The Old Testament Wrap –up I: Finally Able to Have an Informed Conversation about the Bible

Posted on August 22, 2013 by virgowriter

So my dad emailed me (and some others) a joke:

An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and he turned to her and said, “Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.”

The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, “What would you want to talk about?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said the atheist. “How about why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?” as he smiled smugly.

“Okay,” she said. “Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff – grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?”

The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl’s intelligence, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.” To which the little girl replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss God, Heaven and Hell, or life after death, when you don’t know shit?”

And then she went back to reading her book.

I won’t go into the different things I find amusing about this joke—some of which Bible devotees will agree with, some totally different. I will say, though, that the joke does encapsulate my desire to finally read the Bible: when it came to being able to discuss what the Bible does and doesn’t say, I want to finally “know shit.”

I am no Bible scholar, but I am fairly diligent reader. And having completed the Old Testament—taken careful notes, posted on each book, processed the info, fielded feedback from others—I am in a much better position to discuss this important book.

In some ways the Old Testament met my expectations and surprised me (in positive way) in others. I was expecting a fairly dry read, pages and page full of dictates on how to live life. Oh yeah, and a lot of fire and brimstone and miracles.

Although chunks of the Bible are dry, in between are fairly interesting stories about people trying to make sense of their lives, and/or stepping up to be courageous in the face of bad odds. Yes, a few books contain the listing of laws and dictates (Leviticus) that are interesting from a historical perspective but—in some cases—laughable in a modern context (really, no clothes containing multiple fabrics?).

But I learned very early on that although I was prepared to have a bone to pick with the Bible, my issue was not with what was written. My issue has always been with the unfortunate ways people USE the Bible for their own agendas.

Now, the Bible is used to do a LOT of good in the world—it encourages organizations to assist impoverished communities, for example. However, when it’s used for POLITICAL agendas, there’s a problem.

Having read this major section for the Bible, I now know WHY I cringe when some politician—especially a woman—launches into defending a position by stating “It says in the Bible…” I want to ask these politicians—especially the females: “Oh, that’s what it says in the Bible? If we followed the Bible, you wouldn’t be an elected official.”

Clearly, that would be a ludicrous position—and I hope all Americans would understand that. However, when this good book is used to justify bigotry against gays and lesbians, that same reaction is, sadly, absent at times.

I fail to understand how people in good conscience—and with a straight face—assert that they agree with parts of the Bible but clearly not others (like what not to eat or wear or when to work). Doing that basically declares that you have more insight than God. That seems like a stretch.

Still, I’m glad I’ve finished this huge section of the Bible, have a better understanding where people are coming from, have picked up on a number of references to the bible in other works (movies, novels, etc.), and am curious about what’s ahead in the New Testament.

But before I get there, I have some more thoughts on what I’ve read coming up.

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The Old Testament: The Book of Malachi – You’re Not Acting in My Name and God Hates Divorce

Posted on August 20, 2013 by virgowriter

One of the many things I love about seeing Pearl Jam live is the unpredictability of their set-lists. They changed theirs up every night, and depending on the mood of the band, the energy of the crowd, Eddie Vedder—lead singer and in charge of the set-lists—generates a batch of songs that will work best for that evening. Of the choices made, the last song is important. This last song can leave the crowd pumped (a rocking version of the Neil Young penned “Rocking in the Free World” or the Who’s “Baba O’Reilly) or contemplative (the slow burn of “Indifference” or mellow “Yellow Ledbetter.” For the majority of the crowd, this last song is the tone they will recall the most, as it’s played last and closes the show.

Just as you don’t just pick any song to close a lengthy concert, you certainly don’t end your books with an arbitrary chapter. Therefore, The Book of Malachi, which ends the Old Testament, is a curious choice. And based on the content of this short book, it’s clear that it doesn’t stand out in the minds of modern readers of the Bible.

This last book of the Old Testament ends on a dark note. Malachi was annoyed at just how many people were going through the motions with their relationship with God. Too many, he felt, were doing the bare minimum.

