We've rented a cottage on a remote lake up near North Bay. Unlike our trip to Newfoundland, this cottage has wireless, high-speed internet. It's beautiful.
So this morning I read Job. Poor Job. He didn't know what hit him. What was happening to him had everything to do with otherworldly conversations and nothing with him, except that he was a good-living person. Stripped of everything in order to prove a point, he still did not walk away from God. Sure, he complained, not as much because of his illness and life, but because of God's apparent silence.
And his friend's did nothing to comfort him. They kept telling him to stop challenging God and questioning; that God would not be punishing him unless he sinned. Job insisted he had not sinned and did nothing to warrant this, except obey God.
I can't help but see Job as a symbol of Christ in some sense. Job, in chapters 29 and 31, explains the good he did, how he was a model citizen, yet God saw fit to bring this upon him without reason. I think of Isaiah 53:9-11 which states about Jesus that "it was the Lord's Will to crush him." What happened to Job doesn't make sense by earthly understanding. His friends did not have the capacity to explain what was going on - Job must have sinned. And Jesus death makes no sense in an earthly sense - it is a supernatural response to our sin, not his own.
Anyway, I also enjoyed Job's sarcastic response to his friends in chapter 26:1 to 4 -- "Job said: You have really been helpful to someone weak and weary. You have given great advice and wonderful wisdom to someone truly in need. How can anyone possibly speak with such understanding?" See, Job had asked them to be quiet, that they were not helping, but that didn't work, and they weren't listening to him, so he turns up the sarcasm.
Mind you, God does the same thing when he finally speaks in chapter 38. It is evident most in v. 18 to 21: And how large is the earth? Tell me, if you know! Where is the home of light, and where does darkness live? Can you lead them home? I'm certain you must be able to, since you were already born when I created everything." Hmm.
There's a lot of stuff going on in Job. I read John Ortberg's "God is Closer than you Think" when we were in Newfoundland. He had some neat insights. Either way, at the end, Job was right and God lavished blessing on him. God never did explain why he did what he did. But that Job shouldn't pretend to be God. God does what he does. And then God blessed Job.
I think I've learned more from the friends though. I'm sure I've judged others who were going through crap, assumed they did wrong and brought it on themselves. And if I've learned nothing else from Job, it's that sometimes we will not know what's going on, and that's okay. As Donald Miller talks about, we should not expect God's actions to make sense to our logic, after all, why should the creator be subject to the logic he created?
Monday, August 29, 2005
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Esther
The key verse that I've heard repeated over and over from Esther is in 4:14 (CEV) - "It could be that you were made queen for a time like this!" I want to unpack that statement.
Mordecai said it because he had asked Esther (his cousin) to talk to the King on behalf of the Jews to save them. The King's highest official, Haman, had made a decree that all the Jews should be killed. Haman made that decree in order to send a message because Mordecai refused to bow to him, as was the custom instituted because he was the highest official of the King.
Now, this was only an issue because Mordecai worked in the palace and was around Haman. Mordecai didn't start work in the palace until after Esther becam Queen. She became Queen after King Xerxes became displeased by Queen Vashti and had a "Beauty Pageant" of sorts to find one. He was smitten with Esther from when he first saw her. (She was in beauty treatment for a year before meeting the King.)
On a side note, because Mordecai had the Esther connection, he informed her of a plot to kill the King early on. She informed the King and he made note of it in his official records.
Back to the story. When Esther had the King's ear, she was about to tell him about Haman's scheme. That very night, the King couldn't sleep and was caused to remember Mordecai who previously saved his life. He instructed Haman to honour Mordecai, as he was unaware of the hate. Then Esther informed him of the bigger plot and, long story short, the King had Haman hanged on the very gallows Haman built to hand Mordecai. Then, he issued a decree that let the Jews fight back anyone who tried to kill them and made Mordecai his right-hand man. The Jews ended up killing thousands of their enemies.
