Wow!
5 in a row.
That hasn't happened for such a long embarassing time.
What a great week.
Deuteronomy 18
God is continuing to prepare the people for practices they will encounter when they meet the people already in Canaan.
Generations of Godlessness have led to barbaric practices.
Sacrificing children!
How do you get to the point where you think it's ok to burn your child to death to have a successful harvest?
How do you arrive to the conclusion that by cutting yourself, you make a difference to the weather?
Separated from God will lead you along this path.
Separation from God for long enough, will lead to even bigger abominations than these.
The thing is, that even close to the presence of God, people made poor decisions.
For those absent from God's correction, guidance and love, the destination is evil and painful.
Hence God's desire to ensure the people are aware of His boundaries.
This is what is right.
This is what should be done.
This isn't.
This definitely isn't.
Whoa, just don't go there at all!!!
The need for God's people, to be so aware is because they are going to be living amongst it all.
And they are called to not be a part of it.
God has laid out the plan for them to always be aware.
They can't handle His voice.
He provides an alternative.
He provides a system of checks and balances.
Knowledge is powerful.
Knowledge on what is right and what is wrong is priceless.
The strength and deciveness to act on that is more than priceless - pricelesser.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
170 Defender From Bears (Deut 17)
I may have mentioned our dog before.
Biggins.
A spaniel named after some river in England.
The TV channels just changed to a documentary on Polar Bears.
Curious, Biggins has a look.
Then decides this bear is up to no good and has a go at it.
Literally and totally.
The bear wanders along the ice flow and Biggs slowly gives ground.
Barking.
And barking.
And determined to get his point across.
Until..........
Ad break.
Where did it go?
Behind the tellie?
Under the pot next to the TV?
Spins around having a look.
Spins again. Just in case.
He decides he's boss of everything and saved us all from a certain death.
Curls up on his mat.
Snoring is soon heard.
So much for the danger.
;)
Deuteronomy 17
Who would have thunk that Egypt was famous for its supply of horses?
The Nile? Sure.
Pyramids? Check.
The Sphinx? Yep.
Papyrus? Uh huh.
Crocodiles? Ok.
Death by hippo? Possibly.
Horses? I don't think so.
But it was so.
I guess the army pursued the Israelites with chariots, pulled by....
Horses.
They were the advanced nation of the day, so there you go.
It's an interesting slant on things, given the chapter starts by reminding the people about the importance of the purity of their offerings.
No blemishes.
No defects.
No one should worship other gods or idols.
Again purity before God.
No defilement.
And so we come to obedience and the law.
The aspect and importance of being true is carried through.
No arguments.
No appeal.
No turning aside from the decision.
And then the spiel about kings and horses and not returning to Egypt or having people from other nations ruling them.
But as I type, I realise, the theme is carried on.
This is a newly born nation.
The importance of keeping along the path already started by God is imperative.
A leader with other influences could undo all the work started.
A leader without a knowledge of history could repeat the same mistakes.
A leader with a focus on himself rather than God is doomed. And likely to take others with him.
It's almost as if God is aware that Israel would seek a leader. They would seek to be like other nations. The warning is there from the start.
All knowing.
All seeing.
Always preparing.
Biggins.
A spaniel named after some river in England.
The TV channels just changed to a documentary on Polar Bears.
Curious, Biggins has a look.
Then decides this bear is up to no good and has a go at it.
Literally and totally.
The bear wanders along the ice flow and Biggs slowly gives ground.
Barking.
And barking.
And determined to get his point across.
Until..........
Ad break.
Where did it go?
Behind the tellie?
Under the pot next to the TV?
Spins around having a look.
Spins again. Just in case.
He decides he's boss of everything and saved us all from a certain death.
Curls up on his mat.
Snoring is soon heard.
So much for the danger.
;)
Deuteronomy 17
Who would have thunk that Egypt was famous for its supply of horses?
The Nile? Sure.
Pyramids? Check.
The Sphinx? Yep.
Papyrus? Uh huh.
Crocodiles? Ok.
