Meditate on it

 We are all in-between, in expectation, in our daily lives.  Waiting for our to-do list to be-done.  Waiting for break or dinnertime or the early evening window when we can sit with some ease unscripted. We wait for children to sleep or for them to visit. We wait anytime we anticipate future somethings, small something, daily somethings, or grand life transforming somethings. We wait. Artwork courtesy of Eleanor T. Hawkins An  eastern perspective encourages living in the moment, not becoming enmeshed in the past or future. I see wisdom in being present, recognizing the gift and value of the now, the today.  However, I would not go so far as to suggest the past or future is lesser or a mirage. Both the Jewish and Christian traditions place emphasis on history, remembering, and anticipating things to come.  I think these are right too. So, in this season of in-betweens--for me personally, there are a dozen transitions--I look forward to this season of advent, of reconnecting with differe

 Well, I took the time to trace back when I began this last "cycle" of readings.  Would you believe August of 2019?  I'm thankful for this blog as it provides a record for my mind. It reminds me indisputably of what I've been reading and thinking.  My memory has always been sort of fluid, partially because the "big picture" and the "next question" is more interesting to me than remembering the answers and journey. Oddly, I do love genealogy which seems to contradict this impulse, and I am fascinated by public and personal history.  Perhaps it's that I can't be bothered to spend too much time thinking about where I've been recently or I would, alas, become overwhelmed or lost in those ruminations. So to summarize---before this cycle I followed a plan called the Fourfold Gospel.  I finished that in July 2019.  Here's a reference point .  Feb 2018-July 2019  Fourfold Gospel In August 2019, I began again with Genesis, this new plan. Au

"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them."  Revelation 21:3 If you are curious about my studies these days, I haven't lapsed, just lapsed in posting.  At some point I shifted to private journaling and prayer.  This blog is close to that in a way--as it's obscure--just another blog among millions that quietly sit there in the morass of information available online. But, I'm "checking in" this morning as an effort at continuity.  I'm close to finishing this chronological reading plan that I began at least-- two years ago?  I really need to look it up, but as short as my attention span is these days, I will forgo doing that lest I leave this entry unfinished, lol. Whatever the length, it's been very good times. I am always trying to cement my understanding of the Bible as I go along.  It's so broad and so deep that

Man's Highest Good "God and God alone is man's highest good."  We are made different from all other creatures, which may enjoy "visible and sensuous things," but don't seek anything beyond this. Because we were created in God's image, even though we have experienced the fall, there are fragments of God's original design and beauty in us that speak to our sense of guilt and past glory.  They draw us toward Him and a future Heaven.  Because we are made for more, we are never fully satisfied with the physical but have yet to attain the full eternal and spiritual. We are caught between for now. Our minds have a sense of will and reason beyond the immediate and concrete. Our heart is the seat of our being, and we should strive to keep it pure because all things flow out of it.  As the heart pumps blood, our spiritual heart pumps spiritual things. The world is made in such a way that no kingdom will perfect it. It cycles through attempts at order, but

Mind blown this morning--how did I never know that Paul's reference to death and sting went back to Hosea? Hos 13:14  Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol (the place of the dead)? Shall I redeem them from death? O death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes [because of their failure to repent]. [1Co_15:55] 

Son of Man - I've puzzled over this phrase for many years now. When Jesus uses it, is he saying he fully human?  Or is he declaring a distinct and special relationship?  What does he intend?   My father-in-law, a skeptic, once wielded this phrase as a way of asserting that Jesus was no different than the rest of us.  "But we are all sons of men," he concluded as if the term had been abused.  I knew it couldn't be that straightforward, but that I couldn't articulate why it wasn't.   This morning while beginning Ezekiel, I came across this distinction in the Believer's Bible Commentary: "The Lord commissioned Ezekiel, whom He calls "son of man." This important expression occurs ninety times in Ezekiel. Taylor explains the usage: The first words that God addresses to Ezekiel appropriately put the prophet in his rightful place before the majesty which he has been seeing in his vision. The phrase son of man is a Hebraism which emphasizes Ezekiel

