A Word, A Torch, and Dead Animals

Genesis 15 (New King James Version)

Six days ago I started reading The Chronological Study Bible, a Bible that Sarrah got for me. So far it's been really fascinating and quite the learning experience. Along with the verses themselves, the book has extra footnotes and short studies that talk about the cultural context. There were some that detailed different beliefs about Creation and the Flood, beliefs that just show how much greater our God is than the god of any other religion out there.

So I came to Genesis 15. This Bible is a New King James Version and titles it "God's Covenant with Abram." It details a ritual covenant where God promises to Abram that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars. "Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be'" (New King James Version, Gen. 15.5).

According to this study Bible, the ritual that took place was very similar to other ancient Near Eastern covenants. The suzerain, or stronger party, and the vassal, or the weaker party, would agree on terms and duties. Usually the suzerain would offer protection to the vassal and the vassal would support the suzerain with taxes or wartime loyalty. This ritual involved the vassal cutting various animals in half and walking between the pieces. This served as a sobering reminder of what would happen to the vassal should he fail to uphold his duties (Nelson 23).

Now, compare this to the Genesis 15 covenant. There are stark differences. One of the differences is the fact that the chapter details the duties of God, clearly the suzerain. He offers Abram His protection (Gen 15.1) and promises that Abram's descendants will be numerous (Gen 15.5).

Also, notice in Genesis 15:17 that Abram, the vassal, was not the one who walked between the dead animals. Rather, a burning torch did. This burning torch is a representation of God, saying "that He would die before He would allow His covenant with Abram to fail" (Nelson 23).

Isn't that awesome? Isn't it incredible how differently from us God works? In our culture, the stronger impose rules on the weaker and punish them for not upholding their side of the deal. God, however, has taken this duty on Himself.

But God, about two millennia later, put His money where His mouth was and did die. In fact, this was the Son that Abram was making the covenant with. If we look at Genesis 15:1, it clearly says "...the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision." Curious, I looked up several versions of this verse. Many of them use the exact same wording. Other versions, such as the New Living Translation, say "The Lord spoke to Abram in a vision," but the wording reflects the same meaning. Rather than simply say "The Lord said," which would still mean the same thing, the author is trying to get a very specific point across here.

That point can be found in John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (New International Version). John, the author, is talking about Jesus. This means that Abram was making this covenant with the Son Himself!

Doesn't that blow your mind? Abram is standing here making a covenant with Jesus, a far more powerful person than Abram or anyone in history. And yet Jesus takes it on Himself to fulfill the law and swears to die rather than break it. And He did. We have all been saved because of it.

Works Cited

Nelson, Thomas. "Passing Between the Halves." The Chronological Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2008. Print.

New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984. Print.

New Living Translation. BibleGateway.com. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale Charitable Trust, 1996. Web. 16 May 2010.

That's the Way the Money Goes

I will start from the beginning.

Not too long ago Sarrah walked into a Jack in the Box somewhere. I don't remember where. But she was appalled to see that the people at the front register had been replaced by a machine in which you punch orders into. The reason for her outrage was because, by installing the machine, the owners are getting rid of jobs that people need, especially in our economy.

Now, it's good that she's engaged to me, because I also have my issues with the handling of jobs and businesses in our economy. The government talks about taxing the rich business owners more heavily in the name of rebuilding the economy. But if you know anything about business, you know that a business owner needs money to run his business. He needs to pay into supplies, insurance, employees. The heavier taxes mean that the owner has less money to pay into his business, which means he has to make cuts in order to stay in business. Typically this means layoffs, which just destroys jobs. Or it could just mean that the owner has to go out of business entirely, destroying even more jobs. What logic is there in this?

Anyways, random economic rant aside, I was thinking about this earlier today. We had stopped at a Jack in the Box with people at the front registers, so I texted Sarrah to tell her I wasn't a traitor. Then we drove by another, which got me thinking about stuff.

See, for a while now I've thought it would be cool to start my own media business. I was never really sure what I meant before, but more recently I've been thinking about audio work. But I always imagined it being just me. At least initially. Nowadays it would be both Sarrah and I as a team. But I started thinking it would be really cool if, should the business be successful enough, or should Sarrah and I get enough money, we hired some employees. Create a few jobs, help some people.

I told Sarrah this idea, starting off by wondering aloud if Evergreen (the college I'll be attending) had any business courses. I don't know if I knew she'd look it up or if I was just leading into my thought, but she found one which would fit into my schedule nicely. Thanks, love. :-) She also expanded on the original idea to include some interesting ways to help others.

We know some people with "history." History that makes it harder to find a decent job. Sarrah suggested that we could hire people like that. Obviously we'd have to find a way to make sure these people were legit, but I agreed with her. People deserve a second chance. And if you met some of my friends with histories, you'd never distrust them even the slightest bit.

I also mentioned offering internships to college students or entry-level jobs to people looking to get their feet in the door. As a college student, I know the market can be an intimidating place to think about. So does Sarrah. Why not help some of these kids out?

Of course, this is all a lot of speculation and dreaming. But you know, it's entirely possible. I've always wondered how audio work can help people. Maybe this is how. It'll take a lot of work. But, as I like to say (now), "Jehovah Jireh." Translated, it means "The LORD will provide." Plus, I've got a wife-to-be who wants to do this with me, which is a huge blessing because the Lord knows I'm not smart enough to pull it off alone. Well, I'm not as detail-oriented as she is, at least.

It'll take prayer, but if this is what God wants us to do, then nothing's gonna stop us.

God, The Original Transfiguration Professor

I remember back in the old days...

