If I were to give a theme to Proverbs, it would be three points about wisdom.
1. Recognize and acknowledge wisdom.
2. Pursue it
3. Cherish and cling to it.
Proverbs is another compilation of multiple authors. Solomon is responsible for most of it, but Agur, son of Jakeh, and King Lemuel are also responsible for some near the end of Proverbs. It has been suggested by some I have read that even these latter authors are actually Solomon creating under another name. You can dig into this and make up your own mind if you like.
Chapter 1 lists a summary of ideas that identify what is trying to be accomplished in these overall writings. There are a what I will call run away/stay away verses in 9-19 and verses 20-33 can be summarized by a call to acknowledge the cry of wisdom all around us or suffer the consequences.
Chapter 2 tells us that once we have acknowledged wisdom, we should pursue it like the priceless thing it is, and you will reap many, many more benefits including but not limited to "...wisdom will come into your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul." (I have a note about verses 4 and 5 and how they seem so similar to Matthew 13:44, 45).
Chapters 3-9 visits and revisits themes of cherishing the teachings, commands, principles, and person of the Lord, the father, and wisdom, and it bounces back and forth between singing the joys and benefits of doing this versus the tragic consequences that will come from being seduced both literally and figuratively away from faithfulness. Chapter 9 does this the most explicitly stating outright the two sides that battle as folly and wisdom and scoffers or the wise. Wisdom and folly are both presented as women, but wisdom invites the simple to come in and genuinely be cared for and nourished, but folly shouts and seduces people to their own destruction.
Chapters 10-29 are collections of what most actually think of regarding proverbs. These are filled with either individual or groupings of individual proverbs that address any number of various topics with principles of wisdom and insight.
Chapter 30 is a combination of praise, prayer and proverbs and has Agur listed as its author.
Chapter 31 refers to King Lemuel as the author. He is teaching lessons learned from his mother. It starts with advice to him about how to be a good king and ends with the famous descriptions of "an excellent wife."
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Be on guard
This post is not going to be about what you think it is about. I haven't done a blog post in almost four months because of other activities I have determined to give priority, but I have decided to shoot this one out because of recent developments in the news. Yes. The middle east stuff. I am, however, not going to share my thoughts and feelings beyond stating that no matter what film or if a film, caused the actions of those protestors, I do not seek to justify their behavior in any way, whatsoever. Those who know me, know my thoughts regarding Islam and some of the current geopolitical issues that are regularly argued about. If you want to know those, ask me, and I will gladly share them with you.
This, however, is about a much more subtle phenomenon that I believe is in some ways more dangerous to Christians and, perhaps more importantly, to guarding the message of the gospel which we, as Christians, claim to want to represent to the world.
The man who made this movie referred to as having caused this reaction recorded it in the offices of Media for Christ according to an AP story I will link to at the bottom of this post. This charity raised more than one million dollars to "glow Jesus' light" to the world.
What's the problem?!? You say. We need brave folks to shine the light of truth on Islam and Muhammed. Well, the problem is simply this. I googled the name of the movie a couple of days ago and searched for a clip/trailer about it on youtube that was supposed to be available then also. I can only tell you that I would never suggest any Christian or person watch this movie based on what I saw. It is NOT, in my ever so humble opinion, intended to lovingly speak truth to someone we are to love (muslims, we are to love muslims and all other sinners). The clips they showed were strategically edited to be allowed to run on youtube, but I came away wondering if this weren't intended to be some bizarre porn movie based on the material in some parts of the clips. Even besides those that were not so sexually suggestive, there were over the top insinuations that everyone portrayed was subhuman and fundamentally evil in more and more frightening ways. Remember, this film was supposedly financed by people who were to "glow Jesus' light". I can't honestly recommend viewing the clip because it is pretty deeply offensive, but I would suggest the adults reading this may consider it.
If you think I am wrong about this, you should also know that the creator of this, Nakoula Basseley, was convicted of financial crimes in 2010 and had as a condition of his probation, no use of the internet or of false identities. He referred himself as Sam Bacile when referring to himself as the creator of this internet marketed movie. Whoops! Here's the point of this rambling monstrosity of a post. We as Christians can easily be swept up in our emotions regarding lots of the political movements and fights of our time. (Islam and gay marriage come to mind.) We must be certain that we are placing our love for Christ first and not allowing our emotions to cloud our judgment in such a way as to keep from seeing clearly that sometimes the very people we are seeking to show Christ to are the ones who we are alienating from Him.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EGYPT_FILMMAKER_PROBATION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-09-15-06-44-20
This, however, is about a much more subtle phenomenon that I believe is in some ways more dangerous to Christians and, perhaps more importantly, to guarding the message of the gospel which we, as Christians, claim to want to represent to the world.
The man who made this movie referred to as having caused this reaction recorded it in the offices of Media for Christ according to an AP story I will link to at the bottom of this post. This charity raised more than one million dollars to "glow Jesus' light" to the world.
