Thought for the day

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.
What will you do on the day of reckoning,
when disaster comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?
Where will you leave your riches?
Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives
or fall among the slain.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised. —Isaiah 10:1-4 TNIV

New monthly sale at Eisenbrauns

The month of May has arrived, and another new sale. Here's the blurb from BookNews:

Israel Antiquities Authority titles at 20% off

For May, Eisenbrauns is offering selected Israel Antiquities Authority books for 20% off list price. Dig into some great archaeological reports this Spring. Enjoy! —James

Thereafter is a list of about 14 titles for all you archaeologists out there...

Weeding

More idle musings on gardening...

They say that one year of weed seeds equals seven years of weeding—and that is what I have found as well. I try to do a little each week-end, not letting them go to seed. If you don't deep till, you shouldn't have a problem in raised beds. The new raspberry bed and the asparagus beds need regular attention. Once the raspberries get established, they don't require much weeding.

The herb bed seems to attract weeds, so I regularly weed that. The blueberries only require weeding about twice a year. The new beds to the west, where I was going to put strawberries, will need a good weeding on a regular basis this year. Next year they should be quite clean.

In the spring, I cover the beds with row cover to keep from having to pull maple trees all summer long! I learned that the hard way :( Nothing like a nice maple tree sticking up in the middle of your beans...

Compost bin

We put all vegetable and fruit scraps from the kitchen in the northern bin. All weeding and trimming go in as well. I turn all 3 bins with a garden fork every month or two spring-fall. I use the south bin as needed; I have used it in the garden, but find it works best for filling holes in the yard—of which there are many, thanks to the moles. When the north bin gets full, I transfer the middle to the south, and the north to the middle. Then I put down a layer of about 3-6 inches of straw and start rebuilding the pile. Because of the gradual nature of the pile-building, it is what is called a cold pile. It doesn't get hot enough to kill weed seeds, so I don't add weeds that have gone to seed—which is also why I don't tend to use it on the garden as much...

Busy

That's the best way to describe life at Eisenbrauns right now. We are transitioning to a new ERP system (that's the software that runs the business, just so you know) and it is sucking my time—not just my time, but just about everybody's.

We go live with it in July, provided we can keep the schedule. We're a bit behind right now, but it looks like we can catch-up in the next few weeks. But, that means more work :) Anyway, it is really a nice challenge and gives me a chance to clean up some of the data, too.

All that to say, I'm not going to be posting much the next few days. I ran out of electronic copy & paste stuff in my reading. Now I've got to type it out. I won't have time for that for a few days; we're heading up to see Debbie's parents this weekend, so I won't be entering it over the weekend...

Stay tuned for excerpts from New Testament Theology—I hope!—next week.

How we live

“Not one day, not one temptation, not one responsibility may we take on without the Lord Jesus. Our truly good works are never our own. They are always the result of Jesus living in us. They are the 'fruit' of the spiritual nutrients coming from the divine life of Jesus. If we are truly loving to others, if we are patient and kind, if we give sacrificially, if we help the weak, if we encourage the disheartened, even if we give a cup of cold water—all is to be done from the life of Jesus in us. He is the eternal fountain of righteousness pouring forth from our lives.”—John Coblentz in The Victorious Life page 103

<idle musing>
That is soooo true! I can only survive each day by the power and strength of Jesus living inside via the Holy Spirit.
<idle musing>

Scan that grace card...

“'Christianity' that offers peace and pardon and a home in heaven with no change in one's way of living is a false Christianity. If there is no difference in the lifestyle, the ethics, and the morality of believers, and the lifestyle, ethics, and morality of unbelievers, there has been no salvation. Jesus does not save people to enable them to go on sinning... “Faith results in righteous living. In Biblical understanding, there is no separation between faith and obedience—those who believe act accordingly; those who do not believe also act accordingly. Faith results in doing what God says; unbelief results in ignoring what God says and doing what I want to do.”—John Coblentz in The Victorious Life, page 101
<idle musing>
That's correct. Jesus said that by their fruit you would know them. No good fruit = no salvation. Now, remember it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, not some manufactured "I'll try harder" stuff. It is only by the power of the indwelling Spirit that the good fruit can come forth!
</idle musing>

New Blogger interface

The new blogger interface is terrible! Bring back the old look!!!

Our Victory

“We have no power against the enemy apart from the power of Christ. Without our spiritual union with Jesus, we are 'toast.' This is the most fundamental dimension to spiritual victory. We cannot stand against the devil through determination, through learning the proper formula to repeat to him, by exercising greater effort, or even by quoting Scripture (though these things may have their place). We stand against the devil through Christ. Jesus is a living, real person, and we must know Him. We must walk with Him daily. Without Him, we cannot stand. With Him, we cannot be destroyed.”—John Coblentz in The Victorious Life, page 93 <idle musing> Amen! </idle musing>

Run a bit faster, would you...

“Those who really wish to know God will not fit well into the pace and lifestyle of Western culture. Modern schedules and priorities are geared to the love of the world, not to acquaintance with God”—John Coblentz in The Victorious Life, page 58

<idle musing>
That doesn't mean you have to become a monk and live in a monastery, though. It simply means you need to evaluate your priorities and schedules. Chances are pretty good that God is being driven out—not just squeezed out.
</idle musing>

Row cover

The next installment in my gardening musings:

Use ½ inch CPVC tubing, cut into 5' lengths, one every 3-4 feet. I have used garden staples, but I think using firring strips would be good on the north side—still using staples on the south. The row cover claims to protect down to 29ºF, but I used it this winter over kale and it did fine. In the hoop house, the extra protection has been good to well below zero on spinach and green onions. I read that the moisture freezes to the row cover and creates a nice barrier, reflecting the ground heat back on the plants.

Keep all broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage plants covered, if at all possible. Otherwise, you will have cabbage butterflies laying eggs and caterpillars will eat your dinner :( Be sure to look under the row cover about once a week for weeds. They can get away from you if they are out-of-sight, out-of-mind...

Devotions or devotion?

“'Devotional time,' that is, time spent in prayer and Bible study, is easily misunderstood. Every Christian must learn this: God's primary concern is not with our devotional time, but with our devotion. Devotion is the bedrock of devotions. God draws near to those who are devoted to Him, but those who are not fully devoted may read the Bible and pray till they are blue in the face, and it impresses God not in the least.

“We will consider some practical pointers in a moment, but make no mistake. No technique, no Bible reading program, no devotional guide will ever substitute for a heart fully devoted to God. Some people (some very religious people) must understand, in other words, that they can never have a meaningful devotional time until they repent of the clutter of worldliness in their hearts, until they return to complete devotion to God.”—John Coblentz in The Victorious Life, pages 53-54

<idle musing>
What more is there to say? That sums it up pretty well.
</idle musing>

Living and active

“Jesus living in the believer, then, does not obliterate the believer. He does not make us inactive or reduce us to nothing. Rather, He engages us. He lives in and through all we are and do. He does not replace who we are, but by Him in us, we become who we were intended to be. He enters into our speech, our actions, our thoughts, our attitudes, our plans, our friendships, and our habits. His living presence in us deepens our thoughts, sweetens our words, guides our actions, and enriches our interactions with other people.”—John Coblentz in The Victorious Life, page 50

<idle musing>
Excellent summary of what "Christ in you, the hope of glory" is all about!
</idle musing>

Strawberries

Picking up on my garden musings, here's my experience with strawberries.

I have Jewel June-bearing. Every fall cover them with wheat straw to protect from severe cold (oat straw causes nematodes). In the spring, remove most of it. If you keep the beds weeded, they will produce for a long time. Take the runners and transplant them to a new bed. The first spring, don't let them flower; they need to put all their energy into producing more runners. I started with 25 plants; by the second year, they had filled the bed. Last year, I got about 50 pounds of strawberries from a 16' bed. The hardest thing is that the runners want to take over. You have to stay on top of them and redirect them back into the bed.

I made 50 pints of freezer jam last year&mash;which lasted us until this last Saturday. I don't know what we are going to do for the next 1.5-2 months! I guess I'll have to survive on rhubarb sauce instead of strawberry jam :)

Some days

Some days I despise computers—well, maybe not the computers, but the way it is too easy to screw up with them. I've been working on our product file for about 2 weeks now cleaning it up and getting rid of bad data. We have about 31,000 records, which is a fair amount of work. Well, about 1/2 hour ago, I noticed that the titles and short titles (for internal use) aren't lining up. It's like a row was partially deleted at some point and everything shifted one row up in the title field...

The worst of it is that it is a network file, so I can't use Time Machine™ to go back to an earlier iteration...Arghhhh! Two weeks worth of work...

