Reading for December 10
Amos 1:1-3:15
This is interesting. This is another "This country is bad because..." book. At least the first two chapters are. Basically God calls out every nation for what they had done, saving Judah and Israel for last.
A couple of interesting bits though - firstly:
2 “You only have I chosenGod is saying because he specifically chose Israel, he feels that they should have been more faithful and obedient towards him. So when they didn't, they earned their punishment.
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
for all your sins.”
Then there's this:
7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothingDoes this still happen? Are there still prophets of God that can interpret his will? I mean I know people who are super strong Christians who wouldn't even pretend to know what God's plans are. I mean you can have an idea of what God's plan is by reading the Bible and knowing what he has done in the past, but as you have seen in the past - he is a fickle, fluctuating creature with a scary pimp hand, but a loving heart.
without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets.
Revelation 2:1-17
Yes. Crazy sweet doom prophecies.
Wow. This is freaking intense.
So this is basically Jesus speaking to the reader - which is so fascinating because we haven't seen the words of Jesus since the gospels, and now he's speaking to you, specifically. There's just something super powerful about that.
So what he does is the classic feedback model. He tells us what we're doing right and then what we're doing wrong. He follows this formula three times and each time presents a reward for those who are 'victorious'. The three things that are available to the victorious ones are the Tree of Life from Genesis, a pain-free "second death" which I can only assume means the afterlife, and finally "hidden manna [and]...a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it."
I could guess and theorize about these things all day. Like - why would we be able to eat from the tree of life now, when it was strictly forbidden back in the perfect paradise God planned for us? Or why is it called a second death? Where is the first death? Are we considered to actually die when we are "born again"? What's the white stone? Is that what Jacob and the Man in Black were playing in LOST?
I need to do some research on that. Anyone got any insight into these things? I really need to start getting Bible study guides.
Psalm 129:1-8
See, again I completely disagree with this psalm.
5 May all who hate ZionIsn't it the people who aren't doing good which are the ones we should be praying for? Let me answer that: Yes.
be turned back in shame.
6 May they be like grass on the roof,
which withers before it can grow;
7 a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,
nor one who gathers fill his arms.
8 May those who pass by not say to them,
“The blessing of the LORD be on you;
we bless you in the name of the LORD.”
Proverbs 29:19-20
19 Servants cannot be corrected by mere words;
though they understand, they will not respond.
20 Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.
1) The tree of life, I think, is different from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you look at Gen 2, they seem to be different trees.
ReplyDelete2) "second death", according to my Harper Collins study bible, means eternal punishment of the wicked. Skip ahead to Rev 20:14 "Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." So the "second death" is, um, hell, and those who "conquer" evil will not be harmed by the second death.
3) "White stone" -- From Harper Collins Study Bible: an amulet on which is inscribed a new name, ie the secret name of God or Christ, which is a symbol for hte permanent protection of the wearer. In the ancient world, amulets containing divine names were thought effective in warding off diseases and evil spirits.
I would speculate the white stone is the Holy Spirit protecting us.