Death by hippo? Possibly.
Horses? I don't think so.
But it was so.
I guess the army pursued the Israelites with chariots, pulled by....
Horses.
They were the advanced nation of the day, so there you go.
It's an interesting slant on things, given the chapter starts by reminding the people about the importance of the purity of their offerings.
No blemishes.
No defects.
No one should worship other gods or idols.
Again purity before God.
No defilement.
And so we come to obedience and the law.
The aspect and importance of being true is carried through.
No arguments.
No appeal.
No turning aside from the decision.
And then the spiel about kings and horses and not returning to Egypt or having people from other nations ruling them.
But as I type, I realise, the theme is carried on.
This is a newly born nation.
The importance of keeping along the path already started by God is imperative.
A leader with other influences could undo all the work started.
A leader without a knowledge of history could repeat the same mistakes.
A leader with a focus on himself rather than God is doomed. And likely to take others with him.
It's almost as if God is aware that Israel would seek a leader. They would seek to be like other nations. The warning is there from the start.
All knowing.
All seeing.
Always preparing.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
169 Flow (Deut 16)
Something I learned from my earlier dietary experiment was,
That when I don't want to do something, I should.
Today I've sort of dallied around.
Distracted by facebook and some Ninja Parachute game on my iPod.
Tea was fantastic and TV held my interest longer than normal.
In the past two months, that would have been enough to call off the blog.
Such a far cry from when I started.
So I gave myself a dead arm and dragged myself back to the keyboard.
I feel ok now.
It's what I should be doing and the words are flowing.
Unfortunately, thanks to a lovely thai red curry chicken dish for lunch, that is not all.
:D
Deuteronomy 16
Solemnity in rememberance.
Feasting in anticipation.
Unity as a nation.
Separation from all others.
Hope for the future.
Justice for all.
Inheritance to follow.
And you shall have no other gods before God.
And I don't think I can add to that.
Really.
The best lessons are often the simplest.
Not that I'm any sort of teacher.
Which reminds me.
I just got "tagged" on facebook in my Grade 7 class photo.
The memories that came from that one photo.
Faces became names.
The banter in the comments gave further flashbacks.
The only real event I can remember from that year in school though, was on an Outward Bound camping trip.
Our teacher slashed an inflatible raft open with her knife when she thought a student was trapped underneath it after a capsize.
He wasn't.
Oh and I got really badly homesick after three days.
I cried.
That when I don't want to do something, I should.
Today I've sort of dallied around.
Distracted by facebook and some Ninja Parachute game on my iPod.
Tea was fantastic and TV held my interest longer than normal.
In the past two months, that would have been enough to call off the blog.
Such a far cry from when I started.
So I gave myself a dead arm and dragged myself back to the keyboard.
I feel ok now.
It's what I should be doing and the words are flowing.
Unfortunately, thanks to a lovely thai red curry chicken dish for lunch, that is not all.
:D
Deuteronomy 16
Solemnity in rememberance.
Feasting in anticipation.
Unity as a nation.
Separation from all others.
Hope for the future.
Justice for all.
Inheritance to follow.
And you shall have no other gods before God.
And I don't think I can add to that.
Really.
The best lessons are often the simplest.
Not that I'm any sort of teacher.
Which reminds me.
I just got "tagged" on facebook in my Grade 7 class photo.
The memories that came from that one photo.
Faces became names.
The banter in the comments gave further flashbacks.
The only real event I can remember from that year in school though, was on an Outward Bound camping trip.
Our teacher slashed an inflatible raft open with her knife when she thought a student was trapped underneath it after a capsize.
He wasn't.
Oh and I got really badly homesick after three days.
I cried.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
168 Left Hand Right Hand (Deut 15)
I discovered an interesting phenomenon today.
While I was cruisin' into work in the ute, the temp was a crisp 2 or 3 degrees.
For some obscure reason, I noticed the fingers on my left hand were quite warm, while those on my right, were bitterly cold.
Now in a normal car you could put that down to the heater blowing nice warm air onto my hand via the vent.
But as I said, this is in the ute.
