Day 88
Numbers 26:12-27:11, Luke 7:36-50, Proverbs 8:12-21
The Old Testament today is one of those readings that doesn't really provide a great deal of material, it's a list of names. Although there is a girl called Noah, harsh.
Having said that, there is perhaps one thing just to highlight. Another of those ways that we can see the way that the Bible has shaped our society. Today there is stuff about inheritance and the rules of how the family silver is to be passed if there is no son, daughter, brother and so on. OK, the language is still male dominated, but when we look at inheritance today, it passes in the same way, and people say the Bible isn't relevant!!!
The Old Testament is relevant in another way though, and that is our reading of it. Let's skip into the Gospel reading and we see a woman who is incredibly devoted to Jesus. She does many things that other people wouldn't dream of doing, and something that even Jesus' host hasn't done. She cries over his feet, she wipes them with her hair and then she pours a lot of expensive perfume all over his feet. In John's version, Judas gets a bit upset because it is so expensive, that is how devoted this woman is. So what do we do out of devotion to our Lord, we spend time reading the Bible each day, even the really boring long list of names. Why, because we love God.
The Bible is full of wisdom and in proverbs we see a lot of talk of wisdom, and the things that come with wisdom. It is through immersing ourselves in the word of God that we bear fruit finer than gold and walk in the ways of righteousness, the ways of the Lord. Perhaps, in the midst of this part of Numbers we may question the wisdom of a girl called Noah, but it is there.
So we push on through the hard parts, we work over the list of names, and we offer our sacrifice just like the woman in Luke. Today it might have been a sacrifice of time, but what could it be tomorrow, what will we offer to God.
The Old Testament today is one of those readings that doesn't really provide a great deal of material, it's a list of names. Although there is a girl called Noah, harsh.
Having said that, there is perhaps one thing just to highlight. Another of those ways that we can see the way that the Bible has shaped our society. Today there is stuff about inheritance and the rules of how the family silver is to be passed if there is no son, daughter, brother and so on. OK, the language is still male dominated, but when we look at inheritance today, it passes in the same way, and people say the Bible isn't relevant!!!
The Old Testament is relevant in another way though, and that is our reading of it. Let's skip into the Gospel reading and we see a woman who is incredibly devoted to Jesus. She does many things that other people wouldn't dream of doing, and something that even Jesus' host hasn't done. She cries over his feet, she wipes them with her hair and then she pours a lot of expensive perfume all over his feet. In John's version, Judas gets a bit upset because it is so expensive, that is how devoted this woman is. So what do we do out of devotion to our Lord, we spend time reading the Bible each day, even the really boring long list of names. Why, because we love God.
The Bible is full of wisdom and in proverbs we see a lot of talk of wisdom, and the things that come with wisdom. It is through immersing ourselves in the word of God that we bear fruit finer than gold and walk in the ways of righteousness, the ways of the Lord. Perhaps, in the midst of this part of Numbers we may question the wisdom of a girl called Noah, but it is there.
So we push on through the hard parts, we work over the list of names, and we offer our sacrifice just like the woman in Luke. Today it might have been a sacrifice of time, but what could it be tomorrow, what will we offer to God.
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