| Monday Aug 1 |
Tuesday Aug 2 |
Wednesday Aug 3 |
Thursday Aug 4 |
Friday Aug 5 |
Saturday Aug 6 |
Sunday Aug 7 |
| Job 29, 30 |
Job 31, 32 |
Job 33, 34 |
Job 35, 36 |
Job 37, 38 |
Job 39, 40 |
Job 41, 42 |
| Luke 23 |
Psalms 86, 87 |
Luke 24 |
Phil. 1 |
Psalms 88 |
Phil. 2 |
Phil. 3 |
Southminster Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, PA invites you to join us as we celebrate 2011 as The Year of the Bible. Weekly posts will provide the readings and we invite you to comment with your questions and/or thoughts!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Week 32: August 1 - August 7
August
This month, most of our reading in the Old Testament will be in Proverbs. Proverbs is a part of the biblical material that is called "Wisdom Literature," because it arises from a particular subculture of wise scribes in Israel. Job, which we read last month, is the first book of this kind in the Bible.
You will notice immediately that there is a kind of singsong quality to Proverbs. This is due to Hebrew literary style, which often trends to operate by means of poetic repetition or parallelism. The basic unit of thought is a combination of two lines. The first line is a brief statement, while the second line repeats the same idea in different words. For example, notice the statement in 2:6: "For the LORD gives wisdom." The next line repeats this thought: "from [God's] mouth come knowledge and understanding." Oftentimes, the second line will express the opposite idea of the first. Can you find an example? From this parallel structure, more complex units are developed. You can see this already in the first six verses of the book.
The helpful aspect of this literary style is that is paints a rich portrait of the topic or theme of the writing. At the same time, however, the singsong style can put a person to sleep1 To stay awake, keep your eye on the main theme. Restate that theme in your own words and try to apply it to your own situation. Then you will find that Proverbs can be a powerful, useful book as you attempt to "Trust in the LORD with all your heart" (3:5).
Proverbs emphasizes especially the need to gain wisdom. Wisdom is a gift from God, but at the same time, it is something that we need to develop and cultivate. If you've been struggling to keep up with the readings for The Year of the Bible program, you may find it encouraging to ponder what Proverbs says about the way to acquire this divine wisdom. Wisdom comes from God's law, or the commandments. Translated into our language, this means that wisdom comes from the Bible. We hope that one of the effects of The Year of the Bible will be to help us increase in wisdom.
One further thing: Wisdom is important, according to Proverbs, because it provides counsel about the very practical question of how we live our daily lives. Do we live wisely or foolishly? All of the suggestions in Proverbs are intended to help us gain the insight we need to live in the former rather than the latter way. This may remind you of Jesus' parable in the Sermon on the Mount. He compares the wise man, who built a house on the rock, to the foolish man, who built on sand. What's the difference between the two? The wise man, says Jesus, builds his life on the words of Jesus (Matt. 7:24-27).
From the cheery optimism of Proverbs, we move on to Ecclesiastes. This is another writing of Wisdom Literature, but here doom and gloom rule. There is quite a diversity of opinion about this book, particularly regarding the identity and viewpoint of the author. Is the writer really as pessimistic as he sounds, or is he portraying the depression of a life lived without God? If you are interested in this debate, you can find responses to these questions in the introductions to commentaries on Ecclesiastes. At this point, suffice it to say that the author appears to be a sage who chooses Solomon - the prototypical man of wisdom for Israel - as his mouthpiece. He seems to have a pessimistic spirit. He finds the world tragic and, perhaps, meaningless, and he borders on disbelief.
After reading the morning newspaper, you may find his observations about the world right on target: "[V]anity of vanities! All is vanity" (1:2). The sage, or "Teacher," points out that the world never seems to get anywhere. Justice is lacking; human toil does not bring relief from the rat race; and death appears to reduce all to the same level. At times, it seems to this writer that it is more blessed to be dead than alive (3:2). Ecclesiastes can be of great service to you if you sometimes struggle with doubt about faith. It may be comforting to know that God does not simply reject people who have difficulty believing. Why, even the author of one of the books of the Bible had serious misgivings about faith in a world like ours!
