You know when you're watching a film and things click...you know what's going to happen, or how it will end. I'm talking in the film itself - not a chick-flick where you know the plot even before they start filming the thing (like Marley & Me...it's obvious the dog dies at the end, and I've never seen the film, I just looked on imdb.com to confirm my hunch!).
So in different films, it happens at different times. Everyone pretends they knew from the start of Sixth Sense...I won't spoil it.
For me, Psalms would be the point in the film 'The Bible' where I would think 'yeah, I can see where this is going, God has a plan, and it's on an epic scale, not some piddly little country on the Med'.
You see it in Psalm 22, where Christ's crucifixion is portrayed, in Psalm 89 where Christ's heritage is confirmed and in Psalm 16 where Christ's resurrection is foretold.
There's plenty of other bits, all the way through the bible, where we see God's plan revealed, and I'm sure you can think of many, from Abraham through to Jesus and beyond, and especially in the prophets like Isaiah. My bible has a table of these, calling them 'Messianic Prophecies and Fulfillments'. Big words, but that essentially means where Jesus is predicted, and where he fulfils these predictions - important stuff for the Jews at the time. Of the 18 it lists, 7 are in Isaiah, 7 in Psalms, 2 in the minor prophets, 2 in the law.
A prize next week for the person who can tell me where it is prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem - and remember there's two ways to find this in your bible.
So keep and eye out for glimpses of Jesus, and God's Big Plan all the way through your readings, no matter what sort of book you might be in.
PS. If all this earlier talk of films has whet your appetite, be sure to come to lifegroup on Wednesday for a film night! From 7pm.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Yay - time for church!
"Yay, time for church!"
How many times have you said that, or heard someone in your family say that?
Psalm 122 is all about delighting in the presence of God, in going to Jerusalem and his temple.
So for us now, verse 1 'I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord"', means going to church - as do the other references in the psalm to Jerusalem.
So is it how we feel, and what should it mean to us?
Truth be told, it's often the exact opposite of how we really feel - when you're tired after a long week, or just want to lounge around at home in front of the telly, how tempting is it to skip church? And if you didn't have parents dragging you along, I bet you'd miss plenty of weeks!
To get to a place where we delight in going to church, we have to focus on the why of church - we go to worship God and be in his presence. Now that sounds a whole lot better than sitting through another service, or youth session, and should make us excited on a Sunday morning!
This Sunday, we're sweetening the deal with bacon sarnies, but how about next Sunday, when there's no ID in the morning, you have a think about why you're really dreading it, and why you should be looking forward to it - then talk to God about it!
How many times have you said that, or heard someone in your family say that?
Psalm 122 is all about delighting in the presence of God, in going to Jerusalem and his temple.
So for us now, verse 1 'I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord"', means going to church - as do the other references in the psalm to Jerusalem.
So is it how we feel, and what should it mean to us?
Truth be told, it's often the exact opposite of how we really feel - when you're tired after a long week, or just want to lounge around at home in front of the telly, how tempting is it to skip church? And if you didn't have parents dragging you along, I bet you'd miss plenty of weeks!
To get to a place where we delight in going to church, we have to focus on the why of church - we go to worship God and be in his presence. Now that sounds a whole lot better than sitting through another service, or youth session, and should make us excited on a Sunday morning!
This Sunday, we're sweetening the deal with bacon sarnies, but how about next Sunday, when there's no ID in the morning, you have a think about why you're really dreading it, and why you should be looking forward to it - then talk to God about it!
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Recognising Rebellion, Receiving Renewal
Rrrrrrr...that's the letter of the day!
Psalm 51 is David's response to the story we read in 2 Samuel 12, where his son is killed by an illness sent by God.
It can easy to question why God kills David & Bathsheeba's son, (who has himself done no wrong in the context of the story), instead of killing or punishing David.
However, the important lesson here is that sin has consequences. David's sin in having Uzziah (Bathsheeba's first husband) killed has brought this upon his family, just as our own sin can sometimes lead to the damaging of our relationships with family and friends. Putting yourself first, and becoming greedy, envious, lustful etc., can lead to others distance themselves emotionally, or to fights and arguments. When we do the same to God, we can shut out his grace and forgiveness, allowing bad things to creep in to our lives.
David teaches us what true confession and repentance look like in this psalm, and how acknowledging our sin can lead to forgiveness, and new life: reading on through 2 Samuel, you will find David has another son, Solomon.