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.—James 1:2-4

You can't do it!

“How easily religious people slip into the trap of trying to live the Christian life in their own strength! This can happen even after we have begun in Christ. Like the Ephesians, we can leave our 'first love' even while we continue to be zealous about doing right. After all, we want to be productive. We want to please our Lord. We want to be strong, holy people. But without realizing it, we can begin to neglect fellowship with Jesus. Then we begin to substitute fleshly efforts for true spiritual vitality. We have learned how to talk and act, and soon we are 'doing the motions' regularly but neglecting true spirituality. We may hide our lack of heartfelt love behind religious masks. We give the appearance that things are going well, but we are caught in the trap of self-righteousness.”—John Coblentz in The Victorious Life, page 42

<idle musing>
Yep. Too easy to slip into self-righteousness...
</idle musing>

Another book

Time for something a bit less academic. I'll be blogging through The Victorious Life for the next week or two. Join me on the journey; it should be fun!

Finally, the Bible says, 'Whatsoever is not of faith is sin' (Romans 14:23). This simply means we are to live out of our trust in, and dependence on, God rather than in denial of, or indifference to, God. We are to make our decisions out of faith in God, not out of doubt or unbelief—John Coblentz in The Victorious Life, page 6

<idle musing>
Indeed! One of the names for Christians is "believers!" We need to act according to that...
</idle musing>

Garlic

The next installment on my gardening musings, concerning garlic:

Plant, root down, in late September/early October, allowing 2-6 inches between bulbs. Water, then mulch thickly with straw. In the late spring/early summer, they will develop a thick stalk that becomes a “flower;” cut it off. You want all the energy to go into producing bulbs. They say the stalk is edible if you cut and sauté it; I found it tasteless... They are ready to harvest when the leaves turn brown (July/August). Pull them, cut the tops, and allow to dry in the shade for about a week-10 days (I use the shelf by the window in the garage). Choose the largest head(s) for seed. Garlic gets better each year as it adapts to its locale. We slice up the bulbs and dry them. When we want garlic, we grind it in an electric coffee grinder that we only use for spices. Otherwise, store it in a cool, dry place—the basement works well for us.

This year's winter was so warm that they popped their heads through the straw in February. I wonder if that means bigger bulbs? Or, just earlier ones?

The epilogue

“Job ends up a wiser man, for he sees better the nature of God’s work in the world and recognizes the limitations of his former viewpoint. The manifestation of his peace with God, of his renewed spiritual vigor, is that he reconstitutes his life. He is a vessel into which blessings can be poured; he who wished to have died at birth now fathers new sons and daughters. That, in addition to its answering the demands of simple justice, is the significance of the epilogue (which many critics have belittled as crass).”—Jewish Bible Theology, page 227

<idle musing>
I like that. I've always felt that the epilogue got short shrift; this reading confirms my thoughts—so it must be right! :)
</idle musing>

This is serious

It seems that God is being bandied about as a cheerleader in favor of one side or the other in just about every debate. But, the Psalms have different view of God:

“What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant on your lips?
You hate my instruction
and cast my words behind you.
When you see thieves, you join with them;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.
You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.
You sit and testify against your brother
and slander your own mother’s son.
When you did these things and I kept silent,
you thought I was exactly like you.
But I now arraign you
and set my accusations before you.

   “Consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue:
Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”—Psalm 50: 16-23

<idle musing>
"you thought I was exactly like you" seems to be the biggest problem in cultural religion. Throw out any concept of God that isn't exactly like us—if it isn't exactly like us, it can't possibly be true! Right? Wrong!!
</idle musing>

A belated eulogy for Steve Jobs

I read this the other day and forgot to post it. This is a eulogy(? more like a dyslogy!) for all who trust in their own wealth instead of God—not just Steve Jobs.

No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a sufficient ransom—
the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—
so that someone should live on forever
and not see decay.
For all can see that the wise die,
that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
leaving their wealth to others.
Their tombs will remain their houses forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they had named lands after themselves.

   Human beings, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish.

This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.d
They are like sheep and are destined to die;
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions. — Psalm 49: 7-14 (TNIV)

Rhubarb

Today's gardening moment...

I cover with my two rhubarb beds a few inches of leaf mold in the fall. I cut the foliage after a killing frost and compost it. If you want more tender rhubarb, don't let it go to seed, which can be a daily challenge in the spring; the seed stems seem to appear from no where. Just cut them off as low as possible, otherwise they will put out side shoots that will flower.

On Saturday, there weren't any seed heads on the rhubarb. On Sunday, there were about 10! Last night, I found another 2! It is a daily task this time of the year. On Saturday, I didn't break one off low enough; sure enough, last night it had sent up shoots that were forming seed pods.

Vindicated!

“From the epilogue, it is clear that God’s vindication of Job’s honesty, proven in his passionate recriminations against God and against his friends’ simplistic theories, is more important for Job than knowing the reason for his suffering. The epilogue shows Job satisfied by the divine assurance that his friends’ arguments were specious, as he had always asserted (13:7–10, 19:22–29, 42:7–9). Beyond that, God does not go in revealing to Job the cause of his suffering.”—Jewish Bible Theology, page 227

<idle musing>
I like that! He doesn't care why it happened, he's just happy to know that it's not a "you deserved it" response on God's part. I've been there; I didn't care as much about what was happening as I did in knowing that I didn't do anything to deserve it.
</idle musing>

What to do with more data

"If God is a combination of divergent attributes and is a cause of misfortune, why does Job not reject him? What had Job known of God in his former happy state? He had known him as one who confers order and good. Basking in his light, Job’s life had been suffused with blessings (29:2–5). No later evidence to the contrary could wipe out Job’s knowledge of God’s benignity gained from personal experience. Job calls that former knowledge of God a “hearing,” while his latter knowledge, earned through suffering, is a “seeing” (42:5); that is, the latter knowledge gained about God is to the former as seeing is to hearing—far more comprehensive and adequate. Formerly, Job had only a limited notion of God’s nature—as a benign, constructive factor in his life, “good” in terms of human morality. At that time, any evidence that ran against this conception of God was peripheral: it lay outside Job’s focus. He assumed that it too could somehow be contained in his view of the divine moral order, but nothing pressed him to look the uncongenial facts in the face.

“But misfortune moved the periphery into the center, and the perplexity that ensued is a testimony to Job’s piety, for he was not transformed by senseless misfortune into a scoffer—a denier of God—but, instead, he was thrown into confusion. His experience of God in good times had left on him an indelible conviction of God’s goodness that clashed with the new, equally strong evidence of God’s enmity. Though one contradicted the other, Job experienced both as the work of God, and did not forget the first (as did his wife) when the second overtook him.”—Jewish Bible Theology, page 226

<idle musing>
Interesting idea. So often when we encounter something that doesn't line up with our ideas, we either throw it out—or throw out the old ideas. Job takes them both into account—an excellent role model in that respect.
</idle musing>

New sale

Another new sale; this one is a 10-day sale:

Sixty-seven years ago today, April 9, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed. In his brief 39 years of life he produced some very important writings. These, along with his letters, have been collected, translated, and edited for English speakers into 16 volumes.
Eisenbrauns is offering the published volumes at discounts up to 40% off in commemoration of his short, but influential life.

See the whole list here:
http://www.eisenbrauns.com/pages/NEWSLIST

Straw Potatoes

This begins a series of random thoughts about gardening. Over the weekend, I tried to collect my thoughts on some gardening experiments over the last 4 years or so. Today's is about straw potatoes...

Lay down a bed of shredded leaves (2-3 inches) and place the seed potatoes on top of the leaves. Put 3-6 inches of straw on top of the potatoes cover with row cover—you don't need to put hoops on it; the potatoes will lift it easily. I remove the row cover after the maple is done sending out helicopters. Check the straw throughout the summer; if potatoes are showing, either fluff the straw or add more. Pull any weeds that show through the straw.

Last year, I started my potatoes in the basement. I cut them into chunks, put them in egg cartons—one per slot—and let them begin to grow for about 3-4 weeks. Then I transplanted them into the garden, put the straw over the top, as well as row cover. That seemed to work well. The previous year, I had tried starting some early in the cold frame; it didn't seem to make a difference. They all got the same size at the same time.

They say that if you pinch the flowers off the potato, you will get a bigger harvest. I experimented last year: I pinched all the flowers in one bed and none in the other. I didn't notice a difference between the beds...

