This is a group of people from Orange County, CA and New York City who are reading the entire Bible in chronological order in 2009.
Discussions, thoughts, questions, insights, sharing and jokes are welcome.
Ecc is my lil bro's fav book of the bible. I never really understood why it is his fav... when I read it, confusion and the Pocahontas song "Colors of the Wind" play in my head hehe (prolly cuz Solomon mentions "wind" a lot with his phrase "a chasing after the wind"). I think Ecc is a bit difficult to understand because Solomon uses a lot of imagery that I'm not familiar with, in which case his point is lost on me. For example...
Ecc 11:1 "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again."
Huh??? :)
The Life Application Bible provides some explanation that I found super helpful, here a few good ones...
In the verse mentioned above (Ecc 11:1), casting your bread upon the waters means that life has opportunities and we must seize them, not merely play it safe.
Ecc 6:9 "Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite."
Roving of the appetite means wasting time dreaming and wishing for what one doesn't have.
Ecc 9:8 "Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil."
Wearing white clothes and having oil on the head were signs of happiness and celebration.
Ecc 10:10 "If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success."
Trying to do anything without the necessary skills or tools is like chopping wood with a dull ax. Sharpening the ax means recognizing where a problem exists, acquiring or honing the skills (or tools) to do the job better, and then going out and doing it.
Ecc 12:6-7 "Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."
The silver cord, golden bowl, pitcher, and wheel symbolizes life's fragility; how easily death can come to us, how swiftly and unexpected we can return to the dust from which we came.
Ecc 12:11 "The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd."
A goad was a sharp metal tip attached to a handle and used to keep oxen or cattle moving. Like a goad, a wise word or important truth might be unpleasant when first applied, but will keep us moving in God's direction.
Interesting huh? :) Ecc is cool, but SOOOOOO glad we are about to start Kings (one of my fav parts of the bible)!
Luv ya :) Tera
P.S. A tribute to the song that has been playing in my head hehe...
Hey bros, I'm confused....did Solomon not believe in heaven and hell?
In Eccl 9:4-10, the teacher mentioned how "a live dog is better off than a dead lion"....and then he goes to talk about how the "dead knows nothing and has no further reward." I look at heaven as a reward, so I guess those scriptures left me confused.
I felt like Soloman was in such low spirits at this time and in result of his sin, he became very pessimistic. I guess that is the reality of what happens when we sin...it draws us into the dark, and away from God.
So grateful for God's grace and the hope that he does give us, especially through the opportunites we get time and time again to repent..
love & miss you all. See most of you when I get back next week. =)
This topic came up at our Chrono breakfast last Saturday. We were talking about how amazing Solomon was and if we'll see him in heaven. Then Lisa B. brought up 1 Kings 11:4-8 which led her to believe that Solomon might not have made it. This is a sobering thought. God says in 1 Kings 3:12 "I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be". So our debate was how can the wisest man who lived and ever will live not make it to heaven? I guess wisdom doesn't always equal salvation.
We see in 1 Kings 3:14 there is a BIG IF that God gives Solomon "And IF you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." I wonder if what God was talking about when he says "a long life" if he's referring to the after life, or just a long life on earth, which is meaningless if you don't make it to heaven.
Does anyone really know how long Solomon lived, he was king for about 40yrs and some say he became king when he was about 20, so he was about 60yrs old. That doesn't seem like a long life. Although being king for 40yrs will take its toll on you, not to mention being married to 700 wives. Yikes!!! Did they perform marriage ceremonies for each of those 700 wives? That’s a lot of wedding cake.
What I also found interesting is how God raised up adversaries for Solomon. That got me thinking of the adversaries in my life and if God raised those people up for the sole purpose to teach me a lesson when I chose to sin against God. I’m looking forward to reading Ecclesiastes in the topical arrangement; hopefully it will shed some light on some of my questions.
Proverbs 3:25 stated that "the Lord will be your confidence." Proverbs 14:32 stated: "even in death the righteous have refuge." Proverbs 22:13 and 26:13 both mentioned sluggards being scared of lions outside or on the road. Proverbs 28:1 said that the "righteous are as bold as a lion." Proverbs 24:10 said: "If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!"
