Numbers 7, a longer chapter, the extent of my reading yesterday. Weekends may be a little problematic for the weekday bible reading with Sunday preparations underway.
It is a longer, but highly repetitive chapter. Each tribe comes forward, gives dishes to the Tabernacle and an identically prescribed set of sacrifices. This after an introduction where oxen and carts are given to the Levites to carry the materials of the Tabernacle. Well, it is given to most of the Levites.
Certain key articles of the Tabernacle are NOT to be carried on carts, including the Ark of the Covenant (portrayed pretty well in Raiders of the Lost Ark), the Table of Consecration, and a few other specified items. The Levite clan in charge of those was not given a cart. Now David is going to forget this. When he seeks to bring the Ark to Jerusalem as he is building God's City, it is on a cart, and when one of his men goes to steady it, they are struck dead, because David did not bother to check out God's law before moving the thing.
The end of the chapter is a description of when Moses is talking to God. He goes before the Ark of the Covenant and God's voice comes somewhere from over the Ark. I take away the idea that the Ark is God's footstool and that he is enthroned (divinely speaking), up and away, toward heaven.
But secondly, by the time of Jesus, only the High Priest could go in before the Ark once a year to make high sacrifice for the people of Israel, and nobody else could see it, lest they died. But apparently Moses when it any time he felt the call to converse with the Almighty and, when they moved from place to place, the Ark was set on the shoulders of Levites and paraded at the front of the entire nation.
It is also recorded in the Gospel that when Jesus died, the curtain in front of the Ark was torn in two. There was a sign that Jesus, the final sacrifice, opened again the direct access to God for all who believed, the kind of access Moses had throughout his own life.
Now, Acts 12. It seems to be the conclusion to a composite narrative that will, in Acts 13, switch over to a focused narrative on the life and times of Paul as Missionary and Traveler for Jesus. Perhaps there, the implied tension of Paul and the Jerusalem Church will be focused on more.
But in this instance, Herod is seeking a repeat of the "success" that came at the Passover when Jesus was killed. He starts with the second martyrdom, James, the brother of John, is 'put to the sword'. Peter, the spokesperson for the church, is then arrested, and it appears Herod was going to parade him out in front of Jerusalem pre-Passover in a sequel to Jesus' death.
But then Peter is miraculous released by an angel of God. He is chained between two soldiers, locked within several layers of the prison facility, but none of it matters. I love the detail that when the angel first shows up, Peter thinks it's a vision of release, like maybe the release of death to go to be with Jesus. No, Peter gets up, gets dressed, and walks out a free man. Rhoda, the maid, leaves him standing in the cold, she is so thrilled to hear his voice, but then he is brought in among friends.
From that moment, Peter doesn't stick around but goes into hiding, for his safety and the safety of his comrades. Herod is so furious, he has ten guards executed. But then the chapter ends with his demise, worms bursting out of his guts, explained as punishment for assuming the rank of God.
At the moment of Herod's death, the first round of persecutions for the Way (the name given to the church in the Book of Acts), seems to come to a close. We've pursued various stories of the exploits of the Apostles, the opening prediction that the church would come to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth has come to pass with a series of deliberate arrivals of the Holy Spirit during times of baptism, Saul is now Paul and on the rise as a missionary and apostle, and Herod the Persecutor is dead.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Seeking Not To Be Taken Advantage Of
Games Criminals Play, by Bud Allen and Diana Bosta, Rae John, Sacramento, CA, 34th Printing, 2013. 228 pages. The subtitle is "How You Can Profit By Knowing Them".
A few times in my ministry, I have been taken advantage of. There are people who present themselves as being in need, when they are not. It doesn't happen all that often, but it happens enough that it pushes my comfort to a point where I feel like I have to do something. Looking around for resources, I came upon this book.
What I want is a profile of what to look for in someone who might be playing me. Does this seem rather cynical for a pastor? In all honesty, I was looking for some wisdom because I am beginning to get a bit cynical to people in need that I don't have a familiar friendship with. And with my latest work reaching more into the community in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I can't afford to be cynical. I need to be smarter.
Well, "Games Criminals Play" isn't exactly what I was looking for. It focuses on the games that inmates in prisons play in an attempt to compromise corrections personnel for their own gain, whether for advantage, to alleviate boredom, to advance criminal purposes, whatever. In some ways, I am finding this book to be more helpful then one that was more designed for 'con games' by people seeking charitable giving.