Mindless, but not purposeless

“Senseless calamity loses some of its demoralizing effect when morale does not depend entirely on the comprehensibility of the phenomena but, rather, on the conviction that they are pervaded by the presence of God. As nature shows, this does not necessarily mean that they are sensible and intelligible.”—Jewish Bible Theology, page 225

<idle musing>
I like that way of looking at it. The tornadoes in Texas last week were not intelligible or sensible, but that doesn't mean they should demoralize us. The things Joel and Renee have experienced seem senseless and unintelligible—but so does the cross, if you look at it from the wrong side of the resurrection!
</idle musing>

Asparagus!

Already! Last Sunday, we had a friend over; as we were wandering around the yard, talking about the various trees, I commented that a guy at work already had asparagus. We didn't have any as of Saturday afternoon, so I assumed we still didn't. We wandered over to the garden, and sticking a good 4-5 inches in the air were a few shoots of asparagus! Needless to say, they were promptly eaten!

All week now, we've been able to get about 6-10 spears per day. Nice for chomping on—there's not much better than fresh asparagus, eaten right in the garden. Why destroy it by cooking it when you can eat it raw!?

On a totally unrelated note, I'm convinced that if J.R.R. Tolkien had known about Redbud trees, he would have populated Lothlórien with them instead of mallorn trees...

New Eisenbrauns sale

We just posted our April sale—quite a good one, I think. Here's the short version (get the long version here):

April Sale: 30/30/300! Yep, get 30% off now on over 90 titles, earn 30% credit good for 300 days.

They say that April showers bring May flowers, but at Eisenbrauns, the April sale brings 30% savings on more than 90 Eisenbrauns titles and 30% credit toward future purchases in the next 300 days (February 28, 2013). Save now and save later.

An even exchange?

“Satan’s wager and God’s assent to it dramatize a terrible quandary of faith: a pious man whose life has always been placid can never know whether his faith in God is more than an interested bargain—a convenience that has worked to his benefit—unless it is tested by events that defy the postulate of a divine moral order. Only when unreasonable misfortune erupts into a man’s life can he come to know the basis of his relation to God, thus allaying doubts (personified here by Satan) that both he and others must harbor about his faith. To conquer these doubts by demonstrating that disinterested devotion to God can indeed exist is necessary for man’s spiritual well-being; God’s acquiescence in Satan’s wager expresses this necessity. The terrible paradox is that no righteous man can measure his love of God unless he suffers a fate befitting the wicked.”—Jewish Bible Theology, page 224

<idle musing>
Interesting, isn't it? Kinda reminds me of the mystics "dark night of the soul" where God withholds the sense of his presence so that your faith may increase. After all, Second Corinthians says we walk by faith and not by sight...
</idle musing>

Ouch!

This is what happens to books when they get wet :(





Not just the bottom spine got wet:



Tomorrow's DOTD?! Can you guess what series the blue one is in?

Look to Job

“Job is a book not so much about God’s justice as about the transformation of a man whose piety and view of the world were formed in a setting of wealth and happiness and into whose life burst calamities that put an end to both. How can piety nurtured in prosperity prove to be truly deep-rooted and disinterested and not merely a spiritual adjunct of good fortune (“God has been good to me so I am faithful to Him”)? Can a man pious in prosperity remain pious when he is cut down by anarchical events that belie his orderly view of the world? The book of Job tells how one man suddenly awakened to the anarchy rampant in the world, yet his attachment to God outlived the ruin of his tidy system.”—Jewish Bible Theology, page 223

<idle musing>
I'm in the midst of reading Job right now. A relevant post to these thoughts was posted by Renee very early this AM...
</idle musing>

Toil away

“...in contrast to the view presented at the outset that physical toil was a punishment meted out to Adam after he sinned, we now see that labor was always part of the divine plan for him and part of his vocation in this world. The consequence of the sin was that labor became an arduous task and burden, not its mere existence. Human labor is a form of imitatio dei, in that the activities of the Creator are presented in the creation and Eden stories in a somewhat anthropomorphic fashion. Thus, human beings are following in His path both when they work for six days and when they rest on the seventh. What we have found in these two paradigmatic stories expresses a fundamental biblical outlook that labor is part of the human life as originally intended by the Creator.”—Jewish Bible Theology, pages 107-108

<idle musing>
I like that interpretation; it makes work an aspect of the imago dei—or as he says, imitatio dei. Either way, it makes work a part of living a holy life. No room for a dichotomy when you view work that way.
</idle musing>

Another look at Cain and Abel

“In the Cain and Abel story, Abel has a claim on Cain: Do not kill me! Why? It is because God takes personal interest in every human person who has been created in the divine image. In fact, that is very likely what it means to say that all humankind is made to “resemble [bi-demut] God” (Gen 5:1), namely, God and humans are interested in each other insofar as they share some commonality, a commonality not found in God’s relations with the rest of creation. 'And the Lord God said that humans are like one of us [kʾehad mimmennu], experiencing good and bad' (Gen 3:22). As such, an assault on any other human being is taken to be an assault on God himself; in fact, one’s ultimate reason for assaulting another human being might be because this is the closest one can come to assaulting God [emphasis mine]. Let it be remembered that Cain was still very angry with God for having rejected his sacrifice (Gen 4:4–7) just before we read that 'when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and he killed him”'(Gen 4:8). Killing his brother Abel, whom God had favored, might well have been his attempt to take revenge on God for God’s rejection of him.”—Jewish Bible Theology, page 93

<idle musing>
Interesting insight, isn't it? I think he's right! We don't dare strike back at God directly, so we find someone "safer" but still in the image of God...
</idle musing>

April First

Eisenbrauns has posted the annual April First specials. My personal favorite:

Elsie Dinsmore Learns Ugaritic
Elsie Dinsmore Adventures
Co-published with The Institute for Ugaritic and 19th Century American Historic Fictional Text Research in Peabody, MA
30
by Martha Finley
Winged Bull Press, Forthcoming Fall 2012
190 pages + plates, English
Paper
ISBN: APRIL2012A

www.eisenbrauns.com/item/APRIL2012A

Narnia dream

Too cool! Narnia wardrobe

The early Christians as radicals

Very interesting post yesterday by Peter Leithart about the radical pro-woman stance of the early church, quoting from a book I never heard of that looks interesting (see his post for details!):

Christians were forbidden to have abortions or to expose infants. Further, Christian women tended to marry later than pagan women and Christian men were expected to have sex with their wives, and only with their wives: “Christians discouraged marriage below a certain age and banned consummation of a marriage between a man and a child bride, such that the average age of marriage for Christian women became twenty, whereas for pagan women it was twelve. One must add that the rate of reproduction among pagans was very low: men favoured birth control (including anal and, less commonly, oral sex), indulged in homosexual sex, took concubines and patronized both male and female prostitutes, who in turn favoured various methods of birth control and abortion when necessary. All of these practices were forbidden to Christians, as most were to Jews. Roman men who converted to Christianity were obliged to have vaginal intercourse with their wives, and if pregnancy resulted, were obliged to have a child and raise it, regardless of sex.” The church provided protection for women whose husbands attempted to force them to violate these standards: “A Christian woman would have a community to support any resistance she offered to the directives of a pagan husband to do otherwise.”

<idle musing>
Read the whole post for a good overview of what was "normal" in the ancient world...
</idle musing>

Tomb? What tomb?

“Looking at the end of Moses’ life, a person encounters a formidable hero, a prophet, the only one God 'knew face to face,' enabling him to show 'terror . . . in the sight of all Israel.' However, the higher the praises are, the higher is the awe, and the more religiously significant is the danger of possible idolatry. Against the background of popular worship of a golden calf, it is only natural to expect even more egregious worship of a 'golden tomb' marking Moses’ grave. The golden calf was eliminated after it had been created. The 'golden tomb' should be eliminated before it is created. Hence, naturally, from the related religious point of view, 'no man knoweth of [Moses’] sepulchre unto this day.'”—Jewish Bible Theology, page 60

<idle musing>
It's also interesting that Aaron died up on a mountain somewhere and there is no record of his tomb, either. Knowing humanity's natural penchant for worship, God was merciful to us by not allowing us to know where they are buried.
</idle musing>

Signs of Spring

I took this picture this morning, before the sun had really risen, so it is a bit grainy. I love this redbud tree; you can see it from the kitchen window. We didn't know it was a redbud when we bought the property, so it was a pleasant surprise the first spring.