The prophecy of Habakkuk is a brief three chapters. Between the foreign names and nations, weathering the  message of doom, it's easy to mentally check out and blow through this book.  Just being honest.   The prophets are not the easy ride of a narrative--within the chapters you have present situations, future predictions, visions, curses, messages from God, restoration, and poetry.  It's not a genre I readily gravitate towards or feel solid in my understanding of.   To me it feels like hiking a ridgeline in our North Carolina mountains once the trees come out.  You are high up, but you don't always get the views. You spend a lot of time hiking through tall trees with the forest floor as your backdrop.  Occasionally, the trees permit a view--that's it--they permit it.  And then the view is a notable break, a highlight among the terrain. The prophets can be like that for me--reading, scanning, thinking, oops--what was that chapter about exactly? Re-read, rethink, then a

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her." Hosea 2:14 I knew there was more to Hosea that I needed to dwell in. The diction alone casts a holy spell, "behold, allure, wilderness, speak tenderly." It feels like a gentle embrace, a soft blanket, a warm fire to relax beside. Proportionally, the majority of the text of Hosea (and the prophets in general) is devoted to detailing the sins of the people and justifying God's necessary judgement. But oh, for the culmination of His days and plans.  He gives us mere wisps of this proportionally, but they are grand, worth savoring, rich. When I want to explore the corners of a passage, and the feelings they inspire in me, I often turn to the Biblical Illustrator Commentary.  It's a compendium of old school commentary, hit or miss, but faithful to expound and expand the conversation. This morning, the commentators there chatted back and forth about the nature of the w

 My time in Hosea has been quick, less than a week or so. Honestly, it's one of those prophetic books that feel like a long lecture from a parent--not that the parent doesn't need to lecture--but it's hard to hear all the same.  Hosea is best known as the prophet whose marriage becomes an object lesson. His wife is unfaithful as Israel has been unfaithful to God, whoring around with pagan idols.  The particulars beyond this I've studied, but seem less the point. Context  (from Jack Abeelen) Speaker: Hosea, a prophet to the Northern Kingdom for 50 years beginning in 755 BC. For 33 years he preached to the North before the fall to Assyria. For the last 17 years, he spoke to a scattered people. His contemporaries were Amos (North), Isaiah (South), and Micah Jack Abeelen's sermon focused on this verse, the idea that we sow what we reap: Hos 8:7  For they sow the wind,. and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it wer

This morning begins with an interesting overlap of concepts between Hosea and Luke; some of my most quietly compelling convictions come from such synergies. Yesterday's truth was we are urged to seek greater knowledge of God and that one day this knowledge will be undisputed and universal: "Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 A piece of my frustration in this world is the lack of knowledge of and respect for God---any god, never mind the true God. Those outside of traditional faiths diminish evidence or absolute understanding of anything outside of that which can be empirically quantified. Or they seem drawn to the other extreme--throwing off all reason in faith-based areas and embracing pseudo-scientific spiritual conceptions: crystals, energy waves, things that seem super regressive.  Those inside these faith systems often choose their faith

"Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 One of my favorite characteristics of the Lord is that He solicits mankind's active pursuit and participation in seeking Him.  He welcomes engagement instead of passive subservience. He's in it with us, even within us--Emmanuel.  Ultimately, in the end times, this knowledge of God will become universal: "They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." Isaiah 11:9 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. ” Daniel 12:4 "And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest , declares th

I'm admittedly not entirely clear on the concepts of oracles and visions. In Amos, Bullock asserts oracles and visions comprise the two literary centers in Amos.   The Hebrew words for oracle may be translated as “burden,” “saying,” “word,” etc. The words can be translated in different ways, even within the same book/author.  The word oracle can be ascribed to an entire prophetic books or to a part of one.   In one piece of Amos, the King James renders it, "Thus saith the Lord" Encyclopedia.com elaborates on this usage, "The technical term for an oracle of a prophet is n e'  It occurs 361 times in the Hebrew OT, mostly in the books of the "writing" Prophets, where it generally stands at the end of a short oracle given in Yahweh's name, traditionally rendered in English as "Thus says the Lord." It serves as a sort of signature guaranteeing the authenticity of the oracle."  Because they were God's word, these pronouncements were tru

