Bible

Does anyone know where I can get hold of a copy of Simon Wakeling's dissertation on the unity of the book of the 12?

It’s nearly New Year’s day, so time for a post or several on reading through the whole Bible. Since I was introduced to it, back in 1995, I have been a big fan of Robert Murray McCheyne’s Bible reading plan.

He devised it to help his flock spend less time deciding which portions of Scripture to read, and more time reading Scripture. (Sounds like he would be better at revising for exams than most of us!) He saw the value of a whole church reading through the whole Bible each year, and reading it through in the same pattern. Yes, there are dangers of such a scheme, but for those able to avoid the dangers, it offers an excellent discipline.

I’m a bit hopeless when it comes to lists.

But I do have a vague idea of the people I would like to pray for regularly.

Somehow, I tend to pray most for those people who are most in need of God’s help, those who are weakest, those with unrealised potential, etc.

Then I read Psalm 72.

Thanks to Graham Wintle for this one: friend, my vicar 10 years ago, now at St Stephen’s Willoughby in Sydney

A stone can affect a river in one of two ways. It can cause the waters to ripple – in slight, but intriguing ways. Or it can be a large boulder that diverts the entire course of the river.

I love the fact that the Egyptian magicians think it is clever to copy the first few plagues. (They run out of steam when it gets to the gnats).

The Egyptians "grow weary of drinking water from the Nile" (7:18 - !), because it is turned to blood. So the Egyptians produce... more blood.

Pharaoh is pleading (not very dignified for a king of Egypt, 8:8) with Moses and Aaron to take away the frogs. But that's alright - his magicians can produce... more frogs.

I mean: What use is more blood and more frogs?! The one thing they cannot copy is Yahweh's ability to take away the plagues. Thus it's clear, even from plague 1, that Yahweh is without rival in Egypt.

There are many temporal expressions of God's anger in today's world. The false gods we all serve to varying degree can replicate many of these expressions of anger. But there is no god in the world, except the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who can take away the anger of God.

I’m looking again at sermon I gave a little while ago on 2 Peter 1:12-21.

What I’m noticing was the careful precision with which Peter describes the inspiration of the OT (prophets) in verse 20.

I like the story of King Joash / Jehoash (1 Kings 11-12).

When he was just born (under a year old, comparing 11:3 and 11:21), the person who thought they ruled Judah (Athaliah) killed all the kings sons. Why such ruthlessness? She wanted to rule, and felt threatened that a new heir to the throne had been born.

I’m enjoying Peter Enns, NIV Application Commentary, Exodus more than I expected to. He has clearly spent a lot of time with the Hebrew text of the book, and has a lot of helpful observations to make.

For example, the word for “worship” in 4:23 is of the same root as the word for “work” in 5:9. (‘bd). The conflict between Yahweh and Pharaoh is being seen in yet one more respect – which king will successfully command the work/worship of the Hebrews.

At St James, Audley we are about to start a sermon series on Exodus – the whole book in 8 sermons.

I get to preach on 1:1-7:7, 12-14, and the first of the tabernacle sections.

Phew… it’s hard work. And I’m trying to work out why.

1 Kings 8:15:

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father.