I'm reflecting today. Well, I'm continuing my chronological journey through the bible but I had a wonderful day yesterday. I spent the entire day with my husbands cousin who is an absolutely wonderful person. She is extremely knowledgeable about the bible. She has had amazing faith and religious structure since age 9! We had so many fun conversations yesterday I'm not sure where to start.
We discussed so much regarding my journey thus far and my understanding (or lack of understanding) of so many different aspects of the bible.
We discussed idols at length because that has been plaguing my brain for quite a while.
Exodus 20:4 states “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."
Exodus 20:23 "Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold."
In reading these statements I wonder why do we have crosses? Why do we have images of Jesus. Especially if Jesus is the son of God or in an image of God or...well. Can you tell I'm confused?
So these seem like idols to me. Should we not have crosses in the front of churches, should we not have crosses around our necks, hold rosary's with a crucifix on them.
These are symbols yes, but is a symbol an idol?
So according to Dictionary.com an
Idol is
noun
1. an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.
2. Bible .
a. an image of a deity other than god.
b. the deity itself.
Symbol is
noun
1. something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.
Well according to this it would seem that these things (crosses, etc) are not ok.
I'm just going to put the rosary with a crucifix that is in my car in a drawer until I continue with my readings in the bible to see what else it says about the subject.
I will be posting more later as I continue my journey through Leviticus and Numbers.
Showing posts with label Exodus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exodus. Show all posts
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Golden Calf and the not so Golden Isrealites
So I'm continuing my journey through Exodus and wondering how much more ridiculous the Isrealites can become. It seems with each page they are given food,water and provided for by God but the second something is uncomfortable or they have gone 30 minutes without some divine sign they are ready for a new God. While Moses is on the mountain talking to God and getting commandments the Isrealites are hanging around their tents bored and coming up with new Idols. They are like spoiled children. They are really kind of annoying to me.
God sees that they have made a Golden Calf as an Idol (a calf really?) and tells Moses he is going to show is wrath on those people and what does Moses do? He tells God...No don't do that. I'll go check it out and take the commandments with me. He gets to the bottom of the mountain where the Calf is and hears them singing about the calf, is furious, breaks the commandments (that GOD wrote....really Moses....you break those?......come on.....) and commands the followers of God to take their swords and kill those that do not follow God....
Really Moses??? Did you not read those commandments...Thall Shalt Not Kill....really? So you go command those to kill others. Ugh.
Then the Lord plagues whomever is left of the calf worshippers.
Exodus 34:17 - "You shall make no molded gods for yourselves"
So it is mentioned about 200 times that you shall not have any molded gods, no religious objects that you pray to. I'm curious if this stance will change as I progress through the bible. If not...I'm going to be very concerned about all those people that have crosses, figurines of Jesus, etc. It seems like (so far anyway) these items are a big No No. I know that God sent Jesus but still. Should the cross with Jesus on it or the cross be at the front of every church?
God sees that they have made a Golden Calf as an Idol (a calf really?) and tells Moses he is going to show is wrath on those people and what does Moses do? He tells God...No don't do that. I'll go check it out and take the commandments with me. He gets to the bottom of the mountain where the Calf is and hears them singing about the calf, is furious, breaks the commandments (that GOD wrote....really Moses....you break those?......come on.....) and commands the followers of God to take their swords and kill those that do not follow God....
Really Moses??? Did you not read those commandments...Thall Shalt Not Kill....really? So you go command those to kill others. Ugh.
Then the Lord plagues whomever is left of the calf worshippers.
Exodus 34:17 - "You shall make no molded gods for yourselves"
So it is mentioned about 200 times that you shall not have any molded gods, no religious objects that you pray to. I'm curious if this stance will change as I progress through the bible. If not...I'm going to be very concerned about all those people that have crosses, figurines of Jesus, etc. It seems like (so far anyway) these items are a big No No. I know that God sent Jesus but still. Should the cross with Jesus on it or the cross be at the front of every church?
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Pondering the Ten Commandments
I've been pondering the Ten Commandments. I have never opened a Bible and read the Ten Commandments. Well two days ago I did and guess what...It was cool.