Six Nations and Their Rebellion The book begins with eight oracles against the nations. Bullock points out that the audience is always Israel, not the other nations, even though it begins with them.  "God cared for the other nations even though they cared little for Him. God's expression of concern by pronouncing judgment (or salvation as in Isaiah 19:19-22 ) was intended to remind Israel of her mission to share God with others. At least, these words reminded the hearers of God's international, even universal, power and expectations." -Holman Bible Dictionary In the earlier period, priests were more often sought out to receive a word from God. Later, the prophets were more prominent. Of course, for a long period both functioned as intermediaries. This series of judgements is likened to a noose tightening around Israel's throat, or a progressive bullseye of judgement with Israel as the center dot. The point is that God's judgement was certain and Israel's j

Joseph, the man who buries Jesus.   He is a member of the Jewish High Council.  He's described as a man "of good heart and good character." (Luke 23:50 MSG) He didn't go along with the plans of the larger council. "He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God."  -Luke 23:52 MSG He took the body of Jesus down, wrapped it in linen, and placed it in a new tomb. Not many verses are devoted to Joseph of Arimathea and his actions, but they are quietly convicting to me in all ways. He was part of leadership but dared to break with their perspective. He had eyes that were looking and a heart waiting for God's kingdom. He chose action and took initiative to treat the broken and bloody body of Christ with simple dignity. May I be a person of quiet convicting, going against the mainstream, of good character and heart, eyes looking and waiting for your Kingdom. May I act decisively at the right time in the right ways that honor You. 

It's human to prefer some parts of the scriptures more than others.  Christ's arrest, trial, and execution are the worst, revealing the bottom of the pit of humanity and the "religious" establishment. Reading this section of Luke 22:63-71, Jesus knows that they are merely going through the motions.  He reveals this when he states, "If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go."   There is no win to be had in the immediate and he knows it. However, in the discouraging corners of my spirt, I also need to hear the end of his remark as emphatically:  "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God." And yes, they willfully misunderstand his words--these very words--and use them to condemn him in the immediate,  Then said they all, "Art thou then the Son of God?"  And he said unto them, "Ye say that I am." And they said, "What need we any further witnes

Amos the Shepherd I suppose Amos is much more than a shepherd, not that being a shepherd isn't enough alone. Jack Abeelen translates his name as "burden bearer," more to think about. Background Context Amos was a prophet from Judah, called from his rural  hometown of Tekoa to an urban environment in the Northern Kingdom, perhaps Bethel, their capital. Tekoa was about ten miles south of Jerusalem, one of a chain of places that Rehoboam of Judah fortified to mount a defense.  At one point, Amos says to a king--"I was a shepherd and God called me," which makes him relatable.  Who wouldn't rather be overseeing sheepherders and sycamore figs instead of slogging condemnation at urbanites?  Bring on the sheep and figs.  Truthfully, it reminds me of a visit to my pastor's office one morning--a hundred places both Amos and I would rather be!  Who was ruling?  Northern King: Jeroboam II   Southern King: Uzziah E. Hassell Bullock titles his chapter on Amos "Ca

 It's been a good stay in Jonah, but after three weeks, I'm ready to move along. I finished Jack Abeelen and Alistair Begg's sermons on Jonah, in addition to the Bullock sections. I even re-read my 2014 thoughts on the book, which held up better than I feared. It's both comforting and scary that my realizations then and now have many similarities--comforting to know that I am thinking through things carefully in a way that is "checkable"--scary because I don't remember thinking all those thoughts before.  I guess that's the wear and tear of seven years. Before I leave Jonah though, I have a cache of unsorted truths worth corralling. First, I'm thankful for God's great patience and pursuit of man. He makes a way for Adam and Eve, Cain, Noah. We see it with Abraham and Sodom, Jacob at Peniel, with Job, and yes, Jonah and the Ninevites as well. I see it in my life today as well as the lives of others.   Jesus knew the heart of man, yet he wept ove

Jon 4:1  But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry.  He was very angry; Septuagint, συνεχύθη, "was confounded." -Pulpit Commentary Why was Jonah so mad as to be confounded?  Was it because Nineveh was their enemy?  This type of nationalism is hard for me to relate to. The Expositor's Bible explains,  "In short he could not, either then or now, master his conviction that the heathen should be destroyed. His grief, though foolish, is not selfish. He is angry, not at the baffling of his word, but at God’s forbearance with the foes and tyrants of Israel. Now, as in all else, so in this, Jonah is the type of his people. If we can judge from their literature after the Exile, they were not troubled by the non-fulfillment of prophecy, except as one item of what was the problem of their faith-the continued prosperity of the Gentiles. " -Expositor's Bible Alistair Begg sees the problems as that of a double standard: "In Jonah’s case, the root issue is

