Ughhh...Jilly and I just got back from a steak dinner at Moton's Steakhouse to celebrate her birthday and both of our promotions. We ate so much freaking food my intestens are exhausted. I would like to promote another blog if you are interested. My old youth pastor has a blog about just finding God in our every day lives. You can check it out here - he has some great stuff on there.
Reading for July 4
2 Kings 23:31-25:30
This is the last chapter of 2 Kings. Another book completed yo. Word up.
In this final section of 2 Kings the entire region of God's people is handed over to foreign nations, and completely destroyed. There's a guy named Nebuchadnezzar who is king of Babylon and he leads an attack against Judah. It takes some time, but eventually they set fire to Jerusalem, destroying every building within, including the temple of God. This fulfilled the prophecy that God would remove the people of Judah from their land, but it also fulfills another promise of God from about four books ago, probably close to 1000 years in the timeline at this point.
Back in 1 Samuel, when the Israelites wanted a king to rule over their nation rather than appointed judges, God warned them that there would be extreme complications if they went down that route. They insisted and for the next thousand years, Israel slowly fell apart. Saul was their first king who was good at first and then slowly got worse and worse. Then David took over and barring a few flubs, he was one of Israel's most well respected kings. From there Israel split into two nations, the next line of kings for Israel got worse and worse and they completely turned away from God, so much so that they weren't even aware of him after a few generations. Then God removed the people of Israel from their land. The land he promised them after freeing them from Egypt was now in the hands of foreigners and the people were once again scattered. God's lone hope, the nation of Judah, had done alright for itself for a few hundred years until it got it's share of really bad kings. Eventually Judah was destroyed and it's people were removed as well.
So throughout these four books, we see a distinct cause and effect of a poor choice. God could have said "No. You're not getting a king, because it will ruin you." But he gave them free will and look where it landed them. The people chose what they wanted, and they wanted to fit in with the other nations around them and have a king. God allowed them to make that choice and then allowed them to pay the price for that choice. When you look at it from the large picture, that seems totally fair. Some awful awful things have happened over the course of these four books, but when you really think about it, the people could have listened to God and just been content with what they'd had. But because they wanted to be cool, they ended up destroying themselves. God no longer had any people it seemed. I wonder how it progresses from here...
Acts 22:17-23:10
Paul before the Sanhedrin.
So just as Jesus had been questioned and tried before the Sanhedrin, Paul was brought there as well. Paul tells them that he too was a Pharisee and is the son of a Pharisee. He says that he is on trial for his belief in the resurrection of the dead. This causes a huge, violent debate to break out amongst the Sanhedrin. Within the group there were Pharisees - strict teachers of Jewish law who also believed in resurrection, angels and Godly, supernatural things; and Sadducees - teachers of the law who believed in nothing supernatural.
The debate became so heated that the roman soldier who brought Paul before them was forced to take him out because he was afraid that the members of the Sanhedrin would kill him.
Psalm 2:1-12
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
Interesting considering we just finished 2 Kings and the period of awfulness that was brought because of Israel becoming a monarchy. David's words obviously didn't resonate with a lot of the kings that took power.
Proverbs 18:13
13 He who answers before listening—
that is his folly and his shame.
Indeed, sir. Indeed.
What's the Point?
I have begun thinking about the point of the Bible overall. There are several ways in which someone could look at it:
1) A historical document. The places and events recorded in the Old Testament are real places and the people written about were likely real people. It is a powerful research tool into the lives and customs of people and nations from over three or four thousand years ago.
2) A work of fiction. While the places and people are likely real, some may read the Bible as sort of a "Titanic" type of story. In that movie the events and some of the characters were real people, but the narrative was entirely fiction. If you look at just the narrative aspect of it yet don't believe any of the spirituality of the thing, it is still a fantastic story of love, redemption and change, and is the blueprint for thousands of stories out there. I mean there is a literary term known as a "Christ figure" - someone who sacrifices him or herself to help others. Lord of the Flies, LOST, video games and books all over the place use this idea in spades. And while I'm sure there were great acts of sacrifice before and after Jesus, that is the one most people think of.
3) The literal word of God. Many people believe that every word in the Bible was divinely inspired by God himself. Now some people have very different interpretations of what "divinely inspired" means. Some believe that the people who wrote the books of the Bible had a good relationship with God and through his goodness and kindness to them, they were inspired to write the books which they wrote. Others believe that every word on the page is the direct word of God and just transcribed by man. This interpretation is difficult for many people because of the many contradictions in the Bible. They would think "If God is perfect, why are there things that don't add up?"
