Righteousness in the Psalms

“The premium placed on righteousness rather than wickedness and the consequences of choosing one over the other is a clear sign that sin is taken very seriously in the Psalter. The discipline of God is regularly associated with the wicked and the blessing of God with the righteous. The Psalter expresses the theology that sin will be discouraged through punishment, and righteousness will be encouraged through blessing. Implicit in the pervasive appeals to these two categories is the call to penitence, that is, for those tempted to pursue sin to choose the way of the righteous with its benefits and to eschew the way of wickedness with its consequences.”—A Severe Mercy, pages 402-403

On the importance of grammar

I just about died laughing at this:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that it is only a short road that leads from grammatical laxity to cannibalism.

<idle musing>
Now, I'm not afraid to correct someone's grammar, but that is a bit too extreme even for me! Everyone knows it only leads to the collapse of civilization and the end of life as we know it! Cannibalism? Not that far...
</idle musing>

HT: Chris Spinks

Just a few numbers

Yesterday, July 27, our daughter turned 30; on Saturday, the 30, our son turns 27. I don't know, just struck me as funny.

Hey Renee! Congratulations on surviving the first third of your life :)

Greater than the sum of its parts

“In many ways, studying the theology of the Psalter parallels the study of the theology of the Old Testament. The psalms reflect diversity as independent literary units that originated and were used in a variety of historical contexts and yet that have been drawn together into a canonical unity to provide a theological perspective that transcends the sum of its parts.”—A Severe Mercy, page 396

Sad news

I heard via Katya Covrett that John Stott died. She also posted a link to an obituary. Updated link, thanks to Esteban.

He will be missed.

Job and mercy

“The wager by Satan appears to be an extraordinary incident at the outset of the book [of Job], suggesting that God’s dominant mode is to bless faithfulness and curse wickedness. However, God retains the right to grant his grace and even his discipline according to his sovereignty. It is this truth that should have been comforting for Israel, because, if Yahweh were to follow a strict retribution model, they would never have survived. It was his extraordinary displays of mercy in the face of their wicked rebellion that ensured their continued existence.”—A Severe Mercy, page 394 (emphasis his)

<idle musing>
I love the "however!" It definitely explains God's mercy through Jesus!
</idle musing>

The harvest continues

Over the weekend, I managed to can 11 jars of tomato sauce and 6 quarts of bread and butter pickles. From the looks of things, I will be canning another 20 or so jars of tomato sauce tonight. And, if the cucumbers keep coming as they are, another 6 quarts of pickles on Wednesday night.

I planted San Marzano tomatoes this year. They are a Roma style tomato. I can't believe how many tomatoes there are on the vines! If they all ripen, I'll have enough for two years of soup and sauce—plus plenty to give away. The best part is that they have a good flavor. The other tomatoes (Beefsteak, Early Girl, and cherry) are doing OK, but not as great as the San Marzano.

I started the fall broccoli the other day. The seeds sprouted in 3 days. Wow. I wonder if the rate of growth will keep pace. If it does, we'll be eating broccoli from them in August instead of September/October. They will go in the hoop house once it gets cool; I'm hoping they keep producing side sprouts until late October. We'll see...

I also planted a late planting of cucumbers; they sprouted in two days! This heat is good for something, anyway. I have been watering the garden twice a week; the heat and lack of rain definitely sucks the moisture out of the soil. I hope to get eating cucumbers off this planting; I'm not sure they will get a chance to produce enough to pickle.

Woman Folly has the advantage

“It appears that the sages are well aware that Woman Folly has an advantage. Not only are the potential feasters described in ways that suggest the potential for folly rather than wisdom (naive, those who lack understanding), but Woman Folly’s invitation is merely to 'let him turn in here' (9:16), whereas Lady Wisdom’s is to 'forsake your folly and live, and proceed in the way of understanding' (9:6). Here, then, Lady Wisdom calls the simple to repentance, motivating them by the promise of life and insight but calling them to abandon their present patterns of life. In contrast, Woman Folly demands nothing but that one enter.”—A Severe Mercy, page 373

<idle musing>
Indeed, the perfect prophet for our way of life, no? We don't need to change, repent, or anything; we just need to continue consuming and consuming and consuming...until the end. Problem is that the end is destruction. Nothing has changed in 2500 years; we still reap what we sow.
</idle musing>

A refreshing thought

From the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) blog today:

I can no longer in good conscience continue to write about the stuff of this world and how it will make our businesses better without first writing about the things of Heaven and how desperately we need to return to being about these things and not that stuff.