Passover and Moses

"...the extremely marginal role played by Moses in the text of the Passover Haggadah is best explained as a precautionary step. Because the traditional text has been shaped within the framework of deep tensions between Jews and Christians, the precautionary silence can be naturally explained by those tensions, as suspicion of any presentation of the relationship between God and Moses, 'his servant' (Exod 14:31), that is similar to Christian presentations of the relationship between God and Jesus, 'his son.' Be this as it may, it is clear that the silence of the Haggadah can be explained as an attempt to avoid any possibility of exaggerated admiration of Moses that could eventually confuse him with divinity.”—Jewish Bible Theology, page 60

<idle musing>
For those of you who might not know, the Haggadah is the traditional Passover celebration text—and Passover is coming soon, too. You can download Haggadot from the Internet pretty easily. There a even a few that have a Christian take on them. If you've never done a Seder, you should; it's rich in symbolism. But, I digress...

This concept of Moses being purposely shown to have feet of clay is fascinating.
</idle musing>

A worthy endeavor

Nick Norelli mentioned a worthy endeavor that their church has undertaken:

HARVEST THRIFT & BOUTIQUE

Business Hours
Location
Monday - Saturday
10:00am - 6:00 pm 4308 US Highway 9
Howell, NJ 07731
732-994-5020

The Harvest Thrift & Boutique offers new, like new & pre-owned items at discounted prices. We are constantly getting in new merchandise and our shelves are always stocked with unique treasures that make perfect gifts for yourself or someone you know.

<idle musing>
I like to see churches reaching out to the surrounding area. If you are in that area, give them a call and see how you can help.
</idle musing>

Moses and idolatry

“The absolute nature of the biblical opposition to idolatry should be stressed. The commandment I mentioned does not specify certain idols to avoid serving. Actually, it does not mention any single idol, though it could have mentioned well-known idols, those of the neighboring peoples and countries. It does not mention any idol in particular because it is interested in all forms of idolatry, whether extant or merely possible. It is not very difficult to create a new form of idolatry. “They invent idols every day,” says Midrash Mekilta of Rashbi (Exod 20:3, on “other gods”). The conclusion that one naturally draws from observations of this sort about idolatry is that everything on earth can under some circumstances become an idol. Moreover, the more admirable something is, the more natural, imminent, and significant is the danger that may be rendered an idol. A perfect person would be extremely admirable and thereby also naturally worshiped. Because the portrayal of Moses includes his superb qualities, the possibility exists of his being worshiped. Thus, on the one hand, the biblical portrayal of Moses risks Moses’ being served by the children of Israel and their descendants as an idol.

“Here is where the other elements of the image of Moses enter the picture. On the one hand, he is superb, but on the other hand, he is a human being of ordinary faults. If a person of superb qualities seems a natural candidate for idol worship, when his shortcomings are revealed, his candidacy for idol worship diminishes. The religious point of all the negative elements of the image of Moses, whether in the Bible or in midrash, is that, though Moses is an extraordinary human being, he should not be served as an idol, a false divinity. The mixed nature of the image of Moses, first in the Bible and then in midrashim, is justified.”—Asa Kasher, “Fighting Forms of Idolatry” in Jewish Bible Theology, pages 58-59

<idle musing>
I found this a fascinating insight. Show the feet of clay that all the glory goes to God. True humility; true devotion; truly rare!
</idle musing>

Final thought

A man of God is not what he preaches but what he lives; his message is no greater than what he is. God finds vile our fleshly appetites and desires. When we seek to please ourselves or others more than we seek to please God, we fall prey to the danger of divination, and even worse to become a false prophet. By removing or putting away this evil from before us God promises He will make us His mouthpiece. There is only one sure way of separating this evil, and it is by the fear of the Lord.”— Thus Saith the Lord?, page 182

<idle musing>
A very apt way to end the book, I would say...
</idle musing>

If he promised it, then what?

“Our culture is not trained to wait and let God work. We are inbred with, 'If we don't have it, find a way to get it.' So if we don't have money to buy it, charge it. If sickness strikes, why pray? Call the doctor—we have insurance. If we have been given a promise from God, go for it. Tell everyone. Proclaim it, and through a little manipulation and/or control we can get it. (Of course, we don't say the last part.) Then we claim God fulfilled His promise to us. But in reality we have just birthed another Ishmael.

“If God has promised He will do something in your life, let Him.

“A wise friend told me years ago, 'Make it hard on God. He likes it!' I've come to realize the harder it is, the more glory He gets! We are only responsible to do what He tells us specifically to do. The rest of the time we believe, pray, fight spiritual opposing forces, and thank God for His fulfillment.”— Thus Saith the Lord?, page 178

<idle musing>
Amen! Good preaching! If God promised something, let him deliver on it. Don't go manipulating things yourself and then pretend it was God. Moses waited 40 years for the fulfillment—after he tried it his own way first.

Elijah poured water over the sacrifice just to make it harder. God responded by taking not just the sacrifice, but the rocks, too (I Kings 17)! If God is doing it, you can't make it too hard for him.
</idle musing>

To whom are you being directed?

When you leave the meeting of a true prophet you should feel an intense desire to seek God. His words will either point you back to Jesus or sharpen your present focus. There will be a new clarity. In contrast, when you leave the meeting of a false prophet you'll find yourself wanting to go back for another word any time you need encouragement or direction! There is a danger when we embrace another mediator outside of Christ. He rent the veil so that man could come into the presence of the Father. There in His presence is where you will find the fulfillment of every need and deepest desire.”— Thus Saith the Lord?, page 155

<idle musing>
This is so true! A real prophet doesn't care if you like what he says—he just cares that it is what God is saying. He desires God—and God alone. There is no "God and..." Tozer said anytime you add something after God you've entered into idolatry—and he's right.
</idle musing>

Duck!

“Individuals under its influence [false prophecy] often appear highly spiritual. They give the impression of hours in prayer and constant progressive revelation...While in their presence you may feel like your spiritual life pales in comparison as they relay the many things God has told or shown them through prayer, visions, or dreams. You find yourself feeling almost unspiritual and backslidden in comparison. If there is any insecurity in your relationship with God you will find yourself cowering spiritually before them.”— Thus Saith the Lord?, pages 130-131

<idle musing>
Appearance versus reality—our society favors the former and we are seduced by it. My comment? When you feel inferior to some spiritual guru, duck and run!
</idle musing>

Peace! Peace! But there is no peace...

“Only a disciple of Jesus rejects what would bring happiness or recognition in order to embrace what is difficult. The life of a believer is never easy, and those who seek comfort and recognition are destined for error. They can easily be led away into rebellion, especially if it is tagged with 'This saith the Lord.'”— Thus Saith the Lord?, page 104

<idle musing>
As Bonhoeffer put it so well in Discipleship: "When Jesus calls a man, he bids him come and die." If that's not what you are willing to do, then maybe "believer" isn't the right word...

I'm preaching to myself here, by the way. If we aren't willing to die to our own desires and wishes, then we can't follow Jesus—those are his words, not mine! And the fruit of following our own desires and wishes—or grudgingly following him—is not pleasant at all. It may seem pleasant and soft for a season, but the frost will come, as will the snow and ice. In some cases (most?), that season is pretty short—about an hour, in my experience. As the KJV puts it, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." (2 Cor 4:17) But we easily get distracted by the fluff and nonsense around us unless we live dead to self and alive in Christ Jesus.

Praise God for the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit!
</idle musing>

Good rebellion?

“I then realized there is an 'evil' rebellion, and there is a 'good' rebellion. Both, however are rebellion, and both are an affront to God's authority. Most in the church would never fall for the 'evil' rebellion. Drug abuse, organized crime, wild drinking parties are too obvious. But today many in the church could be swayed with the 'good' rebellion...Eve was [ellipsis his]. She was not tempted to be like Satan. She was tempted to be like God.”— Thus Saith the Lord?, page 102

<idle musing>
I think this is a major problem in the church today. We settle for "good rebellion" instead of obedience...
</idle musing>

Spring!

This is crazy! It was in the upper 70ºs F this weekend. That's a good 25ºF above normal. The daffodils are in full bloom, the plum tree in our yard burst into flower on Friday; yesterday the peach tree was starting to blossom. I can't help but think they will get nipped by frost before all is over.

This time of year is hard on a gardener; I want to plant, but I know it won't last. Over the weekend, I cleaned up some of the beds, weeding them and cultivating them. Last year, I put out broccoli about this time only to have the temperature crash into the low 20ºs F the next week. I've got broccoli seedlings in the basement that I'm tempted to put out—sure way to make the temperature crash! Oh well, I think I'll do it anyway.

The broccoli raab, spinach, and sprouting broccoli that I planted last November in the hoop house are starting to go crazy. I'm needing to pick the first two just about daily to keep up with it. The Romaine lettuce is just about ready to start picking, too.

Oh, and the rhubarb is starting to come up. No asparagus yet :( I was weeding it this weekend, but didn't see any shoots coming up...

Then why do we fall for them?