What's the problem?!? You say. We need brave folks to shine the light of truth on Islam and Muhammed. Well, the problem is simply this. I googled the name of the movie a couple of days ago and searched for a clip/trailer about it on youtube that was supposed to be available then also. I can only tell you that I would never suggest any Christian or person watch this movie based on what I saw. It is NOT, in my ever so humble opinion, intended to lovingly speak truth to someone we are to love (muslims, we are to love muslims and all other sinners). The clips they showed were strategically edited to be allowed to run on youtube, but I came away wondering if this weren't intended to be some bizarre porn movie based on the material in some parts of the clips. Even besides those that were not so sexually suggestive, there were over the top insinuations that everyone portrayed was subhuman and fundamentally evil in more and more frightening ways. Remember, this film was supposedly financed by people who were to "glow Jesus' light". I can't honestly recommend viewing the clip because it is pretty deeply offensive, but I would suggest the adults reading this may consider it.
If you think I am wrong about this, you should also know that the creator of this, Nakoula Basseley, was convicted of financial crimes in 2010 and had as a condition of his probation, no use of the internet or of false identities. He referred himself as Sam Bacile when referring to himself as the creator of this internet marketed movie. Whoops! Here's the point of this rambling monstrosity of a post. We as Christians can easily be swept up in our emotions regarding lots of the political movements and fights of our time. (Islam and gay marriage come to mind.) We must be certain that we are placing our love for Christ first and not allowing our emotions to cloud our judgment in such a way as to keep from seeing clearly that sometimes the very people we are seeking to show Christ to are the ones who we are alienating from Him.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EGYPT_FILMMAKER_PROBATION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-09-15-06-44-20
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Psalms
Psalms is a tricky one to try to summarize. This will be a bit different than many of my previous attempts to capture what I believe to be a useful way to summarize the books of the Bible.
Psalms is a book of compilations. As a matter of fact, it is five books of compilations. The first two of these books (Psalms 1-41 and Psalms 42-72) are believed to be compiled before the Babylonian exile, but the remaining three books (Psalms 73-89, Psalms 90-106, and Psalms 107-150) are believed to have been compiled after the exile to Babylon. Note that I am not saying these Psalms were written after the exile, but this is when they were compiled into a collection.
The Psalms were created by multiple authors including, of course, David. Besides David were Asaph (who is mentioned in I Chronicles 25), Solomon, the sons of Korah, Ethan the Ezrahite, and one even has Moses as its author(Psalm 90). Many of the Psalms either had unknown authorship or the author is simply not recorded for us.
Each of the Psalms has a wide variety of formats, purposes, themes, and emotional emphasis. They range from straightforward exclamations of praise to God(Psalms 9 &35 for example), to lessons aimed at future generations(Psalms 14 &15), to honest cries of confusion and frustration(Psalm 10), to crys for help and protection(Psalm 6). There are many that have intimate connections with stories we can be familiar with from the historical narrative found elsewhere in scripture. Most of these can be found in either books one or two(Psalms 3, 7, 18, 30, 34, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, & 63). However, there is one in Book 5 also(Psalm 142).
To me, the greatest trait that Psalms has is, perhaps more than any other book in the Bible, it makes it clear that those who are pursuing God with their whole heart can still express their most intensely personal thoughts openly to their God, and He will still love them and help them in their struggles. The spectrum that runs from the confessions of feelings of despair and being forsaken(Psalms 13 & 22) to those that express a confident assertion in their God(Psalms 16 & 18) reflect that God is not a tyrant who wishes to be appeased, but a parent who loves, and while wanting to be pleased, shows mercy and patience with his children as they come to recognize how amazing and trustworthy He is.
Psalms is a book of compilations. As a matter of fact, it is five books of compilations. The first two of these books (Psalms 1-41 and Psalms 42-72) are believed to be compiled before the Babylonian exile, but the remaining three books (Psalms 73-89, Psalms 90-106, and Psalms 107-150) are believed to have been compiled after the exile to Babylon. Note that I am not saying these Psalms were written after the exile, but this is when they were compiled into a collection.
The Psalms were created by multiple authors including, of course, David. Besides David were Asaph (who is mentioned in I Chronicles 25), Solomon, the sons of Korah, Ethan the Ezrahite, and one even has Moses as its author(Psalm 90). Many of the Psalms either had unknown authorship or the author is simply not recorded for us.
Each of the Psalms has a wide variety of formats, purposes, themes, and emotional emphasis. They range from straightforward exclamations of praise to God(Psalms 9 &35 for example), to lessons aimed at future generations(Psalms 14 &15), to honest cries of confusion and frustration(Psalm 10), to crys for help and protection(Psalm 6). There are many that have intimate connections with stories we can be familiar with from the historical narrative found elsewhere in scripture. Most of these can be found in either books one or two(Psalms 3, 7, 18, 30, 34, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, & 63). However, there is one in Book 5 also(Psalm 142).
To me, the greatest trait that Psalms has is, perhaps more than any other book in the Bible, it makes it clear that those who are pursuing God with their whole heart can still express their most intensely personal thoughts openly to their God, and He will still love them and help them in their struggles. The spectrum that runs from the confessions of feelings of despair and being forsaken(Psalms 13 & 22) to those that express a confident assertion in their God(Psalms 16 & 18) reflect that God is not a tyrant who wishes to be appeased, but a parent who loves, and while wanting to be pleased, shows mercy and patience with his children as they come to recognize how amazing and trustworthy He is.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Saturday, April 07, 2012
Job
Job begins in the first paragraph of the first chapter establishing Job was an upright man who was..."blameless...feared God and turned away from evil." He was also blessed with great prosperity and many children whom he prayed for regularly.
Round 1--chapter 1
The story jumps to a conversation between Satan and God. Notice how God describes Job. Satan claims the reason for Job's faithfulness is God's blessing and protection. God gives Satan permission to test his theory, but He warns Satan not to touch Job himself.
