Psalm 19 Again

FR preaches Psalm 19 HERE

Dear Reader

We know you are out there, because Word Press has a nifty visits and search statistical page.  We are curious what you like and don’t like about Fresh Read.  Leave your questions and comments here.  FR will be taking a vacation soon, so this site will be a bit slow until mid-August.

July 4 - Spiritually Speaking

Galatians 5:1 ESV

    For freedom Christ has set us free;

stand firm therefore,

and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

   

 

Can I read the Bible to my kids?

Reading through the whole bible does not allow one to skip around to the nice passages.  I expected folks to have trouble with geneologies and chronologies because they are boring to read casually.  However, the bigger impression is that some find all the violence and the sinfulness of leaders to be disturbing.  The questions that came to us had to with why King so and so had someone killed (it was for treason), and why someones whole family was cursed by their unfaithfulness. 

One case was in I Kings 2.  Why did Solomon execute Adonijah?  Well, if you read the context, Adonijah had himself set up to be the next king.  When Solomon was elevated to the throne, he pleaded for mercy (for his previous treasonous act).  Solomon said, “OK, but watch yourself.”  Then Adonijah asked for one of David’s wives to be his.  This was, culturally speaking, a back door way to claim the kingship again.  So he disregarded the mercy shown and sought to regain the crown.  What might he have done to Solomon and his family?  At any rate, that was the end of Adonijah.  So answering the question requires both a careful reading and some cultural background.

We often refer to such works as “the encyclopedia of biblical difficutlies” or “Hard Passages of the Bible” for at least an initial survey of these sorts of issues.

Finally, all this illustrates is that sin is deeply corrupting, prevalent, and evil. 

FR

Gone Fishin’

Well, camping really.  Off with the people half of the age of FR into the woods this weekend.  It will be a chance to study the other book - which other book?  Read Psalm 19

Psalm 19:1 
        The heavens declare the glory of God,
        and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

   

 

Fresh Read - 2008 Mid Term Exam

A Mid Term Exam will occur at Bethany Church on June 29.  Submit your questions regarding the scripture readings you have covered this year and the Pastor will construct a sermon with the Questions and Answers.

E-questions are welcome!

Living as an Alien

click, print, and you have three book marks!

advice-for-aliens

John 10 - The Good Shepherd

John calls the saying in v. 1-6 a “proverb” (paroimian) rather than a parable.  Generally parables seem to have one main point and should not be alegorized (i.e. making every part of the story represent something in the world).  However the Parable of the Sower is one of several exceptions.  However this saying seems to be something in between. 

The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, IVP, 1998 - says this:  “Here we have more than a parable, though less than an allegory: it is an ‘image field’ full of rich figurative possibilities.”

So don’t get hung up on Jesus being both the door and the shepherd who goes through the door.  And don’t look for a linear progression.  Trying to outline this passage is difficult.  It seems to us to be more like a weaving of threads, than anything like an outline.

The story before, with the blind man healed and accepted by Jesus, and rejected by the religious leaders, and the verses after this passage about some rejecting and some being intrigued, serve to illustrate points within.   They are responding to the shepherds voice, or running from it. 

Who is in and out of the flock?  the flock within might be the people of Israel (but is that allegorizing too much?).  Or perhaps it is a standing image of those who are “inside” in some way already.  Those outside are the Gentiles.   However in our day, if the image can traverse time in this way, those inside are those in the church, and those outside are those yet to hear.  This could be a “missional” saying - let’s get outside of the walls.

How do we hear the Lord’s voice?  It would seem that the Lord authenticates himself - we know his voice when we hear it.

We end with this quote from F. F. Bruce:

 

“What was to hold this enlarged flock together and supply the necessary protection from external enemies?  Not enclosing walls but the person and power of the shepherd.  The unity and safety of the people of Christ depend on their proximity to him.  When they have forgotten this and tried to secure unity or safety by building walls round themselves, the results have not been encouraging.  The walls have either been so comprehensive as to enclose a number of wolves along with the sheep with disastrous consequences for the sheep), or they have been so restrictive as to exclude more sheep than they enclose.”   The Gospel of John, p. 228

 

 

Hot Temper? continued

a sermon here   whatfruit0309.doc 

Week 2 Readings

Here they are: 

05	Genesis 11:1-13:4 Matthew 5:1-26 Psalm 5:1-12 Proverbs 1:24-28		06	Genesis 13:5-15:21 Matthew 5:27-48 Psalm 6:1-10 Proverbs 1:29-33
07	Genesis 16:1-18:15 Matthew 6:1-24 Psalm 7:1-17 Proverbs 2:1-5		08	Genesis 18:16-19:38 Matthew 6:25-7:14 Psalm 8:1-9 Proverbs 2:6-15
09	Genesis 20:1-22:24 Matthew 7:15-29 Psalm 9:1-12 Proverbs 2:16-22		10	Genesis 23:1-24:51 Matthew 8:1-17 Psalm 9:13-20 Proverbs 3:1-6
11	Genesis 24:52-26:16 Matthew 8:18-34 Psalm 10:1-15 Proverbs 3:7-8		12	Genesis 26:17-27:46 Matthew 9:1-17 Psalm 10:16-18 Proverbs 3:9-10
13	Genesis 28:1-29:35 Matthew 9:18-38 Psalm 11:1-7 Proverbs 3:11-12

 Please note that the dashes ( - ) mean, “read between”.  so on the 13th read between Genessi 28:1 and 29:35.  This has confused a few readers.

Also the dates are indicated and alternate between left and right columns.  i.e. 04 means January 4.

Read On!