The kind of corrections person, someone who truly cares and wants to change the lives of people, is a prime target for being 'soft' or malleable. I was malleable when I was taken for a ride.
Some good concepts to take away, for example, the idea of the familiar and the unfamiliar friend. A pastor wants to be a friend to someone in need. But recognize that this friendship is unfamiliar and keep up a certain guard against overfamiliarity, and perhaps being taken advantage of. It takes time for someone to become a familiar friend.
Simply to have confirmation of people who are out for their own purposes, to manipulate, not for help, to know that is normal behavior, that other people far more trained than I fall for their games, makes me less harsh on myself for what has happened.
More lessons on what to look for are coming in the next section of the book. I look forward to reading that.
A few times in my ministry, I have been taken advantage of. There are people who present themselves as being in need, when they are not. It doesn't happen all that often, but it happens enough that it pushes my comfort to a point where I feel like I have to do something. Looking around for resources, I came upon this book.
What I want is a profile of what to look for in someone who might be playing me. Does this seem rather cynical for a pastor? In all honesty, I was looking for some wisdom because I am beginning to get a bit cynical to people in need that I don't have a familiar friendship with. And with my latest work reaching more into the community in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I can't afford to be cynical. I need to be smarter.
Well, "Games Criminals Play" isn't exactly what I was looking for. It focuses on the games that inmates in prisons play in an attempt to compromise corrections personnel for their own gain, whether for advantage, to alleviate boredom, to advance criminal purposes, whatever. In some ways, I am finding this book to be more helpful then one that was more designed for 'con games' by people seeking charitable giving.
The kind of corrections person, someone who truly cares and wants to change the lives of people, is a prime target for being 'soft' or malleable. I was malleable when I was taken for a ride.
Some good concepts to take away, for example, the idea of the familiar and the unfamiliar friend. A pastor wants to be a friend to someone in need. But recognize that this friendship is unfamiliar and keep up a certain guard against overfamiliarity, and perhaps being taken advantage of. It takes time for someone to become a familiar friend.
Simply to have confirmation of people who are out for their own purposes, to manipulate, not for help, to know that is normal behavior, that other people far more trained than I fall for their games, makes me less harsh on myself for what has happened.
More lessons on what to look for are coming in the next section of the book. I look forward to reading that.
Jealousy, Nazarites and the Final Move of the Spirit...
So, what is my presupposition as I read on in Numbers and through the Old Testament? It is Christological. Christology-the science of Jesus Christ. Where do themes of the New Testament and of Jesus flow from this, the only bible that Jesus and his disciples had?
Numbers 5 and 6 move out of the census and into some rather weird rituals for the people of Israel. Unclean people are cast out of camp, crimes of theft demand a 120% return, there is a really weird ritual for husbands who suspect their wives of cheating-something that could make their uterus drop if they lie about it, and then the ritual of the nazirite.
This makes for an interesting comparison and contrast. The law of jealousy runs one way. The husband thinks the wife is cheating, can't find any evidence, not in her cellphone or email accounts, so he can accuse her in front of the priests, who then subject her to a rather degrading ritual. And the penalty for lying-she can't conceive children. Such was the measure of womanhood in the Old Testament (see the story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel).
I see Jesus fulfilling the first laws. The unclean were to be put of the Camp of Israel. What was Jesus' response: heal them and cleanse them. The law of jealousy, Jesus did away with the division of male and female-Paul speaks of that in Galatians.
But, while the family law is so very sexist, the law concerning consecration to God, is liberating. Women or men can take this vow, and there is no hint of permission needed by the woman from whoever the boss-male (husband or father) might be.
That is probably the most interesting, because there are a few cases in the Scripture when this vow is undertaken. Samson, the strong man with the long hair, is the most obvious potential example. But at the end of Acts, before Paul is deported to Rome to appear before the emperor, it appears he was also taking a nazirite vow. There is also a case to be made of this nazarite vow and Jesus, the Nazarene (from Nazareth, but come on, it sounds close!)
Onto Acts 9 and 10, the Holy Spirit comes in the baptism of the "ends of the earth", in this case, a Roman Centurion named Cornelius. Again comes the question of fulfilling the law of God. Peter, the devout Jew, goes to the Gentile when Jesus gives permission to move beyond the dietary laws of Moses. The dietary laws marked the people of God as separate from the rest of the world. Now, the people of God are spreading out into the rest of the world (us Gentiles).