<idle musing>
That, my friends, is one of the most refreshing things I have heard in a long time. Too often the CBA talks about how to make more money and sell "Jesus junk" instead of talking about the important stuff.
</idle musing>

Wisdom and knowledge

“One must be careful not to associate Old Testament wisdom with modern quests for knowledge and understanding, especially in their secularity. For Old Testament sages, Yahweh was intimately involved in the task of wisdom. This is evident from the recurring appearance of the phrase “the fear of the Lord” throughout Proverbs 1–9. The fear of the Lord is considered the beginning and end of the pursuit of knowledge/wisdom (1:7, 2:5, 9:10). Wisdom itself is associated with knowledge of God/the Holy One (2:5, 9:10). Wisdom claims to be Yahweh’s first creation and faithful companion in the activity of creation (8:22–31). Yahweh is the source of all wisdom (2:6) and the guarantor of its blessings (2:7, 8; 3:5; 8:35). It is trust in Yahweh that contrasts trusting one’s own understanding (3:5), and it is Yahweh who guards and protects the just and faithful (2:8).”—A Severe Mercy, page 366

<idle musing>
As the title of this post shows, I suspect we confuse knowledge with wisdom. Wisdom is far more than that, as Boda points out here.
</idle musing>

Wisdom as life

As is evident from these lists, wisdom is a lifestyle to be lived rather than merely content to be mastered. This “skilled” living encompasses both one’s actions and one’s speech, so that wisdom is demonstrated in how one acts and what one says. However, wisdom is more than only pragmatic in character, although practice is the evidence of wisdom’s influence in one’s life. Rather than merely an external pattern to be emulated, wisdom is a principle permeating one’s inner life, and through this is designed to influence all of one’s outer life. It is for this reason that the sage throughout Proverbs 1–9 consistently reminds the audience that wisdom is a matter of the heart. It is the heart that the sage says (“with all diligence”) must be guarded “for from it flow the springs of life” (4:23). Wisdom must then “enter your heart” and knowledge must be “pleasant to your soul” (2:10). It is in the heart that commands must be kept and stored (3:1, 4:21; cf. 2:1; 7:1), with the heart that one trusts in Yahweh (3:5–6) and takes hold of wise words (4:4), and on the heart that commands and teachings as well as love and faithfulness are written and bound (3:3, 6:21, 7:3). Wisdom demands that people set their hearts on prudence (8:5) and apply their hearts to understanding (2:2).—A Severe Mercy, pages 365

A berry good time was had

Debbie and I went blueberry picking on Tuesday evening and managed to get about 13 pounds of blueberries. We froze them all—except for what we ate fresh :)

It was hot, but bearable and there were quite a few other people picking. The original idea was that I would come back on Saturday and pick the rest of what we needed. When we were paying for them, we asked the girl how much longer she expected the berries to last. She answered that with the temperature and dryness, only until Thursday or Friday. Well, that changed our plans!

So, yesterday, with a temperature of 97ºF and a heat index of 107ºF, I made my way out there again. There was no one in the stand, just a sign saying how to pay. There were only two other vehicles there and they left about 1/2 hour after I got there. But, the berries! Because no one had been picking they were quite thick and large. I picked about 13 pounds in about 2 1/2 hours—and ate at least a pound :) Once I got home, I made 13 pints of jam and froze the rest.

I think we are done with jam and berries this year—except for the raspberries in the garden. Those will be for fresh eating, not freezing.

The fear of the Lord

“As is evident from this quotation [Deut 10:12-13, 20], fear is included among a complex of words used to describe (along with “walking . . . loving . . . serving . . . clinging to God”) submissive and faithful worship. Similarly, Deut 6:1–5 reveals that to love the Lord their God with all the heart, soul, and mind is the same as the fear of the Lord. Thus, the “fear of the Lord” is a relational term that signifies Israel’s reverential response to God’s gracious salvation.”—A Severe Mercy, pages 361

Knowing God

“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his subjects work for nothing,
not paying them for their labor.
He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar
and decorates it in red.
“Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,
so all went well with him.
He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the LORD.
“But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,
on shedding innocent blood
and on oppression and extortion.””—Jeremiah 22:13-17 TNIV

<idle musing>
Compare what Jeremiah says about what it means to "know God" with some of the rhetoric going on in the U.S. today. Hmmm...wonder which one is right? I wouldn't bet my life on the current interpretation if I were you...Jeremiah's credentials are a bit better than theirs.
</idle musing>

And so it begins

The canning, that is. Last night I canned 3 pints of beet pickles, 6 quarts of dill pickles, and 4 quarts of rhubarb sauce. The Roma style tomatoes are starting to ripen in large quantities, so tomato paste and tomato sauce won't be far behind.

We ate our first fresh onions, pepper, and tomatoes pizza Sunday night. Delicious. And, I planted another round of cucumbers last night. I hope they grow fast enough to produce before frost.

I'm going to harvest most of the onions this week; the tops have fallen over and are getting dry. I had to pull the peas this weekend; the heat did them in. Heat is an understatement! It has been 90º+ degrees F for the last several days. The heat index has been around 100º F.

Sunday afternoon we went for a hike in the Lost Bridge Recreational Area, East side. The trail we took was in the woods, thankfully. It was just too hot to bike, and even walking in the woods had us sweating like a faucet. My shirt was drenched after the 2.5 hours of hiking. We were hoping to cover most of the 10-mile trail, but it was too hot!