Next, we again see things from Job's perspective of hearing account after account after account of horrible developments with the worst and final blow coming at the death of his children. Job cries out in agony and mourns, but he also affirms that God is still God, AND he blesses God even in the midst of this. "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."
Round 2--chapter 2
Once again, the perspective of the story changes back to God's interaction with Satan. He again brings Job to Satan's attention. God points out that Job, "...still holds fast to his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason." Satan responds, "Skin for skin!" He claims that Job will curse God if his health is stripped away also. God allows it, but He still places a limit of Job's life. Satan immediately strikes Job with sores all over his body. The story shifts again to Job's perspective. His wife berates him for his continued faith. Job rebukes his wife for receiving good from God, but not willing to receive evil. "In all this Job did not sin with his lips."
Round 3--chapters 3-31
Next, Job's friends show up. This section of Job is characterized by a long dialogue between Job and his three friends: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. Job begins with a lament. His friends engage him from several different angles. Some of their dialogue is instructive, and some is more of an open rebuke. Job responds back to all of their statements. One key to keep in mind is that the reader has been given the benefit of the heavenly perspective in chapters 1 and 2 that neither Job nor his friends have. Because of this, we see his friends, while correct in regards to many of their statements, are speaking from a wrong premise much of the time. Job's statements move from a lament and complaint to eventually becoming a justification for himself and an accusation toward God.
Round 4--chapters 32-37
Elihu speaks. Elihu is the youngest of the men present. He has not spoken until now. He rebukes both Job and his three friends. He then proceeds to explain that because of Job's statements, he is in the wrong, and God is just and good and right.
Round 5--chapters 38-42
The story ends in a powerful moment when God chooses to enter the ongoing dialogue directly. He rebukes Job through a barrage of questions designed to drive home the huge gap between God and his understanding and ours. Job is humbled, confesses his wrong, and repents. God rebukes Job's friends(but conspicuously, not Elihu), and He requires a sacrifice from Job on their behalf to pardon them. Job is ultimately blessed by God, and his health is fully restored.
This book can generate endless discussion, but I have chosen two questions that it has caused me to ask.
1. If this happened to me, what would I do?
2. What is my faith in God truly based on?
Round 1--chapter 1
The story jumps to a conversation between Satan and God. Notice how God describes Job. Satan claims the reason for Job's faithfulness is God's blessing and protection. God gives Satan permission to test his theory, but He warns Satan not to touch Job himself.
Next, we again see things from Job's perspective of hearing account after account after account of horrible developments with the worst and final blow coming at the death of his children. Job cries out in agony and mourns, but he also affirms that God is still God, AND he blesses God even in the midst of this. "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."
Round 2--chapter 2
Once again, the perspective of the story changes back to God's interaction with Satan. He again brings Job to Satan's attention. God points out that Job, "...still holds fast to his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason." Satan responds, "Skin for skin!" He claims that Job will curse God if his health is stripped away also. God allows it, but He still places a limit of Job's life. Satan immediately strikes Job with sores all over his body. The story shifts again to Job's perspective. His wife berates him for his continued faith. Job rebukes his wife for receiving good from God, but not willing to receive evil. "In all this Job did not sin with his lips."
Round 3--chapters 3-31
Next, Job's friends show up. This section of Job is characterized by a long dialogue between Job and his three friends: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. Job begins with a lament. His friends engage him from several different angles. Some of their dialogue is instructive, and some is more of an open rebuke. Job responds back to all of their statements. One key to keep in mind is that the reader has been given the benefit of the heavenly perspective in chapters 1 and 2 that neither Job nor his friends have. Because of this, we see his friends, while correct in regards to many of their statements, are speaking from a wrong premise much of the time. Job's statements move from a lament and complaint to eventually becoming a justification for himself and an accusation toward God.
Round 4--chapters 32-37
Elihu speaks. Elihu is the youngest of the men present. He has not spoken until now. He rebukes both Job and his three friends. He then proceeds to explain that because of Job's statements, he is in the wrong, and God is just and good and right.
Round 5--chapters 38-42
The story ends in a powerful moment when God chooses to enter the ongoing dialogue directly. He rebukes Job through a barrage of questions designed to drive home the huge gap between God and his understanding and ours. Job is humbled, confesses his wrong, and repents. God rebukes Job's friends(but conspicuously, not Elihu), and He requires a sacrifice from Job on their behalf to pardon them. Job is ultimately blessed by God, and his health is fully restored.
This book can generate endless discussion, but I have chosen two questions that it has caused me to ask.
1. If this happened to me, what would I do?
2. What is my faith in God truly based on?
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Cheap Backpacks
In May of 1948, David Ben Gurion recited his brief declaration that Israel was now a nation again. This was not greeted with a welcoming party of celebration but by gun fire and a brief but decisive war that would create many of the dynamics in the region that continue to play out to this day. I recently read an amazingly detailed account of the period leading from November of 1947 to August of 1948 when these amazing developments began unfolding with an increasing velocity. The book is called O Jerusalem, and for anyone who is interested in this topic, I highly, highly recommend this book for a fascinating mixture of intriguing back stories to specific situations that developed and of many of the major political players involved in the process. I recommend the audio version unabridged. It is long, but available at many libraries and will allow you to absorb the story better in my opinion.