It is an arc, the vision, the baptism of Cornelius, then Peter defending the vision before 'the circumcised believers' in Jerusalem.
Then we switch gears back to Paul. In chapter 8, Saul's persecution scattered the members of Jesus' following. In the scattering, many Hellenist Jews were brought into the fold, centered in Antioch, north and out on the coast. Barnabas was dispatched by the church in Jerusalem to check things out, and he brought with him the newbee to the ministry, the one who caused the followers of Jesus to scatter in the first place, Paul.
The Reza Aslan view is of Paul rising in rank and the church in Jerusalem attempting to keep him down. I am looking for that root in the Acts and in Paul's letters. From here, we begin Paul's ministry, so now we can really begin to look for those troubles.
Numbers 5 and 6 move out of the census and into some rather weird rituals for the people of Israel. Unclean people are cast out of camp, crimes of theft demand a 120% return, there is a really weird ritual for husbands who suspect their wives of cheating-something that could make their uterus drop if they lie about it, and then the ritual of the nazirite.
This makes for an interesting comparison and contrast. The law of jealousy runs one way. The husband thinks the wife is cheating, can't find any evidence, not in her cellphone or email accounts, so he can accuse her in front of the priests, who then subject her to a rather degrading ritual. And the penalty for lying-she can't conceive children. Such was the measure of womanhood in the Old Testament (see the story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel).
I see Jesus fulfilling the first laws. The unclean were to be put of the Camp of Israel. What was Jesus' response: heal them and cleanse them. The law of jealousy, Jesus did away with the division of male and female-Paul speaks of that in Galatians.
But, while the family law is so very sexist, the law concerning consecration to God, is liberating. Women or men can take this vow, and there is no hint of permission needed by the woman from whoever the boss-male (husband or father) might be.
That is probably the most interesting, because there are a few cases in the Scripture when this vow is undertaken. Samson, the strong man with the long hair, is the most obvious potential example. But at the end of Acts, before Paul is deported to Rome to appear before the emperor, it appears he was also taking a nazirite vow. There is also a case to be made of this nazarite vow and Jesus, the Nazarene (from Nazareth, but come on, it sounds close!)
Onto Acts 9 and 10, the Holy Spirit comes in the baptism of the "ends of the earth", in this case, a Roman Centurion named Cornelius. Again comes the question of fulfilling the law of God. Peter, the devout Jew, goes to the Gentile when Jesus gives permission to move beyond the dietary laws of Moses. The dietary laws marked the people of God as separate from the rest of the world. Now, the people of God are spreading out into the rest of the world (us Gentiles).
It is an arc, the vision, the baptism of Cornelius, then Peter defending the vision before 'the circumcised believers' in Jerusalem.
Then we switch gears back to Paul. In chapter 8, Saul's persecution scattered the members of Jesus' following. In the scattering, many Hellenist Jews were brought into the fold, centered in Antioch, north and out on the coast. Barnabas was dispatched by the church in Jerusalem to check things out, and he brought with him the newbee to the ministry, the one who caused the followers of Jesus to scatter in the first place, Paul.
The Reza Aslan view is of Paul rising in rank and the church in Jerusalem attempting to keep him down. I am looking for that root in the Acts and in Paul's letters. From here, we begin Paul's ministry, so now we can really begin to look for those troubles.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Israel's Fighting Men and the Martyrdom of Stephen
This was partnered with the first review of the book "Warrior Grunt", but on reflection today, the posts have been divided. This is the first active review of the Bible reading that I do as part of my own discipline. It is blogged on as part of a personal discipline for at least the next 30 days of ongoing review and reflection of what I read.
At the beginning of the book of Numbers in the Scriptures, a survey of the Israelite fighting men, age 20 and over, count over 600,000 as they begin their march on the Promised Land. Wonder how they prepared for war? Now I have always had questions about Hebrew numerology. The really big numbers, like these, I tend to reduce it by a factor of ten. 60,000, not 600,000, GASP, Shall I Be Burned At The Stake For Questioning The Irrelevancy...er...Inerrancy of Scripture?
Ok.
Read the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts over on the other side. I am taking the reading of Acts and of Paul's letters from the point of view of Reza Aslan in Zealot, that Paul pressed for a Hellenist/Gentile church over the Jewish development of a Messianic community around Jesus' family.
