The Book of Ruth

What?  Two posts in one day?  Someone got off work a little early.  (Not to mention that Ruth is a rather short story.)

This might be too long a quote to be legal, but I doubt anyone at the Oxford University Press is reading my blog.  If they are, can I get a job?  According to their preface to the Book of Ruth,

"It is difficult to be certain about a date for this book, yet ascertaining the dating is central to determining the reason for its composition.  A date before the Exile leads to the view that the book intended to establish David's ancestry, to affirm the practice of levirate marriage (see Deut 25.5-10), or to commend the virtues of the book's protagonists to ancient Israel.  A date after the Exile supports the conviction that the author wished to show that a non-Israelite could become a faithful worshiper of the LORD.  This would counter the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, both of which consider intermarriage wrong...Ruth affirms that the concern of the LORD extends beyond the people of Israel to people of every nation."

So there you have it.  I agree.  I guess.

I'm not sure I completely follow what the editors are getting at with the book's proximity to the Exile.  Sure, it would change the tone of the book for its contemporary audience, but for us, I don't think it changes anything.  I think we should read ancient texts with its historical context in mind, but I don't think it ends there.  How the story speaks to us in today's terms seems an equally relevant way to read Scripture.  For me the main theme of this story is what the editors remark at the end of their commentary.  Clearly God has a plan that extends beyond the people of Israel.  The author of this book over and over calls the protagonist "Ruth the Moabite".  The author clearly stresses the fact that Ruth comes from an alien land.  When Ruth's sister-in-law chooses to remain in her home land, Ruth chooses to follow her mother-in-law, and even chooses to take on Naomi's customs, belief, and religion.  That would be akin to me leaving America to go live in Afghanistan to become a Muslim.  (Ok, I'm not marrying a Muslim, but you get the idea.  It's a totally different land and religion.  The unknown.)  Ruth seeks a husband in the story following the Israelite Law.  Boaz, in return, follows the law by letting the closer relation know of Ruth before he takes her for his wife.  This obedience to God's law seems to be key in the story.  Because Ruth is faithful to her new religion and family, God blesses her with a child who begets the greatest of the Kings:  David.

The Book of Judges

The Book of Judges entertained me far more than I thought it would.  So far reading through the Old Testament, there have been lots of rules, and laws, and genealogies, and other equally boring lists.  The Book of Judges, however, reads like one of those old epic movies like Ben Hur or The Ten Commandments.  I can see all the great battles and the stories of lust and war and conquest, and failure playing out in my mind.  Who knew it could be so exciting?

I particularly liked the story of Ehud who ran his sword into the fat King Eglon of Moab so far that even the hilt was hidden in Eglon's fat belly.  What a great image!  It's like the great battle scenes that Homer wrote about in The Iliad.  The poetry of the Old Testament seems more clunky, but I don't know how much is lost in translation.  Perhaps the texts are just so old and corrupted that the poetry doesn't translate.  Maybe it's just not that poetic.  Any way, though, it makes for a fascinating story.

So a midst all this gore and excitement, what are we learning about God and his people?  Quite frankly, I think there are sections where we aren't learning much.  These seem to be histories of God's people, and while much of it deals with God and his relationship with the Israelites, I don't find theological lessons in many of the stories.  We have to remember that these were a people that didn't separate God from any part of their lives.  The idea of a history book separate from a religious book would be foreign.  The entire history of Israel exists in Israel's relationship with God.  It follows, then, that many of their texts deal with what we would see as explicitly human matters.  For example, the story of Abimelech, the son of Gideon, doesn't really contain a reference to God.  It mostly tells a history of a militant king.  Of course, there are supernatural or divine references such as when "God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem" (Judges 9:23), but it's more of an explanation of where the fight originated and not a true encounter with God.

