OK, I just got done watching LIFE on Discovery Channel. Holy. Moly. That show is unreal. I don't want to say the stereotypical Christian thing and say "look how cool all those animals are - surely there's a God." But I mean just the variety of species and the ways they adapt are incredible. There's these monkeys in South America who have figured out how to crack nuts by using rocks as hammers. Like they beat the nuts with the the rock and then feast on the precious innards. That's insane to me. They're using tools!
Anyway, the show is incredible. Watch it. Sundays at 8 on Discovery.
Reading for March 28
Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22
The opening of this section is quite striking. Moses and God are still talking to the people, getting them ready to enter the promised land. Moses/God reminds the people that they are not God's chosen people because of what they've done or because of their righteousness, they are God's chosen people because of the wickedness of other nations.
This idea at first is kind of flattering - God chose Israel because essentially they were better than everyone else. But then thinking about it, it could almost be interpreted as Israel being God's last resort.
Either way, its an interesting parallel to the New Testament where it is often said that you cannot enter heaven only by doing good deeds. The rest of this section is a recap of things that happened in the previous few books.
Luke 8:4-21
Most of this has been discussed in previous gospels, including this, probably...but it just hit me for the first time. Somebody told Jesus that his mother and brothers were looking for him. To which Jesus replied:
"My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."Ah - well done, JC. Well done.
Psalm 69:19-36
This one isn't great. In fact, this might be my least favorite Psalm so far, but that doesn't mean I should skip it. The majority of this Psalm is focused once again on God taking out the enemies of David - but the way it starts is I think what's important here.
20 Scorn has broken my heartIn this case, I'm not sure if it's clear whether these people were his enemies before the "scorn broke his heart" or after. To me, it seems like David has these enemies because they weren't there to comfort him in his time of need from perhaps other enemies. I'm probably totally off base, but it was an interesting observation.
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
Proverbs 12:2-3
2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
but the LORD condemns a crafty man.
3 A man cannot be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
Verse 3 is very interesting in today's society. It seems like for some people they can only be established through wickedness. Maybe this means established in the sight of God. It is in the Bible after all...
Anthony and I LOVE Life! It's such an awesome show. The sea drgaons, and the mud fish, and the humpback whales last night were so amazing!
ReplyDeleteP.S...a murray/sole disney extravaganza trip is really going to happen in october! WOO!
For the OT passage, I think the point is even more than the fact that Israel is the God's chosen people because all the other nations are wicked. It's that Israel is the chosen people DESPITE Israel being wicked too. "You must recognize that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not—you are a stubborn people."
ReplyDeleteThe point is that God elects Israel out of God's mercy in order to show the world God's mercy, not because Israel is particularly awesome. (also, This is not a knock on Israel on Judiasm or anything like that).
The lesson this gives for today I think is this -- when God chooses someone for a special task to do His will, it's because God is good, not because that person is special. So no one should boast, because all are given grace by God.
Just think who was God's ultimate "Chosen One" -- Jesus Christ, who never boasted but always looked toward God. And his "boastful" fate was dying and suffering on a cross.
In other words, the OT reaffirms, not contradicts, the NT teaching that we are not to boast in ourselves because of our good works but boast in God's grace.