Mistaken for Gods

February 28, 2009

Today's Reading: Numbers 1-2 and Acts 14

In the reading today in Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas face a problem that they probably didn’t forsee. They were sharing the gospel, and miracles were happening, and it was going well. In fact, it was going a little too well.

In all honesty, I don’t think that I have ever had a witness that was so good, that people were mistaking me for the divine. In the case of Paul and Barnabas, they thought they were Greek Gods of Zeus and Hermes. I guess since Paul did most of the talking, they probably thought of him as Hermes, the messenger of the Gods.

I’ll bet Paul was probably thinking: “Aww, I wanted to be Zeus.”

Seriously, you have to admire Paul and Barnabas’ dignity. They didn’t just “go with it”. I’m sure all of you have seen movies like The Wedding Crashers, Galaxy Quest, The Road to El Dorado and many others in which the main characters are complete frauds, and go with what the people tell them they are for some sort of long-term gain.

These movies always end the same way. Eventually, the frauds true identity is uncovered, and they have to deal with an entirely new set of problems.

In other words, Paul and Barnabas could have gone with what the crowd was saying and used it to their advantage by saying: “Yes, we are Zeus and Hermes. Apparently, after the Son of God rose from the dead, he shook all of the heavens, and we just couldn’t take it. If you have any sense at all, worship Jesus, for crying out loud. Look what he did to us! He took away my lightning bolts! And remember Hermes’ winged helmet? It’s gone.”

Of course, even for a greater good, a lie is still a lie. The weirdest thing is that their act of humility didn’t cause the gospel to grow. Instead, the crowd became so insistent that they were gods that they were insulted that they didn’t accept their sacrifices.

Despite the fact that they wanted to worship them one minute, they were stoning them the next. It is amazing how quickly those who praise you become those who condemn you to death. Now they knew how Jesus felt.

Of course, Paul’s perseverance was reward when he was raised from the dead after being stoned presumably to death.

I suppose the take away value is this: tell the truth, even if it is not convenient. If you have to face a set of unpleasant circumstances after that, don’t worry. God is still in control of the situation even (and especially) when you are not. Things will work out, even if people are throwing rocks at you.

The Consequences of our Actions

February 27, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 26-27 and Acts 13

Have you ever wondered how the people got the word of God back in Moses' time? I suppose it could have been written on scrolls, or something, but I'm pretty sure that a system of written documentation had not been invented yet. Especially amongst a nomadic culture as the Israelites.

I guess I've always imagined Moses standing up in front of the entire assembly, reading this aloud. Of course, since there were 600,000 Hebrews (not counting women and children) Moses would have to really project his voice so everyone could hear him. I mean, it isn't like they had loudspeakers back then.

It would have been a real hardship if you were a spectator. Not only would you have to listen to tedious treatises on law, but there was probably no place to sit. I suppose that you could kneel, because no one would stand for this long. All those bodies in one place, along with the desert heat would easily make for one long day.

I'm surprised that I've never bought this up before, and it really isn't my main point. By the time Leviticus gets to chapter 26, it is winding up for a conclusion. If Moses did do this whole speech before the crowd thing, then I'm sure the masses were probably thinking: "Oh thank God, he's winding up his sermon. I feel like I've been here for an eternity".

The first part of chapter 26 describes what will happen if the Israelites follow the Lord. It describes a prosperous, but not necessarily problem-free existence. The next part is what happens if the Israelites don't follow the Lord, and it is riddled with how there will be problems a-plenty. My favorite line from this section is in verse 19, which describes that the heavens will be as iron, and the earth brass. You got to love imagery like that.

I believe that these Levitical promises apply today. Ever try to do something that the Lord wanted, and reaped a very bad consequence? Yeah, me too.

This was what happen to this one false prophet named Bar-Jesus. That actually is his name, I did not make it up. It actually is more of a description that anything, like someone who is "barring Jesus" from entering the premises like a bouncer at a high-class club.

Anyway, this Bar-Jesus just doesn't shut up, so Paul turns around and curses him. He is then struck blind "for a season", and I couldn't think of a greater New Testament example of Leviticus 26 than this.

However, have you noticed that God doesn't always work this way? Like when we do a bad thing, sometimes we don't get punished for it right away, like this false prophet who suddenly found himself blind? Think about all the ruthless businessmen who live on a crooked system of false promises. No, sometimes it takes a while before we reap what we sow, and it may or may not be pretty.

Just imagine if whatever action we did had immediate consequence. Think about it this way: when you do something, picture yourself going into the future to see what the full repercussions of your actions have wrought. You might be surprised at how much your sins have brought you prosperity, and how little your good deeds have helped mankind.

Still, there exists another plane of existence that we haven't even touched yet. This is where it really counts. The issue is that we may never see the full effect of our actions. This is one of those things that an "instant gratification" society is going to have to deal with.

So what am I trying to say? You reap what you sow. That's nothing new, but remember this little corollary: "In between the sowing and the reaping is a season". In other words, you may not see what you actions do right away.

Swearing that is punishable by death

February 26, 2009

Today's Reading Leviticus 24-25 and Proverbs 17

As you know, I don’t really like reading the book of Leviticus because, unlike other books of the Old Testament, there is no “story”. Leviticus reads like a book on a lawyer’s shelf than the latest bestseller, but today, there was an interesting development.

Apparently, it began when someone started a fight, and during this fight, someone blasphemed the name of the Lord with a curse. I wonder what is it that he said that caused this controversy. Was it just a f__k you, or God d__n it. (By the way, have you ever noticed that when you are watching a movie that was originally meant for the television, and when someone says god d__n, they censor the God part? That just really bugs me.)

So you know what they do to this potty-mouthed boy? Eventually, they get everyone to stone him. Oddly enough, everyone who did it. You want to know what was said next? “If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death”. Did these stoners (the non-drug using kind) get put to death? I guess there are exceptions to the “eye for and eye and tooth for a tooth” rule.

I don’t know if there is any swear word worth putting someone to death for it. In all honesty, I don’t know how much swearing is truly wrong. I suppose I would never say God D__n unless I thought I really wanted God to truly damn it. That is pretty strong.

Oddly enough, I found a verse in the Proverbs reading that almost matches the Levitical situation. It says that “he who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction”. I don’t really think that anyone who loves sin should be killed, but his love affair will probably end in death one way or another. Hopefully he won’t take too many people on the way.

Yes, so swearing or fighting could result in death. Is that the take away value from this example that this man was given? Maybe we should learn to watch our mouths and our actions.

I’m sure that I have talked about this before, but there are several cases in Scripture where I have seen people “get what was coming to them”, but sometimes I think they get a little more than what I believe is justly deserved.

Case in point, did this guy deserve to be put to death for fighting or swearing? If I had to judge, I would say no. The issue is, I am not the judge. If God is the one who sends someone to hell for an eternity, that is His prerogative as creator of the universe. That is the issue.