Exodus 20
I starting thinking about these commandments and here's where I'm at...I'd love to hear what you think.
The first two...no other gods before me. Easy enough.
# 3 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. This is what I've been thinking about...If people really want to obey this commandment and teach their children not to use the Lords name in vain then it is not ok to say Gosh, Goodness or any other form in the same context as one would use the word God. So for example Oh My Gosh...well in my opinion you are insinuating the use of the word God so saying Gosh does not excuse the fact that you really want to and really mean to use God. It is the same way I feel about kids saying "fricking" it really means the other word and it is not acceptable to use this word either. To replace one word for the bad word doesn't make the intent not present. The intent for the original word is still there and isn't that the bad part?
I had a wonderful discussion with a co-worker about this commandment and my above listed thoughts. She lead a church group about this commandment and she saw the commandment as follows: We follow Christ as Christians which means "follower of Christ" if this is the case then we should represent Christ at all times. Therefore, not using his name or his actions in vain as being Christian. So treating others kindly, acting as Christ would as best as you can and leading a Christian life are all ways not to use the Lords name or Christ's name in vain.
I never thought of it this way but when she explained it I thought it was beautiful! Thanks Ali!!
# 4 Remember the Sabbath Day - I don't have a chance at this one...I work as a nurse so I work random days of the week and a lot of weekends. So, I need to think about the meaning behind this Commandment. Did he mean that he wanted us to always set aside one day of the week for reflection and devotion?
#5 - Honor your mother and father. I love this one. It shows the value of respect, honor and love to your parents. Loving your parents and loving your God.
#6 - Don't kill people....ok got it!
#7 - Do not commit adultry. No problem. I can't stand it. I have always felt that if someone will cheat on their spouse who is supposedly their true love then what would they do to their friends. Your spouse is supposed to be the person closest to you that you would do anything for aside from your children so cheating and hurting them seems to be so horrible. I often find that those who have committed adultry I have a hard time trusting because they do not even value the sanctity of marriage.
#8 - Do not steal. Easy enough
#9 - No false testimony against your neighbor. - ok got it don't tell lies about the neighbor. is this the no lying commandment? Does that exist or am I confused with the golden rules? Wait....what are the golden rules? Where did those come from? Uh oh....Google here I come!
# 10 - Don't covet thy neighbors stuff. So basically don't be jealous and wishful. Be happy for those with things you do not have. Hmmmm I think this is hard. America is all about keeeping up with the Jones' and that seems like a lot of coveting.
Exodus 20
I starting thinking about these commandments and here's where I'm at...I'd love to hear what you think.
The first two...no other gods before me. Easy enough.
# 3 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. This is what I've been thinking about...If people really want to obey this commandment and teach their children not to use the Lords name in vain then it is not ok to say Gosh, Goodness or any other form in the same context as one would use the word God. So for example Oh My Gosh...well in my opinion you are insinuating the use of the word God so saying Gosh does not excuse the fact that you really want to and really mean to use God. It is the same way I feel about kids saying "fricking" it really means the other word and it is not acceptable to use this word either. To replace one word for the bad word doesn't make the intent not present. The intent for the original word is still there and isn't that the bad part?
I had a wonderful discussion with a co-worker about this commandment and my above listed thoughts. She lead a church group about this commandment and she saw the commandment as follows: We follow Christ as Christians which means "follower of Christ" if this is the case then we should represent Christ at all times. Therefore, not using his name or his actions in vain as being Christian. So treating others kindly, acting as Christ would as best as you can and leading a Christian life are all ways not to use the Lords name or Christ's name in vain.
I never thought of it this way but when she explained it I thought it was beautiful! Thanks Ali!!
# 4 Remember the Sabbath Day - I don't have a chance at this one...I work as a nurse so I work random days of the week and a lot of weekends. So, I need to think about the meaning behind this Commandment. Did he mean that he wanted us to always set aside one day of the week for reflection and devotion?
#5 - Honor your mother and father. I love this one. It shows the value of respect, honor and love to your parents. Loving your parents and loving your God.
#6 - Don't kill people....ok got it!