Not only does it take for me to get into town for the heater to start generating warm air, but if I don't have the vents directed towards the windscreen, the condensation that has crept in through the busted seals will continue to fog up my view and I won't get into town let alone get warm.
The only thing I could put it down to is an accident I had as a work experience kid during my high school years, where I put a glass pipette through some nerves in my right hand.
Maybe, just maybe there's a link.
Or maybe not.
For the moment I'm just enjoying the weirdness.
And trying to get warm.
Deuteronomy 15
Something a bit different here.
For the moment at least, people are implored upon to look after those less fortunate than themselves.
Through God's blessings, they shall be in an enviable position.
To rule over, but not be ruled.
To lend, but not borrow.
Yet an observation that remains until today.
There shall always be poor among you.
For many, many reasons this is true. No matter what system in place.
The difference is how we treat those less fortunate than ourselves.
In a position to make a difference in other people's lives, do we do our best?
Our hearts should be soft and we should take advantage of God's blessing to pass that blessing on to others.
Being indifferent is too easy and helps no one.
Including ourselves.
While I was cruisin' into work in the ute, the temp was a crisp 2 or 3 degrees.
For some obscure reason, I noticed the fingers on my left hand were quite warm, while those on my right, were bitterly cold.
Now in a normal car you could put that down to the heater blowing nice warm air onto my hand via the vent.
But as I said, this is in the ute.
Not only does it take for me to get into town for the heater to start generating warm air, but if I don't have the vents directed towards the windscreen, the condensation that has crept in through the busted seals will continue to fog up my view and I won't get into town let alone get warm.
The only thing I could put it down to is an accident I had as a work experience kid during my high school years, where I put a glass pipette through some nerves in my right hand.
Maybe, just maybe there's a link.
Or maybe not.
For the moment I'm just enjoying the weirdness.
And trying to get warm.
Deuteronomy 15
Something a bit different here.
For the moment at least, people are implored upon to look after those less fortunate than themselves.
Through God's blessings, they shall be in an enviable position.
To rule over, but not be ruled.
To lend, but not borrow.
Yet an observation that remains until today.
There shall always be poor among you.
For many, many reasons this is true. No matter what system in place.
The difference is how we treat those less fortunate than ourselves.
In a position to make a difference in other people's lives, do we do our best?
Our hearts should be soft and we should take advantage of God's blessing to pass that blessing on to others.
Being indifferent is too easy and helps no one.
Including ourselves.
Monday, June 13, 2011
167 Struggling with Repetition (Deut 14)
Deuteronomy 14
I am getting nowhere with Deuteronomy.
It's not that I'm finding it hard going.
Alright!
Yes I am...
It has been a slog and I think I've run the risk of trying my own patience let alone anyone else who may be trying to follow this blog.
Sigh.
Its sometimes seemingly repetitive nature mixed with my infrequency of getting any sort of text output is causing my brain to become confused.
Not a hard task, but as I strive for consistent and quality with each post, my deliberations have produced the exact opposite.
Poor, sporadic work.
And it has meant reading and rereading and rereading the same passages.
Well, that's my rant over.
On with the food restrictions. Heh heh.
Again, what is the confusing bats for birds?
v18 "...the stork, the heron of any kind; the hoopoe and the bat."
As much as hare or camel would not bother me either way, eat or don't. The sound of not been allowed to eat rock badger would be the cause of a mild controlled celebration in the back of my tent.
But what's with the importance of not eating some things and eating others?
As with the last few chapters and also in particular with verse 2, Israel is a nation set apart.
There are sensible health and cultural reasons for not eating some of the animals listed.
But more importantly,
v2 "For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."
The fact that these people are called to be holy and need to follow all the laws of God is critical. There are strong obligations to follow ALL the directions given by God and at the end of the day I'm sure there was not really too much of a problem giving up eating winged insects or vulture.
I guess there is in some ways more importance in the fact that the list is as comprehensive as it is.
God is a god of the small detail as well as the big picture.
There is no ambiguity.
No doubts about what you can and cannot eat.
