Name Game - Job

Job covered with boils, from Roadside America

With the exception of Jesus’ resurrection, and the details of creation, perhaps no other Scriptural story is debated as much as the meaning of the book of Job. But who was this man at the center of such a timeless story?

Surprisingly, most scholars agree that Job was a real person. He probably lived at the time of the patriarchs, and one legend says that he was a grand-nephew of Abraham. The book of Job may be the oldest portion of Scripture. That said, no one knows who wrote it, exactly where Uz (Job’s hometown) was, if the entire story is literal or a parable, or much of anything else.

That said, the book itself is full of clues. First, let’s assume that Job was an actual historical figure. The book is written in the style of a logical poem, typical of Wisdom Literature. This alone isn’t a good reason to assume that the characters are fictional. The writer of the book talked about a lot of things that tell us about Job, through his monologues, and conversations with his friends, and God.

Job speaks of hippos and crocodiles. He seems to describe Egyptian boats. He understands the weather, and travel by caravan. He speaks of familiar constellations. We have to assume that Job was intelligent and well-traveled. The book has been credited with containing the most detailed description of mining in Scripture. Job was not your average Joe.

The story, briefly (for anyone who might not know it), is that Job was a wealthy man who served God. But Satan came to God and suggested that if Job were tested by losing the things that were precious to him, that he would renounce God. God granted Satan permission to take anything except Job’s life. So, one by one, Job loses his children, his animals, his land, and even his health. In the middle of the story, three friends come to confront Job about his situation, claiming that he must have sinned to be punished so severely. Job insists that he has not sinned, but that no matter what happens he is never going to renounce his belief in God, and the goodness of God. He gets pretty angry about it all, and begins to sound a little pompous in his insistence of his personal righteousness.

Then God shows up! Confronted with the complete goodness of the Almighty, Job is humbled. After all of the questions as to, “Why did this happen? there is still no answer forthcoming. God simply declares who He is. Job agrees that his own righteousness is nothing, compared to God.

In the end, Job’s wealth is restored, and he is blessed with more children.

This is a brief biography, not an explanation of the meaning of Job’s story. But it is probably safe to say that Job was a man who loved God, and stood firm in his trust in the goodness of God. Yet, when he was confronted with the reality of absolute Righteousness, he recognized his own imperfection, whether or not he had purposely sinned. One author has said that the point of Job’s story is, “it is better to know God than to know answers.”

Job’s most famous one-liner is, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” When life gets tough, whom do we trust?

Job 13:15

Answers to Quiz Yourself

1. OK, this was tricky. We don't hear much about the oldest son of David, but his name was Amnon. II Samuel 3

2. Jonah complained when Ninevah repented and God spared the city. Jonah 4

3. A dove. At first the dove couldn't find any dry land, but it finally returned to Noah with an olive branch in its beak. Genesis 8

4. The legs of a statue were made of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Daniel 2

5. Bildad was one of Job’s friends who questioned him when he was tested by God. Job 2

6. David slew Goliath in the Valley of Elah. I Samuel 17

7. Lydia sold purple cloth. Acts 16

8. People from the streets were welcomed to the wedding when the invited guests did not come. Matthew 22

9. Nehemiah was a cupbearer for Artaxerxes, King of Persia. Nehemiah 1

10. James is written to the twelve scattered tribes. James 1

Friday Fun- Quiz Yourself

Every Friday there will be a game of some kind to play. The answers will be posted on Saturday morning. Here’s a Bible trivia quiz.

1. What is the name of David’s oldest son?

2. Who whined when Ninevah repented?

3. What was the last animal released from Noah’s Ark, before the doors were opened?

4. In King Nebuchadnezar’s dream, what was made of iron?

5. Who was Bildad?

6. Where did David slay Goliath?

7. What woman was a merchant of purple cloth?

8. In the parable of the wedding banquet, what happened when the invited guests did not come?

9. What prophet was a king’s cupbearer?

10. Which epistle is written to the twelve tribes of Israel?

Eco Day- Problems and Misunderstandings

The overall topic of Christians and the Environment really needs to be approached in a logical progression of articles/ chapters that build on each other. However, that isn’t the way a blog works. Readers are unlikely to search back to earlier entries to see how I got to a certain point. So I’m going to try to create entries that stand on their own, while staying true to the topic.

