Contemplative Bible Reading

Leviticus 7:12 (New English Translation)

12 If he presents it on account of thanksgiving, along with the thank-offering sacrifice he must present unleavened loaves mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers smeared with olive oil, and well-soaked, ring-shaped loaves made of choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil.

I was reading the New English Translation when I read through this part of Leviticus. The is about the only translation that uses the phrase “well-soaked, ring-shaped loaves” made of choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil. Ring-shaped loaves? That sure sounds like a description of a bagel.

I looked around the Internet for commentaries on this. Was this the creation of the bagel? Those who discuss things like this certainly have discussed this thing. Modern historians note the bagel first appeared in Poland or some place in Europe just a couple hundred years ago. Yet here it is in front of us in this translation of the Bible. Sounds like a bagel as bagels are boiled and then baked.

Significance? I really can’t provide any. This was just a note of something unusual in one translation of the Bible.

Exodus 7:22 (New Living Translation)

22 But again the magicians of Egypt used their magic, and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.

This is part of the (hi)story of Moses’ negotiations with Pharaoh and the attempts to have the descendants of Israel leave captivity in Egypt. As we know, the deaths of the firstborn caused Pharaoh to send the people away. Several times during this (hi)story, including this verse, we read of the magicians of Egypt and their acts of magic.

This is in black and white in the Bible. There were magicians, and the magicians performed magic. They turned sticks into snakes and water into blood among other acts of magic.

We have “magicians” or “illusionists” with us today. They pull a rabbit out of a hat or saw someone in two only to put them back together again. Wow! How did they do that? What was the trick? We know there is a trick, and some of us (me) want to know the trick.

Old Testament? These weren’t tricks. These were acts of magic.

Explanation? Don’t ask me because I don’t know.

Admission? They were magicians and they performed supernatural acts—magic.

Luke 1:51-54 (New Living Translation)

51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.

These verses are from the last half of the song of Mary, mother of Jesus, when she visited her cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. This song of Mary is often called “The Magnificat.”

The title of this blog post is from an editorial by Francis Pharcellus Church in 1897. Church’s piece was in response to a letter from a little girl named Virginia who asked, “Is there really a Santa Claus?”

The connection? Simple. The “proud and haughty ones” are scattered. The American Standard Version uses the phrase “He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.” Those of this earth who are so smart as to deny anything special and good as folly (Santa Claus) are scattered to the winds by God and sending His Son to earth to save us from ourselves.

That was the topic of the Santa Claus editorial. There are things here on earth that go beyond the physical sciences. There are super natural things from God that defy explanation. People love others and give to others without any anticipation of return. That makes no sense to the “the proud and haughty ones.”

The Santa Claus editorial was printed year after year for many years. Finally, the proud and haughty ones took over the newspapers and stopped printing it. They were too embarrassed by the close relation of the editorial to the Bible. They stopped it. Folly.

God is super natural. God is beyond the laws of nature explained by the physical sciences. God is not Santa Claus; Santa Claus does not represent God. Santa Claus does represent something good that goes beyond logical explanation. That is a step from the wisdom of man towards God. It may be a teeny, tiny step, but it is a step.

Yes, Virginia, there is good in this evil world that cannot be explained by the wise. Thank you, God.

Luke 2:27-28 (New Living Translation)

27 That day the Spirit led him (Simeon) to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God…

This is part of the (hi)story of Simeon and Anna in the Temple in Jerusalem. Simeon was “righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel.” (verse 25) Anna was a prophet who “never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.” (verse 37). These two elderly and devout Jews stayed in the Temple waiting.

In walks a young couple to present their baby as the law required. That is all that Joseph and Mary did: meet the basic requirements of religious practice and present their baby in the Temple.

A young couple walks in a church building with their newborn baby. Just another Sunday? Anything unusual or miraculous? Sure it is unusual and miraculous. It is unusual in that it is the only time in the lives of the couple and the child that this happens—there is only one first time. Miraculous? Yes, the birth of a child is a miracle. The desire of folks to bring their child into a gathering of Christians is wonderful.

But, this happens all the time. Really? Miracle? Yes, miracle. Let us not grow insensitive to it. I remember the first time my son and his wife brought their new babies into the church building. WOW! There is that WOW every time every newborn is brought in. It may not be as special to me individually as seeing my grandchild, but that is my fault, my problem, my shortcoming that I need to correct.

Presenting the baby is a miracle. Let’s treat it as such.

Ezra 9:2 (New Living Translation)

2 For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages. Worse yet, the leaders and officials have led the way in this outrage.

Notice the second sentence: So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages.

Whoa! Don’t repeat this in today’s world. First of all, many consider the concept of “race” to be racist and horrible. Scratch that word! Next, the race was polluted. Racial purity was polluted. Whoa! That is racist and horrible. Scratch that idea!. Finally, the pollution came from mixed marriages. What? Stopping people from marriage due to some horrible concept of race? Whoa! That is racist and horrible.

There must be something wrong with the translation here. The Bible is racist and horrible, right?

Let’s try this idea: this was written at a time and place for a specific group of people for a mission that God used them to fulfill. Through the power of God, they fulfilled that mission despite their disobedience.

