February 19

Curling is the strangest thing I've ever seen. I think part of the appeal is trying to figure out what the heck is going on in this crazy olympic sport. I also think that the announcers are aware that its weird, and they don't really explain what's going on, leading to endless in-bar arguments about what indeed is actually going on. It sure is fun to watch though...

Reading for February 19
Leviticus 7:28-9:6
So after God's instructions on how to slaughter animals for different reasons, Moses is now carrying out those commands word for word. This is something I've noticed about the Bible in general, there will be a long string of text explaining something to someone. Then if that person goes and explains it to someone else, they repeat the text word for word. So this is leading me to skip over a lot of the text because I've already read it. And as much fun as it is to read about the extraction of a slaughtered animals doo doo, I'm not really excited about it the second time I read it.

Anyway, the phrase, "Just as the LORD had commanded him" is repeated again and again here at the end of each paragraph, reiterating the idea of strict obedience to God's law and instructions.

The neat thing that sticks out in this section of text comes right at the end. The people of Israel had been instructed to bring a goat, lamb, bull and ram as sin offerings to God because he was going to appear to them on that day.

⁶ And Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”

But what is the benefit here. Again, my personal set of beliefs say that every rule and guideline God imposes is good for us. Ultimately we will be better people if we listen to and follow the teachings in the Bible. But how does seeing God benefit these people. I mean, don't get me wrong - it completely mind blowing for someone to say, "oh by the way, I invited God to this thing and he said he's definately gonna stop by." WWWHHAAAAA?? I would be so overwhelmed...but still, in the end, how does it benefit me to actually see God? Proof? Proof that what I've been doing has been for something that actually exists. But then again, how much more proof did the Israelites need at that point? They just were witness to some of the most famous miracles of all time. Ah, Old Testament, you always get me riled up...

Mark 3:31-4:25
The parables begin
This is the first account of Jesus speaking in parables in the book of Mark. He tells the parable of the seedsower (path, rocky ground, thorn bushes, etc.) and the parable of the lamp. One completely new thing I don't think was referenced in Matthew is a prophecy that Jesus was fulfilling by speaking in parables. This is Jesus quoting the book of Isaish:

   ‘When they see what I do,
      they will learn nothing.
   When they hear what I say,
      they will not understand.
   Otherwise, they will turn to me
      and be forgiven.’

Who's they? Why are the being denied forgiveness? Didn't Jesus die for everyone? This passage clearly implies that there are those who aren't worthy of Jesus sacrifice, which if true, kills the entire thing. The whole message of forgiveness and unconditional love goes right out the window. I know this is a bit of text is out of context,  but it's definately worth mentioning.

Psalm 37:12-29
See, this kind of stuff just aggravates the issue of 'why is there suffering in the world if God exists?' Look at this:

¹⁸ Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
      and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
 ¹⁹ They will not be disgraced in hard times;

      even in famine they will have more than enough.

 ²⁵ Once I was young, and now I am old.
      Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
      or their children begging for bread.
 ²⁶ The godly always give generous loans to others,
      and their children are a blessing.

Never seen the godly abandoned, or their children begging for bread? I have. The earthquake last month people were begging for a lot more than bread. I guess  one could argue that those people weren't godly, which would allow this text to make sense, but I don't know...I've known plenty of decent Christian people who get sh** on every once in a while. I'm not trying to make light of it either - deaths in the family, sick relatives, really hard things that are happening to really good Christians.

I think the other issue with this is that some churches are teaching this message. This message being, "Convert to Christianity and everything will be exactly as you want it, and you'll never face hardship again." So then when these people are faced with hardships they try to bury it because they assume that its because of something they've done wrong, and then often don't talk to someone about it. It gets bottled up until it explodes and then some terrible things start happening.

I know that being a Christian isn't all bake sales and rainbows, there are some serious hard times I've personally had when I felt like my relationship with God was at its strongest. But ultimately, I feel like I am a better person because of it. If you're reading this and you're not a Christian, I'm not saying that you are a bad person because you're not a Christian, not at all. You are in fact probably a better person than I am. What I'm saying is that for me, finding myself through the context of Christ has ultimately, despite hardships, made me a more whole person.

Proverbs 10:5
This one's easy...

 ⁵ A wise youth harvests in the summer,
      but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.

Hey, just out of curiosity, if you read this thing on a regular basis and I don't know you personally, drop me a note in the comments below or on email brandonamurray@gmail.com. I'd love to get to know you and chat a little. I'm a totally friendly dude. Promise.

Wow that sounded really creepy. Scratch that last line, I promise I'm not a psycho. Thanks duders.