John 2:1 - 4:26
In the year long journey through the Bible this morning's reading is like a shopping cart overflowing with goodies. A lot of them are familiar goodies and a lot of them LOOK familiar but reveal greater "goodiness" upon further reflection.
Try to get to that extra goodiness through reading biblical commentary though and you'll find yourself drained.
Take the interaction between Jesus and Mary in John 2:3-5, where she tells him that the wine is gone. Jesus answers:
"Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come."
Read the commentaries on this and they'll explain why he is NOT being rude, that "His time" refers to his public display of power or of his messiah-ship, that he is rebuking Mary for meddling, and that this is NOT proof of the Catholic view of Mary as an intercessor.
Sheesh.
What I want to know is...if this is NOT his time why does he do the miracle anyway?
Does this passage indicate that it is possible that our requests to God MAY result in His changing His original plan? This would seem to jibe with what we saw back in the Old Testament where prayer caused God to relent or change plans.
Is this an indication that our relationship with Him is much more organic and fluid than what we typically think?
I don't know...but it sure seems a more lively conversation than whether or not this passage confirms certain catholic theologies!
Then there is this tidbit:
John 3:14
"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life."
The context of the Moses story in Numbers 21 is that the people grumbled against God, He sent snakes amongst them, they cried out, God told Moses to make a brass snake on a pole and to "lift it up" so that whoever looked at it would be saved.
The commentators on Jesus reference to this story point straight to the cross.
But Jesus has just been talking about the fact that He has come "from heaven".
Isn't it more likely that He is referring to his ascension? Is it not possible that while the cross IS centrally important it looses it's importance without the resurrection and ascension?
Maybe I am way off base...but it starts to feel a little too well packaged when I read some of these guys. Maybe I've been thinking outside the box so long I've lost my way back to it.
Is that such a bad thing?
Friday, October 2, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Running almost barefoot
Last night I took my first experimental run in Vibram Five Fingers.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.cfm
To set the stage a bit my run training has been terrible this summer, (in part due to an injury in the spring). Despite running in several sprint triathlons my run is about where you'd expect it to be after 3 to 6 months off. That being said a 5K is readily doable, if not in an impressive time at least in an almost reasonable time.
If you've not seen nor heard of Vibram Five Fingers you can see a picture of them on the website above or here:
Our run starts though some neighborhood streets before getting to a dirt/gravel trail. I was expecting that running on cement might be the tough part but it really didn't feel all that different. (my buddy did say I was a lot louder...meaning my feet were flapping on the pavement!) That first half mile or so really just felt like an experiment...what is it like to run in these?
Once we got onto the trail things were even easier. These shoes are REALLY light so you hardly feel them and the soles protect your feet while at the same time letting you feel the difference in the terrain beneath you. It might be too graphic a description but it is almost like running in bare feet with really built up callouses across the entire bottom of your foot.
I made it though about the first mile to mile and a half running then started to alternate between running a block and walking a block. Somewhere about halfway through mile two I started to feel it in my calves and a little on the balls of my feet. They'll tell you that you need to re-strengthen you feet before taking on long distances in these and that your calves will need some work too and they aren't kidding.
The final block or so I was still able to really lengthen out my stride...which I normally can't do...and it even felt more "normal" to be running that way. I normally "feel" a run in my hamstrings and core first...this was definitely different.
In the final analysis I think I'll be working more and more with these. My calves are achy today but not any worse than I would expect to feel after a couple weeks of no running.
On the upside these shoes are way comfortable. My experience in this first go was that my running stride wants to move towards a more natural gate than when I am in traditional running shoes. I tended to want to stride out and even sprint, probably just because it felt like being in bare feet. I didn't feel any pain from stepping on anything but I could feel the differences in ground surface...which was kind of cool.
On the downside I did stub my toe once or twice which resulted in pretty easily wearing a hole in the lightweight nylon upper on the shoe. Now, had I caught my foot like that in regular shoes I might have stumbled rather than just folding over one toe...so, good on the injury side...but poking a hole in the top of my shoe that easily is a bit of a bummer.
If you're thinking you want to try these let me strongly recommend trying on at least two or three different sizes. You'll most naturally be focused on how they feel on your toes when you first out them on due, in large part, to the fact that it takes some work to get your toes lined up right. Even though I did try on two sizes I wound up with probably one size too big because of this. The import thing to check is how far back your heel is seated in the shoe. Seating your heel back correctly after you get them on will adjust how well your toes match against the other end. Don't trust that the guy in the shoe store will know this!
In all? I like 'em. I'll run more in them and probably get a second, better fit pair. (Unfortunately you really can't return these after about the first wearing.)
If you like being bare foot then I really recommend giving these a try!
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.cfm
To set the stage a bit my run training has been terrible this summer, (in part due to an injury in the spring). Despite running in several sprint triathlons my run is about where you'd expect it to be after 3 to 6 months off. That being said a 5K is readily doable, if not in an impressive time at least in an almost reasonable time.
If you've not seen nor heard of Vibram Five Fingers you can see a picture of them on the website above or here:
http://twitpic.com/jprve -
They are basically like wearing gloves on your feet. The soles are of a relatively tough yet flexible kind of rubber that makes it feel like you're barefoot but with feet toughened by years of BEING barefoot.Our run starts though some neighborhood streets before getting to a dirt/gravel trail. I was expecting that running on cement might be the tough part but it really didn't feel all that different. (my buddy did say I was a lot louder...meaning my feet were flapping on the pavement!) That first half mile or so really just felt like an experiment...what is it like to run in these?
Once we got onto the trail things were even easier. These shoes are REALLY light so you hardly feel them and the soles protect your feet while at the same time letting you feel the difference in the terrain beneath you. It might be too graphic a description but it is almost like running in bare feet with really built up callouses across the entire bottom of your foot.
I made it though about the first mile to mile and a half running then started to alternate between running a block and walking a block. Somewhere about halfway through mile two I started to feel it in my calves and a little on the balls of my feet. They'll tell you that you need to re-strengthen you feet before taking on long distances in these and that your calves will need some work too and they aren't kidding.
The final block or so I was still able to really lengthen out my stride...which I normally can't do...and it even felt more "normal" to be running that way. I normally "feel" a run in my hamstrings and core first...this was definitely different.
In the final analysis I think I'll be working more and more with these. My calves are achy today but not any worse than I would expect to feel after a couple weeks of no running.
On the upside these shoes are way comfortable. My experience in this first go was that my running stride wants to move towards a more natural gate than when I am in traditional running shoes. I tended to want to stride out and even sprint, probably just because it felt like being in bare feet. I didn't feel any pain from stepping on anything but I could feel the differences in ground surface...which was kind of cool.
On the downside I did stub my toe once or twice which resulted in pretty easily wearing a hole in the lightweight nylon upper on the shoe. Now, had I caught my foot like that in regular shoes I might have stumbled rather than just folding over one toe...so, good on the injury side...but poking a hole in the top of my shoe that easily is a bit of a bummer.
If you're thinking you want to try these let me strongly recommend trying on at least two or three different sizes. You'll most naturally be focused on how they feel on your toes when you first out them on due, in large part, to the fact that it takes some work to get your toes lined up right. Even though I did try on two sizes I wound up with probably one size too big because of this. The import thing to check is how far back your heel is seated in the shoe. Seating your heel back correctly after you get them on will adjust how well your toes match against the other end. Don't trust that the guy in the shoe store will know this!
In all? I like 'em. I'll run more in them and probably get a second, better fit pair. (Unfortunately you really can't return these after about the first wearing.)
If you like being bare foot then I really recommend giving these a try!
Monday, September 28, 2009
The Old Testament
Shweew.
For those on the journey of reading through the Bible chronologically this year we've made it through the Old Testament this past weekend!
It has been interesting to read this as a continuous story once again. Each time I do different themes seem to emerge. I think I caught a different glimpse this time than I have in times past.
It is becoming more and more popular these days to hear people referring to the Bible as irrelevant, as a book written to specific people groups thousands of years ago with no practical purpose today other than perhaps a quaint set of moral guidelines. Interestingly enough the stories in the Old Testament seem to revolve around a similar theme.
The nation of Israel was lead out of Egypt on a journey complete with an amazing set of miracles proving that God was indeed with them and fully in charge. God gave Moses His laws on the mountain...the equivalent of the Bible for His people...and, as the story goes, they rebelled.
Read through any of the prophets, through Chronicles and Kings and you'll see a constant combat between those who think that God's laws are no longer relevant, hence they turn to other gods, and those who seek to reestablish the law that was delivered to Moses. Nearly every one of the prophets calls the people to "remember" what God has done. There really isn't any "new" teaching once the law is given, no changes in policy or procedure, no additional requirements, just a call to go back to following it.
In fact it seems to me that almost the entire old testament, after the giving of the law, is the story of God's call to His people to return to Him. Sometimes they do and there is peace, sometimes they partially do, more often they don't until they are finally exiled.
At the end of the story of the Old testament they are back in Jerusalem and again they are called by godly leaders to remember, repent, and return to the Lord...and His word.
Amongst all the crazy genealogies, the complex and detailed laws, the long lists, the poetic flair of the minor prophets, there is a single thread that is constant throughout:
Remember who I AM.
Repent of your forgetfulness.
Return to Me.
A simple message and one we shake our head at when we heard it over and over again through nine months of reading through the Old Testament.
But clearly a message that echoes through the ages and needs to be heard even more loudly today.
For those on the journey of reading through the Bible chronologically this year we've made it through the Old Testament this past weekend!
It has been interesting to read this as a continuous story once again. Each time I do different themes seem to emerge. I think I caught a different glimpse this time than I have in times past.
It is becoming more and more popular these days to hear people referring to the Bible as irrelevant, as a book written to specific people groups thousands of years ago with no practical purpose today other than perhaps a quaint set of moral guidelines. Interestingly enough the stories in the Old Testament seem to revolve around a similar theme.
The nation of Israel was lead out of Egypt on a journey complete with an amazing set of miracles proving that God was indeed with them and fully in charge. God gave Moses His laws on the mountain...the equivalent of the Bible for His people...and, as the story goes, they rebelled.
Read through any of the prophets, through Chronicles and Kings and you'll see a constant combat between those who think that God's laws are no longer relevant, hence they turn to other gods, and those who seek to reestablish the law that was delivered to Moses. Nearly every one of the prophets calls the people to "remember" what God has done. There really isn't any "new" teaching once the law is given, no changes in policy or procedure, no additional requirements, just a call to go back to following it.
In fact it seems to me that almost the entire old testament, after the giving of the law, is the story of God's call to His people to return to Him. Sometimes they do and there is peace, sometimes they partially do, more often they don't until they are finally exiled.
At the end of the story of the Old testament they are back in Jerusalem and again they are called by godly leaders to remember, repent, and return to the Lord...and His word.
Amongst all the crazy genealogies, the complex and detailed laws, the long lists, the poetic flair of the minor prophets, there is a single thread that is constant throughout:
Remember who I AM.
Repent of your forgetfulness.
Return to Me.
A simple message and one we shake our head at when we heard it over and over again through nine months of reading through the Old Testament.
But clearly a message that echoes through the ages and needs to be heard even more loudly today.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Fall Frenzy Triathlon: Are you kidding me?!?
Parker Colorado: Fall Frenzy Sprint Triathlon: September 13, 2009
My goal for this race was to try to beat 90 minutes for the 500M swim, 11 Mile bike, and 5K run.
I had run the same race back in 2006 so I was somewhat familiar with the course.
The morning started out windy and cold. Cold is bad, wind is worse. I got myself situated in the transition area by about 7:15 and with a 10:30 pool start I had time to walk the run course and check it out.
We wound up getting into the pool a little ahead of schedule. This was by far my best swim experience of the season. I opted to go in the third position in our lane, two ahead of me, two behind. The two guys ahead of me were pretty quick and pulled away slowly while the two behind me were rather slower than I was and fell back. That left me with a pretty open stretch in which to swim. I had estimated my swim time at 9:30 and came in at almost exactly that. I exited the pool feeling great and had a pretty good spring in my step as a jogged the 100+ yards to the transition area.
I got to my bike at the same time as a woman who was sharing the bike rack with me was getting back from the ride. We had discussed earlier whether it was cold enough to switch to a long sleeve shirt for the bike leg so I asked her opinion as we were both changing shoes. She said the wind had been bad and that yes, it was probably a good way to go. Fortunately I had guessed that would be the case and my long sleeve shirt was the one I had handy. I pulled it on, started reaching for my helmet and suddenly realized I had put it on backwards! Growling in frustration I quick pulled it back over my head, got it sorted right way round, donned my glasses and helmet and headed out. The whole mini-fiasco probably cost me all of 7 or 8 seconds...10 max...no biggie.
The bike ride start out blazing. I was feeling good and the up hills were fewer than the down hills on the start of the course. There are two nasty hills in the middle to last section of the course and these turned straight into a nasty headwind. On the first I gritted it out, getting way further into my granny gears than I had wanted to but managing it ok. The second, and steeper, hill comes right after a sharp right hand turn that forces you to lose almost all your momentum from the previous downhill. I blew my shift here and by halfway up it I was struggling. For a brief moment I thought I would actually lose enough momentum to have to stop and walk. It's funny the sort of internal dialogue you have with yourself at that point:
"This is nasty. I need to walk it for a second."
"WALK IT?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? SUCK IT UP!"
"Hey man, I'm losing pace and may fall over any second."
THEN PEDAL MAN, PEDAL!!!"
"Dude."
"DUDE!
The louder voice won.
I kept pedaling and finished in a decent time.
I got into T2 and prepared for the dreaded run.
Due to an ankle injury back in May I haven't been able to do many training runs this summer...in truth probably only five or six all told since June. I glanced at my watch as I was leaving transition and saw that I had probably somewhere around 30-35 minutes to get the run finished if I wanted to break the 90 minute mark.
The run course passes right by the finish line on the way out, people headed in both directions and a LOT of spectators watching for their friends to finish. As I came through the first corner there a toddler, young enough to be still wobbly on his feet, staggered out right in front of me. I had seen him coming, thanks to the preparedness training of all those drivers ed films back in high school, and decelerated into an exaggerated slow motion spin around the kid all the while slowly saying "Ooooohhhhhh Nnnoooooooo!!!" This got a chuckle from the crowd. A few seconds down but good fun to be had and it helped the kid's mom not feel so bad that her child had gotten in the way.
The run itself was a nightmare. I knew that I had managed to run without walking at all in 2006 but my training had been much better then. I also knew I could run/walk at something around an 11 minute/mile pace which was going to make it pretty close if I was to break 90 minutes. The course is 1.5 miles or so out and them about the same coming back. I was definitely stronger on the way back in, my watch spurring me on, but at my best I was still barely shuffling along like some ancient Chinese aristocrat at the end of a bad meal.
With about 50 yards to go you come to a steep uphill dirt back that climbs about 10-15 yards...steep enough the only a few people manage to run up it...most walk, leaning far forward.
I got to the top and had another conversation with myself:
"Dude, stop and catch your breath."
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? THE END OF RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!!!"
"Ok, walk slow then"
"you WIMP...GO,GO,GO"
"Grrrrr"
I managed to lurch into a shambling jog, gasping around the corner and through the finish line. I glanced at my watch and knew it would be close.