And now we move to today. Is the concept of race “racist and horrible?” I’ll let the sociologist or those folks who discuss such things discuss such things. Let’s discuss Jesus Christ and the saving grace that comes through Jesus Christ. That grace overcomes any and all pollution I bring to this life. That grace is unending and all powerful.

Thank you God that I need not worry about my spiritual pollution and all the other things I do to pollute. Thank you God for Jesus Christ and saving grace.

John 1:6-7 (New Living Translation)

6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.

There are many different things to discuss about this sentence. One aspect is, how do we recognize this person has been sent by God? Do these persons glow or have a halo or something? Nope, I’ve never seen one of those. Perhaps I wasn’t looking in the right way.

Absent the heavenly glow, how do I recognize a person sent by God? I believe that my wife was sent to me by God to give me a better life and to allow me to be sent by God. I had conversations over the years with persons that changed my life for the better. I believe God sent those persons and those words to me to set me right and allow me to be sent to others.

My trouble was that at the time I didn’t recognize the person as being sent from God. They were just “doing their job” as an employee of this or that. They were just standing in the right place. They were just some thing other than a person sent from God. Years later, though, I believe that these persons were sent from God. Just a few moments, just a few words from God.

That is what John the Baptist did. John didn’t live with groups of people for years at a time. Someone heard about this fellow who was somewhere outside of town. Someone went out there and listened to John for a moment or an afternoon before returning home. Someone else was traveling along the way where John was. While watering their livestock, they heard John say a few words from God. Their life was changed in just a few moments with just a few words from God.

Did these folks who heard a few words from John realize that John was sent by God? Some of them may have. I think that most didn’t. John was an interesting fellow in an out-of-the-way place who said a few words that stuck with you.

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light. God still sends people to tell about the light. I have to try harder to notice.

Jeremiah 40:2-3 (New Living Translation)

2 The captain of the guard (Nebuzaradan) called for Jeremiah and said, “The Lord your God has brought this disaster on this land, 3 just as he said he would. For these people have sinned against the Lord and disobeyed him. That is why it happened.

The Babylonians have captured Jerusalem. The people of God are completely conquered. The captain of the guard comes to a set of prisoners (there were thousands of prisoners) to find the prophet Jeremiah.

Note the words from the person who does not belong to God’s people and does not worship God. The captain of the guard knows what prophets have relayed to the people from God. He knows how the people responded to these words of God.

All this Godly wisdom from someone else. You don’t have to be a follower of God to know about God. God’s work is evident to all. And then believe. Did this captain of the guard believe or come to believe? We aren’t told here. The captain of the guard gives honor to Jeremiah and offers to bring him to Babylon and take care of him.

God, help me to learn from this outsider.

Isaiah 40:13-14 (New Living Translation)

13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
14 Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right
or show him the path of justice?

Take the first phrase of verse 13. Etch it in stone and put it as the cornerstone of your house Do houses have cornerstones? They should, and this should be the cornerstone.

I give the above advise to really smart people (like me). Smart? Yes. Smart enough to give God advise? No. And some day I really need to remember that.

And then we come to questions of “ethics.” God knows right from wrong. God knows justice.

Can you imagine what God thinks of our 21st-century ethics and what our society calls “right” and “wrong?” Gosh.

God, thank you for providing me a book containing wisdom and ethics.

Nehemiah 6:12 (New Living Translation)

12 I realized that God had not spoken to him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

Nehemiah is writing these words. Nehemiah and the people have finished rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, but there is still more work to complete. Tobiah and Sanballat are enemies of the people and they are aghast that Nehemiah and the people have accomplished what they have. They are resorting to everything they can to frustrate Nehemiah.

Nehemiah goes to Shemaiah, who is a close friend and a man close to God. Shemaiah wants Nehemiah to have a special meeting in the Temple. They will lock the doors to be safe from Nehemiah’s enemies. Shemaiah tells Nehemiah that if he doesn’t hide in the temple, Nehemiah will be assassinated.

Nehemiah doesn’t agree. These words from a prophet are not from God. God is not speaking; money is speaking. Money in Shemaiah’s pocket from Tobiah and Sanballat.

Words from Godly persons are not always from God. Words from a friend who is close to God are not always from God. It is difficult to decide which is which and to whom to listen. Prayers and meditation are recommended. I need to listen to my recommendations.

Ezra 9:3-4 (New Living Translation)

3 When I heard this, I tore my cloak and my shirt, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down utterly shocked. 4 Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel came and sat with me because of this outrage committed by the returned exiles. And I sat there utterly appalled until the time of the evening sacrifice.

This describes a football fan after a referee makes a call that costs a game in the last minute. Pull your hair. Pull your beard. Sit in shock. Be utterly appalled all night.

This, however, is not football. This is disobeying God. The “sin” word comes to mind. Ezra has returned to Jerusalem for the great rebuilding project. He learns that the men from the people chosen by God have been marrying women from other peoples. Of all things, wandering down the street, ignoring woman from your own people, and … the rest is history.

Still, when was the last time I was shocked by sin and sat appalled for days, hours, or even five minutes? Why not? Am I just too accustomed to sin that it doesn’t shock me? Am I so expectant of God’s grace that I know it will be okay? Am I just too tired to “get worked up” over things? Is football and other things that are right in front of me too big in my life?

Lots of questions. Perhaps the answer is that I need God’s help. Same answer as yesterday; same answer tomorrow. God, thank you for everything. Please God, help me in my unbelief.