12/31/2006

He was pierced

Psalm 22:12-18 - Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.

They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

The first part of this psalm is obviously quoted and fulfilled by Jesus many years later at the time of his crucifixion. I can't think of a time when this literally happened to David though, so I wonder if he is speaking metaphorically about himself or if this really did happen and it just isn't recorded elsewhere for us.

12/29/2006

Volcano and storm

Psalm 18:7-15 - The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.

He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.

He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies ,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.

The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

I wonder if God literally used a volcano and a hailstorm to defeat some of David's enemies. It certainly sounds like at least the lightning took care of some of them.

Volcano and storm

Psalm 18:7-15 - The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.

He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.

He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies ,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.

The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

I wonder if God literally used a volcano and a hailstorm to defeat some of David's enemies. It certainly sounds like at least the lightning took care of some of them.

On the run

Psalm 3 - O LORD, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!

Many are saying of me,
"God will not deliver him."

But you are a shield around me, O LORD;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

To the LORD I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy hill.

I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

I will not fear the tens of thousands
drawn up against me on every side.

Arise, O LORD!
Deliver me, O my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.

From the LORD comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.

I wonder how David found the time and opportunity to compose a psalm while running for his life. Granted, he probably wasn't literally running that much, but it doesn't seem like it would have been the first thing on his mind. Or does it? A petition such as this should be first in our thoughts more often than it probably is.

12/26/2006

From nothing to double

Job 42:10-17 - After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years.

Usually a man's sons are mentioned by name when listing his children. I wonder why only Job's daughters are listed here. They were given an inheritance (which was unusual) but that doesn't mean the sons were neglected in any way.

I wonder how old Job was when he died. He could easily have been over 200.

Leviathan

Job 41 - "Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook
or tie down his tongue with a rope?

Can you put a cord through his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?

Will he keep begging you for mercy?
Will he speak to you with gentle words?

Will he make an agreement with you
for you to take him as your slave for life?

Can you make a pet of him like a bird
or put him on a leash for your girls?

Will traders barter for him?
Will they divide him up among the merchants?

Can you fill his hide with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?

If you lay a hand on him,
you will remember the struggle and never do it again!

Any hope of subduing him is false;
the mere sight of him is overpowering.

No one is fierce enough to rouse him.
Who then is able to stand against me?

Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything under heaven belongs to me.

"I will not fail to speak of his limbs,
his strength and his graceful form.

Who can strip off his outer coat?
Who would approach him with a bridle?

Who dares open the doors of his mouth,
ringed about with his fearsome teeth?

His back has rows of shields
tightly sealed together;

each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.

They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.

His snorting throws out flashes of light;
his eyes are like the rays of dawn.

Firebrands stream from his mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.

Smoke pours from his nostrils
as from a boiling pot over a fire of reeds.

His breath sets coals ablaze,
and flames dart from his mouth.

Strength resides in his neck;
dismay goes before him.

The folds of his flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.

His chest is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.

When he rises up, the mighty are terrified;
they retreat before his thrashing.

The sword that reaches him has no effect,
nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.

Iron he treats like straw
and bronze like rotten wood.

Arrows do not make him flee;
slingstones are like chaff to him.

A club seems to him but a piece of straw;
he laughs at the rattling of the lance.

His undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.

He makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.

Behind him he leaves a glistening wake;
one would think the deep had white hair.

Nothing on earth is his equal—
a creature without fear.

He looks down on all that are haughty;
he is king over all that are proud."

The footnote in my Bible suggests that the leviathan might be the crocodile. I wonder if it might not be something more like the dragon of fantasy stories. Either that, or some now-extinct creature who fits every part of the description better than the croc.

Behemoth

Job 40:15-24 - "Look at the behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.

What strength he has in his loins,
what power in the muscles of his belly!

His tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are close-knit.

His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like rods of iron.

He ranks first among the works of God,
yet his Maker can approach him with his sword.

The hills bring him their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.

Under the lotus plants he lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.

The lotuses conceal him in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround him.

When the river rages, he is not alarmed;
he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth.

Can anyone capture him by the eyes,
or trap him and pierce his nose?"

The footnote in my Bible suggested that the behemoth might be the hippopotamus or the elephant. I wonder though which animal God considers "first" among his works. Could it possibly be a dinosaur? Or perhaps it was some other creature that is now extinct.

12/23/2006

Dwelt a miner

Job 28:1-10 - There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.

Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.

Man puts an end to the darkness;
he searches the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.

Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft,
in places forgotten by the foot of man;
far from men he dangles and sways.

The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;

sapphires come from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.

No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon's eye has seen it.

Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.