#7 - Do not commit adultry. No problem. I can't stand it. I have always felt that if someone will cheat on their spouse who is supposedly their true love then what would they do to their friends. Your spouse is supposed to be the person closest to you that you would do anything for aside from your children so cheating and hurting them seems to be so horrible. I often find that those who have committed adultry I have a hard time trusting because they do not even value the sanctity of marriage.
#8 - Do not steal. Easy enough
#9 - No false testimony against your neighbor. - ok got it don't tell lies about the neighbor. is this the no lying commandment? Does that exist or am I confused with the golden rules? Wait....what are the golden rules? Where did those come from? Uh oh....Google here I come!
# 10 - Don't covet thy neighbors stuff. So basically don't be jealous and wishful. Be happy for those with things you do not have. Hmmmm I think this is hard. America is all about keeeping up with the Jones' and that seems like a lot of coveting.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Exodus through Chapter 19
I apologize for the slight delay in my posting. I am a part time college student and I had to spend the past two days doing not so fun research on bioethics and nursing history...blah!
But, I'm done for today. I can't take anymore. I attempted to work on a worksheet and I have a test Friday on APA style of writing but I just can't go there right now. I really dislike that and I'm not looking forward to it at all. Luckily, the test is open book.
Anyway, on to fun stuff....Exodus!
Moses has lead the Israelites out of Egypt, through the red sea and now into the desert. The Isrealites sang the praises of God after the Red Sea engulfed the Pharaoh's army. That was quite short lived however, They traveled into the desert and on the third day they were after Moses to provide water and food for them. He spoke to God and water was provided then Manna and Quail were provided. The Manna when it was described reminded me of the bread at church. The little round pieces of whatever those are. Exodus 16:14 "When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor."
Naturally the Isrealites did not listen to Moses and took more than they were supposed to of the bread and it turned into maggots. Then there is another great line. Exodus 16:32 "This is what the Lord has commanded:Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt."
Again in the very next paragraph the Isrealites are after Moses for God not providing water. It seems their faith is very weak considering all the signs God has given them. They still feel certain that the shall never want again and that he should provide for them without their asking.
But, I'm done for today. I can't take anymore. I attempted to work on a worksheet and I have a test Friday on APA style of writing but I just can't go there right now. I really dislike that and I'm not looking forward to it at all. Luckily, the test is open book.
Anyway, on to fun stuff....Exodus!
Moses has lead the Israelites out of Egypt, through the red sea and now into the desert. The Isrealites sang the praises of God after the Red Sea engulfed the Pharaoh's army. That was quite short lived however, They traveled into the desert and on the third day they were after Moses to provide water and food for them. He spoke to God and water was provided then Manna and Quail were provided. The Manna when it was described reminded me of the bread at church. The little round pieces of whatever those are. Exodus 16:14 "When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor."
Naturally the Isrealites did not listen to Moses and took more than they were supposed to of the bread and it turned into maggots. Then there is another great line. Exodus 16:32 "This is what the Lord has commanded:Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt."
Again in the very next paragraph the Isrealites are after Moses for God not providing water. It seems their faith is very weak considering all the signs God has given them. They still feel certain that the shall never want again and that he should provide for them without their asking.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Exodus
This week is Exodus. I continue to admit that I know the name Moses...but my knowledge other than that is pretty minimal. This is not anyone's fault. I truly believe that my quest this year is supposed to happen. I have always been meant to create my own path and my beliefs will be after research, understanding and ultimately my decision. Well, I will take credit for this even though some of you reading my blog just laughed. I know you are laughing at the statement "ultimately my decision" but hey...that's where I'm at now.
Exodus. Wow. There's a lot here. I've been reading and wishing I had blogged as I went instead of this once a week-ish business. I'm not liking it and I will be going back to my more frequent blogging.
Chapter 2 is the birth of Moses and he is left in a basket near the Nile and the Pharaoh's daughter finds him and takes him as her own. It is very interesting that he is raised by the Egyptians but does not like them and flees. I wonder if the Pharaoh's daughter told him he was not Egyptian or if he could tell.