So, next time to say or do something, just picture the eternal consequences.

How is it that we are supposed to live, anyway?

February 25, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 22-23 and Proverbs 16

Lately, I’ve been attending a lot of Christian meetings, and the big question is how are we supposed to live. You see, most Christians, when they try to evangelize, they tend to become these robots who are trying to convince people to live like we do. However, if we fail to mention to others that we are Christians, then it might be that they could die, and we might feel that we’d fail to do our duty.

Sometimes, it is hard to tell what to do all the time. I remember when I first read the book of Proverbs, and the translation stated that the Proverbs of Solomon can help us out in any situation. Of course, I was hooked from the start, and then I went out and lived my life. It seems like there isn’t much black or white, but smatterings of gray.

After all, all a person’s ways seem innocent to him, but it is the motives that God seems to care about. There is also another verse that about committing your way to the Lord, and you will succeed.

So how then should we live? Francis Schaffer, a great Christian philosopher, once asked that very same question. He wrote a book that didn’t really answer the question, but it did talk about some cool history of Western culture.

The truth is, I’m not certain what I am really supposed to do with my life, but I know that I like to write, and so I do it. Since I have committed my way to the Lord, I don’t write anything that would offend him. Or at least, I don’t think that I do.

In all honesty, I don’t feel that I need to change my life, but if I do, God will show me how. I’m not certain how. He could use some sort of natural circumstance like an earthquake, or he could just use the Spirit to subtly coax me into changing.

Whatever the case, I am going to live my life, and I’m not going to change it whenever my boss walks into the room. My boss is always in the room, and He’s more than welcome to slap work on my desk. The best thing about working for him is that he doesn’t fire, I will have to quit.

So how should we live? Let’s put it this way: life is an infinite set of numbers. And there only certain numbers divisible by sin that I cannot touch. It is still an infinite set that I can, and that gives me a sense of great freedom.

A Death that Doesn't Matter?

February 24, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 20-21 and Acts 12

I’m sure that all of you know the story of how Peter was in the jail and then the angel comes in and frees him. I’m not really certain what the takeaway value of this story. I suppose that we can say that whenever we are put in jail for our beliefs, we can just have others pray for us, and angels will spring us.

You know what I never hear about in this story? What happens to the guards. For some reason, there were a lot of them. I believe that there were four squads of four soldiers each. Do you really need sixteen guards for one prisoner? I think the Incredible Hulk had less guards. I guess they were thinking he would rain tongues of fire on them.

Anyway, Peter was chained up sleeping between two guards, and in the midst of this sick prison life, Peter was able to walk out.

Now, it sounds like the guards were sleeping on the job, and so they probably woke up and one of them said something like: “hey, wasn’t there somebody in here with us?” Then the other one probably said: “Oh, crap.”

Something that I never noticed about this story is what happened to the guards. Apparently, they told Herod, and when they could not find Peter, Herod had these guards put to death.

Boy, that kind of sucks, doesn’t it? I mean, it wasn’t like these soldiers were evil, right? I mean, they were probably just ordinary guys recruited out of high school, and got sucked into service. I wonder if they were married, and if their salaries covered their living expenses.

If you watch the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, there is a part where Faramir is looking at some men that his army has killed. He wonders if the men from Sauron’s army are truly evil, or if they are under some spell, or something.

Something tells me that if Acts 12 was made into a movie, they would depict the guards as complete jerks, so that when they got executed, we would be happy, like they got what was coming to them.

I suppose that this is just one example of how people who serve dictators are punished along with them, whether it is just or not. I guess that sums up just about everyone that Joshua’s army killed.

It kind of feels like some people are just raised up so they can be killed as, what, examples? Can it really be that simple? Of course it isn’t. Do you really think those lives didn’t matter to God, that they couldn’t repent? No, life is precious, and even those who are on the other side are important to God.

Barnabas, Saul, and Forgiveness

February 23, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 18-19 and Acts 11

In reading the book of Acts, you hear Barnabas and Paul being mentioned together a lot. I suppose that you could interpret them as Batman and Robin, but that wouldn’t be an accurate metaphor.

As I recall, Batman took in Robin, who was just an innocent young lad whose parents had just been killed. It wasn’t like Robin had killed some of Batman’s friends, which is surely what was the case with Paul in relation to Barnabas.

I suppose if you want a superhero metaphor for Barnabas and Paul, it would probably be Batman and the Joker. I wonder what Barnabas had to do in order to cope with the fact that his new partner was once the greatest enemy of Christianity.

Some of you might remember yesterday when I mentioned how it is difficult to deal with things when God does something new. Have you read all the violations in the book of Leviticus about sexuality, and then a repetition of the Ten Commandments?

I’m sure that Barnabas had times working with Saul/Paul, and was thinking: “Oh, man, this is so wrong. He could be faking this conversion. Then he’s going to find out where we all are hanging, and then he is so going to call in all of his friends and kill us all.”

Well, history reveals that Paul became a saint and not a sinner. I can’t help but wonder at what point did Barnabas drop all of his suspicions and completely trust Paul. I would imagine it would have been a tiny moment when he saw Paul ministering to the people, and saw that he had truly repented.

Whatever the case, there was a lot of forgiveness that probably had to happen. A process that is always so slow. Anyone who has ever been badly hurt by someone knows the what it means to let go of the anguish and hatred and let God chart a new course.

Yeah, I know how it is. Sometimes I wonder if I have truly forgiven. Sometimes the old monster of regret or aught against someone resurfaces. I wish I could say that it gets rebuked right away, instead of festering.

The truth is forgiveness moves at a snails pace. However, a gastropod has all the time in the world. In other words, what isn’t important is not when a snail will get there, but the fact that it is pointed in the right direction.

Scapegoats and Change

February 22, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 16-17 and Acts 10

I always admired the part in the book of Acts where Peter sees this vision of a sheet, with all the animals on it. The Lord tells him to kill anything from the sheet and eat it. (I am assuming that the voice wanted Peter to cook it first.)

So what does Peter do? He tells God that he will never disobey Him. And to prove it, he disobeys God.

It apparently took three times with this vision, and it doesn’t look like Peter ever ate. In fact, it looked like he was hungry, so he starved himself to the sake of obeying and disobeying God at the same time.

I can totally see why Peter did what he did. After all, the book of Leviticus shows that God gave the Israelites a system of procedures and rules that were so strict, they had to invent the Pharisees just to implement them.

One in particular was the scapegoat. This is when a priest would lay his hands on a goat, and then release the goat into freedom. Symbolically, the goat represented the sins of the people, and its release symbolized the separation of the sins from the people.

Jesus is the fulfillment of this scapegoat, as he took all of our sins. Because of what he did, a lot of the procedures no longer applied. No more sacrifices anymore. Not only that, what was once simply unclean is somehow okay.

