Lee Harmon's Blog, page 90
June 24, 2012
Book review: Out Of His Mouth
by Robert Logan Rogers
★★★★★
Here’s an enigma for you. This book is a “love letter from Fred Williams as told by Logan Rogers.” It’s quirky, original, and uplifting. This little book may be a gem (pun intended) or it may not.
Meet Fred, who once walked on the dark side, now a reborn charismatic preacher who sees angels and coughs up jewels from heaven (hence the title: Out Of His Mouth). How should I introduce him? If I offer a few sentences about his miracles he’ll be written off by the religious and unreligious both. Gemstones don’t really come out of peoples’ mouths, do they??
Michael Boring, in the Forward, lavishes praise on Fred: A “completely broken and desperate man who reached out and grabbed hold of the truth of Jesus. God is endorsing Fred with signs and wonders that are following his ministry.”
Reality check time: The gems aren’t real, they are shown over and over to be worthless. All I can say is, don’t get hung up on reality … buy the book and take the time to get to know Fred. He might change your outlook on life. Then shake your head sadly at the unenlightened heathens who demand authenticity. As Rogers says, “We are told to grow up at a certain point in our lives and to stop living in childhood pretend worlds … we eventually believe that escaping from reality is what we are doing, instead of really living in God given active imagination … Fred was beyond exaggeration and imagination … I chose to embrace him, as I watched gold, green, red, and silver grow all through his pores and up through his scalp, to the very tips of the ends of his hairs.”
Now comes the enigma. Once you think you’ve figured out the love letter’s message (it being a postmodern way of talking about the descent of heaven’s riches to begin the new age), check out the webpage listed at the end, see pictures of the jewels and manna from heaven, and note the donation request for Fred Williams Ministries.
Choke! Bizarre. Five stars for a delightful and imaginative book, zero stars for the real Fred Williams or whoever is cashing in with a scam. Comments from the author are more than welcome!
★★★★★
Here’s an enigma for you. This book is a “love letter from Fred Williams as told by Logan Rogers.” It’s quirky, original, and uplifting. This little book may be a gem (pun intended) or it may not.
Meet Fred, who once walked on the dark side, now a reborn charismatic preacher who sees angels and coughs up jewels from heaven (hence the title: Out Of His Mouth). How should I introduce him? If I offer a few sentences about his miracles he’ll be written off by the religious and unreligious both. Gemstones don’t really come out of peoples’ mouths, do they??
Michael Boring, in the Forward, lavishes praise on Fred: A “completely broken and desperate man who reached out and grabbed hold of the truth of Jesus. God is endorsing Fred with signs and wonders that are following his ministry.”
Reality check time: The gems aren’t real, they are shown over and over to be worthless. All I can say is, don’t get hung up on reality … buy the book and take the time to get to know Fred. He might change your outlook on life. Then shake your head sadly at the unenlightened heathens who demand authenticity. As Rogers says, “We are told to grow up at a certain point in our lives and to stop living in childhood pretend worlds … we eventually believe that escaping from reality is what we are doing, instead of really living in God given active imagination … Fred was beyond exaggeration and imagination … I chose to embrace him, as I watched gold, green, red, and silver grow all through his pores and up through his scalp, to the very tips of the ends of his hairs.”
Now comes the enigma. Once you think you’ve figured out the love letter’s message (it being a postmodern way of talking about the descent of heaven’s riches to begin the new age), check out the webpage listed at the end, see pictures of the jewels and manna from heaven, and note the donation request for Fred Williams Ministries.
Choke! Bizarre. Five stars for a delightful and imaginative book, zero stars for the real Fred Williams or whoever is cashing in with a scam. Comments from the author are more than welcome!
June 23, 2012
Revelation 19:3, Alleluia!
Again they said, "Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!"
//Does any word in the Bible evoke a stronger expression of joy than the word alleluia? Surprisingly, it occurs only once in the New Testament. Do you imagine that its use is to describe the day of Jesus’ birth? His resurrection? The day of his ascension?
No. It’s in Revelation chapter 19. Heaven erupts in praise and unspeakable joy: The voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” And what is the emotion which inspires this great cheer?
