Berry time

Actually, strawberry time has come and gone already. This year, the strawberries where I usually pick were terrible. I picked about 3 pounds in an hour and exhausted the patch. The cold, rainy spring had really affected them adversely. So, a bit disappointed, I went home and picked 8 pounds from our little 16 foot strawberry patch in 20 minutes. That gave us about 10 pints of freezer jam. We usually have 50-60 pints for the year. That little patch kept producing until last week. We ended up with 34 pints; still short of our goal, but better than we expected.

So, Tuesday I went out to the garden and checked our little blueberry plants. We have 6: two that blossomed and have berries, one that is doing well, but didn't blossom. We also have two that may not make it and one that died. Anyway, I managed to pick almost 2 dozen berries. That is about half of them, so, no jam this year from our own bushes :) But, I suspect I will be able to pick some sone. We're aiming for 60 pounds this year. Last year we picked 40 and ran out about a month ago. The reason for the extra 20 pounds is that I need to make up the missing strawberry jam in blueberry jam. We'll see...

Oh, and the mulberries are coming on, too. Debbie doesn't like them, so I don't make jam or freeze them. But, I like to eat them off the trees. We have about 3 mulberry trees along the creek. It isn't a bumper year for them, but enough to keep me happy. I supplement them with black raspberries, of which we have many wild ones in the back. They are small and somewhat seedy, but make for good eating when they are fresh.

I know it isn't a berry, but our green beans are producing now. I planted a filet bean this year, which doesn't freeze well, but sure makes good fresh eating. We've had beans for supper 3 nights in a row now, and we'll have them again tonight and for the next 2 weeks. No, we don't get sick of them.

Hosea 3

“[In Hosea 3] we see that repentance typifies Israel’s experience after its rebellion, but this is only made possible by the unilateral and gracious initiative of Yahweh.”—A Severe Mercy, page 297

<idle musing>
This seems to be a recurring theme, doesn't it? The unilateral and gracious initiative of YHWH is the reason for all repentance—even in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament!
</idle musing>

The Mennonite response

Lately Goshen College has been in the news because they stopped singing the national anthem at sporting events. Of course, the irony is that they had a 115-year long history of not doing it and only started in 2010. It caused such an uproar among their constituents, that they reversed themselves in a year. The pundits who are always looking for a sign of the decline and fall of whatever it is today saw the reversal as proof of apostasy. Now, a Mennonite pastor responds.

... we recognize only one Christian nation, the church, the holy nation that is bound together by a living faith in Jesus rather than by man-made, blood-soaked borders.

To Mennonites, a living faith in Jesus means faithfully living the way of Jesus. Jesus called his disciples to love their enemies and he loved his enemies all the way to the cross and beyond. Following Jesus and the martyrs before us, we testify with our lives that freedom is not a right that is granted or defended with rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air. True freedom is given by God, and it is indeed not free. It comes with a cost, and it looks like a cross.

<idle musing>
Do read the whole thing. It's well worth your time.

I'm not a Mennonite—never have been—but I am an heir to, and adherent of, the anabaptist/believers' church tradition. I would argue that the early church was, too :)
</idle musing>

Interesting thoughts on sin and love

I am way behind in blog-reading, but Scot McKnight has some posts that are well worth reading, although a bit stale.

First, a guest post by John Frye:

God’s justice does not require that he, in the end, forgive everyone. Forgiveness is not an attribute of God. It is an act. Therefore not forgiving is not a violation of God’s being. Yes, God is love and God can be unforgiving. Forgiveness is not part of our nature, either. It, too, is a decision, an act just like God’s forgiveness is a decision, an act. I think it is petulant to respond: if God does not forgive all the time, then I don’t have to either. In view of the cross, we live in a vast forgiveness atmosphere. We are called to forgive just as God forgives us. This is right and commanded. Yet, God is just and he will punish evil doers. Love does not require that God forgive.

And then, by Scot:

...there is a widespread apathy about sin because we’ve embraced a God who is so gracious and loving that God has become avuncular, or a God who will ignore our sins. Another point I make is that sin wounds, always wounds, and it wounds because it eats away at our character and our capacity to love and to become holy.
...
We reduce sin to manageable proportions when we reduce the “Christian life” to “accepting Jesus” (not carefully understanding even what “accepting” means) and when we fail to see the massive focus of Jesus on “following him.” Sin, in other words, is the failure to follow Jesus — and following Jesus is about the first two commandments because it is about making God truly God in our life, and following Jesus is ultimately what Adam and Eve faced in the Garden of Eden: either do what God calls us to do or not.

Sin is about usurping, and for us Christians that usurping takes on a powerful christological shape in the NT: it’s about Jesus, it’s about following him. When we choose not to follow Jesus, we choose to become usurpers.

Sin is not reduceable [sic] to a checklist. It’s too deadly serious for that.

And from today, by John Frye again:

A friend of mine remarked that the new defin[i]tion of God’s love means unconditional, endless tolerance and affection. Sweet, but so much wishful thinking. Discounting the perichoresis of the Trinity, the hard edge of love that compelled Jesus to voluntarily lay down his life for sinners is considered ‘bad parenting’ by God the Father, even divine child abuse. You can read it in many popular expressions of the new, soft, fireless, judgmental-less love. I think many of these new “God is love” proponents learned their definitions of love from Sesame Street rather than from the biblical text. What I think they mean when they say “God is love” is “God is nice.”

<idle musing>
Good thoughts. The last one reminds me of a wonderful little book that I read a few years ago, might even have excerpted here: God is Not...Religious, Nice, "One of Us," An American, A Capitalist. As always, be sure to read the whole post of each of them.
</idle musing>

What hope do we have?

“These two aspects [remembering/loathing/shame, and changes in behavior] of the restoration vision in Ezekiel thus reveal the necessity of both internal contrition and external behavioral change to the restoration era. This era is occasioned by a restitution of relationship because of Yahweh’s glory and grace. This sort of vision for real change, however, reminds one of the frustrated attempts of Ezekiel’s generation to respond to the covenantal demands of God. Is there any hope that, even in this new era of restoration occasioned by God’s grace and glory, a human response of contrition and penitence such as this will ever be realized?

“The answer to this question is provided by this prophetic book, which envisions a deep inner transformation of the people accomplished by God himself.”—A Severe Mercy, page 291

<idle musing>
That's our only hope: a "deep inner transformation accomplished by God himself." We can't do it, never, ever! But, he can and did. That is something worth sharing and getting excited about!
</idle musing>

Used book dedication for the day

At Eisenbrauns, we buy used books. Not infrequently, they contain notes from the previous owner; some are interesting, most aren't. Some contain dedications from the author, usually pretty generic, but once in a while quite interesting. Today I received a volume of Late Old Babylonian Documents and Letters by J. Finkelstein. The dedication was priceless:

To ....,
I trust this will bring you many hours of pain and I hope also some precious moments of enlightenment
J. J. Finkelstein

<idle musing>
Priceless! And accurate, too...
</idle musing>

A new beginning

“It is not surprising in Ezekiel to find this abundance of priestly vocabulary to describe the new day of Israel’s restoration, but it is important to notice that it is Yahweh’s own initiative that secures this restoration, with little if any reference to the involvement of sacrificial rites. Yahweh here is depicted as a priestly figure who provides the ritual cleansing necessary for Israel to begin anew.”—A Severe Mercy, pages 288

Basics of Biblical Aramaic

I recently received a copy of Basics of Biblical Aramaic by Miles van Pelt (thanks Jesse!). It is the most recent contribution to Zondervan's biblical languages series.

It would be easy to point out the places where I would have done things differently, but first let's see what van Pelt aims to do and if he succeeds:

This grammar was not written for Aramaic scholars or for students interested in comparative Semitic grammar. Rather, the purpose and design of this grammar is to provide the average student with a working knowledge of the Aramaic language appearing in the Old Testament. It was written for those students who desire to study, teach, and preach faithfully from those portions of the Bible that appear in Aramaic. (page x)

I kept reminding myself of this paragraph as I read through the grammar. It is not fair to evaluate a textbook on the basis of what I would have done; I'm far more interested in comparative Semitics and historical grammar than the average student :)

As far as layout, the book is 8.5 x 11 inches and the text is large enough that even my eyes could easily read it. The tables are well laid out and clear. The use of footnotes for interesting, but not essential, information is good, allowing the interested student to obtain more background.