4) A biography of God. This is where I am right now. I've mentioned before the idea of the Philosopher's God. This is the god that a group of philosophers designed around what they thought God should be. They decided that if there is a God he must be all knowing, all powerful and all good or loving. And then because they saw suffering in the world, they decided that God could not exist because he would have helped those people. I think what has happened is that image of God has bled into the Christian belief system. While God certainly is powerful, knowing and loving, my argument is that he is not these things in the way the philosophers believed him to be. This is already fairly evident to me in the half I've read so far.
So therefore, my conclusion would be to use this beautiful, intricate, divinely inspired narrative to determine who God actually is. I will accept that there are things that I will never be able to understand, but as one of my goals states, I want to be able to define God by the end of this project. I want to know what he is and is not capable of. I want to know why it is he loves us so much. I want to know why he went from super angry vengeful god to a sacrificial lamb. And the Bible will help me get those answers.
1) A historical document. The places and events recorded in the Old Testament are real places and the people written about were likely real people. It is a powerful research tool into the lives and customs of people and nations from over three or four thousand years ago.
2) A work of fiction. While the places and people are likely real, some may read the Bible as sort of a "Titanic" type of story. In that movie the events and some of the characters were real people, but the narrative was entirely fiction. If you look at just the narrative aspect of it yet don't believe any of the spirituality of the thing, it is still a fantastic story of love, redemption and change, and is the blueprint for thousands of stories out there. I mean there is a literary term known as a "Christ figure" - someone who sacrifices him or herself to help others. Lord of the Flies, LOST, video games and books all over the place use this idea in spades. And while I'm sure there were great acts of sacrifice before and after Jesus, that is the one most people think of.
3) The literal word of God. Many people believe that every word in the Bible was divinely inspired by God himself. Now some people have very different interpretations of what "divinely inspired" means. Some believe that the people who wrote the books of the Bible had a good relationship with God and through his goodness and kindness to them, they were inspired to write the books which they wrote. Others believe that every word on the page is the direct word of God and just transcribed by man. This interpretation is difficult for many people because of the many contradictions in the Bible. They would think "If God is perfect, why are there things that don't add up?"
4) A biography of God. This is where I am right now. I've mentioned before the idea of the Philosopher's God. This is the god that a group of philosophers designed around what they thought God should be. They decided that if there is a God he must be all knowing, all powerful and all good or loving. And then because they saw suffering in the world, they decided that God could not exist because he would have helped those people. I think what has happened is that image of God has bled into the Christian belief system. While God certainly is powerful, knowing and loving, my argument is that he is not these things in the way the philosophers believed him to be. This is already fairly evident to me in the half I've read so far.
So therefore, my conclusion would be to use this beautiful, intricate, divinely inspired narrative to determine who God actually is. I will accept that there are things that I will never be able to understand, but as one of my goals states, I want to be able to define God by the end of this project. I want to know what he is and is not capable of. I want to know why it is he loves us so much. I want to know why he went from super angry vengeful god to a sacrificial lamb. And the Bible will help me get those answers.
Reading from Saturday, July 3
Hey hey, what do you say? Yesterday was Independence Day. And I've been listening to Jay
Z up in the ride, so is my raps good? is you on my side? Do you like my rhymes? Cuz listen up holmes - it's Bible time.
Reading for July 3
2 Kings 22:3-23:30
This is a great little gem of a story hidden in the Old Testament here. So the current king of Judah is Josiah. One day he asks his employees to go and rebuild and repair the temple. During their work they come across the Book of Law that Moses had written and they brought it back to Josiah and read it to him. Upon hearing the laws which they were supposed to be following, Josiah freaked out, realizing all the sin that had been occurring within his nation.
So he gathered all the people of Judah together and read the Book of Law to them and said that they all should follow what it says. Then he ordered the destruction of everything that had been created to praise other gods. This part was the most remarkable to me - the text here lists about a dozen different shrines and idols that had been erected in the temple. The temple that God said to keep holy and was only for him and that if they messed with it there would be hell to pay - yeah, that temple. So everything that represented other gods was obliterated and Josiah turned all the people of Judah back to God. It says that there has never been another king like him - no one had ever had such a radical change of heart for God.
However, it says that even though Josiah had done all these great things, God was still pissed from the previous kings, and was still saying he was going to make good on his promise of removing Judah from their nation just as he had done with Israel. We all know that God keeps his promises too.
Acts 21:37-22:16
Paul recounts his conversion to his persecutors.
So if you remember, Paul had just been arrested in Jerusalem and was about to be killed. He pleaded with the Roman guards to let him speak to the crowd and they agreed.
Paul began telling the story about how he was a Jew and was a devout follower of God and how he would kill the people who were part of the the Way (Christians). Most of the story is a copy paste of the early chapters in Acts, but there are some extra details about how badly he persecuted the Christians. Check it:
To put it in modern times, let's say that Muslim extremists are absolutely right in what they are doing, and Charlton Heston becomes one of them. Then he comes back to Austin, Texas as is arrested by the NRA and then gives this speech to them. I think that sufficiently explains what's happening.
