Contemplative Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 29:24-25 (New Living Translation)

24 And all the surrounding nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why was he so angry?’ 25 And the answer will be, ‘This happened because the people of the land abandoned the covenant that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt…’

The “surrounding nations” in these verses are those other folks. You know, “them” and “they.” The ones who are not “us.”

Those other folks—despite not being one of us—knew about God the Creator. They knew about the works of God the Creator. They knew about the special relationship God the Creator had with one group of people.

And because they knew God too, they could observe what happened to this special group of people (us) and wonder about it.

I thank God that I live in the age of grace created by the blood of Jesus. Still, I have this silly notion of “us” and “them” with me today. I know God. And I know that those other folks know God, too. And I know that those other folks see how and live and the consequences that come into my life.

I pray the same thing for those other folks that I pray for myself. “Please God, help me (and them) with my (our) unbelief.”

Please God, bring us all closer to You.

Deuteronomy 28:30 (New Living Translation)

You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will sleep with her…

This is one of the curses promised to the people if they did not obey God’s commandments.

Some 36 years ago I became engaged to be married to the woman who has been my wife for these 36 wonderful years. I think back to the period between our engagement and wedding day. …but another man will sleep with her…

Thank you God for not enacting that curse on me. I have seen others suffer this curse. Somehow they lived through it, but their lives were altered in a way that they never recovered.

Thank you God that I live under grace, not commands with curses. I suffer consequences of foolishness in this life, but forgiveness from God. Please help me in my unbelief.

Deuteronomy 1:22-23 (New Living Translation)

22 “But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’

23 “This seemed like a good idea to me…

Moses is telling a new generation of the people a history from a prior generation. On the doorstep of the promise land flowing with milk and honey, they prior generation comes to Moses:

“First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us.”

And for Moses, this seemed like a good idea. If I were there and then, I would probably have thought the same. Hmmm, good idea.

Of course, it was an awful idea. Scouts explored the land and reported disaster if they entered the place promised by God. The cities were too big. The walls were too thick. The people were to numerous. The giants were, well, they were giants.

The people fell apart emotionally. The refused to follow God’s leader. Then they changed their minds and rushed in without God’s blessing. Disaster.

But it seemed like a good idea. How many good ideas are MY IDEAS, not God’s? How many times to I follow my thoughts instead of God’s? The answer is simple but hurtful. The answer to both questions is, “Too many.” God, help me in my unbelief.

Numbers 29:1 (Holman Christian Bible)

You are to hold a sacred assembly in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, and you are not to do any daily work. This will be a day of joyful shouting for you.

God is telling the people about the special holidays during the year. This one is about the Festival of Trumpets. This will be a day of joyful shouting.

Where did we lose this one? We are not under the old law and the Jewish festivals. Still, do we Christians have a day of joyful shouting? Perhaps every Friday and Saturday night during football season for those of use with roots and lives in the south.

When was the last time you shouted joyfully? Perhaps we should practice from time to time lest we forget how.

Luke 8:35 (New Living Translation)

People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.

Fear filled the crowd of people. What brought such? They saw a man sitting a Jesus’ feet fully clothed and perfectly sane. That man was the village idiot, the town nut, everyone knew he was dangerously crazy.

Yet here he was in a blessed repose—sitting completely sane and peaceful at the feet of Jesus. Something unnatural had happened. Something so strange that it was frightening.

The man was sitting peacefully at the feet of Jesus. I want that. I want sanity, peace, tranquility, no stress, and everything we can write in today’s hectic world. I can have it. “All I have to do” is sit at the feet of Jesus.

Consider that. How hard is it to sit on the ground? Pretty much anyone can do it. Well, everyone can do it. Just sit. We must, however, sit in the right place. Not anyplace will do. We struggle with this. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Side Note: I searched the Internet for images of this (hi)story. All the images were dramatic portrayals of the wild and crazy man. I couldn’t find any of the many peacefully sitting at Jesus’ feet. I guess that seems pretty boring. Odd how we want to see the crazy, but don’t want to see the blessed repose.