They help us remember that the Lord is our confidence, that we are only here temporarily and then go to heaven, and that our true character shows when things are not going good for us, but when we are in "times of trouble."
A group of about 10 of us went door knocking Sunday afternoon, which of course requires a certain amount of courage and boldness. (At least 5 in this group are reading the Chronological Bible.)
About a week ago we read Proverbs 11:30-31: "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." This scripture can encourage us to be bold and courageous when we share our faith.
There are a lot of other scriptures on being bold and courageous.
Jesus commanded the disciples in Matthew 14:27 and Mark 6:30 to "take courage", and there are verses in Acts that mention courage.
Hey guys. I love the last post on patient man. Please read my comment on it and check out the book Matthew Henry's Commentaries. It is a treasure of information for deeper and accurate understanding of the Word with some exposition on the Greek origins of their meaning that may not translate as well in English. Church history has always involved some misuse of scriptures based on a lack of knowlegde as to what the scripture meant. Taking the time to really study out scriptures that seem to be saying something out of character for God or Jesus i.e. "forceful men" and "women being saved by childbirth" will help us be clear on God's heart and firm up our faith when the real meaning of these scriptures come to light through diligent and earnest seeking. Cheers
a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.
This scripture is shocking to me. Part of me can't even believe its in the bible, but it might be because I feel like in the church I've been taught the opposite. Outgoing, extraverted people were more valued in the past. I think we followed more of "forceful men taking hold of the kingdom." There's been an attitude of do something and fail is better, than being careful. That's against this scripture. and why is patience important? Is it simply taking the time or could it have more to do with thoughtfully making the right decision? Taking a city is a great accomplishment, but it says here, patience is better. So what do you value, aggression or patience?
Also this was a couple of days ago, but I wanted to post it. At the beginning of Proverbs it talks about the wayward woman and it talks about wisdom. The earlier parts where it talks about wisdom are kind of neutral, but as it goes on wisdom is referred to as 'she' and 'her.' Prov. 3 "She is more precious that rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her." "Her ways are pleasant ways...She is a tree of life..." I thought that was interesting because it's like don't fall in love with the wayward woman, fall in love with wisdom, the woman. It was just an interesting word choice.
I love this song, so thought I'd just post it for everyone to listen & possibly even sing along to.. love youguys. Have a great Friday!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Last night our bible talk had the pleasure of having Kevin Mains as a guest. For me, Kevin answered a lot of questions and gave light to several things that were weighing on my heart. One of those things in specific has helped me to prepare my heart for our BT repentance night coming up. Today's reading in Proverbs was timed perfectly on top of the discussion we just had at BT, and I'm just blown away right now by God's timing... Thank you God for perparing my heart to love and have compassion and grace for my brothers and sisters.
Some convicting scriptures from today's reading.. =)
Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
Proverbs 13:3 He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.
Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
This proverb stuck out to me, and really shows to me how God is the Lord of our life, even if we don't let him be. There can be things that we want, or plans that we have, but God may or may not give them to you the way you want. I have to say that before I moved to CA I wanted to live in NY, but God sent me on a 5 year detour to the OC. I can't say exactly why, but those were his steps. So I think I kind of need to chill out with what I want to do. Of course (i've been writing that alot lately) I'll still be in touch with my desires, but I need to wait to see what God does and let him lead me. Besides if I take something, it won't last anyway if it's not from God.
Gosh I luuuuuv Proverbs! Lots of great nuggets for my mind n heart n several admonishments too. But I have a question, do u guys know what these proverbs mean?
Prov 26:4-5 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Huh? Kinda opposites sorta? Confusing :(
Also, what r ur thots on Prov 20:30 Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.
What does this mean to u? Ya know how there is a philosophical debate out there bout whether we should take the bible literally or analogously, etc.? Well should this verse n others similar to it b taken literally?
We read some proverbs yesterday referencing "Fear of the Lord".