Psalm 1:1-6
Alright - starting the psalms over. In my first go around back in January I had this to say about Psalm 1.
Nothing stands out.
I think now I have a little more insight as to some of the meaning here.
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Just coming from that passage in 2 Kings where Josiah realizes how important the Book of Law actually is to his people, verses 1 and 2 really stand out here. The idea of meditating on a verse or group of verses in the Bible is something I've always had interest in, but never done. Maybe that can be next year's blog.
Proverbs 18:11-12
Pride comes before the fall
Z up in the ride, so is my raps good? is you on my side? Do you like my rhymes? Cuz listen up holmes - it's Bible time.
Reading for July 3
2 Kings 22:3-23:30
This is a great little gem of a story hidden in the Old Testament here. So the current king of Judah is Josiah. One day he asks his employees to go and rebuild and repair the temple. During their work they come across the Book of Law that Moses had written and they brought it back to Josiah and read it to him. Upon hearing the laws which they were supposed to be following, Josiah freaked out, realizing all the sin that had been occurring within his nation.
So he gathered all the people of Judah together and read the Book of Law to them and said that they all should follow what it says. Then he ordered the destruction of everything that had been created to praise other gods. This part was the most remarkable to me - the text here lists about a dozen different shrines and idols that had been erected in the temple. The temple that God said to keep holy and was only for him and that if they messed with it there would be hell to pay - yeah, that temple. So everything that represented other gods was obliterated and Josiah turned all the people of Judah back to God. It says that there has never been another king like him - no one had ever had such a radical change of heart for God.
However, it says that even though Josiah had done all these great things, God was still pissed from the previous kings, and was still saying he was going to make good on his promise of removing Judah from their nation just as he had done with Israel. We all know that God keeps his promises too.
Acts 21:37-22:16
Paul recounts his conversion to his persecutors.
So if you remember, Paul had just been arrested in Jerusalem and was about to be killed. He pleaded with the Roman guards to let him speak to the crowd and they agreed.
Paul began telling the story about how he was a Jew and was a devout follower of God and how he would kill the people who were part of the the Way (Christians). Most of the story is a copy paste of the early chapters in Acts, but there are some extra details about how badly he persecuted the Christians. Check it:
Then Paul said: 3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.So just as Peter had done earlier, Paul was playing to his accusers' strict Jewish nature. Saying he was raised the same way they were, taught by the same people and worshiped the same God. Then he talks about how he would kill the people who were different, even going so far as to kill people who were sending letters to Christians. This was likely pleasurable to the people in the crowd.
To put it in modern times, let's say that Muslim extremists are absolutely right in what they are doing, and Charlton Heston becomes one of them. Then he comes back to Austin, Texas as is arrested by the NRA and then gives this speech to them. I think that sufficiently explains what's happening.
Psalm 1:1-6
Alright - starting the psalms over. In my first go around back in January I had this to say about Psalm 1.
Nothing stands out.
I think now I have a little more insight as to some of the meaning here.
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Just coming from that passage in 2 Kings where Josiah realizes how important the Book of Law actually is to his people, verses 1 and 2 really stand out here. The idea of meditating on a verse or group of verses in the Bible is something I've always had interest in, but never done. Maybe that can be next year's blog.
Proverbs 18:11-12
Pride comes before the fall
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;Bam. Much love, yos.
they imagine it an unscalable wall.
12 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
Reading from Friday, July 2
Hey friends. So today is Kreacher's third birthday. Kreacher is my dog. He's a bulldog and he's real ugly. He's also the cutest baby in the world. I mean look at this:
That little guy is three years old today! Let's hear it for him! WOOOO!!! Kreacher, yeah!!
He got a new toy from the dollar store which he thinks is the best thing in the world right now, so he's havin a pretty slammin birthday.
Reading for July 2
2 Kings 20:1-22:2
So now with Israel handed over to other nations, God's focus seems to be squarely on Judah. Hezekiah, who had been a good and faithful king, was getting ready to die of an infection. God allowed this infection to be healed and Hezekiah lived another fifteen years when he was previously told to get his affairs in order because he would not recover.
Then Manasseh takes the throne of Judah and he corrupts the throne like the Isareli kings before him. This was the last straw. His beloved nation of Judah now had a corrupt king? His cherished nation of David's ancestors had now been sullied. So in the same way God "got rid of" Israel, he promises to do the same thing to Judah here in this chapter. He says, "I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down." That's pretty intimidating.
This whole scene also lends credibility that God is not all knowing. Operating under the assumption that these kings were divinely chosen, there is no way that God would have picked a king, knowing he was going to be corrupt and then punishing the people for following their corrupt king which he supposedly put into power. Again. God has plans, people have other plans. Those plans suck. God's plans are awesome.