In the New Testament this month, we will be reading some of the epistles of Paul. A few comments will have to do here. First, notice the style: These are real letters written to specific persons and groups. They are not carefully crafted pieces of work intended for a general audience. Have you ever wondered what Paul would have thought had he realized that his epistles would be read by millions of people twenty centuries later? How would it have affected what he said and how he said it?
Philippians is a particularly delightful letter. Writing from prison, Paul converses with a congregation that cherished a deep affection for him, and he for them. The theme of joy in the face of adversity runs through the whole letter. We can learn a lot about patience and humility here too.
First and Second Thessalonians are probably Paul's earliest epistles. Notice the emphasis on Christ's return in glory. It appears that Paul originally thought that Christ would soon return and that the new heaven and new earth would be inaugurated shortly. These letters reflect that viewpoint, as does 1 Corinthians. It is especially interesting to note that Paul has to summon the church at Thessalonica to trust in the fact that Christ Jesus will indeed return in glory. But he does this so successfully in the first letter that, in the second, he has to caution the people not to carry this to extremes! At the close of the second letter, Paul pronounces a blessing that is worth remembering: "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you" (3:16).
From The Year of the Bible by James E. Davison
You will notice immediately that there is a kind of singsong quality to Proverbs. This is due to Hebrew literary style, which often trends to operate by means of poetic repetition or parallelism. The basic unit of thought is a combination of two lines. The first line is a brief statement, while the second line repeats the same idea in different words. For example, notice the statement in 2:6: "For the LORD gives wisdom." The next line repeats this thought: "from [God's] mouth come knowledge and understanding." Oftentimes, the second line will express the opposite idea of the first. Can you find an example? From this parallel structure, more complex units are developed. You can see this already in the first six verses of the book.
The helpful aspect of this literary style is that is paints a rich portrait of the topic or theme of the writing. At the same time, however, the singsong style can put a person to sleep1 To stay awake, keep your eye on the main theme. Restate that theme in your own words and try to apply it to your own situation. Then you will find that Proverbs can be a powerful, useful book as you attempt to "Trust in the LORD with all your heart" (3:5).
Proverbs emphasizes especially the need to gain wisdom. Wisdom is a gift from God, but at the same time, it is something that we need to develop and cultivate. If you've been struggling to keep up with the readings for The Year of the Bible program, you may find it encouraging to ponder what Proverbs says about the way to acquire this divine wisdom. Wisdom comes from God's law, or the commandments. Translated into our language, this means that wisdom comes from the Bible. We hope that one of the effects of The Year of the Bible will be to help us increase in wisdom.
One further thing: Wisdom is important, according to Proverbs, because it provides counsel about the very practical question of how we live our daily lives. Do we live wisely or foolishly? All of the suggestions in Proverbs are intended to help us gain the insight we need to live in the former rather than the latter way. This may remind you of Jesus' parable in the Sermon on the Mount. He compares the wise man, who built a house on the rock, to the foolish man, who built on sand. What's the difference between the two? The wise man, says Jesus, builds his life on the words of Jesus (Matt. 7:24-27).
From the cheery optimism of Proverbs, we move on to Ecclesiastes. This is another writing of Wisdom Literature, but here doom and gloom rule. There is quite a diversity of opinion about this book, particularly regarding the identity and viewpoint of the author. Is the writer really as pessimistic as he sounds, or is he portraying the depression of a life lived without God? If you are interested in this debate, you can find responses to these questions in the introductions to commentaries on Ecclesiastes. At this point, suffice it to say that the author appears to be a sage who chooses Solomon - the prototypical man of wisdom for Israel - as his mouthpiece. He seems to have a pessimistic spirit. He finds the world tragic and, perhaps, meaningless, and he borders on disbelief.