An hour or so later...
My glasses are still in my car so my wife is running her finger down the results list. I'm feeling pretty good that my name appears in top half of all finishers. She finds my names, traces across and then turns to look at me with a bit of a look...almost as though she has just smelled something nasty.
"Do you really want to know?", she asks.
"Crud....yes", I grunted.
"1 hour, 30 minutes, and 5 seconds."
I said something that rhymes with trap, is brown, and means the same thing as a word for the sound made by a large bell...followed by:
"Are you kidding me?"
Put your shirt on right the first time, juke past the kid instead of clowning, don't converse with yourself just run to the finish, to one less deep breath at the edge of the pool...ANYTHING gets you back five or six seconds.
"dude"
"DUDE!"
My goal for this race was to try to beat 90 minutes for the 500M swim, 11 Mile bike, and 5K run.
I had run the same race back in 2006 so I was somewhat familiar with the course.
The morning started out windy and cold. Cold is bad, wind is worse. I got myself situated in the transition area by about 7:15 and with a 10:30 pool start I had time to walk the run course and check it out.
We wound up getting into the pool a little ahead of schedule. This was by far my best swim experience of the season. I opted to go in the third position in our lane, two ahead of me, two behind. The two guys ahead of me were pretty quick and pulled away slowly while the two behind me were rather slower than I was and fell back. That left me with a pretty open stretch in which to swim. I had estimated my swim time at 9:30 and came in at almost exactly that. I exited the pool feeling great and had a pretty good spring in my step as a jogged the 100+ yards to the transition area.
I got to my bike at the same time as a woman who was sharing the bike rack with me was getting back from the ride. We had discussed earlier whether it was cold enough to switch to a long sleeve shirt for the bike leg so I asked her opinion as we were both changing shoes. She said the wind had been bad and that yes, it was probably a good way to go. Fortunately I had guessed that would be the case and my long sleeve shirt was the one I had handy. I pulled it on, started reaching for my helmet and suddenly realized I had put it on backwards! Growling in frustration I quick pulled it back over my head, got it sorted right way round, donned my glasses and helmet and headed out. The whole mini-fiasco probably cost me all of 7 or 8 seconds...10 max...no biggie.
The bike ride start out blazing. I was feeling good and the up hills were fewer than the down hills on the start of the course. There are two nasty hills in the middle to last section of the course and these turned straight into a nasty headwind. On the first I gritted it out, getting way further into my granny gears than I had wanted to but managing it ok. The second, and steeper, hill comes right after a sharp right hand turn that forces you to lose almost all your momentum from the previous downhill. I blew my shift here and by halfway up it I was struggling. For a brief moment I thought I would actually lose enough momentum to have to stop and walk. It's funny the sort of internal dialogue you have with yourself at that point:
"This is nasty. I need to walk it for a second."
"WALK IT?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? SUCK IT UP!"
"Hey man, I'm losing pace and may fall over any second."
THEN PEDAL MAN, PEDAL!!!"
"Dude."
"DUDE!
The louder voice won.
I kept pedaling and finished in a decent time.
I got into T2 and prepared for the dreaded run.
Due to an ankle injury back in May I haven't been able to do many training runs this summer...in truth probably only five or six all told since June. I glanced at my watch as I was leaving transition and saw that I had probably somewhere around 30-35 minutes to get the run finished if I wanted to break the 90 minute mark.
The run course passes right by the finish line on the way out, people headed in both directions and a LOT of spectators watching for their friends to finish. As I came through the first corner there a toddler, young enough to be still wobbly on his feet, staggered out right in front of me. I had seen him coming, thanks to the preparedness training of all those drivers ed films back in high school, and decelerated into an exaggerated slow motion spin around the kid all the while slowly saying "Ooooohhhhhh Nnnoooooooo!!!" This got a chuckle from the crowd. A few seconds down but good fun to be had and it helped the kid's mom not feel so bad that her child had gotten in the way.
The run itself was a nightmare. I knew that I had managed to run without walking at all in 2006 but my training had been much better then. I also knew I could run/walk at something around an 11 minute/mile pace which was going to make it pretty close if I was to break 90 minutes. The course is 1.5 miles or so out and them about the same coming back. I was definitely stronger on the way back in, my watch spurring me on, but at my best I was still barely shuffling along like some ancient Chinese aristocrat at the end of a bad meal.
With about 50 yards to go you come to a steep uphill dirt back that climbs about 10-15 yards...steep enough the only a few people manage to run up it...most walk, leaning far forward.
I got to the top and had another conversation with myself:
"Dude, stop and catch your breath."
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? THE END OF RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!!!"
"Ok, walk slow then"
"you WIMP...GO,GO,GO"
"Grrrrr"
I managed to lurch into a shambling jog, gasping around the corner and through the finish line. I glanced at my watch and knew it would be close.
An hour or so later...
My glasses are still in my car so my wife is running her finger down the results list. I'm feeling pretty good that my name appears in top half of all finishers. She finds my names, traces across and then turns to look at me with a bit of a look...almost as though she has just smelled something nasty.
"Do you really want to know?", she asks.
"Crud....yes", I grunted.
"1 hour, 30 minutes, and 5 seconds."
I said something that rhymes with trap, is brown, and means the same thing as a word for the sound made by a large bell...followed by:
"Are you kidding me?"
Put your shirt on right the first time, juke past the kid instead of clowning, don't converse with yourself just run to the finish, to one less deep breath at the edge of the pool...ANYTHING gets you back five or six seconds.
"dude"
"DUDE!"
Monday, August 17, 2009
Rattlesnake Triathlon - part 2
If you've read the previous post you know that I floundered my way through my first open water swim and wobbled into the transition area at something less than a sauntering stroll of a pace.
My head and vision were starting to clear as I plunked myself down to get on my shoes. The bike is usually my strongest leg...I'm typically in the top third of all participants pace wise on the bike...so this is where I usually can make up some time. But I forgot one of the key training lessons of triathlon: "Live in the moment". I was definitely NOT in the moment as I rode out onto the course. I was still flabbergasted over the swim.
The Rattlesnake bike course is VERY hilly with a net rise in elevation of over 750 ft. That means you do get some downhills but they all seem to slope in to the middle of the course so that you up to the turn around and up to the finish. I spent most of the bike leg trying to keep the contents of my stomach inside of me. I wound up with a decent time but my pace was about what I would normally do just riding around town.
I came in to transition glad to know I had only a 5k left to go. Of course, the run is usually what I am worst at...
With one seriously bad knee and a long recovery time after my race back in June I hadn't been able to do any run training for nearly two months. My plan going in to this run was to keep a brisk walking pace...which for me is between an 11 and 12 minute mile...and jog a bit on the downhills. The plan seemed to work ok on the outbound part of the run. Sure I was being regularly passed by people but I was passing occasionally too. At the 1.5 mile turn around point I was feeling like maybe I hadn't pushed myself hard enough...then I started thing about the swim AGAIN and had to work on stomach content maintenance for a few hundred yards.
With about a half mile to go I came up on the two ladies from CWW triathlon club with whom I had shared bike rack in the transition area. This normally would have felt pretty good since they started in the water at least 15 - 20 minutes ahead of me...but they had both run the olympic distance tri the day before. I thanked them for waiting for me and told them they could go ahead and finish if they liked. We wound up jockeying back and forth...them passing me when I walked me getting them back when I jogged...until I heard them coming up behind me one last time with an intent to run through the finish.
Up until that moment I was pretty sure I was wiped out enough the my male ego had sunk to the bottom of the lake somewhere. Apparently it found me out at the end of the run course and I managed to run through the last quarter mile..."run" being a very relative term at that point.
At the end of the day my time was a 1:37:53...not impressive by any stretch but not one to complain about really. My pace for the swim and run were close to what I had hoped for even if the bike was a little slow. But I DID learn a crucial lesson or two:
1. Don't try something entirely new for the first time in competition.
Open water swimming + wet suit combined for a harrowing mental experience
2. "Live in the moment" means forgetting what you just did and focusing on what you're doing.
That would have helped in both the bike AND run.
3. "Live in the moment" also means focusing your mind on truth.
I knew what to do but let my mind wander to "oh my gosh's" and "what if's"
Yes, I will try an open water swim tri again someday.
Somehow though I think those three lessons apply beyond just doing triathlons.
My head and vision were starting to clear as I plunked myself down to get on my shoes. The bike is usually my strongest leg...I'm typically in the top third of all participants pace wise on the bike...so this is where I usually can make up some time. But I forgot one of the key training lessons of triathlon: "Live in the moment". I was definitely NOT in the moment as I rode out onto the course. I was still flabbergasted over the swim.
The Rattlesnake bike course is VERY hilly with a net rise in elevation of over 750 ft. That means you do get some downhills but they all seem to slope in to the middle of the course so that you up to the turn around and up to the finish. I spent most of the bike leg trying to keep the contents of my stomach inside of me. I wound up with a decent time but my pace was about what I would normally do just riding around town.
I came in to transition glad to know I had only a 5k left to go. Of course, the run is usually what I am worst at...
With one seriously bad knee and a long recovery time after my race back in June I hadn't been able to do any run training for nearly two months. My plan going in to this run was to keep a brisk walking pace...which for me is between an 11 and 12 minute mile...and jog a bit on the downhills. The plan seemed to work ok on the outbound part of the run. Sure I was being regularly passed by people but I was passing occasionally too. At the 1.5 mile turn around point I was feeling like maybe I hadn't pushed myself hard enough...then I started thing about the swim AGAIN and had to work on stomach content maintenance for a few hundred yards.
With about a half mile to go I came up on the two ladies from CWW triathlon club with whom I had shared bike rack in the transition area. This normally would have felt pretty good since they started in the water at least 15 - 20 minutes ahead of me...but they had both run the olympic distance tri the day before. I thanked them for waiting for me and told them they could go ahead and finish if they liked. We wound up jockeying back and forth...them passing me when I walked me getting them back when I jogged...until I heard them coming up behind me one last time with an intent to run through the finish.
Up until that moment I was pretty sure I was wiped out enough the my male ego had sunk to the bottom of the lake somewhere. Apparently it found me out at the end of the run course and I managed to run through the last quarter mile..."run" being a very relative term at that point.
At the end of the day my time was a 1:37:53...not impressive by any stretch but not one to complain about really. My pace for the swim and run were close to what I had hoped for even if the bike was a little slow. But I DID learn a crucial lesson or two:
1. Don't try something entirely new for the first time in competition.
Open water swimming + wet suit combined for a harrowing mental experience
2. "Live in the moment" means forgetting what you just did and focusing on what you're doing.
That would have helped in both the bike AND run.
3. "Live in the moment" also means focusing your mind on truth.
I knew what to do but let my mind wander to "oh my gosh's" and "what if's"
Yes, I will try an open water swim tri again someday.
Somehow though I think those three lessons apply beyond just doing triathlons.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Rattlesnake Triathlon - A first tri at open water
I had read, several times, that doing an open water swim in a triathlon was much different than doing a pool swim. Going into today I had never done an open water tri...though I had done a couple with pool swims. Now, I've swam in rivers, lakes, even in the ocean quite a bit...but I was NOT ready for THIS.
We entered the water in a time trial start, 5 seconds between each person, which is designed to avoid the chaos of a mass shotgun start. Instantly I recognized that all of the usual proprioceptive ques that help me keep a steady pace in the pool were gone. Within the first fifty meters I was thrashing. My heart rate was way up, I couldn't go more than a handful of strokes without peeking up to see if I was on a good line. I was worried about running into people...it was horrible.
Truth be known I can do 500 meters in a pool with relative ease at a decent pace but by the time we got out to the 250 meter mark and made the turn for shore I was worried I might not make it. There are kayaks along the the way that you can grab on to if you are in a bad enough way and as long as you don't propel yourself forward there is no penalty...but I did NOT want to be that guy.
With 50 meters to go I had a couple guys pass me and ask if I was ok. I was kicking along on my back trying to catch my breath. I pushed myself to roll back over and dug in hard for about 30 meters and finally found lake bottom. I managed to get my feet under me and dragged myself onto the beach only to find that I was staggering like late night drunk. I couldn't keep anything like a straight line, my eyes were doing weird focus things, I felt overwhelming panic and relief all at the same time and knew I still had to bike 12 miles and run a 5K.
Normaly I can get a good jog on after the swim but this was a lurching survival walk. I stumbled past the people who were there to help us out of our wetsuits knowing that if I lay down to let them pull it off my legs I wouldn't be able to get back up. I CLEARLY remember the small, rational, analytical part of my brain chipping in with, "Ok, that was ridiculous. You could have died. We're never doing THAT again."
My transition time, which doesn't start until AFTER you stagger in to the transition area, was close to two minutes longer than my normal...only 1/3 of the race down and I was spent.
to be continued...
We entered the water in a time trial start, 5 seconds between each person, which is designed to avoid the chaos of a mass shotgun start. Instantly I recognized that all of the usual proprioceptive ques that help me keep a steady pace in the pool were gone. Within the first fifty meters I was thrashing. My heart rate was way up, I couldn't go more than a handful of strokes without peeking up to see if I was on a good line. I was worried about running into people...it was horrible.
Truth be known I can do 500 meters in a pool with relative ease at a decent pace but by the time we got out to the 250 meter mark and made the turn for shore I was worried I might not make it. There are kayaks along the the way that you can grab on to if you are in a bad enough way and as long as you don't propel yourself forward there is no penalty...but I did NOT want to be that guy.
With 50 meters to go I had a couple guys pass me and ask if I was ok. I was kicking along on my back trying to catch my breath. I pushed myself to roll back over and dug in hard for about 30 meters and finally found lake bottom. I managed to get my feet under me and dragged myself onto the beach only to find that I was staggering like late night drunk. I couldn't keep anything like a straight line, my eyes were doing weird focus things, I felt overwhelming panic and relief all at the same time and knew I still had to bike 12 miles and run a 5K.
Normaly I can get a good jog on after the swim but this was a lurching survival walk. I stumbled past the people who were there to help us out of our wetsuits knowing that if I lay down to let them pull it off my legs I wouldn't be able to get back up. I CLEARLY remember the small, rational, analytical part of my brain chipping in with, "Ok, that was ridiculous. You could have died. We're never doing THAT again."
My transition time, which doesn't start until AFTER you stagger in to the transition area, was close to two minutes longer than my normal...only 1/3 of the race down and I was spent.
to be continued...
Monday, July 20, 2009
"Class" Reunion
This past Saturday was an amazing day, encompassing the full spectrum of human experience...ok maybe that is overstating it but it was a blast.
I had the chance to attend a "what's the next thing now that you're done teaching high school band" party for an amazing guy, John Riggle.
Two hundred or so folks showed up to the picnic and for close to a full day celebrated this man's influence on our lives. As the sun started to set there were a number of folks who were not quite ready to be finished so for 40 or so folk the party moved to a local burgery.
Finally, having closed the place down, the last few of us started to wander out to out cars.
I got in behind the wheel, closed the door and heard this wierd kind of slithering, crunching sound behind me. Looking back over my shoulder I saw the shattered remains of the back passenger window. My brain didn't instantly process what I was seeing. My first though was, "Wow, someone must have accidentally thrown a rock through my window."
Of course, it was probably not a rock and certainly not an accident.