Acts 21:18-36
So Paul makes it back to Jerusalem - the center of our whole story. When he arrives, he hears from the other disciples that the Jews are making stuff up about him; saying that he had been preaching against the laws of Moses and against the customs of the Jewish people. Paul, on his was out into town, was spotted by a few people who incited a huge uproar and were about to kill him. A Roman soldier heard the commotion and came out and tried to arrest him, but because of the crowd, he couldn't converse with Paul so he had him put in what I suppose is like a holding cell temporarily.
This is the third time, I think, that Paul has been in jail. That's pretty crazy.
Psalm 150:1-6
Hey - this is the last Psalm in the Bible! The plan has me reading through the entire book again now as I finish the rest of the other books, so it will be cool to read through them again with a fresh perspective. This one, however isn't anything new or terribly exciting. I do like this line though:
If I was a drummer I would hang verse 5 above my drumset.
Proverbs 18:9-10
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
OK, I'm fairly exhausted. Time for bedso yo yo.
That little guy is three years old today! Let's hear it for him! WOOOO!!! Kreacher, yeah!!
He got a new toy from the dollar store which he thinks is the best thing in the world right now, so he's havin a pretty slammin birthday.
Reading for July 2
2 Kings 20:1-22:2
So now with Israel handed over to other nations, God's focus seems to be squarely on Judah. Hezekiah, who had been a good and faithful king, was getting ready to die of an infection. God allowed this infection to be healed and Hezekiah lived another fifteen years when he was previously told to get his affairs in order because he would not recover.
Then Manasseh takes the throne of Judah and he corrupts the throne like the Isareli kings before him. This was the last straw. His beloved nation of Judah now had a corrupt king? His cherished nation of David's ancestors had now been sullied. So in the same way God "got rid of" Israel, he promises to do the same thing to Judah here in this chapter. He says, "I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down." That's pretty intimidating.
This whole scene also lends credibility that God is not all knowing. Operating under the assumption that these kings were divinely chosen, there is no way that God would have picked a king, knowing he was going to be corrupt and then punishing the people for following their corrupt king which he supposedly put into power. Again. God has plans, people have other plans. Those plans suck. God's plans are awesome.
Acts 21:18-36
So Paul makes it back to Jerusalem - the center of our whole story. When he arrives, he hears from the other disciples that the Jews are making stuff up about him; saying that he had been preaching against the laws of Moses and against the customs of the Jewish people. Paul, on his was out into town, was spotted by a few people who incited a huge uproar and were about to kill him. A Roman soldier heard the commotion and came out and tried to arrest him, but because of the crowd, he couldn't converse with Paul so he had him put in what I suppose is like a holding cell temporarily.
This is the third time, I think, that Paul has been in jail. That's pretty crazy.
Psalm 150:1-6
Hey - this is the last Psalm in the Bible! The plan has me reading through the entire book again now as I finish the rest of the other books, so it will be cool to read through them again with a fresh perspective. This one, however isn't anything new or terribly exciting. I do like this line though:
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
If I was a drummer I would hang verse 5 above my drumset.
Proverbs 18:9-10
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
OK, I'm fairly exhausted. Time for bedso yo yo.
Reading from Thursday, July 1
Good morrow. It's America weekend.
Also, last night's post marked the half way point for this blog! Six months in the books, yo.
Let's read the Bible.
Reading from July 1
2 Kings 18:13-19:37
The war with Assyria.
In this section the king of Assyria is threatening a complete hostile takeover of Jerusalem. I just figure out that Jerusalem is in Judah, not Israel during this time - in case you missed that too. So Hezekiah, the king of Judah, keeps telling his people not to worry and that "The LORD will deliver us". The king of Assyria tells everyone not to believe Hezekiah. He says "look at all the other nations my army has destroyed. Have any of their gods delivered them?" So all the people of Judah began to get very panicky.
Hezekiah prays to God for Judah's deliverance from Assyria and God answers him through the prophet Isaiah in a beautifully paced and delivered message. He says that he planned long ago for Judah to win this battle, and now it is setting into motion. So that night an "angel of the LORD" swept through the Assyrian camp and 185,000 soldiers were killed. When the rest of the soldiers woke up they found only dead bodies so they had to retreat.
A couple of interesting things to point out in this story.
1) The plan.I am often debating with myself on the idea of God being all knowing. My theory is this: He has plans and paths for each of us to take. Individually and as larger groups. If we follow his ways and obey his laws, we will see those plans come to fruition, and it's my belief that those paths are the very best one could choose (or accept) in his or her life. However, if we deviate from the path, if we disobey God or live outside of his boundaries, then not even God knows what will happen to us. We are left to the will of the wind of the world.
