fast food

I am a little behind pace in my plan to read through the Bible in a year, but I am catching up :) I am reading big chunks of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles--taking in the ancient history of Israel.  I plan on writing some thoughts soon, but in the meantime I couldn't pass up this little gem.

In I Samuel 28 King Saul is visiting a medium to talk with the prophet Samuel, who is dead.  After Saul chats with dead Samuel, the medium offers Saul and his servants some food before they go.  I Samuel 28:24, "The woman had a fattened calf at her house, and she quickly slaughtered it.  She also took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread." What grabbed my attention was the word, "quickly".

You know you are reading about a foreign culture when fast-food, entails a quick slaughter; followed by kneading flour to make the bread from scratch.  Nothing spiritual about this thought today, I just wonder how Saul would have reacted to a drive-thru window in a rush.  And I wonder how I would have reacted to a quick slaughter of a calf if I were in a rush.

Sometimes I forget how disconnected I am from the culture of these stories, and I am so shallow that the concept of fast-food triggers my attention.

you have done all this evil . . .

"Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil.
Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty."
I Samuel 12:20-21

Sometimes you read the Bible and certain verses just jump off the page at you.  These are such verses.  They meet me right where I am.
I have done this evil (confession)
Yet (hope)
do not turn aside from following the Lord (renewed focus)
do not turn aside to empty things (renewed perspective)

There is hope for all of us.  We don't down-play our sin.  We have done this evil, but we simply need to confess our sin and believe in the hope we have in our Lord.  Renew our focus on him and maintain a Christ-centered perspective that will weed out all the empty things that tempt us.

a verse for the celebrity apprentice

I Samuel 2:1-3
"And Hannah prayed and said,
'My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.
There is none holy like the Lord;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.'"


Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth.

I have been watching the Celebrity Apprentice this season.  It has been fun to watch a bunch of has-been / wanna-be celebrities compete to win money for charities.  However, it has been frustrating to listen to a bunch of self-obsessed failures drone on and on and on and on and on about how wonderful they are.  Maybe a handful of the contestants are talented, maybe the majority of them were simply in the right place at the right time to rise to their D-level of stardom--whichever the case each week I find myself shouting at the tv--"shut-up already! How arrogant can you be?!"

So, it was refreshing this morning to read these verses from I Samuel, and be reminded of how beautiful humility is.  The Bible is a story of salvation--it's a story of how we need salvation--it's a story of God's strength and our weakness.  He is our rock and by Him actions are weighed.

When either option is modeled for me--Godly humility vs celebrity arrogance--I am far more attracted to the humility of Hannah than the arrogance of Aubrey (or as I call her, "the red head").

If you like starting your day with happy thoughts, reading the Bible may not be your best option

I have often been told that it is good to start your day off with reading the Bible.  So this morning I read the book of Judges.  How can I put this without being irreverent . . . it sure felt like a lousy way to start my day . . .

The 12 tribes of Israel have settled in the promised land.  Their leader Joshua dies in the first couple chapters, and everyone starts doing what is right in their own eyes.  The stories in the book are tragic and gruesome.  Even the "good heros" that preserve Israel are "bad" people.

Take the popular story of Samson as an example.  He is an immoral, arrogant man who when angered takes vengeance by killing hundreds of men at a time--and he is one of the "better" characters.  But we have to seriously consider how we are telling this Bible story to kids (and adults) in Sunday school.  Samson was a bad man that God used to preserve his chosen people.  We should never aspire to be like Samson, but we should cling to the hope that if God can use Samson he can use us too.

The book closes with an awful story that illustrates how vile the 12 tribes had become as they ignored God and did what was right in their own eyes.  You finish the book feeling disappointed, dirty, and defeated. What hope can their be?  But thankfully Judges is just one act in God's drama.  Hope is coming.

So it felt like a lousy way to start my day, but I suppose I would get a similar feeling starting my day reading the morning paper.  Political parties slinging mud--murders--wars--rumors or wars--economic depression--corrupt leaders--corrupt political systems.  However, one thing that Judges highlights that the newspaper does not is that God is at work through it all.  He has given us a free-will to do what is right in our eyes or to do what is right in His eyes.  Sadly Judges and the paper generally report on the tragic stories of doing what is right in our eyes, but both leave us longing for someone to come and make it all right.  It is fitting that Ruth is the next book.

God bothers me

Having just finished reading the book of Joshua, I am conflicted . . .
This book contains the story of a faithful God who honors his promises, preserves his people, and does so in awe-inspiring ways.
However;
In order to honor his promises and preserve his people; thousands of men, women, and children are destroyed as God's chosen people take possession of the land of promise.

So on the one hand I am grateful that God clearly keeps his promises: Joshua 21:45, "Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass."
But on the other hand I am bothered that God clearly keeps his promises: Joshua 11:19-20, "There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel . . . For it was the Lord's doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses."