Fortunately, Peter got the message when he met up with Cornelius, a Gentile who needed to hear the gospel. Up until this time, Jews and Gentiles were forbidden to mix, but for the sake of God’s plan with Jesus, this old law became out of date in a hurry.

I can honestly say that there are things that God has told me to give up, which I did. And then years later, God tell me it is okay. I remember for a while God told me to stop watching Star Trek. For about two or three years, I did. Then one day, I saw that it was on, and I felt God was saying that it was okay for me to watch it.

Did I feel bad when I watched it after I had “repented” of it? Oh yeah. It’s hard to do something when God has told you previously not to. Of course, things change, and so that was once unlawful is somehow made okay.

The important thing is that we obey God with whatever plan he has going for us now. Can we “hear from God” and be wrong? Of course. Sometimes it is better to err on the side of not doing something than to do something and be wrong. Still, it may be better to do something new than stick with the old.

Saul's Resignation Letter

February 21, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 14-15 and Acts 9

Dear Priests,

Yesterday was business as usual. I can’t believe that it took them that long to stone that Stephen guy. Hard to believe he died forgiving us. I actually know why.

By the way, I don’t know who stuck me on coat duty. Just to let you know, I got bored and rifled through their pockets of the priests for some loose change. I found thirty pieces of silver. You really need to go to the bank more often.

Anyway, I followed my lead from the letters I received from those Christ-followers in Damascus. While I was on the road, a light appeared before me. It was like the sun had exploded in my eyes.

I couldn’t see for a while, and then I heard a voice saying “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

I asked him “who are you, Lord”. You will note the last word that I used. Imagine my shock when the voice revealed Himself to be Jesus. Yes, those Christ guys were right after all. By the way, he’s really ticked that we’ve been persecuting his followers.

Anyway, I doing remember seeing anything after that, because I went blind. My men, of whom I actually learned their names, accompanied me to a house of Judas on a street called straight. I’m glad it was straight, because it made it easier for me to find the bathroom.

But that’s neither here nor there. I decided not to eat or drink, because I lost my appetite, or something. After a while, I saw visions of a man named Ananias who came and laid his hands on me. Don’t ask me how I knew his name was Ananias. Sure enough, Ananias came in three days later, and laid his hands on me, and I could see. These scales fell out of my eyes. I have enclosed them with this letter.

I have written this letter to tell you that I am no longer going to work for you anymore. And I don’t mean that I resign, but I am completely playing for the other team. So you can just take this job and stick it where the Glory of God don’t shine.

I realize that you will want to kill me after you read this, so here is my response: bring it on. Believe me, I was the guy who used to do this. And if that guy finds me, I’m going to tell him what I’m telling you now: you are on the wrong side.

Sincerely,

The Breakfast Club

Simon the Superhero Sorceror

February 20, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 12-13 and Acts 8

Imagine if you lived in a world where superheroes existed. Just picture walking through the city, look up, and you will see a guy flying and another guy swinging from webs. Yeah, I didn’t get Marvel or DC’s permission before posting this.

I used to read comics, and it never made sense that the world they lived in was ordinary and the super-hero world was extraordinary. I mean, why is it that the superheroes always fought crime and super-villains, but they never do a thing to abolish famine, disease, or anything else that I’d rather .

Oh, let’s just let the ordinary people solve their own problems. We’re super-people, and we deal with super-problems.

Do you honestly think that we could live in a world where metahuman people and normal people could peacefully coexist? Well, the truth is, there are some people who have fantastic powers from a supernatural origin. The sad part is, they usually keep it to themselves in their secret identities in fortresses of solitudes known as churches.

Yeah, I’m the one who believes that miracles can still happen, and Christians have the power through Jesus to dish them out. You hear about them a lot in the book of Acts. Heck, there’s even one where Phillip suddenly finds himself in Azotus. He was teleported away or something.

Now, if there were superheroes right now, with powers from radiation or born with it like mutants, then I would imagine it would be if Christians were thrown into the mix. I mean, how impressive would godly miracles be if there were people with super-powers?

Enter this one guy, Simon the Sorceror. Apparently, he is able to do miracles. I wonder what the heck he could do that was so darn impressive. Maybe he was able to fit a camel through the eye of a needle, because Simon seemed to be very interested in riches.

What is interesting is that whatever the disciples were doing, Simon wanted to do it. In other words, Simon thought he could get in on the act, and he thought he needed money.

So what was it that the disciples were doing that so interested this sorcerer? Perhaps the power of the Holy Spirit could not compete with whatever Simon’s magical powers were tapped into.

This should give us some comfort, that the power of God is powerful enough to kick any other power’s butt. Another comforting thing is that when Simon was rebuked for his actions (offering money to acquire the power of God), he responded very well. Nice to know that the power of God isn’t just…powerful, but it can change hearts as well.

Strange Fire, Ordinary Mourning

February 19, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 10-11 and Proverbs 15

Yesterday, I had pretty much nothing to talk about. Today, I have a lot. I would love to promise you a gem, but I don’t want to promise that unless I’m sure I have something legitimately praise-worthy.

I’ll start by talking about Nadab and Abihu. These were some interesting fellows who decided to “unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command”. I’m sure you know what happened next.

I suppose I could make a lot of jokes here about how they were consumed by flame. Of course, that would be ignoring that two people died here. Oddly enough, there is a verse here that talks about not mourning for Nadab and Abihu also. For the simplicity of Copy and Paste, here is the verse:

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair become unkempt, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the house of Israel, may mourn for those the LORD has destroyed by fire.

Now, Moses does not say to Aaron and his sons they shouldn’t mourn for them, but they can’t be too extreme about it. For me, if I found out that my children or siblings have died, you would see me tear my clothes, and I would probably be so distraught that someone would have to remind me to take care of myself.

Now this would be very different if a friend or family member died essentially by their own hand. This is apparently how Nadab and Abihu died. They offered odd incense that was forbidden by the Lord. I am not certain why it was forbidden, or why these two would try this in the first place. Maybe they wanted a repeat of what happened at the end of chapter nine in Leviticus, when fire came out and consumed the burnt offerings.

Still, Nadab and Abihu died rather stupidly, not to put to fine a head on it. In a way, it is like when someone commits suicide. You feel sad, but most of all, you feel like telling the person who took their own life off. I know this sounds cruel, and I have not experienced a suicide by a friend or family member in my life.

Proverbs 24:11 says: “The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave”. This keeps us out from doing things that will lead us to death. When others don’t do this, it is hard.

I once had a dream one day that I believe was prophetic. In the dream, I was walking up something that I can only describe as a water slide. The sections that I was walking on were dry enough for me to walk on, but many of the places had water flowing on them. I watched people slide down the slide, and it looked like they were having a good time.

