Psalms and Paul

That's NOT alliteration, year 8.

In other news:

the Psalms are alternatingly tedious and gripping. I am a bit ho-hum about the big sections where people talk in very general terms about their problems (people... David?) and I feel that there is surely rather a lot of contextual information that I'm lacking with the details that the actual text gives me (e.g "to be played to the lute", or similar. What?). However, every now and then someone (are they all by David? I should check) writes this heart-wrenchingly sad Psalm, and I always like the sad ones, which makes me so in awe of the idea that I am reading this ancient text, and that somebody, so long ago, experience great suffering, which I can empathise with today.

On the other hand, I've often felt rather sheepish feeling the pain reading those Psalms, because my problems are rather feeble by comparison. I wish I didn't have to do so much work. I wish I had more money. Not the valley of the shadow of death, so much. And the experiences of pain seem to be much less justified than mine, most of which can be linked squarely back to something I've deserved or chosen. So I find that a bit... frustrating? Disappointing? Something like that. Because I still feel my pain! Anyway, the Psalms have their moments.

Digression: I know I'd get more from this if I did some research. But I am currently so incredibly far behind on my readings, that I have had to just lower my expectations enormously. I was fretting about being 5 days behind, but a few months in, I'm about 25 days behind. It happened disturbingly easily, and gradually. So I'm all about making it low key, and looking things up when I feel I have the time and inclination, rather than making the whole thing more difficult and obstacle-laden. I'm still quite proud of what I've achieved, and I am reading more Bible. So net result: positive.

Paul (in Acts) is just about a million times easier to read than the Psalms, and evidently (actually this is really obvious) the OT is way longer than the newer, so my OT readings are always heaps longer too. Paul is currently being heaps heroic, and very impressive. Actually, it's really quite interesting to see how he exploits his background as a Roman and Pharisee, and after reading 10 language analysis essays, it's interesting to note how he opens his comments to Agrippa (the King) with some flattery and recognition of social niceties, even as he is in chains and has been in jail for 2 years. I went to a lecture about the idea of 'just war' recently (ad bellium? I think?) and the speaker traced the concept back to Roman times and the conversion of a King (can't remember, undeterred) and the apparently Christian notion that since they were winning wars, the wars must be supported by God. And so they came up with this framework for a Just War. It was really interesting, and hearing a leader in the Gulf War apply some of those principles to the behaviour he expected of his troops in that war was quite inspiring. Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be the digression. But it was interesting to re-read this because the political component to Paul's progress was really striking. The Roman Empire was an incredible thing.

On that note, I'm going to have dinner.

Job is hotting up

I've just hit Job 38 and it's a corker. God is ripping into the assumptions of Job (and, I think the others who spoke before him). People are put in their place rather grandly, when it's done by God. This is one of my favourite lines:Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens ³⁸ when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?

Who indeed. This is what my students would call a smack down. But in seriousness, it was rather lovely to hear directly from God-- not Jesus (not that there's anything wrong with hearing from Jesus) -- but actually, God. Somehow the fact that God answers Job has escaped me in my previous sermons/readings of the passage. Actually, I don't know what I've read of Job or how I know about it. I'm pretty sure that I have read at least some of it before. But it's all blurred in my mind. That's part of the reason why this project is so exciting. I'll know it's all first hand. I mean, I know it's enormously translated in a multitude of ways, and all that. And in fact, probably I'll still forget where I get various bits of knowledge from. But it's got to be a better foundation, anyway, than the hodge-podge of reading I've done in the past. Anyway, hearing from God seemed like rather the rare treat, especially given they can't have actually been expecting this. In fact, I wonder how it came about, since this isn't a play and it presumably wasn't in written form that God spoke.

Other things I like from this passage: God commenting on the careless but joyful ostrich, who is a bit of a rubbish mother, but boy, can she fly. And God explains this by saying that the bird doesn't have wisdom. And it doesn't always look like wisdom, to be so sensitively attuned to the needs and fates of our loved ones. But God says it is. On the other hand, look at that bird fly. I like that.

Acts: well, I love Lydia. What feminist christian doesn't love Lydia. She does her thing, and it's not an issue of her gender, it's just part of the miraculous and wonderful events of Acts. So yay for that. In other news, Paul's decision to command the spirit to leave the woman following him seems heartless given that he just did it when he got annoyed enough. But I guess we don't have the whole picture. Perhaps there was an element of choice in the fact that this woman was inhabited by a spirit. Which would mean that Paul's decision to focus on spreading the gospel to those who wanted to hear would be fair enough, I suppose. Times like that I wish I had a lot more information about the context. A good sermon, I suppose, could clear that one up. Or-- better, because more instantly accessible and personalised-- an askJeeves for Christianity. In lieu, I plod along.