I've often heard that God (whose name is never mentioned) caused Esther to become Queen in order to save the Jews. However, the Jews wouldn't have needed saving if Mordecai didn't offend Haman, and that wouldn't have happened if Mordecai didn't work in the palace, and he probably wouldn't have worked in the palace if Esther had not become Queen.
Rather, I think God caused it all to happen to give his people a place of prominence in Xerxes kingdom. It was an offensive plan, not defensive. That's what I think.
Mordecai said it because he had asked Esther (his cousin) to talk to the King on behalf of the Jews to save them. The King's highest official, Haman, had made a decree that all the Jews should be killed. Haman made that decree in order to send a message because Mordecai refused to bow to him, as was the custom instituted because he was the highest official of the King.
Now, this was only an issue because Mordecai worked in the palace and was around Haman. Mordecai didn't start work in the palace until after Esther becam Queen. She became Queen after King Xerxes became displeased by Queen Vashti and had a "Beauty Pageant" of sorts to find one. He was smitten with Esther from when he first saw her. (She was in beauty treatment for a year before meeting the King.)
On a side note, because Mordecai had the Esther connection, he informed her of a plot to kill the King early on. She informed the King and he made note of it in his official records.
Back to the story. When Esther had the King's ear, she was about to tell him about Haman's scheme. That very night, the King couldn't sleep and was caused to remember Mordecai who previously saved his life. He instructed Haman to honour Mordecai, as he was unaware of the hate. Then Esther informed him of the bigger plot and, long story short, the King had Haman hanged on the very gallows Haman built to hand Mordecai. Then, he issued a decree that let the Jews fight back anyone who tried to kill them and made Mordecai his right-hand man. The Jews ended up killing thousands of their enemies.
I've often heard that God (whose name is never mentioned) caused Esther to become Queen in order to save the Jews. However, the Jews wouldn't have needed saving if Mordecai didn't offend Haman, and that wouldn't have happened if Mordecai didn't work in the palace, and he probably wouldn't have worked in the palace if Esther had not become Queen.
Rather, I think God caused it all to happen to give his people a place of prominence in Xerxes kingdom. It was an offensive plan, not defensive. That's what I think.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Nehemiah
I've just spent the last two days at Willow Creek's Leadership Summit. It has been quite motivational and inspriational to see what God has done in the lives of regular people. The last session is this morning, so I'm also looking forward to it. Two days of positive input certainly does well to minimize my cynical and jaded outlook on life. It's no doubt that it has influenced the way I read Nehemiah.
I think it's odd how many statistics are included in these writings. Nehemiah, first of all, writes it in the first-person. He is a servant of the King of Persia and heard news that Jerusalem was still in ruins and was not being cared for, so he decided he needed to do something about it. He prayed for favour from the King, and then proceeded to ask him not only for a Leave of Absence to go to the place of his ancestors, but for supplies and protection as well. The King gave it to him.
Nehemiah provides lists of who rebuilt what section of the wall. He also lists who originally came back from captivity in the first place. He had enemies, but he trusted God to protect him and they did not succeed in their intent. He made legislative changes to benefit the poor; by this time he was governor.
Once the wall was built and Ezra read the Law, the people confessed their sins, then they prayed. I find the prayer very insightful and relevant. The people, in a nutshell, recounted their history and God's involvement, from their time in Egypt to now. It's the whole concept of 20/20 vision in retrospect. They saw their ancestors disobedience and how they ended up in exile. We've recently gone through many changes in our lives and when we were in the midst of it, it seemed God was far from us and we weren't sure where to turn. However, as we look back and recount the events and decisions, we see that God was very close and directed us all along the way. Reflection is a good thing.
One statement certainly sums up people's fallen nature: 9:16 - "Our stubborn ancestors refused to obey-- they forgot about the miracles you had worked for them, and they were determined to return to Egypt and become slaves again." The Jews in Nehemiah's time recoconized how bent their ancestors were on returning to captivity - it was a challenge for them to enjoy their freedom.
In chapter 13, Nehemiah tells us he left Jerusalem and went back to Persia for a while. When he returned, he found that people were already disobeying. How quickly they forgot their agreement with God. Nehemiah corrected it, and also made some sweeping changes about the Sabbath, bringing people back to its proper observance.