In my dream, I could hear my thoughts. Apparently, I realized that I was looking at friends of mine who were on the path to hell, and they were enjoying the way down.

Sadly, there are a lot of people who don’t know what awaits them. They lead a life full of superficial happiness and die a death that is by their own doing. I understand they made that choice, and they have that right. However, I’m going to shed a tear, more than one, actually.

Fearing God, again.

February 18, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 8-9 and Proverbs 14

I believe that I have discussed fearing God before, and, due to a lack of any other topic, I feel a need to bring it up again.

I’m serious, I couldn’t think of a gosh darn thing to write about! This is hopefully the first time that this has shown on this blog, or at least I hope this is first time it shows.

So, what am I going to talk about, one of those long, drawn-out parts of Leviticus that I can’t really apply because I’m not in the habit of sacrificing animals? Or should I do something about Proverbs, which is a constant rant about: “the wise do this, and are awesome, but the foolish do that, and really suck”.

I guess I’m going to have fall back on an old standby, I notice three verses in the Proverbs reading, so I went with the common theme of the fear of the Lord.

The first says that the fear of the Lord has a secure fortress, and it will be for a children a refuge. The second is that the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, and turns a man from the snares of death. I forgot to mention that earlier is a sentence that says the upright fears the Lord, but he whose ways are devious despise him.

So, what can we learn from this? That if you fear the Lord, you will have security, life, and upright-itude. Sure, I guess I could apply that, but that is pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Maybe we can learn this. They can’t all be gems. I had some pretty cool stuff on the first few entries, and sometimes, I really get a real shiner, but today, I got nothing.

However, my entries have to be 400 words minimum so I can post it on this blog. So let me leave you with this:

If you want to fear God, no problem. Just picture God and picture you. You are a frickin’ ant in His sight. No, how about a paramecium? No, let’s put it this way: if the paramecium had paramecium, then that would be you.

I’m not trying to belittle you, but have you seen the universe? It’s pretty darn big. The world is like a grain of sand on a giant beach. So you can imagine what that makes you. And you think that you are so important!

Fat or Skinny Priests?

February 17, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 6-7 and Acts 7

As I was reading Leviticus, I saw something that I sort of ignored before. The priests have to eat. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t see any record of any sort of salary given to the priests. I suppose God could have appointed a certain amount for them, or some places to live, or something. Most of the commandments seem to be oriented about the work of the priests.

It’s like they live in the Star Trek Universe or something, and no one seems to have a life outside of Starfleet duties. As I recall, no one seemed to ever worry about money, and if they were paying the rent, it wasn’t like we ever saw where they were living.

Perhaps this is what it meant to be, really, to be a priest. That you are completely sacrificed for what you do, and so you don’t worry about where you live. In fact, when it really comes down to it, the only thing you really need to survive is food.

It sounded like the priests had a lot of food. If you read Leviticus, there are specific instructions about what offerings are to be eaten, and what is not to be eaten. As far as I know, these are the only Scriptures that state how the priests were taken care of.

However, here is the thing: their source of food was dependent on the people’s sin and guilt offerings. Don’t you think that it would be a little scary to be a priest? I mean, if you think the present state of the economy is bad now, try having the state of your food being determined by how sinful the kingdom is?

In other words, if the people were actually living the pure life that people should have been living, there would be no sin and grain offerings, and the people would have starved to death.

And, if sin was just abounding, then the priests would have so much to eat that they all would have been fat.

I once heard that all economy is based on scarcity. Like what makes a diamond valuable is the fact that there are so few of them. If there was a lot of diamonds, then they would be worth as much as glass.

So, if sin is scarce, then the priests had a little famine going on. In short, the way this system was set up was there would have to be sin for the priests to live. I suppose if the people were holy, the priests would have to find another line of work.

Perhaps this was the idea, that we could overcome this system that was in place. I’m glad Jesus is here for all this. Let’s just hope that the ministers of God will have something to eat and somewhere to live in the perfection of heaven.

The Ignorance of Sin

February 17, 2009

Today's reading: Leviticus 4-5 and Acts 6

I realize that Leviticus isn’t exactly one of my favorite books in the Bible, but today, I found something that more than caught my attention. From the first few verses, there is a clause about “when anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands”.

In short, all those sacrifices are for sins that we know that we committed, and those that we don’t know that we committed. I suppose that we could interpret these in New Testament behavior, since we don’t sacrifice animals anymore. I suppose it means that we should confess our sins, and the one that we don’t realize that we have committed.

So let’s interpret this from a Catholic standpoint. I suppose that I could go to confession and say, “bless me father, for I might have sinned”.

Dang, does this mean that we are responsible for the sins we don’t know that we did? I am guessing that it has something to do with the sins that we commit while we are sleeping. I remember hearing a story about a guy who killed his wife in his sleep. I always wondered if that story is one of the worst urban legends in the whole world or the guy who actually killed his wife in his sleep has the absolute worst alibi.

Or maybe if we don’t confess these sins that we haven’t realized, we go to hell. Double dang! We’re all really screwed, aren’t we? I know I’ve probably committed several sins today that I haven’t realized yet.

So, I’m sure if there was ever a situation where I was called up and tried for being a Christian, I’m pretty sure they would nail me on some sin or something. Probably one that I didn’t realize I was committing, I’m sure.

Yet when this type of situation happened with Stephen, the people had to make up evidence on him. Seriously, Stephen literally had the faith of an angel, and he wasn’t even a priest. He was some guy who was called upon to wait tables. I’m guessing he didn’t just take the job because he got the short straw, but he probably saw it as a great honor.

I suppose this is a lesson about getting rid of sin as much as we can. So no one can look at our life and wonder if we are a Christian or not. As for whether sins are covered if we don’t realize that, I believe that God is still working on that.

The Illusion of Control

February 15, 2009

Today's Reading: Leviticus 1-3 and Acts 5

I would like to think that I am in control of my world. I would like to think that if I worked hard, I would succeed. I would like to think that if I did the right things, good things would happen to me in turn.

However, these things have absolutely no guarantee. I realize that we often live our lives by some scientific method of doing x to obtain y, but there is usually some z factor that just loves to muddle with our little plan.

Take the reading from Acts today. (By the way, a lot of these devotional entries will probably New Testament focused because I seriously think that Leviticus is boring.)

Here, the apostles were going out and preaching the Lord’s work, only to find that the people were not responding. No surprise there. It probably doesn’t take a great leap of faith to believe that all this preaching would lead to them being thrown in prison.

The real surprise was when an angel unlocked all the doors in the prison. Instead of the apostles saying: “Okay, let’s make a break for it”, they went back and preached. It appeared that action x (preaching the gospel) was going to lead to y (being tossed back into prison).