"And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."  Jonah 3:10    How can  it be that God would need to "repent of evil"?  It's got to be in the wording, or I run into all kinds of snags regarding the unchangeable nature of God (Westminster Catechism Questions 4) then additional tangles while considering determinism and free will.  As a counterpoint, Numbers 23:19 floats to mind: "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? God a man that he should change his mind?" Alistair Begg addresses this change briefly in his Jonah series, "Man Overboard," "Now, how then are you to understand that? Well, the fact is, loved ones, that there is no ultimate inconsistency between these two modes of expression. Because actual

"Then Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve [disciples]. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him and hand Him over to them." Luke 22:3-4 Even though I am reading short chunks of Luke each day, not even full chapters, I feel like each day brings a new "difficult" verse.  Today's is above. I feel as if I could gain more understanding of it if it came from Mark--it has that abrupt Mark quality---boom, four words and we are in a different spot.  But it's Luke.  Luke, who takes time to linger, who gives us the fullest account of Christ's birth, who sets forth to create an orderly account, who is a physician by trade. And Luke, all these things, sets forth this idea that Satan entered Judas.  John mentions this truth too (John 13:2 and 13:27) in the context of the Last Supper: "It was during supper, when the devil had already put [the thought of] betraying Jesus into the

I'm still making efforts to process the implications of Luke 22:3 this morning: "Then Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve [disciples]."  Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown suggest that this entering was part of a progression of sin, that sin is a process:  Then entered Satan, etc. — but not yet in the full sense. The awful stages of it were these: (1) Covetousness being his master - passion, the Lord let it reveal itself and gather strength by entrusting him with “the bag” (Joh_12:6), as treasurer to Himself and the Twelve. (2) In the discharge of that most sacred trust he became “a thief,” appropriating its contents from time to time to his own use. Satan, seeing this door into his heart standing wide open, determines to enter by it, but cautiously (2Co_2:11); first merely “putting it into his heart to betray Him” (Joh_13:2), suggesting the thought to him that by this means he might enrich himself. (3) This thought was probably converted int

“Your laws endure to this day for all things serve you.” -Psalm 119:91 Lately I've been memorizing the first questions of the Westminster Catechism. I'm not sure if it's a counter-reaction to leaving our local church, to the pandemic, or a vestige of my Catholic upbringing, but the discipline and precision of the wording is good--calibrating my mind and heart to bigger truths. The catechism speaks of the providence of God, an alternatingly comforting and unsettling concept that is addressed in Questions 8, 11, and 12.   Question 11: What are God's works of providence? Answer: God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all His creatures and all their actions. Alistair Begg cites God's providence as one of the overarching truths in Jonah : "Now, we ought not to miss, just in passing, that whether it is a gigantic fish or whether it is a small worm, what we’re discovering here is that God is at work directing every

"I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [those living at that definite period of time preceding the second coming] will not pass away until everything takes place."  21:32 "Others would argue that the generation who sees “all this” is not the generation who is alive when Jesus is speaking these words, but rather the generation who is alive when the final period of great tribulation at the end of history begins. Darrell Bock, who favors this position, puts it like this: “What Jesus is saying is that the generation that sees the beginning of the end, also sees its end. When the signs come, they will proceed quickly; they will not drag on for many generations. It will happen within a generation.” - David Sunday Sunday references  Alistair Begg  's sermon on this verse.  Here are my notes from listening to Begg:  First, he points out that for the Jews, the temple was the focal point for God's relationship with the people. The disciples couldn'

" Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with [transcendent, overwhelming] power [subduing the nations] and with great glory [Dan_7:13-14]."   Luke 21:27 Amplified Bible How long would I have to sit with this part of today's passage (Luke 21:20-28) to begin to make even the slightest sense of it? As a well-read and well-preached Christian, the words are familiar enough to pass by and not marvel.  But if I had a friend who was a Jehovah's Witness, or any other cult for that matter, who introduced this image as their understanding of truth, it would confirm my belief that they're off balance. So am I off balanced to follow this set of scriptures? To believe this could really happen? To just drink my coffee and accept alongside the current news of today that "the Son of Man'" will come in a cloud?  A cloud---really?? When I was younger, I was a strict naturalist in the sense that I was suspicious of emotionally driven people that are led a