Blessings:

Well ... I'm still wayyy behind--100 pages now. I was feeling rather grumpy about it until I realized ... I'm still loving the adventure! And it is an adventure! It is also a 90 day adventure for some ... but I'm blessed so I'm making new rules.

• First rule: Finish.
• Second rule: Read before anything and everything.
• Third rule: Finish even if it takes 180 days.
• Fourth rule: Remember this is for me to know and see more of God. It is not about keeping up with the Joneses (there's descending family joke in that).
• Fifth rule: Keep Lov'n the Adventure!

Do you know it is impossible to mention to anyone that you're reading the Bible cover to cover just "in passing" or "as a matter of fact." I have found myself in many conversations where the other side has automatically jumped to the defensive. I just shrug and say something along the lines of, "You should try reading it for yourself and find out what you discover in there that people aren't really talking about ... for example did you know ... that most of God's chosen leaders were scoundrels who had to repent over and over because they kept straying off the straight and narrow? Oh, Genesis is full of as much or more scandal than the evening news ... and that's just the beginning."

And this weeks humor: Moses waits until the first generation of Israelites has croaked in the desert, then he recounts their history to the "young people" and in it, twice he claims that God isn't going to let him cross over the Jordan river because of God's anger with the group. First in Deuteronomy 3:23-28.

At that time I pleaded with the LORD : "O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan -- that fine hill country and Lebanon."

But because of you the LORD was angry with me and would not listen to me. "That is enough," the LORD said. "Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan. But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see."

But over and over what is recorded as God's reason is this:

"Because you (Moses) did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." (Numbers 20:12)

It was always all about Moses and Arron and the fact that they did not speak as they were told to the rock. I think the give away is this bit right here:

He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out ... (Numbers 20:10-11)

But ... See what God really said to do is this:

"Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. ..."

Do you see that little difference? I've always heard the big difference was the reason -- that he struck the rock. But I see it in the words ... a more subtle thing than action (but a more powerful thing) is always in our words. ... God told Moses something to say to the rock ... Moses didn't quote anything at all to the rock from God ... Moses yelled at the people ... and said "... must we bring you water ...?" ... and then he hit the rock. Moses did not speak God's words to the rock (or the people). And it might could even be said that Moses claimed to have the ability himself to bring forth the water.

I think that is why ... over and over and to the very end God says:

This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. (Deuteronomy 32:5)

Anyway ... I was surprised to find that Moses tried to rewrite history a bit on this.

Ok and one last thing ... We'll call this my point of frustration ... Israel is very melodramatic. Over and over they say "If we'd just died in Egypt..." or "If we'd just died with our brothers in the desert..." or some such variation. It made me wonder what phrases I use to whine about discontentment. Do I sound just as insane?

~ The Sleeping with Bread meme is propagated by Mary of Life, the Universe and Everything. ~