Parked in a well lit parking lot, directly under a light, someone had seen my bags on the back seat and decided they needed them more than I did. Which means I "donated":
1 Commuter/transition bag back pack containing:
1 Canon digital camera + 2 lenses + 100 or so pictures from the day + pictures of my Nieces dedication
1 ATT tilt cell phone + ALL the phone numbers of anyone I know
1 key to my car back on Colorado (the ONLY key I have mind you)
1 Champion carry-on duffle containing:
1 old favorite Disney baseball cap
1 pair of running shoes
1 full set of work out clothing
2 favorites shirts
1 favorite pair of shorts
1 set of business meeting clothes for Monday
Sundry toiletries and underwear
Fortunately my laptop, Bose headphones and ipod were on the floor of the front seat and escaped notice.
Sunday was a full day hassle of trying to get rental cars managed, computer power back, cell phones handled, teeth brushed, and clean clothed...but here's the thing:
Had you told me when I left that I would have a great day followed by a HUGE hassle...I'd still do it all over again.
If you weren't in band in high school, or some similar organization, then you can't possibly understand what it is to "live" with a group of folks for most of your high school years.
Other than thinking of band people as geeks you wouldn't get the notion of competing in something that is physical, mental, and artistic all at the same time.
If you've not been back to a reunion with those folks then you wouldn't understand how the connection, and the stories last and...you certainly wouldn't realize the depth of influence that someone like a John Riggle can have on so many people.
So band peeps? It was AWESOME...I hope to stay in closer touch with many of you having reconnected.
Mr. Riggle? Thanks for al you poured into us
Ed? Thanks for all your work on an amazing shindig
Elaine? Thanks for letting me use your cell phone to call the cops. :)
Kate, Denise, and Joel? Thanks for hanging out until he was done dusting for prints.
Sunnyvale High School Marching Jets?
Thank you for a truly "Class" Reunion...
...and send me pics. Mine are inside a camera that someone will no doubt get really cheap at the flea market next weekend.
I had the chance to attend a "what's the next thing now that you're done teaching high school band" party for an amazing guy, John Riggle.
Two hundred or so folks showed up to the picnic and for close to a full day celebrated this man's influence on our lives. As the sun started to set there were a number of folks who were not quite ready to be finished so for 40 or so folk the party moved to a local burgery.
Finally, having closed the place down, the last few of us started to wander out to out cars.
I got in behind the wheel, closed the door and heard this wierd kind of slithering, crunching sound behind me. Looking back over my shoulder I saw the shattered remains of the back passenger window. My brain didn't instantly process what I was seeing. My first though was, "Wow, someone must have accidentally thrown a rock through my window."
Of course, it was probably not a rock and certainly not an accident.
Parked in a well lit parking lot, directly under a light, someone had seen my bags on the back seat and decided they needed them more than I did. Which means I "donated":
1 Commuter/transition bag back pack containing:
1 Canon digital camera + 2 lenses + 100 or so pictures from the day + pictures of my Nieces dedication
1 ATT tilt cell phone + ALL the phone numbers of anyone I know
1 key to my car back on Colorado (the ONLY key I have mind you)
1 Champion carry-on duffle containing:
1 old favorite Disney baseball cap
1 pair of running shoes
1 full set of work out clothing
2 favorites shirts
1 favorite pair of shorts
1 set of business meeting clothes for Monday
Sundry toiletries and underwear
Fortunately my laptop, Bose headphones and ipod were on the floor of the front seat and escaped notice.
Sunday was a full day hassle of trying to get rental cars managed, computer power back, cell phones handled, teeth brushed, and clean clothed...but here's the thing:
Had you told me when I left that I would have a great day followed by a HUGE hassle...I'd still do it all over again.
If you weren't in band in high school, or some similar organization, then you can't possibly understand what it is to "live" with a group of folks for most of your high school years.
Other than thinking of band people as geeks you wouldn't get the notion of competing in something that is physical, mental, and artistic all at the same time.
If you've not been back to a reunion with those folks then you wouldn't understand how the connection, and the stories last and...you certainly wouldn't realize the depth of influence that someone like a John Riggle can have on so many people.
So band peeps? It was AWESOME...I hope to stay in closer touch with many of you having reconnected.
Mr. Riggle? Thanks for al you poured into us
Ed? Thanks for all your work on an amazing shindig
Elaine? Thanks for letting me use your cell phone to call the cops. :)
Kate, Denise, and Joel? Thanks for hanging out until he was done dusting for prints.
Sunnyvale High School Marching Jets?
Thank you for a truly "Class" Reunion...
...and send me pics. Mine are inside a camera that someone will no doubt get really cheap at the flea market next weekend.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Another one bites the dust
It was my birthday yesterday... 48, I think...I don't keep as close track as I used to.
Thanks to everyone who sent along their well wishes!!
Although this particular number is not a birthday of any special significance I did get the one gift I was specifically hoping to receive.
I got a book.
Not just any book mind you.
THIS book has been out of print for years.
There are still copies around ranging in price from fifty to well over three hundred dollars.
Is it some ancient tome containing the wisdom of the ages?
The collected works of some obscure philosophical author?
Some erudite historical commentary?
Nope.
The book, for which I had been hoping, is Sir MacHinery by Tom McGowan published in 1970.
It is right around 150 pages, probably a fourth or fifth grade reading level, and one of my favorite books of all time.
I can trace my love of Authurian lore, my penchant for all things Tolkien, my fascination with fantasy and science fiction, all of them... back to the original reading of this one book as a kid.
(It even fueled, no doubt, my admiration and obsession with all things Scottish!!)
It was an amazing juxtaposition to find myself back in those pages last night. Transported back to Strathgow and the castle atop Auld Clootie. To be reading at 48 what I first read at 9 or 10 with the same fascination and anticipation.
No flimsy paperback, dime store novel this but a well bound, hard backed, built to last companion. Pages yellowed with age but no less crisp then when the book was first bound. Reading slowly through the first five or six chapters was like a reunion with a long lost friend. (MANY thanks to my wife who found a copy that is in GREAT shape.)
What stories have impacted you over the years?
What are the tales that have become milestones or directional guides along the road?
When was the last time you revisited one of them?
Takes it from the voice of experience, from one who has seen yet another year "bite the dust", it is well worth unpacking one of those auld stories, putting youself back in the mindset of discovery and younger days, and sitting down to revisit an old friend.
Thanks to everyone who sent along their well wishes!!
Although this particular number is not a birthday of any special significance I did get the one gift I was specifically hoping to receive.
I got a book.
Not just any book mind you.
THIS book has been out of print for years.
There are still copies around ranging in price from fifty to well over three hundred dollars.
Is it some ancient tome containing the wisdom of the ages?
The collected works of some obscure philosophical author?
Some erudite historical commentary?
Nope.
The book, for which I had been hoping, is Sir MacHinery by Tom McGowan published in 1970.
It is right around 150 pages, probably a fourth or fifth grade reading level, and one of my favorite books of all time.
I can trace my love of Authurian lore, my penchant for all things Tolkien, my fascination with fantasy and science fiction, all of them... back to the original reading of this one book as a kid.
(It even fueled, no doubt, my admiration and obsession with all things Scottish!!)
It was an amazing juxtaposition to find myself back in those pages last night. Transported back to Strathgow and the castle atop Auld Clootie. To be reading at 48 what I first read at 9 or 10 with the same fascination and anticipation.
No flimsy paperback, dime store novel this but a well bound, hard backed, built to last companion. Pages yellowed with age but no less crisp then when the book was first bound. Reading slowly through the first five or six chapters was like a reunion with a long lost friend. (MANY thanks to my wife who found a copy that is in GREAT shape.)
What stories have impacted you over the years?
What are the tales that have become milestones or directional guides along the road?
When was the last time you revisited one of them?
Takes it from the voice of experience, from one who has seen yet another year "bite the dust", it is well worth unpacking one of those auld stories, putting youself back in the mindset of discovery and younger days, and sitting down to revisit an old friend.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The eyes of faith are prejudiced
I grew up in a Christian, church-attending, bible-believing home.
Yes, I believe that stuff.
At some point around my mid-twenties I started to think that the central tenants of Christianity were so rationally sound that it would be reasonable for ANYONE to believe if they just had someone to explain it to them clearly.
While I still believe, here in my forties, that there is a "rational soundness" there I have come to understand that my upbringing, my early immersion in the stories of the Bible, has created a faith based bias in me. I am prejudiced.
By way of simple example, imagine someone with NO knowledge of the Bible or Christian belief reading this tidbit:
2Kings 6
1 The company of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to live."
And he said, "Go."
Yes, I believe that stuff.
At some point around my mid-twenties I started to think that the central tenants of Christianity were so rationally sound that it would be reasonable for ANYONE to believe if they just had someone to explain it to them clearly.
While I still believe, here in my forties, that there is a "rational soundness" there I have come to understand that my upbringing, my early immersion in the stories of the Bible, has created a faith based bias in me. I am prejudiced.
By way of simple example, imagine someone with NO knowledge of the Bible or Christian belief reading this tidbit:
2Kings 6
1 The company of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to live."
And he said, "Go."
3 Then one of them said, "Won't you please come with your servants?"
"I will," Elisha replied. 4 And he went with them.
They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. 5 As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. "Oh, my lord," he cried out, "it was borrowed!"
6 The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. 7 "Lift it out," he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.
Or this childhood favorite:
Jonah 1
15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.
17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
I, of course, accept these stories at face value. I feel no sense of rational discomfort over them...and I confess that may put me in the minority, even amongst "believers".
But I think it is important to remember, when having conversations with folks who don't share my particular prejudice...the prejudice of faith, that there are pieces of the story that defy rational explanation.
At the end of the day it won't be rational argument that convinces people. It will be lives lived, love expressed, and credence given to those who don't share my biased view of things.
Monday, June 29, 2009
"See you later" auntie...
My wife's aunt, Marlene Hanson passed away in May just six days shy of her 75th birthday.
"Auntie" was an amazing lady in so many ways that it would be hard to describe her love, generosity, and care in anything shy of several chapters.
We celebrated her memorial service last weekend in southern California.
I'm not sure I could have remembered her name the first few years Lib and I were married. She was always just...Auntie. (Auntie as in the light switch position: "On-tee"...NOT as in the tiny picnic pest: "Ant-ee")
Auntie's kitchen was the first place I met Libby's family and her home instantly became associated with my in-law's clan.
She never visited us without wanting to help decorate or landscape or extend her gifts of hospitality to our home.
She LOVED taking people out to eat and DISLIKED letting them pay.
She will be dearly missed by all of us until we have the chance to meet again in heaven.
Aside from the obvious grief at missing our dear Auntie I was struck by something unexpected as we spent time with family and friends last weekend. I had probably been to her house less than a dozen times in 18 years of marriage to Libby so it seemed odd that I should feel such a sense of attachment to her home but I was sad to drive away from it for what may be the last time.
I think it may be that I always knew I had a "safe place" there and now my world has one less safe place.
Oh we still have family in southern Ca., and we'll still have many reasons to visit, but not to visit Glendale. No reason to visit the house on the hill.
I think I perhaps knew, without knowing, that if I found myself anywhere within a tank of gas of Auntie's, or anywhere in southern Ca and in need, there was a place I could go where I would be welcomed and cared for and...safe.
Again, it isn't that those places don't exist...there are a number of them in somewhat close proximity...but there is now one less.
When my mom moved to Oregon from the house we grew all grew up in in Sunnyvale we lost that location...but we gained a location up north. Sad to see the house go but excited for mom's new adventure. But this is different. This time the person and the place are gone.
It makes me wonder what part this "geographical component" plays in many of our relationships. Maybe I'm just getting old but I don't like having one less friend and one less safe place in the world.
Could it be that her gift of hospitality was so strong that we not only miss the person, but the influence of her gift on the body, or in this case the family, as well? And that her home was an embodiment of her gift?
That has a familiar ring to it. I think I have felt THAT before.
We do know that Auntie has gone ahead of us to get her garden ready so that she can have us all over when we get to heaven. Maybe, until then, we need to step up our own gifts, and in particular our own hospitality, to make up for her being gone.
"Auntie" was an amazing lady in so many ways that it would be hard to describe her love, generosity, and care in anything shy of several chapters.
We celebrated her memorial service last weekend in southern California.
I'm not sure I could have remembered her name the first few years Lib and I were married. She was always just...Auntie. (Auntie as in the light switch position: "On-tee"...NOT as in the tiny picnic pest: "Ant-ee")
Auntie's kitchen was the first place I met Libby's family and her home instantly became associated with my in-law's clan.
She never visited us without wanting to help decorate or landscape or extend her gifts of hospitality to our home.
She LOVED taking people out to eat and DISLIKED letting them pay.
She will be dearly missed by all of us until we have the chance to meet again in heaven.
Aside from the obvious grief at missing our dear Auntie I was struck by something unexpected as we spent time with family and friends last weekend. I had probably been to her house less than a dozen times in 18 years of marriage to Libby so it seemed odd that I should feel such a sense of attachment to her home but I was sad to drive away from it for what may be the last time.
I think it may be that I always knew I had a "safe place" there and now my world has one less safe place.
Oh we still have family in southern Ca., and we'll still have many reasons to visit, but not to visit Glendale. No reason to visit the house on the hill.
I think I perhaps knew, without knowing, that if I found myself anywhere within a tank of gas of Auntie's, or anywhere in southern Ca and in need, there was a place I could go where I would be welcomed and cared for and...safe.
Again, it isn't that those places don't exist...there are a number of them in somewhat close proximity...but there is now one less.
When my mom moved to Oregon from the house we grew all grew up in in Sunnyvale we lost that location...but we gained a location up north. Sad to see the house go but excited for mom's new adventure. But this is different. This time the person and the place are gone.
It makes me wonder what part this "geographical component" plays in many of our relationships. Maybe I'm just getting old but I don't like having one less friend and one less safe place in the world.
Could it be that her gift of hospitality was so strong that we not only miss the person, but the influence of her gift on the body, or in this case the family, as well? And that her home was an embodiment of her gift?
That has a familiar ring to it. I think I have felt THAT before.
We do know that Auntie has gone ahead of us to get her garden ready so that she can have us all over when we get to heaven. Maybe, until then, we need to step up our own gifts, and in particular our own hospitality, to make up for her being gone.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
First triathlon of the summer!
Back in 2006 I had my first experience running a triathlon...I find it humorous as I write that because a LOT of people call it "running" a triathlon when really that is only one of the stages, albeit the most painful...and this past Sunday I stepped back into that world.
The Broomfield MiniHaha is a great "first timers" race. The swim is 300M (12 laps), the bike is 11 miles and the run is 2 miles. In 2006 my time 1:15:09, good enough for 18th in may age division. I was hoping to break the hour mark this year.
The swim in this event is in a pool which means folks are grouped in heats by estimated swim times. I had submitted a 6 minute time but my fastest training swim was more like 5:20. You typically will have as many as five people in your heat, in your lane, so as you get ready to enter the pool everyone compares times to determine how to best order the group. My group decided I should go first...which is good. You run the least chance of having to have to pass people that way.
