Hello All!
I am setting some new goals for myself in exploring the Bible (which I have lacked regularity in for the past several years). I am doing this in an effort to become more knowledgeable about the stories that should be driving my daily life, as well as putting forth an effort to recenter myself.
I am currently reading from the Message version. I enjoy reading the perspective of the editor/translator, Eugene H. Peterson, about what we should be grasping from the text ahead, how we can apply it to our lives, and the overall meaning.
I am going to begin with Genesis (what better place to start?) and work my way through without worrying about a time constraint. My goal is to work on it every day, even if it is only a couple paragraphs of reading. This does not mean I will post every day, however I'm sure I will often find something intriguing enough to share, even if it is just a verse or two.
I may also connect back with Jesus Calling on some days, but I'm going to just try to work with the time I have available and the direction my heart pulls me.
I will start with this:
From the intro to the books of Moses provided by Eugene H. Peterson in the Message
"Love is the most characteristic and comprehensive act of the human being. We are most ourselves when we love; we are most the People of God when we love. But love is not an abstract word defined out of a dictionary. In order to love maturely we have to live and absorb and enter into this world of salvation and freedom, find ourselves in the stories, become familiar with and follow the signposts, learn the life of worship, and realize our unique identity as the People of God who love (Peterson, p.17)."
This portion really captured my attention, as it relates to events in today's world, but also how it relates to how we live our lives every day. It fits in a large scale picture, as well as the small scale. (Just good Food for Thought)
In the intro to the Books of Moses, Peterson discusses in detail how the first five books are sort of like the growth of us as individuals and as the People of God.
Genesis is the Conception - creation of the People, starts small with Abraham, then "grows" the People of God through the web of Abraham's family, God starts to reveal more details, but everything still seems a bit vague
Exodus is Birth and Infancy - Moses shows up, parts the Red Sea, and the People of God are "born"; this starts their new life as free People of God. Then God starts to reveal himself to the People (like a Parent)
Leviticus is Schooling - as we may know this book of the Bible contains rules and regulations to create structure about their (our) relationship with God
Numbers is the stage of Adolescence - we are mostly grown up in the physical and mental aspects, but this is a time for discovery, sometimes rebellion, and testing of individual identity
Deuteronomy is Adulthood - a long process of continuing to grow up, understanding where we came from, living as free, transformed people in the Promised Land
And this is where that quote from above comes into play and wraps it all together, creating a beautiful "sermon and a song and a blessing."
One final quote (it's a long one, but important):
"But Genesis presents none of this to us as an abstract, bloodless "truth" or "principle." We are given a succession of stories with named people, people who loved and quarreled, believed and doubted, had children and married, experienced sin and grace. If we pay attention, we find that we ourselves are living variations on these very stories: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and his sons, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Joseph and his brothers. The stories show clearly that we are never outsiders or spectators to anything in "heaven and earth." God doesn't work impersonally from space; he works with us where we are, as he finds us. No matter what we do, whether good or bad, we continue to be part of everything that God is doing. Nobody can drop out --- there's no place to drop out to. So we may as well get started and take our place in the story --- at the beginning (Peterson, p.18)."
With all of this in mind, I'm going to move forward in reading the actual text. I look forward to connecting these descriptions from Peterson to the text in order to further understand what the stories of the Bible may mean for my life today.
The above info comes directly from:
Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002. Print.