What I learn from this psalm is that anything is possible with God - but as they say up here, 'shy bairns get nowt'. David asks God for all these blessings and renewals - he earnestly pursues him - and God comes through. The challenge in our darker and harder times is to look to God as a figure who can have an active and positive role in our circumstance, not as a blame figure - a bit like how we should see a football manager.
Finally, we can look at this through our Jesus spectacles, and see that Jesus gets down and dirty with our sin, making it much easier for us to reach out to God - Isaiah 59 uses some similar language regarding sin and gives the prophecy of someone coming to 'buy us back'...but that's another story!
This week, why not try inviting God into the difficult circumstances in your life, and see what he can do?
Psalm 51 is David's response to the story we read in 2 Samuel 12, where his son is killed by an illness sent by God.
It can easy to question why God kills David & Bathsheeba's son, (who has himself done no wrong in the context of the story), instead of killing or punishing David.
However, the important lesson here is that sin has consequences. David's sin in having Uzziah (Bathsheeba's first husband) killed has brought this upon his family, just as our own sin can sometimes lead to the damaging of our relationships with family and friends. Putting yourself first, and becoming greedy, envious, lustful etc., can lead to others distance themselves emotionally, or to fights and arguments. When we do the same to God, we can shut out his grace and forgiveness, allowing bad things to creep in to our lives.
David teaches us what true confession and repentance look like in this psalm, and how acknowledging our sin can lead to forgiveness, and new life: reading on through 2 Samuel, you will find David has another son, Solomon.
What I learn from this psalm is that anything is possible with God - but as they say up here, 'shy bairns get nowt'. David asks God for all these blessings and renewals - he earnestly pursues him - and God comes through. The challenge in our darker and harder times is to look to God as a figure who can have an active and positive role in our circumstance, not as a blame figure - a bit like how we should see a football manager.
Finally, we can look at this through our Jesus spectacles, and see that Jesus gets down and dirty with our sin, making it much easier for us to reach out to God - Isaiah 59 uses some similar language regarding sin and gives the prophecy of someone coming to 'buy us back'...but that's another story!
This week, why not try inviting God into the difficult circumstances in your life, and see what he can do?
Monday, 17 October 2011
What's in a Psalm?
So, what is in a Psalm?
Words? Yes.
Verses? Yes.
Your mum? No. She's not that old.
Let's throw some e's into the mix:
Emotion
Endeavour
Experience
And now let's have a look at them some more.
When you get to the end of this, why not spend some time reading those psalms I mention, as a way at looking at a quick spectrum of the book?
Emotion - full of it! There's some very happy psalms - packed with joy and praise. But they're the easy ones to understand, as I hope we all associate happy feelings with God. Or at least know what it is to be happy.
There's some very angry ones in there too - Psalms 88 or 109 are prime examples. Anger towards the world is especially common - if you can, take yourself away somewhere and read these Psalms out loud. Then SHOUT THEM OUT! That's the really good way to get the true feeling behind them.
For the more melancholy moments, you've got the laments - most of the fifties come under this. Try whispering these for a good appreciation of their power.
Can you identify with these emotions?
Endeavour - this means to try, to work at something. To me, it doesn't suggest success - it says 'I had a go, messed up a bit, and the only reason it came good is the grace of God'. Try Psalm 32 for a spot of salvation.
The Psalms tell a tale of people having a go and coming up short.
The Psalms tell a tale of people thinking they can achieve things in their own strength, but realising that only through God can they success.
The Psalms tell a tale of people.
Can you identify with this?
Experience - ever been told you can't do something because of a lack of experience? Not tall enough to go on a ride at the fair, or not old enough to do what your older sibling is doing?
More importantly, have you ever completely mucked something up, because you didn't know what you were doing? I feel like that a lot.
Psalms offers us a wealth of experience, and not just of things being hunky-dorey - so much of the Psalms is about dealing with the cruddy times, the mistakes made, the trials and temptations of everyday life.
Psalm 63 (coupled with Psalm 3, written at the same time) was written by David when he was on the run from Absalom (remember that, from 2 Samuel 16-18?) - his own son, and usurper of the throne. Times were desperate, and David had certainly made mistakes in life, most particularly in letting himself drift from God - this Psalm speaks of recognising it and coming back to God.
Could you benefit from some Godly wisdom?
Hopefully you'll see there's something in it for you all.
Don't be afraid to flick around, and to follow links to the Old Testament stories and laws you've read about over the past few weeks - they'll help you ground the Psalms in real life.