Instead, one of the great teachers of the law, Gamaliel, speaks up. He sites two demagogues who had their attempts at power, but were subsequently stopped. He simply states that “if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men: you will only find yourselves fighting against God”.

In other words, if God wants something to happen, it does. If we won’t do it, then God will raise up someone who will.

You ever seen those time travel movies where a character goes back in time to try and prevent something from happening, only to find that it happens anyway, albeit differently. Think of that remake of The Time Machine a few years ago when Guy Pearce is trying to save the one he loves from death. First he prevents her from being mugged, only to have her be hit by a steam-driven automobile. If I were in that situation, I honestly don’t know how many times I would time traveled before I would have quit.

Maybe after I lead my girlfriend out into a field of some kind, where nothing can hurt her, she would get hit by an asteroid.

My point is that you cannot change the past, and guess what, there are aspects about the present that are pretty much set in stone. If God wants it, it is happening.

The Clothes Don’t Make the Man

February 14, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 39-40 and Acts 4

Well, as you can see from the title, I’m going to be talking about clothing today. I probably shouldn’t be the one writing about this, as I am the most fashionably deficient persons that I know of.

Seriously, I have to ask my wife if my clothes match. At the end of the day, if she were to ask me what the clothes of anyone I had met that day looked like, I wouldn’t remember.

You got to hand it to God for instructing Moses to make a wardrobe that even I would not forget. I mean, look at all the gold and linen and yarn and jewels. Not only that, it comes with a matching crown that is pure gold.

I mean that is more bling that most rappers (of hip-hop artists) tend to wear. I think I recently saw a picture of rapper Common on a commercial, and he was wearing an Egyptian headdress as well as a number of other jewels and assorted stuff that must cost his career just to wear.

I suppose this is what we would think a truly godly man would wear. Something that just says to everyone: “Can’t Touch This”.

Compare the images of a priest in all of his valuable garb to Peter and John, who, as we know from yesterday’s reading, are quoted in saying “silver and gold have I none”. Chances are, their clothes must have looked pretty shabby, especially to the high priests.

There was one thing that they did notice. Peter and John had Courage. Yeah, baby, just like that medal that the Cowardly Lion wore at the end of the Wizard of Oz. Of course, the Lion was already brave, wasn’t he? All he needed was a reminder to himself and others.

Peter and John didn’t have the medals. No way, the go their courage The Wiz way. You may recall the ending of that 70’s version of the classic tale. Dorothy tells her friends that they “had it all along”, so Richard Pryor didn’t have to give them squat.

It is later on in Acts 4:13 where it is revealed that the priest could see that Peter and John had “been with Jesus”. I suppose this is the source of their courage. It certainly makes a lot of sense.

You know that line from a song in the musical Annie? “You’re never fully dressed without a smile”? Well, this is you’re never fully dressed with being with Jesus.

Man, that was cheesy. I mean, I had to take my material from musicals for crying out loud! I think it’s becoming harder for me to come up with fresher material lately.

Silver and Gold have I none

February 13, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 37, 38 and Acts 3

In the New Testament reading today, a beggar is in front of the Temple, and he wants only one thing: money. I imagine that people looked at this beggar like they look at homeless today, they just walk on by and pretend that they are not there.

Peter and John played it the opposite way. They told the beggar to specifically look at him. I am not certain why, but Peter then added “silver and gold I do not have”.

This is ironic, because the beggar was sitting in front of the tabernacle of God. In the reading of Exodus, it talks about the Tabernacle and how much valuable materials like gold and silver are in it. I don’t know how much it would be worth in today’s economy, but it enough to get rich.

Not that I am planning on cutting up the Tabernacle and selling it on eBay, because I think I regretted mentioning that.

I’m talking about money. There is a beggar sitting out in front of one of the most valuable pieces of architecture in the world. All he would need is a brick, and he would probably have been set for life.

I think I have already stated why in the world God would want to have the Ark. Why need something so material to represent spiritual things? Why is it that we spend a bunch of money on things that don’t even come close to representing the real thing?

I could go into detail about the vanity of money. The thing is, money is simply not evenly distributed in the world. I think I once heard that ten percent of the world owns ninety percent of all the income.

In a way, God is not evenly distributed either. I think that we all know some people who are very godly and some people who are completely godly. I know a few people who are just godly enough to be saved, and I guess that is all we really want, isn’t it?

The issue is that there is enough of God to go around, and it is our own choice that keeps us taking a slice when God wants to give us the whole pie.

After all, it sounds like Peter is saying that he is willing to give the goodness of God. It is easy to give away, like a charge card that has no limit and best of all, no interest rate. Are we using it?

Misplaced Talent

February 12, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 35-36 and Proverbs 13

Since we're past the whole Ten Commandments/Golden Calf part of the book of Exodus, it is non-stop Tabernacle description. As for me, it's kind of interesting to read about the symbolic or biblical architecture because a lot of the stuff in the Tabernacle is really cool, sometimes.

One of the most notable things about this part is how God assigns specific people for the task of the Tabernacle. Apparently, God had anointed these specific people with a lot of skill, so they were perfect for the job.

It doesn't look like there was some sort of application process for this, it just appeared that God chose them for the job. It doesn't look like these two, Bezalel and Oholiab, had any choice about the matter.

This raises an important question. Why is it that some people seem more talented than others? Why is it that comedians can make witty comments on the fly, but some people (especially Christians) really suck at telling any kind of joke, even if they are good.

Talent is one of those things that we have some control over. People can go to school and refine their talent, but this is implying that there is talent to begin with. I am guessing that there are some things that I will never be good at, even if I am given an eternity.

In fact, let's say we are all in heaven. I am assuming that even with an eternity of whatever work we will do with God, we will have an infinite amount of spare time. (This is an infinite set in an infinite set.) So in that spare time of eternity, some people will probably knit sweaters, and will have a whole closet full. Some won't even attempt it after a thousand years.

In short, what makes one person's amplitude better than anyone else's? I suppose no one's talent is "greater" than anyone else's, it is just that God likes to work with all sorts of different people.

The key is to go with the talents that we have. I am assuming that if God has created someone with a talent for making sweaters, than this person should be good place where making sweaters will save lives.

What makes it interesting is how God uses all of these talents to simply work together to create the world as we know it. Oddly enough, those who are often the most talented in their field are not necessarily working in that field. Yet even these supposedly misplaced serve a function.

So the moral is, where you are in comparison with what you can do is part of God's plan.

Take off the veil!

February 11, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 33, 34 and Proverbs 12

In the Book of Exodus, there is a section that discusses how Moses went to see God, and unfortunately, God would let him see nothing but his…backside. Yeah, that is a bum-mer deal, but what are you going to do.

After all, Jacob once saw the face of God and was surprised that he lived. This seems to imply that whoever sees God eye to eye will pretty much not live to say what he or she saw.