But here is what I am learning: God never promised that he would never confuse or confound us.  He never promised that we would never be bothered by how he works and moves in the world.  Our goal is not to fully understand God, but to fully trust God--fully is the key word.  I don't know that I want to serve a god that I can fully understand.  I want the awe, the wonder, the divinity, the mystery that comes from a limited understanding. I understand enough of him that I feel confident in placing my full trust in him.

(Disclaimer: I am aware of the Biblical responses to my conflict--God is the creator and holy.  Humanity is his creation and stands condemned.  We all deserve the destruction that came upon the inhabitants of the land of promise.  It is only God's mercy that saves us.  Isaiah 55:8-9. etc. BUT IT STILL BOTHERS ME, and that is ok.)

Big Chunks

As I mentioned in my last post, I am behind in my Bible reading.  In an effort to catch up I recently read through Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Prior to starting this long haul of 70 chapters, I was dreading it.  Both books recount Israel's time wandering in the dessert listening to the laws of God repeated over and over again.  However, once I started into it, I really did enjoy it.  It is a little repetitive at times, and it does talk a lot about strange laws and customs that seem irrelevant.  But I loved watching the character of Moses develop.  I enjoyed immersing myself in a distant time and a peculiar culture.  I was enthralled by the story of Balaam.  But most of all I was captivated by God--who consistently disturbed me by shattering my preconceived notions of who he was (and is) and how he should act.  It is this final point that I would like to focus on.

Deuteronomy 4:31, "For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them."

Deuteronomy 20:16-17, "But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall devote them to complete destruction."

2 strikingly different pictures of God.

The 2 passages listed above are but a microcosm of these 70 chapters (and beyond). I think if I had read through Numbers and Deuteronomy in smaller chunks, I may have stopped on one of these verses and either fell in love with God's mercy or become angry at God's command.   As I read through the 2 books I was constantly vacillating between appreciation for God's provision and just plain outrage at God's commands.  But the beauty in reading scripture in such large chunks is you gain a better handle on the big picture.  You don't get as hung up on the details, but instead you focus on the greater narrative taking place.  You see that God is keeping his promises and faithfully protecting and preserving his people.
Honestly at times I don't like how God chooses to protect and preserve, but the greater narrative also illustrates that humanity is created, God is eternal; humanity is weak, God is all-powerful; humanity is sinful, God is holy; humanity is unfaithful, God is faithful; humanity is just that--human, and God is just that--God.  So at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if I like how God chooses to work in humanity, because I am his creation, weak, sinful, unfaithful, and human.  He is the creator, all-powerful, holy, faithful, and most importantly God.

Read scripture in big chunks--it helps you focus on the big picture, which is a merciful, holy God keeping his promise to a fickle, sinful people.

I'm clean

Leviticus 13:40
"When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean."
Good to know.

This is only one of countless rules, regulations, etc. that is listed in Leviticus.  I am honest enough to admit that pushing my way through the book of Leviticus is a chore.  If it does nothing else, it makes me long for and appreciate the stories and instruction that fill the rest of the Bible.  And maybe that is partly the purpose of Leviticus--to drowned us in rules until we scream "enough already! there has got to be a better way!" Because I believe there is . . .

A few observations from Exodus and Leviticus

I got a little behind in my Bible reading plan, and so I just finished reading from Exodus 16-Leviticus 7.  wow.  I'll lay it out here in a broad brush stroke:
Twice the Israelites complain-->Twice God provides-->God wins a battle--> God descends in a cloud-->10 commandments-->LOTS of details on laws, sacrifices, and how to build the Tabernacle (God's dwelling)--> Israelites start worshipping a gold cow-->God destroys many Israelites--> laws and sacrifices renewed-->Israelites build the Tabernacle-->more regulations for sacrifices.

A few observations:
God is holy.
The majority of the verses in this section are focused on the special way they are expected to live in light of the fact that God is in their midst.  I'm not going to lie--these verses initially strike me as dry, antiquated, and confusing; but they clearly communicate that God is not to be dealt with flippantly.

God is faithful and forgiving.
Twice in this section the Israelites complain and twice God meets their need.  Right after that God descends on a mountain in a breathtaking scene witnessed by everyone, but within a short time everyone (except Moses and Joshua) has decided to forget God.  They go to Aaron and together they build an idol and begin worshipping it through all kinds of pagan rituals.  God judges them, forgives them and continues to be faithful to them (bread from heaven every day for 40 years and His presence in a cloud guiding them throughout their journey).  Aaron and his sons go on to become the high priests of Israel.

God hates idolatry.
The first 2 commandments are "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make for thyself any idol" (I paraphrased from memory and weaved in some good old King James language).  When the Israelites made the golden calf idol, God's judgment on them is severe, Ex 32:27.

