While Reading Through The Bible (in alphabetical order, in one year), I came to the book of Ruth on my birthday! (November 8). A little birthday treat for myself.
Ruth has to be on the list of "The Best Short Stories Ever Written." It is so beautiful and satisfying. In a Hebrew class in seminary, we translated it verse by verse and studied it in depth. Turns out, as usual, the more you study and understand the text, the more amazing it is.
I hardly knew anything about the Bible when I married my beloved John. But I was sort of familiar with the book of Ruth, at least with that immortal passage, "Whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me." We put that into our wedding vows.
It is such an emotional and dramatic story. And, if you study it very carefully, you can see that it's a tour de force of story telling. Part of our study in that seminary Hebrew class was to write some of the passages as a screenplay. Never has there been a more enjoyable class assignment!
It still stumps me that there haven't been more dramatic interpretations of Ruth. There was that old movie from 1960. I just read the Wikipedia summary; it sounds kind of awful.
Maybe one of these days I will write said screenplay. (Hopefully, it will write itself!) Aside from the drama, the dialog, and the love story, the beauty of the book of Ruth is the confirmation of God's faithfulness to those who are faithful to Him.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Romans: Paul's Masterpiece
If Revelation is near the bottom of my list of favorite books in the Bible, Romans is near the top. If I'm not mistaken, it was written as a thoughtful, purposeful treatise explaining Christian faith. It certainly delves into the most important issues that a growing Christian (and wouldn't that be all of us?) ought to think about.
It starts by carefully presenting the message of the gospel. First, every human is sinful. Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Then it explains that the ONLY way to overcome sin is through God's grace "...and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Chtist Jesus" (Romans 3:24).
There's much more, of course. Paul fleshes out this theology carefully and in easy-to-understand terms. I love chapter 7 where Paul goes personal and describes his struggle with disobedience: "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing" (Romans 6:18-19). I thought I was the only one who did that!
Chapters 9-11 have more theology about salvation. Chapters 12-16 are more practical, with a discussion of how one's faith should guide one's daily living.
Romans is packed with wonderful stuff, and lots of underline-able passages. My Bible has all kinds of markings in Romans.
But my favorite chapter in Romans is one of my all-time favorites for the whole Bible: Chapter 8. This chapter resounds with encouragement and comfort. It's great to read when we are discouraged or frightened or grieving. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (8:18). "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will" (8:26-27).
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (8:28). "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (8:31)
And the great triumphant passage, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (8:37-39).
That, my friends, is the Living Word of God.
Amen.
It starts by carefully presenting the message of the gospel. First, every human is sinful. Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Then it explains that the ONLY way to overcome sin is through God's grace "...and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Chtist Jesus" (Romans 3:24).
There's much more, of course. Paul fleshes out this theology carefully and in easy-to-understand terms. I love chapter 7 where Paul goes personal and describes his struggle with disobedience: "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing" (Romans 6:18-19). I thought I was the only one who did that!
Chapters 9-11 have more theology about salvation. Chapters 12-16 are more practical, with a discussion of how one's faith should guide one's daily living.
Romans is packed with wonderful stuff, and lots of underline-able passages. My Bible has all kinds of markings in Romans.
But my favorite chapter in Romans is one of my all-time favorites for the whole Bible: Chapter 8. This chapter resounds with encouragement and comfort. It's great to read when we are discouraged or frightened or grieving. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (8:18). "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will" (8:26-27).
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (8:28). "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (8:31)
And the great triumphant passage, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (8:37-39).
That, my friends, is the Living Word of God.
Amen.
Revelation: We win
Whenever I Read Through The Bible, I am always glad to have Revelation in my rearview mirror. Fascinating though it may be, it is one of my least favorite books of the Bible.
I have an ongoing joke with my Sunday School class that I'll cheerfully teach any book of the Bible they want--except Revelation. When I was in seminary, our history professor told us that the book just barely made it into the canon. "The early church fathers were scared to death about it," he said. "They didn't know how to interpret it, and they were afraid they'd get it wrong." There's so much violence in Revelation, that one would definitely fear getting on the wrong side of the interpretation.
Several years ago, I led a class through a study of Revelation prepared by our wonderful, brainy pastor. The only problem was that the study stopped at the end of chapter 3. There is a big conceptual break there. The first three chapters are the letters to the seven New Testament churches. They are hard enough to interpret, but with a good commentary they come alive. Their message, in brief, was warning and encouraging those churches to stay faithful to Christ, to flee from any heresy, to live righteous lives and to endure any persecution that might come their way. Good advice, both then and now.
