Deuteronomy 10

No matter how angry the Hebrews got, no matter how much they screwed up, God wouldn't leave them without guidance.

That's comforting.

Review: THE GREAT GOD PAN by Arthur Machen

Arthur Machen, and this book in particular, is hugely influential in modern literature. Other than authors, though, it seems few have even heard of him, which is too bad.

Despite his title, this book is less about paganism than about science, at least as those words were understood in the early 20th century. At its heart it's a mystery; the supermarket and pseudoscientific elements don't fully appear until the end. The episodic structure serves the plot well,

In my opinion, Arthur Machen more than deserves his reputation. I know it's not fair everyone, but I thought this was a very good book.

Deuteronomy 9

this is a recounting of the events at Sinai.

Remember that the oldest among them would have been teenagers at the time. They  needed to hear the word had happened

Deuteronomy 8

God warned the Hebrews not to forget him, and they did it anyway.

Go figure.

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments are very misunderstood.

They're not just a bit of thou shalt nots, though in the King James Version, a very old translation of Scripture, most of them start with those three words. Instead, they're rules to live by.

These rules seem restrictive at first. Instead of having your back, though, they let you develop to your full potential. You can only drive as fast as you want on the autobahn because there are very strict rules about how to act there. Freedom unbound is chaos.

The Ten Commandments are:

1. Don't know other gods.

2. Don't make idols

3. Don't take God's name is vain.

4. Keep the Sabbath holy.

5. Honor your parents

6. Don't murdrer.

7. Don't sleep around.

8. Don't steal.

9. Don't lie.

10. Don't covet. .

Deuteronomy 7

The Israelites tried their best to be just like the other nations, but they weren't.

They were God's..

Deuteronomy 6

Do what God said, and teach your children to do the same,

And be sure to tell them why..

Bible study, or you study?

Emily had her first Bible study last week. Without any prompting from me, I might add. She just wanted to. Words can't say how happy she makes me.

Too often a Bible study degenerates into a study of the people involved. The only thing more disheartening than how many times I've heard, "What does this passage mean to you?" is how often I'm said it.

Frankly, I don't care what you think, just like you shouldn't care about what I think. Let's worry about what God thinks instead.

Deuteronomy 5

The law begins with the Ten Commandments.

Get them right, and then you can worry about the rest.

Review: THE ILIAD by Homer

Let me save you some time. Achilles gets mad and refuses to fight. A lot of men with Greek names die. Achilles gets less mad and agrees to fight.

That's the story. You're welcome.

Deuteronomy 4

God gave the people a reason not to worship idols,

Other than, "because I said  so," which is a pretty good reason..

Deuteronomy 3

I knew Og's bed was big, but not that  he was the last of a race of giants.

If anyone ever asks why there are no giants , tell them God killed the the last one.

God the Holy Spirit

The most misunderstood and mysterious member of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit. Some groups within Christianity have focused on him, but we should never emphasize one member of the Trinity over the others. Neither, though, should we neglect any.

The Holy Spirit is always there, pushin us toward holiness. He brings non-Christians to God, and Christians closer to him. He inhabits believers, and gives them strength and gifts to build each other up. He inspired Scripture, and get people today to read it.

In all this, he never points to himself, but to the Father and the Son. He's God the Holy Spirit, and that's what he does..

.

Deuteronomy 2

Never oppose God.

Sihon and Og learned that the hard way.

Deuteronomy 1

The majority of this chapter is devoted to a retelling of Israel's failure to enter the land.

This isn't surprising. Israel was once again about to enter Canaan, and they needed to hear it.

You knew it was coming sooner or later

What I'm talking, of course, about a post on homosexuality.

Simply put, the Bible is against it. Both testaments speak out clearly against homosexual behavior. As I've said before, you cannot make a case for from Scripture.

Does that settle it? For me it does. Short of the voice of God himself, I don't know of a higher authority.

Notice that I said the Bible was against homosexual behavior. It is not a sin to be tempted. Let me repeat that, because there seems to be a lot of confusion about it among bothChrististians and non-Christians. It is not a sin to be tempted. Want proof? Jesus was tempted.but without sin (Heb 4.16).

It's not wrong to sometimes have homosexual thoughts. It's wrong to dwell on them, and it's wrong act on them, but isn't wrong to have them.

I'm not trying to let those who engage in homosexual behavior off. It is adultery, and a heinous sin against God. I'm just trying to put into perspective. Homosexual adultery will send you to Hell. Just like heterosexual adultery.

I'm sorry I have to waste time on this, but that's our culture. Hopefully, future generations will see it as aberration

A correction, dang it

In the review of Christian Apologetics, I kept referring to the author as "Douglas Groothius". His last name is actually spelled "Groothuis".

Dang it.

Review: CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS by Douglas Groothius

apologetics is not apologizing for something. Rather, it's a defense. In this case, it's used for a vigorous defense of the Christian faith.

I'd seen Groothius' name before, but never read any of his work. It turns out that this is a very intellectual and very rigorous book. It's not the kind you skim, or dip into here and there.

Far too many apologetic works come across like they're afraid of people using their brains. Thankfully, Groothius' book one of those, it requires effort, but rewards that effort, I recommend it highly.

God the Son

During his life on earth, he was known as Jesus Christ. The first thing to know about that is that "Christ" isn't a name; it's a job title. It's the Greek word for the Hebrew term "messiah", and both words mean "anointed one". He would more properly be "the Christ", but it's not like I'm qualified to correct anyone's grammar.