He saves a good chunk of his venom for the priests, and as this was a popular topic in Zechariah, this was obviously a big problem during this era. Specifically, these priests are not acting in God’s name (as they claim and probably think they are). (2:2). He believes that priests ought to preserve knowledge, and from his/their mouth(s), men should seek instruction. But these priests have failed. They’ve caused many to stumble through their flawed ways (2:8). Their biggest problem? They “have shown partiality in matters of the law” (2:9).

The language here is very interesting. On one hand, the law probably refers to God’s law. Read another way, however, it seems that their advice/teachings have been tainted by bending to the laws (desires) of society. Basically, they’ve been unfaithful to God’s laws, picking and choosing which things are permissible to make people feel better about the choices they make in their everyday lives.

One of the issues the priests have allowed is in regard to divorce. God would like to be clear: he HATES divorce (2:16).

Unlike the few other areas of the Old Testament that touch on divorce—which allow for it when the wife has been unfaithful—this book makes no such exception. God hates it and orders people to keep their marriage vows.

God could not be clearer on this point, so this idea bears repeating: God HATES divorce.

In the words of Michelle Bachman, the Bible is VERY clear on this here, as the Old Testament closes.

So the Old Testament ends on a down note. I had hoped for—though didn’t expect—a more upbeat ending, one that would usher in the shift to the New Testament. Upbeat endings have the ability to inspire, but here, in the last few lines, the prophet Elijah will be sent to build better bonds between fathers and their children. If that fails, the lord intends to curse the land (4:6).

It seems the best way to inspire is through fear, not love.

If the Old Testament were a concert, I would scratch my head at this ending choice. I would leave the concert with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, feeling a bit cheated on the lack of emotional closure. But sometimes the mood is dark, and the choice reflects that. Not much can be done about the reality of what they had to work with back then. Still, with a concert, the last song hints at what you can expect the next time you catch the band—if you’re inclined for a next time. Ending here on such a down note, I’m not really pumped to get into the New Testament.

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The Old Testament: The Book of Zechariah – Crazy Dreams and Misrepresenting God

Posted on August 17, 2013 by virgowriter

Change does not always happen quickly, and sometimes the people that call for it finally have their patience rewarded when it does arrive. But the ones who resist change often cling to the old ways. In fact, these people become incensed when people embrace more enlightened (or modern) views. This battle for change has surfaced recently as long-held bigoted opposition to gay marriage has eroded, hastened by the Supreme Court striking down DOMA and California’s Proposition 8.

On the heels of the court’s decision, Pennsylvania Representative Brian Sims introduced a state Bill that would have brought Marriage equality to our state. One would think that elected officials would see the writing on the wall—with the legal precedent set by the courts and the tipping of popular opinion of marriage equality. But no. These bigots denounced Sims on the Pennsylvania State Senate floor for introducing his marriage equality bill. When trying to discuss the Court’s landmark ruling, Sims was silenced with a procedural maneuver by several members in the state senate. One of these individuals, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), stated he felt that the comments would be a violation of “God’s Law” (http://huff.to/19AnZgn).

If this individual—and those that believed the same thing when silencing Sims—was as familiar with these laws as one should be when invoking them, he would see how wrong he is. Or perhaps his Bible does not include the Book of Zechariah.

From exile, the Israelites return to the ghost town that Jerusalem has become. And because this likely was a total bummer for them, Zechariah is there to encourage them to return to the lord. This call would inspire hope among them, he believed.

During this rebuilding, Zechariah has eight visions, which either predict the future or make sense of their present. These visions, which range from the bizarre to rather interesting, are rather involved and warrant close study, as you need to read them over and over again to determine some meaning.

I’m not going into them here, as I lack the required knowledge to make sense of them.

But the point here that is crystal clear is God calling out people who claim to be acting on his behalf (7:6-7). Specifically, he suggests that when priests and others claimed to be fasting to honor the lord, they weren’t. The point is directed at how they conducted themselves—religiously—while in exile.

Along the same lines, the Bible is often used to support political beliefs. Thus, some people claiming to be implementing the Lord’s work, laws, ideas, etc. often are not. With the representatives in Pennsylvania claiming to adhere to God’s laws to justify their actions, which laws are they referring to? Don’t oppress? Act justly? Show compassion?

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