The readings - Day 23 - Exodus 16-18
I firmly believe that there is something inherent about the ability of the Bible to stand up to translation. I think that the whole point, from the very beginning with God's promise to bless the entire world through Abraham's descendants, was that there should be no impediment to people's relating to God, and translation is a huge part of that. I think it's right that the Bible should be read in English, Spanish, Farsi, Japanese, Cree and everything else, because I think God's bigger than language differences and linguistic quibbles.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Ex. 13-15 - "...But what have you done for us lately?"
The readings - Day 22 - Exodus 13-15
Remember that thing about the main characters (heroes, sometimes) of the Bible often being so human it hurts just to hear about them? And how that tends to fly in the face of the weird theory that the Bible was written by the people (or their descendants) who "star" in it so that they'll gain something from it?
Yeah, that really starts to pick up here in Exodus. In Genesis, we had flip-flopping, faithless, gutless and/or shameful behaviour on an individual level, because that's the level that, by and large, Genesis worked on. Now that we're in Exodus and we've zoomed out to a more corporate, societal level, we start to get a handle on just how old that axiom about mob mentality ("to determine the overall intelligence of a large group of people, take the IQ of the stupidest people in that group and divide by the number of people present") might be.
Remember that thing about the main characters (heroes, sometimes) of the Bible often being so human it hurts just to hear about them? And how that tends to fly in the face of the weird theory that the Bible was written by the people (or their descendants) who "star" in it so that they'll gain something from it?
Yeah, that really starts to pick up here in Exodus. In Genesis, we had flip-flopping, faithless, gutless and/or shameful behaviour on an individual level, because that's the level that, by and large, Genesis worked on. Now that we're in Exodus and we've zoomed out to a more corporate, societal level, we start to get a handle on just how old that axiom about mob mentality ("to determine the overall intelligence of a large group of people, take the IQ of the stupidest people in that group and divide by the number of people present") might be.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Ex. 10-12
The readings - Day 21 - Exodus 10-12
This is a hard chunk of scripture to get through. Not that it's not a good read - if it were a Neil Gaiman novel, there'd be no problem, and it'd be captivating stuff. The problem is that God's still at His "I've made sure he'll say no, now go to the Pharaoh and tell him if he says 'no' you'll do _____" thing, which bugs me - not that that matters particularly, I know...
There are other things that I find somewhat interesting about the interaction between God and Pharaoh (through Moses and Aaron), but this thing with God seemingly forcing Pharaoh to keep Israel in Egypt...
Although now that I think about it, hardening Pharaoh's heart isn't precisely the same as forcing him to say no. It does make it more likely that he will, though. Or, at least, it makes it less likely that he'll feel compassion for the Israelites' plight and have that be the reason for their release.
However, there are loads of other reasons why Pharaoh could have (and probably should have) relented far, far earlier than he did. Even his servants thought so, and eventually actually summon the nerve (or just overflow with exasperation) enough to flat out tell him to let Israel go because this whole thing is destroying Egypt. They're right, of course, but Pharaoh will have none of it, so it comes down to one of the most painful-to-read passages in the Bible, best summed up in a single, horrifying line:
So, 430 years after Joseph welcomes the other sons of Israel to Egypt, they leave in the wake of horror, death and incredible destruction.
This is a hard chunk of scripture to get through. Not that it's not a good read - if it were a Neil Gaiman novel, there'd be no problem, and it'd be captivating stuff. The problem is that God's still at His "I've made sure he'll say no, now go to the Pharaoh and tell him if he says 'no' you'll do _____" thing, which bugs me - not that that matters particularly, I know...
There are other things that I find somewhat interesting about the interaction between God and Pharaoh (through Moses and Aaron), but this thing with God seemingly forcing Pharaoh to keep Israel in Egypt...
Although now that I think about it, hardening Pharaoh's heart isn't precisely the same as forcing him to say no. It does make it more likely that he will, though. Or, at least, it makes it less likely that he'll feel compassion for the Israelites' plight and have that be the reason for their release.
However, there are loads of other reasons why Pharaoh could have (and probably should have) relented far, far earlier than he did. Even his servants thought so, and eventually actually summon the nerve (or just overflow with exasperation) enough to flat out tell him to let Israel go because this whole thing is destroying Egypt. They're right, of course, but Pharaoh will have none of it, so it comes down to one of the most painful-to-read passages in the Bible, best summed up in a single, horrifying line:
30 Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead.