I guess what Moses got was good, because he could live. Perhaps God is trying to keep us from seeing His face, because he knows that if we do, we won’t want to live. We will want to stay with God for eternity, and want to leave our lives behind. I’m not saying that seeing the face of God will make us want to spontaneously commit suicide, but we would want to skip to heaven and fast forward through life.

Just the sight of a part of God was enough to make Moses’ face becoming “radiant”. Now, you think that people would line up to see Moses wonderful glowing face, but instead, he puts on a veil.

I can imagine what it would have looked like to have Moses walk around with a veil over his face. It would be like when you cover a flashlight with a cloth. He probably looked like one of those aliens in the Cocoon movies with the glowing skin, but picture that glow concealed underneath a ski mask instead of some artificial flesh. There would probably be enough to see some glowing happening under the cloth.

I wonder, when Moses glowing face walked among the people, did they avoid him, like they would a person horrendously scarred? I’m not certain if it was the people’s idea or Moses to do the veiling, but I can’t imagine what made him hide his glow.

Perhaps it is because people hate it. The reading in Proverbs states in many ways how righteousness shines out.

You want to know what is sick? I’ve seen a lot of righteous people who love to parade their righteousness, who probably stand to be veiled. That, or snuffed out.

However, when you are doing a good thing, it stands to reason that you will face opposition of some kind. If you don’t believe me, try not gossiping about a co-worker, and you will be treated worse that the person who gossips the most.

There is some righteousness that needs to be covered, like doing good deeds in secret for goodness sake and not to gain a reward. But sometimes, the veil needs to lifted, man.

The Voice of Singing

February 10, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 31, 32 and Acts 2

Sometimes, when I am reading the Bible, there are times that I wish I had been around for. For example, during the parting of the Red Sea, where everybody had to have been pumped up for God after seeing Pharaoh’s army bite it.

And yet, not more than who knows how long (but not too long) later, the Golden Calf happens. To this day, I still don’t know how that could have happened. I mean, what is it that the people thought that Moses could do or not do by being absent? I mean, the guys is in a conference with God, Moses didn’t leave an ETA of when he would be back. Get over it, people, and wait.

Instead, they go and create their own God. Seems a tad bit extreme, don’t you think? What really bugs me is that all the ruckus that the Hebrews were creating with their debaucheries interrupted the meeting between God and Moses.

Moses has some interesting things to report: “It is no the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat, it is the sound of singing that I hear.”

In all honesty, I could not think of a more worse defeat of the Hebrews than the Golden Calf. It’s like when you hear those stories of the really successful pastor whose career is sadly cut off abruptly once it is discovered that he has had an extramarital affair.

So why in the world was the song of singing heard? Let’s contrast that last unfortunate low note in the Old Testament with a high note in the New. The whole scene with the Upper Room, the Tongues of Fire, and Peter’s kickin’ sermon would be another place I would go if I had keys to a time machine.

I can’t imagine that there wouldn’t be singing at this event, especially with all the Holy Spirit moving. I imagine there would have been songs in several languages.

So why is it that singing in the Old Testament is not a sign of either victory or defeat, when it should be one or the other?

Is it possible that music is something that exists apart from victory or defeat? Perhaps. Maybe there is something to this whole “there’s no such thing as Christian or secular music” after all.

In other words, you can sing and not worry about whose side you are on. I realize that flies in the face of those who believe that you shouldn’t listen to certain types of music, but sometimes, you have to ask yourself how much it matters.

The Procedure of Dice

February 9, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 29, 30 and Acts 1

Considering the way that God has Moses consecrate the priests, one might draw a conclusion that God has that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that I’ve been hearing so much about.

I mean, look at how meticulous these rituals are. In fact, I can’t help but be bored reading them. They are filled to the brim with “lay hands on this, burn this, sacrifice this”, and the sheer repetition and non-repetition just wears the mind down until all that is left is a yadda yadda yadda. Man, I think about everything but this consecration every time I read this.

I guess there is something about the OCD nature of these rituals that makes me want to shut my mind off. Have you ever worked for a job that required a procedure with no margin for error? In other words, it didn’t matter what you did, but how you did it?

Maybe you’ve worked for a boss who had this thing about control. Like if you use the clipboard to chart progress of a project, then you had to use a specific color of ink. Sometimes there are adequate reasons for these procedures, and sometimes they are just leftovers from an era where the exact procedures might have mattered. Other times, the man just wants to keep you in line!

As for me, I like procedures. You know, like due process. If someone gets out of line, arrest them, book them, let them defend themselves, and justice will hopefully win out in the end.

Unfortunately, Exodus and other books of the Torah are boring because they talk endlessly about procedures. In all honesty, I’m not looking forward to these next two months dealing with books like Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy because they talk about what to do in case of this, what to do in case of that.

Now, you would think that with all the procedures in the Bible, there would be some sort of procedure of what to do if a disciple commits suicide and you have to replace him. Apparently, there isn’t, and the disciples discovered that if you are down to two disciples, then you roll dice.

Funny, something really important, and they cast lots. Einstein once said that “God does not play at dice”, but it looks like godly things can happen by shooting craps. After all, didn’t Jesus say that there were twelve thrones that He and His disciples would fill. I’m guessing Judas doesn’t have one, and now Matthias will, or does.

So, what can we learn from this. Do we need procedures or can we just roll the dice? Why take one or the other when you can have both? Funny, I’ve been saying that a lot lately on this blog.

Burn the Tabernacle!

February 8, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 27, 28 and Matthew 28

Yesterday, I talked about the Ark of the Covenant, and I dared to question why we even needed to have an Ark of the Covenant. Okay, I didn’t really dare. If I was that daring, I probably would have been more edgy. Can you even call this devotional edgy?

Anyway, I suggested that the Ark of the Covenant was made because we, as human beings, needed some sort of physical representation of God’s presence. Obviously, we couldn’t picture things that were invisible at the time. They probably didn’t see their air as oxygen and nitrogen, like we see now. They saw any empty space as just the presence of nothingness.

So today, let’s talk about the other furniture in the Tabernacle. Let’s look at that altar of burnt offering. Well, since Jesus died and rose for our sins, we don’t really need a burnt altar. As for the oil, I still see that in churches to anoint stuff.

As for the other priestly garments, I suppose that has survived by the ritual of dressing up at church.

As for all the other things in the Tabernacle, they aren’t really around anymore, are they? Why? Because the stuff Jesus did negates a lot of it. I believe it was explained in depth in Hebrews.

So in short, let’s burn the Tabernacle! Yeah, those Romans had the right idea. Okay, so they probably burned it down to keep the Jewish people down, but hey, none of it was really needed anymore now that Christ had completed the work. Okay, I’m clearly getting into some sacrilegious territory here.

I mean, why not take the Tabernacle furniture and sell it on eBay? All right, there is something wrong with saying that.