I got started in the swim and glanced at the clock when I finished my first 50M. I came in at 40 seconds which was faster than I wanted to go. (You run the risk of wiping out all of your energy in the swim just to pick up 40 or 50 seconds when the next leg, the bike, offers the best chance to cut down your time by multiple minutes.) I managed to slow my pace a bit over the remaining laps, even allowing another racer to pass me at the wall once, and exited the pool at 5 minutes 30 seconds...about what I had hoped for although I probably could have finished in about 4:50.
I felt good as I made the jog out to T1. (For those new to the sport T1 is "transition one" where you go from swimming to putting on shoes, shirt, helmet etc for the bike leg.) I got out fairly well, not sure how well as this event doesn't use timing devices that give you split times, but I felt good getting on the bike. I started passing people almost immediately.
The bike leg makes a couple turns going slightly down hill then starts into about a mile and a half climb of varying steepness. I was cranking! I had exited the pool near the front of my own heat and I was passing people from the previous heat most of whom had had at least a five minute head start on me. I got to the top of the hill feeling good and flew down the back side of the 5.5 mile loop.
Coming around the loop the second time I was feeling good and VERY glad to be done with the hill climb as I crested and started down. On the first downhill section I set my sites on a guy ahead of me in a bright green bike jersey on a pretty expensive looking bike.
I got past him faster than I thought I would but I had to slow down as I came up on a sharp right turn with a slower biker in front of me.
That gave him the chance to get me back on the second downhill section.
"I knew you'd be back." I said, as I looked at him coming up on my outside.
I fell in behind him for a short stretch but then my competetive nature took over and I decided to kick up the speed and go by him.
To make a long story short I passed multiple people on both laps and probably maintained close to a 19-20mph average over the 11 miles. I was feeling REALLY good.
Of course then came the run...
I got in and out of T2 pretty quickly, change of shoes, ditch the helmet, throw on a visor and go.
I was even moving decently without the usual hobble that you get when you first get off the bike.
But I knew right away this was going to be painful.
My doctor had already advised me a year earlier that my knee was bad enough that I ought not to run at all. I had talked him into agreeing that I WAS going to run but that I would train for it the least. My knee felt fair to midlin as I made my way...slowly...through the first mile. I remember clearly thinking that I did not feel nearly as winded as I thought I would but that my legs seemed to be lead weights.
At the mid point of the run is the one water station so I grabbed a cup and walked briefly while I drank it....another place I might have saved 15-30 seconds had I kept up my slow jog...I managed to keep my self moving without walking for the remainder of the run.
With less than 100 yards to go I heard someone coming up behind me.
"Let's go specialized (my bike is a Specialized) you had me!"
I tried to keep pace with "green jersey" but there was no way.
I knew I had caught up to him from way behind on the bike so I figured my overall time would be better than his anyway...SO NYA NYA NYA!!!
I did find enough gas in the tank to "sprint" up the last 30 yards or so into the finish...
1:02:45
I missed my goal by less than three minutes!!!
I was both elated and bummed at the same time. Elated to have finished...it is quite a rush if you've never done a tri...and bummed to have come so close. (I did help a wee bit to have my time be good enough to finish in the top ten of my age group.)
Because of the way the pool heats had worked out I was able to get back to the pool in time to cheer on my buddy Scott who was doing his first triathlon ever. It's fun to be done and then get to cheer on a friend through transitions and finishing.
So now, after a couple days of recovery, we're ready to start training for the next one in August which, in turn, will lead to another in September. If you're ready to give it a go let me know and we'll help you get started. There is nothing quite like competing in a finishing a triathlon.
Yes, I know, you're worried about the swim. Everyone is. But it can be done.
You just have to be willing to tri.
The Broomfield MiniHaha is a great "first timers" race. The swim is 300M (12 laps), the bike is 11 miles and the run is 2 miles. In 2006 my time 1:15:09, good enough for 18th in may age division. I was hoping to break the hour mark this year.
The swim in this event is in a pool which means folks are grouped in heats by estimated swim times. I had submitted a 6 minute time but my fastest training swim was more like 5:20. You typically will have as many as five people in your heat, in your lane, so as you get ready to enter the pool everyone compares times to determine how to best order the group. My group decided I should go first...which is good. You run the least chance of having to have to pass people that way.
I got started in the swim and glanced at the clock when I finished my first 50M. I came in at 40 seconds which was faster than I wanted to go. (You run the risk of wiping out all of your energy in the swim just to pick up 40 or 50 seconds when the next leg, the bike, offers the best chance to cut down your time by multiple minutes.) I managed to slow my pace a bit over the remaining laps, even allowing another racer to pass me at the wall once, and exited the pool at 5 minutes 30 seconds...about what I had hoped for although I probably could have finished in about 4:50.
I felt good as I made the jog out to T1. (For those new to the sport T1 is "transition one" where you go from swimming to putting on shoes, shirt, helmet etc for the bike leg.) I got out fairly well, not sure how well as this event doesn't use timing devices that give you split times, but I felt good getting on the bike. I started passing people almost immediately.
The bike leg makes a couple turns going slightly down hill then starts into about a mile and a half climb of varying steepness. I was cranking! I had exited the pool near the front of my own heat and I was passing people from the previous heat most of whom had had at least a five minute head start on me. I got to the top of the hill feeling good and flew down the back side of the 5.5 mile loop.
Coming around the loop the second time I was feeling good and VERY glad to be done with the hill climb as I crested and started down. On the first downhill section I set my sites on a guy ahead of me in a bright green bike jersey on a pretty expensive looking bike.
I got past him faster than I thought I would but I had to slow down as I came up on a sharp right turn with a slower biker in front of me.
That gave him the chance to get me back on the second downhill section.
"I knew you'd be back." I said, as I looked at him coming up on my outside.
I fell in behind him for a short stretch but then my competetive nature took over and I decided to kick up the speed and go by him.
To make a long story short I passed multiple people on both laps and probably maintained close to a 19-20mph average over the 11 miles. I was feeling REALLY good.
Of course then came the run...
I got in and out of T2 pretty quickly, change of shoes, ditch the helmet, throw on a visor and go.
I was even moving decently without the usual hobble that you get when you first get off the bike.
But I knew right away this was going to be painful.
My doctor had already advised me a year earlier that my knee was bad enough that I ought not to run at all. I had talked him into agreeing that I WAS going to run but that I would train for it the least. My knee felt fair to midlin as I made my way...slowly...through the first mile. I remember clearly thinking that I did not feel nearly as winded as I thought I would but that my legs seemed to be lead weights.
At the mid point of the run is the one water station so I grabbed a cup and walked briefly while I drank it....another place I might have saved 15-30 seconds had I kept up my slow jog...I managed to keep my self moving without walking for the remainder of the run.
With less than 100 yards to go I heard someone coming up behind me.
"Let's go specialized (my bike is a Specialized) you had me!"
I tried to keep pace with "green jersey" but there was no way.
I knew I had caught up to him from way behind on the bike so I figured my overall time would be better than his anyway...SO NYA NYA NYA!!!
I did find enough gas in the tank to "sprint" up the last 30 yards or so into the finish...
1:02:45
I missed my goal by less than three minutes!!!
I was both elated and bummed at the same time. Elated to have finished...it is quite a rush if you've never done a tri...and bummed to have come so close. (I did help a wee bit to have my time be good enough to finish in the top ten of my age group.)
Because of the way the pool heats had worked out I was able to get back to the pool in time to cheer on my buddy Scott who was doing his first triathlon ever. It's fun to be done and then get to cheer on a friend through transitions and finishing.
So now, after a couple days of recovery, we're ready to start training for the next one in August which, in turn, will lead to another in September. If you're ready to give it a go let me know and we'll help you get started. There is nothing quite like competing in a finishing a triathlon.
Yes, I know, you're worried about the swim. Everyone is. But it can be done.
You just have to be willing to tri.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Solomon's Reign
If you were to look around at various commentaries on the monarchies of David and Solomon you would start to recognize comments like: "David's reign was like the noon of Israel's day and with Solomon the sun began to set."
I'm sure that they're making comment on the fact that Solomon was lead astray later in life by the religious practices of his foreign wives AND that the kingdom starts to crumble pretty rapidly after him.
But let's look at some simple facts:
1. The nation was in a bit of a mess starting after Joshua's generation that didn't have much chance at resolution until Saul took the throne.
2. Saul's reign was fraught with mishap even as they tried to consolidate their territory.
3. Most of David's reign is characterized by ongoing warfare...one of the reasons he is disqualified from building the temple.
4. As far as Solomon's reign goes scripture tells us his kingdom was not firmly established in his grasp until someone around his fourth year on the throne...after he had finished his fathers business. (see: http://cre8ive-yyyguy.blogspot.com/2009/05/solomon-ascending.html )
5. We're told that Solomon starts the temple in his fourth year...somewhere in that time, or just preceding it, he is married to his "true love" the woman who is the object of the Song of Solomon.
6. It takes seven years to build the temple and fourteen to build his palace...so his construction is finished sometime around his twentieth year on the throne.
Is this the point where we get to take a breath?
We're told that God "appears to Solomon a second time" after he had finished his building projects:
1 When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, 2 the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The LORD said to him:
"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
I'm sure that they're making comment on the fact that Solomon was lead astray later in life by the religious practices of his foreign wives AND that the kingdom starts to crumble pretty rapidly after him.
But let's look at some simple facts:
1. The nation was in a bit of a mess starting after Joshua's generation that didn't have much chance at resolution until Saul took the throne.
2. Saul's reign was fraught with mishap even as they tried to consolidate their territory.
3. Most of David's reign is characterized by ongoing warfare...one of the reasons he is disqualified from building the temple.
4. As far as Solomon's reign goes scripture tells us his kingdom was not firmly established in his grasp until someone around his fourth year on the throne...after he had finished his fathers business. (see: http://cre8ive-yyyguy.blogspot.com/2009/05/solomon-ascending.html )
5. We're told that Solomon starts the temple in his fourth year...somewhere in that time, or just preceding it, he is married to his "true love" the woman who is the object of the Song of Solomon.
6. It takes seven years to build the temple and fourteen to build his palace...so his construction is finished sometime around his twentieth year on the throne.
Is this the point where we get to take a breath?
We're told that God "appears to Solomon a second time" after he had finished his building projects:
1 When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, 2 the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The LORD said to him:
"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
4 "As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, 5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'
6 "But if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, 'Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' 9 People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the LORD brought all this disaster on them.' "
...and because we've read the story before we know that this WILL happen.
On the one hand I find it incredibly discouraging that these guys who have been given wisdom and promises of generations of rulers and direct conversation with God could fail so quickly...indeed as quickly and as often as I seem to fail.
I confess I am discouraged by how quickly Israel crumbles as a nation once the kingdom is established.
But I suppose that rather than being a testament to failure it becomes a picture of how incredibly important the work of grace and Christ's sacrifice truly is in bringing us into relationship with God. The law, viewed from almost any perspective, is a failure when it comes to restoring relationship. Legalism, rules, regulations...failure.
Without Christ, without restored and right relationship, it is impossible to follow God.
That pretty much sums up Moses through Solomon, at least as I see it today.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Solomon ascending
1 Kings 2:15 - 3:28
As David's life is coming to a close he faces one last rebellious son. Adonijah aligns himself with Joab, incessant schemer and military commander, and Abiathar, the priest. Were told that he hires fifty men to run before his chariot...the same marketing campaign used by his older brother Absalom...and invites the royal officials and his various brothers to a feast in an attempt to portray himself as David's successor.
In a brilliant counter-move worthy of Hollywood David trots out Benaiah, military commander and captain of his personal bodyguard, Zadok the priest, AND Nathan the prophet...one-uping Adonijah's posse...and publicly cements Solomon's position as King.
This causes a bit of a stir amongst Adonijah's followers but as we'll see he doesn't give up easily.
Adonijah submits to Solomon's authority at first but then comes to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, with a seemingly innocent request:
"As you know, he said, "the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord. Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me." "You may make it", she said. "So he continued, "Please ask King Solomon - he will not refuse you- togive me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife."
(1Kings 2:15-17)
Abishag was the "beautiful virgin" that was brought in at the end of David's life to keep him warm and perhaps raise his spirits but scripture is clear that he did not sleep with her.
According to Jewish tradition Adonijah's request, to be given the King's concubine as wife...one with whom the king had not slept, would have provided him with a new level of royal legitimacy from which he could have attempted yet another coup!
Bathsheba brings this request to Solomon, in the throne room, no doubt in front of a host of royal courtiers in another adept strategic move...making the request in such a manner exposes Adonijah as someone continuing to scheme after the throne.
Solomon's reaction is swift a decisive. He removes the threat rather than allowing it to fester in secret. But this isn't his only move.
David's "final words" to Solomon include several requests that the son deal with some of the father's unfinished business. (1Kings 2:5-9) David hints that his son should do away with possible threats from Joab, the scheming commander who has shed innocent blood time and time again against the king's commands, and Shimei who cursed David and his household as they fled from Absalom.
Solomon dispatches Benaiah as executioner in each of these three cases Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei over the course of about a three year period. And it is at this point, following the thrid of three executions, that scripture says:
The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands.
(1Kings 2:46)
I find it interesting that David was not allowed to build God's temple because he was had "shed much blood on the earth" in God's sight. And yet Solomon's reign, Solomon whom God has chosen to be the builder of His temple, is established after three acts of bloodshed.
Is it just a quantity thing? David spilled a LOT but Solomon merely ordered the spilling of some?
That seems arbitrary.
Is it a justice thing? Solomon somehow only ordered the execution of those who deserved death?
Have to be careful there since God obviously blessed David's reign.
I think where I land on it is that the three instances of blood shed that bring about the beginning of Solomon's rule are all attributed to his finishing his father's business. Whether for personal or political reasons David had not dealt with these individuals in his time, passing that duty on to his son. Solomon, as king, dispenses God's justice but is not marked as being a man who has shed too much blood because he is carrying out his father's duties. Once he has finished the work of his father David his kingdom is "firmly established".
(If you understand baseball at all it is a lot like a relief pitcher coming into the game midway through. The starting pitcher owns responsibility for runners that are on base when the new guy comes in to the game.)
This is another one of those stories that takes up just a chapter or two in the text but from which it would be easy to craft a feature length film.
No doubt Solomon, and even Benaiah, will be amongst the fella's who have a long waiting list or people waiting to do interviews with them in heaven. Reserve your time now. The lines will be long but we'll have all the time we need.
As David's life is coming to a close he faces one last rebellious son. Adonijah aligns himself with Joab, incessant schemer and military commander, and Abiathar, the priest. Were told that he hires fifty men to run before his chariot...the same marketing campaign used by his older brother Absalom...and invites the royal officials and his various brothers to a feast in an attempt to portray himself as David's successor.
In a brilliant counter-move worthy of Hollywood David trots out Benaiah, military commander and captain of his personal bodyguard, Zadok the priest, AND Nathan the prophet...one-uping Adonijah's posse...and publicly cements Solomon's position as King.
This causes a bit of a stir amongst Adonijah's followers but as we'll see he doesn't give up easily.
Adonijah submits to Solomon's authority at first but then comes to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, with a seemingly innocent request:
"As you know, he said, "the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord. Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me." "You may make it", she said. "So he continued, "Please ask King Solomon - he will not refuse you- togive me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife."
(1Kings 2:15-17)
Abishag was the "beautiful virgin" that was brought in at the end of David's life to keep him warm and perhaps raise his spirits but scripture is clear that he did not sleep with her.