Chapter 3 is the burning bush. I'm sorry I know I should be somewhat serious but I just think of the Three Amigos standing at the Singing Bush.
In Chapter 3 God tells Moses that he is to go to the Pharaoh and demand the freedom of the Isrealites. Moses does not feel he is adequate for this task. Chapter 4 God does 3 different acts and gives Moses the ability to prove to the Pharaoh that God is with him.
1. He turns Moses' staff into a snake when it is thrown on the ground which turns back to a staff when Moses picks it up. I am not sure I would ever get my staff back if it turned into a snake.
2. Moses hand will turn leprous (various diseases affecting the hand, not necessarily leprosy - according to my Archaeological Bible) when he places it inside his cloak.
3. Moses is to take water from the Nile and pour it onto dry ground and it will become blood.
Moses meets up with his brother Aaron and they go together to the Pharaoh. God has told Moses that he will harden the Pharaoh's heart. This is interesting to me because God is hardening his heart and then all these plagues follow as a result of the continued hardening. I wonder how hardened his heart would have remained if God hadn't hardened it.
The Hebrew people were to make bricks without straw and were subjected to punishment when they were not able to keep up with their required amount of bricks produced.
Aaron and Moses both threw down their staffs infront of the Pharaoh and they became snakes. The magicians of the Pharaoh did the same and their staffs were then ate by Aaron's snake. The Nile river was turned to blood. Then their was the plague of frogs. Then the plague of Gnats. (which the frogs would have enjoyed) Then the plague of Flies (the frogs would have also enjoyed) Then the plague on Livestock sparing of course the Isrealites livestock, Then the plague of Boils (yuck...I can't imagine how bad it must have smelled after all these plagues) Next up was the Plague of Hail (good thing there weren't insurance companies then) Then the plague of locusts (I'm sure that was loud - frogs would have enjoyed this one too) Then the plague of Darkness. The really interesting thing about the plague of darkness is what I read in my Archaeological Bible about it. It says "The Plague of Darkness was almost certainly a challenge against Ra, an Egyptian sun god. This would have been a direct challenge to the Pharaoh, since Egyptian kings were referred as the sons of Ra." Ch.11 is the Plague on the firstborn. This is where the firstborn Egyptian son from every home as well as the firstborn of the cattle as well will die. However, the Isrealites will not be harmed.
Ch. 12 is the Passover. This is really neat. I really like this because I have heard of the passover but I had no idea what it was! Now I know!!! The lord told Moses and Aaron that on the tenth day of this month a lamb should be slaughtered. It was also careful to mention to only slaughter what will be eaten and if your household cannot eat an entire lamb to invite others and share but it must all be eaten. This is the beginning of rules including to take blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes, eat the meat roasted, Do not leave any of it till morning, any left must be burned, eat with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and staff in hand, eat in haste.
12:13 "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you." 12:14 "This is a day you are to commemorate, for generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord-a lasting ordinance."
12:42 "Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Isrealites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come."
Ch.13 discusses the consecration of the firstborn. It says the firstborn either man or animal belongs to the Lord. I am just curious what this means. So....are they sacrificed or is it just known that the firstborn holds higher value?
Later in Ch.13 Moses and the Isrealites leave Egypt and head toward the Red Sea. Moses is carrying Joseph's bones because Joseph did not want them to remain in Egypt. The lord guided them by a pillar of cloud during the day or a pillar of fire at night. The Egyptians went after the Isrealites and the Lord gave Moses the power to part the sea with his staff. The sea was parted and the Isrealites walked on dry ground through and when the Egyptians attemtpted to follow the water flowed back and none of them survived. The Isrealites saw this and put their trust in him and in Moses. This is amazing to me. All the plagues and all the other acts weren't enough to prove to them that the Lord was present. Wow talk about skeptics.
That's all for today. Next time continuing on through Exodus starting at Ch.15.
Exodus. Wow. There's a lot here. I've been reading and wishing I had blogged as I went instead of this once a week-ish business. I'm not liking it and I will be going back to my more frequent blogging.