The book assumes the knowledge of biblical Hebrew; there are repeated comparisons to how biblical Aramaic is/is not like Hebrew. Here is where I would have brought in some comparative Semitics and historical grammar to explain the ש/ת interchange, as well as other consonantal differences. He does mention the Canaanite shift, which is good. But, again, I reminded myself of his purpose paragraph. The average student would probably be more confused than helped.

He begins with the nominal system, including particles, conjunctions, and prepositions, and then proceeds to present the verbal system, beginning with the Peal and then giving the derived stems. There is a great deal of emphasis and explanation of weak verbs, which is very helpful when you consider that the majority of the verbs in biblical Aramaic are weak.

The grammar section ends with paradigm charts before launching into the reading section. The book includes all the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible, complete with extensive annotations. The annotations include things like identifying a difficult to figure out root, metathesis, idiomatic phrases, etc. The strange thing about the reading section is that the order of pages is English, not Aramaic. You start reading on the left hand page, then proceed to the right, and turn the page as if it were English. I'm not sure what the logic of that is. I would think that the page order would be Aramaic, but that is a minor quibble.

The book concludes with a dictionary, based on HALOT, with one-two word glosses. Adequate for reading the passages, but for more extensive background, HALOT or BDB should be consulted.

What do I think of the book? As one who learned biblical Aramaic via the “here's a text, lexicon, and Rosenthal, now read it!” method, this book is a vast improvement. I suspect a highly motivated individual could teach themselves Aramaic using it—as long as they already know Hebrew. The explanations are clear enough and the notes in the reading will keep you from getting discouraged.

In answer to the opening question, did he succeed in doing what he set out to do? I would answer, "Yes, he did." As I mentioned, the layout is attractive and the explanations are good. As anyone who has ever taught a language will tell you, there is no perfect first year grammar for any language—except the one you write yourself! If I were to teach biblical Aramaic, I would probably adopt this book, but assign background readings in Rosenthal's A Grammar of Biblical Aramaic. Of course, if someone were to create an immersion course in Aramaic, that would be best!

Musings on the 4th day of July

Actually, these are musings by others, but I heartily endorse them...
First, from Alan Knox

No, I’m not anti-American. Not at all. I’m very grateful to God that I was born in the country in which I have many personal freedoms. But, I’m also tired of the church in the USA confusing patriotism with following Jesus.
...
I’ve talked to too many Christians in the USA who were more concerned with the individual rights (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is guaranteed by God in the Bible, right?), and much less concerned with giving up their rights (much less their life) for the sake of others.
...
The United States of America is not God’s country. Citizens of the United States who have received the good news of Jesus Christ and have been indwelled by the Spirit of God are God’s people. But, citizens of other countries who have received the good news of Jesus Christ and have been indwelled by the Spirit of God are God’s people also.

And, from Michael Gorman (whose RSS feed doesn't appear to be working correctly), 8 baby steps to take. I'll only highlight the third one:

3. Under no circumstances allow the pledge of allegiance. Don’t feel forced to challenge the pledge in principle. Simply say, “In worship we pledge ourselves to God alone.”

And, in an interesting twist, Joel Watts:

The Church is the Kingdom God which is at war with the World, albeit a spiritual war. Would you expect that the American Embassy in Afghanistan to celebrate Al-Qaeda? No, then why bring the world (people would cry, well used too, havoc if you had a dance in the sanctuary, etc.., etc.., etc…) and the regimes which oppose the Church into the Church of Christ?

<idle musing>
Good thoughts. Do you have any relevant posts?
</idle musing>

The dangers of a single point of failure

I put this on Facebook yesterday, but it bears posting here, where I can excerpt a larger part of it. The author is comparing the redundancies built into an airplane with the common model of church:

Many churches, both large and small, seem to engineer their ministries around the antithesis of redundancy--singularity. A single leader becomes the focus of nearly everything that happens, and I’m not just talking about on Sunday morning. I’ve seen some churches become paralyzed when the senior pastor is on vacation or even just out of the office. He is expected to provide guidance on every decision, every committee, every tiny detail of the church’s life and ministry...

The danger of singularity is increased by the recent trend toward video-based multi-site congregations. Rather than mitigating the risk of having a single teaching pastor, it actually compounds it by making more people and congregations dependent on one person. Now if that one pastor leaves or “fails” many more things are put at risk.

But whenever I’ve discussed this inherent danger with those operating video-based multi-site systems they invariably mention the efficiency and effectiveness of their model. Who can disagree? Utilizing one highly gifted person to impact thousands of people in multiple cities is unquestionably efficient...

But who decided that efficiency and effectiveness were the highest values for ministry? Building airliners with multiple engines, fuel systems, computers, and flight controls is very complicated. And all of those “redundant” parts add a lot of weight to the airplane. More weight results in burning more fuel to move it through the air. Burning more fuel costs the airlines more money to operate the airplane. Those higher costs are transferred to passengers in the form of higher fares. It might be possible to build a very inexpensive airplane with only one engine, one pilot, one computer (powered by Windows 7), and charge only $9.99 per passenger--but would you want to fly on it?

<idle musing>
He pegged one our idols here in the US: efficiency. I would argue that effectiveness doesn't happen—at least not if you are looking for changed lives instead of increased attendance and head knowledge. It certainly is efficient, though! Of course, if you are trying to build a community, it isn't effective...
</idle musing>

The negative and positive aspect of repentance

“Repent (שוב) and turn away from (שוב מן Hiphil) all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. Cast away (שלך Hiphil) from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make (עשה) yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!

“These verses reveal the purpose of the entire speech [Ezekiel 18], and this purpose lies in repentance. Repentance of this sort involves a fundamental turning from evil patterns, one that is described both as 'casting away' sin and 'making oneself a new heart and a new spirit.' Here we see that repentance has both a negative and a positive dimension: turning from sin and creating a new orientation. In addition, repentance involves both behavior ('your transgressions which you have committed') and the internal affections of heart and spirit.—A Severe Mercy, pages 278-279

Self-publishing

From today's WSJ via Shelf Awareness, a daily booksellers' e-letter.

It's only natural for those locked out to despise the gatekeepers, but what about those of us in the reading public? Shouldn't we be grateful that it's someone else's job to weed out the inane, the insipid, the incompetent? Not that they always do such a great job of it, given some of the books that do get published by actual publishers. But at least they provide some buffer between us and the many aspiring authors who are like the wannabe pop stars in the opening weeks of each "American Idol" season: How many instant novelists are as deluded as the singers who make with the strangled-cat noises believing they have Arethaen pipes?

A friend, years ago, worked at a major New York publishing house tending the slush pile. It was her job to peruse the unsolicited manuscripts for anything that might be a hidden gem, and to send the dreaded form letters to the rest. She took no pleasure in sending rejections and was eager to find something, anything, worthy in the pile. She dreamed of discovering the great undiscovered talent—oh, what a story (and a career) it would make! Alas, in two years of sifting she found only one marginally plausible submission she could recommend to her bosses.

...No doubt there are geniuses languishing in obscurity. Who knows how many great books are just waiting to be discovered? But are we really more likely to find them once the publishing pros have been handed their hats and shown the door? I rather doubt it..

<idle musing>
Sounds like a rewarding job—NOT! We get some interesting ones here at Eisenbrauns, too...
</idle musing>

Generation to generation

“In summary, in the first set of three scenarios ([Ezekiel 18] vv. 5–18) the divine answer undermines the principle of wickedness or righteousness being carried from generation to generation and with this prohibits a current generation from blaming a former generation for its behavior or predicament. Each generation stands on its own. In the two additional scenarios (vv. 21–24), the divine answer focuses in on the opportunity even within a generation for repentance to change its consequences, the implication being that, for those who have begun as either the 'wicked' generation (vv. 10–13) or the 'righteous' generation (vv. 5–9, 14–18), there is the possibility of a 'repentance' for good or ill that will change its consequences of death or life.”—A Severe Mercy, page 278

<idle musing>
Debbie and I were just talking about this the other day. Ezekiel seems to waffle on this. But, perhaps it is a case of strong tendencies, with an opportunity for repentance? It is certainly true that certain sinful habits seem to run in families for generations. It is also true that not everyone in those families falls prey to them, which lines up with Boda's observation here.
</idle musing>

Peace without repentance?