According to Jewish tradition Adonijah's request, to be given the King's concubine as wife...one with whom the king had not slept, would have provided him with a new level of royal legitimacy from which he could have attempted yet another coup!
Bathsheba brings this request to Solomon, in the throne room, no doubt in front of a host of royal courtiers in another adept strategic move...making the request in such a manner exposes Adonijah as someone continuing to scheme after the throne.
Solomon's reaction is swift a decisive. He removes the threat rather than allowing it to fester in secret. But this isn't his only move.
David's "final words" to Solomon include several requests that the son deal with some of the father's unfinished business. (1Kings 2:5-9) David hints that his son should do away with possible threats from Joab, the scheming commander who has shed innocent blood time and time again against the king's commands, and Shimei who cursed David and his household as they fled from Absalom.
Solomon dispatches Benaiah as executioner in each of these three cases Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei over the course of about a three year period. And it is at this point, following the thrid of three executions, that scripture says:
The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands.
(1Kings 2:46)
I find it interesting that David was not allowed to build God's temple because he was had "shed much blood on the earth" in God's sight. And yet Solomon's reign, Solomon whom God has chosen to be the builder of His temple, is established after three acts of bloodshed.
Is it just a quantity thing? David spilled a LOT but Solomon merely ordered the spilling of some?
That seems arbitrary.
Is it a justice thing? Solomon somehow only ordered the execution of those who deserved death?
Have to be careful there since God obviously blessed David's reign.
I think where I land on it is that the three instances of blood shed that bring about the beginning of Solomon's rule are all attributed to his finishing his father's business. Whether for personal or political reasons David had not dealt with these individuals in his time, passing that duty on to his son. Solomon, as king, dispenses God's justice but is not marked as being a man who has shed too much blood because he is carrying out his father's duties. Once he has finished the work of his father David his kingdom is "firmly established".
(If you understand baseball at all it is a lot like a relief pitcher coming into the game midway through. The starting pitcher owns responsibility for runners that are on base when the new guy comes in to the game.)
This is another one of those stories that takes up just a chapter or two in the text but from which it would be easy to craft a feature length film.
No doubt Solomon, and even Benaiah, will be amongst the fella's who have a long waiting list or people waiting to do interviews with them in heaven. Reserve your time now. The lines will be long but we'll have all the time we need.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The Life of King David
I need to get back to posting more regularly and as I read of the end of David's life this morning it felt like a milestone too significant to pass without comment.
When we first meet him he is overlooked by his father. When Samuel invites Jesse and sons to a feast and subsequently asks if Jesse has brought all of his sons we get:
"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."
That, along with other glimpses into his early home life, makes me wonder if David was seen as the runt of the litter. The good looking, poetic sheep tender of little substance and lesser value.
Through an interesting series of circumstances David finds himself at court. Knowing he has been anointed but not pressing the issue. His battle with Goliath, as I have pointed at previously, comes AFTER some time at court. But it is this event that thrusts him into the limelight and begins the animosity from Saul.
He is thrust into a life in the wilderness where God teaches him what it is to be a leader of men, preparing him to be king. How interesting that his preparation happens out there rather than in the palaces of kings.
His "rule" in marked in stark contrast to Saul's.
One of the hallmarks of David's time in the wilderness is his repeated command to his men that they must not take Saul's life, even when it appears God has given it to them, because he is "the Lord's anointed." All the while Saul is pursuing David, who IS "the Lord's anointed", in order to take his life.
As David comes into his own we see that he has a bit of an eye for the ladies. In the case of Abigail (1Sam 35:29) he waits until she is "available" but he manipulates the situation when it comes to Bathsheba (2Sam 11:16).
He is by no means perfect but through it all he is referred to as a "man after God's own heart"...which I love because it lets ME off the hook in terms of trying to perform at some sort of religiously perfect level.
We find him to be a loving father although one who has trouble ruling his own household.
I wonder if his inability to confront his sons rebellions...Absalom and and Adonijah...stems from the way his father treated him as a boy?
He appears to be quite politically adept, confronting when it is needed (outside of his family), and allowing things to go unaddressed when the time is not right. In this regard I find his interaction with Joab interesting. He obviously knows when Joab has crossed the line but chooses not to do anything...leaving that finally to his son Solomon.
Although he is one of the "heroes" of the bible I see him as a kind of "everyman" or perhaps better said as the kind of man that we can easily aspire to...a God-fearing warrior-poet who is far from perfect, willing to confess his own shortcomings, and strong enough to step up to the plate and do something about them from time to time.
I must confess I am sad to "see him go"...I almost want to suspend the journey through the bible here and go back and read "his-story" again.
When we first meet him he is overlooked by his father. When Samuel invites Jesse and sons to a feast and subsequently asks if Jesse has brought all of his sons we get:
"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."
That, along with other glimpses into his early home life, makes me wonder if David was seen as the runt of the litter. The good looking, poetic sheep tender of little substance and lesser value.
Through an interesting series of circumstances David finds himself at court. Knowing he has been anointed but not pressing the issue. His battle with Goliath, as I have pointed at previously, comes AFTER some time at court. But it is this event that thrusts him into the limelight and begins the animosity from Saul.
He is thrust into a life in the wilderness where God teaches him what it is to be a leader of men, preparing him to be king. How interesting that his preparation happens out there rather than in the palaces of kings.
His "rule" in marked in stark contrast to Saul's.
One of the hallmarks of David's time in the wilderness is his repeated command to his men that they must not take Saul's life, even when it appears God has given it to them, because he is "the Lord's anointed." All the while Saul is pursuing David, who IS "the Lord's anointed", in order to take his life.
As David comes into his own we see that he has a bit of an eye for the ladies. In the case of Abigail (1Sam 35:29) he waits until she is "available" but he manipulates the situation when it comes to Bathsheba (2Sam 11:16).
He is by no means perfect but through it all he is referred to as a "man after God's own heart"...which I love because it lets ME off the hook in terms of trying to perform at some sort of religiously perfect level.
We find him to be a loving father although one who has trouble ruling his own household.
I wonder if his inability to confront his sons rebellions...Absalom and and Adonijah...stems from the way his father treated him as a boy?
He appears to be quite politically adept, confronting when it is needed (outside of his family), and allowing things to go unaddressed when the time is not right. In this regard I find his interaction with Joab interesting. He obviously knows when Joab has crossed the line but chooses not to do anything...leaving that finally to his son Solomon.
Although he is one of the "heroes" of the bible I see him as a kind of "everyman" or perhaps better said as the kind of man that we can easily aspire to...a God-fearing warrior-poet who is far from perfect, willing to confess his own shortcomings, and strong enough to step up to the plate and do something about them from time to time.
I must confess I am sad to "see him go"...I almost want to suspend the journey through the bible here and go back and read "his-story" again.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
David and Saul
When we think of David we usually pair him.
David and Goliath
David and Bathsheba
David and the Psalms
But the interactions between David and Saul intrigue me on a number of levels.
When we first meet Saul we're told that he was " an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites". He has been sent by his father to find some missing donkeys. He meets up with Samuel, who has been warned by the Lord to watch for him, and Samuel anoints him as king somewhat privately.
Saul starts out humble...hiding amongst the baggage when he is to be introduced as king...but pretty quickly stumbles about in the early days of his reign with his most significant early failure described in 1 Samuel 15 - 16 where he fails to destroy the Amalekites as instructed.
When we first meet David we're told that we was "ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features". He has been out in the fields caring for his father's livestock. He meets up with Samuel, who has been sent by the Lord to find him, and Samuel anoints him as king somewhat privately.
Immediately following David's anointing by Samuel we find Saul described as being tormented and the solution to the problem is to find a musician to calm his spirits. Scripture tells us that David is recommended and then we have this:
"David came to Saul and entered his service/ Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him." 1 Samuel 16:21-22
Now compare that with this tidbit that comes AFTER David defeats Goliath:
1 Samuel 17:55-58
"As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, 'Abner, whose son is that young man?'
Abner replied, 'As surely as you live, O king, I don't know.'
The king said, 'find out whose son that young man is.'
As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistines head.
'Whose son are you, young man?' Saul asked him.
David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.'
Saul is apparently clueless, completely missing the spiritual reality that is before his eyes...David the harp player/armor-bearer whose playing calms the kings spirits is now David the military hero. This servant of God has been in his midst and yet Saul can't seem to see beyond the momentary physical realities.
Reading through this this time I was struck by the parallels to Moses and Pharaoh.
Pharaoh's heart is hardened by a spirit from the Lord just as Saul is tormented by a spirit from the Lord.
Pharaoh is given signs pointing to the fact that Moses comes from God just as Saul should have seen the signs of David's coming from the Lord.
Pharaoh chases Moses and the people out of Egypt into the wilderness just as Saul will chase David out into the wilderness.
It seems to me that there are deeper truths to be mined from these stories of David and Saul than the stories we get on the flannel graph. (Although I love those too.) Truths about leadership and the paths that lead to it. Truths about how God establishes leaders and what happens when He takes His hand away. Truths that circumstances on the outside often belie spiritual truths on the inside.
I think I'll mark this as one of those places...yet again... that is worthy of much further digging
David and Goliath
David and Bathsheba
David and the Psalms
But the interactions between David and Saul intrigue me on a number of levels.
When we first meet Saul we're told that he was " an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites". He has been sent by his father to find some missing donkeys. He meets up with Samuel, who has been warned by the Lord to watch for him, and Samuel anoints him as king somewhat privately.
Saul starts out humble...hiding amongst the baggage when he is to be introduced as king...but pretty quickly stumbles about in the early days of his reign with his most significant early failure described in 1 Samuel 15 - 16 where he fails to destroy the Amalekites as instructed.
When we first meet David we're told that we was "ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features". He has been out in the fields caring for his father's livestock. He meets up with Samuel, who has been sent by the Lord to find him, and Samuel anoints him as king somewhat privately.
Immediately following David's anointing by Samuel we find Saul described as being tormented and the solution to the problem is to find a musician to calm his spirits. Scripture tells us that David is recommended and then we have this:
"David came to Saul and entered his service/ Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him." 1 Samuel 16:21-22
Now compare that with this tidbit that comes AFTER David defeats Goliath:
1 Samuel 17:55-58
"As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, 'Abner, whose son is that young man?'
Abner replied, 'As surely as you live, O king, I don't know.'
The king said, 'find out whose son that young man is.'
As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistines head.
'Whose son are you, young man?' Saul asked him.
David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.'
Saul is apparently clueless, completely missing the spiritual reality that is before his eyes...David the harp player/armor-bearer whose playing calms the kings spirits is now David the military hero. This servant of God has been in his midst and yet Saul can't seem to see beyond the momentary physical realities.
Reading through this this time I was struck by the parallels to Moses and Pharaoh.
Pharaoh's heart is hardened by a spirit from the Lord just as Saul is tormented by a spirit from the Lord.
Pharaoh is given signs pointing to the fact that Moses comes from God just as Saul should have seen the signs of David's coming from the Lord.
Pharaoh chases Moses and the people out of Egypt into the wilderness just as Saul will chase David out into the wilderness.
It seems to me that there are deeper truths to be mined from these stories of David and Saul than the stories we get on the flannel graph. (Although I love those too.) Truths about leadership and the paths that lead to it. Truths about how God establishes leaders and what happens when He takes His hand away. Truths that circumstances on the outside often belie spiritual truths on the inside.
I think I'll mark this as one of those places...yet again... that is worthy of much further digging
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Judges: What a mess
I have to confess that reading this particular book of the Bible generally leaves me depressed. Some of the stories contained therein are just insane.
I'm not sure I'd count many of these guys amongst the "heroes of the faith"...with the possible exception of Deborah.
So what is the point of Judges?
I think it is a book of proof.
The progression goes something like this:
20 "The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and rebuke in everything you put your hand to..."
28 "The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind."
34 "The sights you will see will drive you mad"
These curses aptly describe the goings on in Judges and they describe, equally as well, the sort of thing from which I want to sprint in the opposite direction.
I'll be glad when we get out of the craziness that happens during these years which come under the heading:
"In those days Israel had no king."
- Abimelech murdering seventy of his brothers
- Jephthah vowing to sacrifice "whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return"
- The Levite who surrenders his concubine to the rabble in Gibeah
- Samson's abject stupidity in dealing with Delilah
I'm not sure I'd count many of these guys amongst the "heroes of the faith"...with the possible exception of Deborah.
So what is the point of Judges?
I think it is a book of proof.
The progression goes something like this:
- The end of Deuteronomy has Moses telling the Israelites what life will be like once they go into the promised land: blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience.
- The book of Joshua is about being strong and courageous and, more importantly, remembering.
- The book of Judges follows as an illustration of exactly what the warning's of Moses are all about.
20 "The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and rebuke in everything you put your hand to..."
28 "The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of mind."
34 "The sights you will see will drive you mad"
These curses aptly describe the goings on in Judges and they describe, equally as well, the sort of thing from which I want to sprint in the opposite direction.
I'll be glad when we get out of the craziness that happens during these years which come under the heading:
"In those days Israel had no king."
Friday, April 3, 2009
Gideon's Fleece
Judges 6:1 - 7:25
If one of the major themes of the book of Joshua is "remembering" then it is fair to say that one of the major themes of the book of Judges is "forgetting". Maybe better put the theme here is, "what happens when you forget."
An oft repeated phrase in this book is found right at the start if chapter 6: "Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord..." As usual they then "cry out" and God "hears their cry".
In this case He comes to Gideon.
The opening interaction with Gideon is interesting. He is hiding, almost cowering, in a wine press threshing wheat when the angel of the Lord appears and says, "The Lord is with you mighty warrior." (If this was played out on film today that would probably come across with a LOAD of sarcasm behind it but that isn't the case here.) Gideon's response is indicative of the tensions between remembering and forgetting:
Judges 6:13: "But sir", Gideon replied, "if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."
So Gideon knows the stories at least, he sems to know something about what it looks like when God is "with" the Israelites but he claims to not understand why God has let them fall into the hands of Midian. Fast forward to verse 27 where Gideon is tearing down his fathers alter to Baal along with his Ahera pole. Hello?!?!? WHY has God put them into the hands of Midian? Worshipping the gods of the people of tha land? Pretty clear instructions have been given about THAT for generations. Did you perhaps forget that bit Gideon?
The back and forth that follows as Gideon puts out his famous fleece, as God winnows down the army, as Gideon and his servant enter the camp of the Midianites all serve to show God's patience. I think it is safe to say in this particular case that Gideon has grown up in a household that recalls the forms of their relationship with God without recalling the substance. He has been taught the stories but not the outcomes or spiritual truths contained within those stories. He dad and all the people of the town have been worshipping false gods perhaps alongside their own traditions...covering all their bases as it were.
God deals gently with Gideon, showing him the truth in answer to his question, "why?"
I love this story not because of the cool military victory or the "magic fleece" but because it shows God's heart towards Gideon, and man whose heart is good but who lacks understanding. It shows God's patience in teaching wisdom. It shows God's faithfulness to His people. I love the fact that if, by my actions, I "forget" what God has done in the past He still reads past those actions to the heart.
Lord, help us to remember and please be as gentle with us as you were with Gideon when we forget.