It is vengeance. God has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her. She is utterly destroyed, and her smoke rises forever and ever. Alleluia!
Much as I love the book of Revelation, it can be a challenge to understand how Christians draw inspiration from it.
[image error]
//Does any word in the Bible evoke a stronger expression of joy than the word alleluia? Surprisingly, it occurs only once in the New Testament. Do you imagine that its use is to describe the day of Jesus’ birth? His resurrection? The day of his ascension?
No. It’s in Revelation chapter 19. Heaven erupts in praise and unspeakable joy: The voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” And what is the emotion which inspires this great cheer?
It is vengeance. God has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her. She is utterly destroyed, and her smoke rises forever and ever. Alleluia!
Much as I love the book of Revelation, it can be a challenge to understand how Christians draw inspiration from it.
[image error]
June 22, 2012
Mark 11:23, Throwing the Mountain into the Sea
"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
//Have you ever wondered what mountain Jesus was pointing to as he said this?
If you read my book about Revelation, you may have noticed a mountain being “thrown into the sea” … the volcano Vesuvius. When it erupted in 79 CE, the top of the mountain blew southwest into the sea, polluting the waters. Could that be the mountain Jesus meant? I doubt it … too far away.
How about the hated Samaritan mountain? Samaritans refused to worship in Jerusalem, instead preferring their own Mount Gerizim, the original location of their own temple. They had, in fact, condensed the original ten commandments into nine to make room for their own tenth, stating the absolute sanctity of Mount Gerizim. Ecclesiasticus 50:25-26 portrays the Jews’ dislike for Samaritans:
Two nations my soul detests, and the third is not even a people: those who live [on the mountain of Samaria], and the Philistines, and that foolish people that live in Shechem.
Gerizim seems a plausible answer, except that Jesus felt no animosity toward Samaritans. Instead, perhaps we should read today’s verse in context. A few verses earlier we find Jesus staging an attack upon the Jerusalem Temple:
And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Mark 11:17)
The next morning as Jesus walked outside the city with his disciples, he pointed up to the Temple Mount, with the glorious Temple walls reaching high above the city walls, and spoke these words: If you have even a little faith, you can ask God to destroy this Temple and He will do it for you.
He did.
//Have you ever wondered what mountain Jesus was pointing to as he said this?
If you read my book about Revelation, you may have noticed a mountain being “thrown into the sea” … the volcano Vesuvius. When it erupted in 79 CE, the top of the mountain blew southwest into the sea, polluting the waters. Could that be the mountain Jesus meant? I doubt it … too far away.
How about the hated Samaritan mountain? Samaritans refused to worship in Jerusalem, instead preferring their own Mount Gerizim, the original location of their own temple. They had, in fact, condensed the original ten commandments into nine to make room for their own tenth, stating the absolute sanctity of Mount Gerizim. Ecclesiasticus 50:25-26 portrays the Jews’ dislike for Samaritans:
Two nations my soul detests, and the third is not even a people: those who live [on the mountain of Samaria], and the Philistines, and that foolish people that live in Shechem.
Gerizim seems a plausible answer, except that Jesus felt no animosity toward Samaritans. Instead, perhaps we should read today’s verse in context. A few verses earlier we find Jesus staging an attack upon the Jerusalem Temple:
And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Mark 11:17)
The next morning as Jesus walked outside the city with his disciples, he pointed up to the Temple Mount, with the glorious Temple walls reaching high above the city walls, and spoke these words: If you have even a little faith, you can ask God to destroy this Temple and He will do it for you.
He did.
June 21, 2012
Book review: Paul, the Great Scandal
by Vassilios Bakoyannis
★★★★
This is the Apostle Paul’s life and ministry by the book. It’s told with Biblical precision, lots of scriptural passages, and little embellishment until the final pages. Despite the provocative title, there is nothing controversial in this conservative treatment. Bakoyannis portrays Paul as driven, caring, conscientious, and with nearly superhuman devotion to the Gospel through the aid of the Spirit.