One story chronicled in the book is a situation that developed near the end of the first few weeks after the above mentioned announcement of a new Jewish state. Jerusalem had been under siege, and, in spite of its leaders' best efforts to set aside enough food to ration out a sufficient amount to its citizens while under siege, the supplies were swiftly approaching zero. Even after cutting the rationed amount on two different occasions, there was simply no way to forestall the inevitable starvation. A desperate cry went out to Ben Gurion for emergency aid within days, or they would have to give up the city completely or starve. This would most likely have been a death blow to the nation of Israel.
The Jewish fighters had sought to retake the road to Jerusalem many times, but they had failed. While out on a scouting mission, three men in an off road jeep saw a vehicle coming. After initially hiding and planning to wait out the Arab jeep, the men jumped and ran to it. It was a vehicle from Jerusalem. They suddenly realized that they had driven part of the way from Tel Aviv and the other vehicle had covered the other half of the distance. This sparked an idea of a new road, but the terrain was extremely rough. The off road jeep had barely covered the distance, but supply trucks without that off road capacity would never cover that same terrain as it was. A sad excuse for the closest thing they had to a road construction crew was brought in to make a passable road as quickly as possible. Over a few days, they made amazing progress, but finally, the crew came to a mountainous area that made up the final three middle miles to connect the two "roads". There was simply no way the construction gang could build the road through these mountains in the time frame needed to avert starvation.
Earlier in the book, the narrator tells of a few men who went to the U.S. and Europe in the months prior to the outbreak of war on a shopping spree of sorts. They were seeking arms, planes, equipment, and anything that they believed could be of use in the conflict to come. While sorting through an assortment of arms, one of these men came across hundreds of cheap backpacks that he decided at the last minute to buy and find a use for at the price of twenty cents per pack. This proved to be a fateful decision on his part. The Jewish leadership did the math and drafted businessmen and merchants from Tel Aviv for a "special mission". They loaded up each pack with food and supplies and drove the packs and these men out to the farthest point they had been able to get the road to and then the men unloaded out of the trucks. They each slung on one of the cheap backpacks filled with food, and walked the few miles over the mountains to where the other trucks from Jerusalem were waiting. A few days after this the road was finished, the arabs made what they would always recognize as their chief strategic mistake. They accepted a temporary ceasefire. This allowed the Jews to get arms and a mountain of food into Jerusalem for future sieges. The hike of the cheap backpacks barely allowed Jerusalem to avoid starvation by the few days needed to survive until the ceasefire. If they had not had this breakthrough, they would have surrendered.
This is just one of the amazing stories represented in the book, O Jerusalem. I hope you will check it out and enjoy it as much as I did.
One story chronicled in the book is a situation that developed near the end of the first few weeks after the above mentioned announcement of a new Jewish state. Jerusalem had been under siege, and, in spite of its leaders' best efforts to set aside enough food to ration out a sufficient amount to its citizens while under siege, the supplies were swiftly approaching zero. Even after cutting the rationed amount on two different occasions, there was simply no way to forestall the inevitable starvation. A desperate cry went out to Ben Gurion for emergency aid within days, or they would have to give up the city completely or starve. This would most likely have been a death blow to the nation of Israel.
The Jewish fighters had sought to retake the road to Jerusalem many times, but they had failed. While out on a scouting mission, three men in an off road jeep saw a vehicle coming. After initially hiding and planning to wait out the Arab jeep, the men jumped and ran to it. It was a vehicle from Jerusalem. They suddenly realized that they had driven part of the way from Tel Aviv and the other vehicle had covered the other half of the distance. This sparked an idea of a new road, but the terrain was extremely rough. The off road jeep had barely covered the distance, but supply trucks without that off road capacity would never cover that same terrain as it was. A sad excuse for the closest thing they had to a road construction crew was brought in to make a passable road as quickly as possible. Over a few days, they made amazing progress, but finally, the crew came to a mountainous area that made up the final three middle miles to connect the two "roads". There was simply no way the construction gang could build the road through these mountains in the time frame needed to avert starvation.
Earlier in the book, the narrator tells of a few men who went to the U.S. and Europe in the months prior to the outbreak of war on a shopping spree of sorts. They were seeking arms, planes, equipment, and anything that they believed could be of use in the conflict to come. While sorting through an assortment of arms, one of these men came across hundreds of cheap backpacks that he decided at the last minute to buy and find a use for at the price of twenty cents per pack. This proved to be a fateful decision on his part. The Jewish leadership did the math and drafted businessmen and merchants from Tel Aviv for a "special mission". They loaded up each pack with food and supplies and drove the packs and these men out to the farthest point they had been able to get the road to and then the men unloaded out of the trucks. They each slung on one of the cheap backpacks filled with food, and walked the few miles over the mountains to where the other trucks from Jerusalem were waiting. A few days after this the road was finished, the arabs made what they would always recognize as their chief strategic mistake. They accepted a temporary ceasefire. This allowed the Jews to get arms and a mountain of food into Jerusalem for future sieges. The hike of the cheap backpacks barely allowed Jerusalem to avoid starvation by the few days needed to survive until the ceasefire. If they had not had this breakthrough, they would have surrendered.