If one of the major themes of the book of Joshua is "remembering" then it is fair to say that one of the major themes of the book of Judges is "forgetting". Maybe better put the theme here is, "what happens when you forget."
An oft repeated phrase in this book is found right at the start if chapter 6: "Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord..." As usual they then "cry out" and God "hears their cry".
In this case He comes to Gideon.
The opening interaction with Gideon is interesting. He is hiding, almost cowering, in a wine press threshing wheat when the angel of the Lord appears and says, "The Lord is with you mighty warrior." (If this was played out on film today that would probably come across with a LOAD of sarcasm behind it but that isn't the case here.) Gideon's response is indicative of the tensions between remembering and forgetting:
Judges 6:13: "But sir", Gideon replied, "if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."
So Gideon knows the stories at least, he sems to know something about what it looks like when God is "with" the Israelites but he claims to not understand why God has let them fall into the hands of Midian. Fast forward to verse 27 where Gideon is tearing down his fathers alter to Baal along with his Ahera pole. Hello?!?!? WHY has God put them into the hands of Midian? Worshipping the gods of the people of tha land? Pretty clear instructions have been given about THAT for generations. Did you perhaps forget that bit Gideon?
The back and forth that follows as Gideon puts out his famous fleece, as God winnows down the army, as Gideon and his servant enter the camp of the Midianites all serve to show God's patience. I think it is safe to say in this particular case that Gideon has grown up in a household that recalls the forms of their relationship with God without recalling the substance. He has been taught the stories but not the outcomes or spiritual truths contained within those stories. He dad and all the people of the town have been worshipping false gods perhaps alongside their own traditions...covering all their bases as it were.
God deals gently with Gideon, showing him the truth in answer to his question, "why?"
I love this story not because of the cool military victory or the "magic fleece" but because it shows God's heart towards Gideon, and man whose heart is good but who lacks understanding. It shows God's patience in teaching wisdom. It shows God's faithfulness to His people. I love the fact that if, by my actions, I "forget" what God has done in the past He still reads past those actions to the heart.
Lord, help us to remember and please be as gentle with us as you were with Gideon when we forget.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Talk about a freak show!
The book of Judges...mind boggling.
The first generation after the wandering generation forgets God. As soon as Joshua is off the scene the dive straight into the weeds. Now, is this their fault or the fault of their mothers and fathers for not teaching them correctly? I think both parties may be liable but it does make me want to closely examine how well I am doing at teaching my own kids about spiritual things.
The story from chapter 17 is a great example of just how sketchy things got almost immediately:
Please Lord let it be so.
Amen.
The first generation after the wandering generation forgets God. As soon as Joshua is off the scene the dive straight into the weeds. Now, is this their fault or the fault of their mothers and fathers for not teaching them correctly? I think both parties may be liable but it does make me want to closely examine how well I am doing at teaching my own kids about spiritual things.
The story from chapter 17 is a great example of just how sketchy things got almost immediately:
- We start with Micah, from the tribe of Ephraim, stealing money from his mother bu feeling guilty enough to bring it back.
- Mom is so happy she has the silver made into a idol...apparently forgetting all about that 10 commandments thing.
- Micah recruits a wandering Levite, (tribe number 2) to be his household priest, apparently as some sort of nod to religious tradition because he had previously made his son a priest.
- A group of Danite spies come by, (tribe number 3) and notice the sweet setup...idol, shrine, Levite priest...and so they enquire whether their upcoming raid will be successful.
- The spies come back through with their army after receiving a prediction of success from the priest and recruit the priest to come along with them...and while he is at it to bring the "household gods"...apprently there was a variety available.
- MIcah gets miffed when he finds himself looted, calls out the neighbors, chases down the Danites and says. "What the heck?"
- The Danites, who must see the Levite and other goodies as a good luck charm in battle, respnd by telling Micah he had better go away or one of them may lose his temper and kill Micah's family.
- The Danites go off and conquer Liash and set up Micah's rig as their new shrine to God...which persists for generations!
Please Lord let it be so.
Amen.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Joshua
The week of spring break was VERY relaxing.
With no internet access I didn't have a chance to post and several have asked so we'll do a little catching up today.
Reading through the book of Joshua is a cool story...until you get to the end where they're dividing up the land...that bit is tedious.
A couple of the highlights that struck me:
This whole book is about two things:
1. Remember who God is and what he has done
and as a result
2. Be strong and courageous
It might have been simpler to write just that, but it wouldn't have been anywhere near as interesting.
With no internet access I didn't have a chance to post and several have asked so we'll do a little catching up today.
Reading through the book of Joshua is a cool story...until you get to the end where they're dividing up the land...that bit is tedious.
A couple of the highlights that struck me:
- Joshua 1:6-9, as the people are getting ready to enter the land he says , THREE TIMES, "be strong and courageous"...you think maybe he was remembering his last trip into the land forty years prior when he came back with 10 out of 12 guys who were neither strong nor courageous?
- Joshua 2:1 he sends out spies to check out the land, "So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there." This always cracks me up...the first place the spies go. Perhaps the correct translation was that he told them to "go and check out the lay of the land"? (Sorry, couldn't resist the bad pun.)
- Joshua 3 they cross the Jordan "on dry ground". They exited Egypt through the Red Sea and now enter the promised land through the Jordan both times "on dry ground". How cool is it that God provides the same symbol from one generation to the next.
- Joshua 7 Achan's failure. God's displays what looks like harsh justice in response to Achan's direct disobedience. Something He also did in response to the golden calf in Exodus. Once again His message, and His method are consistent.
- Joshua 8:26 the attack on Ai. Joshua is told by God, (vs. 18)"Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city." and then we read in vs 26: For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai. Perhaps he was recalling the time he went out to battle the Amalekites in Exodus 17. When Moses stood on the top of the hill with his staff in his hands? Ex 17:11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning...
- Joshua 14:10 Caleb claims his inheritence. I love this bit where Caleb comes back and recounts that he was forty when they spied out the land, that 45 years have passed since then and that he has come to claim his piece of the land.
This whole book is about two things:
1. Remember who God is and what he has done
and as a result
2. Be strong and courageous
It might have been simpler to write just that, but it wouldn't have been anywhere near as interesting.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Protestant Guilt
I grew up in one of those homes that religiously attended church every Sunday.
No sleeping in for my brothers and I to finish the weekend. We'd be rousted and up early, dressed in less than comfortable clothes, the hair on one side of our heads, or the top, or the back plastered down with a combination of water, mom-spit and comb in an attempt to tame an unruly case of bedhead.
We could do the flannel graph version of David and Goliath almost from memory by the time we were five and had penciled many a pew inspired masterpiece on the back of visitor cards before we were old enough to read all of the words on the other side.
I can still clearly remember sitting in second grade Sunday school class when our teacher imparted wisdom to us that was much like this:
"There are some things that you do that are bad. We call those things 'sin'. The Bible tells us that sin gets in the way between us and God...it separates us from God. The Bible also tells us that the good things we do will never be good enough to get us back close to God."...and from there she went on the explain the need for Jesus to die on the cross.
Of course I had heard this before but this time I actually got it. I understood this gospel thing! And so I prayed, very deliberately, the prayer.
Then, being a curious and somewhat precocious seven year old, I asked, "Ummm...What now?"
"Well, " she enthusiastically informed me, " now you need to be sure to read your Bible and attend Sunday school, pray everyday, and sing songs to God." ('Worship' is a foreign concept to seven year olds and they sometimes think you're talking about war ships which takes the conversation in an entirely wrong direction.)
The teacher was still beaming as she handed each of us who had prayed a brand new crispy-paged bible. I made my way back to my tiny seat smiling the half-smile of being caught up in the moment and as I sat down...
I was completely lost.
If half of what I did was bad then of course I would end up doing these things bad half the time...and feel guilty.
and
If half of what I did was good, but not good enough, then I'd never be able to do these things good enough...and feel guilty.
Was I now doomed to a life of cyclical guilt?
At this point allow me to meekly confess that I did NOT think all of that when I sat down in my small wooden Sunday school chair. In truth it has taken me years of study and striving to come to this conclusion.
And now I get it.
This "list of things to do" creates what I have come to recognize as Protestant guilt.
It's quite different from Catholic guilt.
Catholics have original guilt, they're born with it.
We Protestants earn our guilt. We have the seeds of it bestowed upon us as part and parcel of the Protestant work-ethic; seeds which are nurtured by well meaning Sunday school teachers armed with vacation bible school curricula.
It is coaxed into full bloom by various evangelism methodologies and somewhere between 25 and 50 days of either purpose, prayer, or spiritual adventure.
Interestingly original guilt can be cleansed through weekly ritual.
Protestant guilt is sticky stuff that clings and hangs around for years infusing its tendrils into the soul at an almost subatomic level.
For those suffering from Protestant guilt I offer this ancient prescription:
Listen close though. When it comes to the mightiest truths, He tends to whisper.
(If you need further assistance might I suggest renting the film, "Evan Almighty" and imagine hanging out with Morgan Freeman's character.)
No sleeping in for my brothers and I to finish the weekend. We'd be rousted and up early, dressed in less than comfortable clothes, the hair on one side of our heads, or the top, or the back plastered down with a combination of water, mom-spit and comb in an attempt to tame an unruly case of bedhead.
We could do the flannel graph version of David and Goliath almost from memory by the time we were five and had penciled many a pew inspired masterpiece on the back of visitor cards before we were old enough to read all of the words on the other side.
I can still clearly remember sitting in second grade Sunday school class when our teacher imparted wisdom to us that was much like this:
"There are some things that you do that are bad. We call those things 'sin'. The Bible tells us that sin gets in the way between us and God...it separates us from God. The Bible also tells us that the good things we do will never be good enough to get us back close to God."...and from there she went on the explain the need for Jesus to die on the cross.
Of course I had heard this before but this time I actually got it. I understood this gospel thing! And so I prayed, very deliberately, the prayer.
Then, being a curious and somewhat precocious seven year old, I asked, "Ummm...What now?"
"Well, " she enthusiastically informed me, " now you need to be sure to read your Bible and attend Sunday school, pray everyday, and sing songs to God." ('Worship' is a foreign concept to seven year olds and they sometimes think you're talking about war ships which takes the conversation in an entirely wrong direction.)
The teacher was still beaming as she handed each of us who had prayed a brand new crispy-paged bible. I made my way back to my tiny seat smiling the half-smile of being caught up in the moment and as I sat down...
I was completely lost.
If half of what I did was bad then of course I would end up doing these things bad half the time...and feel guilty.
and
If half of what I did was good, but not good enough, then I'd never be able to do these things good enough...and feel guilty.
Was I now doomed to a life of cyclical guilt?
At this point allow me to meekly confess that I did NOT think all of that when I sat down in my small wooden Sunday school chair. In truth it has taken me years of study and striving to come to this conclusion.
And now I get it.
This "list of things to do" creates what I have come to recognize as Protestant guilt.
It's quite different from Catholic guilt.
Catholics have original guilt, they're born with it.
We Protestants earn our guilt. We have the seeds of it bestowed upon us as part and parcel of the Protestant work-ethic; seeds which are nurtured by well meaning Sunday school teachers armed with vacation bible school curricula.
It is coaxed into full bloom by various evangelism methodologies and somewhere between 25 and 50 days of either purpose, prayer, or spiritual adventure.
Interestingly original guilt can be cleansed through weekly ritual.
Protestant guilt is sticky stuff that clings and hangs around for years infusing its tendrils into the soul at an almost subatomic level.
For those suffering from Protestant guilt I offer this ancient prescription:
- Stop shoulding on yourself.
- Spend 30 days just hanging out with God listening.
- See where He takes you.
Listen close though. When it comes to the mightiest truths, He tends to whisper.
(If you need further assistance might I suggest renting the film, "Evan Almighty" and imagine hanging out with Morgan Freeman's character.)
Confessions of a former youth pastor
Deuteronomy 23:1 - 26:19
We used to do an annual breakfast event with our youth groups, just kind of a family time to talk about the year gone by and the year to come.
As part of that event I would give kids seemingly random scripture references, have them look up the passage, read aloud, and provide interpretation of what they'd read. Several of the verses in this section of Deuteronomy were amongst my favorites. Imagine a middle school kid asked to read out loud and then provide the meaning of the following:
Deut 23:1
No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.
Deut 23:10-11
If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there. But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp.
Deut 23:12-14
Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As a part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you...
(I had a kid once say, "This means God doesn't want to step in your poop.")
Deut 25:9-10
...his brothers widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, "This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother's family line." That man's line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.
Deut 25:11
If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes up to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.
I suppose if I believed in purgatory I would have earned several extra years there...but it did have the effect of making the kids more interested in reading the old testament!!
We used to do an annual breakfast event with our youth groups, just kind of a family time to talk about the year gone by and the year to come.
As part of that event I would give kids seemingly random scripture references, have them look up the passage, read aloud, and provide interpretation of what they'd read. Several of the verses in this section of Deuteronomy were amongst my favorites. Imagine a middle school kid asked to read out loud and then provide the meaning of the following:
Deut 23:1
No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.
Deut 23:10-11
If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there. But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp.
Deut 23:12-14
Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As a part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you...
(I had a kid once say, "This means God doesn't want to step in your poop.")
Deut 25:9-10
...his brothers widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, "This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother's family line." That man's line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.
Deut 25:11
If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes up to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.
I suppose if I believed in purgatory I would have earned several extra years there...but it did have the effect of making the kids more interested in reading the old testament!!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The book of "dude you're on to me"
Deuteronomy 1:1 - 26:19
It is very easy to want to skip right by this book. It starts with Moses recounting everything that happened in the book of Numbers and then goes in to quite some level of detail regarding everything from which fish and birds the Israelites could eat to how to handle cases of rape in town vs out in the country.
Read closely and you'll see the basis upon which many of our modern laws were built. The notion of extradition, the importance of requiring multiple witnesses to a crime, the distinction between premeditated murder and manslaughter...all found here.
For me it is a sad book.
As I read it I see Moses, a man we recognize today as a great leader but who probably would rather have been a quiet shepherd in the wilderness, giving his last words of advice and encouragement to the people God has asked him to lead. He has been at it for more than forty years. He is not going to cross the Jordan into the promised land, he knows his days are at an end.
We read his words and we see the tragically prophetic nature of his warnings. Tragic because we can read what happens later in the story and see that the things he warns about do come to pass. Tragic because had the Israelites made other choices we see quite clearly what blessings would have been bestowed upon them.
I read those warnings with a knowledge of what comes later and I think, "If only you had listened, or remembered. If only you had chosen otherwise...what effects would we feel from those choices even today?"
And then it makes me wonder how my story will be read after I'm gone. Will my children look back on it and say, "If only my dad had listened or remembered...how different would things be for us today had he chosen differently?"
It is a sobering thought.
One well worthy of diligent prayer.
It is very easy to want to skip right by this book. It starts with Moses recounting everything that happened in the book of Numbers and then goes in to quite some level of detail regarding everything from which fish and birds the Israelites could eat to how to handle cases of rape in town vs out in the country.
Read closely and you'll see the basis upon which many of our modern laws were built. The notion of extradition, the importance of requiring multiple witnesses to a crime, the distinction between premeditated murder and manslaughter...all found here.
For me it is a sad book.
