In the second half of the book of Job, God enters the discussion. God's point is that who do you think you are, you little human. I don't remember seeing you around when I created the world. What is it exactly that you think you know about me and how the world I made works?
From Chapters 38 to 41 we get the Lord God demonstrating exactly how much Job doesn't know. God asks Job a series of questions that demonstrate exactly how small Job is and exactly how big God is.
The very end of the book is Job answering the Lord by basically saying, sorry, Lord, I didn't know what I was talking about.
We then end with a paragraph about God blessing Job.
All in all Job is not a very satisfying book. There are no real answers to the problem of suffering and no real answer to the relationship between God and humanity.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Bible Challenge: Job, part 1
This week we start the book of Job. We have all probably heard the expression "the patience of Job" but in fact the book does not set out to explain the ways of God or to justify the existence of suffering.
The book is very much like Greek drama - there is the protagonist, Job. God, and the Greek chorus - Job's three friends. We see Satan, whose name means "accuser" taking the position of the prosecutor - asking God to prove that Job loves him and not just because Job has been blessed by God.
The real debate starts in chapter 3 when Job curses the day he was born. Job and his friends throw speeches back and forth at each other, getting increasingly angry with each other.
Tune in next week for God's answer.
The book is very much like Greek drama - there is the protagonist, Job. God, and the Greek chorus - Job's three friends. We see Satan, whose name means "accuser" taking the position of the prosecutor - asking God to prove that Job loves him and not just because Job has been blessed by God.
The real debate starts in chapter 3 when Job curses the day he was born. Job and his friends throw speeches back and forth at each other, getting increasingly angry with each other.
Tune in next week for God's answer.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Welcome Back to the Bible Challenge
Welcome back to the Bible Challenge. This week we are reading the books of Ruth and Esther. These are the only two books in the Bible that are named after women (there are two books in the Appocrypha, Judith and Susanna, that are also named after women)
Neither book is probably a true story. But both show important truths.
Ruth was probably written after the return of the people of Israel from exile in Babylon - about 500 years before Christ. One of the major issues of the returning Israelite was how to deal with the fact that while they were in exile many men had married foreign women. There was one side that felt the foreign women and their children should be welcomed into the nation. The other side felt that they should be excluded and sent back where they came from. The book of Ruth is written in support of the first group. The importance of the story is in the last sentence, in which Ruth, a woman of Moab, is revealed to be the great grandmother of King David.
The book of Esther is the foundation of the Jewish festival of Purim, which is still celebrated to this day. The basic point of the book is that we have to do what we can wherever it is that we find ourselves, oh and that good will triumph over evil. I think Esther would make an excellent Disney princess - but the story is probably a little too violent and sexualized for that.
Neither book is probably a true story. But both show important truths.
Ruth was probably written after the return of the people of Israel from exile in Babylon - about 500 years before Christ. One of the major issues of the returning Israelite was how to deal with the fact that while they were in exile many men had married foreign women. There was one side that felt the foreign women and their children should be welcomed into the nation. The other side felt that they should be excluded and sent back where they came from. The book of Ruth is written in support of the first group. The importance of the story is in the last sentence, in which Ruth, a woman of Moab, is revealed to be the great grandmother of King David.
The book of Esther is the foundation of the Jewish festival of Purim, which is still celebrated to this day. The basic point of the book is that we have to do what we can wherever it is that we find ourselves, oh and that good will triumph over evil. I think Esther would make an excellent Disney princess - but the story is probably a little too violent and sexualized for that.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Bible Challenge: Revelation
We pick up the second half of the book of Revelation this week.
In chapter 13 we hear about two beasts - one from the sea and the dragon. The dragon usually gets associated with Satan, the beast from the sea was probably the Roman Emperor. These beasts are defeated by the Lamb, which is Jesus.
Chapter 15 has one of the most quoted songs of praise to God. "Great and amazing are your deed, Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of all the nations! Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? for you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your judgments have been revealed."
As you read Revelation you will find lots of little snippets - phrases and paragraphs - that you are familiar with. There is some very beautiful poetry that gets used in our liturgies - particularly the funeral liturgy, but also in hymns and choir anthems.
If you did the Challenge last year, you have now read the whole New Testament, take December off. If you didn't you can read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in December
In chapter 13 we hear about two beasts - one from the sea and the dragon. The dragon usually gets associated with Satan, the beast from the sea was probably the Roman Emperor. These beasts are defeated by the Lamb, which is Jesus.
Chapter 15 has one of the most quoted songs of praise to God. "Great and amazing are your deed, Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of all the nations! Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? for you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your judgments have been revealed."