Man's hand assaults the flinty rock
and lays bare the roots of the mountains.

He tunnels through the rock;
his eyes see all its treasures.

I wonder what type of lighting they used down in the mines. Obviously electricity is not mentioned, so it probably wasn't light bulbs that lit their way. (Or was it?) Was it fire? Torches? Lanterns? Oil or gas?

Job says, "...far from men he dangles and sways." I wonder how far down the deepest mines went. How did they compare with mines of today? Had Job ever actually seen miners working? Had he been a miner?

12/21/2006

God's words

Job 23:12 - I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

Earlier I mentioned that some people think the book of Job may be the earliest written book of the Bible. If that is so, I wonder if Job had any written words to obey. Or did he just have God's spoken commands passed down through the generations as his guide for living?

12/20/2006

Nasty Job?

Job 22:5-9 - Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins endless?

You demanded security from your brothers for no reason;
you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked.

You gave no water to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,

though you were a powerful man, owning land—
an honored man, living on it.

And you sent widows away empty-handed
and broke the strength of the fatherless.

Sure, Job was a sinner like everyone else, but did he really do all these nasty things that Eliphaz lists? I wonder if Eliphaz had proof of any of these sins or if they were hypothetical or guesses or examples of sins Job might have committed.

12/19/2006

How dare they!

Job 16:10 - Men open their mouths to jeer at me;
they strike my cheek in scorn
and unite together against me.

I wonder if anyone actually did this to Job while in his sorry condition. Or was Job just speaking metaphorically?

I don't want to think too long about it, but I wonder if I've ever literally or figuratively done something similar to anyone. How about you?

12/17/2006

Too deep

Job 9:10 - He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.

Remember this is really God telling us about himself through Job. There's stuff -- science, or whatever you want to call it -- that we will never understand. And there's a lot of it!

I wonder which areas of science/nature/creation have the most unfathomable wonders. Or are they pretty evenly spread out? I wonder how much we understand today compared to what some of the great minds of the past knew -- Adam, Noah, Solomon, to name a few.

12/15/2006

Constellations

Job 9:9 - He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

Some think the book of Job may be older; that is, written earlier than any other book of the Bible. Whether or not, I still wonder what the Hebrew literally says in this verse. I think the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades were only named as such long after this book was written. If the Hebrew really uses these words, I wonder if they refer to the same things that we mean today.

12/13/2006

Eliphaz speaks

Job 4:1-2 - Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

"If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
But who can keep from speaking?"

Huh? You've been sitting there for a week, Eliphaz (and friends) without uttering a word. How can the first thing you say include the line "But who can keep from speaking?" Obviously the three of you can! I really wonder how you did hold off for 7 days and 7 nights though. Wasn't it boring, to say the least?

Job's poetic curse

Job 3 - After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said:

"May the day of my birth perish,
and the night it was said, 'A boy is born!'

That day—may it turn to darkness;
may God above not care about it;
may no light shine upon it.

May darkness and deep shadow claim it once more;
may a cloud settle over it;
may blackness overwhelm its light.

That night—may thick darkness seize it;
may it not be included among the days of the year
nor be entered in any of the months.

May that night be barren;
may no shout of joy be heard in it.

May those who curse days curse that day,
those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.

May its morning stars become dark;
may it wait for daylight in vain
and not see the first rays of dawn,

for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me
to hide trouble from my eyes.

"Why did I not perish at birth,
and die as I came from the womb?

Why were there knees to receive me
and breasts that I might be nursed?

For now I would be lying down in peace;
I would be asleep and at rest

with kings and counselors of the earth,
who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,

with rulers who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.

Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a stillborn child,
like an infant who never saw the light of day?

There the wicked cease from turmoil,
and there the weary are at rest.

Captives also enjoy their ease;
they no longer hear the slave driver's shout.

The small and the great are there,
and the slave is freed from his master.

"Why is light given to those in misery,
and life to the bitter of soul,

to those who long for death that does not come,
who search for it more than for hidden treasure,

who are filled with gladness
and rejoice when they reach the grave?

Why is life given to a man
whose way is hidden,
whom God has hedged in?

For sighing comes to me instead of food;
my groans pour out like water.

What I feared has come upon me;
what I dreaded has happened to me.

I have no peace, no quietness;
I have no rest, but only turmoil."

It appears from the way the text is formatted in the English translation, that Job's cursing of the day of his birth is Hebrew poetry. I wonder how he was able -- in the midst of such pain, grief, sorrow, and despair -- to speak in lines of poetry. I wonder if they practiced this art form regularly and often back then so that it just came naturally even at a time like this.

12/10/2006

God, Job, Satan: Round II

Job 2:1 - On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him.