I was talking with someone recently about one person's sin potential and another person's freedom. We agreed that one person's freedom should not be held hostage by another person's sin. Here, the Jews' own sin and captivity were holding them hostage and not letting them enjoy and live in the freedom that was already theirs. I think it's the same for many Christians today. We've been set free, given permission to live in freedom from our sin and sin potential, yet we keep returning, even though freedom is the way to go. I'm guessing it is not until we're fully redeemed and off this planet that we'll get it right.
I think it's odd how many statistics are included in these writings. Nehemiah, first of all, writes it in the first-person. He is a servant of the King of Persia and heard news that Jerusalem was still in ruins and was not being cared for, so he decided he needed to do something about it. He prayed for favour from the King, and then proceeded to ask him not only for a Leave of Absence to go to the place of his ancestors, but for supplies and protection as well. The King gave it to him.
Nehemiah provides lists of who rebuilt what section of the wall. He also lists who originally came back from captivity in the first place. He had enemies, but he trusted God to protect him and they did not succeed in their intent. He made legislative changes to benefit the poor; by this time he was governor.
Once the wall was built and Ezra read the Law, the people confessed their sins, then they prayed. I find the prayer very insightful and relevant. The people, in a nutshell, recounted their history and God's involvement, from their time in Egypt to now. It's the whole concept of 20/20 vision in retrospect. They saw their ancestors disobedience and how they ended up in exile. We've recently gone through many changes in our lives and when we were in the midst of it, it seemed God was far from us and we weren't sure where to turn. However, as we look back and recount the events and decisions, we see that God was very close and directed us all along the way. Reflection is a good thing.
One statement certainly sums up people's fallen nature: 9:16 - "Our stubborn ancestors refused to obey-- they forgot about the miracles you had worked for them, and they were determined to return to Egypt and become slaves again." The Jews in Nehemiah's time recoconized how bent their ancestors were on returning to captivity - it was a challenge for them to enjoy their freedom.
In chapter 13, Nehemiah tells us he left Jerusalem and went back to Persia for a while. When he returned, he found that people were already disobeying. How quickly they forgot their agreement with God. Nehemiah corrected it, and also made some sweeping changes about the Sabbath, bringing people back to its proper observance.
I was talking with someone recently about one person's sin potential and another person's freedom. We agreed that one person's freedom should not be held hostage by another person's sin. Here, the Jews' own sin and captivity were holding them hostage and not letting them enjoy and live in the freedom that was already theirs. I think it's the same for many Christians today. We've been set free, given permission to live in freedom from our sin and sin potential, yet we keep returning, even though freedom is the way to go. I'm guessing it is not until we're fully redeemed and off this planet that we'll get it right.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Ezra
It's hard to believe it has been over two weeks since I finished Chronicles. I've been thinking about it and processing ever since, but I've not had a chance until now to sit and read in a concentrated manner. We were out of our house for a week while the floors were refinished, but have been back in now for a week (today).
Ezra is a different read then the last few books. By comparison, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles tells the story of the rise to superpower of the nation of Israel, then their demise into exile because of the blatant disregard for God and his law who let them ascend to power and blessing in the first place. Here in Ezra, Israel is like a puppy that's been scolded, trying to get close again to his owner that scolded him, crouching, head down, moving slowly back to the couch.
But God, in his mercy, has not forgotten about his people. He prompted Cyrus, the King, who was not an Israelite, to send God's people back to rebuild the temple. It seems much time past over the duration of this book, because several kings are named and a couple prophets (Haggai and Zechariah). They really kept good records in those days, even without computerized databases, because lists of families and numbers were kept as to who went back to rebuild the temple.