This is just one of the amazing stories represented in the book, O Jerusalem. I hope you will check it out and enjoy it as much as I did.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
Cry More
I was praying recently for more of God's power in my life. I was crying out in the midst of this prayer time with a slightly more intense cry than I normally do. As I was praying, a story I read in the book The Heavenly Man came to mind, and I immediately saw the correlation from that story to my current request before God. This is the story.
The Heavenly Man is an insight into the house church movement in China. The house church movement is an underground church movement that must meet secretly because of government mandates against all but the most uncontroversial teachings of Christianity. The book is about one of the underground house church movement's leaders named Brother Yun. He has become known as the Heavenly Man because of a nickname that stuck after his involvement in so many dramatic miraculous workings of God in and around his life.
When he was early on in his faith, he desperately wanted a Bible so he could study and read for himself about this God who had so changed his life, but they were illegal at the time in China. He prayed and cried out to God requesting some sort of intervention to attain a Bible. He heard of a man in a nearby village that was rumored to have a Bible hidden away, and he walked to meet him and ask for his help and counsel. I cannot remember the exact words that the man said, but one very basic idea was communicated to Brother Yun. "If you wish to have a Bible, you must cry more." This may seem harsh or unhelpful to us, but Brother Yun took it to heart. He intesified his cries as his prayed. He begged. He pleaded. This went on for quite some time. His family was beginning to become concerned, but finally, as Brother Yun was sleeping, he dreamed about a man with bread coming to see him. When he awakened, that very man had come to his house and brought him a Bible because he said God had spoken to him to do so.
This is such an amazing story and seems to hold powerful truths. Here in the U.S., we have no lack of Bibles or churches or freedom, but, in my opinion, we are sorely lacking in the power of God in our lives. I intend, by the grace of God, to cry more.
The Heavenly Man is an insight into the house church movement in China. The house church movement is an underground church movement that must meet secretly because of government mandates against all but the most uncontroversial teachings of Christianity. The book is about one of the underground house church movement's leaders named Brother Yun. He has become known as the Heavenly Man because of a nickname that stuck after his involvement in so many dramatic miraculous workings of God in and around his life.
When he was early on in his faith, he desperately wanted a Bible so he could study and read for himself about this God who had so changed his life, but they were illegal at the time in China. He prayed and cried out to God requesting some sort of intervention to attain a Bible. He heard of a man in a nearby village that was rumored to have a Bible hidden away, and he walked to meet him and ask for his help and counsel. I cannot remember the exact words that the man said, but one very basic idea was communicated to Brother Yun. "If you wish to have a Bible, you must cry more." This may seem harsh or unhelpful to us, but Brother Yun took it to heart. He intesified his cries as his prayed. He begged. He pleaded. This went on for quite some time. His family was beginning to become concerned, but finally, as Brother Yun was sleeping, he dreamed about a man with bread coming to see him. When he awakened, that very man had come to his house and brought him a Bible because he said God had spoken to him to do so.
This is such an amazing story and seems to hold powerful truths. Here in the U.S., we have no lack of Bibles or churches or freedom, but, in my opinion, we are sorely lacking in the power of God in our lives. I intend, by the grace of God, to cry more.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Esther
This book is set during the time of the Persian empire. It begins with an account of King Ahausuerus. In his third year, he holds a grand celebration that highlights his wealth and power. In the midst of this festival, he calls for his queen, Queen Vashti, to be brought before him. He wants to show off her beauty. She refuses to come which starts a chain reaction that leads to a decree that banishes Queen Vashti from his presence and seeks to assert a mandate upon all women in the empire to honor their husbands.
After the banishment, a decision is made to seek out all the most beautiful virgins to create a group of women for Ahausuerus to pick a new queen from. A beautiful Jewess named Esther who is among the Jewish exiles living in Persia is taken as one of these virgins. Esther is being raised by her uncle Mordecai. Esther is chosen as queen, and after this, Mordecai becomes aware of a plot to harm the king, and Mordecai warns Esther, who, in turn, warns the king. The evil men are captured and hung.
After this, a man named Haman rises in Ahausuerus's administration. He demands to be bowed to. Mordecai refuses and enrages Haman. This causes Haman to use his influence with the king to convince him that the Jews were a disruptive group of people in the kingdom. He convinced the king to issue an edict allowing Haman to wipe them out from throughout the Persian empire. Mordecai and many Jews throughout the empire tear their clothes and mourn upon learning of the edict. Mordecai crys out for Esther to intervene with the king. Esther informs Mordecai that if she approaches the king unbidden, she may lose her life, but Mordecai reminds her of her responsibility to the people. She commands Mordecai to gather with his friends and fast and pray for her safety. She also fasts and prays with her servants as she prepares to approach the king. After three days, she approaches the king, and he extends the scepter which signals his pardon of the breach of protocol by Esther. He makes it clear that her request will be granted..."even up to half the kingdom." Esther chooses to simply invite the king and Haman to a feast to be held the following day. Haman is ecstatic at this news because he takes this as a sign of great honor that he has been invited to a feast that will only be attended by the king and queen besides himself. As he is leaving, however, he passes Mordecai who once again refuses to bow. This infuriates Haman, and he is counseled by his friends to build a large gallows from which he can hang Mordecai. Haman does this.
