It is very late for me to be blogging but I'm a little bit wired from coffee so...
I missed my daily Bible reading this morning thanks to grocery deliveries gone wrong. I don't like to start my reading if I know that I will be disturbed. Today was when I had to order groceries for the next 2 weeks and it's usually an hour and a half process. I order, choose a delivery time, get the delivery, put away the groceries, and go about my day. Not today. Aldi's came on time but Hyvee was way behind schedule. But enough whining about that.
What I wanted to post about is how many little things I am picking up from my daily readings. Things to do with history and culture. I'm telling you, taking your time to read not just the Bible verses but to think about them and then to check various commentaries... It's a whole other level of learning.
I am into Exodus now and I always found it to be one of the drier parts of the Bible. This time around, I am fascinated with learning about the Jewish calendar and the laws. Also, the other random pieces of information that I never gave much thought to before.
One thing I discovered is that although the manna in the Bible was provided divinely, manna today exists as from the sweet juice of the tamarisk. Wow, right?
When I read this in Exodus 19:4:
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
I found the language beautiful, of course, but then I read the commentary of David Guzik:
God’s love and care was shown for Israel already, as He bore you on eagle’s wings. It is said that an eagle does not carry her young in her claws like other birds; the young eagles attach themselves to the back of the mother eagle and are protected as they are carried. Any arrow from a hunter must pass through the mother eagle before it could touch the young eagle on her back.
Now that is beautiful, right? I will never read Exodus 19:4 again without extreme appreciation of God's love for us.
When I was reading Exodus 10:6 which is part of Moses' speech to Pharoah when he is announcing the plague of locusts, I could almost envision the scene:
And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.
Apparently, the custom of the time was not to turn your back to the ruler. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh. Was that a drop-the-mic moment or what?
I have also begun to pay attention to the calendar because of how important it is. The feasts and other holy days as set by the Lord have taken on more meaning. Years ago, my mother and I used to watch Zola Levitt on his show and we loved hearing about the feasts and customs. Somehow, I forgot that these things started with the Hebrews' relationship with the Lord. I was able to find a very printable copy of the calendar and have it attached to my whiteboard so I can refer to it during my reading.
One of my nieces visited New York once and she became fascinated with the Orthodox Jews she saw. I remember her asking questions about their attire and customs. After I read Exodus 13:9 and Adam Clarke's commentary (also the notes in my KJV Study Bible mention this) I had to text and tell my niece. This is what the verse reads:
And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.
And this is just part of a long piece of Clarke's commentary:
...and hence they called them תפלין tephillin, prayer, ornaments, oratories, or incitements to prayer. In process of time the spirit of this law was lost in the letter, and when the word was not in their mouth, nor the law in their heart, they had their phylacteries on their heads and on their hands. And the Pharisees, who in our Lord’s time affected extraordinary piety, made their phylacteries very broad, that they might have many sentences written upon them, or the ordinary portions in very large and observable letters.
My niece is about to start Bible reading and I bet this was an encouragement to her.
I suppose that part of my reason for sharing these tidbits of discovery with you is to show how interesting the Bible is. Aside from being the final authority for me as a Christian, it is a beautiful and detailed set of writings that shine a light on history and customs.
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| Found this on Pinterest |
So many people read and appreciate Shakespeare and other writers of fiction but won't pick up the Bible and read it for life application. I spent too many years making excuses and only paying attention to the so-called "highlights" of the Bible. I am feeling so blessed that I am learning to read and learn from every word of it.
Of course, I will be posting on some of the other notes I have been jotting down as I read. Tomorrow, I will be reading 2 days' worth of Scripture to make up for what I missed today.
Once again, I want to point out how useful eSword is. From my post today, you can see that I get a lot of use from the various commentaries!
Peace & goodnight!
--Free
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