And the initiative belongs to...

“In each prophetic collection the ultimate hope is shifted from human response to a divine gracious and transformative initiative. It is Ephraim in Jer 31:18–19 who voices this in his cry for God to cause him to return. The prophet shows how God will do this in the latter part of Jeremiah as he speaks of the unilateral gracious initiative of Yahweh to forgive his people (24:6; 31:34; 32:37–38, 41–44) and give them a new heart on which will be written the law (24:7, 31:33, 32:39–40). Whereas Ezekiel talked about repentance in 18:30–32 as making for oneself a new heart and spirit, Ezek 11:19, 36:26–27, 37:14, and 39:26 make clear God’s promise that he would forgive them and give them a new heart and new spirit. While this shift is most evident in Jeremiah and Ezekiel it can also be discerned in the other collections.”—A Severe Mercy, page 355

<idle musing>
Amazing, isn't it? It makes one want to fall down and worship God for his amazing love, grace, and mercy toward us.
</idle musing>

A good bit of advice

“This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hands of their oppressors those who have been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”—Jeremiah 22:3 TNIV

<idle musing>
Pretty good bit of advice, wouldn't you say? Not content to tell you to do what is just and right, Jeremiah spells it out...as a society we aren't doing so well : (
</idle musing>

The rhythm of the prophets

“The prophetic books describe a God who remains free in relation to this process. Yahweh sovereignly responds as he chooses within this rhythm [acts of discipline (judgment) or threats of discipline (prophecy)]. Although the normative pattern is for him to respond to the penitent, at times he may reject what appears to be a penitent cry and at others respond with grace where there is no penitence. This explains the 'who knows' or 'perhaps' that is expressed by David in 2 Samuel 24, the sailors and Ninevites in Jonah, and the prophet in Joel 2:14, Amos 5:15, and Zeph 3:3.5 This is not then an impersonal retribution principle and procedure but rather a rhythm based on covenantal relationship between Yahweh and Israel.

“While God retains his sovereignty, it is apparent throughout the prophetic process that humans exercise their God-given freedom by consistently rejecting divine discipline. It is this freedom that ultimately threatens the basic rhythm itself. Rather than being hidden, this threat is readily admitted within the prophetic corpus and lays the foundation for the revelation of a radically new remedy for sin. The Former Prophets make it clear in the key retrospect in 2 Kings 17 that the prophetic process was unsuccessful because of the people’s rejection of the prophets’ message. Isaiah’s call burdens the prophet with the task of shutting down the prophetic process that was designed to bring response. After early calls to repentance are met with indifference, Jeremiah shows how the prophetic process is ultimately denied by Yahweh as judgment becomes inevitable. So also Ezekiel, who is forbidden from the outset to intercede for a Jerusalem whose fate is sealed, experiences the frustration of preaching repentance to a stubborn remnant. Although there are positive examples of the basic rhythm working in the Twelve, it is clear from Hosea, Amos, and Micah that the process is frustrated by an intractable people.”—A Severe Mercy, pages 354-355

<idle musing>
So much for "name it; claim it; stomp on it and frame it" theology. God is free to respond as he desires, not how we wish he would. No manipulation allowed.

I must say, I prefer it that way.
</idle musing>

The promises are conditional

But, we like to ignore the conditions, don't we? Jeremiah for the day:

“If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.”—Jeremiah 18:7-10 TNIV

Garden goodies

We ate our first tomato yesterday! And, our second cucumber. The first planting of beans is about done, and the second one is just starting to produce. We've been enjoying kohlrabi and carrots from the garden for over a month now. The carrots were from the January planting; the March carrot planting is about to begin producing.

I planted a package of turnips, but only about 10 came up. I ate two of them the other day. I've decided I'm not a turnip fan... The peas are done; I'll be planting more cucumbers there. And, the last of the Romaine lettuce had to be pulled; it had bolted (gone to seed) and was bitter. I'll put carrots there for a fall crop.

The onions that I have scattered in three different places are a mixed lot. The two in established beds are doing great. In fact, they are about ready to harvest. The planting in the new bed, with little compost, is doing very poorly. Not surprising; the first year we had a garden here, the results were dismal. Very sandy/gravelly soil that needs a lot of compost to do well.

The pepper plants are doing well. We have small peppers on them. The watermelon has small little fruit on it, too. They are cute at that stage, only a few inches in diameter. Won't be long now and they will be huge. I harvested the garlic. Some of it did very well, with large clusters. Some of them weren't so large :) That's ok, I have enough to last the year and some seed for next.

The birds decided that they needed our blueberries more than we did but that's OK. We hadn't expected to get anything off them this year anyway; they are only two years old. Note to self: cover them next year!

The early raspberries are starting to produce; we have everbearing, so the late crop will be fuller and better. But, it does give one a taste of what is coming.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff, but you get the idea...Oh yeah, I made beet pickles last weekend and probably will this weekend as well. Yum!