Zephaniah 3:13 (New Living Translation)

The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will never tell lies or deceive one another.
They will eat and sleep in safety,
and no one will make them afraid.

Once again, (I wrote of this verse recently) the prophet is telling the people what God has said. There will be a day when the people will change. They will look to God and do no wrong.

There are blessings that come from looking to God. The last phrase describes one of these blessings—no one will make me afraid.

Of course not. When I am with God, what can a person do to me. Sure they can steal my stuff and hurt me physically and all sorts of terrible things. Still, what can they do to me?

God frees me from the fear of other persons—if I let Him. I can think of all sorts of frightening things, but that is a show of my weakness, not of a failure of God’s promise.

Please God, help me in my unbelief. Help me to stop fearing others.

John 19:25-27 (New Living Translation)

25 Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

Jesus, the Son of God, is on the cross. He is about to perform the greatest miracle of all time. This is a big spiritual concept—one that we struggle to grasp.

In the middle of this, Jesus sees His mother. Jesus is the oldest son. He is responsible—in the culture of the time—for providing for his mother in her old age. He knows He will die and will not fulfill his human and cultural duties.

Jesus sees another man. “Please,” says Jesus, “you take my mother as your mother. You provide for her in her old age. I can’t.”

Jesus takes on the full human and cultural responsibilities of a man, of a human.

Christianity requires faith in Jesus, i.e., the ability to believe in a grand concept for which we have no earthly, physical proof. And Christianity requires us to live in our human and cultural world. We pay taxes; we drive in our lane, and we don’t litter. And we show others that Jesus has made us different.

Sometimes I fail to fulfill the requirements of Christianity. I’m tired. I would rather take a nap than do lots of other things. Jesus provides a way. Thank you Jesus for your saving grace.

Zephaniah 3:13 (New Living Translation)

The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will never tell lies or deceive one another.
They will eat and sleep in safety,
and no one will make them afraid.

The prophet is speaking to the people from God. There is a day coming. That day will be safe, as opposed to their current suffering. The characteristic of that day?

The people will neither lie nor deceive one another.

Funny how one thing or another can change everything. Let’s stop lying. Let’s stop trying to trick one another. How about that? Would that turn around the economy or political polarity? Would that make my bills easier to pay?

Perhaps that would allow me to sleep better and not worry about other people doing me harm. Hmmm. That would be pretty good. I would feel better with the extra rest and have the energy and time to treat other persons better than I do today.

Yes, that would sure be a good thing. Let’s try it.

Jonah 2:10 (New Living Translation)

Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

God speaks to a great fish. “Spit Jonah out onto the beach,” says God.

The following verses indicated that the great fish listens and obeys God. Let’s consider that last phrase for a moment. A “stupid fish” listens and obeys God. Or was it a “stupid” or mindless fish? Or was it a smart fish with a free will to do as it wanted?

Enough speculation about the nature of the mind of a fish. We know what this one fish did.

Am I “smarter” than a fish? Take care with this question and its answer. Do I listen and obey? Do I think about it a while? How does my judgement compare to that of this one fish?

Given this story and these questions, I look pretty foolish at times, huh? Perhaps I should use some of my brain power and superior intelligence to consider my life and how I respond to God.

Amos 8:11-12 (New Living Translation)

11 “The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread or water
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from border to border[c]
searching for the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it.

We don’t have famines in America. We probably have never experienced a famine. Droughts? Other bad weather? Yes. Famine? No.

In the Old Testament times, a famine was one of the worst things that could happen. The prophet uses the word “famine” to describe a horrible time that is coming. There will be a famine of hearing the words of God. People will want to hear from God, but they will not be able to do so.

I have in front of me the Internet where there are dozens of English translations of the Bible. The words of God flood at me. No problem. I have no concept of a famine of the words of God. Blessings are drowning me. How can I ignore them? Why would I ignore them?

Still, I have days when I do ignore them. What is wrong with me? Please God, help me in my unbelief.