That doesn't mean that the Book of Judges has no lessons or interest for us as Christians.  First of all, I believe that studying history gives us a sense of who we are, where we have been, and where we are going.  To fully understand the Jewish faith that led to Christianity, we need to understand how that faith developed. Judaism was and is a religion of a specific people in a specific place.  I know some may argue that that statement isn't entirely true, but I look at the current conflicts between Israel and Palestine as proof that this is a religion for a specific people in a specific place.  Anyone born of a Jewish mother can have full citizenship in the current state of Israel.  Location, heredity, and politics play key roles in the Jewish faith.  Since the thought of an afterlife is unclear in Judaism, the doings of this world have the utmost importance.

By reading the history of the ancient Hebrews and seeing their view that God was leading them into a specific land under the leadership of rulers both good and corrupt, we see the nature of God's relationship with man.  Free will becomes wildly evident in these stories.  Samson's weakness for women becomes his undoing--something he, not God, brings on himself.  The God of Israel is a personal God who has a hand in the dealings of His people, but allows them to make their own mistakes.  It's an odd sort of dichotomy.  God wants something.  God is all-powerful.  God allows humans by their free will to foil God's plans.  I suppose the message is that if we listen hard enough we can hear God's will.  By studying the mistakes and successes of the past we can learn how God moves among us and draw closer to Him so that His will be done.

Week 14 Readings

Day 92 - Judges 13-15, Psalm 77, John 11
Day 93 - Judges 16-18, Psalm 78:1-39, John 12
Day 94 - Judges 19-21, Psalm 78:40-72, John 13
Day 95 - Ruth 1-4, Psalm 79, John 14
Day 96 - I Samuel 1-3, Psalm 80, John 15
Day 97 - I Samuel 4-6, Psalm 81, John 16
Day 98 - Enjoy hearing the Scriptures read aloud in church  
Day 97 - I Samuel 4-6, Psalm 81, John 16
Day 98 - Enjoy hearing the Scriptures read aloud in church  

Bible Challenge--Book of Deuteronomy

On the plane from Dallas to Providence (with a layover in Atlanta) I had quite a bit of free time, so I was able to work through all of the book of Deuteronomy and about a quarter of Joshua.  I'll admit I'm a little sad to leave Moses behind as the Israelites cross the Jordan into the promised land.  The last scene of Moses standing on the mountain beholding the fullness of the land he led his people into but cannot enter himself is quite moving.  A bittersweet end to a long journey.  Moses and the people faced countless struggles, and not without a good amount of whining.  But ultimately, they followed God's commands, and heeded God's warnings when they faltered.  Over and over in Moses' addresses he comments that the people are a "stubborn" people.  It is clear that God is not giving them this land because of anything they did, but because they are his chosen people.  God made a covenant with Abraham, and God is true to His word.  We are like the Hebrew people in that we cannot do anything to make us worthy of God's love.  We must strive to love God with all our heart and mind and soul, but we can take comfort that when we fail, and we all do now and then, God will still love us.  He will still forgive us.  He will keep his promise, and we, too, can cross the Jordan into the Promised Land.

Bible Challenge Week 12

Here are the readings for Week 12:


Monday - Joshua 1-3, Psalm 65, Luke 23
Tuesday - Joshua 4-6, Psalm 66, Luke 24
Wednesday - Joshua 7-9, Psalm 67, John 1
Thursday - Joshua 10-12, Psalm 68, John 2
Friday - Joshua 13-15, Psalm 69, John 3
Saturday - Joshua 16-18, Psalm 70, John 4
Sunday - Enjoy hearing the Scriptures read aloud in church  

I'm quite ashamed that I haven't written anything in a while.  Sound like a broken record?  Well, that's just the way it is, folks.  I'll admit that I'm a little behind in my reading, but I fully intend to catch up this week.  You'll forgive some mild venting on my Bible Blog, but life is really full to the brim.  I don't have enough time in the day to get even half of what I need to get done done.  I know no one has enough time, and people keep telling me you have to make time, but I'm not sure where I'm supposed to do that.  I actually feel ill today and I'm sure it's a combination of stress and exhaustion.  I thoroughly enjoy all of the things I do in life, but I'm effectively working the equivalent of three full-time jobs...and still barely have enough money to get by.