A few applications:
God is holy.  May I not deal with him flippantly.
God is faithful and forgiving.  May I extend the same faithfulness and forgiveness to others that God in Jesus has shown me.
God hates idolatry. May I carefully and intentionally prioritize my life so that God is at the center and nothing else.

(as a side note--the Tabernacle was a seriously bloody place and the priests were more like modern day butchers than modern day pastors)

The power of relationships

Exodus 1-15 is the story of the Israelites' slide into slavery and subsequent exodus through the leadership of Moses.  These chapters paint a beautiful picture of God's salvation.  However, if I had to pick one verse from these chapters that stood out to me it would be Exodus 1:8, "Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph."   This verse bridges the gap between the book of Genesis and the book of Exodus.  It explains how the Israelites transitioned from a people favored by one Pharaoh, yet abused by another.  It demonstrates the power of a relationship.

In our life time we may never realize the powerful way God is using our relationships, but God used Joseph's relationship with the kings of Egypt to preserve His chosen people.  Perhaps God is using the relationships in your life and mine in powerful ways that we could never imagine.

May I begin to understand and appreciate the powerful ways that God can use the relationships in my life.

Chariots and Horses

Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

I imagine David wrote this line in the context of battle.  I imagine that he is outnumbered, and his opponents are charging down on him in their chariots.  He is rallying his band of mighty men and he shouts out, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God!"

Now the trick to this rallying cry working is genuine and total trust, because if you are on his team and you hear that you may be inclined to want to join the chariots and horses team.  It seems much more logical to trust in chariots and horses than in someone's name . . .

I think this verse of the Bible reads well to Christians and non-Christians alike.   The non-Christians are proud to trust in the proven methods of safety and security.  The Christians (hopefully) are proud to trust in the proven One.  All we can do is wait and see how the battle of this life turns out. . . .

Genesis 37-50 The Story of Joseph

Genesis 37-50 tells the story of the life of Joseph--one of the greatest stories in the Bible.  Two themes jump out at me from the story.  One is the faithfulness of God.  The story is told from the third person perspective, so we get to see how God is using all the injustices of Joseph's life to honor his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The other theme is the faithfulness of Joseph.  Regardless of what happens to Joseph he consistently responds with renewed faith in God, whether it's being sold into slavery, being falsely imprisoned, or being lied to--he never loses his faith.  God is faithful.  Joseph is faithful.

Joseph didn't have the privilege of of reading the story of his life.  He simply had to wake up each day and choose to believe that God would work all things out for his good and God's glory.  I hope my life will be as inspiring of a story as Joseph's, but I suppose all I can do is wake up each day and choose to believe that God will work all things out for my good and His glory.

Genesis 18-30

I recently heard N.T. Wright say that reading the Bible should be like going to the symphony.  You should walk away from the experience moved by the grand composition.  You may not recall the specific notes of the 2nd movement, but you should be affected by the entirety of the experience.  His point was that often we read the Bible in such small bites that we miss the greater narrative taking place (he clarifies that detailed study of Scripture is also worthwhile).
The thread that seems to run through Genesis 18-30 is the promise of God.  Over and over again God repeats his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Hundreds of years pass in these chapters, while the heirs of the promise vacillate from faithfulness to deceitfulness; but God's faithfulness to the promise is the consistent over-arching element throughout.  I imagine that as God composed his symphony, he anticipated that the listeners would forget some of the names and places; but I imagine that His hope would be that the listeners be moved by His faithfulness to the promise.
May my life today be affected by these ancient stories of God's faithfulness to the promise.

Genesis 1-17

Genesis 1-17 covers the stories of the creation, the fall, the flood, and the promises and life of Abraham.  In those stories over and over again characters are responding in faith to the promise of God.  Adam believes in the promise that through an offspring of the woman God will send One who will destroy the curse--he demonstrates that faith by naming the woman "Eve" because she was to be the mother of all living.  Abel offered the firstborn from his flock in faith (Hebrews 11:4).  Noah believed God's promise about the coming flood and built an ark.  Abram believed God's promise and moved his entire life to a land that God would show him (Gen 11).  Hagar believed God's promise about her son and returned to Abram's household.  I think there is a pattern of faith in the promise of God throughout Genesis 1-17.

I think the boldest example of faith in the promise of God comes in Genesis 17.  God re-confirms his oft-repeated promise that he would bless Abraham and his descendants.  However, there is still one glaring oversight . . . Abraham is now 99 years old and has no son.  So what does God tell him to do?  God tells him to be circumcised and to circumcise all the men in his family from now on.  Abraham says, "I am 99 years old.  My wife is 90.  We have been waiting for years on your promise of a son, and now you want me to snip off the tip of my baby-maker?!" (my paraphrase).  Genesis 17:24, (no paraphrase here) "Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin." I can think of few greater displays of faith.

Abraham's faith is bold, illogical, painful, and counter-cultural.  It is easy for me to say that I want the same type of faith in my life, but . . . wow, 99 years old . . . wow. . .