As I read it I see Moses, a man we recognize today as a great leader but who probably would rather have been a quiet shepherd in the wilderness, giving his last words of advice and encouragement to the people God has asked him to lead. He has been at it for more than forty years. He is not going to cross the Jordan into the promised land, he knows his days are at an end.
We read his words and we see the tragically prophetic nature of his warnings. Tragic because we can read what happens later in the story and see that the things he warns about do come to pass. Tragic because had the Israelites made other choices we see quite clearly what blessings would have been bestowed upon them.
I read those warnings with a knowledge of what comes later and I think, "If only you had listened, or remembered. If only you had chosen otherwise...what effects would we feel from those choices even today?"
And then it makes me wonder how my story will be read after I'm gone. Will my children look back on it and say, "If only my dad had listened or remembered...how different would things be for us today had he chosen differently?"
It is a sobering thought.
One well worthy of diligent prayer.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The failure at Peor
...sounds like an episode of the Star Wars saga
Numbers 30:1 - 31:54
This story really has it's roots back in chapter 25 but I wanted to look at it here because this is where it comes to a conclusion.
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor. And the Lord's anger burned against them.
(Num 25:1-3)
Now, here's where it ties together in chapter 31:15
Moses speaking:
"Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advie and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that the plague struck the Lord's people."
So apparently Balaam, after pronouncing a blessing on the Hebrews three times, made a couple suggestions to the Moabites as to how they might corrupt the Israelites through immorality and idolatry. We don't have that explicitly from his story but we see the connection here.
There are several crucial things happening here all at once:
Numbers 30:1 - 31:54
This story really has it's roots back in chapter 25 but I wanted to look at it here because this is where it comes to a conclusion.
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor. And the Lord's anger burned against them.
(Num 25:1-3)
Now, here's where it ties together in chapter 31:15
Moses speaking:
"Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advie and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that the plague struck the Lord's people."
So apparently Balaam, after pronouncing a blessing on the Hebrews three times, made a couple suggestions to the Moabites as to how they might corrupt the Israelites through immorality and idolatry. We don't have that explicitly from his story but we see the connection here.
There are several crucial things happening here all at once:
- Balaam has had direct revelation, a direct prophetic message from God, which he then puts behind him to scheme with the Moabites, ostensibly for profit.
- The Israelites are being tested. They've been instructed to be a "people apart" but they give in to temptation and the text says they became "joined" with Baal Peor.
- This is the kind of thing that will haunt them , almost generational sin, once they enter the land.
- I think there is something symbolic here too. The Moabites sought to bring about the direct destruction of Israel through what they hoped would be a curse from Balaam that would allow them to win in battle. The win in battle and destruction of the Hebrews being their aim. That fails. When the direct frontal assault approach fails they result to seduction, deception and subtle corruption...that succeeds and sets the stage for a struggle the nation of Israel will have throughout their history. Their flirtation with and falling into sin with Baal worship will be a constant theme and struggle.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Balaam...who IS this guy?
Numbers 22:1 - 29:40
I have to confess that reading through the story of Balaam over the weekend threw me off track a bit. I was totally confused by several points in the story:
So the first group of guys ask Balaam to come back with them and his answer is...wait here and I will bring you back the answer "the Lord" gives me. Theye are sent way essentially empty handed.
The second group comes back and now, I think, Balaam is negotiating price.
(Numbers 22:18-19)
"Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the Lord will tell me."
Balaam is intimating that he has a direct line communication, a relationship with God that may allow him to change God's mind from the original answer.
I got stuck a bit on the next part which seems to say that God tells Balaam to go, then gets angry with him for going. I think God has communicated clearly that Balaam is not to go, then allows him to go because of his persistant lack of understanding with the intent all along of using the trip as a teaching moment.
This of course leads to the famous story of the talking donkey. The story is a great one but, to my way of thinking, the craziest line in the whole story has nothing to do with donkey but it is this line:
"Balaam answered the donkey, "!!!!!
So we have God, speaking to a well known sorceror, a "wise man" or "seer", who fails to see, opening up the eyes and mouth of donkey, who sees more clearly and speaks more truthfully, all within the scope of His plan for His people.
We'll get more on this guy later in scripture so I'll let him off the hook for now.
I'm sure everyone was excited to read the second census of the tribes!!!
Let me sum up...the are only about 1820 fighting men shy of where they were when they took the first census.
The feast of trumpets bit was a tough read too. Did anyone else feel like they were hearing, faintly in the background, the tune from the Twelve Days of Christmas?
Joshua being confirmed as the heir to Moses leadership is the clear sign Mose is on his way out.
Stay tuned for more action tomorrow!!!
p.s.
For a good look at some thoughts on Balaam see this link:
http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/2089/Balaam.htm
I have to confess that reading through the story of Balaam over the weekend threw me off track a bit. I was totally confused by several points in the story:
- Who is this guy that claims to have a prophetic relationship to God?
- How is it that he knows something about which animals to sacrifice?
- Why does God tell him to go then get mad that he goes?
- Although it seems like just yesterday that the twelve spies were sent out we've come almost to the end of the 40 years in the wilderness at this point. Israel is across the Jordan from Jericho.
- Balak, king of Moab, is obviously worried about the damage the Israelites might do to him so he is looking for advantage in battle when he sends for Balaam. Balaam must have had quite a reputation because the kings men travel nearly 400 miles to get him and then another 400 to bring him back. Of course this doesn't happen overnight so you can imagine the Israelite camp is here for quite some time. At least two back and forth trips worth...
- Balaam's name translates as something akin to "destroyer" and his father's name, Beor, as burning. It is widely believed that Balaam's family business was that of "divination" and distributor of curses for hire. Also, Balaam's home, Pethor, is near the region of Haran in which Abraham spend some time. So Balaam, as a religious generalist and purveyor of all bleesing and cursings of all dieties, probably knew something of the history of of the Hebrews. (Numbers 24:1 seems to indicate that Balaam was practicing sorcery with his first few attempts at "cursing" but that the last attempt he truly utters prophecy.)
So the first group of guys ask Balaam to come back with them and his answer is...wait here and I will bring you back the answer "the Lord" gives me. Theye are sent way essentially empty handed.
The second group comes back and now, I think, Balaam is negotiating price.
(Numbers 22:18-19)
"Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the Lord will tell me."
Balaam is intimating that he has a direct line communication, a relationship with God that may allow him to change God's mind from the original answer.
I got stuck a bit on the next part which seems to say that God tells Balaam to go, then gets angry with him for going. I think God has communicated clearly that Balaam is not to go, then allows him to go because of his persistant lack of understanding with the intent all along of using the trip as a teaching moment.
This of course leads to the famous story of the talking donkey. The story is a great one but, to my way of thinking, the craziest line in the whole story has nothing to do with donkey but it is this line:
"Balaam answered the donkey, "!!!!!
So we have God, speaking to a well known sorceror, a "wise man" or "seer", who fails to see, opening up the eyes and mouth of donkey, who sees more clearly and speaks more truthfully, all within the scope of His plan for His people.
We'll get more on this guy later in scripture so I'll let him off the hook for now.
I'm sure everyone was excited to read the second census of the tribes!!!
Let me sum up...the are only about 1820 fighting men shy of where they were when they took the first census.
The feast of trumpets bit was a tough read too. Did anyone else feel like they were hearing, faintly in the background, the tune from the Twelve Days of Christmas?
Joshua being confirmed as the heir to Moses leadership is the clear sign Mose is on his way out.
Stay tuned for more action tomorrow!!!
p.s.
For a good look at some thoughts on Balaam see this link:
http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/2089/Balaam.htm
Friday, March 6, 2009
Moving on out
Numbers 19:1 - 21:35
Having quelled the rebellion of the Kohathites and Reubenites the people of Israel move out to begin their forty years of wandering. They have no idea where they're going to go but they know they'll be back at this spot forty years from now...unless they're over 20, then they'll be dead.
I used to think they just wandered around for forty years but as we find out today that isn't the case. A couple interesting points from today's reading that struck me:
God starts cleaning out the adults by removing those who were rebelling and as I mentioned yesterday He does it as a display of His power. What struck me last night is that when they left Egypt he parted the sea and they all went across on dry ground. As they leave to go into the wilderness he parts the dry ground and it swallows up the rebellious crew just like the sea swallowed the Egyptians.
The next bits we're shown concerning those dying off involves some of the leaders. We're shown Miriam's death and then as a result of disobedience Aaron's death. I wonder if there weren't maybe a handful of teenagres who were starting to wonder if maybe all the adults would die sooner and they'd get back to the promised land sooner.
The cool bit to me though is where we see Moses trying to negotiate passage through the neighboring kingdoms. They all come out to attack and eventually the Israelites take over the towns of the Amorites. In this process God is teaching his people how to wage warfare against attacking kingdoms and fortified towns. He doesn't "wipe out" the inhabitants with plagues or snakes...which we know He could easily have done...he uses the ire of the petty kings to provide a training ground for His people who will soon (in 40 years) have to wage the very same type of warfare in order to conquer the promised land.
As my wife pointed out to me last night...we need to read these stories all the while remembering that God is the point, not the folks themselves. It is God who is holy and worthy of praise and respect...even if a custom seems odd, a miracle seems bizarre, or a punishment seems harsh.
I love the fact that in the midst of the "punishement" God is growing His people up so they'll be ready to do the job at hand when they get back to the promised land.
Having quelled the rebellion of the Kohathites and Reubenites the people of Israel move out to begin their forty years of wandering. They have no idea where they're going to go but they know they'll be back at this spot forty years from now...unless they're over 20, then they'll be dead.
I used to think they just wandered around for forty years but as we find out today that isn't the case. A couple interesting points from today's reading that struck me:
God starts cleaning out the adults by removing those who were rebelling and as I mentioned yesterday He does it as a display of His power. What struck me last night is that when they left Egypt he parted the sea and they all went across on dry ground. As they leave to go into the wilderness he parts the dry ground and it swallows up the rebellious crew just like the sea swallowed the Egyptians.
The next bits we're shown concerning those dying off involves some of the leaders. We're shown Miriam's death and then as a result of disobedience Aaron's death. I wonder if there weren't maybe a handful of teenagres who were starting to wonder if maybe all the adults would die sooner and they'd get back to the promised land sooner.
The cool bit to me though is where we see Moses trying to negotiate passage through the neighboring kingdoms. They all come out to attack and eventually the Israelites take over the towns of the Amorites. In this process God is teaching his people how to wage warfare against attacking kingdoms and fortified towns. He doesn't "wipe out" the inhabitants with plagues or snakes...which we know He could easily have done...he uses the ire of the petty kings to provide a training ground for His people who will soon (in 40 years) have to wage the very same type of warfare in order to conquer the promised land.
As my wife pointed out to me last night...we need to read these stories all the while remembering that God is the point, not the folks themselves. It is God who is holy and worthy of praise and respect...even if a custom seems odd, a miracle seems bizarre, or a punishment seems harsh.
I love the fact that in the midst of the "punishement" God is growing His people up so they'll be ready to do the job at hand when they get back to the promised land.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Rebellion in the camp
Numbers 16:1 - 18:32
It's not easy to tell how much time has passed between the end of chapter 15 and the start of chapter 16. The people have just failed at the entrance to the promised land. God has informed then that their punishment will be forty years of wandering during which time all the adults 20 years and older will die.
They've tried to take the land anyway and been beaten down by the locals...and now we see a rebellion brewing in the camp. Obviously, they needed somewhere to vent their anger and they must think it safer to vent it at Moses and Aaron rather than at God...or the locals who have just kicked their booties.
It's easy to just read the names of these guys who lead the rebellion and blaze right past them into the story itself but the names, or at least the family connections, are important.
Korah - who seems to be the instigator, is a Kohathite. The Kohathite clan had the reponsibility of carrying the ark and the holy objects from the tabernacle. They were the only ones who could not use ox carts to carry their part and they couldn't even go near the holy objects until the priests, the sons of Aaron, had prepared them. (Num 4:4 - 15)
He is obviously representing a faction that is jealous of the role of the priests:
"You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?" (Num 16:3)
You have to love the way he tries to include everyone in his own jealousy.
The other leaders listed in the rebellion, Dathan, Abiram and On, are all Reubenites. Their jealousy is different. The tribe of Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob, have been losing their position for generations.
"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your fathers bed, onto my couch and defiled it." (Gen49:3)
Reuben slept with his fathers concubine and thus lost the privaledged position of the firstborn.
(It never ceases to amaze me how long these middle eastern folks can hold a grudge...but then we just need to read the newspapers to see that even today.)
So Korah, who is jealous over Aaron's spiritual authority, recruits some grumpy Reubenits, who are jealous over Moses temporal authority and raises up a rebellion.
Moses calls out Korah and his Levite followers to stand a test of fire before God...maybe this is where Elijah gets his inspiration later...and he couches it in the form of presenting themselves before God to see who God chooses. I love that he doesn't argue based on God's word, or past experience, or commands, he just says "Let's let God choose."
He tries to call out the Reubenites too but they refuse to come...obviously the religious thing is not their bag so they play the passive aggressive, "we don't recognize your authority" card.
I think what is happening here is much the same as what happened when they came out of Egypt.
There is a much different emotional landscape within the camp, but in either case they were on the doorstep of a "next phase", in either case God is establishing who He is and how he will be interacting with His people, in either case He is displaying His power.
It's makes me start to wonder how I tend to react when God starts a new phase with me. Am I "coming out of Egypt" or being "driven into the wilderness"? In any event what should my response be? I go back to yesterday's reading and the example of Joshua and Caleb...
If you want to do some interesting side reading do some internet research on the symbolism of the almond branch/tree. Aaron's staff budding and producing almonds wasn't a random choice of tree on God's part.
It's not easy to tell how much time has passed between the end of chapter 15 and the start of chapter 16. The people have just failed at the entrance to the promised land. God has informed then that their punishment will be forty years of wandering during which time all the adults 20 years and older will die.
They've tried to take the land anyway and been beaten down by the locals...and now we see a rebellion brewing in the camp. Obviously, they needed somewhere to vent their anger and they must think it safer to vent it at Moses and Aaron rather than at God...or the locals who have just kicked their booties.
It's easy to just read the names of these guys who lead the rebellion and blaze right past them into the story itself but the names, or at least the family connections, are important.
Korah - who seems to be the instigator, is a Kohathite. The Kohathite clan had the reponsibility of carrying the ark and the holy objects from the tabernacle. They were the only ones who could not use ox carts to carry their part and they couldn't even go near the holy objects until the priests, the sons of Aaron, had prepared them. (Num 4:4 - 15)
He is obviously representing a faction that is jealous of the role of the priests:
"You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?" (Num 16:3)
You have to love the way he tries to include everyone in his own jealousy.
The other leaders listed in the rebellion, Dathan, Abiram and On, are all Reubenites. Their jealousy is different. The tribe of Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob, have been losing their position for generations.
"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your fathers bed, onto my couch and defiled it." (Gen49:3)
Reuben slept with his fathers concubine and thus lost the privaledged position of the firstborn.
(It never ceases to amaze me how long these middle eastern folks can hold a grudge...but then we just need to read the newspapers to see that even today.)
So Korah, who is jealous over Aaron's spiritual authority, recruits some grumpy Reubenits, who are jealous over Moses temporal authority and raises up a rebellion.