As for the rest of Revelation, Ugh. It is obscure and hard to interpret because--it was written to be obscure and hard to interpret. It is the very definition of Apocalyptic literature.
That hasn't stopped scholars for two thousand years from trying to figure out what it all means (or meant). So with each new age, there is a different theory of how to interpret Revelation. Just for starters, some scholars believe it was written to the readers of the time and the symbols were to be strictly interpreted in their milieu. Others believe it is strictly prophetic, that all the symbols refer to things that would happen in the future at the end of time, whenever that might be. And there are theories in between. If one is trying to teach through the book of Revelation, one needs to do justice to each of these viewpoints. That takes a ton of time and a ton of study.
Bible scholars, both educated and dimwitted, have then gone on to build elaborate theories about exactly what all the symbols mean. For example, there's this "beast of the sea" character in chapter 13. It's supposed to be some sort of a "personal anti-Christ." Some thought it was Nero. Some thought it was Domitian. Centuries later, some thought it was Napoleon. Hitler was thought to be the anti-Christ in the 20th century. During the past presidential election, one might think this beast of the sea was Obama. Or Romney; I never could tell which side had the more compelling argument.
When I studied Revelation in seminary, I got a kick out of the beast from the earth, also in chapter 13. It seems that this character was sort of the advance man, the public relations guru for the beast of the sea.
The apocalyptic literature just begs to be reinterpreted in every age. That's why the "Left Behind" series of the end of the 20th century was such a hit. It was a rather clunky and slavish imagining of the images in Revelation, updated to the (then) here and now. Perfectly apt for the paranoia surrounding the end of the second Millennium.
I do not know how to interpret Revelation. I do know that pretty much every interpretation ends up at the conclusion that God emerges as the victor over Satan in the cosmic contest between Good and Evil. Or as that brainy pastor used to say, "We win."
I also know that I'm very suspicious of the motivation and the hermeneutical methodology of anyone who thinks he or she knows for sure the meaning of all the details of Revelation.
I have an ongoing joke with my Sunday School class that I'll cheerfully teach any book of the Bible they want--except Revelation. When I was in seminary, our history professor told us that the book just barely made it into the canon. "The early church fathers were scared to death about it," he said. "They didn't know how to interpret it, and they were afraid they'd get it wrong." There's so much violence in Revelation, that one would definitely fear getting on the wrong side of the interpretation.
Several years ago, I led a class through a study of Revelation prepared by our wonderful, brainy pastor. The only problem was that the study stopped at the end of chapter 3. There is a big conceptual break there. The first three chapters are the letters to the seven New Testament churches. They are hard enough to interpret, but with a good commentary they come alive. Their message, in brief, was warning and encouraging those churches to stay faithful to Christ, to flee from any heresy, to live righteous lives and to endure any persecution that might come their way. Good advice, both then and now.
As for the rest of Revelation, Ugh. It is obscure and hard to interpret because--it was written to be obscure and hard to interpret. It is the very definition of Apocalyptic literature.
That hasn't stopped scholars for two thousand years from trying to figure out what it all means (or meant). So with each new age, there is a different theory of how to interpret Revelation. Just for starters, some scholars believe it was written to the readers of the time and the symbols were to be strictly interpreted in their milieu. Others believe it is strictly prophetic, that all the symbols refer to things that would happen in the future at the end of time, whenever that might be. And there are theories in between. If one is trying to teach through the book of Revelation, one needs to do justice to each of these viewpoints. That takes a ton of time and a ton of study.
Bible scholars, both educated and dimwitted, have then gone on to build elaborate theories about exactly what all the symbols mean. For example, there's this "beast of the sea" character in chapter 13. It's supposed to be some sort of a "personal anti-Christ." Some thought it was Nero. Some thought it was Domitian. Centuries later, some thought it was Napoleon. Hitler was thought to be the anti-Christ in the 20th century. During the past presidential election, one might think this beast of the sea was Obama. Or Romney; I never could tell which side had the more compelling argument.
When I studied Revelation in seminary, I got a kick out of the beast from the earth, also in chapter 13. It seems that this character was sort of the advance man, the public relations guru for the beast of the sea.
The apocalyptic literature just begs to be reinterpreted in every age. That's why the "Left Behind" series of the end of the 20th century was such a hit. It was a rather clunky and slavish imagining of the images in Revelation, updated to the (then) here and now. Perfectly apt for the paranoia surrounding the end of the second Millennium.