Let us know what you've read and what you think...
Words? Yes.
Verses? Yes.
Your mum? No. She's not that old.
Let's throw some e's into the mix:
Emotion
Endeavour
Experience
And now let's have a look at them some more.
When you get to the end of this, why not spend some time reading those psalms I mention, as a way at looking at a quick spectrum of the book?
Emotion - full of it! There's some very happy psalms - packed with joy and praise. But they're the easy ones to understand, as I hope we all associate happy feelings with God. Or at least know what it is to be happy.
There's some very angry ones in there too - Psalms 88 or 109 are prime examples. Anger towards the world is especially common - if you can, take yourself away somewhere and read these Psalms out loud. Then SHOUT THEM OUT! That's the really good way to get the true feeling behind them.
For the more melancholy moments, you've got the laments - most of the fifties come under this. Try whispering these for a good appreciation of their power.
Can you identify with these emotions?
Endeavour - this means to try, to work at something. To me, it doesn't suggest success - it says 'I had a go, messed up a bit, and the only reason it came good is the grace of God'. Try Psalm 32 for a spot of salvation.
The Psalms tell a tale of people having a go and coming up short.
The Psalms tell a tale of people thinking they can achieve things in their own strength, but realising that only through God can they success.
The Psalms tell a tale of people.
Can you identify with this?
Experience - ever been told you can't do something because of a lack of experience? Not tall enough to go on a ride at the fair, or not old enough to do what your older sibling is doing?
More importantly, have you ever completely mucked something up, because you didn't know what you were doing? I feel like that a lot.
Psalms offers us a wealth of experience, and not just of things being hunky-dorey - so much of the Psalms is about dealing with the cruddy times, the mistakes made, the trials and temptations of everyday life.
Psalm 63 (coupled with Psalm 3, written at the same time) was written by David when he was on the run from Absalom (remember that, from 2 Samuel 16-18?) - his own son, and usurper of the throne. Times were desperate, and David had certainly made mistakes in life, most particularly in letting himself drift from God - this Psalm speaks of recognising it and coming back to God.
Could you benefit from some Godly wisdom?
Hopefully you'll see there's something in it for you all.
Don't be afraid to flick around, and to follow links to the Old Testament stories and laws you've read about over the past few weeks - they'll help you ground the Psalms in real life.
Let us know what you've read and what you think...
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Tassels Shmassels?
Reading Numbers, and skimming the other books of the law, the easy response is to smile in a smug sort of way, and be glad that we don't have to follow all of these rules.
However in your reading of the law books, a good thing to look at is the reason, purpose or result of the law in question. Numbers 15 has this to say about tassels on your clothing:
The other things you'll find in the law books is festivals - and lots of them.
When we read of these, for example in Exodus 23, it's easy to look at all the regulations and be thankful we don't have these - but stop to think of all the things we do every Easter and Christmas, and indeed the things non-Christians do at Christmas, Halloween etc., and it becomes obvious we haven't moved on.
As Christians, we remind ourselves of the awesomeness of God, and his great love for us, through the 'ritual' of the celebrations.
Before you say 'yes, but we aren't that legalistic!', imagine your reaction if your parents decide to ignore the 'rules' at Christmas, and not buy a tree and presents, and on December 25th make you tidy your room and clean the bathroom...
I'll leave you with that pleasant thought.
However in your reading of the law books, a good thing to look at is the reason, purpose or result of the law in question. Numbers 15 has this to say about tassels on your clothing:
The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’”So when I saw this reason for making tassels for clothes, it reminded me of people wearing jewellery, Christian hoodies and those WWJD bracelets...something to remember God...perhaps we haven't moved on that far after all.
The other things you'll find in the law books is festivals - and lots of them.
When we read of these, for example in Exodus 23, it's easy to look at all the regulations and be thankful we don't have these - but stop to think of all the things we do every Easter and Christmas, and indeed the things non-Christians do at Christmas, Halloween etc., and it becomes obvious we haven't moved on.
As Christians, we remind ourselves of the awesomeness of God, and his great love for us, through the 'ritual' of the celebrations.
Before you say 'yes, but we aren't that legalistic!', imagine your reaction if your parents decide to ignore the 'rules' at Christmas, and not buy a tree and presents, and on December 25th make you tidy your room and clean the bathroom...
I'll leave you with that pleasant thought.
Monday, 10 October 2011
...Once I Caught A Fish Alive
Special prize for those of you who figured out the cryptic-ish title:
"Well done."