“In the middle of this section [Ezekiel 4-32], which shuts down all inquiry by the prophet to Yahweh, something foreshadowed in Ezekiel’s commission in 3:24–27, comes the first call to repentance in chaps. 4–32 when Ezekiel is instructed to say (14:6) 'Repent (שוב) and turn away (שוב Hiphil) from your idols, and turn (שוב Hiphil) your faces away from all your abominations.' Here, repentance is directly related to an abandonment of idolatry, both internally ('their hearts,' 14:3–5) and externally ('their faces,' 14:3–4, 6–7), that is, this repentance is related to both the affections as well as the actions of the people. Against the backdrop of the false prophecy of his time, which promised peace and discouraged repentance, Ezekiel 14 depicts Ezekiel fulfilling his commission to prophesy approaching doom and encourage repentance.”—A Severe Mercy, page 274

<idle musing>
Not so different from right now, is it? "Jesus just makes things better; you don't need to repent, God doesn't hate sin..."
</idle musing>

Sin has repercussions

“On three occasions, the book of Ezekiel employs the priestly root מעל [M'L] to describe the sin of the people (14:13, 18:24, 39:23). This root associates the sin of Israel with the most hideous of priestly offenses, that is, using something holy for unholy purposes. Ezekiel is not merely using the priestly vocabulary on a metaphorical level but is drawing on the views of impurity related to moral infractions found in the Priestly Code. “With language like this Ezekiel has moved beyond the metaphorical: sin causes its own kind of moral impurity which, like physical impurity, can taint YHWH’s possession” (Mein 2001: 152). This explains why their impure behavior leads to Yahweh leaving the temple (Ezekiel 10), because the holiness and purity of his sanctuary are under threat, and their behavior leads to their expulsion from the land (cf. Lev 18:24–25).”—A Severe Mercy, pages 270

<idle musing>
God is zealous for the holiness of his temple; the OT/HB makes that very clear. Now, what/who is his temple? Why should he be any less zealous for the holiness of his temple now than he was then? And, the good news is he empowers and indwells us via the Holy Spirit to make the temple clean. Imparted holiness—all via grace!—not just imputed holiness.
</idle musing>

Flowers

How about a picture of some flowers? These are around our pump. Yes, Renee, those are sunflowers :) Marigolds and sunflowers that I planted from the birdseed; not for human consumption, but the birds should enjoy them.

Miscellaneous

I noticed that I never mentioned the results of my March broccoli planting. I mentioned that it dropped to 22º the next week, but that was it. Well, take note so you don't do this :) The broccoli came through fine, but it only produced little buttons; I had read that it might happen, now I know. The largest head was all of 3 inches across; most were about an inch...

On a related note, after 2.5 years, I managed to kill my yogurt cultures. Bummer! I didn't check the temperature of the water and it was too hot. The yogurt turned out runny and tasteless. So, I had to buy a container of Dannon™ plain and start a new batch. It turned out well and I'm back to using my own starter. Hopefully I'll watch the temperature of the water better...

How about some bicycling?
Because of getting and taking grandkids, conferences, and rain, my riding has been a bit less than normal on the weekends. The last two weekends have been the first ones I really did much extensive riding—other than the daily 11 miles to work and back. I must say, the back roads in the county are getting bad. I read in the paper last week that they hadn't done any real maintenance on them for 3 years, but were planning on redoing 160 miles this summer. They certainly can use it. I just hope those 160 miles include the 70 I rode this weekend!

More from Nahum

“Nahum emphasizes that God remedies sin through retributive judgment and that this principle is rooted in his very character revealed to Israel at Sinai. One cannot eliminate this sort of retribution “without discarding the concern for justice as well” (Roberts 1991: 49). Whereas Jonah has revealed that the “gracious” half of the character creed is the foundation for the repentance and forgiveness of the nation of Assyria, Nahum reveals that the same Yahweh is also a God who takes sin seriously and deals with it through punishment”—A Severe Mercy, page 326

<idle musing>
Of course, we want to hang onto the gracious half and discard the other...but, you can't discard one without changing the very nature of who YHWH is.
</idle musing>

Nahum

“Although the book [of Nahum] is focused on the judgment of Assyria and at times addresses this imperial foe, it is clearly designed to address a Judean audience (e.g., Nah 1:12–13). This is suggested by the name of the prophet himself, Nahum (meaning “comfort”), a hope appropriate for an audience who had lived under the domination of Assyria. This audience has questioned God’s ability to deal with the sinful oppression experienced under the foreign hegemony of the Assyrians. To them the prophet addresses his question in 1:9a, which is best translated 'What do you reckon unto Yhwh?' 'The question essentially asks, “what do you think about Yhwh?” or “how do you evaluate Yhwh?” and appears to be designed to challenge doubts about Yhwh’s power and justice in the aftermath of the assertions made by the partial acrostic hymn.'[Sweeney (2000: 2:431).]”A Severe Mercy, pages 323-324

And even more garden

This is the main garden, including the strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. We have one 16' strawberry patch that has produced 33 pints of strawberry jam so far this year. I'm not sure we're going to get much more, with it being so wet. They are starting to rot and the grubs are getting bad, too.

There are 3 raspberry rows, 18 x 3 feet. Two of them are well-established; the third one is new this year, so a bit thin yet. And, we have 5 blueberry bushes; we had 6, but one didn't make it through the winter. We won't get many blueberries off them this year or next. It takes a few years to get established.






In the forefront are tomatoes (just transplanted a week ago to take the place of the early broccoli), onions—we like onions!—and some beets, kohlrabi, and chard.



The row cover is protecting some cabbage transplants and some potatoes. Row cover is effective for keeping the insects off until the plants get big enough and tough enough to survive their assault. I took it off them on Tuesday. The blue container is an experiment in growing corn in a self-watering container. Hope it works...

Why we need books

A nice little op-ed about reading. Here's a brief snippet:

If you read a book with your laptop thrumming at the other side of the room, it can feel like trying to read with a heavy metal band shrieking in front of you. To read, you need to slow down. You need mental silence except for the words. That's getting harder to find.

No, don't misunderstand me. I adore the web, and they will have to wrench my Twitter feed from my cold dead hands. This isn't going to turn into an antedeluvian rant against the glories of our wired world. But there's a reason why that word -- 'wired' -- means both 'connected to the internet' and 'high, frantic, unable to concentrate.'

So in the age of the internet, physical paper books are a technology we need more, not less...

A book has a different relationship to time than a TV show or a Facebook update. It says that something was worth taking from the endless torrent of data and laying down on an object that will still look the same a hundred years from now. The French writer Jean-Phillipe De Tonnac says "the true function of books is to safeguard the things that forgetfulness constantly threatens to destroy." It's precisely because it is not immediate -- because it doesn't know what happened five minutes ago in Kazakhstan, or in Charlie Sheen's apartment -- that the book matters.

That's why we need books, and why I believe they will survive. Because most humans have a desire to engage in deep thought and deep concentration. Those muscles are necessary for deep feeling and deep engagement. Most humans don't just want mental snacks forever; they also want meals. The twenty hours it takes to read a book require a sustained concentration it's hard to get anywhere else. Sure, you can do that with a DVD boxset too -- but your relationship to TV will always ultimately be that of a passive spectator. With any book, you are the co-creator, imagining it as you go. As Kurt Vonnegut put it, literature is the only art form in which the audience plays the score.

<idle musing>
I could quote the whole thing, but do take the time to read it. He makes some very good points. There's a reason I don't have a smartphone and Internet at home...
</idle musing>

And more garden

This is the watermelon patch. The chicken wire keeps the cats and related varmints (dogs) from turning it into a big litter box.



One of the transplants didn't make it, but we should still have a healthy crop of watermelon. I started them from seed and then put them into 4" pots before transplanting them. Since this picture was taken, they've grown quite a bit and are now obviously vines.

Yes, Hebrew does matter

“In these two passages [Ezek. 14 & 18], Ezekiel employs a combination unique in the use of this root, in which the Qal of שוב [shuv] is followed immediately by the Hiphil of the same root, a collocation that functions as a “reinforced Qal” and means “turn back and let yourself be turned backed” (14:6; 18:30, 32; Holladay 1958: 103).”—A Severe Mercy, page 267

<idle musing>
Yep. Despite having 20+ English translations to choose from, sometimes knowing a bit of Hebrew helps :)
</idle musing>

Stop interceding!