Still, I think this goes to show you that we have to follow whatever revelation that we are stuck in until a greater one comes along. Until then, we are not stuck, but exactly where God wants us to be.

Unless, of course, we can grow out of them. Every once in a while, I shiver at the notion that we used to have people pay indulgences to see that their loved ones will spend less time in purgatory. Martin Luther may have changed that, but I believe that he also spent some time persecuting Anabaptists.

Ah, reform, there is nothing like it. Of course, every reform movement thinks it is the end-all. Even Jesus didn’t think that. After he was resurrected he just said: “the party is just getting started”.

So what good is an Ark?

February 7, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 25, 26 and Matthew 27

Every once in a while, I find two readings that have one common theme that is easy to spot. It can make it easy to find subject matter, which is probably the most difficult part of my writing job, seriously.

Today, it has to be about the Ark. In the Exodus reading, God describes the making of the Ark of the Covenant. In Matthew, there is a description of the Temple after crucifixion. There was an odd occurrence in which the curtain to the Holy of Holies tore down the middle.

Most people justly interpret the tearing of the curtain to the fact that after Jesus’ death on the cross, everything changed. In case you don’t know, Jesus took all of our sins on the cross, and no more would the Holy of Holies be a special place that only the priests can go to, but something that everyone can visit.

In Exodus, God gave very specific instructions for where to put the Ark, and how to build the Tabernacle to keep it in. I talked yesterday about glory, and what it is. I think I defined glory as that which God has that we will never attain, even if we are saved.

You could call the Ark of the Covenant a physical form of God’s glory, but in the end, it is just a fancy box. Granted, it is was a box that could kill you if you touched it, and it required some special care, but don’t tell me that you don’t have things around your house that are similar, like your microwave or television.

Seriously, why did the Nazis want this thing in Raiders of the Lost Ark? Did they really think that it could “level mountains”. Despite the fact that Raiders is one of the awesomest films of all time, I believe there is some sort of biblical mix-up where the character Marcus Brody says “the bible speaks of the Ark leveling mountains”. Not only that, “an army carrying the Ark of the Covenant is invincible”.

Uh, excuse me, but I believe the Ark was carried out in a battle against the Philistines, and the Hebrews lost. You know why? Because they thought it was a God-in-a-box, where you could wind it up and God can totally do what you want Him to.

Is it possible that God had to make an Ark because we could easily equate God’s glory with something that is materially present in the form of gold? If so, then we seriously need to get our idea of God out of the box.

What the heck does glory mean?

February 6, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 23, 24 and Matthew 26

In the reading today in the book of Exodus, God appears and it is pretty glorious. I believe the verse says something about how Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, seventy elders came up to see the God of Israel. Not only did they get to see God, but they walked on a path “made of sapphire”.

I’m not certain how this would look like, but this is one time I would let my imagination go wild. It would be pretty cool to see a road that is made of colored stones. There is also a promise that God will send an angel ahead to wipe out some serious enemies.

Contrast that to the reading today in Matthew, in which there is no obvious physical presence of glory. In fact, it feels like the glory of God is about to fade away. After all, all signs are pointing to a mock trial of Jesus, a verdict that would be a serious death. None of the disciples are there looking forward to that, and there was even talk of a betrayal. I’m sure it didn’t seem like God was close by.

I bring these two examples up because I have heard the word “glory” being thrown around in many a Christian circle, and it has become such a buzzword that I’m not even really sure what it really means.

Is it some feeling that we get? I’m not even really certain how to define the word without using God in it. I think we think of it as some shiny sort of glimmer that occurs if God or one of his angels ever just showed up.

If there is some sort of verse I’m missing that says what the heck the glory is? Or is this just something like when the pastor leads in prayer and I’m supposed to know what to think or something? Is there clearly some things not be communicated in Christianity.

Can I help it if I want to define glory as that part of God that we, as humans, even as saved humans, simply cannot attain? If that is true, I suppose that God’s glory is present no matter where we are, if there is an angel before us or when it seems like God is just up and left us.

Okay, I probably went and defined something that probably should be defined by someone who doesn’t have some sort of theological degree and no use of Scripture. Still, it is better than going along with buzzwords.

When to Carry Extra

February 5, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 21-22 and Matthew 25

It is good to read the law of Moses, because there is a sense that the justice system really can work. I think the idea that people who do wrong should have to pay for it is the very thing that keeps us believing in police, law, and due process.

However, an eye for an eye has its limits. If it were truly lived out, then the one who took the first eye would have his eye taken out, then he would take someone’s eye out of sheer revenge. I believe that I am quoting the science fiction show Babylon 5 with this one, but “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is a system that leaves everyone blind and toothless.

In short, the laws in the book of Exodus, if truly implemented, would work too well. Even though that special cases are allotted for those who kill or injure accidentally, if you kill or injure someone with malicious intent, then malicious intent shall be done unto you.

It is a system that has no allotment for grace. There is no sense that someone who does a crime will ever get off, no matter how good their lawyer is. You know that time when you get pulled over by a cop and he gives you a warning. In Exodus, there is no warning.

This seems to be the case in all three of the parables that Jesus told in Matthew. The first is about five foolish virgins, who didn’t have enough oil for their lamps. I had a problem with this story at first, because there were five more how could have shared their oil, and everything would have been okay. After all, the bridegroom returned while the five foolish virgins were out getting more oil. How long could that have been, honestly?

I guess that is not the point. They didn’t know how long it would take. I am assuming there was some cutoff point where the bridgegroom has to show up or someone assumes that the bridegroom has been killed or something. Too bad he showed up in that window, huh?

As for the parable of the talents, the issue is with one guy, who, unlike the others, failed to double his income. Again, there was no grace allotted.

What’s worse is the next story, which has one thing in common with the first two parables. You can be punished for that which you don’t do.

This is sad, but this is life. The grace period given to us called life is limited. It has to be embraced before a certain cutoff point, or we will face the consequences for what we did or didn’t do. The only thing we can do is make certain that the extra life that we carry “in case of death” is always fully charged.

Fearing God

February 4, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 19-20 and Matthew 24

I believe that this is the first entry in this blog that I have ever done about the fear of God. That’s odd, considering I have covered half of Proverbs by now, which is all about how the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Maybe by this time next year, I’ll touch on it.

That, or I could start now. After all, there is a lot of reasons to be afraid of God in today’s reading. Not only did we talk about how Moses talked with God on Mount Sinai, but Jesus talked today about the last days.

I couldn’t have picked a set of verses that really make God sound just plain scary. It is no wonder that no one but Moses was willing to go see God on Mount Sinai. Mix that with a little endtimes prophecy from Jesus, and it is enough to even make the godly quiver with fear.

Sadly, I don’t think most of us know what godly fear is, because we usually associate the fear of God with Mount Sinai or Second Coming of Christ experiences.