My Holman Illustrated Pocket Bible Dictionary had this to say of Fear of the Lord: "Any of these senses - terror, honor, submission - may be involved when God is the object of fear, with the additional sense of worship." and "fear carries with it the expectation of obedience." It also stated: "The description of God often translated 'awesome' is literally 'feared' or 'fearful'". It defined awe, and awesome as "Refers to an emotion combining honor, fear, and respect before someone of superior office or actions, it most appropriately applies to God.
In addition to these scriptures in Proverbs I thought of Matthew 10:28 about don't be afraid of men, but instead be afraid of God.
The reading from today made me more grateful for references to the temple in the New Testament :). Specifically...
1) God dwelt in the temple that Solomon built: “...the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.” 2 Chron 5:13-14
2) The temple was the one place where God would hear their prayers: In his dedicatory prayer, Solomon asked God to hear and answer their prayers, including prayers for… victories (with the enemy, etc.) basic needs (rain, etc.) healing (from illness, pain, etc.) other people (strangers, etc.)
And while there is no ginormous, gold-plated temple located anywhere in my neighborhood (lemme know if there is one in your neighborhood so I can come visit hehe), there is another kind of temple available to all of us, Paul wrote…
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own…” 1 Cor 6:19
Disciples are little temples in which the Holy Spirit dwells, and God hears all our prayers whether they are said in our heads, on our beds, or in a lil bimmer that’s red (like Lisa’s cute lil car hehe). Woohoo for our NT temples! We are sooooooo lucky! :)
I wrote about this a little while ago, but I thought I'd go further into it. It was David's idea to build the temple. God was for it, but he didn't command David to build a temple like he told Noah to build the ark or Moses the tabernacle. It was just on David's heart and God thought it was good. Is there something to be said here about how we should live, listening to the spirit? Maybe there are things we could create that God would be pleased with. Not necessarily physical things, but any sort of idea, like a group to read the Chrono.
I wanted to mention the great film Field of Dreams, where Kevin Costner hears a voice saying, "If you build it he will come." Costner builds a baseball field in his cornfield and eventually reconciles with his father. It's a great film about listening. I'm not saying that we should follow every voice we hear or thought we have, but there's something to seeing what's going on and listening to what's going on around us. Think of the "men of Isaachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do..."
I'm a big baseball fan and there's a great story of what happened in the '20s. St. Louis was one of the worst teams because they couldn't compete paying the best players to play for them. Teams like, the same today, the NY Yankees could out could pay more so had the best team. Well, in 1920 the new General Manager Branch Rickey sold their stadium to play in the same one that another team played in. He used the money to start a 'farm system.' The farm system was the first minor league. Since they couldn't buy a team, they would grow one. The way the minors works is they sign players at a young age and teach them how to play so when they are old and good enough they play for the major league team. Well in 1926, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the NY Yankees in the World Series. Now a days every team has a minor league system, but it's was Rickey's ingenuity that brought about their success. It's also interesting to note that Branch Rickey later went to the Brooklyn Dodgers and was responsible for playing the first african-american and one of the most electrifying players ever, Jackie Robinson.
I'm not sure if everyone will connect with the baseball references, but I think they are good examples of this. I maybe not be completely correct about this idea either, so let me know what you think. I do think there's something to do what's in our heart, maybe what God has put there. Proverbs 25:2 - It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. Jesus also said we would "do even greater things than these..."
Why was Solomon chosen to be king? That's something I scratch my head over. It just says, after he was born, that the Lord loved him. Later it says the Lord chose him. Was it just a royal birth, and even God blessed him from the beginning? David had many children and Solomon was one of the youngest, so why him? We don't hear about the other sons, except for the ones that mess up, Absalom, Amnon and Adonijah. Maybe the others weren't spiritual either. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
What is Wisdom? According to the life application bible, "Wisdom is both the ability to discern what is best and the strength of character to act upon that knowledge."
How do you get wisdom?
Proverbs 1:7 talks about "the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline".
James 1:5 shares God's promise that "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
These two scriptures alone are guiding us how to get wisdom by first fearing God and asking Him for it. I don't know about you guys, but I need wisdom especially as defined above. But sadly, I don't ask for it frequently enough as I should and Need to. So for those of you trying to repent of self-reliance as well, please join me in praying for this and for each other. Jot your names down so we can pray for you specifically. Let's keep reading this Chronological Bible...it's part of the "beginning of knowledge."