I think this scene lends some validity to that theory. Hezekiah was a good king for Judah and it says that he obeyed all the laws of Moses and the elders so he was on the right path, both individually and representing his nation. So God was able to carry out his plan for him which he had set up so long ago.
2) The angel of the LORD that is mentioned is likely the same entity that killed the first born children of Egypt during the plagues. We see this "angel" a few times in the Bible and it seems like its sole purpose is to kill things in their sleep. That's pretty scary that something like that comes from God.
Acts 21:1-17
A few chapters ago, Acts switched from third person to first person. There is a member of Paul's party who seems to be writing this book as they go along, almost like a journal. So there is this constant reference to "we".But it's really cool to read, it is in fact almost like picking up someone's journal and reading it with little details about the people that stayed with with the things they saw and experienced. I did something similar when I was on tour with my band and that's the constant image I get from these journeys of Paul. They are on a tour, and for me there's nothing cooler.
In this section the group of "we" are making their way back to Jerusalem based on Paul's feeling that he must go there. There seems to be a lot of trepidation on the part of his disciples to let him go there. They fear that he will be killed but Paul continues to insist and they just give up and say "The LORD's will be done..."
I guess sometimes when you are trying so hard to influence or change a situation but you can't, you just have to say "Thy will be done." Maybe there are some things in this life that absolutely have to happen to each of us, and while we can deviate widely from the path God has laid out for us, there are key moments that we cannot change no matter how far we are from God. Maybe those are the points where God is trying to check back in with us and get us back to him. Hmm...interesting thought...
Psalm 149:1-9
See this just makes me upset:
5 Let the saints rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.
6 May the praise of God be in their mouths
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
7 to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
It's all about praising God, but for what end? To kill everyone around them and gain more land. People are awful.
Proverbs 18:8
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to a man's inmost parts.
Oh my. That is graphic!
Also, last night's post marked the half way point for this blog! Six months in the books, yo.
Let's read the Bible.
Reading from July 1
2 Kings 18:13-19:37
The war with Assyria.
In this section the king of Assyria is threatening a complete hostile takeover of Jerusalem. I just figure out that Jerusalem is in Judah, not Israel during this time - in case you missed that too. So Hezekiah, the king of Judah, keeps telling his people not to worry and that "The LORD will deliver us". The king of Assyria tells everyone not to believe Hezekiah. He says "look at all the other nations my army has destroyed. Have any of their gods delivered them?" So all the people of Judah began to get very panicky.
Hezekiah prays to God for Judah's deliverance from Assyria and God answers him through the prophet Isaiah in a beautifully paced and delivered message. He says that he planned long ago for Judah to win this battle, and now it is setting into motion. So that night an "angel of the LORD" swept through the Assyrian camp and 185,000 soldiers were killed. When the rest of the soldiers woke up they found only dead bodies so they had to retreat.
A couple of interesting things to point out in this story.
1) The plan.I am often debating with myself on the idea of God being all knowing. My theory is this: He has plans and paths for each of us to take. Individually and as larger groups. If we follow his ways and obey his laws, we will see those plans come to fruition, and it's my belief that those paths are the very best one could choose (or accept) in his or her life. However, if we deviate from the path, if we disobey God or live outside of his boundaries, then not even God knows what will happen to us. We are left to the will of the wind of the world.
I think this scene lends some validity to that theory. Hezekiah was a good king for Judah and it says that he obeyed all the laws of Moses and the elders so he was on the right path, both individually and representing his nation. So God was able to carry out his plan for him which he had set up so long ago.
2) The angel of the LORD that is mentioned is likely the same entity that killed the first born children of Egypt during the plagues. We see this "angel" a few times in the Bible and it seems like its sole purpose is to kill things in their sleep. That's pretty scary that something like that comes from God.
Acts 21:1-17
A few chapters ago, Acts switched from third person to first person. There is a member of Paul's party who seems to be writing this book as they go along, almost like a journal. So there is this constant reference to "we".But it's really cool to read, it is in fact almost like picking up someone's journal and reading it with little details about the people that stayed with with the things they saw and experienced. I did something similar when I was on tour with my band and that's the constant image I get from these journeys of Paul. They are on a tour, and for me there's nothing cooler.
In this section the group of "we" are making their way back to Jerusalem based on Paul's feeling that he must go there. There seems to be a lot of trepidation on the part of his disciples to let him go there. They fear that he will be killed but Paul continues to insist and they just give up and say "The LORD's will be done..."
I guess sometimes when you are trying so hard to influence or change a situation but you can't, you just have to say "Thy will be done." Maybe there are some things in this life that absolutely have to happen to each of us, and while we can deviate widely from the path God has laid out for us, there are key moments that we cannot change no matter how far we are from God. Maybe those are the points where God is trying to check back in with us and get us back to him. Hmm...interesting thought...