Toward the end, Bakoyannis falls back on the writings of Clement, bishop of Rome, to describe Paul’s release from prison and visit to Spain. He describes how Paul was beheaded by the instruction of Nero, and relates the legend of Paul’s death—how his body bled milk, not blood, and how his head leapt about on the ground, stopping to face north, south, east and west—but other than the final pages, this is a scriptural retelling.
It’s published by Convivium Press, which I’ve come to recognize as a high quality publisher. Easy to read and interesting, enjoyable for all ages.
★★★★
This is the Apostle Paul’s life and ministry by the book. It’s told with Biblical precision, lots of scriptural passages, and little embellishment until the final pages. Despite the provocative title, there is nothing controversial in this conservative treatment. Bakoyannis portrays Paul as driven, caring, conscientious, and with nearly superhuman devotion to the Gospel through the aid of the Spirit.
Toward the end, Bakoyannis falls back on the writings of Clement, bishop of Rome, to describe Paul’s release from prison and visit to Spain. He describes how Paul was beheaded by the instruction of Nero, and relates the legend of Paul’s death—how his body bled milk, not blood, and how his head leapt about on the ground, stopping to face north, south, east and west—but other than the final pages, this is a scriptural retelling.
It’s published by Convivium Press, which I’ve come to recognize as a high quality publisher. Easy to read and interesting, enjoyable for all ages.
June 20, 2012
Revelation 3:17-18, The Letter to Laodicea
You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
//These words were spoken by Jesus (as attested by John of Patmos) to the city of Laodicea. Go get some white clothes and working eye salve.
It’s fascinating to study the seven letters in Revelation, and how they fit within the historical setting of the times. Consider this example, the instruction given to Laodicea, a city grown rich through trade, located handily on a popular trade route. They had apparently become quite independent.
One of the items offered by Laodicea was a popular Phrygian eye powder. The town boasted a medical practice which lured people from far and wide. In particular, Laodicea specialized in ophthalmology, the healing of the eyes.
Another thing they were known for was a unique breed of black sheep whose wool was especially fine. This seems to have sparked a local fashion.
So what does Jesus say? Get off your high horse, you ain’t rich at all. Find some real eye salve so you can see what miserable creatures you are, and dress yourselves in white wool … not black.
//These words were spoken by Jesus (as attested by John of Patmos) to the city of Laodicea. Go get some white clothes and working eye salve.
It’s fascinating to study the seven letters in Revelation, and how they fit within the historical setting of the times. Consider this example, the instruction given to Laodicea, a city grown rich through trade, located handily on a popular trade route. They had apparently become quite independent.
One of the items offered by Laodicea was a popular Phrygian eye powder. The town boasted a medical practice which lured people from far and wide. In particular, Laodicea specialized in ophthalmology, the healing of the eyes.
Another thing they were known for was a unique breed of black sheep whose wool was especially fine. This seems to have sparked a local fashion.
So what does Jesus say? Get off your high horse, you ain’t rich at all. Find some real eye salve so you can see what miserable creatures you are, and dress yourselves in white wool … not black.
June 19, 2012
2 Thessalonians 2:8-9, The Lawless One
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.
//In my book about Revelation, I make the offhand statement that "Paul," in the book of 2 Thessalonians, probably refers to Revelation in his promise of a coming "man of lawlessness" (the Son of Perdition, or the One Doomed To Destruction, or in Revelation, the Beast, or in today's vernacular, merely the Antichrist). I still feel this way; I subscribe to a relatively early dating of Revelation (around year 80) and a late dating of 2 Thessalonians (about 90 CE, certainly not by the apostle Paul).
But, others argue, didn't the expectation of an evil leader precede Revelation by decades, even centuries? Yes, this dualism precedes Christianity, and the book of Daniel writes about this fiendish character. There were also other apocalyptic writings contemporary with Revelation. But nothing matches "Paul's" description quite like Revelation. Note the "breath of his mouth" and the "splendor of his coming":
Revelation 1:16, In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
And here is the final victory over the enemy and his "counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders":
Revelation 19:20-21, But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Just one more bit of evidence that 2 Thessalonians was not written by Paul.