“It is clear that the prophet Ezekiel would be allowed to bring the word of God to the people but would not be allowed to take the word of the people to God. A prohibition of this sort suggests that the coming judgment is inevitable and inescapable. It is instructive that the prohibition on intercession is operative within the first half of the book (chaps. 4–32), the precise section that is dominated by judgment, whereas the prohibition is released with the fall of Jerusalem in chap. 33, just before the section dominated by salvation (chaps. 34–48).”—A Severe Mercy, page 259

<idle musing>
That would be a hard injunction. One thing I've learned over the years of Bible reading is that more than half a prophet's job is interceding for the people. I can't imagine being told to stop. Of course, Jeremiah was told to stop and didn't.
</idle musing>

More garden

Here's a look at our herb garden. The dill (at the back) is from last year's plants; as the heads went to seed, I pulled up the plants and shook the seed out in the herb garden. I had planted them in the old herb garden, which is where the raspberries are now. As you can see, they definitely like their new location.



I transplanted about 10 or so basil seedlings, but they didn't survive. Neither did the direct seeded basil. What you are seeing is dill, mint, oregano, chives, one thyme plant and some parsley. I transplanted some more parsley after this picture, so now there are 7 plants.

Finally

The warning labels on cigarettes are getting a facelift. About time! Here's a sample of one:



You can see them all here.

Debbie had a grandfather so addicted to smoking that he tried to smuggle matches and cigarettes into the hospital. His sister caught him with them before he could light up. He was on oxygen! Can you imagine what that would have been like?! She also had an uncle die of emphysema and another one recently died of lung cancer. It isn't a pretty sight to see someone you love waste away, is it, Lonnie?

An internal work

“Repentance and the enduring avoidance of apostasy is therefore secured only by a radical, internal work of Yahweh, which the community in exile will experience (Raitt 1977: 175–84). The mournful cry of Ephraim suggests that this will involve prayer and humility but will rely on Yahweh for its success.

“This new era is also at least marked, if not made possible, by God’s new stance toward the past sin that has been highlighted from the beginning of the book of Jeremiah. Yahweh promises in 31:34 that he will forgive (סלח) their guilt/iniquity (עון) and no longer remember (זכר) their sins (חטאת) and in 33:8 that he will cleanse (טהר Piel) them and forgive (סלח) them of all their guilt/iniquity (עון) by which they sinned (חטא) and rebelled (פשע) against him. This building up of the vocabulary of sin, using all three standard words in Hebrew (Brueggemann 1998: 314), emphasizes the comprehensiveness of this divine act. No basis for this forgiveness and cleansing is given besides the merciful action of Yahweh. Jer 33:8 “seems almost overloaded with its emphasis on this work of God” (Fretheim 2002: 475).”—A Severe Mercy, pages 250-251

<idle musing>
I feel like I'm reading Romans or Galatians, or some other New Testament book. Of course, where did the ideas come from in the first place? After all, the Hebrew Bible/LXX were the early church's Bible.
<idle musing>

new book to get excited about

Judges
Biblia Hebraica Quinta - BHQ 7
Edited by Natalio Fernandez Marcos
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart, Forthcoming October 2011
ca 240 pages, Hebrew.
Paper
ISBN: 9783438052674
List Price: $109.95
Your Price: $82.46
www.eisenbrauns.com/item/BHQJUDGES

What more can I say?

Perennial Garden

We have a perennial garden that was here when we moved in. We've added a bit to it, such as daffodils, hyacinth, irises, coreopsis, and a tulip or two. I don't know what these are in the picture below, but they are beautiful and only bloom for a week or two. We make sure to enjoy them each day. To give you an idea of context, they stand about 4 feet high.



Here's the whole garden, for some perspective. The tree to the right is a small crab apple.

Necessary, but not sufficient

“The message of repentance is evident throughout the section [Jeremiah 2-23], in the early phase anticipating the penitential response of the people but, as the section progresses, denouncing their lack of penitential response. The section is dominated by dialogue involving God, the people, and the prophet. The people’s cries are evident throughout, but cries that claim innocence are deemed inappropriate and cries that confess guilt are considered inadequate. Rather, in the first section (2:1–4:4) God calls through the prophet for a repentance that involves inner affections including shame and devotion, verbal expression including confession of sin, and practical action including turning from evil and turning to good.”—A Severe Mercy, page 245

<idle musing>
Again, no transformation, no real repentance...
</idle musing>

Thought for the day

This is one of my favorite sections of Isaiah; I think it makes a good thought for today:

The blacksmith takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.
The carpenter measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.
He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.
It is used as fuel for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.
Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”
From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
“Save me! You are my god!”
They know nothing, they understand nothing;
their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
Such people feed on ashes, a deluded heart misleads them;
they cannot save themselves, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

<idle musing>
Of course, idols come in all shapes and sizes. Today's aren't necessarily made by the blacksmith; it's not infrequent for us to make them ourselves. Whatever comes between us and God is an idol. Even the church...
</idle musing>

Turn or burn

“...the second necessary step in the prophetic return (שוב [shuv]). A return such as this begins with an acknowledgment of guilt (3:13), expressed through a prayer such as the one showcased in 3:22b–25, but must lead to a change in behavior. The kind of “return” in mind is then delineated in 4:1b–2 in terms of practical action to stop idolatry and injustice, that is, as the central statement declares, “no longer go astray.” That this sort of repentance is not merely external action without internal motivation is made clear in 4:3–4, which describes “repentance at a deep level lest Yahweh’s burning and unquenchable wrath be poured out on them” (Thompson 1980: 206).”—A Severe Mercy, page 236

<idle musing>
No change in behavior means no real repentance. Repentance is more than feeling sorry for getting caught. I was talking with someone a few weeks ago and they put this way, "Everyone has to have a 'Paul moment' before repentance becomes real." Well put; we have to realize we can't deliver ourselves and that we need deliverance. Then we can turn and it will be real because the Spirit of God will be the one empowering you.
</idle musing>

Thought for the day

"When people ask me which version of the Bible they should use, I have for many years told them that I don't much mind as long as they always have at least two open on the desk. It is, of course, better for everyone to learn Greek. The finest translations are still, basically, a matter of trying to play a Beethoven symphony on a mouth-organ."—N.T. Wright in a wonderful article found here.

(seen on Facebook, but I can't remember from whom...if it was you, leave a comment and I'll credit you)

Update: it was Chip Hardy of the University of Chicago.

Jeremiah enters the ring

“...the book of Jeremiah draws from a broad vocabulary pool to describe human response in the penitential process. Dominating this vocabulary is clearly change, with special focus on the root שוב [shuv]. The root lies most often at the intersection of embracing and rejecting God, describing either the movement from sin to God or from God to sin, but there are other ways to speak about repentance and its opposite, apostasy, which suggests that there is a breadth to what repentance and apostasy entail. The vocabulary of seeking/finding and forsaking/rejecting suggests a relational dimension; rebellions/submission and fear/trembling suggest a hierarchical dimension. References to mourning and shame suggest an emotional and social dimension; references to speech and hearing suggest a verbal dimension, that is, attention to prophetic speech and expression in prayer. Whereas the vocabulary of action and movement emphasizes the pragmatic dimension of human response, the vocabulary of the heart stresses the affective dimension. This review of the vocabulary of human response, both positive and negative, reveals the wealth of expression and also the height of expectation for the repentance of the people within the book of Jeremiah.”A Severe Mercy, page 230

<idle musing>
Pretty all-inclusive, I would say. Reminds me of Deuteronomy 6:6-9:

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

</idle musing>

Isaiah 53

“Chapters 52-53 [of Isaiah] reveal how the arm of the LORD triumphs ironically through the suffering of the servant on behalf of the rest of the community and, according to 52:13-15, even those outside the Jewish community. In Isaiah 54, Zion is called to burst into song and shout for joy, the same response demanded when the arm of the LORD worked salvation in 52:7-10. With chap. 55, however, 'the segment culminates in the great invitation to participate in a renewal covenant,' that is to respond to God's salvation of the servant who has borne the sin of the people (Oswalt 1997: 10).”—A Severe Mercy, page 211

We see as in a mirror

Saw this yesterday:

Although Facebook is properly classified as "social software," it is more accurately categorized as mirror-ware, a whole new kind of social that consists only of us and our self-projections. And it is that mirror, that seductive invitation to reflect us and only us back to ourselves that damns us.

Wait, it gets better:

On Facebook we never think outside the four walls of the self, and we need never imagine readers different from us. We expect neither argument nor curiosity nor challenge. Just a thumbs up or down.

<idle musing>
Hmmm,,,seems the perfect medium for our narcissistic society, doesn't it?

I just read this today:

Go now, write it on a tablet for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.