So, 430 years after Joseph welcomes the other sons of Israel to Egypt, they leave in the wake of horror, death and incredible destruction.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Ex. 7-9: Moses' school of witchcraft and wizardry
The readings - Day 20 - Exodus 7-9
You know what I find weird? How many people think that being Christian automatically precludes belief in ghosts, aliens, the paranormal, the occult, witchcraft and all those other things. Well actually, it's not that people think that that confuses me, but rather that people think that because so many Christians will tell them things like it.
Even if I didn't think it was just a waste of time to protest things like Harry Potter or Ouija Boards, and that all that ends up happening is you look a bit silly and are somewhat less likely to be taken seriously next time around, I sort of see it as a sign that Christians who rail against the existence of actual magic and powerful, non-Godly supernatural forces haven't really been paying attention to the Old Testament.
You know what I find weird? How many people think that being Christian automatically precludes belief in ghosts, aliens, the paranormal, the occult, witchcraft and all those other things. Well actually, it's not that people think that that confuses me, but rather that people think that because so many Christians will tell them things like it.
Even if I didn't think it was just a waste of time to protest things like Harry Potter or Ouija Boards, and that all that ends up happening is you look a bit silly and are somewhat less likely to be taken seriously next time around, I sort of see it as a sign that Christians who rail against the existence of actual magic and powerful, non-Godly supernatural forces haven't really been paying attention to the Old Testament.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Ex. 4-6 - Moses: the shy murderer
The readings - Day 19 - Exodus 4-6
Rightly or wrongly, there's a certain type of image that pops into your head when you hear about a guy whose on the run, being hunted down for killing a man as vengeance for an injustice.
Being so shy that you become a distinct irritant to the Creator of patience Himself usually doesn't fit in to this picture...
Rightly or wrongly, there's a certain type of image that pops into your head when you hear about a guy whose on the run, being hunted down for killing a man as vengeance for an injustice.
Being so shy that you become a distinct irritant to the Creator of patience Himself usually doesn't fit in to this picture...
Ex. 1-3 - Zooming out
But for all the carry-over from Genesis 50 to Exodus 1, there are some fairly significant shifts that happen in these chapters that mark Exodus as an entirely different entity than Genesis.
"Zooming out" is a pun I couldn't resist, but it also just fits with what's going on at the very beginning of the book. In Genesis, one main, overarching theme could be described as God's relationship with people: Adam, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob...
Exodus seems to be setting itself up, in a very clever way, as a story of God's relationship with a people: the people of Israel. By starting the book with a recap of the basic genealogy of Jacob, the author draws a direct line, without actually tracing direct lines, as it were, from the individual God-human relationships of Genesis to the corporate God-human relationship that will become the theme of... well, the rest of the Bible, really.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Gen. 48-50 - The end of an era
The readings - Day 17 - Genesis 48-50
The account of Jacob's last days is interesting on a number of levels.
Although Isaac and Jacob (especially Isaac) don't really occupy nearly the place of reverence and generally accepted importance that Abraham does, they still represent the completion of the trio of founding generations for the people of Israel (and, by extension, the means of blessing for the whole of humanity), so there's a strong sense of closure when Jacob is finally "gathered to his people" (one of my absolute favourite euphemisms for death, by the way).
The account of Jacob's last days is interesting on a number of levels.
Although Isaac and Jacob (especially Isaac) don't really occupy nearly the place of reverence and generally accepted importance that Abraham does, they still represent the completion of the trio of founding generations for the people of Israel (and, by extension, the means of blessing for the whole of humanity), so there's a strong sense of closure when Jacob is finally "gathered to his people" (one of my absolute favourite euphemisms for death, by the way).
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Gen. 46-47 - Life as sojourn
The readings - Day 16 - Genesis 46-47.
Figuring out how numbers work in the Bible is tricky, even when things seem like they ought to be fairly straightforward. I'm hoping that when I get to Numbers, some of them start to make more sense, but I've got a feeling that that's not the way it's going to pan out...
When I come to tallies like the one that basically kicks off chapter 46, I always feel like I'm missing some vital puzzle pieces, and that if I had a better grasp on the culture of the time that it'd all come together and make sense.
Figuring out how numbers work in the Bible is tricky, even when things seem like they ought to be fairly straightforward. I'm hoping that when I get to Numbers, some of them start to make more sense, but I've got a feeling that that's not the way it's going to pan out...