Psalm 149:1-9
See this just makes me upset:
5 Let the saints rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.
6 May the praise of God be in their mouths
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
7 to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
It's all about praising God, but for what end? To kill everyone around them and gain more land. People are awful.
Proverbs 18:8
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to a man's inmost parts.
Oh my. That is graphic!
Reading from Wednesday, June 30
I feel pretty crappy right now. I got a $100 gift card from work and I have spent the last hour and a half trying to figure out how to spend it on myself. I need a new laptop power cord ($11) because my last one literally exploded, but I couldn't think of anything else to get for myself.
Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna pray about it and figure out the best way to spend that money. I don't pray very often so this will be a good opportunity for me and the big guy to connect.
OK - let's see if the Bible has any guidance.
Reading for June 30
2 Kings 17:1-18:12
Wow. The Israelites were booted from Isarel. God had enough with all these corrupt and villainous kings of Israel and it says he "removed them from his presence" - based on historical data I would translate that to "killed them good." The tribe/nation of Judah was spared though as they were, while sometimes trouble, much better than Israel.
So Israel was repopulated with new people from neighboring lands. But wouldn't you know it - they didn't worship God either. How could you expect them to though? They were from another land where that wasn't their custom or religion...well because they didn't worship God, the king of Israel sent lions to maul them. That'll teach em.
Acts 20:1-38
I'm starting to really get a sense for how cool Paul really was. When I was in Rome last year, Jilly and I went to St. Paul's cathedral. I just thought that was a symbolic name but no, Paul is actually (supposedly) buried there! When Jilly told me that it blew my mother loving mind. It went a little something like this:
"Paul?!"
"Yes."
"Like, Paul from the Bible?"
"YES!"
"He's buried."
"Yup."
"Right here. Where we're standing?
"YEEESSSSS!!!"
Then I put on my hat and got yelled at for putting on my hat inside next to Paul's tomb.
Whoops. I just realized that it's St. Peter's, not St. Paul's. Well, at least I got to tell that story. Just replace every reference to Paul with Peter and then the story is accurate.
So anyway, Paul. Paul has just finished his visit in Ephesus and he gives a big rousing farewell speech that is similar in structure to the speeches of the great leaders of the Old Testament, but much less scary and threatening in its tone with lines like this:
Paul on the other hand is totally accessible and actually has the time to foster strong relationships with people - enough to when he leaves them they all get together in a big group and cry. At my church when someone is leaving for a long time we all gather around them and pray for them, and that reminds me of this scene with Paul. It's just kind of cool to see something that's as relateable as grieving over a friend leaving you for a long time or possibly forever.
Psalm 148:1-14
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and maidens,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
It's interesting to think of everything on earth working together in a perfect orchestra of praise to each one's creator.
Proverbs 18:6-7
6 A fool's lips bring him strife,
and his mouth invites a beating.
7 A fool's mouth is his undoing,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Anybody with kids out there? Next time they start getting snippy drop verse 6 on them.
"Uh uh uh! Somebody's mouth is inviting a beating...."
Aaaaaaand goodnight.
Please pray that I will find a good and noble use for my money.
Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna pray about it and figure out the best way to spend that money. I don't pray very often so this will be a good opportunity for me and the big guy to connect.
OK - let's see if the Bible has any guidance.
Reading for June 30
2 Kings 17:1-18:12
Wow. The Israelites were booted from Isarel. God had enough with all these corrupt and villainous kings of Israel and it says he "removed them from his presence" - based on historical data I would translate that to "killed them good." The tribe/nation of Judah was spared though as they were, while sometimes trouble, much better than Israel.
So Israel was repopulated with new people from neighboring lands. But wouldn't you know it - they didn't worship God either. How could you expect them to though? They were from another land where that wasn't their custom or religion...well because they didn't worship God, the king of Israel sent lions to maul them. That'll teach em.
Acts 20:1-38
I'm starting to really get a sense for how cool Paul really was. When I was in Rome last year, Jilly and I went to St. Paul's cathedral. I just thought that was a symbolic name but no, Paul is actually (supposedly) buried there! When Jilly told me that it blew my mother loving mind. It went a little something like this:
"Paul?!"
"Yes."
"Like, Paul from the Bible?"
"YES!"
"He's buried."
"Yup."
"Right here. Where we're standing?
"YEEESSSSS!!!"
Then I put on my hat and got yelled at for putting on my hat inside next to Paul's tomb.
Whoops. I just realized that it's St. Peter's, not St. Paul's. Well, at least I got to tell that story. Just replace every reference to Paul with Peter and then the story is accurate.