“We embrace these words because they feed the secret desires and motivations of our hearts. They have fed the soulish desire for gain and promotion. Without realizing it we have adopted a desire for the Pharisee's reward—the praise and recognition of man and the riches and comforts of this life. We have lost sight of the eternal reward and accepted the temporal. This inhibits our ability to rightly divide truth from falsehood.”— Thus Saith the Lord?, page 67

<idle musing>
Compromise, pure and simple. The stuff we can touch and feel wins out over the stuff that is just as real—and really matters.
</idle musing>

The net effect

Speaking about a personal prophecy a person shared with Bevere:

“What effect did this word have on this young man? Did it strengthen him for hardship or battles? Did it draw his heart toward God? I questioned him, 'How did you feel while this was being spoken over you? Did this make you feel good?'

He said, 'Yes.”

I asked, 'Did the word make you want to embrace the prophet delivering the word?'
Again he said, 'Yes.'

Time passed and I questioned him further, 'Do you believe this was a word from God?'

'No,' he answered.

People go to this speaker's meetings hoping to receive a word from God. But really, they want insight into their future. So is this minister a prophet or a Christian fortuneteller?”— Thus Saith the Lord?, page 61

<idle musing>
I've often wondered about that. Have we reduced God to a "magic 8 ball?" I fear that too often we have tried...and we have reduced the role of prophet to one of a popularity contest, with so-called prophets vying with one another to outdo each other in tickling people's ears. I feel like Micaiah sometimes (see I Kings 22).
</idle musing>

The qualifications

“Other times, prophetic words were given to impart gifts or to set apart believers for ministry. These words came from tested and tried overseers who labored among the believers and knew their lives—not from prophets who knew very little or nothing about their lives (1 Tim. 5:22, NCV; Acts 13:1-4). The Bible is clear about this. Paul writes that before a person can be brought into an office of serving he must first be tested! Only ministers who have watched the candidates lives can do this, not strangers.” — Thus Saith the Lord?, page 59

<idle musing>
What? You mean they don't just ride into town like the Lone Ranger, clean everything up, and then ride off into the sunset? You mean they actually are supposed to get to know people and get dirty? Sounds too messy!—which means it probably is the correct way...
</idle musing>

Bringing the hidden to light

“The true Word of God brings to light hidden motives and convicts us of selfish ambition, strife, and envy in our lives, which ultimately brings healing. God lamented through Jeremiah:

I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings—Jeremiah 23:21-22”— Thus Saith the Lord? page 49

<idle musing>
Not the typical kind of personal prophecy one hears, is it? That the scriptural content of prophecy and the content of "personal prophecy" are usually so far apart should be a cause for concern, don't you think?
</idle musing>

Of e-readers

I have a guilty secret. I have an e-reader—no, not really. I have two of them!

Yep. I have a Kindle™ and a Nook™ on my desk. And, I use them—regularly. Last week, I had a Kindle Fire™, too. And, we have an iPod™ and access to an iPad™, as well.

What in world am I doing with all those e-readers? Testing, of course. I know far more about the displaying of Hebrew on e-readers than I want to. And, I can tell you how PDFs look on them, too.

Wanna know more? I thought so. Let's start with PDFs, that old standby format that we all use and have a love/hate relationship with.

A PDF displays on all of them. But, it does best on a Nook™. It reflows, you can change the font size, non-pointed Hebrew shows up perfectly, all the funky transliterations, such as š show up correctly, too. But, pointed Hebrew doesn't do as well. Sometimes it shows up perfectly; other times, you get a character or two on a line, then some blank lines and a few more characters. Strange...

What about the Kindle™ with PDFs? Not so good. It just allows a page view. You can re-size it, but, it doesn't re-flow. You have to use the buttons to move the screen. Talk about a pain!

But, you didn't buy an e-reader to read PDFs, did you? I didn't think so. So, how does our Hebrew fare on the Nook™? It doesn't. Period. It doesn't show up; it doesn't even leave funky squares to let you know it's missing. Frustrating!

The Kindle™ fares a bit better. The Hebrew font displays fine; the character size is correct and readable. One problem, though. It's backwards. Yep. It goes left-to-right! So, I thought maybe that was a function of the stripped down operating system in the Kindle™, so I borrowed a Kindle Fire™, which is Android™ powered, thinking it would do better...Nope. Still backwards...

So, what's a scholar to do? Well, enter the iOS devices. We dumped one of our books onto an iPad™. Sure enough. It was all there—and right-to-left even!

So, how is it that some books with Hebrew are showing up in Kindles™ and Nooks™? Well, it's easy—sorta. You take the file and turn all the Hebrew into a graphic. But, there are several problems with that: 1. It doesn't scale well when you change the font. 2. It isn't searchable! 3. It takes extra labor and therefore costs more.

So, don't be looking for a huge flood of academic books into the e-book market anytime soon...

By the way, most of the cost of a book is in the editorial and prepress (typesetting) process. The physical books are a small part of it—at least if you still edit your books, which Eisenbrauns does. Not sure about some other publishers.

I was reading a book this weekend and came across a sentence that used "then" where they clearly meant "than." Ouch! This was an academic book, too...

Who's the role model?

“Very little of what is happening in our prophetic conferences, meetings, or services today even remotely correlates with Jesus' or John the Baptist's pattern of prophecy. Could it be we've followed another pattern? Have we become like the prophets in the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who prophesied peace and prosperity while God endeavored to call his people back to His heart?”— Thus Saith the Lord? page 38

<idle musing>
Too true. Where's that scripture that talks about the prophet that people desire is the one who prophesies wealth, peace, and prosperity? —he's called a false one, by the way.
</idle musing>

Some new books...

I finished reading this one over the weekend while I was at SWCRS. It's got some great articles in it that you'll be seeing excerpts from in a week or so...

Jewish Bible Theology
Perspectives and Case Studies
Eisenbrauns - EIS
Edited by Isaac Kalimi
Eisenbrauns, 2012
xii + 276 pages, English
Cloth, 6 x 9 inches
ISBN: 9781575062310
List Price: $49.50
Your Price: $44.55
www.eisenbrauns.com/item/KALJEWISH

For the hardcore academic, the latest in the Babel und Bibel series. The articles in this one will make you think. Lots of language stuff—yummy!

Babel und Bibel 6
Babel und Bibel -- B&B 6
Edited by Leonid Kogan
Eisenbrauns, 2012
iii + 620 pages, English, German, and French
Cloth, 6 x 9 inches
ISBN: 9781575062280
List Price: $69.50
Your Price: $62.55
www.eisenbrauns.com/item/BABELBIBEL6

This one came while I was gone, but is a most welcome addition to the new Hebrew Bible Quinta series:

Judges
Biblia Hebraica Quinta - BHQ 7
Edited by Natalio Fernandez Marcos
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart, 2012
xxxii + 204 pages, Hebrew
Paper
ISBN: 9783438052674
List Price: $109.95
Your Price: $82.46
www.eisenbrauns.com/item/BHQJUDGES

Thus Saith the Lord?

I read the book Thus Saith the Lord? for the first time well over 10 years ago. Recently, I read it again and found it just as relevant now as it was then. For those of you outside the Charismatic/Pentecostal/Third Wave world, the next 2-3 weeks of snippets might seem irrelevant, but stay tuned anyway—I'm sure you will be able to take something with you from them :)

Anyway, here's the first of several...

These prophets will call for change; their primary mission will be turning the hearts of God's people back to their Father. Their messages will be accompanied by strong conviction. Often the words might not seem "nice." Their preaching will hit the hardened areas of our hearts as a hammer smashing upon a rock. They will command, rebuke, correct, and exhort with all authority, yet it will all flow from a heart filled with love for God and His people...These prophets will not seek the accolades or rewards of man. They will only desire to handle faithfully the truth that sets men free. They will not be bought for they already know their rewarder. Power, popularity, or money will not influence their words.”— Thus Saith the Lord?, page 34

<idle musing>
The church can definitely use people like that—and I'm not excluding myself, either! We need people whose hearts are attuned to God and won't deviate to the left or right for anyone else. Of course they won't be popular. No prophet ever is!
</idle musing>

Bringing people to church

“Christians are made strangers of the world by transformation, but they are left in the world that they might bring others to experience the same transformation.