Meanwhile, even as Haman is building the gallows, the king searches through the chronicles of memorable deeds. As he searches these records, he discovers the fact that Mordecai saved his life. Haman arrives just as the king is trying to decide how to honor Mordecai. As the king asks for ideas about how to honor Mordecai, Haman assumes he is referring to him. He is profoundly humbled as he is made to parade Mordecai around the city. As soon as he arrives home after this, Haman is summoned to Esther's feast. Esther reveals the desperate situation of her and the Jews at her feast. As the king becomes enraged, he demands to know who is responsible for these events. Esther points to Haman and identifies him as the culprit. The king leaves briefly in anger. Haman tries to beg for his life with Queen Esther, but the he trips and falls on her just as the king returns to the room. This further enrages the king, and Haman is hanged on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai. The same day this occurs the king gives the house of Haman to Esther, and Haman's position is given to Mordecai.
Esther pleads to the king for intervention on behalf of the Jews. The king gives Mordecai authority to issue a decree allowing the Jews to gather, defend themselves, and plunder their enemies on a certain day throughout the empire. The Jews carry out the edict and defeat their enemies. They do not partake of the plunder, however. The Jews in the capital city of Susa are even allowed a second day of killing their enemies. The day after their victory is made a regular day of celebration on the Jewish calendar. This is known as the Feast of Purim named after the term Pur which means to cast lots. Haman cast his lot against the Jews, and it was flipped on his head. His desire to destroy, destroyed him and became a blessing for the Jewish people. The book ends by making it clear that Mordecai becomes second in command to the king and continued to seek the welfare of his people.
After the banishment, a decision is made to seek out all the most beautiful virgins to create a group of women for Ahausuerus to pick a new queen from. A beautiful Jewess named Esther who is among the Jewish exiles living in Persia is taken as one of these virgins. Esther is being raised by her uncle Mordecai. Esther is chosen as queen, and after this, Mordecai becomes aware of a plot to harm the king, and Mordecai warns Esther, who, in turn, warns the king. The evil men are captured and hung.
After this, a man named Haman rises in Ahausuerus's administration. He demands to be bowed to. Mordecai refuses and enrages Haman. This causes Haman to use his influence with the king to convince him that the Jews were a disruptive group of people in the kingdom. He convinced the king to issue an edict allowing Haman to wipe them out from throughout the Persian empire. Mordecai and many Jews throughout the empire tear their clothes and mourn upon learning of the edict. Mordecai crys out for Esther to intervene with the king. Esther informs Mordecai that if she approaches the king unbidden, she may lose her life, but Mordecai reminds her of her responsibility to the people. She commands Mordecai to gather with his friends and fast and pray for her safety. She also fasts and prays with her servants as she prepares to approach the king. After three days, she approaches the king, and he extends the scepter which signals his pardon of the breach of protocol by Esther. He makes it clear that her request will be granted..."even up to half the kingdom." Esther chooses to simply invite the king and Haman to a feast to be held the following day. Haman is ecstatic at this news because he takes this as a sign of great honor that he has been invited to a feast that will only be attended by the king and queen besides himself. As he is leaving, however, he passes Mordecai who once again refuses to bow. This infuriates Haman, and he is counseled by his friends to build a large gallows from which he can hang Mordecai. Haman does this.
Meanwhile, even as Haman is building the gallows, the king searches through the chronicles of memorable deeds. As he searches these records, he discovers the fact that Mordecai saved his life. Haman arrives just as the king is trying to decide how to honor Mordecai. As the king asks for ideas about how to honor Mordecai, Haman assumes he is referring to him. He is profoundly humbled as he is made to parade Mordecai around the city. As soon as he arrives home after this, Haman is summoned to Esther's feast. Esther reveals the desperate situation of her and the Jews at her feast. As the king becomes enraged, he demands to know who is responsible for these events. Esther points to Haman and identifies him as the culprit. The king leaves briefly in anger. Haman tries to beg for his life with Queen Esther, but the he trips and falls on her just as the king returns to the room. This further enrages the king, and Haman is hanged on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai. The same day this occurs the king gives the house of Haman to Esther, and Haman's position is given to Mordecai.
Esther pleads to the king for intervention on behalf of the Jews. The king gives Mordecai authority to issue a decree allowing the Jews to gather, defend themselves, and plunder their enemies on a certain day throughout the empire. The Jews carry out the edict and defeat their enemies. They do not partake of the plunder, however. The Jews in the capital city of Susa are even allowed a second day of killing their enemies. The day after their victory is made a regular day of celebration on the Jewish calendar. This is known as the Feast of Purim named after the term Pur which means to cast lots. Haman cast his lot against the Jews, and it was flipped on his head. His desire to destroy, destroyed him and became a blessing for the Jewish people. The book ends by making it clear that Mordecai becomes second in command to the king and continued to seek the welfare of his people.
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Nehemiah
This narrative begins as Nehemiah hears that the city of Jerusalem is not doing well and has broken down walls and gates destroyed by fire. He is an official in King Artaxerxes's administration and allows the king to see him after he has been heart broken by the news of Jerusalem. The king asks what is wrong, and Nehemiah tells him. The king grants Nehemiah leave and gives him a royal letter granting him safe passage and material help. Upon arrival, Nehemiah secretly surveys the damages and assesses the needs. He then begins to rally the people to rebuild even in spite of an immediate voice of opposition from locals. Chapter three details the various groups and individuals involved and the specific sections of the wall they rebuilt. The enemies of Jerusalem begin to openly mock and seek to discourage the Jews. This escalates to threats and intimidation. The Jews pray and set up a guard. Eventually, they split those who are there in half. Half the men stand guard with weapons drawn while the other half work. Everyone is called to sleep within Jerusalem. Nehemiah encourages the people to trust fully in God.