   For these are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the LORD’s instruction.
They say to the seers,
“See no more visions!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!"—Isaiah 30:8-11 TNIV

</idle musing>

Holy

“...the priestly tradition envisioned the world according to a scale of categories, from unclean to clean to holy. Even what was clean needed to be specially 'sanctified' (קדש qiddesh) in order to qualify for contact with God (who is the realm of the holy). For the unclean to attain the status of clean, it needed to be 'cleansed' (טהר tiher) first. The unclean is never envisioned to be in the presence of the holy, that is, the divine.”—A Severe Mercy, page 195

miscellaneous links

These have been floating around in my drafts for too long. Some are from today, some much older. A veritable hodge-podge of goodies.

Well before Pentecost, but appropriate, from Alan Knox.

What is a church? Two lists, from Leighton Tebay. Bet you can guess which one I prefer :)

And, what about the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers?
Guy Muse at M Blog has some insight:

A/P’s [Apostles/Prophets], in particular, have been marginalized to almost be considered an “endangered species.” Legitimate A/P’s are the hardest to find or identify within the Body of Christ. A/P’s by nature do not often carry the proper credentials and dislike titles like Pastor, Rev., or Dr. They aren’t usually known for their slick blogs or prolific Tweeting. When they do speak, their voices and actions make us uncomfortable. A lot of their ministry sounds like it is coming out of “left field.” Seldom do A/P’s coincide with the standard “right-wing” S[sic]/T [Pastors/Teachers] church views. In a church not meant to have factions, A/P’s would be considered the left-wing “liberals” of the church–loved and tolerated, yes–but kind of weird, disruptive, and even dangerous for our youth!

Some more good stuff from
Guy, quoting J. Lee Grady on a meditation on II Kings 6:1-7 where the ax head falls in the river (part of the Elisha cycle):

It illustrates how desperately we need to recover what we've lost. Perhaps you've noticed that our blade is missing. I don't know exactly when it  fell off the handle, but it seems as if we've been trying to build God's house without the sharp edge of His genuine anointing. We've traded the real for the  phony. We've cheapened Pentecost to the point that it's been reduced to dry  religious programs and circus sideshow antics.

We've mastered the art of hype. We know how to fake the anointing. We push  people to the floor during our altar times. We know how to manipulate music  and crowds so that we can create the atmosphere of the anointing. But in so  many cases the real anointing isn't there. In its place is a hollow imitation. Some charismatic leaders today are even selling specially handcrafted oils  that promise the Holy Spirit's power. Others sell scented candles that claim  to bring God's presence. And last year one brother was traveling the country  with feathers in a jar— claiming that these belonged to an angel with healing  powers.

Lord, forgive us for our charlatanism. We need the blade back! We must cry out  to the God Who has the power to raise iron from the bottom of a river.  We are not going to advance Christ's kingdom, or build His victorious church,  using scented oils, fake charms, ear-tickling prophecies and goofy charismatic  gimmicks. This is all wood, hay and stubble destined for the furnace. What we  need today is the sharp blade of the Word that is empowered by the Holy Ghost  and fire.

Thoughts on the cross from Scot McKnight:

The disciples want a glory discipleship but Jesus shows that the essence of life is sacrificial and not ruling. And here he gets to the very core of Mark’s theology: “If at the very heart of your worldview is a man dying for his enemies, then the way you’re going to win influence in society is through service rather than power and control” (149).

The saving cross is the paradigm for the serving cross.

And, how about this

Now I know the answer that would be given by many conservative American Christians. They consider their private property to be inalienable as a fundamental human right, and that even a democratically elected government has no right to deprive them of it.

But the Bible offers a rather different picture. In the Old Testament the collection of tithes, to support the priesthood and the poor, was commanded and enforced under the Law of Moses. The rules for the Jubilee also involve regular and massive enforced redistribution of wealth from those who have acquired it, so that “there need be no poor people among you” (Deuteronomy 15:4, NIV 2011 – clearly alluded to in Acts 4:34 quoted above).

Another mitigation of judgment

“At times, this judgment is mitigated by God's grace, the fourth remedy for sin. In some cases, Yahweh intervenes on behalf of the guilty. This intervention may come in response to their miserable state, to their desperate cries to him, to their admission of sin, and/or to their behavioral change.A Severe Mercy, page 188

<idle musing>
Finally! I was beginning to wonder when grace was going to show up in the list...
</idle musing>

The Discipline of God

“The third remedy for sin is the judgment and discipline of God. In the book of Joshua, the Canaanites are eliminated because of their sinful idolatry, and Achan joins their fate by taking from their spoil. The Canaanites become an example of the potential judgment that will befall Israel if they fail to obey the covenant...According to Judges 10, 1 Sam 7:2-17, 12:8-11, and 1 Kings 8, these acts function as divine discipline to prompt the penitence of the people.”A Severe Mercy, pages 187-188

<idle musing>
Far from capricious, the discipline of God is designed to bring us to him. The New Testament talks about the Israelites as an example to us, the Hebrew Bible uses the Canaanites as an example to the Israelites. We disregard the chastising of God, and off we go into destruction—both now and in the future.
</idle musing>

The word of God

“The second remedy for sin is the provision of God's word throughout the Former Prophets. Again, the first pericope of the Former Prophets sets the tone for this solution. This word is communicated through the Torah revealed to Moses and now written in a book (Joshua 1). This word is to be ever present with Joshua, filling his mind and mouth. It is this book that sparks the renewal in the reign of Josiah (2 Kings 22-23), allowing Judah to remain in the land. According to 2 Kings 17, it is rejection of the commandments given to the ancestors that resulted in the Exile. God's word, however, is not restricted to the written Torah but also comes directly through the voice of God. This again is seen from the beginning of the Former Prophets as God commissions the new leader in Joshua 1 and confronts him in Joshua 7. Likewise, Solomon will experience direct revelation in 1 Kings 6 and 9. Though these avenues for the word of God can be discerned throughout the Former Prophets, the dominant vehicle of God's word is the prophets, who are raised up to interpret past and announce future judgment, encourage obedience and repentance through word (prophecy) and deed (miracle), and promise salvation.”A Severe Mercy, page 187

But God doesn't mind, right?

"Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,
to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless."—Isaiah 10:1-2

‏ה֥וֹי הַחֹֽקְקִ֖ים חִקְקֵי־אָ֑וֶן וּֽמְכַתְּבִ֥ים עָמָ֖ל כִּתֵּֽבוּ׃ ‎
‏ לְהַטּ֤וֹת מִדִּין֙ דַּלִּ֔ים וְלִגְזֹ֕ל מִשְׁפַּ֖ט עֲנִיֵּ֣י עַמִּ֑י לִהְי֤וֹת אַלְמָנוֹת֙ שְׁלָלָ֔ם וְאֶת־יְתוֹמִ֖ים יָבֹֽזּוּ

The remedy for sin in Joshua/Judges

“How then is the problem of sin remedied in the Former Prophets? The first solution to the sin of the people of Israel is seen from the very first pericope: The provision of faithful leadership. Joshua is presented as the normative leader, on who experiences the presence of God and successfully possesses the land through close attention to Torah (Joshua 1). Joshua plays a powerful role within the nation, keeping them faithful to Yahweh and challenging them to faithfulness at the close of the book (Joshua 22-24). With Joshua's passing, however, the book of Judges plunges in to chaos (Judges 2). Yahweh's answer is constantly to raise up deliverers who possess the spirit of God, and these are able (at least at the outset) to restrain sin in Israel.”A Severe Mercy, page 186

<idle musing>
Again we see the grace of God, reaching down into the depths and pulling us up. Judges isn't a pretty book, but we see God reaching down again and again to pull Israel back. He still reaches out and pulls us back—praise God for that!
</idle musing>

Interesting word play

Seen in an e-mail
"Words, with their weight, have a tendency to fall like birds of prey on delicate ideas, carrying them away before they have a chance to reach fruition."—Lyall Watson, Lifetide

<idle musing>
I've never heard of the book, but the thought is really intriguing...
</idle musing>

Joshua on sin

“The depictions of covenant ceremonies in the book of Joshua (esp. Joshua 8, 23, 24) reveal that the covenantal framework of the Torah in general and Deuteronomy in particular are key to its conception of sin. Foundational to this is the understanding of sin in relational terms, which explains why exclusive worship of Yahweh dominates the agenda of the Former Prophets. Key to this covenant principle is the establishment of a relationship between Israel and Yahweh through past miracles of grace on their behalf. Obedience is thus a response to and sin a rejection of the gracious initiative of a redemptive God. Obedience is guided by the Torah revealed on Sinai.”—A Severe Mercy, page 185