After reading the morning newspaper, you may find his observations about the world right on target: "[V]anity of vanities! All is vanity" (1:2). The sage, or "Teacher," points out that the world never seems to get anywhere. Justice is lacking; human toil does not bring relief from the rat race; and death appears to reduce all to the same level. At times, it seems to this writer that it is more blessed to be dead than alive (3:2). Ecclesiastes can be of great service to you if you sometimes struggle with doubt about faith. It may be comforting to know that God does not simply reject people who have difficulty believing. Why, even the author of one of the books of the Bible had serious misgivings about faith in a world like ours!
In the New Testament this month, we will be reading some of the epistles of Paul. A few comments will have to do here. First, notice the style: These are real letters written to specific persons and groups. They are not carefully crafted pieces of work intended for a general audience. Have you ever wondered what Paul would have thought had he realized that his epistles would be read by millions of people twenty centuries later? How would it have affected what he said and how he said it?
Philippians is a particularly delightful letter. Writing from prison, Paul converses with a congregation that cherished a deep affection for him, and he for them. The theme of joy in the face of adversity runs through the whole letter. We can learn a lot about patience and humility here too.
First and Second Thessalonians are probably Paul's earliest epistles. Notice the emphasis on Christ's return in glory. It appears that Paul originally thought that Christ would soon return and that the new heaven and new earth would be inaugurated shortly. These letters reflect that viewpoint, as does 1 Corinthians. It is especially interesting to note that Paul has to summon the church at Thessalonica to trust in the fact that Christ Jesus will indeed return in glory. But he does this so successfully in the first letter that, in the second, he has to caution the people not to carry this to extremes! At the close of the second letter, Paul pronounces a blessing that is worth remembering: "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you" (3:16).
From The Year of the Bible by James E. Davison
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Week 31: July 25 - July 31
| Monday Jul 25 |
Tuesday Jul 26 |
Wednesday Jul 27 |
Thursday Jul 28 |
Friday Jul 29 |
Saturday Jul 30 |
Sunday Jul 31 |
| Job 13, 14 |
Job 15, 16, 17 |
Job 18, 19 |
Job 20, 21 |
Job 22, 23 |
Job 24, 25, 26 |
Job 27, 28 |
| Luke 18 |
Psalms 83, 84 |
Luke 19 |
Luke 20 |
Psalms 85 |
Luke 21 |
Luke 22 |
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Week 30: July 18 - July 24
| Monday Jul 18 |
Tuesday Jul 19 |
Wednesday Jul 20 |
Thursday Jul 21 |
Friday Jul 22 |
Saturday Jul 23 |
Sunday Jul 24 |
| Esth. 8, 9, 10 |
Job 1, 2 |
Job 3, 4 |
Job 5, 6 |
Job 7, 8 |
Job 9, 10 |
Job 11, 12 |
| Luke 13 |
Psalms 80 |
Luke 14 |
Luke 15 |
Psalms 81, 82 |
Luke 16 |
Luke 17 |
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Week 29: July 11 - July 17
| Monday Jul 11 |
Tuesday Jul 12 |
Wednesday Jul 13 |
Thursday Jul 14 |
Friday Jul 15 |
Saturday Jul 16 |
Sunday Jul 17 |
| Neh. 7, 8 |
Neh. 9, 10 |
Neh. 11, 12 |
Neh. 13 |
Esth. 1, 2, 3 |
Esth. 4, 5 |
Esth. 6, 7 |
| Luke 8 |
Psalms 78:38-72 |
Luke 9 |
Luke 10 |
Psalms 79 |
Luke 11 |
Luke 12 |
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Week 28: July 4 - July 10
Friday, July 1, 2011
July
The second half of The Year of the Bible begins with some interesting material. In the Old Testament we start with Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. These books record events that occurred during the time following the Babylonian Captivity.
Remember that, when Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were carried off to Babylon in 586 B.C.E., it seemed as if the Jewish nation would cease to exist. However, prophets like Jeremiah promised that God would restore the nation, even after such a great calamity. These seemingly improbable promises were fulfilled when Cyrus, who made Persia the ruling power in the East, allowed the displaced peoples to return to their homelands (Ezra 1; 6).