So anyway, Paul. Paul has just finished his visit in Ephesus and he gives a big rousing farewell speech that is similar in structure to the speeches of the great leaders of the Old Testament, but much less scary and threatening in its tone with lines like this:
28Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.It's just a really cool speech and it sets the precedent for the letter he writes them later. What really got to me was the final line of the chapter:
36When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.What this tells me is that Paul was not only a righteous and great servant of God, but he was also a pretty great guy to be around. And it's interesting to see the relationships he develops with people in comparison to Jesus' life. Jesus only was able to become close with his disciples during his life, and his message was so polarizing that people either loved him or tried to kill him. Which meant that the people who loved him probably had to keep that to themselves or they would be at risk too.
Paul on the other hand is totally accessible and actually has the time to foster strong relationships with people - enough to when he leaves them they all get together in a big group and cry. At my church when someone is leaving for a long time we all gather around them and pray for them, and that reminds me of this scene with Paul. It's just kind of cool to see something that's as relateable as grieving over a friend leaving you for a long time or possibly forever.
Psalm 148:1-14
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and maidens,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
It's interesting to think of everything on earth working together in a perfect orchestra of praise to each one's creator.
Proverbs 18:6-7
6 A fool's lips bring him strife,
and his mouth invites a beating.
7 A fool's mouth is his undoing,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Anybody with kids out there? Next time they start getting snippy drop verse 6 on them.
"Uh uh uh! Somebody's mouth is inviting a beating...."
Aaaaaaand goodnight.
Please pray that I will find a good and noble use for my money.
Reading from Tuesday, June 29
The new job has begun. I have moved into my new cubicle, decorated with various toys and gizmos that bring it from "office drone filing space" to "office drone filing space with toys in it". As I mentioned, I am extremely excited about this new jim jam and have already finished my first project. How's that for efficiency?
I am slightly behind in my blogging because I was in barf city yesterday. I was up all night the night before upchucking and downchucking, then I slept it off all day yesterday. I probably should have stayed home today, but I didn't want to miss my first day.
Bubble Bobble Bible Time.
Reading for June 29
2 Kings 15:1-16:20
This entire section focuses on the revolving door that was the throne of Israel. There is a paragraph on each king that took power. It's worth noting that Israel's throne changes hands five times in this section while Judah's throne changes hands only twice. All of this occurs in a period of about 100 years.
Since there's not much story going on here, let's think a little more about the big picture. A few weeks ago, I brought up the idea of thinking of the Old Testament not as a story about God, but rather a history of the human race. If that were to work, we would obviously have to think of Israel as a cross section of the human race as most other nations aren't visited in much detail. I think Israel, however, is probably a pretty accurate cross section of humanity for that time - including religion. They had essentially dumped the Great I Am and worshiped whatever they wanted.
So if you look at this enormous book in the light of what humanity was like, and not what God was like you start to see a pattern. And that pattern is "people are terrible." As a whole people are awful, despicable creatures. We are still waging wars, we are still killing each other for profit and I don't think that will ever change. Obviously there are some exceptions to the rule today, as I'm sure there were back when this book was written. It's just not as interesting to read about someone deciding to not go to war. We do read about shining examples of good people in David, Elijah & Elisha, Abraham and eventually Job and others. But even those people, in most cases, did some terrible things.
I think what's really cool is thinking about Jesus in that context. He became one of these awful beings and was able to overcome whatever is within us to live an absolutely perfect existence. Which should inspire us to try and do the same thing.
Acts 19:13-41
Here we see Paul and the disciples at the center of a riot in Ephesus. The people of Ephesus worshiped a goddess named Artemis. Artemis is described as a "man made god" and there is a silversmith who is mentioned in this section who profits greatly from the sales of statues of Artemis. So when the disciples roll into town and start saying that these people are worshiping a false god, the silversmith's business is threatened and he incites a riot amongst the people.
Going back to the idea of the Bible as a history of humanity, we see another example of people being jerks that is clearly reflected today. The almighty dollar is the god of many many people these days. Decisions are made with the only deciding factor being profit. Not safety of employees, not safety of consumers, not preservation of the environment, purely cash money. Even companies that are implementing these "green" or "consumer safety" practices are doing so because people care about those things now and will give them more business if they think they're dealing with a morally conscious company. Look at McDonalds. Right after Super Size Me came out, they all of a sudden became all health conscious and had a huge emphasis on salads and being fit. Now what are they doing? Right back to the awful (but EXTREMELY delicious) burgers and fries. Companies don't care about people, they care about money. It's the same now as it was 2000 years ago. People are awful.
Psalm 147:1-20
Here we see a proclamation of God's love for Israel and Israel only. There's some beautiful imagery here:
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
8 He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
16 He spreads the snow like wool
and scatters the frost like ashes.