[image error]
//In my book about Revelation, I make the offhand statement that "Paul," in the book of 2 Thessalonians, probably refers to Revelation in his promise of a coming "man of lawlessness" (the Son of Perdition, or the One Doomed To Destruction, or in Revelation, the Beast, or in today's vernacular, merely the Antichrist). I still feel this way; I subscribe to a relatively early dating of Revelation (around year 80) and a late dating of 2 Thessalonians (about 90 CE, certainly not by the apostle Paul).
But, others argue, didn't the expectation of an evil leader precede Revelation by decades, even centuries? Yes, this dualism precedes Christianity, and the book of Daniel writes about this fiendish character. There were also other apocalyptic writings contemporary with Revelation. But nothing matches "Paul's" description quite like Revelation. Note the "breath of his mouth" and the "splendor of his coming":
Revelation 1:16, In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
And here is the final victory over the enemy and his "counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders":
Revelation 19:20-21, But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Just one more bit of evidence that 2 Thessalonians was not written by Paul.
[image error]
June 18, 2012
Book review: Christian Jihad
by Colonel V. Doner
★★★★★
The Lord God is the universal governor of all nations. Humans are unable to govern justly without Scripture as their governing authority, the Bible is the only standard by which to run a government, there is no absolute separation of church and state. --The Coalition on Revival
"Yeah, uh-huh," I said to myself as publicist Kathleen Campbell promised me a review book that is "really GOOD!" Well, she was right on the money, though it turned out to be also a bit frightening. Christian Jihad is a look at religion gone wrong and the infringement of Church upon State.
The Coalition on Revival prepared a series of seventeen documents for Christian living, and promptly informed its readers and members that they had "determined that it is mandatory for all Christians to implement this worldview in society." On Independence Day, 1986, at the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. James Kennedy, the COR's keynote speaker who had just been voted Clergyman of the Year, said the documents "had the historical significance of the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence." The San Francisco Examiner held a different opinion: "700 preachers shepherding 600 million born-again Christians gathered here not so much to celebrate America as to plot to take it over. The funny thing, if you have a bizarre sense of humor, is that they have a heck of a chance of succeeding." Colonel V. Doner, this book's author, describes signing a "blood oath," a solemn covenant with Almighty God that he was willing to be martyred in order to do God's will.
Yes, this is an autobiography of sorts, and I was hooked from page two. Doner was a founding member of the fundamentalist Christian Right in the 1970’s and 80’s and a leader of the radical Theocratic Dominionist movement at the end of the millennium. An insider from his impressionable teenage years, Doner gives us the scoop on fundamentalist agendas, including how they spill over into political campaigns such as those of Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, and Michelle Bachmann. As an insider, he qualifies to explain just how powerful the grip of fundamentalist religion can be, the unswerving, complete confidence that one knows the absolute Truth of God and the socio-political worldwide agenda of that God.
Doner devotes an entire chapter to Sarah Palin, whom he discredits through her association with the religious right. I choose not to involve myself in political issues on this blog, so in fairness to our modern-day Esther, I’ll admit that Doner’s treatment will strike many as an unsubstantiated smear. After all, understanding others and seeking common ground, he says, may be the way to disarm neo-fundamentalists.
The book’s final section provides a challenge to “make Jesus’ number-one command of love the test of who’s truly a ‘Born-Again Christian’.” Doner appears to have lived out his suggestion before proposing it. He left behind his “neo-fundamentalist Washington power trip” long enough to devote an uninterrupted week for prayer and prioritizing, and in the book’s final pages, he describes his 180-degree turnaround, devoting himself just as earnestly now toward humanitarian interests. I was inspired at Doner’s closing words: “I’ve come home to God’s love at last. I am truly born again.”
[image error]
★★★★★
The Lord God is the universal governor of all nations. Humans are unable to govern justly without Scripture as their governing authority, the Bible is the only standard by which to run a government, there is no absolute separation of church and state. --The Coalition on Revival
"Yeah, uh-huh," I said to myself as publicist Kathleen Campbell promised me a review book that is "really GOOD!" Well, she was right on the money, though it turned out to be also a bit frightening. Christian Jihad is a look at religion gone wrong and the infringement of Church upon State.