So, in this story, Saul watches with approval as Stephen is killed. It begins the contrast that will ultimately lead to his conversion experience. Saul, a Pharisee, was arresting Jesus followers among the Jews (not yet are they called Christians) and Stephen was one of the Deacons, a Hellenist Jew included in the church as it begins to reach the Jewish community dispersed across the Roman Empire.
So, if we are going to take the story as a lifting of Saul/Paul at the expense of the Jerusalem church, I believe we are looking at the lead up to his conversion, laying out just how much Saul/Paul is to be converted from.
At the beginning of the book of Numbers in the Scriptures, a survey of the Israelite fighting men, age 20 and over, count over 600,000 as they begin their march on the Promised Land. Wonder how they prepared for war? Now I have always had questions about Hebrew numerology. The really big numbers, like these, I tend to reduce it by a factor of ten. 60,000, not 600,000, GASP, Shall I Be Burned At The Stake For Questioning The Irrelevancy...er...Inerrancy of Scripture?
Ok.
Read the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts over on the other side. I am taking the reading of Acts and of Paul's letters from the point of view of Reza Aslan in Zealot, that Paul pressed for a Hellenist/Gentile church over the Jewish development of a Messianic community around Jesus' family.
So, in this story, Saul watches with approval as Stephen is killed. It begins the contrast that will ultimately lead to his conversion experience. Saul, a Pharisee, was arresting Jesus followers among the Jews (not yet are they called Christians) and Stephen was one of the Deacons, a Hellenist Jew included in the church as it begins to reach the Jewish community dispersed across the Roman Empire.
So, if we are going to take the story as a lifting of Saul/Paul at the expense of the Jerusalem church, I believe we are looking at the lead up to his conversion, laying out just how much Saul/Paul is to be converted from.
Warrior Grunt, Part 2
Finished the book last night. I like what is presented. First, there is the narrative of what someone needs to do to succeed as a warrior. There is basic information to be mastered, tips on physical prowess and training, and the need of mental toughness. The remainder of the book then lays out practical ways and means to achieve the mental toughness.
I have found centering to be of particular value to me personally. The volume is lean, about 80 pages, but the material is a summation of some of the best that I have seen in the area of Warrior Prep, whether for the military, martial arts, or law enforcement.
I would recommend it for the hands of any young man or woman contemplating a commitment of military service. The authors are right that it would translate easily into law enforcement academy prep as well.
For me, as a pastor, the idea of mental toughness, the need of mental toughness to be a healer in a world of sin is paramount. We each carry a burden, bear the cross of our own situations. God lays those burdens upon us so that we MUST depend upon Him. This book, and the website, www.mindsighting.com, catalogue for us the skills and resources that God has built into humanity to live the life given to us to our best.
I have found centering to be of particular value to me personally. The volume is lean, about 80 pages, but the material is a summation of some of the best that I have seen in the area of Warrior Prep, whether for the military, martial arts, or law enforcement.
I would recommend it for the hands of any young man or woman contemplating a commitment of military service. The authors are right that it would translate easily into law enforcement academy prep as well.
For me, as a pastor, the idea of mental toughness, the need of mental toughness to be a healer in a world of sin is paramount. We each carry a burden, bear the cross of our own situations. God lays those burdens upon us so that we MUST depend upon Him. This book, and the website, www.mindsighting.com, catalogue for us the skills and resources that God has built into humanity to live the life given to us to our best.
Jesus and the Tribe of Levi and Paul's conversion
Continued on in the reading of Numbers. After the census of the entire tribe, comes the census of the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe. It is a very interesting description to be made of that tribe. They are the replacement of the first born of the tribes of Israel. The law of Moses calls for the dedication of the first born to God. Levi is the tribe dedicated who now takes the place of every other firstborn son, human and bovine, except that the numbers didn't quite match up, so there was a cash bonus to redeem the firstborn that the Levites couldn't cover...
Does that sound really complicated? Well, here is the punch line. The Egyptian firstborn killed in the final plague, well, let me quote the Big "when I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel...they shall be mine. I am the Lord." There is another firstborn who was killed to the consecration of the rest of us. Am I reading the death of Jesus on the cross back into an obscure passage from the Torah or does the bible rotate around Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man?
You decide.