This imagery brings back the idea of God as the great creator that we saw in Genesis. With care and love for how things look and fit together. He makes these things for us to enjoy. I was talking with Jilly the other day about fruit. How is it that if we're all here by accident that there's things like peaches and bananas that are so plentiful and so delicious? I don't think that's undeniable proof in a creator, but it makes me think that there is at least something up there that loves me.
I do have to point out one more thing:
17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
Who can withstand his icy blast?! Sounds like God is a cape wearing super hero. No one can withstand his icy blast. Or if I could even further reveal my nerdiness - it makes God sound like a Pokemon.
"God - I choose you!"
"God! God god!"
"God - icy blast now!"
"God god!"
BOOOM
"No one can withstand God's icy blast! I can't wait until God evolves into Godizard"
Wow. I made myself laugh there.
Proverbs 18:4-5
4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
or to deprive the innocent of justice.
Yes sir. Can you withstand his icy blast?
I am slightly behind in my blogging because I was in barf city yesterday. I was up all night the night before upchucking and downchucking, then I slept it off all day yesterday. I probably should have stayed home today, but I didn't want to miss my first day.
Bubble Bobble Bible Time.
Reading for June 29
2 Kings 15:1-16:20
This entire section focuses on the revolving door that was the throne of Israel. There is a paragraph on each king that took power. It's worth noting that Israel's throne changes hands five times in this section while Judah's throne changes hands only twice. All of this occurs in a period of about 100 years.
Since there's not much story going on here, let's think a little more about the big picture. A few weeks ago, I brought up the idea of thinking of the Old Testament not as a story about God, but rather a history of the human race. If that were to work, we would obviously have to think of Israel as a cross section of the human race as most other nations aren't visited in much detail. I think Israel, however, is probably a pretty accurate cross section of humanity for that time - including religion. They had essentially dumped the Great I Am and worshiped whatever they wanted.
So if you look at this enormous book in the light of what humanity was like, and not what God was like you start to see a pattern. And that pattern is "people are terrible." As a whole people are awful, despicable creatures. We are still waging wars, we are still killing each other for profit and I don't think that will ever change. Obviously there are some exceptions to the rule today, as I'm sure there were back when this book was written. It's just not as interesting to read about someone deciding to not go to war. We do read about shining examples of good people in David, Elijah & Elisha, Abraham and eventually Job and others. But even those people, in most cases, did some terrible things.
I think what's really cool is thinking about Jesus in that context. He became one of these awful beings and was able to overcome whatever is within us to live an absolutely perfect existence. Which should inspire us to try and do the same thing.
Acts 19:13-41
Here we see Paul and the disciples at the center of a riot in Ephesus. The people of Ephesus worshiped a goddess named Artemis. Artemis is described as a "man made god" and there is a silversmith who is mentioned in this section who profits greatly from the sales of statues of Artemis. So when the disciples roll into town and start saying that these people are worshiping a false god, the silversmith's business is threatened and he incites a riot amongst the people.
Going back to the idea of the Bible as a history of humanity, we see another example of people being jerks that is clearly reflected today. The almighty dollar is the god of many many people these days. Decisions are made with the only deciding factor being profit. Not safety of employees, not safety of consumers, not preservation of the environment, purely cash money. Even companies that are implementing these "green" or "consumer safety" practices are doing so because people care about those things now and will give them more business if they think they're dealing with a morally conscious company. Look at McDonalds. Right after Super Size Me came out, they all of a sudden became all health conscious and had a huge emphasis on salads and being fit. Now what are they doing? Right back to the awful (but EXTREMELY delicious) burgers and fries. Companies don't care about people, they care about money. It's the same now as it was 2000 years ago. People are awful.
Psalm 147:1-20
Here we see a proclamation of God's love for Israel and Israel only. There's some beautiful imagery here:
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
8 He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
16 He spreads the snow like wool
and scatters the frost like ashes.
This imagery brings back the idea of God as the great creator that we saw in Genesis. With care and love for how things look and fit together. He makes these things for us to enjoy. I was talking with Jilly the other day about fruit. How is it that if we're all here by accident that there's things like peaches and bananas that are so plentiful and so delicious? I don't think that's undeniable proof in a creator, but it makes me think that there is at least something up there that loves me.
I do have to point out one more thing:
17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
Who can withstand his icy blast?
Who can withstand his icy blast?! Sounds like God is a cape wearing super hero. No one can withstand his icy blast. Or if I could even further reveal my nerdiness - it makes God sound like a Pokemon.
"God - I choose you!"
"God! God god!"
"God - icy blast now!"
"God god!"
BOOOM
"No one can withstand God's icy blast! I can't wait until God evolves into Godizard"
Wow. I made myself laugh there.
Proverbs 18:4-5
4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
or to deprive the innocent of justice.
Yes sir. Can you withstand his icy blast?
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