Gaia, by Oberon Zell

Christians are often perceived as people who don’t care about the environment. Secular environmentalists blame at least part, if not all, of the historical problem of resource abuse on Christian thinking.

In this post, I’ll cover half of this topic- problems with what non-Christians believe. This is much too long of a topic for one blog post. See the other side of the coin at Problems and Misconceptions, part 1.

1. Deep ecologists believe that the earth itself is a living being. This is popularly called the Gaia hypothesis, and was reintroduced to modern thinkers by James Lovelock in a scathing thesis that blames all of the woes of the planet on Christians. Not all environmentalists go this far, but every movement has it’s extremists. Whether secular environmentalists think they believe this or not, they often act as if it is true.

I say this because it is the basis for the value system which treats all living things as if they have equal value. This belief, at its core, proposes that humans are simply a different, but similar, life form. We are part of the sequence of organisms, but without basis for being a rational and distinct entity apart from the rest of nature.

This is a fundamental difference between Christian and secular environmentalists. It is insurmountable. But it does not mean that there is not a Christian reason for, and responsibility to, care for that earth.

2. Many people do, at least partially, blame Christianity for environmental problems. They cite the King James Bible, Genesis 1:28, where Adam was told to subdue and have dominion over the earth, as proof that we have acted for over 4000 years in a way that dominated the earth, rather than living in harmony with it. Their “proof” is the cutting of forests, coal mining, dumping of toxic wastes, whatever... The fallacy here is that they are equating Christianity with Western Civilization. Not all, probably not even most, of the Europeans and emigrants to North America were or are actually Christian. Non-believers participated equally in these activities.

But, Christians will have to accept some guilt on this point. Christians, along with many other cultures, have failed throughout the centuries to recognize our relationship with the natural world. This is not a good reason to abandon Christianity and embrace other religions.

3. Some secular environmentalists are coming from a position of believing that Christianity does not have anything to do with the environment. For example, a Deist who believes that there is a God, but that he his separate from creation (he set it in motion, but now ignores it), will reject the idea that a sincere Christian has any reason to care about the world.

4. Those environmentalists who have consciously chosen to reject Christ as Lord are not going to be interested in any alternative reasons for caring about the environment, which are based on Scripture.

There are a couple of things that secular environmentalists get right.

1. They are looking for meaning and purpose in the world. Philosophically speaking, most people today say that there is no meaning. So those who seek a reason to care at all are one step closer to a Christian world view, which also states that the world has meaning.

2. Directly emerging from point one is the corollary that the natural world does have value. Both secular environmentalists and the Scriptures teach this, but they find a different source for that meaning.

Spelling out these problems and differences is leading to a point- why it is that Christians should care about the environment. Stay tuned.

Lyrics- Let All Things Now Living

Every Sunday the lyrics from some great piece of Christian music will be featured. It's not that I want worship to revert to using all hymns, it's just that many modern Christian songs don't SAY anything. I really miss some deeper meaning. So I'm going to remind us of some great words.

Let All Things Now Living
Katherine K. Davis, 1939

Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the creator triumphantly raise.
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who still guides us on to the end of our days.
God's banners are o'er us, His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night.
Till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished
As forward we travel from light into light.

His law he enforces, the stars in their courses
And sun in its orbit obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim him divine.
We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing;
With glad adoration a Song let us raise
Till all things now living unite in thanksgiving:
"To God in the highest, Hosanna and praise!"

I love these words! They speak of a creation that is always telling the glory of God. That's hard to miss when I am surrounded by wonderful autumn colors. I had a hard time choosing a video for this one. There was a wonderful alto recorder and piano version that really fits the tune, which is at least 300 years old. Then there was a harpist playing with videos of flowers in the wind. Lovely! I found a choir (that was singing on key) that features the beautiful descant part that accompanies this tune. But in the end, I chose this one. It's a little off-beat, both traditional and modern at the same time. Music only. Hope you enjoy.

