No God?

Good morning! Glad you stopped by. I hope you are persevering in your "Year of the Bible" readings. I think we're getting into some good stuff this week. But before I get into that, let's get the Q&A out of the way.

Here's the question and answer from Tuesday:
What did Nehemiah do to ensure that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day? (Nehemiah 13)
Nehemiah 13:19 19 When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day.

And the question and answer from yesterday:
Xerxes displayed his vast wealth for 180 days. How long did the banquet last? (Esther 1)
Esther 1:5 5 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king's palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were in the citadel of Susa.

And here's the question of the day:
There was a crowd around Jesus when he drove the demon out of the man who was mute. By whose power did some of the crowd think Jesus healed? (Luke 11)

And here's the reflection of the day:
I have to confess something. . . I'm a bit enthralled with the Esther story. At Bible Study yesterday, I made us read the WHOLE book out loud. (It was actually pretty great. I recommend it to everyone to just read it straight through.) My next door neighbor extraordinaire loaned me movie version of the story. (Which I promptly watched when I got home from Bible Study. I'm considering watching it again before I give it back!) And now I'm planning on, by hook or by crook, we're going to get the whole story on Sunday morning too. (I have specially commissioned some drawings from my brother the artist.)

It's a great story! Intrigue. Romance. Heroes and villains. Good versus evil. What more could you ask for?

Esther was written during the Diaspora, the time when the Jews had been exiled from Jerusalem for a second time, this time at the hands of Babylon. Esther is a story meant to rally the troops, to bolster the spirits of the Jews who feared they might never return home again.

So isn't it ironic (don't you think) that God's name does not appear in this text. Does it mean God is not present simply because His name does not appear on the pages? By no means! How can a book be written to assure and encouragement people in their faith without mentioning God?Such a book must be written very cleverly. And the reader must be very discerning as well.

Where are the points where God is clearly present and in control though His name is absent int today's "Year of the Bible" readings? That was one of the things we tried to keep track of as we read through it in Bible Study. I think if you read closely enough, you will be able to pick out many places where God does "appear" in the story.

When we read the story of Esther, we have to keep our eyes peeled looking for God hiding in the story. Kind of like our lives: we have to keep our eyes peeled to look for God who lingers in each scene in our lives!

Happy reading!
Allison

Sat, Feb. 7

Wow! Look out--it's a heat wave out there! I'm praying for all those with lots of snow and hoping that it doesn't turn into big flooding.

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Fri, Feb. 6- What kind of wood (or tree) was the ark of the covenant made from?
Exodus 25:10, “Have them make an ark of acacia wood.”

And here's the question of the day:
Sat, Feb. 7- Who said, "I am innocent of this man’s blood?"

And here's the reflection of the day:
Today's readings from Exodus 27 and 28 continue the details (some might say minutia) surrounding worship in the tabernacle. Again we read piles and piles of description, now extending to the clothes that Aaron and his sons are to wear "whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place" (28:43).

There is a lot of significance tied in to the tabernacle, or the Tent of Meeting, which I'll mention over the next couple of days. Today is part 1.

The tabernacle is not just a building to the Israelites. It contained the presence of the Lord. Before the tabernacle, God's presence was thought to inhabit the mountain. People were afraid to go up the mountain though they longed to know God's presence was with them. Remember how Moses occasionally went up the mountain to talk to God? The occasional presence of the Lord turns into the ongoing presence with the building of the tabernacle. Now, with the tabernacle built in the middle of the camp, God's presence is always with them.

In other words, God came down from on high to live among the people. Sound familiar? God came down from on high in the person of Jesus Christ and dwelled among us. In many world religions, gods live high on the mountains, separated from their worshipers. But in the Judeo-Christian tradition, God came down to us and became Emmanuel--"God with us." Even when Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit is given to us, to be our Advocate and our Comforter.

Our God never leaves us; He is always with us. But not just in the "tabernacle" we worship in on Sunday mornings but in the every day tabernacle in our hearts. God's presence is always with us.

Praise God for his steadfast lovingkindess!!
Allison