Ezra refers to the trouble they ran into, but quickly resolves it. There are a few things that stand out to me in this book:
1. Things look different in retrospect. In chapter 5, some politicians were trying to get clarification about who gave the command to rebuild. In their letter to King Darius, they detail their conversation with the Israelite people. They were told "that their people had made God angry, and he let them be captured by Nebuchadnezzer." Now, God had told his people all along that they had to obey his laws, and if they didn't, bad things would happen. Back in Leviticus, Moses shared a promise that "theorized" that they were exiled because of their sin. They didn't seem to get it then, but they certainly appreciate it in retrospect. Hindsight.
2. Why did the Kings want to obey the God of the Heavens? One would think they were afraid because he did nasty things to them. But no. It must have been because they saw what God did to his own people, because he gave them over to other nations. I suppose they could have thought that if he would do that to his own kids, how much worse would he do to those who captured them?
3. The Kings were kind to Israel. Again, in Leviticus, God said that even if he cast them out to another nation, he would not forget them and the promises he made. Here it is. God is faithful, and the situation thye found themselves in did not negate his faithfulness.
Ezra, the book, culminates in mass divorces. Once the temple was complete, it was brought to Ezra's attention that there was massive intermarriage between Israel and non-Israel nations. This was forbidden, and Ezra pleaded with God. Lists were made, and it was decided that people who were involved would divorce their wives and send them away with their kids so that they wuld no longer be living in sin. Only a couple people were named as objecting, but it doesn't say one way or the other what they did. All in all, this seems odd to me, because God has said elsewhere that he doesn't like divorce. So, I'm not sure of the moral here: is it that sometimes significant actions are required in maing corrections or that under some circumstances, dicorce is permitted? Perhaps there is no moral, except that the people did what they had to do to obey.
Ezra is a different read then the last few books. By comparison, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles tells the story of the rise to superpower of the nation of Israel, then their demise into exile because of the blatant disregard for God and his law who let them ascend to power and blessing in the first place. Here in Ezra, Israel is like a puppy that's been scolded, trying to get close again to his owner that scolded him, crouching, head down, moving slowly back to the couch.
But God, in his mercy, has not forgotten about his people. He prompted Cyrus, the King, who was not an Israelite, to send God's people back to rebuild the temple. It seems much time past over the duration of this book, because several kings are named and a couple prophets (Haggai and Zechariah). They really kept good records in those days, even without computerized databases, because lists of families and numbers were kept as to who went back to rebuild the temple.
Ezra refers to the trouble they ran into, but quickly resolves it. There are a few things that stand out to me in this book:
1. Things look different in retrospect. In chapter 5, some politicians were trying to get clarification about who gave the command to rebuild. In their letter to King Darius, they detail their conversation with the Israelite people. They were told "that their people had made God angry, and he let them be captured by Nebuchadnezzer." Now, God had told his people all along that they had to obey his laws, and if they didn't, bad things would happen. Back in Leviticus, Moses shared a promise that "theorized" that they were exiled because of their sin. They didn't seem to get it then, but they certainly appreciate it in retrospect. Hindsight.
2. Why did the Kings want to obey the God of the Heavens? One would think they were afraid because he did nasty things to them. But no. It must have been because they saw what God did to his own people, because he gave them over to other nations. I suppose they could have thought that if he would do that to his own kids, how much worse would he do to those who captured them?
3. The Kings were kind to Israel. Again, in Leviticus, God said that even if he cast them out to another nation, he would not forget them and the promises he made. Here it is. God is faithful, and the situation thye found themselves in did not negate his faithfulness.
Ezra, the book, culminates in mass divorces. Once the temple was complete, it was brought to Ezra's attention that there was massive intermarriage between Israel and non-Israel nations. This was forbidden, and Ezra pleaded with God. Lists were made, and it was decided that people who were involved would divorce their wives and send them away with their kids so that they wuld no longer be living in sin. Only a couple people were named as objecting, but it doesn't say one way or the other what they did. All in all, this seems odd to me, because God has said elsewhere that he doesn't like divorce. So, I'm not sure of the moral here: is it that sometimes significant actions are required in maing corrections or that under some circumstances, dicorce is permitted? Perhaps there is no moral, except that the people did what they had to do to obey.
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