Blogging the Bible: Numbers

Numbers has lots of numbers. It start with various censuses of the people, but in my thinking, this book is sort of depicts the overall quantitative exactitude of God. Numbers goes into extensive details about the modes, means and measures God required of the children of Israel in the matters of various offerings, rituals of cleanliness, and additional laws.

This book reminds me a little of the watchmaker, the calculating creator of the universe, who had a plan from the beginning: to love people, and for people to love and worship Him through their freewill choice, but in the only manner acceptable to such a God: in perfect holiness.

There are some narrative elements in the middle of the book, including Aaron and Miriam's dissension, a few rebellions and complaints, and the initial refusal to enter into the promised land, the prophesies of Balaam, and a few battles, deaths, and consequential errors, among them the forty years of wandering that are the setting of the last two books of the Pentateuch.

There is plenty of meat (mostly quail) and manna in the pages, but they're laden with the numbers the title speaks of, and while it remains God's Word, and as such I cannot speak against it, I was glad to reach the other side. I prefer the arts to the maths and sciences, but try to understand the importance of all in turn.

Blogging the Bible: Leviticus

The Law. The Pentateuch has to be the part of the Bible I struggle with the most, and of those first five books, this one is the major cause. The Levitical Law is often hard to reconcile to Christianity until you see it for what it is: a characterization of God, of Jesus, of the standard of perfection that Jesus maintained as he lived on earth, filling in much of the questions about his character, his early years, and the life he lived up to turning thirty and beginning his ministry. That's my take, anyhow. Which certainly helps me to appreciate my savior a little more because seriously, it's an incredibly strict behavioral standard. Thankfully, Jesus lived it and gave us a more consice, but at times no less difficult standard to live:

"Love the Lord your God... love your neighbor as yourself." Mat: 22:37-40

"These things I command you, that you love one another." John: 15:17

Still, I prefer to focus on love than rituals for cleanliness concerning molds.

Blogging the Bible: Exodus

I'm sure I'll be editing and amending these entries as the go, and by all means, feel free to share and expound on my meager attempts... especially with the Pentateuch...

Exodus

Exodus tells the story of the Israelites first liberation after their gradual enslavement at the hands of the Egyptians after Joseph’s sojourn. God’s tool of freedom is Moses, a Jewish-born, Egyptian-raised, murdering castaway shepherd with a speech impediment of sorts. He and Aaron confront the Pharaoh with signs and wonders culminating in the ten plagues of Egypt. This book introduces the Passover covenant and the subsequent salvation of the Israelites forty year trek through the wilderness and all of the provisions of God they receive, from Manna to water to guidance, both day and night, and of course, the laws given Moses atop Mt. Sinai. Exodus concludes with the building of the Ark of the Covenant and the erecting of the Tabernacle. The specificity of the requisite workmanship is a characteristic example of the Holy nature of God.

I like the manifestations of God in Exodus, from the burning bush to the pillars of cloud and fire. I like the God's choice of heroes too: feuding brothers, one with a speech impediment and the other eventually succumbing to peer pressure at the foot of Mt. Sinai; such an unlikely pairing leading the Exodus of thousands from captivity almost convinces me that I too am not beyond the use of God. Almost. Luckily there's a lot left to persuade me the rest of the way.

Blogging the Bible: Genesis

This is something I started a while ago, with a professing atheistic friend of mine, but like most attempts at reading The Bible, I came up short. I'm hoping that I can get some ideas out for all 66 books of the Bible within the year (requiring having read them all) because it's the greatest travesty of my life that I have yet to read every word God has made available to me. If I post a book I've read it. It won't be linear, but that's how I started, and probably why I've always failed. I'm reading a NKJV. So, without further ado:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

The book of Genesis tells the story of God from creation through to the Israelites’ relocation to Egypt through the life of Joseph. What stood out to me was the Nature of God in contrast to the Nature of Man. God is depicted throughout Genesis as the source of life, love, wealth, and health, whereas humanity is mostly then, as now, the recipients and consumers of the goodness of God.
My favorite stories and illustrations are the Garden of Eden, depicting the beginning of humanity’s relationship with God and each other, and the stories surrounding the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, from the covenant and subsequent sacrifice of Abraham regarding Isaac, to Jacob’s wrestling with God to obtain favor, to Joseph’s God-given favor to surmount innumerable obstacles in a foreign land through dream interpretation and his steadfastness in accordance with God’s will.
The story of Eden introduces the nature of Love through choice. It also reveals the Nature of God in the relationship that existed between God and creation. It clearly depicts the consequences of sin in that relationship and goes on from there to encapsulate the consequences of sin in human relationships. The downward spiral that culminates in the great flood is the unhindered nature of man at work.
The beauty of the covenant God made with Abraham (formerly Abram) is that God took the whole responsibility for its keeping. Thus began God’s romancing of humanity. It’s a love comprised of choice and consequence, wherein we, as God’s creation, often falter, and occasionally rise up to the occasion to wrestle with the almighty and sway the heart of God.
There are some beautiful illustrations of a father's heart. One of my favorites is in the choosing of Rebekah as Isaac's wife. There are some great levels to this simple story where a servant carries out a natural father's dying wish with the help of the heavenly Father.
Other stories of note are the stories of sibling rivalry, from the first fratricide, to the trickery of Jacob, to the jealousy toward Joseph, all dealing with the complex relationships between brothers. If you have a brother, you might understand what I'm talking about. I'm not entirely sure how well they translate to sisters.
As a final note, I found the numerous name changes interesting, if not foreshadowing. They remind me of a beautiful verse in Revelations, but I’ll venture to tie that up in a few years or so.