I do not know how to interpret Revelation. I do know that pretty much every interpretation ends up at the conclusion that God emerges as the victor over Satan in the cosmic contest between Good and Evil. Or as that brainy pastor used to say, "We win."
I also know that I'm very suspicious of the motivation and the hermeneutical methodology of anyone who thinks he or she knows for sure the meaning of all the details of Revelation.
Psalms: Like a Box of Chocolates
I did something radically different this time to Read Through The Bible (in alphabetical order, in one year) when I got to Psalms. I listened to an oral reading of the Psalms, Max McLean on The Listener's Bible. (I saw McLean at Dallas Seminary one time; he was incredible in portraying Abraham.) His sonorous voice brings a lot to Scripture, and it was just the right way to go through the Psalms this time. Here's why:
Psalms is like a box of chocolates. In a couple of ways.
According to Forrest Gump, "You never know what you'll get." Coconut creme or nougat, for example. That's more or less true with the Psalms. Every time you read through the Psalms, you find something different. A favorite old psalm, which you've underlined and memorized, may suddenly reveal a line or a word or a thought that never struck you before. A year or so ago, I was reading the 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my Shepherd..." I've had this memorized for at least 50 years. But for the first time, I noticed the phrase, "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." That's pretty profound. God wants us to be righteous, and He directs our paths that way, because we are a reflection on His name. If you are known as a Believer (Christian or Jew, I suppose) and you do not live righteously, you can bet there are non-believers who see your behavior and mock your Lord.
So as I listened to Psalms this time, there were psalms I had never noticed because they sounded different, being read out loud.
The other way the Psalms are like a box of chocolates is that one or two, or even five or six, are delicious and delightful. But when you get more than that at one sitting, they start to lose their appeal. There are 150 Psalms, and if you read more than a few at a time, they sometimes start to sound alike. I was listening in the car, so I'd only hear a few each time I'd motor around. Sometimes I'd have to turn off the CD player, however. If I'm maneuvering through difficult traffic, it's hard to pay attention to a CD.
All in all, listening to the Psalms was a good idea. The only drawback was that I wasn't able to underline the lines that stood out as I heard them. Maybe the next time I read them, though, the sound of Max McLean will come through.
Psalms is like a box of chocolates. In a couple of ways.
According to Forrest Gump, "You never know what you'll get." Coconut creme or nougat, for example. That's more or less true with the Psalms. Every time you read through the Psalms, you find something different. A favorite old psalm, which you've underlined and memorized, may suddenly reveal a line or a word or a thought that never struck you before. A year or so ago, I was reading the 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my Shepherd..." I've had this memorized for at least 50 years. But for the first time, I noticed the phrase, "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." That's pretty profound. God wants us to be righteous, and He directs our paths that way, because we are a reflection on His name. If you are known as a Believer (Christian or Jew, I suppose) and you do not live righteously, you can bet there are non-believers who see your behavior and mock your Lord.
So as I listened to Psalms this time, there were psalms I had never noticed because they sounded different, being read out loud.
The other way the Psalms are like a box of chocolates is that one or two, or even five or six, are delicious and delightful. But when you get more than that at one sitting, they start to lose their appeal. There are 150 Psalms, and if you read more than a few at a time, they sometimes start to sound alike. I was listening in the car, so I'd only hear a few each time I'd motor around. Sometimes I'd have to turn off the CD player, however. If I'm maneuvering through difficult traffic, it's hard to pay attention to a CD.
All in all, listening to the Psalms was a good idea. The only drawback was that I wasn't able to underline the lines that stood out as I heard them. Maybe the next time I read them, though, the sound of Max McLean will come through.
Proverbs: 3,000 Years of Wisdom
Much of Proverbs is attributed to King Solomon. There are a couple of other authors mentioned -- Agur, son of Jakeh and King Lemuel, whoever they were.
Proverbs breaks down into several major sections. After the prologue, chapters 1 through 9 seem to be an address to a young person about getting wisdom and preferring wisdom (which is equated to godliness) to the enticements of the world -- especially the enticements of wicked women. This section is poetic and image-laden. Interesting to read and surprisingly relevant for today. I think it goes without saying that this is timeless, good advice for young and old alike.
The last section is the "Wife of Great Value." I knew a dear lady and great saint once who told her friends to not, by any means, read the passage at her funeral because she was so far from measuring up. (I'm pretty sure that was not the case.) I bet most of us women who run a household read Chapter 31 and compare ourselves with this ideal woman.
