Next ~
OK...turning the page ~
Starting a new ... well, not actually new ... focus. You see, my daughter and I decided over Christmas that we would start to tandem-blog: both of us looking at the same theme/story/area of scripture and then each of us writing what ~ well ~ whatever. Then we would put links in our blogs to each other's blog. So...we decided to look at David for a while. His story is crazy long in scripture. To read it all you must look at lots of the books : 1 and 2 Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, of course Psalms . . . .
As we talked we decided to "begin at the beginning" or really, just before the beginning: The book of Ruth. So we did. And now we are on to David. Beth has started already. To read her first 'David' blog click right here. She began with a personal story.
I am going to start by looking at David when he kills Goliath. I warn you, I will probably hop-scotch around a bit, rather than write a nice, neat chronological study of David "from ____________ to _______________". I have found already as I pondered him that my thoughts are kind of all over the show. See, I love this character. He is by NO means perfect. He does some really really really screwy things and makes some really really REALLY bad decisions. But ~ the thing that completely redeems him in my eyes is that he wants, pursues, and lives his life (as much as that life is revealed to us in scripture) in a vital, vibrant, intimate personal relationship with God. He doesn't try to be "good" -- I mean, he is good ~ quite often in the story. He just seems to have an ACTUAL relationship with God -- talks to Him, questions Him, believes Him. God is real to David. I know, I know ~ that sounds so obvious. To me, this relationship makes David real and complex and surprising and ... quite frankly ... helps me in my own relationship with God. I am tempted to say that David is not religious.
(OK, before any of you 'band-wagon' on me and want to digress into a brawl about that word: religion ~ please let me do some defining. When I use the word "religion" I am going to mean "activities that are in some form or another liturgical BUT are devoid of intimacy with God, and are often motivated by manipulation and a desire to force the hand of God in an 'if You will __________________ then I will ______________________.' manner". What I do NOT mean, is any form of activity, especially liturgical activity, participated in by church/synagogue/temple going people that is or is not comfortable to you, as in, "they raise their hands", "they read pre-written prayers from a prayer book", "they kneel", "they sing hymns", .... any of it! Some time I may actually write a blog about religion. Not now though...so, chill on the variety of "religion-definitions" hot buttons, please. O K ???)
So by my own definition I guess what I mean is that David lived most of his life outside of the structured community of the religious activities centered around the temple...yet he (see Chronicles) set us an elaborate structure for the priests and prophets and worship leaders. See? Complex! So
next blog I will begin considering David the boy at the beginning of his story. So, come read with me!
1 Samuel 16 and 17.
Starting a new ... well, not actually new ... focus. You see, my daughter and I decided over Christmas that we would start to tandem-blog: both of us looking at the same theme/story/area of scripture and then each of us writing what ~ well ~ whatever. Then we would put links in our blogs to each other's blog. So...we decided to look at David for a while. His story is crazy long in scripture. To read it all you must look at lots of the books : 1 and 2 Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, of course Psalms . . . .
As we talked we decided to "begin at the beginning" or really, just before the beginning: The book of Ruth. So we did. And now we are on to David. Beth has started already. To read her first 'David' blog click right here. She began with a personal story.
I am going to start by looking at David when he kills Goliath. I warn you, I will probably hop-scotch around a bit, rather than write a nice, neat chronological study of David "from ____________ to _______________". I have found already as I pondered him that my thoughts are kind of all over the show. See, I love this character. He is by NO means perfect. He does some really really really screwy things and makes some really really REALLY bad decisions. But ~ the thing that completely redeems him in my eyes is that he wants, pursues, and lives his life (as much as that life is revealed to us in scripture) in a vital, vibrant, intimate personal relationship with God. He doesn't try to be "good" -- I mean, he is good ~ quite often in the story. He just seems to have an ACTUAL relationship with God -- talks to Him, questions Him, believes Him. God is real to David. I know, I know ~ that sounds so obvious. To me, this relationship makes David real and complex and surprising and ... quite frankly ... helps me in my own relationship with God. I am tempted to say that David is not religious.
(OK, before any of you 'band-wagon' on me and want to digress into a brawl about that word: religion ~ please let me do some defining. When I use the word "religion" I am going to mean "activities that are in some form or another liturgical BUT are devoid of intimacy with God, and are often motivated by manipulation and a desire to force the hand of God in an 'if You will __________________ then I will ______________________.' manner". What I do NOT mean, is any form of activity, especially liturgical activity, participated in by church/synagogue/temple going people that is or is not comfortable to you, as in, "they raise their hands", "they read pre-written prayers from a prayer book", "they kneel", "they sing hymns", .... any of it! Some time I may actually write a blog about religion. Not now though...so, chill on the variety of "religion-definitions" hot buttons, please. O K ???)
So by my own definition I guess what I mean is that David lived most of his life outside of the structured community of the religious activities centered around the temple...yet he (see Chronicles) set us an elaborate structure for the priests and prophets and worship leaders. See? Complex! So
next blog I will begin considering David the boy at the beginning of his story. So, come read with me!
1 Samuel 16 and 17.
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