On being behind, and struggling with God

I'm behind, friends.  Stuck in the latter pages of the Pentateuch (which, at least by page numbers, is a full fifth of the Bible.  Sheesh, Moses).  As I do read, in stops and fits, I'm chastened by God, made to see His way--even though the law has been perfected in Christ, and we need not worry about being "unclean until the even" anymore, there's still something magisterial (in the many meanings of that word) and often, even today, sensible about it.  And I think what I keep running into is how difficult it was to put oneself into proper relationship with God, how many things you had to check off, how many things had to be remembered, how organized your life had to be--just how hard it was for the Israelites in the wilderness,  but, oddly, how easy it was, too.  Because God always provided for them, gave them what they needed, gave them the promise of something more and, in return, he asked for holiness in their comportment towards him.  Holiness that was shown through various outward signs, outward signs that were hard, yes, but that made sense in that they often helped, aided in them experiencing His Providence, etc.

Okay, I'm rambling.  What I'm trying to say is this:  I've always been a struggler and fighter as it concerns my faith.  I always find myself returning to the same old compulsions and sins, finding myself making myself hard towards God, only to fall down and plead the Blood again, realize that I've crucified Him again, and that I'm wretched and in need of God's Providence.  I am, then, like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness.  And as I read, I find myself both somehow comforted and somehow horrified by that fact, as for me to be holy, I need not remember what sort of wave offering to bring and how long I need to sit apart from the community, but only to have true faith in Our Lord and His redeeming love.

And, sitting here waiting for the sun to rise and listening to the birds sing their pre-dawn chorus, I  read this morning's devotion by the always powerful Mr. Chambers, and somehow it makes sense vis-a-vis reading the Bible as well as praying, a sense I've somehow tried to spell out above.

Love to you all.

Errata History of the KJV

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to receive the special 100th issue of Christian History magazine, which is dedicated to celebrating the 400th anniversary of this wonderful translation. It came with a complementary DVD documentary about the making of the KJV, quite well done, including interviews with some of the most charming scholars imaginable, some British as you might imagine, but also some clearly from the deep south, one elderly man from North Carolina that I just wanted to listen to forever. I wish I was clever enough to embed some portions from it here for you all to enjoy, but alas, I am not.

What I would like to share is a litany of printers' errors over the years, listed on p. 1 of the magazine, some highly amusing:
1611 -- The "Judas" Bible, where Judas, not Jesus, says "Sit ye here while I go yonder and pray." (Matt. 26:36)
1612 -- The "Printers" Bible, wherein Ps. 119:161 reads "Printers have persecuted me without a cause." (should be "Princes...")
1631 -- The "Wicked" Bible, omits the "not" from the seventh commandment, making it "Thou shalt commit adultery."
1716 -- The "Sin on" Bible, John 8:11, Jesus tells the woman caught in adultery to "Go and sin on more."
1717 -- The "Vinegar" Bible, the chapter heading for Luke 20 reads "The Parable of the Vinegar" instead of "...the Vineyard.")
1763 -- The "Fools" Bible, Psalm 14:1 reads "the fool hath said in his heart there is a God," rather than "no God." (Fined £3000.)
1804 -- The "Lions" Bible, "...thy son that shall come forth out of thy lions," instead of "loins."
1944 -- The "Owl" Bible, apparently the printing plate had a damaged letter n, so holy women were said to be in subjection to their "owl husbands" in 1 Peter 3:5.

They are wanting to republish Christian History magazine in some format or other, and are in the process of trying to ascertain what format will be the most successful and meet people's needs the best. I for one am glad of it.

When Balaam smote his ass

First off, I hope everyone is well and hanging in there. I'll confess that I've fallen behind with my reading, though I am almost caught up, but as we approach the gale-force part of the semester, it's been tricky to find time to reflect and post. So I have a few half-composed posts in my brain that I hope to get to soon, but for now, a word on Balaam's ass.

I've always thought this story was partly sad (who beats donkeys, with their sad eyes?) and partly awesome (talking animals!). But I don't think I paid it much mind beyond the fun of the Bible talking about asses and then an animal talking at all. But this time when I read it, it seemed much more profound. What Balaam gets credit for--having the power to effectually bless or curse--has to be redirected to God. And then there's Balaam's powerlessness to curse those whom God has blessed ("How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? Or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?") And his repeated blessing of Israel instead. It's the kind of irony that excites me as a reader. It reminds me of the Haman/Mordecai plot in Esther. But anyway, on this reading, it occurred to me that the talking ass is Balaam's foil. A donkey can speak what God allows him to, but Balaam keeps going off script. The foolish things shame the wise. But in the end, Balaam is repeatedly referred to as "the man whose eyes are open," after he sees the angel barring his good donkey's way. And then there are the references to God, who "brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn" (Numbers 23:22 and 24:8). And the whole thing ends with a messianic prophecy. What a treat! What a good word about the power of God's favor.

Forty Days

Forty days shows up throughout the biblical narrative, but I had forgotten that the initial exploration of the Promised Land was one of those forty days. And the large-scale unbelief that characterized the summation of what they found there was multiplied into a year-for-every-day judgment on the whole assembly.

Having just entered the forty-day penitential season of Lent, coming face to face with the weakness of my mortal flesh, I reflect on the forty days – forty years equation. The reminder that I am dust and to dust I shall return heightens my desire for corrected vision. Lent this year will be a time to identify the ways in which I allow giant-sized obstacles and grasshopper-sized me to obscure my vision of God, and His abundant mercy and enabling that Jesus has won for me. I’m grateful for these readings. They have provided a fresh narrative in which to experience Lent. “The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”