As you read Revelation you will find lots of little snippets - phrases and paragraphs - that you are familiar with. There is some very beautiful poetry that gets used in our liturgies - particularly the funeral liturgy, but also in hymns and choir anthems.
If you did the Challenge last year, you have now read the whole New Testament, take December off. If you didn't you can read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in December
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Bible Challenge: Revelation
We start on the book of Revelation this week.
Revelation is what is known as apocalyptic literature. The word apocalypse has come to mean the end of the world, but that's not really what it means.
Apocalyptic literature is literature that uses one story to teach a lesson about something else - usually things that it isn't safe to talk about openly.
An example of this is the original Star Trek series. It talked about issues of race relations, the Vietnam War and women's rights, but because it was set in the future it was allowed to be on the air - if they had tried to tackle those issues head on they would not have had as much of an impact. That is apocalyptic literature.
The book of Revelation is talking about the struggles of the first century church with the prevailing culture, and especially the Roman Empire. It wasn't okay to talk about that openly, so the author of Revelation (possibly the apostle John himself) set the discussion at the end of the world.
Revelation is what is known as apocalyptic literature. The word apocalypse has come to mean the end of the world, but that's not really what it means.
Apocalyptic literature is literature that uses one story to teach a lesson about something else - usually things that it isn't safe to talk about openly.
An example of this is the original Star Trek series. It talked about issues of race relations, the Vietnam War and women's rights, but because it was set in the future it was allowed to be on the air - if they had tried to tackle those issues head on they would not have had as much of an impact. That is apocalyptic literature.
The book of Revelation is talking about the struggles of the first century church with the prevailing culture, and especially the Roman Empire. It wasn't okay to talk about that openly, so the author of Revelation (possibly the apostle John himself) set the discussion at the end of the world.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Bible Challenge: Acts part 2
We get the second half of the book of Acts today.
We pick up in Chapter 9 with Saul - the one who consented to the stoning of Stephen and was running around arresting Christians.
He is heading off to Damascus to arrest any of the followers of Jesus he can find there.
While he is on his way he literally meets Jesus in the middle of the road and is struck blind. This is the turning point for the Church. This is where it moves from being a small group of Jews believing they have found the Messiah and becomes a religion that will challenge the Roman Empire. Because Paul (as Saul changes his name to) is the one with the skills and the vision to take the message of Christ into the Roman and Greek world. He preaches at Antioch and around the region and then comes back to Jerusalem to argue that the Gentile believers don't need to become Jews to follow Jesus and then heads out again.
By the end of the book Paul has traveled to all the major cities of Asia Minor and is on his way to Rome to answer to the Emperor himself.
We pick up in Chapter 9 with Saul - the one who consented to the stoning of Stephen and was running around arresting Christians.
He is heading off to Damascus to arrest any of the followers of Jesus he can find there.
While he is on his way he literally meets Jesus in the middle of the road and is struck blind. This is the turning point for the Church. This is where it moves from being a small group of Jews believing they have found the Messiah and becomes a religion that will challenge the Roman Empire. Because Paul (as Saul changes his name to) is the one with the skills and the vision to take the message of Christ into the Roman and Greek world. He preaches at Antioch and around the region and then comes back to Jerusalem to argue that the Gentile believers don't need to become Jews to follow Jesus and then heads out again.
By the end of the book Paul has traveled to all the major cities of Asia Minor and is on his way to Rome to answer to the Emperor himself.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Bible Challenge: Acts
We start this week reading the book of Acts.
Acts is really the second half of the Gospel of Luke. It is written by the same author to the same audience at about the same time. It tells the story of the spread of the Gospel in the years immediately after the resurrection.
In the first 8 chapters of Acts we find the story of the Ascension and Pentecost and the calling of Stephen and his stoning to death and the preaching of Philip.
We also get introduced to this character called Saul who is after the church, approved of the stoning of Stephen and is taking away to prison any of the followers of Jesus that he can find.
From the very beginning of the church we see both the power of God and the reaction to the message of God by those who are being challenged by it.
We will hear more about that Saul fellow next week.
Acts is really the second half of the Gospel of Luke. It is written by the same author to the same audience at about the same time. It tells the story of the spread of the Gospel in the years immediately after the resurrection.
In the first 8 chapters of Acts we find the story of the Ascension and Pentecost and the calling of Stephen and his stoning to death and the preaching of Philip.
We also get introduced to this character called Saul who is after the church, approved of the stoning of Stephen and is taking away to prison any of the followers of Jesus that he can find.
From the very beginning of the church we see both the power of God and the reaction to the message of God by those who are being challenged by it.
We will hear more about that Saul fellow next week.
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