Over in Acts, we've moved beyond the death of Stephen. Saul scatters the church, Simon the Magician (from whom the term 'simony', a medieval church sin, is derived) was converted, the Ethiopian eunuch was converted, the Holy Spirit spread to Samaria, the third sphere of influence (From Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, to the ends of the Earth), and Saul is converted.
First, he gets a warrant to go hunt followers of the Way (not yet Christians) over in Damascus, to bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. There, he is struck blind and sees Jesus (I love the blind seeing thing), is converted, scares the local followers because he was THE bogeyman to the followers of Christ, almost gets killed once, then is shipped back to the heart of the church in Jerusalem.
Chapter 9 concludes with Peter healing a paralytic and raising a woman from the dead, performing miracles very much in the image of Jesus.
So, three conversions, a magician who wants the tricks and signs, a foreigner seeking to understand the Word, and a persecutor turned most fervent servant of Christ. It kind of feels like Luke has woven together a few narratives into a chronological tale for the book of Acts.
Does that sound really complicated? Well, here is the punch line. The Egyptian firstborn killed in the final plague, well, let me quote the Big "when I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel...they shall be mine. I am the Lord." There is another firstborn who was killed to the consecration of the rest of us. Am I reading the death of Jesus on the cross back into an obscure passage from the Torah or does the bible rotate around Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man?
You decide.
Over in Acts, we've moved beyond the death of Stephen. Saul scatters the church, Simon the Magician (from whom the term 'simony', a medieval church sin, is derived) was converted, the Ethiopian eunuch was converted, the Holy Spirit spread to Samaria, the third sphere of influence (From Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, to the ends of the Earth), and Saul is converted.
First, he gets a warrant to go hunt followers of the Way (not yet Christians) over in Damascus, to bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. There, he is struck blind and sees Jesus (I love the blind seeing thing), is converted, scares the local followers because he was THE bogeyman to the followers of Christ, almost gets killed once, then is shipped back to the heart of the church in Jerusalem.
Chapter 9 concludes with Peter healing a paralytic and raising a woman from the dead, performing miracles very much in the image of Jesus.
So, three conversions, a magician who wants the tricks and signs, a foreigner seeking to understand the Word, and a persecutor turned most fervent servant of Christ. It kind of feels like Luke has woven together a few narratives into a chronological tale for the book of Acts.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Basic Training
So, this blog is going to become a month long reflection on whatever I happen to be reading at the moment. We'll see what happens. Find a book part and a bible part, and maybe a connection between the two.
Warrior Grunt: Start, "Warrior Psychology & Mental Toughness for Excelling in Basic Training" by Michael J. Asken and Robert E. Obrecht. 80 pgs.
Major title for a slim work on what can be done to prepare for the military. Seem like a very strange book for a pastor to read? Perhaps, but wait.
I am about half way through, and I think this book will do what it claims on the cover "What you need to know-What you need to do".
It is not so much on physical toughness but mental toughness. Tips for how to prepare, for what to expect, strategies to cope in a tough situation, for mustering and reducing adrenalin, for focus.
What I can say is that through my other studies as a law enforcement chaplain, as a pastor, as one who seeks to prepare as a warrior and a healer, is that the information is good.
I read this for me and my work. Personal toughness as a Christian living in a sinful world is not to be underrated. Seeking to lead others in the Christian life led me to seek out whatever strategies might work. And short of living out the joys of basic training, or-in my work-the police academy, I seek to find the best materials written for the preparation of warriors.
Warrior Grunt: Start, "Warrior Psychology & Mental Toughness for Excelling in Basic Training" by Michael J. Asken and Robert E. Obrecht. 80 pgs.
Major title for a slim work on what can be done to prepare for the military. Seem like a very strange book for a pastor to read? Perhaps, but wait.
I am about half way through, and I think this book will do what it claims on the cover "What you need to know-What you need to do".
It is not so much on physical toughness but mental toughness. Tips for how to prepare, for what to expect, strategies to cope in a tough situation, for mustering and reducing adrenalin, for focus.
What I can say is that through my other studies as a law enforcement chaplain, as a pastor, as one who seeks to prepare as a warrior and a healer, is that the information is good.
I read this for me and my work. Personal toughness as a Christian living in a sinful world is not to be underrated. Seeking to lead others in the Christian life led me to seek out whatever strategies might work. And short of living out the joys of basic training, or-in my work-the police academy, I seek to find the best materials written for the preparation of warriors.
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