Now that prizegiving is over, here's how I summarised Numbers chapter-by-chapter. This is how I tackled the book, and will use the same method to get into the other three books on our reading for the week.
My next step will be to pick out a dozen or so bits I really like the look of, and spend tomorrow reading through those bits.
Why not do the same, or share with us all how you are digging into the reading this week?
1 - Census time (603,550 warriors)
2 - Camp planning
3 - Levites given job description, redeeming the firstborn (cf. Exodus 13)
4 - To-do lists for the Levites
5 - Purity & faithfulness
6 - Nazirite laws (cf. Samson in Judges 13-16 & Paul in Acts 18)
7 - Dedication offerings to the Tabernacle
8 - Preparing the lamps (cf. Revelation), dedicating the Levites
9 - Passover mk. 2, The Appearance of the Fiery Cloud
10 - Trumpets & complaining (the two are unrelated)
11 - Complaining, punishing & forgiving #1
12 - Complaining, punishing & forgiving #2 (Miriam & Aaron)
13 - Spies in Canaan - fear
14 - Complaining, punishing & forgiving #3
15 - Bonus laws - offerings, Sabbath & tassels
16 - Complaining, punishing & forgiving #4 (Korah, plagues & fire)
17 - God chooses Levi (again, just to show the silly people he meant it)
18 - Rights & responsibilities of the priests
19 - Water of purification - how to wash
20 - Complaining, punishing & forgiving #5 (death of Aaron)
21 - Military victories & possessing the land begins
22 - Balaam's Ass (seriously. This is one to read)
23 - Balaam recovers from the incident with the talking donkey
24 - More Balaam. Still a good read
25 - Moab seduces Israel - intermarriage etc. Very good death here.
26 - Census time mk. 2 (601,730 warriors)
27 - Joshua chosen to lead Israel
28 - On offerings - daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.
29 - On offerings at festivals
30 - Laws about promises
31 - Revenge on Midian, lots of booty
32 - Reuban & Gad are big girls blouses - Moses recaps ch. 13
33 - Remembering the journey & instructions on taking the land
34 - Boundaries of the land - where is the Promised Land?
35 - Towns for the Levites; Cities of Refuge
36 - Women who inherit property
All this prepares Israel for the big fat super-recap in the form of Deuteronomy.
Those of you who read Joshua last week will know what happens next...
"Well done."
Now that prizegiving is over, here's how I summarised Numbers chapter-by-chapter. This is how I tackled the book, and will use the same method to get into the other three books on our reading for the week.
My next step will be to pick out a dozen or so bits I really like the look of, and spend tomorrow reading through those bits.
Why not do the same, or share with us all how you are digging into the reading this week?
1 - Census time (603,550 warriors)
2 - Camp planning
3 - Levites given job description, redeeming the firstborn (cf. Exodus 13)
4 - To-do lists for the Levites
5 - Purity & faithfulness
6 - Nazirite laws (cf. Samson in Judges 13-16 & Paul in Acts 18)
7 - Dedication offerings to the Tabernacle
8 - Preparing the lamps (cf. Revelation), dedicating the Levites
9 - Passover mk. 2, The Appearance of the Fiery Cloud
10 - Trumpets & complaining (the two are unrelated)
11 - Complaining, punishing & forgiving #1
12 - Complaining, punishing & forgiving #2 (Miriam & Aaron)
13 - Spies in Canaan - fear
14 - Complaining, punishing & forgiving #3
15 - Bonus laws - offerings, Sabbath & tassels
16 - Complaining, punishing & forgiving #4 (Korah, plagues & fire)
17 - God chooses Levi (again, just to show the silly people he meant it)
18 - Rights & responsibilities of the priests
19 - Water of purification - how to wash
20 - Complaining, punishing & forgiving #5 (death of Aaron)
21 - Military victories & possessing the land begins
22 - Balaam's Ass (seriously. This is one to read)
23 - Balaam recovers from the incident with the talking donkey
24 - More Balaam. Still a good read
25 - Moab seduces Israel - intermarriage etc. Very good death here.
26 - Census time mk. 2 (601,730 warriors)
27 - Joshua chosen to lead Israel
28 - On offerings - daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.
29 - On offerings at festivals
30 - Laws about promises
31 - Revenge on Midian, lots of booty
32 - Reuban & Gad are big girls blouses - Moses recaps ch. 13
33 - Remembering the journey & instructions on taking the land
34 - Boundaries of the land - where is the Promised Land?