When I come to tallies like the one that basically kicks off chapter 46, I always feel like I'm missing some vital puzzle pieces, and that if I had a better grasp on the culture of the time that it'd all come together and make sense.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Gen. 43-45 - "I love them, I love them not..."
The readings - Day 15 - Genesis 43-45.
I've got two sons, and they're currently 3 years old and 4 months old. I wouldn't say that I necessarily lose track of them, but then again, I wouldn't say that I have a particularly large family either.
I can, however, see how letting kids outnumber parents is a risky endeavour at best, and that chaos can't help but ensue at some level, particularly when you get into the double digits.
Jacob had 12 sons. Sons. Daughters didn't count for as much back then, but they definitely would have been there... All this is to say that I have no doubt that the household of Jacob was likely incredibly complex and chaotic, with people running here and there, descendants and ancestors everywhere you look, and I'm sure that if I were in his position, I'd have a lot of trouble keeping everything straight, too.
However...
I've got two sons, and they're currently 3 years old and 4 months old. I wouldn't say that I necessarily lose track of them, but then again, I wouldn't say that I have a particularly large family either.
I can, however, see how letting kids outnumber parents is a risky endeavour at best, and that chaos can't help but ensue at some level, particularly when you get into the double digits.
Jacob had 12 sons. Sons. Daughters didn't count for as much back then, but they definitely would have been there... All this is to say that I have no doubt that the household of Jacob was likely incredibly complex and chaotic, with people running here and there, descendants and ancestors everywhere you look, and I'm sure that if I were in his position, I'd have a lot of trouble keeping everything straight, too.
However...
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Gen. 41-42 - "Has it been two years already?"
The readings - Day 14 - Genesis 41-42.
A note about timing, since it's easy to forget how these things actually go, according to the text. It's a relatively recent phenomenon that people are interested in the mundane, day-to-day aspects of historical figures, and most ancient histories skip vast swaths of time, often without much notice at all, in order to get to the good stuff. Seems the Bible is no exception.
A note about timing, since it's easy to forget how these things actually go, according to the text. It's a relatively recent phenomenon that people are interested in the mundane, day-to-day aspects of historical figures, and most ancient histories skip vast swaths of time, often without much notice at all, in order to get to the good stuff. Seems the Bible is no exception.
Gen. 38-40 - "Ask not, er, ah, what you can do for your daughter-in-law..."
The readings - Day 14 - Genesis 38-40.
To anyone who is reading this who doesn't know me personally, I have a disclaimer. I'm technically 30 years old, but I'm 76% sure that I'm still 17.
That said, I have a challenge for you.
First, look at this picture:
To anyone who is reading this who doesn't know me personally, I have a disclaimer. I'm technically 30 years old, but I'm 76% sure that I'm still 17.
That said, I have a challenge for you.
First, look at this picture:
Friday, January 20, 2012
Day 12 - Genesis 35-37
*NOTE: I just spent five minutes trying to find a YouTube clip that has Mr. Smee saying "I've just had an apostrophe" to Captain Hook in the 1991 film Hook. Thought you'd like to know.
Day 11 - Genesis 32-34
A weird thing happens at the beginning of chapter 32.
Turns out that by this time, visits from/with angels are so common that, while they're still worth mentioning, they're really not that interesting any more...
1 Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. 2 Jacob said when he saw them,"This is God's camp." So he named that place Mahanaim.
Turns out that by this time, visits from/with angels are so common that, while they're still worth mentioning, they're really not that interesting any more...
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Day 10 - Genesis 30-31
It's funny how, despite the penchant of certain sectors of Christian society to point to the Bible when it comes to figuring out issues of family and relationships, scripture is chock full of stuff that most people would scoff at, even if they were fans of the daytime talk shows that would be salivating to feature during Sweeps Week.
Strangely enough, it may be that people with family troubles should look to the Bible's famous families, although it may be more of a "look what these people got up to - feel better" type of approach rather than a "let's be more like them" thing. One can only hope.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Days 8 and 9 - Genesis 25-29
So, I'm not just cramming these two days' readings into one post because I know deep down that it's the only way I'll ever catch up and not lag hopelessly behind for ever more.
At least, not exclusively.
The chapter and verse divisions in the Bible are arbitrary enough. I'd look up when they were first introduced, but Wikipedia is down right now in protest of SOPA, so I'm out of luck. They're old though. Really old. Just not as old as the text itself, and that's important.