I wonder how long after the first round of destruction this second meeting came. I have the feeling it came pretty quickly. Job's three friends, who had heard of his troubles, didn't even have time to arrive before Job was covered with sores due to round 2 of Satan's attacks. I wonder if Job even had time to think, "What next?"

12/09/2006

A quick shave

Job 1:20-21 - At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

Note that it says he shaved his head -- not pulled out his hair in anger or frustration as others do elsewhere in the Bible.

I wonder if he shaved it himself or had his barber do it. Was there a razor handy, or did he have to go get one? Similar question if a barber was hired.

I get the impression that this is done in rapid succession though. Tear robe. Shave head. Fall down. Is this perhaps not the best translation of the phrase?

If this happened to me, I hope I could repeat Job's words of praise. Right now I'd say I could. But what if it really happened tomorrow? Could you?

12/07/2006

Job loses all

Job 1:13-19 - One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

Job barely had time to digest the first message by the time the fourth one was delivered. I wonder if it all even sank in until a fair amount of time had passed. I think his immediate actions were a reaction to the news about the deaths of his 10 children.

I wonder if the thought crossed his mind that these messengers might be pulling a prank. Perhaps they were hired by someone else? This couldn't really all be happening within the hour, could it?

Job was "the greatest man among all the people of the East." I wonder if anyone (besides the three friends we hear of later) came to his assistance when they heard of his losses. Surely everyone knew his name. And when this disaster happened, certainly the news of it would spread quickly.

12/06/2006

Jew for a day

Esther 8:17 - In every province and in every city, wherever the edict of the king went, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.

I wonder what these people did to become Jews. Were they circumcised? Did they start to follow Jewish religious practices? Did they become Jews for more than just the one day? How would an enemy of the Jews know that a non-Jew had become a Jew? And why would he care? What difference did it make if those who weren't enemies of the Jews became Jews?

12/05/2006

Counting sheep

Esther 6:1-4 - That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

"What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?" the king asked.

"Nothing has been done for him," his attendants answered.

The king said, "Who is in the court?" Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had erected for him.

I wonder what time of night Xerxes finally gave up on trying to get to sleep. Before midnight? 2:00 in the morning? When did he usually go to bed?

How long did his attendants have to read to him? It sounds like they read until daybreak, because when they got to the part about Mordecai, Haman was already up and anticipating a visit to the king.

So even if Xerxes waited until 2:00 A.M. to be read to, that would mean someone had to read from the chronicles for several hours! I wonder what it was like to be working the graveyard shift in the palace and suddenly be called upon to read the king a bedtime story because counting sheep just wasn't working.

And did Xerxes expect the chronicles to put him to sleep? Hm.

12/04/2006

Proper attire

Esther 4:1-2 - When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he went only as far as the king's gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it.

I wonder why a person wearing sackcloth was not allowed to enter the king's gate. Was this the only type of attire that was forbidden? Was there a dress code -- like "tux with tails" or "shirt and tie" -- that was required? Was this the only place (or the only gate) that had this restriction? Were Jews the only ones who ever wore sackcloth? If others wore it, was it for the same reasons that Jews did? Was there something intrinsic about sackcloth for which it was forbidden, or was it what the wearing of it symbolized that kept the person out?

12/03/2006

Don't show me the money

Esther 3:8-11 - Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king's laws; it is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business."

So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. "Keep the money," the king said to Haman, "and do with the people as you please."

Why didn't Xerxes ask any questions about who these people were or what their customs were or what laws they weren't obeying? I wonder how Haman came to be so trusted. Didn't it surprise Xerxes that no one had mentioned such a people before this? That he hadn't heard of any trouble they had caused? That it was only Haman who seemed at all concerned about them?

12/01/2006

At the king's gate

Esther 3:1-4 - After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. All the royal officials at the king's gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

Then the royal officials at the king's gate asked Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's command?" Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai's behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.

In those days, the gate was a place of great importance not only for safety, but also for conducting business. At least that's the way it had been in Israel. I'm guessing it was of similar importance among the Medes and Persians. I would also think that the king's gate would be at least doubly important just because it was the king's gate and was in the capital city.

So I wonder how it was that Mordecai got to hang around the king's gate so much. Was it because his cousin was queen? I doubt the relationship was known because then, when Mordecai revealed his Jewish heritage, Esther's would have been known too.

Did Mordecai consider giving honor to Haman idolatry? He seems to make a connection between his Jewish heritage and practices with his refusal to bow before Haman. I wonder that the royal officials didn't force Mordecai to bow in honor to Haman in obedience to the king's order. Was Mordecai considered their equal? Or better?