Nehemiah's next challenge comes from problems within the Jewish community. The wealthy and powerful Jews in the region were oppressing the poor Jews. Nehemiah commands that they cease their exploitation of the people and return their property and the interest charged to them. The wealthy agree to do this. Nehemiah does without his wages and the normal allowance for his expenses as governor of the land to also lighten the burden on the people. He asks for God to remember this.
Outside enemies once again employ various tactics seeking to intimidate and instill fear in the Jews. They even hire a man within the community to act as if he is Nehemiah's friend and claim to have knowledge of an impending attack on Nehemiah, but he does not fall for it. Finally, the wall is finished after 52 days. There are some within the community that have ties to Tobiah, one of Nehemiah's enemies, and they continue to try to influence Nehemiah's perceptions about Tobiah. Nehemiah wants the people to remain vigilant for any attacks. God lays it on his heart to list the exiles who returned to the best of his ability. He does this, and a list is given. There are some priests who want to be listed, but they cannot prove their lineage. Therefore, they are excluded from the priesthood. Many of the leaders give gifts of their own wealth.
Ezra reads the law before the people, and as he is reading it, men are present with Ezra to help and be sure that the people understand it clearly. The people initially weep and grieve as they grasp the law being taught to them, but the leaders correct them and explain this is a holy day. They encourage them to feast, celebrate, and share with those who are without. The next day, they learn about the feast of booths that is proclaimed in the law. They decide to observe the feast of booths. The people join in crying for God's mercy, and the Levites lead the people and seek to acknowledge to God his great faithfulness and their ancestors' stubborn and consistent disobedience. They do this by revisiting their history and many milestones in Israel's past. Finally, they submit a written covenant of repentance to God. Chapter 10 begins with a list of prominent names that signed the covenant, and it goes on to indicate the specific practices that they are pledging to follow through with as they seek to walk in repentance and obedience.
The leaders take it upon themselves to live in Jerusalem, and the people cast lots to pick one in ten from the people to also live there. These people are honored, it seems, because of the higher level of danger to live in the city. A list of Jerusalem's inhabitants is given. A list of priests and Levites is also given. It starts with Zerubbabel and Jeshua who were among the original returning exiles, and it goes from there. The wall of Jeruasalem is dedicated with sacrifices and much loud and joyful celebration. The storerooms for the priestly and Levitical portions of the sacrifices are established. The law of Moses is read, and the Jews choose to separate themselves from foreigners in response to becoming aware that Ammonites and Moabites were never to enter the assembly of God.
Finally, after a time away, Nehemiah discovers many wrongs have taken place upon his return. Eliashib the priest uses what is supposed to be a storage room for the grain, spices, etc. from worhip as a room dedicated to being used by Tobiah, a relative of the priest. Nehemiah throws out Tobiah's possessions and orders the room to be cleansed. The people have not been faithful to bring the portion for the Levites and singers, and they have had to go back to their fields to survive instead of doing their temple duties. He finds people profaning the Sabbath with work and trade, and some people have intermarried. He seeks to correct these wrongs and institute reforms again. The book ends with his request that God remembers all the good he has done for these people.
Nehemiah's next challenge comes from problems within the Jewish community. The wealthy and powerful Jews in the region were oppressing the poor Jews. Nehemiah commands that they cease their exploitation of the people and return their property and the interest charged to them. The wealthy agree to do this. Nehemiah does without his wages and the normal allowance for his expenses as governor of the land to also lighten the burden on the people. He asks for God to remember this.
Outside enemies once again employ various tactics seeking to intimidate and instill fear in the Jews. They even hire a man within the community to act as if he is Nehemiah's friend and claim to have knowledge of an impending attack on Nehemiah, but he does not fall for it. Finally, the wall is finished after 52 days. There are some within the community that have ties to Tobiah, one of Nehemiah's enemies, and they continue to try to influence Nehemiah's perceptions about Tobiah. Nehemiah wants the people to remain vigilant for any attacks. God lays it on his heart to list the exiles who returned to the best of his ability. He does this, and a list is given. There are some priests who want to be listed, but they cannot prove their lineage. Therefore, they are excluded from the priesthood. Many of the leaders give gifts of their own wealth.
Ezra reads the law before the people, and as he is reading it, men are present with Ezra to help and be sure that the people understand it clearly. The people initially weep and grieve as they grasp the law being taught to them, but the leaders correct them and explain this is a holy day. They encourage them to feast, celebrate, and share with those who are without. The next day, they learn about the feast of booths that is proclaimed in the law. They decide to observe the feast of booths. The people join in crying for God's mercy, and the Levites lead the people and seek to acknowledge to God his great faithfulness and their ancestors' stubborn and consistent disobedience. They do this by revisiting their history and many milestones in Israel's past. Finally, they submit a written covenant of repentance to God. Chapter 10 begins with a list of prominent names that signed the covenant, and it goes on to indicate the specific practices that they are pledging to follow through with as they seek to walk in repentance and obedience.