A challenge with Proverbs is how to study it. Although the "big chunks" read well and hold together, working through the many chapters of short aphorisms sometimes feels like sitting down with a box of chocolates. At first, you relish each one. But after about ten, they start to taste alike and you get satiated.
Some people like to study Proverbs by reading a chapter each day in the month (31 chapters, get it?). That's not a bad plan, but it breaks up some of the large units that should be read all at once.
The only advice I'd give is to read it over lots of times, marking the passages that strike your fancy. When you get to a passage you've marked before, it will feel like an old friend. And each time you read it, you'll find some new truth you never noticed before.
It is worth noting that Proverbs is part of what they call "Wisdom Literature." It includes very astute observations of the way the world works -- both in 900 B.C. and today. Some of it seems kind of cynical, yet all in all, it has the message that the wicked receive their just punishment and the righteous receive their just rewards, usually in this life.
It's because of this kind of philosophy that books like Job, Ecclesiastes, and some of the Psalms are so wonderful. They take up the complaint of people who find that the world does not always work that way: the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer without meaning.
As faithful believers, we must learn to embrace both philosophies and trust that God is not "self-contradictory," but rather that His scope of justice is simply more than we can comprehend.
Proverbs breaks down into several major sections. After the prologue, chapters 1 through 9 seem to be an address to a young person about getting wisdom and preferring wisdom (which is equated to godliness) to the enticements of the world -- especially the enticements of wicked women. This section is poetic and image-laden. Interesting to read and surprisingly relevant for today. I think it goes without saying that this is timeless, good advice for young and old alike.
The last section is the "Wife of Great Value." I knew a dear lady and great saint once who told her friends to not, by any means, read the passage at her funeral because she was so far from measuring up. (I'm pretty sure that was not the case.) I bet most of us women who run a household read Chapter 31 and compare ourselves with this ideal woman.
A challenge with Proverbs is how to study it. Although the "big chunks" read well and hold together, working through the many chapters of short aphorisms sometimes feels like sitting down with a box of chocolates. At first, you relish each one. But after about ten, they start to taste alike and you get satiated.
Some people like to study Proverbs by reading a chapter each day in the month (31 chapters, get it?). That's not a bad plan, but it breaks up some of the large units that should be read all at once.
The only advice I'd give is to read it over lots of times, marking the passages that strike your fancy. When you get to a passage you've marked before, it will feel like an old friend. And each time you read it, you'll find some new truth you never noticed before.
It is worth noting that Proverbs is part of what they call "Wisdom Literature." It includes very astute observations of the way the world works -- both in 900 B.C. and today. Some of it seems kind of cynical, yet all in all, it has the message that the wicked receive their just punishment and the righteous receive their just rewards, usually in this life.
It's because of this kind of philosophy that books like Job, Ecclesiastes, and some of the Psalms are so wonderful. They take up the complaint of people who find that the world does not always work that way: the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer without meaning.
As faithful believers, we must learn to embrace both philosophies and trust that God is not "self-contradictory," but rather that His scope of justice is simply more than we can comprehend.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Philippians: Need a lift?
I love the letter to the Philippians. Paul wrote it while he was in prison, most likely in Rome. You wouldn't know that, though, from the tone of the letter.
It's largely a thank-you note for a gift the church in Philippi sent him. He saves that for the end, in 4:10-19.
Most of Paul's letters have lots of advice and some admonitions, even some scoldings. Not Philippians. It's warm and encouraging all the way through.
Some of my favorite passages, ones that I pass on to other people from time to time, are in Philippians.
1:3-4 "I thank my God every time I remember you. in all my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy."
2:13 "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose."
3:13-14 "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things."
4:11-13 "For I have learned to be content whatever the circmustances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
On the days when I'm tired, overwhelmed, discouraged -- these passages lift me up. I hope they lift you, too.
It's largely a thank-you note for a gift the church in Philippi sent him. He saves that for the end, in 4:10-19.
Most of Paul's letters have lots of advice and some admonitions, even some scoldings. Not Philippians. It's warm and encouraging all the way through.
Some of my favorite passages, ones that I pass on to other people from time to time, are in Philippians.
1:3-4 "I thank my God every time I remember you. in all my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy."
2:13 "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose."
3:13-14 "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things."
4:11-13 "For I have learned to be content whatever the circmustances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
4:19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
On the days when I'm tired, overwhelmed, discouraged -- these passages lift me up. I hope they lift you, too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)