35 - Towns for the Levites; Cities of Refuge
36 - Women who inherit property
All this prepares Israel for the big fat super-recap in the form of Deuteronomy.
Those of you who read Joshua last week will know what happens next...
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Narrative literature
So, after reading 30% of the bible over the last 2 weeks, following the story of God and his people from creation to the return of the exiles from Babylon, what have I learnt?
The main thread throughout the story seems to be that humans decide that they know better than God and constantly want to do their own thing, yet God continues to pursue them in his grace and also work miracles to their advantage, even though, sooner rather than later (should that be never?), his people will forget what he has done for them. Isn't God amazing to put up with people like us? His grace is fantastic.
I also love how the authors, with the benefit of hindsight, include such wonderful asides which need no explanation because the comment says it all. Take for example 2 Chronicles 8:11:
My point is, sometimes we read bits in the bible which seem random, out of place and irrelevant, but this should be a signal for us to look a little deeper and maybe read between the lines to see why such a comment was inspired by God to be included in his book.
The main thread throughout the story seems to be that humans decide that they know better than God and constantly want to do their own thing, yet God continues to pursue them in his grace and also work miracles to their advantage, even though, sooner rather than later (should that be never?), his people will forget what he has done for them. Isn't God amazing to put up with people like us? His grace is fantastic.
I also love how the authors, with the benefit of hindsight, include such wonderful asides which need no explanation because the comment says it all. Take for example 2 Chronicles 8:11:
Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”My question is: If Solomon married a woman who would 'defile' the holy places, why did he marry her in the first place? There was no real reason for the writer of 2 Chronicles to include this, but it's comments like this one which help piece together a bigger picture of what might have gone wrong for Solomon. The same goes for the comments about the relative time frames for building the temple (7 years) and his house (13 years).
My point is, sometimes we read bits in the bible which seem random, out of place and irrelevant, but this should be a signal for us to look a little deeper and maybe read between the lines to see why such a comment was inspired by God to be included in his book.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
What a waste!
Are any of you in Kings and Chronicles? It has struck me whilst I have been reading that Solomon put so much effort into building the Temple, but less than a year into his son's reign (no more than 33 years after it was finished) only Judah and Benjamin, plus a few devout Israelites from the other tribes were using it. And we learn when reading about Hezekiah's rule that no passover was celebrated in that period, so what the Israelites were doing in the Temple remains a mystery.
Were we once gold and sparkly in our faith but now we have let it fall into disrepair? Are we in need of some repair like the Temple? It took money to rebuild the Temple, but the people gave gladly and sacrificially. It may take sacrifice to get our faith back on track, but it will be worth it.
Were we once gold and sparkly in our faith but now we have let it fall into disrepair? Are we in need of some repair like the Temple? It took money to rebuild the Temple, but the people gave gladly and sacrificially. It may take sacrifice to get our faith back on track, but it will be worth it.
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
On Testing God?
One of the big questions this week was on testing God, as there's some seeming contradictions and things that muddy the water.
Here's some thoughts:
1) God tests people - so it's a known concept - see Genesis 22 & Exodus 15 for more on this.
2) But...shortly following that in Exodus 17, this happens:
3) In 1 Kings 18, Elijah tests God in a very public way - this is one of my favourite stories in the whole bible! Have a read! In short, Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to that well-known game of 'who can get their God to set fire to the chopped-up ox on the alter first'. Here's the best bit:
5) Just before that, in Judges 4, when Deborah (a judge) has told Barak to go and defeat Israel's occupiers, he is not totally confident in it, and only agrees to go to war if she comes with him. Her response:
Hopefully you can see a few things from these incidents:
God would rather we didn't test him, but his grace is bigger than our insecurity. We may not gain so much in the end, but God's outcome will prevail, and he will still get the glory.
The danger is if we constantly test God, we never achieve anything, or if we just test God for our own glory.
God loves to be tested by people putting their faith in him, and seeking to do amazing things for the Kingdom of God. In a sense, every time we exercise our faith, we test God. And he invariably comes through for us.
Here's some thoughts:
1) God tests people - so it's a known concept - see Genesis 22 & Exodus 15 for more on this.
2) But...shortly following that in Exodus 17, this happens:
At the Lord’s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sin and moved from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded.And it's this incident God brings up when he gives the instruction to not test him in Deuteronomy 6:16.
“Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?”