I was so moved by today's reading between the dispute over an infant.
Two prostitute both had a baby. One lost hers by accidently laying on her son...suffocating him. She switched her dead son with the one alive. When the matter of whose living child really belonged to whom...it was brought to King Solomon. He told them to take a sword and cut the baby in half.
One mother filled with compassion for her son said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!"
The other mother said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!"
Through Solomon's wisdom to discern matter, he was able to identify the true mother of the living son. The first mother.
I am so happy to read about happy endings...that serves justice. What an amazing example of a mother's love. I couldn't help but tear up for the mother who loved her own son so deeply that she'd rather have him alive and with another woman than bear the sight of his death.
And it is so amazing that Solomon asks God for discernment and wisdom...nothing more. But God gave him more than he could even imagine.
I am so grateful for my mom. She is a very noble woman. Full of wisdom, joy, love, kindness and determination. And may I add...SUPER COOL?! Ya, my mom is the best! Overall, I think all mom's are so awesome!!! Yay for MOMS!!!
It’s amazing that David was able to describe, in Psalm 22, what Jesus would go through thousands of years later…
From what the teachers of the law and the elders would say while Jesus was on the cross: “He trusts in the Lord. Let the Lord rescue him.” Psalm 22:8 (Matt 27:43)
To what the soldiers did with His garments: “They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” Psalm 22:18 (John 19:23-24)
To even what Jesus felt (Psalm 22:14-17) and what He would utter on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22:1 (Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34)
Completely AMAZING.
I wanted to pick a video that had the scenes from The Passion of The Christ, and went through several videos but I couldn’t really find what I was looking for. I am not sure if there is a song out there that could do justice to the true passion of Jesus. As I am writing this, my eyes are puffy from crying because after going through the videos and watching the scenes of Jesus being beaten and killed, my heart feels heavy and sad. I’m so grateful for Jesus. I’m also so grateful that He is not suffering now but is waiting for us in heaven.
The following video uses some of the words from Psalm 103.
I love the awesome and encouraging promises of God in Psalm 25 for someone who "trusts in God and his instruction". Particularly, "The Lord confides in those who fear him, he makes his covenant known to them." I used to have this memorized, as highlighted in my bible when I 1st read this chrono bible few years ago. So am grateful to be reminded and again inspired to truly "fear God" because I totally want to be blessed or be "confided" w/ all the secrets and wisdom by GOD Himself, the Creator, the Owner, Master of everything EVERY GOOD THING...I totally want to have that super close and special relationship w/God and tap into even a glimpse of his LOVE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, WISDOM and so much more.
Psalm 38 on the other hand, reminds me of our recent "Congregational Repentance Talk" in OC singles. It is a humbling reminder of where/how my heart can and has been; sadly in sin, sadly insecure, sadly afraid and sadly in trouble. But AMEN, David exemplifies a cry and a fight brought to God for help which is also our only right response and right approach to ask for God's gracious love and freeing help.
I don't know about you guys, but I have been struggling A LOT w/ being Self-Reliant (that's right in Capitals), selfishness, laziness, not as urgent in my fear of God and being tempted to not give my heart or care anymore to certain people 'coz of past hurts, as I've shared at the Repentance Talk the other night for OC Singles. Don't get me wrong, am still striving to really go after repenting of these sins, but I am on the road to recovery and Repentance. For those who've shared, Thank You for your vulnerability. For those who haven't yet, I hope that you too can have that chance to be Free and keep fighting as Psalm 38 or David reminds us.
I underlined my favorite verses from Psalm 119 (Aleph - Samekh) then wrote them down here. I think they would be good lyrics for a Christian song:
Blessed are they who keep his statues and seek him with all their heart. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. Turn my heart toward your statues and not toward selfish gain. I lift up my hands to your commands which I love and I meditate on your decrees. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I believe in your commands. May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word. Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
Well we had a great meeting today. First off I must share some inspiring news for those of you who may be behind in the reading. At last month's meeting, I made a bet with a sister that she couldn't catch up from being 2 months behind to finish on time by the end of the year. Well, after one month, she is not only caught up, but is 2 weeks ahead! So I owe Liz a big lunch, and it goes to show you that even when you put your foot in your mouth and say something discouraging as a leader, God can still work. For those of you who maybe struggling with the reading you can catch up, it is possible to do this.