The Coalition on Revival prepared a series of seventeen documents for Christian living, and promptly informed its readers and members that they had "determined that it is mandatory for all Christians to implement this worldview in society." On Independence Day, 1986, at the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. James Kennedy, the COR's keynote speaker who had just been voted Clergyman of the Year, said the documents "had the historical significance of the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence." The San Francisco Examiner held a different opinion: "700 preachers shepherding 600 million born-again Christians gathered here not so much to celebrate America as to plot to take it over. The funny thing, if you have a bizarre sense of humor, is that they have a heck of a chance of succeeding." Colonel V. Doner, this book's author, describes signing a "blood oath," a solemn covenant with Almighty God that he was willing to be martyred in order to do God's will.
Yes, this is an autobiography of sorts, and I was hooked from page two. Doner was a founding member of the fundamentalist Christian Right in the 1970’s and 80’s and a leader of the radical Theocratic Dominionist movement at the end of the millennium. An insider from his impressionable teenage years, Doner gives us the scoop on fundamentalist agendas, including how they spill over into political campaigns such as those of Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, and Michelle Bachmann. As an insider, he qualifies to explain just how powerful the grip of fundamentalist religion can be, the unswerving, complete confidence that one knows the absolute Truth of God and the socio-political worldwide agenda of that God.
Doner devotes an entire chapter to Sarah Palin, whom he discredits through her association with the religious right. I choose not to involve myself in political issues on this blog, so in fairness to our modern-day Esther, I’ll admit that Doner’s treatment will strike many as an unsubstantiated smear. After all, understanding others and seeking common ground, he says, may be the way to disarm neo-fundamentalists.
The book’s final section provides a challenge to “make Jesus’ number-one command of love the test of who’s truly a ‘Born-Again Christian’.” Doner appears to have lived out his suggestion before proposing it. He left behind his “neo-fundamentalist Washington power trip” long enough to devote an uninterrupted week for prayer and prioritizing, and in the book’s final pages, he describes his 180-degree turnaround, devoting himself just as earnestly now toward humanitarian interests. I was inspired at Doner’s closing words: “I’ve come home to God’s love at last. I am truly born again.”
[image error]
June 17, 2012
Job 40:15, 41:1, Behemoth and Leviathan
Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox ... Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
//Two Bible creatures which draw much speculation are the behemoth and the leviathan. Both of these monsters are mentioned in the book of Job, presented as evidence of the greatness of the creation. Some have compared them to dinosaurs, even imagining that the book of Job provides evidence of human and dinosaur coexistence.
The behemoth is a land animal with a tail like a cedar tree and bones as strong as iron. The river rages and it doesn't disturb him. The leviathan is a monstrous fire-breathing sea creature with terrifying teeth and large scales. These two creatures find a place in both Babylonian and Hebrew storytelling. Some picture the Leviathan as a female, Behemoth as a male, and that they were created on the fifth day of creation as a pair. Some imagine that God will slaughter both beasts as food to provide a banquet in the age to come. Consider this verse from Isaiah 27:1:
In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
What a glorious day that will be! Enter the book of Revelation, which draws upon the legend of these two beasts--the beast of the land and the beast of the sea--as great enemies of God, conquered by Jesus, the Messiah. Luckily, we don't have to eat them ... both wind up in the lake of fire.
[image error]
//Two Bible creatures which draw much speculation are the behemoth and the leviathan. Both of these monsters are mentioned in the book of Job, presented as evidence of the greatness of the creation. Some have compared them to dinosaurs, even imagining that the book of Job provides evidence of human and dinosaur coexistence.
The behemoth is a land animal with a tail like a cedar tree and bones as strong as iron. The river rages and it doesn't disturb him. The leviathan is a monstrous fire-breathing sea creature with terrifying teeth and large scales. These two creatures find a place in both Babylonian and Hebrew storytelling. Some picture the Leviathan as a female, Behemoth as a male, and that they were created on the fifth day of creation as a pair. Some imagine that God will slaughter both beasts as food to provide a banquet in the age to come. Consider this verse from Isaiah 27:1:
In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
What a glorious day that will be! Enter the book of Revelation, which draws upon the legend of these two beasts--the beast of the land and the beast of the sea--as great enemies of God, conquered by Jesus, the Messiah. Luckily, we don't have to eat them ... both wind up in the lake of fire.
