The World of the Bible - Part 1

It has been a while since I wrote anything that resembled a series. Perhaps it is time for the drought to end.

With the change in my "career," "ministry," or "work," I have had many people ask me how it is going, what do I miss, etc. Those questions are easy to answer. I miss one thing more than all the others combined - teaching and preaching. This is not bragging, but I know what I am good at, and this is something I do well. That is one of the ways God has gifted me. That being the case, I miss it greatly. Last weekend while doing some work, I was listening to a friend's teaching podcast. It was then that I was reminded once again, how much I miss teaching. So, I thought, if this new position does not provide that, what could? I thought of my writing. This is one place where that can happen. So here it goes.

If there is one characteristic of my teaching that stands above the others it would be my commitment to accurately exegete Scripture. That comes from my training. It was drilled into my head in four collegiate years, five seminary years, and four years of doctoral work. It has imbedded itself in me in 30 years of ministry.

There are two things that really burn my toast. The first is Christian "eisegesis" in place of "exegesis." Exegeis is the ability to study and draw OUT of Scripture what it says. Eisegesis, is the reading INTO Scripture our views, our politics, our pet peeves, our interpretation, and so on. The second is small groups and "Bible studies," sitting around sharing their collective ignorance. I will avoid the temptation, and not go there now.

When we start to try to accurately understand the world of the Bible, although it spreads out over 1,500 years, there are some marked differences from our own. I intend to talk briefly about some of them over the next few days. I have discussed these for years, but the language here is not my own. I heard someone else give several of these thoughts "handles." So, whoever it was that gave me the verbiage, thank you.

Difference #1 - It is not Industrial / Technological but Agricultural

Some of you read that and said, "Ho-hum, next. This is so obivous." That may be true in substance but in practicality it gets lost. We can so easily read today into pages where "today" does not exist.

When you read or study the Scripture, it becomes quickly aparent that all issues were about agriculture. They often talk about the crops, the flora, etc. The holidays were built around the agricultural season. The daily concerns were about agriculture. No wonder it is a big concern when there is a drought. The concerns with the poor were surrounded by the need to provide for them with the yields of the earth. To grasp Ruth, you have to understand the rules of gleaning set up to care for the poor.

Read through Scripture and notice the numerous references to the land and the crops. In our time of machinery and computers and knowledge, this simple fact can get lost, and cause us to lose an oppotunity to understand what is taking place on the pages of the sacred text.

How to Pray in 2007

According to World Vision . . . here are seven ways to pray in 2007.

1. When you take a shower, pray for clean water for those who are deprived of this necessity.

2. When you go to work, pray for child laborers around the world.

3. When you eat lunch, pray for hungry and malnourished children.

4. When you watch the news, pray for education for those who do not have access to it.

5. When you arrive safely home, pray for displaced children.

6. When you take your vitamins, pray for access to medical care for those who do not have it.

7. When you go to bed, pray for orphans who have no regular bed.

These are good simple, easy reminders for something we probably should not need to be reminded.

Traveling With a Four Year Old

Those who know me know that this past fall has been tumultuous to say the least. One item that occurred was a severe stroke suffered by my younger brother. (All my brothers are younger so maybe I should skip that line.) On one of three trips to Kannapolis, NC (near Charlotte) to visit my family since September, I traveled with my grandson Gavin. Gavin is four years old. He has been adopted by my wife and me, so legally he is my son and we treat him that way, although he calls me Granddad . . . etc. Anyway, the boy simply adores me, as I do him. (A side note, I adore all four of my grandchildren, I just see him on a daily basis in a much more intimate role.)

Back to the story, he and I were staying two nights in a motel near my family. This caused him to be up a bit later than customary for him. The first night, he was so pumped up that he was jumping on the hotel bed saying, “I am so excited!” We finally settled down sometime after ten o’clock. But alas, there was someone in another room who never settled down. This other unknown person, across the hallway, was talking, slamming the door (or is seemed like slamming) as they went in and out, in and out, in and out. This was in addition to their loud TV and other noisy late night behavior. I cannot recall ever being in a hotel where I thought of calling to complain, but I did this time. I didn’t, but I thought about it.

The second night, Gavin was a bit less exuberant, to say the least. He was ready to sleep and soon. So at 8:00 I had him in bed, and he looked at me and said, “No bumping tonight, please.” He then fell asleep almost immediately.

As I looked at this precious little boy sound asleep I thought about a comment I had a friend make to me a few years back, “There is nothing as sweet as a child sleeping.” I also thought about a Christian song in the 80s entitled “Where There is Faith.” A line in the song says, “A peace like a child sleeping.” Is anything else that true? There is nothing as peaceful as a child sleeping.

Here is the point of the song; the point of God’s challenge to me that evening, and the point of what I am writing. What issue in your life has you troubled? What issue has you where you need the “peace like a child sleeping?” Can I trust God when all seems bad? Can I trust Him with the peace of a child sleeping?