The Son is the Christ of Christianity. He is the way we obtain forgiveness of our sins. He's easily the most understandable and approachable member of the Trinity, simply because he lived and remains as partially human. He is the point where human and divine meet, and it's significant that the crossover came from God's side, not ours.

He lived the perfect life we couldn't, and died for people who would spit in his face and deny his very existence. This isn't the time or place to discuss all the issues raised by the union of God and man. I can't even understand all the questions, much less the answers.

He died for me even though he didn't have to. That's all I really want to say.

A note on Deuteronomy

I'll start Deuteronomy on Monday, for exactly the same reasons I gave for putting off the start of Numbers..

Numbers 36

Just because God is always right doesn't mean nobody else can be.

And he is never afraid to admit it when they are 

Israel

I'm not a supporter of the State of Israel.

I realize that most Southern Baptists would consider that heresy. I have good reasons for thinking that way, though, other than just wanting to be contrary.

As with so many other things, it comes down to evangelism. The State of Israel discourages it. In fact, it has gone so far as to expel people for converting Jews to Christianity. It was founded specifically as a Jewish nation, and seems determined to stay one, 

But should we be trying to convert Jews at all? Billy Graham seems to think not; he's gone on record saying that we shouldn't. In th this, though, he is opposed to Christ, who sent his disciples to convert Jews and did so himself.

But surely we don't want to be against God's chosen people? There are two points to be made here. The first that the modern State of Israel is not the same as biblical Israel. Claiming Jewish ancestry doesn't redeem anyone, as the Bible makes clear

The second that no one is talking about being against Israel. I'm not against it any more than I am any other secular nation. I'm just talking about being utterly neutral toward it.

If I'm wrong, I'll be happy to apologize. But the Bible says I'm not.

Q

Numbers 35

manslaughter was very circumscribed. The death of a person was a very serious matter. The guilt of murdrer could only be expunged by the death of the murderer, so the definition of accidental killing was extremely limited.

But so was the definition of murdrer.

Review: COLLECTED WORKS by T. S. Eliot

Keep in mind these are collected, not complete, works I didn't.

I've always liked Eliot's poetry. It turns out, though, that I hadn't read much. This book contains a lot and as a result I like it even more. Unfortunately, this collection also contains a volume ohis essays on literary criticism, which I found dull. 

Enjoy the poems, but skip the essays.

Modern medicine and I

The chief of medicine is to keep me alive as long as possible.

Mine is to spend eternity with my Savior.

They'renot opp opposing goals, nor are they mutually exclusive. But they're very different.

Numbers 34

This looks like another chapter that mattered then but is irrelevant now. That's just not true..

The Israelites army wasn't allowed to run amok. The boundaries of the land, and thus the area in which the army could operate, were strictly limited. By whom? By God.

Numbers 33

The first part of this chapter seems utterly pointless. It's a list of places the Hebrews camped between Egypt and Canaan.

However, it shows that ours is a historical faith. Unlike many, it's rooted in both time and space.

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Numbers 32

Several tribes wanted an inheritance outside the Promised Land. Provided they helped fight, God was willing to give it to them.

As long as they don't conflict with his, God accommodates our plans. That's amazing

God the Father

This is who we usually mean when we say "God". His name is usually rendered "Yahweh", an attempts transliterated the Hebrew into English. Sometimes it's given as "Jehovah". Either way, it means, "I AM", a reference to God's eternal nature.

He is the head of the Trinity in some way we can't understand. The Son and Holy Spirit defer to him. It was his idea to create, and his idea to redeem his creation. He is the originator of everything.

There's a lot more that could be said, but I'll leave it at that.

Review: EXPERIENCE GOD'S POWER IN YOUR LIFE - LIFE CHANGING by Burton Rager

Before I go any further, I want to say that "Burton Rager" is one of the best names I've ever run across.

This is actually a collection of11 short books. Together, they make a good introduction to the various Christian beliefs, and would make a decent framework for a series of sermon or lessons.

However, there's a downside. The advantage and disadvantage to ebook publishing is that anyone can do it; there are no publishers, buyers, or editors to worry about. Unfortunately, Rager needs an editor. It's never so bad as to be unreadable, but it's bad enough to be noticeable.

If you don't mind some mangled English, I highly recommend this.

Numbers 31

Miriam was not neutral toward the Israelites, but actively against them. It placed itself in a battle with God.

And so it was destroyed.

Numbers 30

Keep your word. Period.

Nothing else. Just keep your word..

Numbers 29

What a dull chapter.

What? You were all thinking it. At least, those who read chapter were. God already knows what's on your mind. Why not be honest with him?

.

Numbers 28

God didn't demand offerings because he had to be fed, as so many so-called gods did.

He was owed them because he'd told the Israelites to offer them.no other reason was necessary..

The Trinity

One of the most difficult beliefs I'm Christitanity is the doctrine of the Trinity. This is the belief there is one God, exists in three eternal persons.

God Father is the Creator of everything and the one most prominent in the Old Testament. God the Son is the Savior of all and is featured in the New Testament. God the Holy Spirit, probably the most mysterious member of the Trity, isn't front-and-center in the Bible, but has always empowered people to do God's work.

There are three separate gods; there is one God. That one Hasn't appeared in three different forms. He really is three different persons in one God.

How can three be one? I don't know. Anyone who says he does is probably lying..

Numbers 27

Even as to his own death, Moses obeyed God.

Why did God pick a murderer to represent himself? Who knows? But from their first meeting to his last official act, the nearly-constant refrain eas, "Moses did as the Lord commanded".

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