Thu 12 Feb 2009
Daily Reading
EXODUS 22:16-24:18
How did God feel as he described the plans for the Temple? Did he think it was ridiculous, or was he honored by the obedience of the Israelites in the construction of the temple? Nothing can contain his presence; it's not like God is limited to officially approved containers. What did people outside the temple think God was doing in there? Did they think he couldn't see them or hear them? Did they think he didn't know exactly what was in their hearts?
Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 12 Feb 2009 8:12:48 am | no comments
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Sat 7 Feb 2009
Daily Reading
EXODUS 13:1-15:27
It seems the Israelites weren't quite ready for the aftermath of deliverance. God made strategic travel stops to keep the Israelites from returning to slavery, and they still complained. Were the Israelites really at rock bottom when God led them out of Egypt? Were they stuck in a cycle of self-pity, and this is how God pried them out of it? How much should I compare my attitude with the collective attitude of a nation-group from several thousand years ago?
Posted by Joel_Zeh on Sat 7 Feb 2009 10:26:47 am | no comments
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Fri 6 Feb 2009
Daily Reading
EXODUS 10:1-12:51
God introduces the Passover celebration, at feels like the first time that God is laying out a blanket command to his people. I could be wrong about that, but it seems like an early step in the process toward the legalism. This isn't God's intention at all. Legalism is simply our way of twisting God's desire for relationship into our desire for independent success.
Posted by Joel_Zeh on Fri 6 Feb 2009 9:06:08 am | no comments
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Tue 3 Feb 2009
Daily Reading
JOB 40:6-42:17
God to Job: "I created both you and the hippopotamus." Job, seriously, when God compares you to a hippo, then you know you need to get your head right.
Job listens to God and then praises him because he has seen God with his own eyes. Before, he believed based on what others said about God. After this experience, his belief was transfered to a foundation of his own experience. I think a lot of people (myself included) get hung up believing from the words of others rather than from personal experience. But what should I expect in a personal experience with the eternal God of the universe? Am I willing to have an experience that defies expectations?
Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 3 Feb 2009 8:25:00 am | no comments
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Mon 2 Feb 2009
Daily Reading
JOB 35:1-37:24
God lays it out for Job in this section. Did Job realize all the things God explains about creation? Perhaps he needed a reminder of how big the world is and how small he is. It's awesome to think about God above and beyond and among all that he created. And it hurts my brain a little bit.
Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 2 Feb 2009 8:28:34 am | no comments
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Tue 27 Jan 2009
Daily Reading
JOB 30:1-31:40
"And with my head held high
I would tell him everything
I have ever done."
Is this even possible, Job? Has God designed my mind to remember all of things I've ever done? I don't think so, and I don't think it would matter, even if I could. The list isn't all that impressive. In fact, I think it would sound more like an indictment than a defense. Fortunately, I have an in with the judge (who also happens to be my father).
Thank you, Jesus, for standing in for me when the judge declares me guilty and delivers the deadly sentence.
Posted by Joel_Zeh on Tue 27 Jan 2009 8:16:07 am | no comments
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Mon 26 Jan 2009
Daily Reading
JOB 26:1-29:25
"God is the only one who knows
the way to wisdom,
because he sees everything
beneath the heavens."
I'm not convinced that God knows wisdom only because he sees everything. If I could see everything, I would still have to know what do with all that knowledge. Making good decisions based on truth is wisdom.
"God told us, 'Wisdom means
that you respect me, the Lord,
and turn from sin.'"
This is as close as I can get to perfect wisdom. God is worthy because he sees everything, and he makes the right decision, every time. Temptation doesn't affect him, selfishness doesn't affect him. His actions are always beneficial.
Posted by Joel_Zeh on Mon 26 Jan 2009 8:22:38 am | no comments
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Fri 23 Jan 2009
Daily Reading
JOB 15:1-18:21
Job is a big whiner in this passage. I'm not saying that I don't whine, maybe I recognize how ridiculous I sound as I read Job's story. Even in the midst of terrible physical and family tragedy, God is working. Tough to see in the moment, but it's true every time.
Thank you, God, for the college students meeting at our place on Thurdays. It's so fun to be around people brave enough to practice your presence, even when the words come out a little awkward.
Posted by Joel_Zeh on Fri 23 Jan 2009 8:04:47 am | no comments
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Thu 22 Jan 2009
Daily Reading
JOB 12:1-14:22
Job: "There's no way a human
can be completely pure."
Joel: You're wrong, Job. There is one way to be pure. Confess sin, repent, and trust your life to Jesus.
Job: "We feel no pain but our own,
and when we mourn,
it's only for ourselves."
Joel: If we can't feel the pain of others, then we are all truly alone. Is there a way to experience true empathy? I can never completely know what someone else is feeling, but I can draw on my experience and my imagination to approach what others are feeling. Also, isn't art (music, literature, painting, etc.) a way to feel vicariously through others?
Posted by Joel_Zeh on Thu 22 Jan 2009 9:09:48 am | no comments
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Wed 21 Jan 2009
Daily Reading
JOB 8:1-11:20
Job's friends have all kinds of ideas about why God is punishing Job. They even assume that God is doing the punishing! (Is God complicit in the act if he allows it?)
Beyond God's natural law of cause and effect, I'm not confident that God "punishes" people for their sins on this earth. What many call the wrath of God is simply the harsh reality of God's creation: I reap that which I sow. God's creation is both beautiful and unrelenting. He doesn't relax gravity just because I decide to jump off a cliff. Neither does he relax the effects of disobedience, unfaithfulness, and selfishness.
I wonder if God sometimes speeds up the effects of my actions to get me down to rock bottom faster. The sooner I hit rock bottom, the sooner I am (hopefully) willing to cry out to God in trust and obedience.
Posted by Joel_Zeh on Wed 21 Jan 2009 7:14:05 am | no comments
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