"Consider the lilies of the field..."  There's a Bible passage that has come and gone in this Bible Challenge.  I'm still struggling with that one.  I think Jesus horribly over-simplified that part.  I would love to not have to toil or spin, but I don't think that would work out too well.  If any lilies of the field are reading this blog, let's have a Freaky Friday experience and swap lives for a few days.

But, count your blessings, right?  I have my health for the most part.  I have a place to live and food to eat.  (Heck, I've got too much food to eat and need to find time to exercise!  There's that pesky time thing again.)  I'm a working actor, which is an enormous blessing in itself.  

So, this week's schedule is rather full.  I work all day tomorrow and spend what free time I have writing Murder Mysteries to be performed on Wednesday and this weekend.  Tuesday, I'm performing "Overruled" in Warren, and Thursday is prep for the weekend 3-day Murder Mystery I won't be in because Katherine and I are flying to Texas for a few days.  Aha!  There's my time to read the Bible:  on the plane to and from Texas.  

So, loyal readers, stay tuned for some actual thoughts on the Bible and less drivel about my lack of free time.  Please feel free to make your own comments on the reading here without waiting for me!  I'll most likely just pick up blogging about this week's readings.  I'll read the rest, of course, but I've missed too much to comment on at this point.

See you soon! 

Week 11

Alright, folks.  I've finally closed "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" and finished up the big three-day murder mystery.  This week I'm performing Shaw in Barrington and Bristol, but I should be back on track with writing the blog.  I hope I haven't lost too many readers by not posting in a while.  I assure you I've been doing the readings, and I hope you have too.  Feel free to comment on anything that caught your attention in the readings, and here are the reading assignments for Week 11:

Monday - Deuteronomy 19-21, Psalm 59, Luke 17

Tuesday - Deuteronomy 22-24, Psalm 60, Luke 18

Wednesday - Deuteronomy 25-27, Psalm 61, Luke 19

Thursday - Deuteronomy 28-30, Psalm 62, Luke 20

Friday - Deuteronomy 31-33, Psalm 63, Luke 21

Saturday - Deuteronomy 34, Psalm 64, Luke 22

Bible Challenge Day 57

Numbers 21-23, Psalm 47, Luke 5

Catch up time.  Again, my apologies for falling behind, but I'm all caught up on reading now.  I don't think I'll comment on the end of Mark since Holy Week just ended and we've all got that part of the story on the brain.  It was covered pretty well in church.  If you didn't attend church this Holy Week, well, there's an incentive for next year.  It's actually quite fun.

I love, love, love Psalm 47.  It's not only joyful, but actively joyful.  I think that's what God wants from us.  Action.  It begins with clapping hands, shouting, and singing.  And why?  The very next line sums it all up:  "For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome."

Luke's gospel reads a little more easily than Matthew and Mark.  Mark is an older text, and it seems clunky to me in places.  I'm of the mind that Luke seems more accessible to me because Luke writes to a Gentile audience.  He explains things in detail and doesn't assume we already know things.  The narrative reads much more like a good book or novel.  We have the imagery of the angels singing to the shepherds.  The drama of the baby John the Baptist leaping inside his mother when Mary visits her cousin.  These are exciting and dramatic moments.

In the story of Jesus meeting Simon Peter and James and John in their boat, we get a much more fleshed out story.  Jesus fills their nets with fish to the point that the nets are breaking.  This makes the idea of being fishers of men far more meaningful for me.  You see, when the fishermen fished on their own, they were barely getting by, but with Jesus' help, they have great abundance.  Evangelism is a word that scares me.  I think it's scary to many of us in the older traditions of Christianity (i.e. Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, etc.) because we strive to not be like the "Evangelical" churches.  But Jesus calls all of us to evangelize.  To spread the Gospel.  Like the first followers of Jesus, our nets will come up empty.  But when we call on God to help us, they will overflow.  And we need our friends to help:

"they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.  So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink...and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken...They left everything and followed [Jesus]."  Luke 5:6-11