“Those who abandon the stranger concept, who indulge in worldly pleasures under the guise of relating better to society, inadvertently destroy their message of transformation. They may bring people to church. They may even convince them to take the name Christian. But they have not brought them to Christ.”—Love and Nonresistance page 134

<idle musing>
Yep. Without transformation—and that means from the inside out—they are not brought to Christ. They can attend as many church functions as they wish, but they are still not "in Christ."
</idle musing>

Transformation

“Professed Christianity, Christianity that is not like Christ, Christianity that is no longer based on inner transformation is void of power, void of effect, and therefore void of any worth. It is fit for nowhere but under foot. Cast it away. It is worse than refuse; it is reprobate.”—John Coblentz, in Love and Nonresistance, page 131

<idle musing>
It certainly is. But, we don't need to settle for less; Christ is the one who transforms us. We don't do it ourselves; we allow the Holy Spirit to do it in us. Why settle for empty formalities when you can have the real thing?
</idle musing>

To what extent Christian?

“When Christianity ceases to insist on a transformed nature, it no longer sees worldly indulgence and worldly love as sinful. And this being true, we must admit the antithesis as well. When we begin to feel at home in this world, when we begin to judge our comfort, our happiness, our wealth, our education, and our tastes by the same standards as this world's, we cease to be Christian.”—Love and Nonresistance, page 129

<idle musing>
All we have to do is look around us...there is no difference; the church has compromised to the point that it looks to politics to solve soul problems. How sad...the power of the Holy Spirit is replaced with the power of the ballot box and lobbyist. Prayer meetings are dying because people don't expect answers to prayer. "Pray about it" is used as a joke instead of a true admonition.
</idle musing>

The way of victory

“Whenever the devil opposes the continued work of Calvary by carnal weaponry in the hands of evil men, the church must respond to those men as Christ did—not resisting them, but rather loving them and praying for their forgiveness. In that response, the wisdom of God is always at work to transform the attack of men to the ultimate defeat of spiritual forces. This was demonstrated not only at Calvary but also in the early church. Nonresistant under the attack of evil men, the church multiplied.”—Love and Nonresistance, page 83

<idle musing>
Amen! Good preaching! Would that we would all follow his injunction.
</idle musing>

John Bunyan, a feminist?

I was reading through a new copy of Pilgrim's Progress (thanks Bobby!) last night and ran across this little gem:

I will now speak on the behalf of women, to take away their reproach. For as death and the curse came into the world by a woman, Gen. 3, so also did life and health: God sent forth his Son, made of a woman. Gal. 4:4. Yea, to show how much they that came after did abhor the act of the mother, this sex in the Old Testament coveted children, if happily this or that woman might be the mother of the Saviour of the world. I will say again, that when the Saviour was come, women rejoiced in him, before either man or angel. Luke 1:42-46. I read not that ever any man did give unto Christ so much as one groat; but the women followed him, and ministered to him of their substance. Luke 8:2,3. ‘Twas a woman that washed his feet with tears, Luke 7:37-50, and a woman that anointed his body at the burial. John 11:2; 12:3. They were women who wept when he was going to the cross, Luke 23:27, and women that followed him from the cross, Matt. 27:55,56; Luke 23:55, and sat over against his sepulchre when he was buried. Matt. 27:61. They were women that were first with him at his resurrection-morn, Luke 24:1, and women that brought tidings first to his disciples that he was risen from the dead. Luke 24:22,23. Women therefore are highly favored, and show by these things that they are sharers with us in the grace of life.

<idle musing>
Interesting way to start Women's History Month isn't it?

By the way, the text is also available online in numerous places, but I got this from CCEL for copying and pasting.
</idle musing>

Cross-bearing in the US

“In a land of freedom and prosperity, the Biblical concept of cross-bearing is easily lost. We find it easy to become attached to our possessions, to love a good reputation, to relish the satisfaction of ease and pleasure. The cross of Jesus certainly does not call us to create loss, shame, or persecution, but it stands all contrary to worldly gain, worldly praise, and worldly pleasure. Persecution is never pleasant, but it has never been such a threat to the existence of the church as the world's smile, the world's goods, and the world's pleasures have been; and that church in freedom whose cross is but a sentimental emblem will surely fall prey to the friendship of the world.

“There are lands where the blood of cross-bearing flows freely. Should that arm of hatred and persecution ever extend to our land, it would likely find the church at large woefully un-Christlike in its response. Now is the time to hold up the cross in its entirely. Whether the world holds us in shame or superficial honor, whether it inflicts suffering or is tolerant, whether it takes our possessions or tempts us with affluence and pleasure, the church must be moved by none of these things. She must embrace the cross of her Lord with joy and with the willingness to withstand either hatred or flirtation, to suffer trial or temptation. This is her delight, her calling, and her ethical standard.”—Love and Nonresistance, page 80

<idle musing>
Amen! Deuteronomy warns the Israelites against forgetting YHWH when they prosper. Would that we hearkened here in the U.S.!
</idle musing>

Suffering willingly

“At the cross believers were transformed. In its light they received the wisdom of God. And they purposed upon their confession of faith to identify in the suffering and shame of the One who had died there for their sins. The cross became the symbol of the life-governing ethics of the new way. When, for their faith, believers lost their possessions, their inheritances, their families, or their reputation, they associated all such loss with their identification with the cross of Christ, and they counted it not loss but gain, not sorrow but joy. Earthly loss for their faith in Christ meant dying with Him, and therefore gave them solid hope for resurrection with Him.

“To suffer willingly, to receive insult without retaliation, to lose possessions without resistance—this was not heroic action by traditional Jewish standards. To the Jews the resister was the hero, the one who never gave up; who even under Roman rule was indomitable. The Romans held a similar value. Though separated from the Jews by race, culture, and social standards, with the Jew they believed in honor by the exercise of physical strength and force. Taking up the cross, meaning being willing to suffer wrong, was therefore a shame in the eyes of both the Jews and the Romans. To both cultures the Christians became the offscouring of humanity, the contemptible sect; in Jesus' predictive words, the 'hated for my name's sake.'”—Love and Nonresistance, pages 78-79

<idle musing>
Wow. There's a lot of good stuff there to digest... I especially like this: "...with the Jew they believed in honor by the exercise of physical strength and force." Not much has changed in 2000 years, except now we can substitute "American culture" for "the Romans."
</idle musing>

Eisenbrauns March sale

New month, new sale. From BookNews:

Selected NINO titles up to 40% off
A blustery start to the month of March inspired the thought of sailing. That in turn caused a look to the Netherlands, with their long history of seafaring. Accordingly, we are offering selected titles from Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten/Netherlands Institute for the Near East at savings up to 40% off.

And thereafter follows a list of about 20 great ANE titles...go get 'em and save! No wonder they go by NINO :)

A bit off the beaten track

We were in a Mennonite bookstore a few weeks ago—there are quite a few around here (we're in the middle of Mennonite/Amish country in this part of Indiana)—and I picked up an interesting little book that I'll be excerpting here for a bit. Here's the first snippet:

“Jesus was the center of the early church; all she did, all she taught was rooted in Him. He was her living Truth.

“The practice of the early church, then, was rooted in the practice of Jesus, and central to His practice was the bearing of the cross.

“When Jesus spoke of men becoming His disciples, He spoke without fail of being willing to take up the cross. The impact of this action certainly was no known until after Jesus' death; but when once the reality of the cross was made plain, taking up the cross became the characterizing life-purpose of the believers.—Love and Nonresistance, page 78

<idle musing>
Anabaptists are big on transformation and radical discipleship—see Scot McKnight's post today for a good summary of Anabaptist beliefs.

I've been a pacifist since I became a Christian almost 40 years ago. Before that I was more on the radical side of things. And not at all adverse to the use of force to see my ideas put in place. That was one of the first things God changed in me. But, I have to admit that I never explored the "nonresistance" option as opposed to pacifism. In truth, I didn't know there was a difference—and maybe there isn't. But, this author makes a case for the distinction. And, if that distinction is valid, then I would have to say that I am in the nonresistance crowd, not the pacifist crowd.

I don't buy his "two-kingdoms" model, though. I just don't see the distinction between secular and sacred the way he does. I suspect that is a hang-on from the Germanic Lutheran roots of some Anabaptists. But, if you throw away that, the book is very good—but you will be able to judge a bit more for yourself in the next week or two as I excerpt from it...
</idle musing>

In the end...

