Response to John’s blog, “The Ritual of Remembrance”

I really enjoyed John’s blog and also am intrigued by the idea of return in the Bible. When we read Psalm 137 on Thursday, I was amazed to see the violent verse at the end of the beautiful psalm that talks about dashing infants against the rock. I feel sick to my stomach when I read that line. I decided to look into the background of the Psalm to see if I could find more answers. I found out that this psalm is a lament remembering the Babylonian captivity. The returned exiles are affirming their loyalty to God, and asking that he would deliver justice to their oppressors.

Deuteronomy 32:35 To me [God] belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

The Lord does promise to avenge his people and to fight for them, and this is what the psalmist is asking him to do. Paul reminds his followers of this command to let the Lord deliver justice in Romans 12:19 as well. The picture of the infants is… gruesome to say the least. Apparently, the Babylonians had smashed Israelite infants’ heads against rocks during their captivity, and thus this psalmist is asking that their punishment would match their crime (Genesis 9:6 and Exodus 21:23-24). God’s people are not permitted to perform this act of violence, but essentially the writer is asking God to bring justice, which would have to include punishment for anyone who has oppressed his people. So, is God an angry God? I know there is an excessive amount of violence in the OT, and sometimes it seems like he is cruel, but he loves his chosen people, the Israelites, and fight for them. God’s purpose is always to bring his people back to himself when they wander away (the concept of return), an idea that carries on into the New Testament as well.

For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children [shall find] compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God [is] gracious and merciful, and will not turn away [his] face from you, if ye return unto him. 2 Chronicles 30:9

The Bible is all about return. When Jesus comes to save the world, He invites ALL people, Jew and Gentile, to turn back to him for new life. The “church word,” repentance involves recognition of sin, turning away from it, and returning to the Lord. Ultimately, God’s people are waiting for heaven or Christ’s return for the restoration of our bodies to what they were before sin (perfect) and a returning to the Lord… forever. The “dust to dust” idea reminds us that our life on earth is fleeting; our bodies will go back into the ground. The question is… what happens to our spirits after this inevitable failure of our flesh?

I find myself asking/praying the psalmist’s prayer, “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!”

The Great Big Story

So here's my take on what it would look like to understand the Bible as a piece of literature. I see the whole Bible as one Big Story with literary elements like plot, conflict, foreshadowing, etc. I read the Bible not as a random jumble of inconsistent works, but as a cohesive whole. It has a beginning and an end, an obvious story line that starts in Genesis and ends in Revelation. Like Professor Sexson said in class, the New Testament is a response to the Old Testament, so it is necessary to understand both pieces to understand the whole Bible. The Bible is a love story, one of redemption and forgiveness, and I’d like to try to summarize it.

I like the way Frye uses the seven words to divide the Bible into sections.

1. Creation: God created the heavens and the Earth, and it was very good (Genesis 1:23). He had a perfect relationship with Adam and Eve, walking with them in the garden. BUT, enter the serpent, Satan, and sin enters the perfect world. Adam and Eve choose to turn against God, and the result of their choice is a broken relationship with their Creator. Now there is separation between humans and God because God is perfect and humans are not.

2. Exodus: God makes a covenant with Israel, His Chosen People, inviting them to commit to him (Exodus 19:3-6). This nation plays an irreplaceable role in God’s overall plan for the world because through them, a Messiah will come who will bring freedom for all people. Again and again, the Israelites turn their backs on God, but He calls them back to himself and offers grace and forgiveness.

3. Law: The law is instruction given by God to his people for their protection. The law brings order and civility to the theocracy that has been set up.

4. Wisdom: The books of wisdom, like Psalm and Proverbs, are books of practical advice on what it looks like to live well, honoring God with our lives.

5. Prophesy: The prophets remind the Israelites of the Big Story, God’s big plan for the world. They remind Israel of where they are heading, often rebuking or warning them to return to the Lord.

