Job 3-4
After his silence, finally Job speaks in Job 3, but it is not happy talk. Job immediately wonders why he was born? What purpose does it serve, that he would have been better off not being born. He curses the day he was born in a language that seems to counter the Story of Creation in Genesis. While God produced light and called it good, Job sees the light as curse. Job goes so far as to curse the night of his conception, his life would have been better had he not been born.
Job poses three questions, why not to have died at birth, then he would be resting like the royals. Or why not an abortion, at least he would be free from a life of service and suffering. Finally, why live a life now? There is no good in it.
Now it is Eliphaz's turn in Job 4 and he seeks to comfort Job. He even asks if it is okay to speak and then he ventures forth with a reassurance of the order of the universe. Much as Job in the past has been an example to others and encouraged others to fear the Lord, now Job must follow his own advice. Has an innocent ever suffered, is the question? Clearly it would seem that, hard as it is to believe, Job must have erred.
Luke 14
There is a question in much of the "table talk" of Chapter 14, and the question is, who exalts us? Do we exalt ourselves through our actions and behavior? Even before sitting and eating with the Pharisees, which Jesus does frequently and does not exclude even those who disagree with him from the table, Jesus points out that Sabbath laws are not for self-exaltation and used as a means to separate. No the laws of compassion and love trump these laws for God is of love and compassion. So Jesus heals the man with dropsy.
But just to make his point further, Jesus includes parables of meals in which guests are invited and come to exalt themselves, or decline invitations because they have "more important" things to do. But do not exalt yourself, live so that God can exalt you in your life and deeds. In the Parable of the Banquet, Israel has been invited to a banquet by God, but they have found other things more pressing, so God chooses to invite others instead.
Jesus now switches audiences and speaks of discipleship. He is probably speaking to those who have been following him for a while and he now addresses their exuberance. Do they want to follow Jesus, then they need to "hate" the world and their relationships. Hate in this context means something different, than say "I hate lima beans." Instead, hate in the Hebraic understanding is to turn away from, or perhaps even repent. So to "hate" world, family etc, is to turn away from them and to turn to God. God now becomes the focal point, ones relationships are governed by others who have turned to God and not by bloodlines.
Backlogged Posts
2 Kings 21-22
So now the climax is reached, perhaps reversed. Hezekiah was good, but it would seem that in the fifteen years extra he was given to reign, he gives birth to a son, Mannaseh. To say that Mannaseh was a bad king would be an understatement. In 2 Kings 21 it would seem that Mannaseh has managed to eclipse the infamous Ahab as being the worst follower of the covenant. Yes, perhaps the kings of Judah were not the greatest, but at least they weren't as bad as the northern kings. In Mannaseh, we cannot say that, he was actually worse.
Not only does he do all sorts of things to earn the wrath of God, but he entices the rest of Judah to follow in his ways. It is pretty clear that while a couple of good kings will follow Mannaseh that the sin which occurs under his reign is leading Judah to be punished as the northern kingdom of Israel was. Of course those good kings does not include his son, Amon, who is as bad as his father. Judah has hit bottom, rock bottom.
But wait! The destruction will not come yet, for in 2 Kings 22 an amazing thing happens. Josiah becomes king and after several years in office, the Book of Deuteronomy is rediscovered. This leads Josiah on a path of reformation. Josiah will lead a rebirth in Judah, he will bring prosperity and peace, but only for a short while. God, through the prophetess Huldah, informs Josiah that the devastation that will befall Jerusalem will not occur in Josiah's time but Josiah will rest with his "father" David. So the reprieve is only temporary.
2 Corinthians 9
It would seem there is another reason why Paul would like the Corinthians to be very generous, his reputation is at stake. Paul has bragged to the Macedonians that the Corinthians would be very generous. However, it seems that the Macedonians have given more than the Corinthians and it would seem that Paul has not been truthful to the Macedonians if that is the case. So Paul encourages them to back him up with their gifts, but not to give out of compulsion but to give out of joy and grace.
To give, is to give glory to God, to give brings glory to the community. To give is to live out the great commandments, to love God and neighbor; by giving the community of Corinth demonstrates their love for neighbor and therefore their love of God. To worship God is to be a giver.
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