The Bible in 90 Days: Exodus

[Read the disclaimer on Genesis and you'll see why I'm doing this blog blitzkrieg.  I'll catch up soon... hopefully. -SC]

Days 3-6: Exodus

God delivers his people.  This is the greater theme of the entire Bible, but certainly Exodus.  I expected to be most compelled in Exodus by Moses being a type of Jesus and while that was interesting, the coolest part for me was Ramses as a type of Anti-Christ.  Like the serpent in the Garden, we don’t get a lot of origin of Ramses.  He just kind of enters the story and attacks the promises of God.   He wants to kill the males (attacking the promise to be fruitful and multiply) and enslaves God’s people (attacking the promise of rest).  Time and time again Pharaoh counterfeits the works of God, but his works only lead to slavery and death.  Pharaoh has a lot of power.  A lot.  But God has more power.  Pharaoh can only bring slavery and death, God can bring freedom and life.  Exodus reminds us of that.

The Bible in 90 Days: Genesis

[So I have a TON of catching up to do. (Two kids is a lot harder than one.)  I'm currently on day 19, I believe, and am nearing the end of 1 Samuel.  Fortunately, I've been able to journal some of my thoughts book by book so while the posts aren't accurate to where I currently am, they are accurate to my initial thoughts after reading each book. -SC ]

Days 1-3: Genesis

Several things happen when you read through Genesis in three sittings.  This is the first time that I’ve read Genesis in less than a month and also the first time that I’ve seen so plainly the pattern running through it.  I could certainly point to God delivering his people from the curse (barrenness, flood, drought) or the use of the woman as hero (Sarah, Rebekah, Tamar) but as I read I was struck by the almost fatalistic manner in which the sons followed in the footsteps of their fathers.  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all find themselves granting blessing to the younger son, struggling with the barrenness of the woman they (most) loved, and even digging the same wells.  As go the fathers, so go the sons.  Naturally, I looked to my father and to my son.  In what ways do I mirror my father?  In what ways will Anderson mirror me? Will I lead him in the footsteps of my Heavenly father or our First Father?

listening to:
sam cooke- the essential sam cooke
reading:
the brothers karamazov by fyodor dostoevsky
extremely loud & incredibly close by jonathan safran foer

The Bible in 90 Days

Four days ago–early enough to not technically be a New Year’s resolution–I started on a 90-day Bible reading plan.  While I’ve read all the books of the Bible before, I’ve never actually read it cover to cover and while I read the Bible just about everyday, I’ve never actually read with any strategy beyond “this is what I’m teaching on this week.”  So, when I ran across YouVersion’s  vast array of Bible reading plans, I was intrigued.  After looking through the options, I decided to try my hat a reading the entire Bible in 90 days.  This is not as daunting as it seems.  It’s just 13 chapters or so a day.   OK, maybe it’s a little daunting, but certainly worth it.

Like I said, I am currently on day 4 and have just finished reading through the Book of Genesis.  As I read through it, I began to see, more clearly, the pattern that goes throughout all of Scripture.  The more I read, the more I realize that the Bible is not merely a collection of stories, but rather one unified story with many different sagas.  This story is the Gospel. There is one clear plot arc with several mimicking plot arcs.  Still, within each of the minor plot arcs, the characters and the story are the same.  As I journey through the Bible in 90 days I fully intend to share my thoughts (book by book) and follow the story through it’s end.  In order to do that, I need to set the stage.

The Players:
God- the creator, the sustainer, the king, the judge
God’s people- those people whom God has called and loved
The Enemy- the liar, the captor, the one who counterfeits, steals and destroys
The Woman- the heroin through whom God graciously and miraculously continues the hope of a Hero
The Hero-  God’s chosen person, who frees his people and defeats the enemy
Plot points:
Creation- God establishing His people, in His place, under His rule
Fall-  God’s people rebelling against Him, falling into captivity, being cursed
Redemption, or re-creation- God, through the Hero, restoring His people, bringing them into His place, and allowing them to live under His rule
Major themes:
Kingdom of God-  God’s people, in God’s place, under God’s rule, with God’s blessing
Blessing- God’s promise to his people (be fruitful and multiply, rule, and rest)
Curse- God’s punishment for rebellion, the opposite of the blessing (barrenness, slavery, labor)

The bottom line is this:  The Gospel is God’s story, echoed throughout Scripture, that tells of a God who relentlessly pursues His people and graciously brings them out of captivity and back into His home through Jesus.  As I complete my 90-day challenge I’ll share more about how this pattern is echoed in each book of the Bible.

Of Emperors, Presidents and the King

At Grace Community Church, we’re going through 1 Peter.  It has been, for me, a very formative time.  As I continue to consider things like community, marriage, the church, and suffering for the sake of the Gospel, I find 1 Peter to be extremely encouraging and challenging.  I have read the epistle many times before but had never quite grasped the richness of the text that I’m gleaning now.  It is full of covenant imagery and language and, at the same, time very practical words of instruction.  Perhaps, as we continue through it, I will post more of my thoughts and learnings from 1 Peter.

A little less than a month ago, we discussed 1 Peter 2:13-17 and it prompted me to make a claim on my facebook page. I’ll repeat that phrase here and elaborate on it some.  My hope is discussion.  Since we, and by we I mean I, have not been faithful in keeping up with The Lost Road, I’m sure discussion will be minimal but still I’d like to hear thoughts.

If dishonoring the emperor is dishonoring to God, then we as evangelicals have a lot of repenting to do.

Let me say first the word that we translate emperor in our Bibles can rightly be translated governing officials or rulers.  To the churches Peter was addressing that was an emperor, to us it is the sum total of the governing officials (from town mayor to state senate, from congress to the president) over us.  I would also like to point out that I am choosing to identify myself with evangelicals.  This is a term that carries different connotations with different groups of people. However, for better or for worse, I identify most closely with evangelicals.  This is not an call to any other community than my own.

That being said, the way that we talk about and disagree with President Obama is appalling.  We speak as though he is the devil.  We speak as though he is persecuting or martyring us (like the emperor did to Christians shortly after Peter wrote that letter).  We speak as though he is our enemy.  What’s worse, we speak as though he is ruining that last true hope we have in the world.  I’m not particularly an Obama fan or critic, I didn’t  vote for or against him.  I know Bush was dishonored during his term.  Still, we as believers are called to honor the governing officials, not act like those whose hope is solely in the here and now.

I think our dishonor shows a hope placed in the wrong kingdom, which ultimately placed in the wrong king. For that, let us repent.

listening to:
the smiths- the sounds of the smiths
franz kafka- the metamorphosis

reading:
the emotionally healthy church by peter scazzero
jesus for president by shane claiborne

News?

I found this to be an interesting article.

There’s a word for what the WH is doing to Fox News, and it’s marginalization.  It’s not new.  All of us are guilty of it at some point or another.  It’s important, however, to see it for what it is.  Rather than take time to painstakingly dismantle Fox’s claims, the WH would rather dismiss them out of hand– “they’re a point of view,” they say, “not the truth.”  It’s easier to say that than to say why what they are saying is not true.

Don’t think I’m defending Fox.  I don’t watch it or visit the web site.  Don’t think I’m attacking the White House.  Like I said, we’ve all been guilty of boxing up someone else’s opinion and then throwing out the box (because it’s a box).

Do think that I’m pointing out that all news channels have slants.  Fox may be the conservative voice, but CNN & MSNBC just happen to have voices that the WH would rather hear (at the moment).