Name Game - Herod the Great

Herod the Great

Herod may have been set in a position of power by the Romans, but he proved himself to be a very small man. His title, “King of the Jews,” was given to him by the secular, political rulers. But the Jewish people only partially accepted his authority. He was not of the Davidic kingly line. He wasn’t even half Jewish.

He was appointed to rule over Galilee by Mark Anthony. The saga is Shakespearean. Herod’s father, Antipater, was something of a chief of staff to Hyrcanus, one of two men who were trying to seize control of the Judean region. After Caesar was assassinated, in 44 BC, by Brutus and Cassius, the murderers fled to the East and Mark Anthony raised taxes to fund the effort to apprehend the fugitives. Antipater managed to get the 15,000 kg of silver required from Judea, but his collection methods were so harsh that he too was murdered.

Herod enlisted the help of other Romans and avenged his father’s murder. He then defeated Hyrcanus’ nephew, and married Hyrcanus’ daughter, Mariamne, in a bold political move to officially become part of the right family. By 42 BC, Mark Anthony had dealt with Brutus and Cassius. Herod convinced the ruler that his father had not supported the murder of Caesar. He was rewarded with the title “tetrarch of Galilee.”

The story goes on and on with political twists and turns that sound too strange to be true, but all marked by violence. Herod’s main goal was to impress everyone who might help him and destroy anyone who might dethrone him. He eventually murdered his father-in-law, Hyrcanus, his wife, his mother-in-law, two brothers-in-law... can you spell dysfunctional homicidal maniac? It just seems to be ok if you are the “king.”

In order to please the Jews he took on several huge building projects. He repaired the wall of Jerusalem, and built a citadel to guard the Temple. But he named it Antonia, in honor of Mark Anthony. He minted coins bearing his own name. Following an earthquake in 31 BC, he rebuilt markets, theatres, and a palace.

He conceived and built the huge seaport of Caesarea, named for the Emperor. It was a planned city, with a Grecian-style grid of streets, piers, baths, aqueducts, a circus, and pagan temples. Herod was willing to support any religious group that exalted him. To fund all his projects, he imposed taxes approaching 18%, which was extremely high in a pre-industrial society.

In 20 BC, he began the Jewish Temple which bears his name. Yet, he had an eagle, the symbol of Rome, placed over the Temple gate as a reminder that Rome ruled Judea. Despite all his scheming and grand accomplishments, he was not loved by anyone.

Now, we see Herod as he enters Biblical history. Here come the magi, undoubtedly with a huge support caravan, looking for someone whom they believe is the “King of the Jews,” and whom they want to worship. Herod wasn’t about to let this situation pass! He says that he doesn’t know of this person, but tells the magi to be sure to let him know if they find the baby they are seeking. He has cunningly appeared to show interest in the age of this infant king.

We know that he certainly was interested, but not because he wanted to worship the new king, as he claimed. Instead he set out to kill all the boys who were two years old and under, just in case one of them might have a legitimate claim to his position.

The familiar story unfolds- The magi do find Jesus and present their gifts. Mary and Joseph are warned by God to take baby Jesus and go to Egypt to avoid the Herodian slaughter, and God warns the magi to skip a return visit with Herod.

Herod the Great’s death in 4 BC is one of the key elements of dating the birth of Jesus at about 6 BC. (Calendar errors have nothing to do with Biblical accuracy.) He possibly died of the same disease as his grandson, Herod Antipater, whose death is described in Acts 12:23, as being “eaten by worms.” It is speculated that they both died of Fournier’s gangrene, a condition in which bacteria infect the urinary tract and prostate, causing gangrene, and tissue necrosis. Not a pleasant way to go.

It’s quite likely that Herod the Great was not much missed.

Answers to Before and After

King Saul of Tarsus
I Samuel 10
Acts 9:11

Noah's Ark of the Covenant
Genesis 7
Exodus 25

Virgin Mary Magdalene
Luke 1:27
Luke 8:2

The horns of the altar of 12 stones
I Kings 2:28
I Kings 18:31,32

Young Lion of Judah
Judges 14:4-6
Revelation 5:5