last one out, shut the door

I'm going off the air for a while. Sorry to abandon you like this but, various contributing factors have conspired to draw me away. I know you'll miss my daily subversion of the scriptures, but don't give up on the readings and maybe I'll be back before you know it to liven up your day once more - or just plain confuse you! Whichever, stay cool, keep whistling, eat chocolate and enjoy life! Oh, and don't forget to put the cat out....

Proverbs 4-6

Read the passage by clicking here.

Bit late today sorry. Not convinced anyone's reading this now so I could just say anything.

I'm still trying to figure out how believers, without access to the Bible, managed to maintain their faith and evangelise the world for the first 1850 years. It's staggering.

Proverbs stress is all about finding wisdom. Christ is our wisdom. So maybe the answer partly lies here; we have to find Christ thru relationship, but not primarily thru the Bible as we evangelicals have always been taught.

Maybe the 'Word' which the reader is advised to pay such close attention to is more about the 'spoken' word, ie what the Holy Spirit is actually saying right now, which for those without a Bible would come directly to their spirit? How else would it be? Perhaps we have become so Bible focused that we have largely lost this day to day trust in the Spirit's voice?

Tomorrow's passage Proverbs 7-9.

Proverbs 1-3 get wise man

Read the passage by clicking here.

No one seems bold enough to comment. Oh well, maybe I'm not being controversial enough? Let's get on with Proverbs.

"The purpose of these proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline,"
"...Through these proverbs, people will receive instruction in discipline, good conduct, and doing what is right, just, and fair."

All I can say is: shame the writer (Solomon) didn't follow his own advice! Funny that.

Yeah I think I get the bit about it being bad to hang with people who are planning murder.

Wisdom (fearing/respecting God) is basically what will keep you away from evil.

"5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths." - Always a good one to pull out at a difficult moment.



Tomorrow's passage Proverbs 4-6.

Song of Solomon (yes the whole thing!)

Read the passage by clicking here.

The whole book, yikes! Not sure I can do this.
So instead here's a little side thought: did you know that it's only in the last 100 or so years that christians have had access to a readable Bible and the ability to read. So that makes me think: how did believers manage to maintain their faith and keep growing spiritually for the previous 1800 years???? Maybe we're missing a trick here? Perhaps this big evangelical law which says 'if you don't read your Bible every day you're not really a christian' is a bunch of twaddle.

If you're brave, leave a comment with your thoughts. Or if you got something from Songs let's hear it!

Tomorrow's passage Proverbs 1-3.

1 Kings 1-2; Psalms 37, 71, 94

Read the passage by clicking here.

Hey where did that guy go? Here one minute, gone the next. I don't know, you just can't get the staff nowadays. I suppose I'll have to fill in for a while. My name's Alfred (Carter) by the way, just incase we meet on the street one day, but most people just call me Al. Right let's see where we are now, ha, we're just starting on 1 Kings. BTW a little confession up front: I've never read the bible before. I've been to church once or twice, but hey it was so weird I don't think I'll be going again soon. But enough of me let's see what this dude Kings is up to.

1 Kings 1-2
Man this old guy David had it good! A young babe to keep him warm at night; awesome! But oh dear he's got trouble in the family. He hasn't disciplined one of his boys and the young turk is getting high ideas. Solomon is quickly put in place to succeed David as king and the whole town has a party. Wicked. Crisis averted.

As soon as David is gone Sol sets about putting things straight and making his position safe by removing his enemies. Sounds a bit like a dictatorship to me.

Psalm 37
Maybe God operates under a different time scheme than we do? But it seems to me that most of these things are not true right now. The wicked don't seem to fade away, they go on and on and get stronger and stronger. I dont see the gentle and lowly possessing the land, I see the innocent dying in conflicts all over the world and many dying in famines right now. I do see the Godly begging bread and having children who are anything but a blessing. Am I just reading this wrong or what? Maybe I missed something.

Psalm 71
I assume this is David? He seems to have had a life of one long battle. I can identify with that. What do you do when you've cried out to God for help over and over, and nothing has happened? Begin to doubt God?

Psalm 94
This dude spends a lot of time focused on his enemies and making sure they get what's coming to them! Zap em God.
Tomorrow's passage Psalms 119:1-88.

Psalms 95, 97-99 I'M BACK!

Read the passage by clicking here.
Yes I'm still alive. Got back from couple of weeks on the road then a few days to recover. So we've missed loads of Samuel etc, but I know you've been dilligently (is that one or 2 L's?) keeping following along in my absence. Haven't you? What? Come on, surely? OK, you took a break. You're forgiven, now let's continue;

Psalm 95
You have to bear in mind that I tend to write out of how I feel at the time (in case you hadn't noticed already!), so rather than a definitive homiletical, exegetical, theological commentary on each passage it tends to be a fairly (though not always) light weight but 'real to my life' response to what I read each day, and that usually pretty quickly.
So let me be blunt, I'm not really comfortable with this psalm. Why? Because it's too close to the bone for me right now.

Soooo, moving right along;
Psalm 97
v11 Light shines on the Godly. Been hearing a lot about light recently, some very interesting things. God is light. God spoke light into being in Genesis 1. Light is the 'material'/ visible part of God. Light is the most powerful thing in all the universe. It is the power which lies at the heart of all matter, holding it together. The spirit world exists beyond the speed of light, hence it is not visible to the naked eye, but it is just as real, just a 'solid'. Jesus was the light of the world. We are now the light of the world. We put on the armour of light. We live in the light. etc etc...

Psalm 98
He is coming to judge the world.

Psalm 99
All these Psalms seek to enthrone God, to see Him as GOD. We forget so quickly. We become god. We make lousy gods. I do anyway. I don't know why I bother.

Tomorrow's passage 2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21-22; Psalms 30.

Psalms 1-2, 15, 22-24, 47, 68 smashing heads and saving nations

Read the passage by clicking here.

Surprise! I grabbed a bit of loose time before setting off. So let's take a look at these psalms.
Psalm 1 - yeah ok.

2 - Jesus IS Lord.

15 -

"those who keep their promises even when it hurts."

Not many do that in our comfortable society. I reckon 'comfort' is probably one of the biggest false gods in our culture. That and Eastenders of course (I love it, but don't tell anyone).

22 - This was one of the Psalms that Jesus was probably aware of during His suffering. What an extraordinary foretelling of what was to come 100's of years later at Calvary.

23 - David's amazing meditation on his shepherding days. He recognises that God was now his shepherd, leading, protecting, providing for him all the way. He realised the paternal feelings he had for his own sheep were only multiplied in God.

24 - yeah.

47 - yeaaah.

68 - God, great for the good, terrifying for the bad, caring for the poor.

20 Our God is a God who saves!
The Sovereign LORD rescues us from death.

21 But God will smash the heads of his enemies,
crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.

No lukewarm there!

Bit jingoistic this psalm. Oh well.

Tomorrow's passage Psalms 89, 96, 100, 101, 105, 132.