“This God has subversive tendencies. One may readily discern this point in the divine proclivity throughout Genesis for the secondborn as opposed to the firstborn child. But this image extends further and is much broader in scope. God is a God of inversion, who is not circumscribed by the strictures imposed by the various power brokers of the narrative. The subversive nature of YHWH attested in the Jacob cycle manifests a dogged insistence that YHWH is free to undermine any sense of propriety, decorum, and convention as is deemed fitting to the situation at hand.”—Jacob and the Divine Trickster, page 176

<idle musing>
No doubt YHWH is larger than us and delights to reverse humanity's egotistical impulses. But, I still think John takes it too far...and he disagrees with me, I'm sure! He does, however, offer a healthy corrective to the tendency of some to smooth over the "bumps" in the Bible. After all, Aslan isn't a tame lion.
</idle musing>

Unsettling

“I have sought in this book to advance a descriptive theology of the book of Genesis, outlining not what I wish the text said—in conformity with my own ethical sensibilities and mores—but, rather, what the text communicates and how it does so. Reading the Bible should not be an easy enterprise. Readers of the Bible are invited to participate in the conversation occurring across time within its pages. This conversation should be unsettling at points. It should raise questions. It should prompt self-reflection. It should press us to think 'outside the box,' to reevaluate who we are and who God is.”—Jacob and the Divine Trickster, page 175

<idle musing>
While I disagree with where he ends up in the book, I definitely agree with this sentiment. The Bible should never be a comfortable book! It should cause us to think and review what we claim we believe. And, it should lead us to Jesus and the realization that we are totally dependent on him...
</idle musing>

Let's talk about protein

Saw this from John McChesney-Young on Google +. The author is a nutritionist, so he knows what he's talking about...

As a nutrition professional, I get very frustrated by the protein-centric framework that inevitably comes up when plant-based eating is discussed, particularly because the average American consumes sufficient protein, but nowhere near the daily recommended amounts of fiber and several important minerals, like magnesium. Low intakes of both are associated with higher risks of chronic disease. And, here’s an indisputable fact: No matter how humane, local, pastured, or organic your steak or chicken is, it does not offer fiber or significant levels of magnesium. Vegetarian sources of protein, meanwhile (nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, pseudograins, and vegetables) are good — and in some cases, excellent — sources of both.

<idle musing>
To say nothing about the amount of oil, sugar, and corn syrup ingested...
</idle musing>

Wait a minute!

“...Jacob’s prayer creates for the reader a tension and an expectation: will God answer Jacob’s prayer, and if so, how? At this stage, however, all the reader can do is wait alongside Jacob in the hope that God will in some way hear his prayer and deliver him from the presumed wrath of Esau. As the text continues, the initial tension over whether God intervenes is quickly replaced by a new tension centered on how God sets out to deliver Jacob. This divine assistance comes in a much more foreboding form than Jacob or the reader could anticipate: an encounter with the divine that quickly takes on a terrifyingly violent tenor. What kind of deliverance is this that includes God’s assault on the bearer of the promise?”—Jacob and the Divine Trickster, page 146

<idle musing>
But isn't that exactly what happens to Moses on his way back to Egypt? YHWH meets him to kill him in Exodus 4:24-26?

At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Mosesa and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it.b “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.) (TNIV)

Ah, he does mention the similarities on page 154, but quickly dismisses them. I think they would bear closer scrutiny, though. In fairness to John, he and I discussed this when I first read it. He feels his parallels are a better fit within the Jacob cycle than taking it to Exodus...
</idle musing>

Amazon strikes again

Yesterday, Amazon decided they weren't making enough money off an independent publisher (IPG), so they cut off all their Kindle books. The response from authors and other publishers has been very positive—I think they did the right thing by not caving to the monster—and Melville House is posting some of those responses to the web here. Definitely worth the read...

Laban's insight

“The theological importance conveyed by Laban’s use of the personal name YHWH is that one should regard Laban’s blessing as coming only from the personal God of Jacob. This point is punctuated all the more if Laban only learns of his blessed position vis-à-vis Jacob through divination of, arguably, Laban’s own personal deities. The god of Laban is not the same God that he calls “YHWH” in 30:27. In 31:19, Rachel steals her father’s household gods, perhaps out of fear that he will learn of Jacob’s escape through divination, and in 31:47, 53, Laban swears in Aramaic by invoking the name of his own personal god. Laban’s deity (or deities) is unable to bestow the same profitable blessing on Laban as has YHWH, the God of Jacob. God’s promise is thus at work here, and the theological impact becomes all the more palpable when the recognition comes for the first time from a foreigner...

“Thus far in the narrative, the promise is still in abeyance, awaiting the future fulfillment that until now has only been partially realized. In Laban, however, the promise finds not only an outlet for blessing but also an individual who potentially could harm the heir to the promise, Jacob, by prolonging his stay with Laban and thus minimizing—or perhaps wholly negating—the possibility for blessing to all nations purposed in 12:3 and 28:14. Laban may thus be trying to arrogate for himself the conduit of his blessing, Jacob, as a guarantee of continued prosperity. Aware of this potentially deceptive tactic, the narrative next moves to display God’s intervention in accord with the promise of presence and protection, as will be discussed below in reference to Gen 31:1–16. The message, stemming from the conditional nature of the ancestral promise discussed in chap. 1—that blessing to the nations is contingent on the nations’ not impeding the sharing of the blessing with other nations—is that Laban has failed to acknowledge that the divine blessing is for Abraham and his family, not exclusively for Laban.”—Jacob and the Divine Trickster, pages 107, 108

<idle musing>
Very interesting observation...
</idle musing>

What makes a good teacher?

From Chronicle of Higher Education:

"The way I look at it is, I've plowed the ground," he says. "Now they're susceptible the next time they see the material. And you'll give them an assignment, and that forces them to look at the material in a new way."

As he sees it, his job is less about being an expert imparting facts and figures, and more about being a salesman convincing students that his material is worth their attention. "The messenger, ironically enough, is more important than the message," he says. "If the messenger is excited and passionate about what they have to say, it leaves a good impression. It stimulates students to see what all this excitement is about."

The things that make a good teacher are difficult—if not impossible—to teach, he thinks. Which is why technology may be so attractive to some teaching reformers. Blogging, Twitter, and other digital tools involve step-by-step processes that can be taught.

<idle musing>
Yep. It's about the teacher-student and student-student interaction—which is why distance education isn't the same as an in-class experience. You can't replicate it—although it is getting better. And also why putting all the lecture notes online can never replace the actual class time.

I always saw my time teaching as a chance to get students excited about the subject. If they got excited, then they would pursue knowing more. Life is exciting! And there are so many neat things to learn about what God has created. If students get a glimpse of that, then they will want to learn. And that is what a teacher needs to convey... Just an
</idle musing>

New 10-day sale

Yep, the new 10-day sale is up. Here's the skinny, from BookNews:

New 10-Day Special: Books by Isaac Kalimi, 20-51% off

We have a new book arriving next week that is edited by Isaac Kalimi. I thought that might be a good opportunity to highlight some other books he has either written or edited; including one appearing in April of this year.

An Ancient Israelite Historian
Studies in the Chronicler, His Time, Place and Writing
by Isaac Kalimi
Studia Semitica Neerlandica - SSN 46
Van Gorcum, 2005. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9789023240716
List Price: $79.50
Your Price: $63.60

This book is now published by Brill; we have some of the Van Gorcum edition left. The Brill printing retails for $140—buying this one saves you 51%! Same edition, better price.

Conditioned by his own time and place, the Chronicler (that is, the author of the book of Chronicles) evaluated the past from his own historical context and its standards. This means that the book of Chronicles primarily represents the views of its author about the past, making it applicable to the time and generation when it was composed, rather than representing the times and generations spoken about, the monarchic period.
The message of the Chronicler was undeniably different from that of the earlier biblical works and was... (more)

Early Jewish Exegesis and Theological Controversy
Studies in Scriptures in the Shadow of Internal and External Controversies
by Isaac Kalimi
Jewish and Christian Heritage Series - JCHS 2
Van Gorcum, 2002. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9789023237136.
List Price: $59.00
Your Price: $47.20

This book also is now published by Brill for $96.00—ours is 49% cheaper!

The book is an important study on aspects of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament theology, the reception of biblical texts in Judaism and Christianity; the Aqedah, and related topics.

The book comprises three main parts: a) the Aqedah and the Temple, b) Biblical Texts in Polemical Contexts, and c) Biblical Theology, Judaism and Christianity. Although each part deals with a specifically defined topic, all are linked by some common themes: all the sections discuss early Jewish exegesis, namely the interpretation of early Scriptures in... (more)

The Books of Chronicles
A Classified Bibliography
by Isaac Kalimi
Simor Bible Bibliographies - SBB
Simor, Ltd., 1990. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9789652420084
List Price: $38.00
Your Price: $30.40

The Reshaping of Ancient Israelite History in Chronicles
by Isaac Kalimi
Eisenbrauns, 2005. Paper. English.
ISBN: 9781575062396
List Price: $49.50
Your Price: $34.65

The Retelling of Chronicles in Jewish Tradition and Literature
A Historical Journey
by Isaac Kalimi
Eisenbrauns, 2009. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9781575061498
List Price: $59.50
Your Price: $35.70

Jewish Bible Theology
Perspectives and Case Studies
Edited by Isaac Kalimi
Eisenbrauns, Forthcoming, February 28, 2012. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9781575062310
List Price: $49.50
Your Price: $44.55

New Perspectives on Ezra-Nehemiah
History and Historiography, Text, Literature, and Interpretation
Edited by Isaac Kalimi
Eisenbrauns, Forthcoming, April, 2012. Cloth. English.
ISBN: 9781575062334
List Price: $49.50
Your Price: $44.55

Of course, if you subscribed to BookNews, you could see it in beautiful living color :)

Bread

Yesterday we made bread at Eisenbrauns. Robin, one of our customer service reps, is leaving at the end of the week. It is a sad loss for us, but a gain for the county library.