You can tell, even without Wikipedia's help, that they were fairly arbitrary, because every now and then you find a place where somebody just simply got it wrong. The ending of chapter 27 is one of those places, but more on that a little later.
At least, not exclusively.
The chapter and verse divisions in the Bible are arbitrary enough. I'd look up when they were first introduced, but Wikipedia is down right now in protest of SOPA, so I'm out of luck. They're old though. Really old. Just not as old as the text itself, and that's important.
You can tell, even without Wikipedia's help, that they were fairly arbitrary, because every now and then you find a place where somebody just simply got it wrong. The ending of chapter 27 is one of those places, but more on that a little later.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Day 7 - Genesis 22-24
For the longest time, my general response to the "God-testing-Abraham-by-telling-him-to-kill-his-son" story was that it must have been excruciating for Abraham to go through something like this, and must have been an unspeakable relief for him when God stopped him and said "don't worry about that, here's a sheep instead."
Many people will point to this episode as proof of God's cruelty, insensitivity and arbitrary authoritarianism, but I've never believed that. I just don't see a way that this story could possibly have ended with Isaac dying.
Many people will point to this episode as proof of God's cruelty, insensitivity and arbitrary authoritarianism, but I've never believed that. I just don't see a way that this story could possibly have ended with Isaac dying.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Day 6 - Genesis 19-21
So yes, this post is a day late, and the next one will be too, most likely. I'll catch up eventually, though.
By way of explanation, the Interwebs are broken at my house right now, or were until this morning, apparently, and this weekend is a swamper at work, so time and brain power are at a premium.
Also, the Internet breaking makes me irritated, and irritated is not the frame of mind to try and reflect in any sort of coherent way on some of the most nauseating passages of the entirety of scripture.
By way of explanation, the Interwebs are broken at my house right now, or were until this morning, apparently, and this weekend is a swamper at work, so time and brain power are at a premium.
Also, the Internet breaking makes me irritated, and irritated is not the frame of mind to try and reflect in any sort of coherent way on some of the most nauseating passages of the entirety of scripture.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Day 5 - Genesis 16-18
Names are interesting things in the Bible.
These days, apart from souvenir key chains and schmaltzy plaques/posters, people (North Americans, at any rate) don't really ascribe too much significance to names, but names – of people or places – tend to be incredibly important in the Bible, so much so that God Himself, now and then, lays down the law and throws a name out there, as a promise or a signifier of some larger plan.
Ishmael, for example. "God will hear." What a promise to a pregnant woman who has run away into the desert after being used in perhaps the most profound way, only to be reviled and, in all likelihood, severely beaten for her trouble.
These days, apart from souvenir key chains and schmaltzy plaques/posters, people (North Americans, at any rate) don't really ascribe too much significance to names, but names – of people or places – tend to be incredibly important in the Bible, so much so that God Himself, now and then, lays down the law and throws a name out there, as a promise or a signifier of some larger plan.
Ishmael, for example. "God will hear." What a promise to a pregnant woman who has run away into the desert after being used in perhaps the most profound way, only to be reviled and, in all likelihood, severely beaten for her trouble.
Day 4 - Genesis 12-15
Every now and then, in an argument about the veracity/relevance/truth of scripture/Christianity, someone will assert that the faith, and particularly the Bible is a collection of wishful thinking and self-congratulatory, self-aggrandizing tales, written to make the protagonists look awesome.
I both like and dislike when this happens. First, it generally means that I'm talking with someone who's never read the Bible, and second, because one of my favourite aspects of the Bible is that it is absolutely nothing if not realistic in its portrayal of people - all people, almost especially the "heroes."
Abram, who will later become Abraham, (shh... spoilers) is one of the Bible's most revered heroes, and is, of course, one of the most important characters in history, since three of the world's most influential religions look at him as a historical father figure.
But, particularly at the beginning, he's sort of a dick, isn't he?
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Day 3 - Genesis 8-11
I like this project already.
So Genesis 8-9 sees the dwindling of the flood and its aftermath, and brings us up to the death of Noah at the ripe old age of damn-near-a-thousand.
Two things occurred to me when reading through these chapters this time, and I have a feeling it'll be a recurring theme for me (not that I'll necessarily subject you to it every time I notice it. No fear.):
The first is that it absolutely astounds me that anyone can get anything at all out of the Bible by approaching it from the aforementioned literalist interpretation. I just don't get it. The language, imagery and symbolism is so rich, and the story so beautifully laid out that I just feel like it'd be highway robbery to boil it down to mere documentation.