<idle musing>
This line is key: "Obedience is thus a response to and sin a rejection of the gracious initiative of a redemptive God." Underline response and gracious initiative. All God, we respond—but we must respond; no transformation, no real response.
</idle musing>

Thought for the day

The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?”
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.—Isaiah 3:14-15 TNIV

‏יְהוָה֙ בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣ט יָב֔וֹא עִם־זִקְנֵ֥י עַמּ֖וֹ וְשָׂרָ֑יו וְאַתֶּם֙ בִּֽעַרְתֶּ֣ם הַכֶּ֔רֶם גְּזֵלַ֥ת הֶֽעָנִ֖י בְּבָתֵּיכֶֽם׃ ‎
‏ מַלָּכֶם [מַה]־[לָּכֶם֙] תְּדַכְּא֣וּ עַמִּ֔י וּפְנֵ֥י עֲנִיִּ֖ים תִּטְחָ֑נוּ נְאֻם־אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִ֖ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃

What we can learn from (the book of) Samuel

“Yahweh consistently raises up prophetic voices to confront Israel with its sin or to announce his judgment, whether this is Samuel confronting the people or its leaders (Eli, Saul) or Nathan and Gad confronting David. In this them prophecy is established early in the history of the monarchy as the conscience of the royal house and the conduit of Yahweh's revelation to it. These prophetic confrontations often encourage or result in a penitential response from their hearers, expressly described at times as verbal admission of Sin (1Sam 7:3-9; 12:1-25; 15:24-25, 30; 2 Sam 12:13; 24:10, 14, 17) and accompanying rites, sometimes with a description of change in behavior 1Sam 7:4). In the case of David in 2 Sam 24, it is the 'troubling' of the heart that leads to admission of sin. Yahweh's response is sometimes to forgive completely (1 Sam 7), at others to mitigate the punishment (1 Samuel 12; 2 Samuel 12, 24), and still others to reject the individual outright (1 Samuel 13, 15).

“Mediation is an important theme in Samuel. Samuel serves in this role in the penitential liturgy of 1 Samuel 7, interceding on behalf of Israel. Similarly, in 1 Samuel 12 the people cry for Samuel's intercession (v. 19). He is willing to do so, but he also teaches them so that his intercession is not necessary (v. 23). David plays this role on his own and his people's behalf in the closing chapter of Samuel. His prayer and sacrifice related to the temple site in Jerusalem are essential to securing the grace of God for the nation.

“The book of Samuel does not hide the reality of sin, as Israel becomes a monarchical state. Already in Samuel, dysfunctions that will ultimately bring down the state can be discerned, but alongside them also the basic principle for remedying the sin that plagues the nation.”—A Severe Mercy, pages 163-164

<idle musing>
I've noticed over the years that the Bible is more realistic than we are. It faces our foibles and sins head-on; it doesn't sugar-coat that we need a savior. If only we were as honest with ourselves! We hope for complete forgiveness, but don't want to acknowledge we even need forgiveness! I, for one, am glad their is a mediator...
</idle musing>

June sale

New month, great new sale...

Celebrate the beginning of Summer (in the northern hemisphere)
with us by adding to your collection of Sumerian books. 20-80%
off on selected titles in our Summer with Sumer sale.

As always, all sales on this web sale are final; no returns will be
permitted. Offer good only on orders placed at www.eisenbrauns.com
through June 30, 2011.

To easily access all the sale items, please visit:
http://www.eisenbrauns.com/pages/SPECIAL
================================================================
"Noah's Ark and the Ziusudra Epic: Sumerian Origins of the Flood Myth"
by Robert M. Best
Enlil Press, 1999. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9780966784015
List Price: $38.00 Your Price: $7.60

"Sumerian and Akkadian Royal Inscriptions, Volume 1:
Presargonic Inscriptions"
by Jerrold S. Cooper
The American Society Translation Series 1
American Oriental Society, 1986. paperback. English.
ISBN: 9780940490253
List Price: $24.95 Your Price: $19.96

"Sumerian Grammar"
by D. O. Edzard
Society of Biblical Literature -SBL, 2003. Paper. English.
ISBN: 9781589832527
List Price: $25.95 Your Price: $20.76

"Sumerian Literary Fragments from Nippur
by Jenny Heimerdinger
Occasional Publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund - OPSNKF 4
University Museum / Babylonian Section, 1979. Cloth. English.
ISBN:
List Price: $20.00 Your Price: $16.00

"Atra-Hasis: The Babylonian Story of the Flood,
with the Sumerian Flood Story"
by W. G. Lambert, Alan R. Millard, and M. Civil
Eisenbrauns, 1999. paper. English.
ISBN: 9781575061849
List Price: $35.00 Your Price: $24.50

"The Sumerian Sacred Marriage in the Light of Comparative Evidence"
by Pirjo Lapinkivi
State Archives of Assyria Studies - SAAS 15
Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project - NATCP, 2004. Paper. English.
ISBN: 9789514590580
List Price: $75.00 Your Price: $60.00

"The Lamentation over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur"
by Piotr Michalowski
Mesopotamian Civilizations - MC 1
Eisenbrauns, 1989. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9780931464430
List Price: $49.50 Your Price: $34.65

"Sacred Marriages: The Divine-Human Sexual Metaphor
from Sumer to Early Christianity"
Edited by Martti Nissinen and Risto Uro
Eisenbrauns, 2008. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9781575061184
List Price: $59.50 Your Price: $35.70

"Neo-Sumerian Archival Texts Primarily from Nippur in the
University Museum, the Oriental Institute and the Iraq Museum"
by David I. Owen
Eisenbrauns, 1982. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9780931464096
List Price: $60.00 Your Price: $48.00

"Sumerian Dictionary, Volume A/1"
Edited by Ake W. Sjoberg
Sumerian Dictionary - SD A/1
University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology -
University of Pennsylvania, 1992. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9780924171215
List Price: $60.00 Your Price: $48.00

"Sumerian Dictionary, Volume A/2"
Edited by Ake W. Sjoberg
Sumerian Dictionary - SD A/2
University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology -
University of Pennsylvania, 1994. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9780924171352
List Price: $60.00 Your Price: $48.00

"Sumerian Dictionary, Volume A/3"
Edited by Ake W. Sjoberg
Sumerian Dictionary - SD A/3
University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology -
University of Pennsylvania, 1998. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9780924171581
List Price: $60.00 Your Price: $48.00

"Inanna und Sukaletuda: Zur historisch-politischen
Deutung eines sumerischen Literaturwerkes"
by Konrad Volk
Harrassowitz Verlag, 1995. Paper. German.
ISBN: 9783447036351
List Price: $74.00 Your Price: $59.20

Eisenbrauns book wins award

Well Chosen: Joel Lohr's Chosen and Unchosen wins R. B. Y. Scott Award

June 1, 2011. Joel Lohr's book, Chosen and Unchosen: Conceptions of Election in the Pentateuch and Jewish-Christian Interpretation today received the R. B. Y. Scott Award, which recognizes an outstanding book in the areas of Hebrew Bible and/or the Ancient Near East.

Join us in congratulating Joel! To help celebrate, we're offering this title at 30% off for the next two weeks — pick up a copy and see for yourself why it won!

Refreshing voice of reason

Some very good thoughts about publishing, social media, and the cult of celebrity here

Do you want to break into publishing? Say something important, but more importantly, say it well. We don’t need more voices, and we certainly don’t need more celebrities. We need transcendent ideas. We need people that challenge us to see how the world ought to be, and inspire us to make it so. We need people who show us the best of ourselves, and call us to be that version, rather than the veneered version that seems so much easier to sell to our “friends.” Inspire someone, and you just may make a bestsellers list the old-fashioned way. Inspire important conversations and you may just stay there. But if you fake it, if you buy your way on, if you take the shortcut to significance, we’ll know, and we’ll ignore you.

<idle musing>
How refreshing! Do take the time to read the whole thing— especially the part about being famous in our society...
</idle musing>

God's discipline

"The pattern established in the book of Judges reappears at 1 Sam 12:8, showing how God's judgment is really discipline to prompt the cry of Israel, to which God will respond by sending salvation. An important clarification is made in 1 Sam 12:8, as Judg 10:10 is used to interpret the pattern of judges [sic], emphasizing the importance of a penitential verbal response to secure salvation."A Severe Mercy, page 16

<idle musing>
I like that: discipline—cry for mercy with penitential verbal response—salvation
</idle musing>

Very important visitors

We've got three of the grandkids with us this week and I'm taking half-days at work to be with them more. Consequently, I am not planning on blogging much, if anything this week! I'd rather spend the time with them. Hope you don't mind :)

Today is

National ride your bike to work day.