I will tell you about one time where I thought I was experiencing the fear of God. It happened after I went to a Youth Group meeting, where a guest speaker was talking about the Book of Revelations. There was a lot of talk about the Tribulation, and how everyone was going to have to have a tattoo on their head and hands.

This is not the fear of God, just fear. I was not afraid of what God would do to me, but rather what man would do to me.

So what is the fear of God? Does it mean being afraid of God all the time? Yes. The problem is, we can only associate that with something negative because that is all we know about fear.

If you think that God wants us to walk around like a little kid in a dark cave, I don’t think we know God. The truth is, we should love God.

So how can we love and fear something at the same time? If you have been in love, then you already know the answer to this question, but let me help you put it into words. The more you love someone, the greater the power is that this person has to hurt you. I mean, if someone comes up to me on the street and insults me, I can easily ignore it, because he don’t know me. However, if it is my wife who says it, it will be the worst blow in the world.

The thing we need to fear about God is that He could just as easily insult us. After all, his love is not a right, it is a privilege. He could take it away on his will, but he tells us that he won’t. If we believe that, than we really have nothing to fear.

Woe to Christians

February 3, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 17-18 and Matthew 23

Matthew 23 is one of those chapters that is full of woe. All of it is related to the way the Pharisees act so hypocritically. Apparently, their behavior was so non-exemplary that Jesus told them to not listen to them, period.

Contrast that with the leadership shown by Moses, who is considered by most to be one of the coolest leaders ever. Of course, his leadership had its pitfalls too, but what is shown here is one of his glory days.

I mean, how many people do you know that can strike a rock and make water come out? Or can make an army conquer simply by raising up his hands? These are the people we think of when we think of Moses.

Of course, the most difficult task he had, besides leading the people out of slavery, was leading them in freedom. I’m sure that managing 600,000 people with their women and children was quite a daunting task.

Thank God for Jethro and his advice about judges. Splitting people up was not only the beginning of church leadership, but probably the beginning of the “chain of command” system as we know it.

And look what it ended up as. The Pharisees ended up as. I believe Jesus described them as a polished cup, or whitewashed sepulchers.

The saddest thing about it is how much things have not changed. Considering the reputation that Catholic priests have had in the past few years, that, combined with every Christian hypocrite that we all know, it has now come down to Jesus saying “woe to you” for Christians.

I have known some people who I thought were great Christian leaders at the time, but in the end, they ended up doing some things that I never thought I would ever see them do. I suppose those who know who I am are trying to figure out exactly who I am referring to.

The truth is that a lot of Christian leaders fail because their followers put them on too high of a pedestal. We begin to think that they are above sins that the heathen stumble into, as if they are somehow immune.

No, most Christian leaders just know how to make themselves look good. They know when the spotlight is on them on Sunday, and on the job. However, other than that, what they do in the down time is their own time, and we don’t want to know. We want to assume everything is perfect.

Christianity is the reason that I began to write for Irreverent Reverence. People need to know that just because the fruit is rotten, doesn’t mean the tree isn’t healthy.

Don’t Pay Taxes Anymore

February 2, 2009

Today's Reading: Exodus 15-16 and Matthew 22

Yeah, those Pharisees kept testing Jesus with a lot of questions that I probably would have asked too. For example, the question of whether it is good to pay taxes or not?

Hey, morally, I’m not certain I can justify taxes. I mean, it is money that I give the government which they use for God only knows what. Since a lot of you are in the process of paying your taxes, I suppose this would be a “contemporary devotional”, but in order for that to be true, most of you would be reading this in April.

Of course, Jesus realized what it was all about. If he had said “Yes”, then they would have said “a-ha, you support the emperor”. If Jesus had said “no”, then they probably would have said, “a-ha, you are planning to overthrow the emperor”. So their question both supports and not supports the emperor.

Instead, Jesus just asks them to “show him the money”, and asks him who is on it. Then God said, render unto Ceasar and all that. By the way, Caesar was quite dead by the time Jesus was around. Still, does that matter? After all, George Washington is our money, and he’s been dead for over two hundred years.

So money then and money now has pictures of it of those who shouldn’t get any. Of course, if Jesus had been around, “Render unto Washington that which belongs to Washington” could be interpreted differently. After all, some of us are going to render Washington some serious coinage come April.

The point that Jesus is trying to make is that whoever owes, owes, and whoever collects, collects. Both Caesar and Washington get something because these respective societies say it is true. However, what does God own? Everything.

Sadly, most people give to God the way they pay their taxes. Reluctantly and out of some sense of avoiding penalty.

When we realize that God owns everything, then we also need to realize that personal possessive pronouns (my, mine, your, our) are an illusion. The only thing that God doesn’t own is that which we claim is ours. It’s not that it still isn’t God’s, it’s just that it cannot be used for God.

This includes our mistakes! If we are willing to give them up, then they are God. They are no longer ours, which means we are no longer connected to them. You don’t even have to pay taxes on them. Isn’t that a reason to be glad to give!

Changed my Mind

February 1, 2009

Today's Reading Exodus 13-14 and Matthew 21

Two days ago, I tried but didn’t really do a good job of explaining how God can harden hearts, and how we harden our own hearts. I tried to explain that it is possible for both to be true, even though it seems both facts are mutually exclusive.

Such is case today. I read the story of the parting of the Red Sea, and I found something that I had a hard time imagining. In Chapter 13, it is established that a pillar of cloud led the Israelites by day, and a pillar of fire at night.

However, during the actual parting himself, it describes this pillar as something that was cloudy on one side to confuse the Egyptians, and fire on the other to shine a light for the Hebrews. The two Moses movies that I always mention (The Ten Commandments and The Prince of Egypt) only showed the pillar of fire, and the effects departments of both of these flicks didn’t even attempt what the Bible actually says.

So how do both of these concepts exist at the same time? Maybe God does creation as some sort of work in progress. In Chapter 13, God apparently doesn’t want the Israelites to go into the Philistine territory because He didn’t want the Israelites to fear war and turn around. And yet, look what happens, God leads the Israelites to a dead end by the Red Sea, surrounded by enemy troops. At least there is no chance of them turning back.

Is it possible that God can change his mind? That seems to be a running theme in the Scriptures for today, when Jesus talks about a father with two sons. The Dad tells the sons to do something, and one says “yeah”, but doesn’t do it. The other said “nah”, but did it anyway. Apparently, the kid that changed his mind actually turned out to be the better of the two.

So can God change his mind too? So it would appear. Of course, God is perfect, so I am assuming that whenever he does change His mind, it is for a better decision on our part.

The important thing to know is that God can be two things at once. After all, look at how he is a kind guy who plays with children on one thing, then he is mad guy with a whip whacking money changers out of the temple. In other words, God can be both, just like we are many things.