6. Gospel: Here is the climax of the story. Jesus enters the world as a baby to live a sinless life and offer himself as an atoning sacrifice for our sin (1 Peter 3:18). He is fully human and fully God. Remember, there is still a separation between man and God (Romans 3:23). No matter what man does, he cannot reach perfection. However, Jesus comes into the world and offers to carry the weight of our sin as a way to bridge the gap that separates us from God. Jesus dies on the cross because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Not only that, but he rises from the dead, conquering the grave, something that no one has ever before achieved (1 Corinthians 15:4-8). Jesus is the hero; he saves the world from death and offers us the gift of eternal life (John 3:16).

7. Apocalypse: Revelation is a book of prophecy that unveils the spiritual war in which the church is engaged. Jesus already has the victory, but the church continues to be attacked by the enemy. Revelation gives us a glimpse of what the last days will look like, and confirms that God will win the battle for the world.

So there you go. Understanding the big story of the Bible has helped me get through some of the more difficult sections that seem so unimportant. I say this as I am struggling through the book of Joshua, trying to understand what is happening as the Israelites conquer people and lands with names that I cannot pronounce. However, there is a thread that ties it all together, bringing life to the most monotonous thee’s and thou’s of this ancient text. More on Joshua to come…

Oops, wrong book

So I'm one of the unfortunate few who have been reading the wrong "Good Book," but it's okay because I've really enjoyed what I've read. I think I'll try to finish it sometime... when I'm not in three Lit classes.

Here's a quote from Gomes' introduction,

"...people want to know why, in such a world, you would continue to hold allegiance to something so out of harmony with it. Conviction on the part of the Christian, and curiosity on the part of others, are essential ingredients in the apologetic for the faith. One offers one's own life as the immediate and ultimate "explanation," remembering that Christian truth is advanced not by postulates and formulas, the bone-crushing logic of arguments point and counterpoint, but in the living flesh of human beings."

I don't understand everything about the Bible or about God, but would I really want to follow something that I could completely understand? I want to give my life to something that is bigger and better than me, not something that always makes complete sense. In this technologically advanced world where we can find out movie times on our phones or google the weather forecast instantly, we want explanations for everything, and we fool ourselves into thinking we have them. But then something big happens like 9/11 or the death of a family member, and we wonder if we really have as much control as we think we do.

That said, I would like to argue that when you give it a chance, most of the bizarre Bible stories we're reading make so much historic and scientific sense. I was hiking up along the ridge in the Bridgers this weekend and found some sea shells lying on the top of the mountain. How could they have gotten there? It makes sense to me that if at one time water covered the whole earth, shells would have been left on the top of mountains when the water receded.

I was reading Joshua 6 today... The Battle of Jericho. God must have a sense of humor, judging by his bizarre commandments here. He tells the Israelites to march around the city for six days. On the seventh day they are to blow the trumpets and shout as loud as the can, and the walls will fall down. And they do! What a great story of God being powerful and fighting our battles for us. In the Old Testament, the Israelites are God's chosen people, and he is with them, as he shows in this story.

Just some thoughts:)

First ever blog post

Well, let's be honest. I read the Bible. Regularly. And since I'm being honest, I'll just tell you that I'm a Christian. One of them:) And to be even more honest I'll tell you that there are many parts of the Bible that I don't understand. In fact, I attempted to read Numbers this summer and epically failed. That puts me at the beginning of Joshua and the middle of Luke in my Bible reading endeavor. I can't say I have read the whole Bible. I have not read all the prophets and I have never tackled Revelation. However, I'm very excited to take this challenge and explore the Bible in the context of this class.

Professor Sexon's challenge to approach the Bible as a piece of literature is going to be hard for me. I will do my best, but as with any piece of literature, my experiences and beliefs and worldview will shape the way in which I read it. I don't want to argue with anyone or to be a cause for contention, but to write an honest blog and share my honest reactions, you must know that I believe the Bible is true. Truth. Scary word huh?

This could be interesting...