Reading from Saturday, June 19

Yes yes. So I think I'm definitely going to start that new video game blog where I go back and try to beat all the games in my collection that remain unconquered. My main motivation in doing this - which is partially the same as this blog - is to hold myself accountable to you the reader, to not purchase any more games until I beat what I've got. You see, I have had my eye on a little gem known as Super Mario Galaxy 2, but I have so many other "in process" games right now that I know I would ditch them and probably never return.

By forcing myself to play my games one at a time, I will not be tempted to jump to something else or buy something new. It's similar to the measured way I'm reading through the Bible. For years I've wanted to read the entire thing, but would always just kind of pick it up and randomly open to a page and start reading. This was obviously ineffective and I would never finish it. It's the same thing with games - I'll pick up a game here or there, play it for a few days and then move to something else. Now I will be forced to play through in order, and also not to buy anything new during the process. The siren song of Mario Galaxy 2 may be too strong however, which would mean I would need to start the project after I've bought that.

The other thing that will hopefully be interesting to readers is my lack of skill in classic games - specifically the original Super Mario Bros. which I have never beaten. What I would like to do is make that game my final game in the project - to know that I have beaten the game that has haunted me for 23 years. Anyway - that's that.

This is the Bible.

Reading for June 19
1 Kings 20:1-21:29
Some intense stuff going on here. There is a war between Ahab's Israel and Ben-Hadad's Aram. Ben Hadad sends a message to Ahab asking for all of his wealth and his "best wives", and Aram agrees. Ben then sends a second message asking for the same from all of Ahab's followers which Ahab denies. This sets Ben off and declares war on Israel. Israel was greatly outnumbered like 10,000 to 250 outnumbered, and Israel totally destroyed them, but Ahab hears that Ben-Hadad is still alive and goes to meet him. Ahab spares Ben's life in exchange for a treaty between the two nations. For this, the only documented redeemable act in Ahab's reign, a prophet of God condemns Ahab to die for having mercy on someone, but Ahab doesn't die right away - he is actually somewhat redeemed at the end of chapter 21. We'll get to that in a minute - there's more WTF moments to get to before that.

The prophet that condemns Ahab asks another man to strike him with his sword, saying that it was a command from God. The other man, obviously thinking he was being tricked said "no thanks." The prophet then said "because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD, you will be mauled by a lion." And wouldn't you know it - the poor guy was mauled by a lion.

How is one supposed to follow the word of God when there are so many people declaring they know the word of God and are exploiting that to get their way? And then when someone uses common sense and reason to judge the situation, they are wrong and get mauled by a lion (remember that other guy who was duped by someone and then mauled by a lion?) How is that fair? People are being punished by God because of people's butthole nature.

Now to close out this chapter, Ahab has his eye on a vineyard owned by a guy named Naboth. He asks Naboth to sell him his vineyard but Naboth declines saying that it was an inheritance of his family and it was God's will for him to keep it. Ahab reacts like a child. He goes into his room sulking and refuses to eat. What a baby. Enter Jezebel - she asks what is wrong, Ahab tells her and she sets the trap. She invites Naboth to a big banquet with a ton of people and has two spies in there sitting across from Naboth declare to the whole room that Naboth was speaking against the LORD. Naboth was immediately stoned to death and then Ahab got his little vineyard. That's pretty dirty, and I would definitely say this is worthy of the punishment we're used to seeing from God.

So Elijah goes to Ahab to speak for the LORD, saying that because he has done such an awful thing, and was probably the worst king in the history is Israel, that God would destroy his lineage like that of Jeroboam and the other rotten kings of Israel. He also tells Ahab that dogs will eat Jezebel. At hearing this, Ahab rips his clothes and puts on a sackcloth - which I think is like a potato sack - and he fasted. Because of this act, God redeems Ahab.

²⁹ "Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son."

Now if we're to take the Bible as the direct word of God, I think this story is in place to challenge our own assertions of right and wrong. I think most of us were excited to hear that Jezebel was going to be eaten by dogs. Based upon my own moral code, she was perhaps the worst person so far in the Old Testament. I know I was like, yeah give that jerk what's coming to her. Ahab wasn't much better, leading people astray to a new God to serve his own motives and taking that poor guy's vineyard. But when I finally saw a person who most deserved God's wrath, and was awaiting the big payoff, God has mercy on him, not punishing someone who is so deserving of it.

I think this is again, very symbolic of the future grace which he will have for all mankind. It doesn't explain why he didn't have mercy on the poor guy who refused to stab someone else, but it's one of those small cracks of kindness that's peeking out from the core of God's being.

Acts 12:24-13:15
Again, there isn't much in the way of story progression here. The disciples begin traveling farther and farther away from Jerusalem and meet a magician named Bar-Jesus. Bar means "son of" so this guy was pretty ballsy. Bar-Jesus was an attendant of a local government official who had sent for the disciples because he wanted to hear the word of God. Bar-Jesus tried to turn this guy away from hearing the message but Saul, who is first identified as Paul in this chapter rebukes him:

⁹Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ¹⁰"You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."

   Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹²When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

What I find interesting about this scene is the punishment that is given to Bar-Jesus. This guy is obviously low on the "Guys Who God Thinks Are Awesome" list - besmirching the name of Jesus, turning people away from the faith, he is definitely not a favorite of these people. So, raise your hand - what would have happened to this guy in the Old Testament? Yes, you there. That's correct. He would have either:

A) Been stoned to death
B) Been mauled to death by a lion or
C) Had his children killed in front of him

So instead of doing one of those things to prove the existence and power of God, they inflict Bar-J with blindness. But not even permanent blindness, only temporary. Like they used a low level darkness spell in Final Fantasy. This could easily be cured by Esuna or eye drops. Just a little reminder not to mess around with this stuff. This allows him to be given mercy later on, instead of making one false move and dying for it.

By the way, how sweet would a Bible RPG be? MP could be GP (God Points) and they could summon the different manifestations of God - the cloud, the burning bush, the pillar of fire. It would be awesome. Where my Christian programmers at?

Psalm 137:1-9
I think there's some great stuff in here - but I don't think I've read enough to properly interpret it. I'll just post it here and hope someone else has some better insight than I do:

¹ By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
       when we remembered Zion.

 ² There on the poplars
       we hung our harps,
 ³ for there our captors asked us for songs,
       our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
       they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
 ⁴ How can we sing the songs of the LORD
       while in a foreign land?
 ⁵ If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
       may my right hand forget its skill .
 ⁶ May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
       if I do not remember you,
       if I do not consider Jerusalem
       my highest joy.
 ⁷ Remember, O LORD, what the Edomites did
       on the day Jerusalem fell.
       "Tear it down," they cried,
       "tear it down to its foundations!"
 ⁸ O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
       happy is he who repays you
       for what you have done to us-
 ⁹ he who seizes your infants
       and dashes them against the rocks.

Proverbs 17:16
 ¹⁶ Of what use is money in the hand of a fool,
       since he has no desire to get wisdom?

Sweet. Good day to you.