*flashback to Adam and Eve*

No, not that far!

*fast forward to a year or two ago*

Back in the days when I was a lowly fast-food worker, I would stand around in the kitchen with a lot of other guys. Most of these guys were non-believers. You know, the types who believe in sex before marriage, drugs, and stuff like that. A lot of them were very derogatory towards women. By that I mean judgmental. They'd talk about which co-workers they thought were hot (in other words, which women they'd f***). They'd also talk about any physical flaws they could find and laugh about them. I would think to myself just how stupid they were.

What a hypocrite I was.

You see, I was pretty similar in respects. I was more judgmental than I care to admit. I was capable of finding even the most minuscule flaws in women. Whether their hips were just a little too big for their body or their nose was a little off center, I could typically find something. Whatever I could find would bother me. Now, I say "flaws" in the context of my way of thinking back then.

I also used to be big into make-up. I thought it was a sign of maturity. I thought that without make-up women were most likely ugly. I say most likely because I was literally surrounded by women who wore make-up.

I don't know when it was that my viewpoint started to change. I started to despise the country's standard of blond, thin, supermodel photoshopped image that doesn't actually exist. I thought it encouraged everyone to look like everyone else. What was so great about that? Wouldn't it be better to have a girlfriend or a wife who looks like herself and NOT like every other girl you know?

I started to think make-up was stupid. What was the point of it? Aren't people more beautiful how God made them? Interestingly enough, I wound up with a woman who rarely even wears make-up in the first place and looks very pretty with or without it. Maybe God wanted to change my way of thinking for her. Or maybe bringing her along was His way of saying, "Since you don't want a woman who wears loads of make-up, here you go." I like to think it's a mix.

I also stopped caring so much about "flaws." In fact, I started to not view them as flaws, but as differences that made them who they were. It's a process, one that I think is still ongoing.

I can only attribute this change to God. Thank You Lord, for changing the way I think. And I really mean thank God! I look back at the way I thought and I'm disgusted. Sometimes I worry that that old me will come back. But I have faith that God really does change hearts and minds.

Here's my way of thinking now: Everyone is different. And every single detail, whether physical, mental, or otherwise, is of the full intention of God. That's what makes beauty beautiful.

'Nuff said.

Conquering...LIKE SPARTAAAA!!

So there's a passage in the Bible that I've known about for a while now. But last night Sarrah, the most beautiful woman ever, caused me to see it in a different context than I had for several years.

The passage is Romans 8:28-39:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)

Now, the part that I've known about is "In all these things we are more than conquerors..." I've always read this as meaning that, with God, we can conquer anything. I saw the more than conquerors part as the meat of the verse. I still think that meaning applies. But Sarrah read it in a bit of a different way, a way that, when I thought about it, I preferred.

She took that part that I knew about and continued to "through him who loved us." She saw THAT as the important part of the verse and interpreted it as saying that we aren't conquerors. I thought about it and, as Sarrah put it, fleshed it out.

Through God's love, we are more than conquerors. This is not to say that we conquer anything. God is the One Who conquers. To be more than a conqueror means, not that we conquer, but that we are on God's side when He conquers something. To be more than a conqueror means that God is glorified when we overcome something through Him and His power. To be more than a conqueror means that we have received God's grace, and as a result, anything He triumphs over is no longer an obstacle for us.

Personally, I like this idea. It shows a lot more God than my original idea did. Sarrah read it in a unique way that made me think. Thank You Lord, for Sarrah and for conquering!

Thoughts and comments are welcome and encouraged.

With Her on My Side

So today I played my second ever live show.

Now, for those of you who don't know, which is probably everyone other than Sarrah and Joey, I have played one show before. I played bass at one of Joey's shows in some coffee shop I can't remember the name of. Personally, I thought it was a disaster. Joey played fine, I was the one who messed up. Mostly because I hadn't had time to practice the songs enough. It was kind of a last minute deal. Oddly, no one seemed to notice my mistakes except Joey and me, which was bad enough for me.

This time was completely different. I would be at Coram Deo for our present wrapping party, playing guitar and singing alongside Ryan, my church's music director, who would also be playing guitar and singing. He sang lead on the first song (Emmanuel). Then it was my turn. The song I would lead is the famous "What Child Is This?" I've kind of fallen in love with the song this Christmas season, I'm not sure why. But either way, I suggested it to Ryan and he asked me to lead it, so I did. After that I sang back-up on "O Come Let Us Adore Him." All in all I think I made a total of one mistake, and I myself hardly noticed it.

Before Ryan and I went up, I felt this odd feeling. Now, I was scared and nervous of going on stage. I kept getting reassurances from my future in-laws, my sister, and Sarrah, who had all heard our practice session. But right before the time to go up came, I was sitting next to Sarrah and it hit me that she was supporting me. I already knew that of course, but it hit me right then. And when I realized that, I felt like more than a scared little boy about to play karaoke in front of a church. I felt like a man. I knew that having her there was what made me able to step on that stage with even a remote expectation that it would go well.

When I went to Big Splash at Wild Waves one year, I watched one of my favorite local Christian rock bands: SoulDeep. At one point, the singer's daughter came down. She must've been three or four maybe. I had noticed before she came down that the singer had a wedding ring. I thought it was so cool. I'm not sure what it was. Maybe I just thought that him having a family was the result of serving God. Either way I knew I wanted that.

During our worship, my eyes continually went to Sarrah. She was to my left though so I realized I couldn't just look in her direction the whole time. But, at least once when I looked, our eyes met. And she smiled. Then I smiled. It made the whole thing a lot easier. Now I was that musician on stage with the supportive love on my side.