Chapter 2 is the birth of Moses and he is left in a basket near the Nile and the Pharaoh's daughter finds him and takes him as her own. It is very interesting that he is raised by the Egyptians but does not like them and flees. I wonder if the Pharaoh's daughter told him he was not Egyptian or if he could tell.
Chapter 3 is the burning bush. I'm sorry I know I should be somewhat serious but I just think of the Three Amigos standing at the Singing Bush.
In Chapter 3 God tells Moses that he is to go to the Pharaoh and demand the freedom of the Isrealites. Moses does not feel he is adequate for this task. Chapter 4 God does 3 different acts and gives Moses the ability to prove to the Pharaoh that God is with him.
1. He turns Moses' staff into a snake when it is thrown on the ground which turns back to a staff when Moses picks it up. I am not sure I would ever get my staff back if it turned into a snake.
2. Moses hand will turn leprous (various diseases affecting the hand, not necessarily leprosy - according to my Archaeological Bible) when he places it inside his cloak.
3. Moses is to take water from the Nile and pour it onto dry ground and it will become blood.
Moses meets up with his brother Aaron and they go together to the Pharaoh. God has told Moses that he will harden the Pharaoh's heart. This is interesting to me because God is hardening his heart and then all these plagues follow as a result of the continued hardening. I wonder how hardened his heart would have remained if God hadn't hardened it.
The Hebrew people were to make bricks without straw and were subjected to punishment when they were not able to keep up with their required amount of bricks produced.
Aaron and Moses both threw down their staffs infront of the Pharaoh and they became snakes. The magicians of the Pharaoh did the same and their staffs were then ate by Aaron's snake. The Nile river was turned to blood. Then their was the plague of frogs. Then the plague of Gnats. (which the frogs would have enjoyed) Then the plague of Flies (the frogs would have also enjoyed) Then the plague on Livestock sparing of course the Isrealites livestock, Then the plague of Boils (yuck...I can't imagine how bad it must have smelled after all these plagues) Next up was the Plague of Hail (good thing there weren't insurance companies then) Then the plague of locusts (I'm sure that was loud - frogs would have enjoyed this one too) Then the plague of Darkness. The really interesting thing about the plague of darkness is what I read in my Archaeological Bible about it. It says "The Plague of Darkness was almost certainly a challenge against Ra, an Egyptian sun god. This would have been a direct challenge to the Pharaoh, since Egyptian kings were referred as the sons of Ra." Ch.11 is the Plague on the firstborn. This is where the firstborn Egyptian son from every home as well as the firstborn of the cattle as well will die. However, the Isrealites will not be harmed.
Ch. 12 is the Passover. This is really neat. I really like this because I have heard of the passover but I had no idea what it was! Now I know!!! The lord told Moses and Aaron that on the tenth day of this month a lamb should be slaughtered. It was also careful to mention to only slaughter what will be eaten and if your household cannot eat an entire lamb to invite others and share but it must all be eaten. This is the beginning of rules including to take blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes, eat the meat roasted, Do not leave any of it till morning, any left must be burned, eat with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and staff in hand, eat in haste.
12:13 "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you." 12:14 "This is a day you are to commemorate, for generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord-a lasting ordinance."
12:42 "Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Isrealites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come."
Ch.13 discusses the consecration of the firstborn. It says the firstborn either man or animal belongs to the Lord. I am just curious what this means. So....are they sacrificed or is it just known that the firstborn holds higher value?
Later in Ch.13 Moses and the Isrealites leave Egypt and head toward the Red Sea. Moses is carrying Joseph's bones because Joseph did not want them to remain in Egypt. The lord guided them by a pillar of cloud during the day or a pillar of fire at night. The Egyptians went after the Isrealites and the Lord gave Moses the power to part the sea with his staff. The sea was parted and the Isrealites walked on dry ground through and when the Egyptians attemtpted to follow the water flowed back and none of them survived. The Isrealites saw this and put their trust in him and in Moses. This is amazing to me. All the plagues and all the other acts weren't enough to prove to them that the Lord was present. Wow talk about skeptics.
That's all for today. Next time continuing on through Exodus starting at Ch.15.
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