Liz also did the synopsis for the month of April and she called it the month of David. We really spent the entire month seeing him kill Goliath, anointed, chased by Saul, pour out his heart in psalms and become king. We spent most of our time talking about David and what it means to have a pure heart. David had a heart for God, but at the same time he did some terrible things. We talked about David's "emotional intelligence" and how he was connected to himself and God. We also discussed some of our favorite psalms. Kathie said that psalm 71 was written for her and Felicia really liked psalm 73. I really enjoyed reading psalm 119 today, but I wished I had taken some notes because I forgot which parts hit me.
We're also going to plan some sort of 6 month party as well, to celebrate the first half.
When we get to the NT, we could get new people to buy the book to join the group. Then next year they could read the rest of it. Maybe there could be a new group to do this for Chrono 2010, any takers on leading out there? You'll be gaining some treasure in heaven.
On April 17th, I had posted some thoughts on the "consequences of sin." There were some questions triggered, including the following: "In Num 14:18, the bible talks about the subsequent generations taking on the punishment for their father's sins. Is this nullified/satisfied with the sacrifice of Jesus?" I asked a brother and found his response VERY interesting and wanted to share it with you...
Note: The brother is Matt Thomas, a super smart and excellent brother who has a PhD in Engineering from UCI, AND who researches and studies out the bible A LOT. He's already read Chrono in previous years. The following are his thoughts.
First, this verse in Numbers is quoting Exodus 34:7. I believe it mostly refers to Israel as a nation of people. I think God often deals with people as a national group (e.g., the Amalekites, Philistines, Ninevites). I think he still deals with people this way to a degree. I think our whole nation will come under judgement and in that sense we will suffer for the sins of others. We will be punished for the sin of others, unless we are taken out first. It's the same case in Numbers 14:18. The children were not held responsible for the guilt of the sin of their parents, but they still had to wander in the desert for 40 years because of it. In that sense, they were punished for the sins of their father's. However, they did not have to die, as their parents did because they were not guilty of that sin. That's where Ezekiel 18:20, which we are familiar with, comes in. It's the soul who sins who will die. Yet I don't think the punishment for the sins of others has changed. If God judges us as a nation (and that might be part of what's going on these days) we will suffer the punishment because we are part of this nation, even if we have not sinned. Yet we won't be guilty of sin. That's why I think it's so important for us to stand up for what's right...but that's another lesson altogether.
Tera and I were reading Psalm 103 together this morning, and, oh man...I love these scriptures in particular.
Psalm 103:8-10
The Lord is COMPASSIONATE and GRACIOUS, SLOW TO ANGER, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; HE DOES NOT TREAT US AS OUR SINS DESERVE or repay us according to our iniquities.
Imagine if God treated us as our sins deserved. Wow..
I know I am none of those things, so this really convicted me. Thank you King David for your heart to write this. And, thank you sooo much God for your compassion and grace.
So I hope everyone is enjoying reading this Bible in a year. For the ones that have read the Bible before in the traditional ordering, what have you thought of the chronological ordering so far? Easier or harder to understand? Does anything stand out because of this ordering?
Also, I don't know about ya'll, but I can hear the different voices in the psalms. David's definitely pop up as the most heartsy. The psalms in the 90s from May 1 seem to be written by a man who has a strong sense of righteousness. I could tell 68 was written by David, but it also seems to written by David when he was older. When he was younger or being chased by Saul, many of the psalms where like "Help me God!" or praising God. I think the earlier psalms by David, David trusts in the goodness of God, but hasn't seen it yet. In Psalm 68 he seems to have experienced God alot and knows how good he is. "Show us your strength, O God, as you have done before." He also mentions the temple, so unless that was a dream of David's from when he was younger, then David at least wrote this psalm after he had that idea or in the middle of his life. Just wanted to share what I saw today.