Clear.
As.
Day.
Which makes it all straight forward.
Of course this is easy to say a few thousand years later after just munching down on some eggplant and fetta pizza followed by fresh fruit salad and ice cream.
Of course if you read the first verse you would realise this chapter isn't just about food.
Behaviour is also addressed.
v1 "You are the sons of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead."
Hence the lack of any of evidence of Israelite emos.
I am getting nowhere with Deuteronomy.
It's not that I'm finding it hard going.
Alright!
Yes I am...
It has been a slog and I think I've run the risk of trying my own patience let alone anyone else who may be trying to follow this blog.
Sigh.
Its sometimes seemingly repetitive nature mixed with my infrequency of getting any sort of text output is causing my brain to become confused.
Not a hard task, but as I strive for consistent and quality with each post, my deliberations have produced the exact opposite.
Poor, sporadic work.
And it has meant reading and rereading and rereading the same passages.
Well, that's my rant over.
On with the food restrictions. Heh heh.
Again, what is the confusing bats for birds?
v18 "...the stork, the heron of any kind; the hoopoe and the bat."
As much as hare or camel would not bother me either way, eat or don't. The sound of not been allowed to eat rock badger would be the cause of a mild controlled celebration in the back of my tent.
But what's with the importance of not eating some things and eating others?
As with the last few chapters and also in particular with verse 2, Israel is a nation set apart.
There are sensible health and cultural reasons for not eating some of the animals listed.
But more importantly,
v2 "For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."
The fact that these people are called to be holy and need to follow all the laws of God is critical. There are strong obligations to follow ALL the directions given by God and at the end of the day I'm sure there was not really too much of a problem giving up eating winged insects or vulture.
I guess there is in some ways more importance in the fact that the list is as comprehensive as it is.
God is a god of the small detail as well as the big picture.
There is no ambiguity.
No doubts about what you can and cannot eat.
Clear.
As.
Day.
Which makes it all straight forward.
Of course this is easy to say a few thousand years later after just munching down on some eggplant and fetta pizza followed by fresh fruit salad and ice cream.
Of course if you read the first verse you would realise this chapter isn't just about food.
Behaviour is also addressed.
v1 "You are the sons of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead."
Hence the lack of any of evidence of Israelite emos.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
166 A Walk in the Rain (Deut 13)
Well I find myself at the computer with some time and some headspace.
It's been a while.
For those of you who access this from a mobile, you may notice a change as I try something different. Let me know what you think. If it's totally sucky, I'll drop it. If it works ok, I may drop it because I'm like that. I think it works ok. But then, I think the whole Steve's Blog thing is ok.
The other day it rained a fair bit. All day.
Now normally I'm prepared for that. I have waterproof jackets. And more importantly I have two umbrellas.
My brain bit is the thing that lets me down somewhat.
The night before, there was some drizzle. Very light drizzle.
I had to pick up our car from the mechanic which involved a walk.
So as I considered picking up my umbrella and carrying it all of 3 blocks, my thoughts jumped between the sensible idea of taking it and.......well I'm not sure.
Possibly, don't take it.
You won't need it.
Even if it does rain, I'll be in my office. I won't get wet.
It's so far to have to carry such a heavy thing as an umbrella.
I wonder what's for tea.
It won't rain.
So, it rains.
I woke up thinking, "It's raining." I'm pretty smart in the morning.
"My umbrella is at work."
"No worries."
Half way into work I realised what I had forgotten.
The walk from the car to my office.
About 800 metres.
Doh!
But then, my spot is taken by some uncaring, thoughtless person who wakes up earlier than me on rainy days.
My back up spot is a block away and ummmmmm yeah, it's also gone.
So I end up a further 2 blocks away with no umbrella.
Why is it when you walk in the rain it appears you are able to avoid all the rain drops until you get to a dry spot and discover the fallacy in that thinking?
I got soaked.
This was made worse when I stepped out to cross the road, only to discover the gutter was blocked with leaves, creating a pool of ankle deep water just where I was about to step.