So Genesis 8-9 sees the dwindling of the flood and its aftermath, and brings us up to the death of Noah at the ripe old age of damn-near-a-thousand.
Two things occurred to me when reading through these chapters this time, and I have a feeling it'll be a recurring theme for me (not that I'll necessarily subject you to it every time I notice it. No fear.):
The first is that it absolutely astounds me that anyone can get anything at all out of the Bible by approaching it from the aforementioned literalist interpretation. I just don't get it. The language, imagery and symbolism is so rich, and the story so beautifully laid out that I just feel like it'd be highway robbery to boil it down to mere documentation.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Day 1 and 2 (Genesis 1-3, 4-7)
So as you've no doubt noticed, I'm doubling up today, since I started reading yesterday and only started writing today. I'll mash my thoughts together for this one, but they'll roughly occur in chronological order. This'll also hopefully be the last time I include an editorial-ish opening to the post itself. Most of the time I hope to just leap right in.
Like now...
Genesis 1-3, 4-7
It's funny how hard it actually is to really read something that you're so familiar with as the opening chapters of Genesis. It's almost like you just automatically shift into 'skim' mode because your brain just assumes that you can fill in the blanks on your own, which you can - in a way.
In another more accurate way, this is a great method of getting nothing out of the experience other than what your brain provides by dipping into the murky waters of prevailing cultural interpretation of what's said, rather than what's actually there.
Like now...
Genesis 1-3, 4-7
It's funny how hard it actually is to really read something that you're so familiar with as the opening chapters of Genesis. It's almost like you just automatically shift into 'skim' mode because your brain just assumes that you can fill in the blanks on your own, which you can - in a way.
In another more accurate way, this is a great method of getting nothing out of the experience other than what your brain provides by dipping into the murky waters of prevailing cultural interpretation of what's said, rather than what's actually there.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
By way of introduction...
So I recently rediscovered a Bible app on my phone (after an update or something it decided to pop up and ask if I wanted to do some reading, so I said "sure!"
I then discovered that it'll actually follow a "read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year" program that it sets up, following a number of different schemes, and serve up the readings piping hot right to the phone, so I thought I'd try it out.
For shiggles, I decided I'd follow the "canonical" program, which goes through the Bible in the order that it is currently assembled (as opposed to thematically or historically, which were among the other options) so I've started at Genesis 1 and will carry on right through to the end of Revelation by next January.
Since this seems like something that'll prompt me to do daily reading, and because I have for some reason decided that between writing several articles a day for work and keeping up my other blog I need more writing to do on a daily basis, I figured I'd try to at least jot down some thoughts on each section of reading.
These sections are completely arbitrary, from what I understand, so it'll be interesting to see what I can think up or what hits me whilst in the middle of the doldrums of Deuteronomy or Chronicles, but we'll deal with that when we get there.
So that's what I'm doing. Feel free to tag along, check back from time to time, and please do post comments if you disagree/agree with what I'm saying, think I'm dumb (please don't think I'm dumb) or think I'm brilliant (come to think of it, you probably shouldn't do that either) or just to say hi.
Onwards!
I then discovered that it'll actually follow a "read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year" program that it sets up, following a number of different schemes, and serve up the readings piping hot right to the phone, so I thought I'd try it out.
For shiggles, I decided I'd follow the "canonical" program, which goes through the Bible in the order that it is currently assembled (as opposed to thematically or historically, which were among the other options) so I've started at Genesis 1 and will carry on right through to the end of Revelation by next January.
Since this seems like something that'll prompt me to do daily reading, and because I have for some reason decided that between writing several articles a day for work and keeping up my other blog I need more writing to do on a daily basis, I figured I'd try to at least jot down some thoughts on each section of reading.
These sections are completely arbitrary, from what I understand, so it'll be interesting to see what I can think up or what hits me whilst in the middle of the doldrums of Deuteronomy or Chronicles, but we'll deal with that when we get there.
So that's what I'm doing. Feel free to tag along, check back from time to time, and please do post comments if you disagree/agree with what I'm saying, think I'm dumb (please don't think I'm dumb) or think I'm brilliant (come to think of it, you probably shouldn't do that either) or just to say hi.
Onwards!
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