Ripping through Esther and getting beleaguered by Job

It's been a while since I've posted but I have been reading away. Seeing the daily emails pile up after missing a reading for a day or two... and then a day or two a week later has provided quite the little prompting my conscience needs. But I am enjoying it. I feel good about the fact that I'm in a pretty regular routine atm, even if it has taken me most of my life to get there. And I am learning things, even though quite often I'm just flying through without reflecting much.

Anyway, Esther: after Chronicles, Esther was incredibly refreshing-- provocative and fast paced. But I'm quite far past that now, so I'll write about Job instead. Job is tough, but interesting. I found it confusing at first-- are we supposed to be sympathetic towards Job's claims that he is without fault? Or sympathetic towards his friends who are 'holding him accountable'? They claim that all men are flawed and that Job's claims of being undeserving of this burden are unfounded. But as the passage continues, it becomes more apparent that the men are baiting Job, and wanting to hurt him rather than build him up. Though sometimes I still feel that they say good things! I suppose interpreting these passages is worthwhile, in part, at least, because it poses these questions. And I suppose I should be reading it all more slowly!

Acts is moving along nicely. I've read and heard Acts preached on quite a few times, so I'm really glad I'm reading the OT as well. I think that one of the difficulties of being in the modern church is that, unlike school, there are no levels of study. As someone who has been to church their whole lives, I'm in the same 'class' (listening to the same sermon) as people who are coming for the first time. And you'd hate for them to miss out on Acts. But on the other hand, a lot of us are never hearing about Chronicles! And we're hearing the same message about Job. This isn't a criticism of the preacher. Or even of the church. I suppose it's just a great pity that the whole world doesn't go to church and then we could differentiate.

Hmm... this is turning into a conversation about education! Time to sign off.

2 Chronicles continues...

So there was finally a good king. He was pretty consistent apart from an episode of near-death in which he was not appreciative of a sign God sent him. But on the whole, he was quite successful as a man of God, and thus, as a king. He even got buried in the temple of kings, which I've only come to know about since it's repeatedly mentioned that the others have not been. After my earlier comments in which I felt that things seemed a bit arbitrary, there is clearly a much stronger pattern emerging-- of God looking after the people who follow his laws. I've always been kind of reluctant to believe this, since obviously bad things happen to Christians all the time. But it seems to be the message of this era and chapters-- on the whole, God looks after his people. Whether or not that is true of our personal experiences....it does seem to have been the case with these kingdoms.

On to John. Peter has betrayed Jesus. Again, reading this story, even though I've read it many times before, I am struck by things anew-- firstly that Peter must have actually been in a difficult and frightening situation. The person who confronted him was a cousin of the high priest whose ear he'd cut off. So there was probably a real threat of a physical nature. Also, their world must've been turned upside down. This person who they knew as their saviour and as the King of the world had been arrested and was threatened with execution. That must have been horrifying, no matter how strong his faith. In addition to this, I don't think I'd read before Jesus's prayers for the disciples. They were so personal and tender. He was so committed to protecting them, and deliberate about making sure this happened. They were, after all, his friends. Jesus seemed more human to me when I read that-- the idea of him being fully human became more powerful.

2 Chronicles and John

The plan I'm reading is taking me through the New and Old Testament, and if I can stick to it, it'll take a year to cover both. I have not stuck to it! Already I'm behind, although I am making some progress in catching up.

The Old Testament is heavy going. I've read a fair bit of old testament before but I suppose I've stuck with those sections that get regularly sermonised- Genesis, maybe Exodus, Psalms, Proverbs. Chronicles, it turns out, is full of lots of death and treachery and people being killed for being disloyal to God. And they keep going back to worshipping these Asherah poles.

The second thing I'm noticing is the difference in scale and scope of the Old vs. New. I knew already that the OT was considered to be dryer in style but also full of stories. I am struck by how much the OT covers in a chapter though- a generation, vs. a conversation in the NT. The NT also seems to do a lot more analysing and advising, with a couple of stories/anecdotes to support a point. Chronicles is just ripping through, with little appearance of rhyme or reason-- generally, people are punished for their disloyalty to God, but occasionally a person is saved because of the loyalty of their ancestors. It's not that this makes no sense, but there's a lot less of the clear interpretation and direction given to us in the NT. Which is not that surprising I suppose, but it's really striking when they're side by side.

The NT passages have been quite moving, in contrast. The account of Jesus's last supper and his knowledge of Judas's betrayal was sad and I feel for Judas, as an adult. He was so flawed and doomed by his behaviour, and knowing that he hanged himself is so tragic.

Unfortunately I'm so out of practice with all this that I'm tending just to fly through it all to get it done-- it doesn't help that I'm so behind! But I'm glad I'm doing it, mostly, anyway.

Starting Out

I'm trying, not for the first time in my life, to get into a regular habit of bible reading. Sound familiar? So as a child of the y-generation, I thought I'd use a blog to stay motivated. The idea, at this point, being that I will post a comment each day about my readings.

I'm having my readings emailed to me courtesy of Bible Gateway, so will be able to offer some comment on how that goes too. I'm awaiting my first email now....