I also have decided to call it "International Let's Plant a Tree Day" in honor of Martin Luther's saying

Even if I knew the world was going to end tomorrow, I would still plant a tree today.

<idle musing>
Of course, I don't know the world is going to end tomorrow, nor do I believe that Camping has a clue about what he is saying; his track record isn't very good... But, the point of Luther's statement is that everything we do should be an offering to God. So, even if the world were to end tomorrow, the tree would still be an offering to God.

If it weren't for the fact that we're going to Minnesota to get 3 of the grandkids, maybe I'd plant a tree. More likely, I'd plant more in the garden, though.
</idle musing>

Colossian 3:16-remixed

In the finest spirit of Alan Knox's Scripture as we live it:

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach are taught and are admonished by the preacher one another with all wisdom well-written sermons through psalms, hymns and songs eloquent delivery from the Spirit pulpit, singing listening to God the preacher with gratitude in your hearts.—Colossian 3:16 remixed

Thoughts about David and the census

"This story of David [the census] brings together several key motifs observed elsewhere in the book of Samuel. First, confession of sin once again appears as a key initial step in dealing with sin. In this case, this confession is preceded by the 'troubling' (נכה Hiphil) of the heart. Second, the prophet has a role to play in dealing with sin, not only in identifying sin as seen in 2 Samuel 12 but also in announcing God's judgment. Third, there is an expectation that Yahweh can and will take away (עבר Hiphil) iniquity (עון). Fourth, a request of this sort does not eliminate divine discipline but only mitigates the punishment. Fifth, the sin of one, especially in this case of the king, has implications for the entire nation. Sixth, great hope is placed in the gracious character of Yahweh, who can withdraw punishment at any time. Seventh, Yahweh responds to the intercessory cry of his mediator in conjunction with sacrificial offerings at the altar in Jerusalem."—A Severe Mercy, page 162

<idle musing>
That's a lot to digest in one paragraph! The thing that jumped out the most to me as I read it was the corporate nature of sin. Our individualistic society tends to downplay the side effects of individual sin, but they have repercussions...
</idle musing>

National bike to work month

Here it is over halfway through the month, and Thursday of National Bike to Work Week, and I forgot to mention it! Good thing I'm not doing their marketing! But, you still can do "Ride to Work Day" which is tomorrow!

Anyway, please participate—especially with gas at about $4.00 a gallon. If you live five (5) miles or less from work, you should be able to do it in less than a half-hour without needing a shower when you get there. Sure, the first few times might feel hard, but your body will adjust and thank you in the long run. You never know, you might find out you like it and start doing it regularly!

Of course, I don't expect most of you to do it year round—which is what I do—but at least 3 seasons of the year would be great! Let me know if you try it...

Setting the Precedent

“These powerful interactions between Samuel and Saul at the outset of the monarchical phase of Israel's history set the tone for the rest of the story. The prophet is given the key role of confronting the royal house with their sin and announcing Yahweh's judgment. The definition of sin is broadened beyond exclusive worship of Yahweh at the central shrine to include meticulous obedience to all of Yahweh's commands. These interactions also reveal a severity in divine response to confession of sin. This confession is clearly inadequate to secure the forgiveness of Yahweh, for Yahweh appears to prefer obedience not only over sacrificial ritual but also over verbal confession.”—A Severe Mercy, page 156

<idle musing>
Still true today. Rote verbal confession without transformation isn't going to cut it with God. Mind you, transformation can only happen by the grace of God, but we need to allow it and cooperate...
</idle musing>

Saul's fall

"This poem [I Samuel 15:22-23] creates an important contrast between sacrifice and obedience. The sacrifice in view here is not focused on the elimination of sin but rather functions as a gift to God signifying one's entire devotion to Yahweh. A gift such as this to Yahweh, however is no substitute for obedience to Yahweh (בקול + שמע), and when the worshiper does this he or she is using the sacrifice to manipulate the deity and as a result reveals the hypocrisy of the act. This statement does not represent a rejection of the priestly sacrificial system, but does reflect the broader deuteronomic agenda, already discerned in the book of Deuteronomy, to place a premium on practical obedience from the heart over ritual fulfillment.”—A Severe Mercy, page 154

<idle musing>
We never learn, though, do we? We still try to manipulate God until we finally surrender to him.
</idle musing>

A role model

“In this key passage [I Samuel 7] at the outset of Samuel's leadership of Israel, the narrator presents a robust pattern for remedying sin. It shows the key role that the prophet plays to move the people from lament to penitence. It encourages a response that involves repentance in heart and deed with attendant verbal, sacrificial, and fasting rituals and the intercession of a sacred mediator. This account provides a normative picture of the role that proper leadership can play within the nation, especially helpful in the wake of the warnings of Joshua and the initial depictions of Israel in Judges and the first part of Samuel.”—A Severe Mercy, page 151

<idle musing>
That's what we need, someone to move us from lament to real repentance!
</idle musing>

Thought for today

“...we want something that will make people say—What a wonderful man of prayer he is! What a pious, devoted woman she is! If anyone says that of you, you have not been loyal to God.”—Oswald Chambers

Eli's demise

“The demise of Eli's line highlights important principles related to sin and its remedy. First, echoing the concerns expressed in the priestly legislation, sin against the sacred precincts has most serious consequences. Second, such direct sin against the deity is inexpiable—that is no sacrifice or offering is adequate to make atonement for this sin. Third, there are intergenerational implications for sin, and thus patriarchal figures must pay close attention to the behavior of those within their family units.”—A Severe Mercy, page 150

The focus isn't where we usually think it is

“This policy [of hardening the heart] reveals the severe character of Yahweh's solution for sin in the book of Joshua. The Canaanites are eliminated because of their idolatry. No opportunity is given for 'repentance,' as Yahweh even hardens the hearts of those judged. The purpose given for this policy is not to provide room for Israel but rather to preserve Israel from the sinful practices of those in the land. The focus then is on the preservation of the faithful.”—A Severe Mercy, page 127

<idle musing>
Lebensraum it isn't! But, is that not how it is usually read?
</idle musing>

But I did all the right things

"Exodus 32-34 and Numbers 13-14 reveal that any hope for the grace of mitigated punishment was linked by Israel to Yahweh's dual character of grace and justice. The dispensing of this grace for defiant sin, however, is always an exercise of Yahweh's sovereignty, as he himself declares in the lead up to his forgiveness of a rebellious Israel: 'I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion' (Exod 33:19). Yahweh's revelation in Exod 34:6-7 reveals his character of mercy and justice, and his actions throughout Torah reveal typical patterns, but he clearly will not be reduced to an impersonal system that dispenses grace based on human manipulation.”—A Severe Mercy, page 120 (emphasis his)

<idle musing>
I love the observation that "he clearly will not be reduced to an impersonal system that dispenses grace based on human manipulation." No magical incantations allowed! No rote recitation of rituals; no mechanistic sacrifices...he wants far more than that; he wants you and all you are. So much for the checklist version of christianity, eh? As Paul put it, we don't want your money, we want you.
</idle musing>

A new heart in Deuteronomy?

...the penitential theology of Deuteronomy expressed in chaps. 4, 10, and 30 reveals that Yahweh will effect directly an inner transformation of Israel's heart, circumcising hearts and producing repentance to bring an end to exile. No hope is placed in the people's ability to use the sacrificial system to avert sin or to repent from their sin. This does not place Deuteronomy at odds with the priestly legislation, however, because it also sees no sacrificial remedy for the kind of deliberate sin in view in Deuteronomy. As was seen in Leviticus 26, exile is also envisioned as the context that would give rise to a penitential response. Deuteronomy reveals that the people need a transformation by Yahweh to make this possible.”—A Severe Mercy, page 112

<idle musing>
Oh, I like that! It sounds like Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Imagine finding it in Deuteronomy!
</idle musing>

Why the land?

“In Deuteronomy 5:27, the people express their verbal agreement to listen to and obey Yahweh, and it is this commitment on their lips that explains the constant appeals in the book for their response. The ubiquity of these appeals however, may suggest pessimism over Israel's ability to obey Yahweh's word.