Moses calls out Korah and his Levite followers to stand a test of fire before God...maybe this is where Elijah gets his inspiration later...and he couches it in the form of presenting themselves before God to see who God chooses. I love that he doesn't argue based on God's word, or past experience, or commands, he just says "Let's let God choose."
He tries to call out the Reubenites too but they refuse to come...obviously the religious thing is not their bag so they play the passive aggressive, "we don't recognize your authority" card.
I think what is happening here is much the same as what happened when they came out of Egypt.
There is a much different emotional landscape within the camp, but in either case they were on the doorstep of a "next phase", in either case God is establishing who He is and how he will be interacting with His people, in either case He is displaying His power.
It's makes me start to wonder how I tend to react when God starts a new phase with me. Am I "coming out of Egypt" or being "driven into the wilderness"? In any event what should my response be? I go back to yesterday's reading and the example of Joshua and Caleb...
If you want to do some interesting side reading do some internet research on the symbolism of the almond branch/tree. Aaron's staff budding and producing almonds wasn't a random choice of tree on God's part.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Oops
Numbers 14:1 - 15:41
Imagine what it would have been like to have been Joshua or Caleb.
You spent 40 days exploring the land God has promised to you...you have the eyes of faith so you're seeing only the positive. A land flowing with milk and honey, rich grape harvest, exceedingly good. The people who live there look big, their cities fortified, but you see them as just so many weeds for the Lord to clear out of the way.
We don't know from the text but it may be possible that these two guys were so caught up in the good about to happen that they weren't even aware that the other 10 were afraid of what they'd seen. They probably were in deep conversation with each other making plans on what they conquest would look like...especially given Joshua's position as a military leader.
Then you get back, ready to spread the good news...and your ten compadres start spreading the bad news. Spreading it so quickly in fact that the camp is up in arms by nightfall.
You try to sway the opinion of the crowd but you're shouted down, the crowd, many of whom are extended family, threaten to stone you.
Then the Lord shows up.
Moses intercedes on behalf of the people so that God doesn't kill them all...it isn't the first time incidentally that God offers to rebuild the nation from Moses, offering him what was originally offered to Abraham.
God forgives the people but pronounces punishment...40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
I would be pissed.
I'd be somewhat gladdened by the fact that God killed off the other 10 guys...although I would have been asking for permission to do it myself...I'd be happy that I did get to make it into the promised land but I'd be BUMMED that my kids would be adults with kids of their own before we ever got there and honestly angry that while I was making the right decision I was being punished right along with the folks who had no faith.
To be standing there, literally looking back over your shoulder at the promised land just waiting for you to seize it, knowing that it will be forty years of wandering and eating mana before you come back to take what you should have now...that would kill me.
The fact that these two make it for forty years without turning their backs on God speaks WAY more to me about their faith than does the episode with the other spies.
Well worth praying through and learning from in terms of patience and my own limited perception of justice...
Imagine what it would have been like to have been Joshua or Caleb.
You spent 40 days exploring the land God has promised to you...you have the eyes of faith so you're seeing only the positive. A land flowing with milk and honey, rich grape harvest, exceedingly good. The people who live there look big, their cities fortified, but you see them as just so many weeds for the Lord to clear out of the way.
We don't know from the text but it may be possible that these two guys were so caught up in the good about to happen that they weren't even aware that the other 10 were afraid of what they'd seen. They probably were in deep conversation with each other making plans on what they conquest would look like...especially given Joshua's position as a military leader.
Then you get back, ready to spread the good news...and your ten compadres start spreading the bad news. Spreading it so quickly in fact that the camp is up in arms by nightfall.
You try to sway the opinion of the crowd but you're shouted down, the crowd, many of whom are extended family, threaten to stone you.
Then the Lord shows up.
Moses intercedes on behalf of the people so that God doesn't kill them all...it isn't the first time incidentally that God offers to rebuild the nation from Moses, offering him what was originally offered to Abraham.
God forgives the people but pronounces punishment...40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
I would be pissed.
I'd be somewhat gladdened by the fact that God killed off the other 10 guys...although I would have been asking for permission to do it myself...I'd be happy that I did get to make it into the promised land but I'd be BUMMED that my kids would be adults with kids of their own before we ever got there and honestly angry that while I was making the right decision I was being punished right along with the folks who had no faith.
To be standing there, literally looking back over your shoulder at the promised land just waiting for you to seize it, knowing that it will be forty years of wandering and eating mana before you come back to take what you should have now...that would kill me.
The fact that these two make it for forty years without turning their backs on God speaks WAY more to me about their faith than does the episode with the other spies.
Well worth praying through and learning from in terms of patience and my own limited perception of justice...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Grouse, grouse, grouse...
Numbers 11:1 - 13:33
Finally we get back to some story today...
Now, we've just been told that the people only move out, only come to rest, when and where God leads them. Safe to assume then that wherever they land, there is ample water for them and their flocks and, again safe to remember, that they get mana every morning. You might argue that they've been living on mana for more than a year at this point and something different would be nice but remember it is COMPLETELY FREE FOOD!!
Part of the curse in the garden was that man would no longer have free food, he would have to work the ground with the sweat of his brow to get food. But this is free...just go pick it up.
The people argue that they had free food in Egypt...yeah well, if by "free" you mean no money exchanged hands then would you trade slavery for food? There was a very clear cost for that "free" food.
I also started to wonder while reading this what happened to all the sheep and goats and bulls and pidgeons that they must have had around for sacrifices...sounds like a LOT of meat to me.
Most of the commentaries I could find didn't bring this up but the few that did suggest that the flocks were not for consumption but for raising (and sacrifices) and that they would have run through all THAT meat in less than a month and wound up poor. Ok, I suppose I buy that.
I find it interesting too that the story gives us the complaints of the people right at the finish line!! The complain in chapter 11 and 12 and in chapter 13 the spies are sent into the land...the promised land that they have been aiming for all this time. THEY ARE ALMOST DONE AND THEY FALL APART!! Of course you may well argue they didn't know they were almost to the finish line, well said, but how often do we find ourselves in a similar position? Grousing, ready to surrender when in truth we're almost to the other side of the wildernesss through which God has us traveling?
I think God has spent a little over a year with His people in the wilderness in order to show them who He is and how He is to be worshipped. I think even His response to their grousing in chapters 11 and 12 here is a demonstration of his ability to both provide and destroy as needed. You would have hoped the spies would have had these events fresh in their minds as they went out to explore the land. But they obviously forgot.
We like to believe today a first hand miraculous display of God's power would be enough for us to remain fiathful to Him forever. I can't imagine seeing a more graphic display than what these guys have seen since leaving Egypt and yet they cower at the task at hand when they come back from spying out the land. Not only did 10 out of 12 miss it, they somehow convinced the bulk of the population to miss it too. (which we will read tomorrow)
ALL of this leads me to one thought:
Remember
When we feel in need...remember when God has provided.
When we feel out gunned...remember that God is our strength.
When we feel overwhelmed...remember that God help lift the burden.
When we feel tired...remember that God is our rest AND our strength.
If they had simply remembered they would have been into the promised land in the next chapter. Instead they get 40 more years of wandering.
How much of our wandering happens because we forget to remember?
REMEMBER.
Finally we get back to some story today...
Now, we've just been told that the people only move out, only come to rest, when and where God leads them. Safe to assume then that wherever they land, there is ample water for them and their flocks and, again safe to remember, that they get mana every morning. You might argue that they've been living on mana for more than a year at this point and something different would be nice but remember it is COMPLETELY FREE FOOD!!
Part of the curse in the garden was that man would no longer have free food, he would have to work the ground with the sweat of his brow to get food. But this is free...just go pick it up.
The people argue that they had free food in Egypt...yeah well, if by "free" you mean no money exchanged hands then would you trade slavery for food? There was a very clear cost for that "free" food.
I also started to wonder while reading this what happened to all the sheep and goats and bulls and pidgeons that they must have had around for sacrifices...sounds like a LOT of meat to me.
Most of the commentaries I could find didn't bring this up but the few that did suggest that the flocks were not for consumption but for raising (and sacrifices) and that they would have run through all THAT meat in less than a month and wound up poor. Ok, I suppose I buy that.
I find it interesting too that the story gives us the complaints of the people right at the finish line!! The complain in chapter 11 and 12 and in chapter 13 the spies are sent into the land...the promised land that they have been aiming for all this time. THEY ARE ALMOST DONE AND THEY FALL APART!! Of course you may well argue they didn't know they were almost to the finish line, well said, but how often do we find ourselves in a similar position? Grousing, ready to surrender when in truth we're almost to the other side of the wildernesss through which God has us traveling?
I think God has spent a little over a year with His people in the wilderness in order to show them who He is and how He is to be worshipped. I think even His response to their grousing in chapters 11 and 12 here is a demonstration of his ability to both provide and destroy as needed. You would have hoped the spies would have had these events fresh in their minds as they went out to explore the land. But they obviously forgot.
We like to believe today a first hand miraculous display of God's power would be enough for us to remain fiathful to Him forever. I can't imagine seeing a more graphic display than what these guys have seen since leaving Egypt and yet they cower at the task at hand when they come back from spying out the land. Not only did 10 out of 12 miss it, they somehow convinced the bulk of the population to miss it too. (which we will read tomorrow)
ALL of this leads me to one thought:
Remember
When we feel in need...remember when God has provided.
When we feel out gunned...remember that God is our strength.
When we feel overwhelmed...remember that God help lift the burden.
When we feel tired...remember that God is our rest AND our strength.
If they had simply remembered they would have been into the promised land in the next chapter. Instead they get 40 more years of wandering.
How much of our wandering happens because we forget to remember?
REMEMBER.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Passover, Priests, and playing trumpets
Numbers 8:1 - 10:36
Interesting tidbits this morning:
(8:7)
To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
The priests would have stood out from a mile away amongst the hirsute (Your vocab word for the day...means "hairy") Israelites. And if "whole body" is literal then their eyebrows would have been gone too giving them a quite alien look.
We're reminded again here...for probably the tenth time...that God owns the first born of Israel:
(8:17-18)
Every firstborn male in Israel, whether man or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. And I have taken the Levites in place of the firstborn sons in Israel.
This is kinda cool because it means that the blood over the door in the first passover was not just a get out of jail free card. It was symbolic of an ongoing requirement...and ongoing commitment, or debt owed to God. The Levites are the payment for the debt...in effect the priests are the symbolic precursor to Christ's work on the cross.
The stuff on the passover is a cool glimpse too because God opens up the celebration to aliens living amongst them in the same way the gospel promise will later be opened to the gentiles.
It's the stuff in 9:18-23 that always led me to believe the entire nation was constantly on the go.
Setting out when the cloud moved and setting up when it stopped.
(20-23)
Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.
At this point though they've been hanging out at Sinai for about a year...
Now, I know it's not a popular thought, but if I were one of the guys who had the job of set up and tear down on the tabernacle and the cloud lifeted after two day...
I'd be bummed.
Then again...if it hangs in place for a year...that's a year off.
So you get the good with the bad I guess.
Interesting tidbits this morning:
(8:7)
To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.
The priests would have stood out from a mile away amongst the hirsute (Your vocab word for the day...means "hairy") Israelites. And if "whole body" is literal then their eyebrows would have been gone too giving them a quite alien look.
We're reminded again here...for probably the tenth time...that God owns the first born of Israel:
(8:17-18)
Every firstborn male in Israel, whether man or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. And I have taken the Levites in place of the firstborn sons in Israel.
This is kinda cool because it means that the blood over the door in the first passover was not just a get out of jail free card. It was symbolic of an ongoing requirement...and ongoing commitment, or debt owed to God. The Levites are the payment for the debt...in effect the priests are the symbolic precursor to Christ's work on the cross.
The stuff on the passover is a cool glimpse too because God opens up the celebration to aliens living amongst them in the same way the gospel promise will later be opened to the gentiles.
It's the stuff in 9:18-23 that always led me to believe the entire nation was constantly on the go.
Setting out when the cloud moved and setting up when it stopped.
(20-23)
Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.
At this point though they've been hanging out at Sinai for about a year...
Now, I know it's not a popular thought, but if I were one of the guys who had the job of set up and tear down on the tabernacle and the cloud lifeted after two day...
I'd be bummed.
Then again...if it hangs in place for a year...that's a year off.
So you get the good with the bad I guess.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Offerings for the tabernacle
Numbers 7:1 - 89
For those reading along at home did this feel like reading a mial merge file or what?
The only differences I can find in here are in what is said about Judah and what is said about Issachar.
Judah goes first:
(12) The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah.
He is the only one NOT called out as a leader. Interesting since Judah is the tribe of leaders.
Next is Issachar:
(18)On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, brought his offering
(19)The offering he brought was...
He is the only one not referred to as the "leader of the people of..." and it says "the offering he brought" rather than "His offering"
Was the author just getting up to speed then standardized after the first two?
Or should we read something deep and mysterious into these subtle differences?
I think I'm going for choice A.
Sometimes the guys who wrote the bible DID look to save time...they were guys.
:)
For those reading along at home did this feel like reading a mial merge file or what?
The only differences I can find in here are in what is said about Judah and what is said about Issachar.
Judah goes first:
(12) The one who brought his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah.
He is the only one NOT called out as a leader. Interesting since Judah is the tribe of leaders.
Next is Issachar:
(18)On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, brought his offering
(19)The offering he brought was...
He is the only one not referred to as the "leader of the people of..." and it says "the offering he brought" rather than "His offering"
Was the author just getting up to speed then standardized after the first two?
Or should we read something deep and mysterious into these subtle differences?
I think I'm going for choice A.
Sometimes the guys who wrote the bible DID look to save time...they were guys.
:)
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Two months!!
If you're reading through the bible in a year you've made it two months today...way to go!!
Numbers 4:34 - 6:27
I freely confess I don't get the whole piece in Numbers 5:11 -29.
I do understand the ritualistic punishment of the woman but you would think there would be something in there about the male adulterer too. I suppose culturally there must have been something about the position of women that made it easier for them to "fall prey" and harder to find the man responsible...but still...seems like the guys are off the hook.
The Nazarite vow thing is cool...that knowledge will come in handy when we read about Samson later...especially given that he breaks his vow. I knew the hair growing was symbolic as was the shaving...I'm looking forward to reading his story to see what is going on when his head DOES get shaved.
The poetic blessing at the end of chapter 6 is one of my favorite passages. I've used it a number of times when doing baptisms:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace
...and may He do all that as you enter the third month of reading.
Numbers 4:34 - 6:27
I freely confess I don't get the whole piece in Numbers 5:11 -29.
I do understand the ritualistic punishment of the woman but you would think there would be something in there about the male adulterer too. I suppose culturally there must have been something about the position of women that made it easier for them to "fall prey" and harder to find the man responsible...but still...seems like the guys are off the hook.
The Nazarite vow thing is cool...that knowledge will come in handy when we read about Samson later...especially given that he breaks his vow. I knew the hair growing was symbolic as was the shaving...I'm looking forward to reading his story to see what is going on when his head DOES get shaved.
The poetic blessing at the end of chapter 6 is one of my favorite passages. I've used it a number of times when doing baptisms:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace
...and may He do all that as you enter the third month of reading.
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