[image error]
June 16, 2012
Isaiah 51:9, The Day God Fell Asleep
Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through?
//Here, Isaiah (or more precisely, an unknown writer whom scholars call "second Isaiah") bemoans the fact that God no longer takes an active hand in preserving his people. The Babylonians came and conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and took the inhabitants of God's city as refugees back to Babylon.
Was it not you, God, who pierced the monster? Who dried up the Red Sea, and made a road for your people to cross over? God, did you release us from slavery and bring us into this land only to deliver us into slavery again? Have you fallen asleep, God?
Second Isaiah dreams of the day God will awake and again bring them out of slavery back to their land:
The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
In this great day (the beginning of a new age, he imagined) God would conquer old enemies and establish a new kingdom. Curiously, Second Isaiah brings the "monster" of today's verse back to life so God can conquer him again:
In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
It might be fun to talk more about this sea monster tomorrow.
[image error]
//Here, Isaiah (or more precisely, an unknown writer whom scholars call "second Isaiah") bemoans the fact that God no longer takes an active hand in preserving his people. The Babylonians came and conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and took the inhabitants of God's city as refugees back to Babylon.
Was it not you, God, who pierced the monster? Who dried up the Red Sea, and made a road for your people to cross over? God, did you release us from slavery and bring us into this land only to deliver us into slavery again? Have you fallen asleep, God?
Second Isaiah dreams of the day God will awake and again bring them out of slavery back to their land:
The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
In this great day (the beginning of a new age, he imagined) God would conquer old enemies and establish a new kingdom. Curiously, Second Isaiah brings the "monster" of today's verse back to life so God can conquer him again:
In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
It might be fun to talk more about this sea monster tomorrow.
[image error]
June 15, 2012
Book review: Exodus Tales
by Sheila Deeth
★★★★
Sheila continues her cute kids' series with the book of Exodus. Forty or so two-page stories in large print. The first book of the series was reviewed here: http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2012/04/book-review-genesis-people.html
Sheila's writing is engaging, meant as a "middle-school reader for book-lovers of all ages." I had the feeling that the second book of the series might work best for a parent reading to a child, because it may require a bit of familiarity with Exodus to relate some of the stories to the Bible. If meant for a young reader alone, may I make a suggestion: This series would provide a good gift alongside a new Bible, with instructions for how to read them together. At the beginning of each story, note the reference to the back of the book for the scriptural passage which inspired the story, and read the Bible passage afterward.
I also must confess that the book of Exodus is not as much fun as Genesis, and we drop from five stars to four for book two. But at the end of the book is a section more for adults, providing thought-provoking facts and natural explanations for the way in which God worked his miracles. Real World, Real People, Real God, as the subtitle proclaims.
I look forward to more! And I look forward to grandchildren to share them with, just in case my married children are reading this...
[image error]
★★★★
Sheila continues her cute kids' series with the book of Exodus. Forty or so two-page stories in large print. The first book of the series was reviewed here: http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2012/04/book-review-genesis-people.html
Sheila's writing is engaging, meant as a "middle-school reader for book-lovers of all ages." I had the feeling that the second book of the series might work best for a parent reading to a child, because it may require a bit of familiarity with Exodus to relate some of the stories to the Bible. If meant for a young reader alone, may I make a suggestion: This series would provide a good gift alongside a new Bible, with instructions for how to read them together. At the beginning of each story, note the reference to the back of the book for the scriptural passage which inspired the story, and read the Bible passage afterward.
I also must confess that the book of Exodus is not as much fun as Genesis, and we drop from five stars to four for book two. But at the end of the book is a section more for adults, providing thought-provoking facts and natural explanations for the way in which God worked his miracles. Real World, Real People, Real God, as the subtitle proclaims.
I look forward to more! And I look forward to grandchildren to share them with, just in case my married children are reading this...
[image error]