How did I know the depth of the pool?
Think about it :(
Deuteronomy 13
How important is it to be able to discern right from wrong?
Then and now, people come up with compelling, persuasive ideas that are claimed to be from God.
What they say can sound reasonable.
It could be right. It could be a message from God, for us, for now.
Or it might not!
But how do you know?
How do I know?
The appeal in this chapter is not just to look out for people who will lead others astray.
It is also to be able to know those who are right from those who are not.
This is about you.
It's about me.
A part of my journey to get through the bible from start to finish, is to become more familiar with God's word.
To know it, remember it and try to understand it better.
I figure if I can do that, I will be better equipped to know the real prophet, the real message from God.
AND I will know which ideas to be wary of.
At the end of the day, I am accountable for what I decide to believe.
Me.
Not my mum.
Not my wife.
Not my pastor.
Me.
If I think it's from God, there is no better way to know, than to compare it to God's Word. I can take time. I can take advice. And I need to.
God is consistent. If it don't line up, watch out.
The price in Deuteronomy for leading others stray was stoning.
The price now for being lead astray is higher.
Don't jump on board the latest , greatest teachings without considering why.
Test everything.
Make sure, you're sure.
It's been a while.
For those of you who access this from a mobile, you may notice a change as I try something different. Let me know what you think. If it's totally sucky, I'll drop it. If it works ok, I may drop it because I'm like that. I think it works ok. But then, I think the whole Steve's Blog thing is ok.
The other day it rained a fair bit. All day.
Now normally I'm prepared for that. I have waterproof jackets. And more importantly I have two umbrellas.
My brain bit is the thing that lets me down somewhat.
The night before, there was some drizzle. Very light drizzle.
I had to pick up our car from the mechanic which involved a walk.
So as I considered picking up my umbrella and carrying it all of 3 blocks, my thoughts jumped between the sensible idea of taking it and.......well I'm not sure.
Possibly, don't take it.
You won't need it.
Even if it does rain, I'll be in my office. I won't get wet.
It's so far to have to carry such a heavy thing as an umbrella.
I wonder what's for tea.
It won't rain.
So, it rains.
I woke up thinking, "It's raining." I'm pretty smart in the morning.
"My umbrella is at work."
"No worries."
Half way into work I realised what I had forgotten.
The walk from the car to my office.
About 800 metres.
Doh!
But then, my spot is taken by some uncaring, thoughtless person who wakes up earlier than me on rainy days.
My back up spot is a block away and ummmmmm yeah, it's also gone.
So I end up a further 2 blocks away with no umbrella.
Why is it when you walk in the rain it appears you are able to avoid all the rain drops until you get to a dry spot and discover the fallacy in that thinking?
I got soaked.
This was made worse when I stepped out to cross the road, only to discover the gutter was blocked with leaves, creating a pool of ankle deep water just where I was about to step.
How did I know the depth of the pool?
Think about it :(
Deuteronomy 13
How important is it to be able to discern right from wrong?
Then and now, people come up with compelling, persuasive ideas that are claimed to be from God.
What they say can sound reasonable.
It could be right. It could be a message from God, for us, for now.
Or it might not!
But how do you know?
How do I know?
The appeal in this chapter is not just to look out for people who will lead others astray.
It is also to be able to know those who are right from those who are not.
This is about you.
It's about me.
A part of my journey to get through the bible from start to finish, is to become more familiar with God's word.
To know it, remember it and try to understand it better.
I figure if I can do that, I will be better equipped to know the real prophet, the real message from God.
AND I will know which ideas to be wary of.
At the end of the day, I am accountable for what I decide to believe.
Me.
Not my mum.
Not my wife.
Not my pastor.
Me.
If I think it's from God, there is no better way to know, than to compare it to God's Word. I can take time. I can take advice. And I need to.
God is consistent. If it don't line up, watch out.
The price in Deuteronomy for leading others stray was stoning.
The price now for being lead astray is higher.
Don't jump on board the latest , greatest teachings without considering why.
Test everything.
Make sure, you're sure.
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