A couple months ago, Jim brought home a book from our church's library. I must mention that 99% of the books in there are from before I was born, so I was surprised at the "newness" of the book. Its title, "The Hidden Book in the Bible" was also very compelling. For quite some time now, I have believed that the midrash stories of old had been collected for the Old Testament. Take the stories, add some history, then smatter a TON of laws and social stuff and...voila! A Bible is born.
So I started reading the preface information. Richard Elliott Friedman was extremely verbose in his discovery of the "hidden" book of the Bible. He went back to the original Hebrew and translated as close as possible, not deviating from awkward sentences, etc. He claimed that the hidden book included all the popular stories from Sunday School - all those that didn't include Jesus that is. However, his claim is that this "hidden" book was written by one person. No storytelling history here...just the work of one person (man or woman). Apparently many Bible scholars attribute the Old Testament to the work of 4 sources. Regardless what the truth is, I was extremely interested in reading Friedman's interpretation.
The narrative is quite brief in comparison, but all my favorites were in there. That is, until I came to the Ten Commandments. Now, depending on if you grew up Lutheran or another Christian religion your "ten" are divided differently. However, they are either from Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5:6-21. As noted above, the "hidden" book doesn't include any one book of the Old Testament, so many stories are different or shorter than my many readings of the Bible. However, I was shocked to read the "hidden" book's ten were from a completely different place. Here is the text from Exodus 34:14 -26 from the NIV:
14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 15 "Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.
17 "Do not make cast idols.
18 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt.
19 "The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. 20 Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons.
"No one is to appear before me empty-handed.
21 "Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.
22 "Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. [b] 23 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD, the God of Israel. 24 I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the LORD your God.
25 "Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.
26 "Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
"Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk."
So here are these interesting commandments of the Lord. Yes, in the greater work of the Bible as we know it; but the only ten in this "hidden" book. These commandments are what were carried in the ark of the covenant. My personal favorite is the young goat in its mother's milk. I really think that is kosher law, but I might be wrong.
I plan on finishing this "hidden" book today, as it isn't much to accomplish with a sick child (even though the sun is shinning and the temperature is warm).
I believe that I am a very open person. I keep an open heart and mind to interpretations of books, especially the Bible. Everyone thinks he/she has the right interpretation, and that is no different that Friedman's attempt at the investigation behind "The Hidden Book in the Bible." I, on the other hand, do not believe that there was one person that wrote the "hidden" story. It could have been a couple people compiling other works, but it seems rather bizarre to think that stories like the flood and creation were written down originally. This is all considering that these stories have been found in other cultures from thousands of years before common era. It's a cool idea, but artistic drama created for the sell of a contemporary book.
And thus my thoughts are finished.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
righteous or unrighteous
Last Sunday my church's Bible study spoke about the Beatitude:
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
We debated what exactly was a righteous person (i.e. a person without sin, according to the Webster's Dictionary). Does the Bible give examples? At that point we didn't think so.
However, today during my Bonnie Bible Study the word "righteous" came up again. In Acts 24:15 Paul states, "and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." So I asked Bonnie what was a righteous person. Are there really people without sin? I was wondering how she would answer this, considering they believe that everyone is born with sin (original sin from Adam and Eve). She directed me to Hebrews 11. We read through the names, names of people in the Bible to whom I am very familiar. People that worshiped Jehovah God and his rules and principles. In "What Does the Bible Really Teach?" it is written, "God's purpose is that the whole earth be made into a paradise. So the dead will not be raised to life in a world filled with war, crime, and sickness. They will have an opportunity to live forever on this earth in peaceful and happy conditions." Therefore, God will give everyone - righteous or unrighteous - the opportunity for this "forever" life on a paradise earth.
I thought the 11th chapter of Hebrews to be really cool. I am ending this blog entry with it.
HEBREWS
Chapter 11
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
We debated what exactly was a righteous person (i.e. a person without sin, according to the Webster's Dictionary). Does the Bible give examples? At that point we didn't think so.
However, today during my Bonnie Bible Study the word "righteous" came up again. In Acts 24:15 Paul states, "and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." So I asked Bonnie what was a righteous person. Are there really people without sin? I was wondering how she would answer this, considering they believe that everyone is born with sin (original sin from Adam and Eve). She directed me to Hebrews 11. We read through the names, names of people in the Bible to whom I am very familiar. People that worshiped Jehovah God and his rules and principles. In "What Does the Bible Really Teach?" it is written, "God's purpose is that the whole earth be made into a paradise. So the dead will not be raised to life in a world filled with war, crime, and sickness. They will have an opportunity to live forever on this earth in peaceful and happy conditions." Therefore, God will give everyone - righteous or unrighteous - the opportunity for this "forever" life on a paradise earth.
I thought the 11th chapter of Hebrews to be really cool. I am ending this blog entry with it.
HEBREWS
Chapter 11
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Friday, March 5, 2010
wisdom in the lord
PROVERBS 3: 1-7
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
We should not lean on our own understanding...what exactly does that mean?
I interpret the above verse with an open heart and mind. I know that I am not "all knowing" like our God, but am I truly "poor in spirit" as the first Beatitude states?
I must admit, I do like to have control over things in my life. I am not as big of a "control freak" as I used to be, yet I still have a very difficult time lifting it up to Jesus. Lifting worries, anxieties, and fears up to our Lord and his son seems like it would be an easy thing to accomplish; but I still find myself internalizing concerns and actions rather than allowing things to just happen.
A few weeks back, I was humbled at the first Beatitude and what Jesus could have meant. He didn't mean the financially poor, but rather those that are not arrogant or prideful in their spirit. All these years I thought Jesus was suggesting that the poor had a place in His Kingdom. However, he meant the poor in "spirit"; the spirit that we tend to attribute to winning baseball games. Jesus said, "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand." We then need to have the ability to confess our sins to God - to admit we are bankrupt in the spirit.
We must confess we don't know everything...is that difficult? YES! I truly believe this can be horribly traumatic for many. I know personally I used to believe that Christians, true Christians, were simply sheep - following along, not questioning or deviating from the path. But a lot of intelligence and control is needed to stop trying to "understand" everything God does; and just know that the Kingdom is there for those that recognize they are poor in spirit...sinners.
It's interesting that the closer I draw to God the further I am away from reaching the goal of obtaining the Kingdom. I do wonder how many "interpretations" and "understandings" are pulling us away from the truths of God - from what is real. I know I may never truly understand WHY I am here, or WHY things are the way they are; however, I know that I will continue to strive towards poverty of spirit. Without that, none of the other Beatitudes are possible.
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