Not a list! Hurrah!
That said, reading this is downright bizarre. If I switched up the names in the characters involved, I don't think I would recognize this as the same story of succession told in 2 Samuel. There is no sibling rivalry, no sick bed declaration of Solomon's kingship, no instruction to Solomon to kill the enemies that David has spared, no violent consolidation of the throne. Instead, we just have a well orchestrated succession with a focus on the temple and religious observances.
It's one thing to tell the story of a past from a different viewpoint. It is another and much more annoying thing to completely rewrite the past to fit an agenda.
New Testament
Today's whole reading, and especially the first passage, demonstrates that Paul is writing for believers.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.In fact, the Bible as a whole seems to be written for an audience of believers. In the Old Testament, that is people who believe that the Israelites are God's chosen nation. In the New Testament, that is people who believe Jesus is the Messiah.
Now, there's nothing wrong with writing for a particular audience. Often it's the only way to get into any real depth. That said, over and over again I have been told that if only I read the Bible, I will see how obvious it is that it is true. I will see how clear the arguments of the Biblical authors are. But that's most distinctly false. The Biblical authors are writing for an audience that already agrees with their basic premises and trying to convince them of the details.
And because of that, readings like today's are about as interesting to me as discussing the right way to groom a unicorn.
Psalms and Proverbs
Nothing of particular note.
I come from a tradition that cherishes the Bible in a way that is probably considered radical by standards even within the larger Christian community. That said, I definitely think Christians can be guilty of what has been called bibolatry. The Bible, of course, is a critical book--it is God's word to His people--but many, many people have proven that you can know Scripture inside and out and yet completely miss God. The learned Pharisees in Jesus' time were so sure of their knowledge of Scripture that they missed the coming of the Christ. And I have definitely worshiped with people who know the Bible inside and out, and yet they have somehow missed that love is the most important part of God's message. Sometimes I have even BEEN that person.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is that, ultimately, the Bible is not what draws people to God. GOD draws people to God.
I agree with your general point, but I would caution you about dissing on the Pharisees. As you will learn in Armstrong's book, part of the vitriol that the Biblical authors had toward the Pharisees is because they were the main competitors to the early Christians in trying to become the future of Judaism. They are also, it is worth noting, the ones who won with respect to the Jewish people.
ReplyDeleteMuch of the Biblical view of the Pharisees is just plain wrong if you look at the actual beliefs and teachings of the Pharisees. They were not obsessing over their knowledge over the scripture. Rather, they were of the sincere belief that everyone could live a priestly life, and, therefore, encouraged people to follow the laws that were generally applied only to those who needed priestly purity. This is very difference than blind adherence to the scriptures.