The leaders take it upon themselves to live in Jerusalem, and the people cast lots to pick one in ten from the people to also live there. These people are honored, it seems, because of the higher level of danger to live in the city. A list of Jerusalem's inhabitants is given. A list of priests and Levites is also given. It starts with Zerubbabel and Jeshua who were among the original returning exiles, and it goes from there. The wall of Jeruasalem is dedicated with sacrifices and much loud and joyful celebration. The storerooms for the priestly and Levitical portions of the sacrifices are established. The law of Moses is read, and the Jews choose to separate themselves from foreigners in response to becoming aware that Ammonites and Moabites were never to enter the assembly of God.
Finally, after a time away, Nehemiah discovers many wrongs have taken place upon his return. Eliashib the priest uses what is supposed to be a storage room for the grain, spices, etc. from worhip as a room dedicated to being used by Tobiah, a relative of the priest. Nehemiah throws out Tobiah's possessions and orders the room to be cleansed. The people have not been faithful to bring the portion for the Levites and singers, and they have had to go back to their fields to survive instead of doing their temple duties. He finds people profaning the Sabbath with work and trade, and some people have intermarried. He seeks to correct these wrongs and institute reforms again. The book ends with his request that God remembers all the good he has done for these people.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Paul has a plan
I recently had the opportunity to engage in an extended conversation with a man who had been homeless for about 3 or more years. During the course of this conversation, the man named Paul would on a couple of occasions start referring to what he had in mind regarding his own future. He was confident that if he could just get his hands on a tent and a sleeping bag from Wal-Mart that he would be set. He also occasionally spoke about some getting back into playing the drums and maybe seeing where that could take him. Paul was certain that if he could get further south, perhaps to Florida, that this location change would also revolutionize his life for the better. These are the kinds of ideas Paul had regarding future opportunities for personal betterment. I am fairly certain Paul was in his late 50's.
Of course, I would try to steer Paul towards seeking help through one of the many homeless shelters available to him in the area. I tried to point out to Paul that it was going down to the 20's the following two or three nights, and he needed to find somewhere he could be safe from such temperatures. Also, the homeless shelters seemed to me to be the obviously best option available for what I considered to be more meaningful improvements in Paul's life going forward regarding job prospects, safety, improving his health, and other potential issues I was sure were probably plaguing Paul. Paul refused that route and remained confident that his plan was the way to go. The last I saw of Paul was outside a Flying J truckstop where he was panhandling money.
I mention this interaction because a couple of days after this, I was revisiting this encounter, and it dawned on me that Paul's skewed thinking is very reminiscent of our own in terms of how I believe we interact with God. I believe that many of us think that we know some "good ideas" to get going in the right direction in regards to spiritual growth and improvement, but our perceptions are so warped by our lengthy time living in a state of spiritual malnutrition that we can't see how short sighted our goals are. We are stubbornly unwilling to submit ourselves to simpler and more fundamental steps (not changing our current situation, but resubmitting our hearts more fully to and intensely in pursuit of Christ). We think if we can just do this or that, it will turn things around, but we are not acknowledging the depth of our need. This is not meant to be a downer for anyone nor accusatory(these thoughts applied to myself when thinking them at the time which was recently). On the contrary, when we allow ourselves to determine the next steps when in a state of spiritual malnutrition (lack of a prayer life, Bible study, fellowship, consistent disobedience, etc.), we are keeping ourselves from walking in a place of fulfillment, meaningfulness, joy, and peace that we don't even think is possible.
We must recognize God is the one with clarity, not us. We get that clarity simply by hiding ourselves deeply within Him as we did when we first came to him as little children.
Of course, I would try to steer Paul towards seeking help through one of the many homeless shelters available to him in the area. I tried to point out to Paul that it was going down to the 20's the following two or three nights, and he needed to find somewhere he could be safe from such temperatures. Also, the homeless shelters seemed to me to be the obviously best option available for what I considered to be more meaningful improvements in Paul's life going forward regarding job prospects, safety, improving his health, and other potential issues I was sure were probably plaguing Paul. Paul refused that route and remained confident that his plan was the way to go. The last I saw of Paul was outside a Flying J truckstop where he was panhandling money.
I mention this interaction because a couple of days after this, I was revisiting this encounter, and it dawned on me that Paul's skewed thinking is very reminiscent of our own in terms of how I believe we interact with God. I believe that many of us think that we know some "good ideas" to get going in the right direction in regards to spiritual growth and improvement, but our perceptions are so warped by our lengthy time living in a state of spiritual malnutrition that we can't see how short sighted our goals are. We are stubbornly unwilling to submit ourselves to simpler and more fundamental steps (not changing our current situation, but resubmitting our hearts more fully to and intensely in pursuit of Christ). We think if we can just do this or that, it will turn things around, but we are not acknowledging the depth of our need. This is not meant to be a downer for anyone nor accusatory(these thoughts applied to myself when thinking them at the time which was recently). On the contrary, when we allow ourselves to determine the next steps when in a state of spiritual malnutrition (lack of a prayer life, Bible study, fellowship, consistent disobedience, etc.), we are keeping ourselves from walking in a place of fulfillment, meaningfulness, joy, and peace that we don't even think is possible.
We must recognize God is the one with clarity, not us. We get that clarity simply by hiding ourselves deeply within Him as we did when we first came to him as little children.
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Learning about Mormonism
Below are some great video clips walking you through key points regarding Mormonism and the crucial need for Christians to arm themselves with the gospel for effective defense AND witnessing opportunities that can often present themselves to us. I hope you find them as helpful as I have. This has rekindled my appreciation for Way of the Master with Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort. I may be visiting them and their web site more often.
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