Ezra records the trek back to Jerusalem around 537 B.C.E. They built homes and once again made sacrifices to the Lord. Over a twenty-year period, they succeeded in rebuilding the Temple. In the next century, Ezra himself went to Jerusalem to help reestablish the rebuilding of the city walls. Note the discouragement in both books: Troublesome neighbors, halfhearted allegiance to God, and harsh economic conditions all conspired to make life difficult.
Esther contains the first record of an attempt to destroy a group of Jews who are a minority within another culture. The heroine is not only beautiful, but upright and good, and there is a delicious irony in the way the "bad guy" of the story, Haman, gets his just deserts. Note that , in later Jewish culture, the primary purpose of the book was to describe the beginnings of the Jewish festival of Purim.
The latter part of July will take us through most of Job. Its main theme is the problem of suffering: "How can bad things happen to good people?" The book reads somewhat like a play. The first two chapters tell the story of a righteous man, Job, who undergoes a succession of disastrous events. The bulk of the book is a series of speeches and responses. The speeches are made by three "friends," who come to offer Job advice and admonition. Unfortunately, they fail miserably as counselors because they never really listen to Job. Their underlying assumption is that Job's great suffering is a clear indication that he is guilty of some major sin. Job responds to their accusations with increasing anger and frustration, claiming all the while that he is innocent.
Since this material is written in a poetic style, you may find the language and imagery somewhat hard to follow, though it is well known in the ancient Near East. Skim through it fairly quickly, looking for main themes and memorable verses (for example, 4:17; 5:7; 14:1; 14:14; 19:25; 21:17).
We know what Job's friends do not know, namely, that Job has done nothing to deserve his sufferings. But that is precisely the point: There is no exact correlation between human sin and suffering on earth. This is what the book was written to show, and it does so very effectively. At the end of the book (chs. 38-42), God speaks from the whirlwind, justifying Job's innocence and calling on humans to recognize the mysteriousness of God's ways and the limitations of human knowledge.
The notion that suffering and sin can be equated is an idea that dies hard. In Luke 13, which we also read this month, Jesus deals with the same question. He denies that some Galileans killed by Pilate - and some people killed in Jerusalem when a tower fell on them - were being punished for their sins (vs. 1-5). Many people still feel that those who suffer various scourges like famine, plagues, or disease are being punished for their sins. When you're tempted to think this way, recall Jesus' succinct reply: "Don't look at others; look to yourself!"
In the New Testament, we will read most of Luke this month. Why do we have more than one Gospel? Primarily, it is because the different writers had different things they wished to emphasize about Jesus. Luke, for instance, delights in stressing the universal scope of the gospel: It is intended both for Jews and Gentiles; it is for the whole world. A telltale sign of this interest is Luke's frequent use of the word all. Notice, too, the times when Luke includes Old Testament references to outsiders who were more faithful than the Israelites, such as the widow at Sidon and Naaman the Syrian (4:25-30), or the queen of Sheba and the people of Nineveh (11:29-32).
There are some other special concerns to watch for in Luke. First, there is Luke's interest in the poor. In an affluent society like ours, we are susceptible to the enticing allure of material goods. Luke's stress on the poor reminds us to be thankful for our blessings. More important, it challenges us to practice the same kind of compassion for the needy that Jesus did.
Second, there is an emphasis on the Holy Spirit. You may already have noticed that theme when you read Acts, where Luke underlines the power of the Spirit in the life of the early church. Here in the Gospel of Luke, watch for the times when he speaks about the action of the Spirit in Jesus' own life.
Third, there is the prayer life of Jesus. Observe how often Luke records the fact that Jesus spent time in prayer. Somehow, it seems surprising that Jesus, who had so very much to do, took time out for prayer. Maybe it will help us with our own attempts to juggle all the demands in our hectic lives to remember that, if anything, Jesus' busy schedule led him to pray more, not less.
From The Year of the Bible by James E. Davison
Remember that, when Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were carried off to Babylon in 586 B.C.E., it seemed as if the Jewish nation would cease to exist. However, prophets like Jeremiah promised that God would restore the nation, even after such a great calamity. These seemingly improbable promises were fulfilled when Cyrus, who made Persia the ruling power in the East, allowed the displaced peoples to return to their homelands (Ezra 1; 6).
