April 18th: Deuteronomy 1, Proverbs 28 and John 11

Having a hard time coming up with something profound tonight.  

I guess one thing that is intruing is that Jesus let's Lararus die.  Brother was tight with Jesus.  He was down-wit-the Son.  He was _____ with _______ (Try it, it's fun).

But Jesus let him die.  Which shows me: bad stuff happens to people who are close with God. There sometimes is a purpose to pain. But sometimes (the NEXT time Lazarus died), there might not be as big of a splash. There might not be something so spectaculur. What then?  Your faith needs to be just as big.

April 17th: Numbers 36, Proverbs 27 and John 9-10

I am struck again by the power of the personal testimony.  For the man born blind, it didn't matter what the leaders with all the degrees thought.  Jesus had done something in his life.  The x-blind man had met God and that's all that mattered.  "He was blind but now he could see."  He told his story. That was all he was asked to do.

April 15th: Numbers 34, Proverbs 25 and John 7

So I got a little out of order.  It's amusing, I'm taking a class on goals and prioritization.  I guess I should have prioritized my reading before midnight.  Oops.  So here is the post that I should have done on the 15th.

If you find honey, eat just enough -- too much of it, and you will vomit.

That's some good advice.

I'm struck by the example that Jesus set for us in John 7.  He goes where the people are.  He teaches.  I wonder what this looks like now.  If we are to be "like Christ," where should we be going?  Or more specifically, if you have the gift of teaching, where should you go?  Jesus goes to the Temple, the gathering place of Israel. I wonder where we should go. I wonder how we should use that medium and platform.  People were talking about Jesus.  There was hype.  It's an interesting thought.

April 16th: Numbers 35, Proverbs 26 and John 8

The cities of refuge are pretty awesome. We take it for granted that this grace was extended. But this is the basis of "a fair trial." That's really cool.

By the way, how cool is the title "Blood Avenger." I know it's a relative that you're avenging which would suck and all but how cool would it be to have business cards that said:

Jon Reisinger
Blood Avenger

April 14th: Numbers 33, Proverbs 24, and John 6

Having just returned from Egypt (so pretentious sounding...sorry), the stations mentioned in Numbers 33 have new meaning to me. 1: That be some rough terrain. We took Toyota Landcruisers around Marah and it was rough even in those. 2: It was ridiculously windy. If you describe the Sinai in two words, the words you choose are windy and dry. And those two elements don't foster clouds for one or a stationary cloud that remains stationary for a year. The Israelites weren't looking around saying, "Which cloud is God again?" He was THE cloud, as in the only cloud in the sky. 3: Camels don't carry any diseases. 4: Alicia drank camel milk 5: Eww.

Those last three points don't have anything to do with the passage but eww.

April 13th: Numbers 32, Proverbs 23, and John 5

I don' think I've ever read the Pentateuch as closely as I am right now. Normally it's blah blah bull's blood, blah blah beget so and so blah blah another place with a hyphen blah blah don't do this blah blah dude married his cousin (again). But one thing is for sure, as I read through it this time, I don't see a bunch of direct references to Jesus. Maybe a couple in Genesis 3 and 12 but not a ton like in Isaiah. But over in the NT, Jesus drops this line at the end of John 5:

"For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"

Is Jesus indirectly claiming to be the God of Sinai that Moses writes so often about? I know that's an argument some people raise, that Jesus himself never claimed to be God. But knowing that those Pharisees liked them the some Moses-law, they probably took as Jesus saying he could break the Sabbath... cause he made it.

PS. Read Proverbs 23 verses 29-35. That might be the funniest stuff in the Bible. "They beat me and I did not feel it. ... I must have another drink." Liquid courage at it's finest with a little hangover cure tossed in.

April 10th: Numbers 31, Proverbs 22, and John 4

Massive thing that I didn't realize until today: The Israelites kill Baalam. What?!? Did I miss that part of the flannel board? Let's recap the story arc. The king hires Baalam to curse Israel. He says, "No-can-do watching old DVDs of the Power Rangers that night with Donkey." The king tries again and Baalam says, "I got yoga on Thursday but I'll see what God says, hang tight for a bit." God tells him to go. He goes. Donkey monologues a bit about the current danger level. Angel says, What up B?" And then Balaam does his thing.

And that's where the flannel-board-using-Sunday-school-teacher usually ends...but OH NO the stroy goes on. Balaam sans Donkey shows up in Nunbers 31. Where he dies at the hands of the people he blessed.

This is not cool. Dude does what God tells him to, he blesses and curses only as he's directed. He's a prophet of God and yet he's gunned, er, sworded down by the same people he blessed. Why didn't God intervene? Why does He let him die? Is Balaam some kind of disposible prophet? One use and he's doen? Balaam obviously believes in God to the point that he stands up to the current king of the land. I just don't get this. What is the lesson for us in here?

I just decided that I'm not telling this story in Sunday school anymore. My life has been incomplete.