“That this is the case is intimated by the fact that the beginning of the book is dominated by rehearsals of their rebellions in the past...Furthermore, it is explicitly stated that the land was given to them not because of their righteous character (9:1-6) or their great size (7:7-10) but rather because of the merciful and faithful character of Yahweh and the wickedness of the Canaanites (7:7-10).”—A Severe Mercy, page 111

<idle musing>
I'm thankful for the merciful nature of God, but I certainly wouldn't presume on it—that's called cheap grace! I'm also thankful for the faithfulness of God—but I wouldn't presume on it. And, as an analogy, I wouldn't purposely antagonize my wife because I know she is faithful and merciful and will forgive me! Can you imagine a marriage based on that kind of thinking?! No wonder Leonard Ravenhill hated the lyrics of the hymn that stated. "born to wander, Lord I feel it. Born to leave the God I love."

Of course, that we can be faithful ourselves is totally reliant on the power of God within us through the Holy Spirit. Without that, the song's lyrics are only too true—just as the Israelites found out when they tried to keep the covenant...
</idle musing>

hmmm

I don't often comment on economic stuff on this blog, but this one got me to thinking...

These days Americans get constant lectures about the need to reduce the budget deficit. That focus in itself represents distorted priorities, since our immediate concern should be job creation. But suppose we restrict ourselves to talking about the deficit, and ask: What happened to the budget surplus the federal government had in 2000?

The answer is, three main things. First, there were the Bush tax cuts, which added roughly $2 trillion to the national debt over the last decade. Second, there were the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which added an additional $1.1 trillion or so. And third was the Great Recession, which led both to a collapse in revenue and to a sharp rise in spending on unemployment insurance and other safety-net programs.

So who was responsible for these budget busters? It wasn’t the man in the street.

President George W. Bush cut taxes in the service of his party’s ideology, not in response to a groundswell of popular demand — and the bulk of the cuts went to a small, affluent minority.

Similarly, Mr. Bush chose to invade Iraq because that was something he and his advisers wanted to do, not because Americans were clamoring for war against a regime that had nothing to do with 9/11. In fact, it took a highly deceptive sales campaign to get Americans to support the invasion, and even so, voters were never as solidly behind the war as America’s political and pundit elite.

Finally, the Great Recession was brought on by a runaway financial sector, empowered by reckless deregulation. And who was responsible for that deregulation? Powerful people in Washington with close ties to the financial industry, that’s who. Let me give a particular shout-out to Alan Greenspan, who played a crucial role both in financial deregulation and in the passage of the Bush tax cuts — and who is now, of course, among those hectoring us about the deficit.

<idle musing>
3.1 trillion dollars! I can't fathom that kind of money, can you? And 2/3 of that for war! I guess that's another reason to be a pacifist...
</idle musing>

It finally arrived

And it only took 90 years!

That's right, the last volume of the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary is actually in the warehouse! It just arrived this morning. Here's photographic proof:

Repentance

“Deuteronomy thus envisions repentance as something that follows serious disciplinary action of a jealous Yahweh in response to idolatry and that results in exile. What should not be missed, however, is that penitence is seen not as a regular rhythm within the life of the community but rather as an important phase in the history of salvation, a phase that will bring an end to the exile of the community.”—A Severe Mercy, page 107

<idle musing>
Interesting thought: "penance is seen not as a regular rhythm within the life of the community but rather as an important phase in the history of salvation." That would line up with the New Testament idea, wouldn't it?
</idle musing>

There is hope

“The only hope once defiant sin was committed was found in mediatorial figures who could stand before Yahweh and seek pardon for the people. The most common figure is Moses, but at times priestly figures such as Aaron and his son Phinehas are able to secure forgiveness and atonement, bringing an end to punishment. This forgiveness and atonement often involves mitigated punishment, that is, the people still suffer, but they do not receive the full measure of judgment that they deserve.”—A Severe Mercy, page 95 (emphasis his)

<idle musing>
After yesterday's post, I wasn't sure where we were headed, but this give's at least some hope. It's still a Severe Mercy, but it is mercy! This book certainly can't be accused of encouraging a cheap grace...
</idle musing>

Another garden update

I haven't posted about the garden lately—not because I haven't been doing anything with it!

About 3 weeks ago, I borrowed a pick-up truck (thanks Jim!) and got four loads of wood chips. That's a lot of wood chips! A little over two loads worth went on the walkways of the garden. Last fall I had expanded the fenced-in section to include the raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and asparagus. It almost doubled the size of the garden. It also required significant amounts of wood chips for the paths—hence the 2 plus loads. The rest went around the house, replenishing the ones already there, and on a path that we have in the woods going to the creek. Right now the creek is over its banks and part of the path is flooded, but the rest got a fresh load of wood chips.

I have also been busy planting and transplanting stuff. I transplanted 15 San Marzano paste tomato plants in the hoop house about 2 weeks ago. They are doing marvelously. About the same time, I planted some turnips and kohlrabi in a cold frame; the first planting (mid-March) of kohlrabi didn't make it, although the rutabaga did. In the hoop house, I planted some filet green beans for fresh eating—they don't freeze well—and some carrots. Outside, in the garden itself, I planted about 5 pounds of onion sets and put row cover over them—did I mention that we like onions?

Meanwhile, in the hoop house, the stuff that overwintered has been doing great. I'm giving away spinach; the overwintered is still producing and the stuff I planted at the end of January is also producing, and some that I planted in November (most of it didn't come up) is also giving me spinach. I didn't plant a lot in each planting, but... Oh, if you are looking for a long-time producing spinach, try "Space;" I planted it last fall and it produced all winter (January and February only once every week or so) and is still producing. I do cut-and-come-again to extend the season, but this is unbelievable. It is starting to get a bit tough, but, still.

We've been eating radishes, carrots, and green onions for a while now, probably 3 or more weeks. I brought some green onions in to share with Michael. They overwintered and are huge. They stuck out of the top of my pack; I'm sure people thought I was a bit strange :) They're about as big as leeks. Take a look:



Here they are lying on the desk:

Is there no remedy?

“There appears to be no remedy to remove the guilt of the present generation save their death in the wilderness. Yahweh's merciful forgiveness, however, is available to save the nation. The only effective function available for a human figure is Moses' mediation before Yahweh. He secures the forgiveness of mitigated punishment through an appeal to the glory Yahweh enjoyed among the nations and the mercy Yahweh promised to his people.

“It is important not to miss that Numbers 15 follows immediately after the rebellion at Kadesh in Numbers 13-14. In it, Yahweh highlights the provision of mercy through the sacrificial system for those who sin unintentionally (15:22-29) but the lack of this kind of mercy for those who sin defiantly (15:30-31). The sin of the wilderness generation in not taking the promised land is subtly linked to defiant sin, for which there was no remedy.”A Severe Mercy, page 94

<idle musing>
Not very hopeful sounding is it? I hope it gets better, or we are all doomed...
</idle musing>

How they get here

I enjoy looking at the search terms and referring sites from time to time. This one tickles my fancy: http://myhealthcare.com/search?q=acting+strangely...

I'm not sure what qualifies as acting strangely: being a bookseller in an Internet world, being a pacifist in a violence-loving society, or just being a Christian. Maybe all of them...

and the answer is...

“Although the administration of the legal code was designed to deal with offenses, Yahweh provided his own direct covenant blessings to encourage obedience and direct covenant curses to discourage and bring an end to disobedience. These curses appear to replace sacrifice with the suffering connected with the curse. This is made clear in the ultimate curse of exile, which promotes listening to Yahweh, adhering to commands, confessing sins, humbling the heart, and providing sacrifice through suffering. Through this there is an opportunity for renewal of covenant with Yahweh.”—A Severe Mercy, page 85 (emphasis his)

<idle musing>
Pretty severe—perhaps that's why the book is called A Severe Mercy? But, in the end, God will use whatever means he can to woo us to himself. Augustine called the Holy Spirit "the hound of heaven" for a good reason!
</idle musing>

The purpose of the covenant curses

“The blessings and curses of Leviticus 26 thus reveal another way for dealing with sin according to the Holiness Code. Yahweh would use a system of covenant blessings and curses to encourage obedience and discourage sin. The discipline of curse was designed to turn the people from sin and save them from more severe discipline.”—A Severe Mercy, page 83

<idle musing>
Problem is that it didn't work...Israel went into exile. Still doesn't work very well, does it?
</idle musing>

Thought for the day, or lifetime

εὐλογεῖτε τοὺς καταρωμένους ὑμᾶς, προσεύχεσθε περὶ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς.

"bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" Luke 6:28