Psalm 33:16-22

 

16 The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
17 Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.

 

18 But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
19 He rescues them from death
and keeps them alive in times of famine.

20 We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.

~New Living Translation

 

Any questions?

In and Outs

Traditional Persian wedding feast

I was looking over yesterday’s reading from Matthew 22 and got seriously distracted, so I’ll finish that post now….

February 1, 2007

Happy birthday, beautiful daugher who is now fifteen! I treasure you….

I don’t really have anything else to add to the Symphony post. Except…

Symphony

Whew. Long break. I guess this is what happens when one moves her One Year Bible from beside her bed to a table in the basement!

I was beginning to think I would simply comment on miscellaneous Bible stuff, but picked up the One Year Bible and flipped through today’s reading.

An Ugly Episode….

Genesis 32:13 — 34:31 
Dinah’s rape. Some scholars suggest that it wasn’t an actual rape, but an inappropriate fraternization that offended the culture in which Jacob’s family lived. The fact that the Israelites have strict rules about intermarriage in later centuries can lead one to see that overfamiliarity may be all it takes for the outrage in this passage. Our modern sensibilities tend to allow only sexual aggression to be the catalyst for such a violent and premeditated response.

Either way, I am struck with the violence — again — and wonder what larger purpose this story serves. Since I am way sleepy today (first day back to school after a long weekend), I am not going to pursue this anymore today. I just don’t have the computing capacity. I may return to it later….

The image above is an engraving by Hoet, Gerard (Dutch painter and draftsman, 1648-1733). It portrays Simeon and Levi slaying Hamos and Schechem.

Lost in Translation

Genesis 31:17-32:12
When I was a kid, I remember the ladies of the church ending their gatherings by reciting the Mizpah Blessing. When I got older and actually read the passage in Genesis whence it comes, I was astonished. Either the ladies had been given some really bad advice about what this blessing or covenant was, or they secretly hated each other. I am tempted to think it was a combination of the two.

Retreat! Retreat!

Durn it. I clicked the wrong button and lost everything I had just typed. No biggie, since I hadn’t gone too far with it. I am going on a retreat this weekend with the youth of our church and won’t be able to blog the readings for Saturday or Sunday.

Genesis 26:17-27:46
After Abraham’s death, Isaac moved away and re-established himself in Gerar.

My Kingdom for a Daughter-in-Law!

Genesis 24:52-26:16
The ongoing saga of finding Isaac a wife from among his father’s people.

January 9, 2007

The Sacrifice of Isaac by Caravaggio (c.1569-1609), Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Genesis
God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. When I read this passage as an outsider, someone who has not read or isn’t familiar with the whole story of the Bible, I am appalled. What kind of God asks this from his adherents? (Here is an interesting link I found while looking for the artwork for this post. If anyone is reading this, post a comment to tell me what you think about this.)

January 8, 2007

The Laing Art Gallery

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, oil on canvas, 1852, John Martin

Genesis
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The angels sent to destroy the city go out of their way to make sure Lot is out of there. Lot is very reluctant to leave. I suppose that is because this is his home, regardless of its morality.