Contemplative Bible Reading

Leviticus 20:8 (Christian Standard Bible)

8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sets you apart.

The people of God are different. They were different in the Old Testament times and, I believe we are different from the rest of the people in the world today.

Note, I am not writing that us followers of God today are BETTER. I am writing that we are DIFFERENT.

We read here that we are different because God makes us different. The translation I quoted uses the words “sets you apart.” The world, according to God, is over there while we are over here. We are separated or apart.

Another translation uses the word sanctify. God sanctifies us. That is a word that we don’t use outside of church. It simply means to take something and set it aside for a special purpose. God sets us aside for a special purpose in God’s plans for creation.

Another translation uses the word Holy. That is another special church word that we don’t use elsewhere. One meaning of Holy is separate or different. A Holy item is one that is different from all the others.

Followers of God are apart from the rest of the people in the world. God put us apart from everyone else because we accepted God in our hearts. This is simple, yet too complex to describe in words (at least I’m not smart enough to describe it in words).

Better? No. Different? Yes. God set us apart to be different.

Different in what ways? Well, if we had a few minutes or a few lifetimes, we could have that discussion. More to come one day on that.

Genesis 21:17 (New Living Translation)

17 But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.

This is part of the (hi)story of Hagar fleeing the household of Abraham with her son Ishmael — the “boy” mentioned in the verse above.

Hagar is in the wilderness about to die. She has lost all hope. Then she literally hears the voice of an angel. Note, the angel is not there on earth in the wilderness with Hagar. The angel is in heaven. The angel’s voice calls to her from heaven.

Hmmmm. This is a new one on me. Angels can speak to us humans while the angels are in heaven and we are on earth. How does that work? I don’t know, but here right in front of me in black and white print is that happening.

Once again, the miracles of God and how God performs miracles are miraculous. Why am I amazed at every instance? Perhaps being amazed at God is a good thing. It keeps me alert or at least a little more alert about these things. Thank you, God.

Luke 2:38 (New Living Translation)

38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

This is part of the (hi)story of Anna. She was an 84-year-old widow who stayed in the temple night and day. She had lived far beyond the average life expectancy. This was the “little old lady from Pasadena” as the song goes.

She met Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus. She also met Simeon, a righteous and devout man awaiting the Messiah (Christ). What a day. Can you imagine all that happened here? Amazing.

Her reaction? She talked about the child to everyone. Simple. Powerful. She talked to everyone about Jesus.

I think that summarizes part of what God wants me to do; talk to everyone about Jesus. But, but, but… Nope. Simple instructions and a simple and powerful example.

Matthew 4:19 (American Standard Version)

19 And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men.

This is a famous statement from Jesus to Peter and his brother Andrew. These brothers were commercial fishermen. Jesus told them that they would no longer seek fish from the sea but men from the world. What Jesus said came to pass.

There is another part of this statement in that Jesus would transform or make them into such fishers. I believe Jesus spent much of His time with His followers teaching them how to do things. Jesus taught the skills of evangelism: speech, manner, words, actions, etc.

Convincing someone to do something different, i.e., change, is difficult. It requires skills and techniques. Jesus taught those to the followers. Let us understand that and do the same. Please, God, give us the skills to teach the skills.

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.