Anyway, she has been bugging me to show her how to make bread for several years now. I figured it was now or never! So, I drove to work yesterday, bringing along our convection oven and enough fixings for two loaves of bread. No, I didn't put it on my bike trailer!

The recipe I used is one that I adapted from The Whole Plants Cookbook. It is simple to make—only takes about 5 minutes of your time. The rest of the time is waiting for it to rise and then bake. So, I made the first loaf and Robin watched and made the second one.

The smell of the bread rising and then baking was wonderful. We need to get an oven here at work! We were eating fresh bread before 9:30. Of course, we let everybody else in the business know—as if the smell hadn't clued them in! I'm not sure some people liked it; it is a whole wheat bread and somewhat heavy. But, I like it and so did Robin, so it was a success.

Here's the recipe:

3 cups whole wheat flour
1½ tsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 ¾ cup water (lukewarm)

Combine dry ingredients. Make well in center. Pour in water. Mix & knead in bowl about 2 minutes (the dough will pull away from the side of the bowl). Place in 9x5 bread pan lined with baking paper. Cover & let rise about 40 minutes. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

Notice that there is no added oil, which is why you need the baking paper. You can use a non-stick pan, but the bread's crust is shiny, almost like you varnished it. I also make a rye bread variation...

The unloved

“It is not inconsequential that this narrative unit begins with YHWH’s noticing Leah’s unloved status and responding by opening her womb, while Rachel remains barren. Here one may observe an oddity within Genesis: this scene presents the only time that YHWH shows a preference for the firstborn to the detriment of the secondborn.”—Jacob and the Divine Trickster, page 104

<idle musing>
Very interesting, indeed. YHWH shows favor to the ones that society and those in power ignore—something that Christians especially should know... Of course, that begs the question of why our "christian" structures are built upside down??? It's as if Jesus said that the first shall be even more first and the last shall be stomped on and forced to serve those who are first. What is wrong with that picture?
</idle musing>

and the blessing goes to...

“Esau too receives a blessing (vv. 39–40) that is remarkably similar to Jacob’s. Two glaring differences stand out. First, Esau’s blessing reverses the first two lines of Jacob’s blessing, leading many scholars incorrectly to regard it as a curse or anti-blessing. Second, and most importantly, God appears nowhere in the blessing of Esau. Taken in tandem, this second fact is not a denigration of Esau for the future but is simply a concern to show that the ancestral promise will go to Jacob, not Esau.”—Jacob and the Divine Trickster, page 80

<idle musing>
It is all about the ancestral promise. Today's statement makes better use of the evidence than yesterday's condemnation of Esau as unworthy...
</idle musing>

Esau

“Esau is the only character in this narrative never to receive a word from God. The narrative unmistakably portrays Esau not only as unfit to carry the promise forward but also as unfit to hear a divine word.”—Jacob and the Divine Trickster, page 72

<idle musing>
Really? John, aren't you reading a bit too much into that?
</idle musing>

UPDATE: Typo on my part for the title of the post; thanks to Claude for pointing it out.

The place of Christ and the Christian

“We are now under Christ in every way. He is our Lord supreme, so that to come into the church is to take up a sacred vow of subjection to His authority. Joining the church is not simply a matter of water on the head or a signature in a register or a raised hand. To join the church of Jesus Christ is to espouse oneself; it is to lay down all our maiden names for that one Name; it is to vow to set all plans and thoughts and affections upon a coming union with Him; it is to pour one's whole soul into the full confession of Christ, the Son of God.

“Jesus is Lord of the church—the exclusive Lord. To flirt after another or to receive contrary advice is to play the harlot. The words of our Lord, therefore, come to us as our highest calling. His Word is the final word, His voice our greatest authority. To be a member of His church is to make His thought our motives, His commands our actions, His values our guiding ethics.

“In Jesus the church finds its mind, its will, and its pleasure. To be otherwise minded is to pervert the sacred trust of intellect. To be contrary willed is to debase the sacred power of choice. The be otherwise fulfilled and delighted is to prostitute the holy capacity of joy. The church, therefore, finds her most profound knowledge when she takes on the mind of Christ. She finds her highest freedom in full submission and obedience to the will of Christ. And she finds her most sacred emotional stirrings in the discovery and adoration of His great heart of love.”—,John Coblentz, Love and Nonresistance: God's Plan for the Church, pages 57-58

<idle musing>
A very nice summary of the place of Christ in the life of a Christian—and the role of the church in the plan of Christ.
</idle musing>

Acceptable?

“In reference to humans, the word תם [TM] appears in Gen 6:9 and 17:1 as a descriptor for Noah and Abraham respectively, yet again there is no reason to assume morality to be the operative issue. Interestingly, within the entire Hebrew Bible only Jacob and Job (1:8, 2:3) are described as איׁש תם [TM 'YŠ]. Yet within the Hebrew Bible, the word (תמים) [TMYM] also occurs frequently in Leviticus in reference to an unblemished animal that is worthy of being sacrificed to YHWH. The assumption, then, that this word must elicit moral uprightness is unfounded. The concern is not whether the animal is a moral exemplar but whether it is appropriate for sacrifice to YHWH. Similarly with Noah, Abraham, and Job, the pertinent qualifier seems to be less the character’s moral convictions than describing whether he is sound enough to be pleasing to YHWH. With Jacob, one must remain mindful that the narrative never explicitly censures him for the way he goes about matters. One is enjoined also to recall from chap.1 The discussion of morality in relation to these texts; the relationship historically is, if anything, tenuous. Given the evidence, this description of Jacob likely says something about his status in relationship to God. Something about Jacob makes him worthy and pleasing for YHWH.”—Jacob and the Divine Trickster, pages 69-70

<idle musing>
Interesting thought...are we importing our 21st century presuppositions into the text? Probably. What does that say about who/what is acceptable to God? Interesting to think about...
</idle musing>

What you see is what you use

“...my investigation employs a synthesis of a close literary reading of the biblical text with theological aims. One must discern this meaning from the text that we have, not the text that we reconstruct or the text that we wish we had.”—Jacob and the Divine Trickster, page 35

<idle musing>
I've read far too many books that are built on "the text we wish we had." And, I might add, listened to far too many sermons built on the same missing text...
</idle musing>

Transcendence versus immanence

“Insuring God is far removed from the narrative scene during a deception ends up drawing too sharp a dichotomy between the divine and human. God’s transcendence is emphasized at the expense of divine immanence...What ultimately emerges in these characterizations of God in the Jacob cycle are portraits tending toward deism. Distancing God from instances of deception in the interest—implicit or explicit—of addressing one theological problem (divine deception) lays the groundwork for another, equally troubling theological problem: a transcendent God that ultimately does not square with the role and activity of God depicted in the ancestral narratives.”—Jacob and the Divine Trickster, page 7

<idle musing>
New book starting today. No easy answers, are there? God is a messy God in that he gets involved with us on a daily basis. I personally wouldn't trade the immanence of God for a nice, sterile, easily digested theologically pretty god. I need him to much!
</idle musing>

Huh? Can you repeat that one more time?

“If Elohim does not mean ‘a god’ or ‘gods’ but ‘God’ (capitalized) [in Genesis 1], then Elohim is used here [Psalm 82] as a determined noun, although Elohim is morphologically undetermined. The determination of Elohim in Gen 1 is not established by an article. Elohim seems here to be sufficiently determined by itself. Of course, this determination of Elohim is different from the regular kind of determination established by the definite article. Elohim and HaElohim need to be distinguished from one another. Elohim does not mean ‘the god’ (that is: this one out the midst of other gods) but just ‘God’ (capitalized): the one and only God.”—Reconsidering the Concept of Revolutionary Monotheism, page 284

<idle musing>
Confused yet? What he is saying is that the gods in Psalm 82 are in juxtaposition with God. The gods have failed (see this post) and are being fired...
</idle musing>