Ezra records the trek back to Jerusalem around 537 B.C.E. They built homes and once again made sacrifices to the Lord. Over a twenty-year period, they succeeded in rebuilding the Temple. In the next century, Ezra himself went to Jerusalem to help reestablish the rebuilding of the city walls. Note the discouragement in both books: Troublesome neighbors, halfhearted allegiance to God, and harsh economic conditions all conspired to make life difficult.
Esther contains the first record of an attempt to destroy a group of Jews who are a minority within another culture. The heroine is not only beautiful, but upright and good, and there is a delicious irony in the way the "bad guy" of the story, Haman, gets his just deserts. Note that , in later Jewish culture, the primary purpose of the book was to describe the beginnings of the Jewish festival of Purim.
The latter part of July will take us through most of Job. Its main theme is the problem of suffering: "How can bad things happen to good people?" The book reads somewhat like a play. The first two chapters tell the story of a righteous man, Job, who undergoes a succession of disastrous events. The bulk of the book is a series of speeches and responses. The speeches are made by three "friends," who come to offer Job advice and admonition. Unfortunately, they fail miserably as counselors because they never really listen to Job. Their underlying assumption is that Job's great suffering is a clear indication that he is guilty of some major sin. Job responds to their accusations with increasing anger and frustration, claiming all the while that he is innocent.
Since this material is written in a poetic style, you may find the language and imagery somewhat hard to follow, though it is well known in the ancient Near East. Skim through it fairly quickly, looking for main themes and memorable verses (for example, 4:17; 5:7; 14:1; 14:14; 19:25; 21:17).
We know what Job's friends do not know, namely, that Job has done nothing to deserve his sufferings. But that is precisely the point: There is no exact correlation between human sin and suffering on earth. This is what the book was written to show, and it does so very effectively. At the end of the book (chs. 38-42), God speaks from the whirlwind, justifying Job's innocence and calling on humans to recognize the mysteriousness of God's ways and the limitations of human knowledge.
The notion that suffering and sin can be equated is an idea that dies hard. In Luke 13, which we also read this month, Jesus deals with the same question. He denies that some Galileans killed by Pilate - and some people killed in Jerusalem when a tower fell on them - were being punished for their sins (vs. 1-5). Many people still feel that those who suffer various scourges like famine, plagues, or disease are being punished for their sins. When you're tempted to think this way, recall Jesus' succinct reply: "Don't look at others; look to yourself!"
In the New Testament, we will read most of Luke this month. Why do we have more than one Gospel? Primarily, it is because the different writers had different things they wished to emphasize about Jesus. Luke, for instance, delights in stressing the universal scope of the gospel: It is intended both for Jews and Gentiles; it is for the whole world. A telltale sign of this interest is Luke's frequent use of the word all. Notice, too, the times when Luke includes Old Testament references to outsiders who were more faithful than the Israelites, such as the widow at Sidon and Naaman the Syrian (4:25-30), or the queen of Sheba and the people of Nineveh (11:29-32).
There are some other special concerns to watch for in Luke. First, there is Luke's interest in the poor. In an affluent society like ours, we are susceptible to the enticing allure of material goods. Luke's stress on the poor reminds us to be thankful for our blessings. More important, it challenges us to practice the same kind of compassion for the needy that Jesus did.
Second, there is an emphasis on the Holy Spirit. You may already have noticed that theme when you read Acts, where Luke underlines the power of the Spirit in the life of the early church. Here in the Gospel of Luke, watch for the times when he speaks about the action of the Spirit in Jesus' own life.
Third, there is the prayer life of Jesus. Observe how often Luke records the fact that Jesus spent time in prayer. Somehow, it seems surprising that Jesus, who had so very much to do, took time out for prayer. Maybe it will help us with our own attempts to juggle all the demands in our hectic lives to remember that, if anything, Jesus' busy schedule led him to pray more, not less.
From The Year of the Bible by James E. Davison
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