3) In 1 Kings 18, Elijah tests God in a very public way - this is one of my favourite stories in the whole bible! Have a read! In short, Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to that well-known game of 'who can get their God to set fire to the chopped-up ox on the alter first'. Here's the best bit:
About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!”4) In Judges 6, Gideon gives God multiple tests!
5) Just before that, in Judges 4, when Deborah (a judge) has told Barak to go and defeat Israel's occupiers, he is not totally confident in it, and only agrees to go to war if she comes with him. Her response:
“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.And the outcome is victory, along with the delightful incident where Jael (a woman) kills Sisera by hammering a tent peg through his temple and into the ground.
Hopefully you can see a few things from these incidents:
God would rather we didn't test him, but his grace is bigger than our insecurity. We may not gain so much in the end, but God's outcome will prevail, and he will still get the glory.
The danger is if we constantly test God, we never achieve anything, or if we just test God for our own glory.
God loves to be tested by people putting their faith in him, and seeking to do amazing things for the Kingdom of God. In a sense, every time we exercise our faith, we test God. And he invariably comes through for us.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
The book of Ruth
Here's a good question I was asked after this evening's session: What is the book of Ruth doing in the bible? The question came from the position that Ruth is a story about ordinary people, rather than 'special' people like kings or prophets.
What do you think? Feel free to comment, but here are my thoughts.
Ruth is a vital character in the bible. Without her there would have been no Jesus (check out the genealogy in Matthew 1; you'll see that Ruth is mentioned as an ancestor of Jesus). But Ruth was a Moabite, that is she was not an Israelite, one of God's special people, but God still chose to bring her into his people.
This is an important point (the same goes for Rahab, also mentioned in Matthew's gospel) when considering the question of indiscriminate slaughter of the other tribes because God does let foreigners into his people if they accept his authority and lordship. Ruth says "your people will be my people and your God my God" This is enough for God, her being a Moabite is irrelevant. So irrelevant, he choses to be born as a man to one of her descendants!
What do you think? Feel free to comment, but here are my thoughts.
Ruth is a vital character in the bible. Without her there would have been no Jesus (check out the genealogy in Matthew 1; you'll see that Ruth is mentioned as an ancestor of Jesus). But Ruth was a Moabite, that is she was not an Israelite, one of God's special people, but God still chose to bring her into his people.
This is an important point (the same goes for Rahab, also mentioned in Matthew's gospel) when considering the question of indiscriminate slaughter of the other tribes because God does let foreigners into his people if they accept his authority and lordship. Ruth says "your people will be my people and your God my God" This is enough for God, her being a Moabite is irrelevant. So irrelevant, he choses to be born as a man to one of her descendants!
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Sex, sex, sex!!!
That's right - this post is for those who like their bibles a bit raunchy!
You may have come across Genesis 38 in your reading - slap bang in the middle of the story of Joseph is a chapter innocently titled 'Judah and Tamar'.
The gist is Tamar marries Judah's sons and both die because they are horrible people. Judah won't let his third son marry her (as he should), and she's sent back to her father in disgrace.
So she dresses up as a prostitute, ensnares Judah and gets pregnant - having twins. This family are utterly useless - we hear of them again in Joshua 7 when Achan (a descendent of Zerah, one of the twins) steals booty from Jericho.
BUT...
Read Matthew 1, and you'll see some familiar names in the genealogy of Jesus.
Judah we know well (Jesus is the Lion of Judah etc.)
But then who should pop up but Tamar, Perez and Zerah!?
So it turns out Jesus is descended from these scumbags?
SO...
There's hope for us all!
If you haven't read Genesis 38 yet, be sure to give it a read - but don't let your parents catch you - it's X-rated!
You may have come across Genesis 38 in your reading - slap bang in the middle of the story of Joseph is a chapter innocently titled 'Judah and Tamar'.
The gist is Tamar marries Judah's sons and both die because they are horrible people. Judah won't let his third son marry her (as he should), and she's sent back to her father in disgrace.
So she dresses up as a prostitute, ensnares Judah and gets pregnant - having twins. This family are utterly useless - we hear of them again in Joshua 7 when Achan (a descendent of Zerah, one of the twins) steals booty from Jericho.
BUT...
Read Matthew 1, and you'll see some familiar names in the genealogy of Jesus.
Judah we know well (Jesus is the Lion of Judah etc.)
But then who should pop up but Tamar, Perez and Zerah!?
So it turns out Jesus is descended from these scumbags?
SO...
There's hope for us all!
If you haven't read Genesis 38 yet, be sure to give it a read - but don't let your parents catch you - it's X-rated!
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