Monday, March 22

When you go into work and you're not feelin real well, does anyone ever say to you "sounds like you have a case of the Mondays"? If you've seen office space, you probably know the rest of that quote. Work just keeps piling and piling up, and I simply don't have time to do it at work because I'm so inundated with meetings. To top it off, I don't have the faith right now to be praying about it...as soon as I start a new regiment of praying, I get kicked in the mouth with that Midianite garbage. Well, I'm sure you don't want to hear my whining - on to the Bible.

Reading for March 22
Numbers 33:40-35:34
Oh, the irony. The Israelites are getting ready to take the final leg of their journey into the promised land. But before they do, God tells Moses how to divide up the land and what is to be what. God tells Moses to set up cities that will serve as a refuge for someone who had accidentally murdered someone else. Then he gets into what constitutes accidental murder. Check this out:

 ¹⁶ " 'If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.

Oh. Really? Well then put to death the 12,000 Israeli men who just viciously slaughtered a nation of innocent children, but kept the precious virgins for their own desires. Oh what's that? You're not going to? Oh I see. Well no worries. Justice always prevails I guess.

Sigh. I'm sorry. I don't want that event to distort my view of the rest of the Bible, but its such a majorly offensive section of history that I'm having a hard time digesting it. And this line about punishing murderers comes so closely after it that it's hard not to make that connection.

OK - I think what I need to do is leave that behind for now and take the rest of the Bible as it comes. I refuse to let it go though on the back end. I would really like to understand what others think about it and know if its as faith shaking to others as it was to me.

Luke 5:12-28

Jesus heals two people in this section. The first is a man with leprosy - remember that in Leviticus, people who have any sort of skin condition are considered unclean, and cannot be touched by anyone, lest that person become unclean as well. Well, a man with leprosy approaches Jesus to ask him to heal him, specifically he says, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus says, "I am willing" and touches him and he is immediately healed of his affliction.

This is so significant because Jesus is not afraid of the cleanliness rules. He is all about helping people. This is the dichotomy that I think he is constantly trying to walk - Yes the old rules are good to follow, but don't let them get in the way of helping others. If you are able to heal someone with leprosy, but the rules say you can't touch them then screw the rules. Help the person.

This is more along the lines of what I like to see...

Psalm 65:1-13
There is something extremely calming about this psalm. The imagery is absolutely beautiful - and its also a strange way of talking to God. David addresses God as if God was not all knowing, and that actually, David knew more than him. I don't think it was meant to be usurping God's power, just poetic license. Here take a look:

¹ Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion;
       to you our vows will be fulfilled.
 ² O you who hear prayer,
       to you all men will come.

This is a stunning opening statement, and just sets the mood. There is no mention of David's enemies in this psalm - perhaps the first one he wrote that doesn't talk about them. It just rolls around in the marveling and appreciating God's landscape.

 ⁶ who formed the mountains by your power,
       having armed yourself with strength,
 ⁷ who stilled the roaring of the seas,
       the roaring of their waves,
       and the turmoil of the nations.
 ⁸ Those living far away fear your wonders;
       where morning dawns and evening fades
       you call forth songs of joy.
 ⁹ You care for the land and water it;
       you enrich it abundantly.
       The streams of God are filled with water
       to provide the people with grain,
       for so you have ordained it. ^[c]
 10 You drench its furrows
       and level its ridges;
       you soften it with showers
       and bless its crops.
 ¹¹ You crown the year with your bounty,
       and your carts overflow with abundance.
 ¹² The grasslands of the desert overflow;
       the hills are clothed with gladness.
 ¹³ The meadows are covered with flocks
       and the valleys are mantled with grain;
       they shout for joy and sing.

Oh man. So poetic. It's like I'm at the best coffee house open mic I've ever been to. I think I would like to memorize these verses. I would love to be able to quote this...Psalm 65:6-13. It's my new jam. 

Proverbs 11:23

 ²³ The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
       but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

There it is, friends. Another Monday in the books. Time for bed. Back to the doo doo storm tomorrow.
Love.