What You Ignore Is Priceless to Me

Good morning, all.

I just finished my reading of Galatians (kinda sad that six chapters took me so long; I guess it's clear that I haven't quite established a daily pattern). In chapter six, the parts that really stood out for me are the parts relating to the idea that we, as Christians, are to take the side of the oppressed and speak out for them. Paul also notes that we cannot allow ourselves to become fatigued by doing good--we must remember to care for ourselves, because if we are tired and worn down, how can we help others?

So now it is time to take the plunge and return to the Old Testament, starting with Genesis. Again, it feels as though I've read the first half of Genesis over and over, but it seems like it would be cheating to start at Exodus. Besides, I have a new perspective on the OT after an article my dad sent me, entitled Reading the Bible in Spanish.

Well, I wrote this on Saturday and it's now Wednesday, but I'm going to try to find my train of thought.

Reading the Bible in Spanish. No, not literally. Instead, reading the bible in Spanish means taking a different worldview than you might when you read the bible from a typical middle class US citizen perspective. Quite a bit of this article clicked when I read it. For instance, the concept that much of our "bible learning" in the states revolves around sweet little bible stories. In the OT, these would include: Creation, the plagues, the 10 commandments, the flood, David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale...you know the ones I mean. I realized that these are mostly the extent of my bible literacy, too--me, a PK!

This article points out that when all we know about the bible involves a whitewash of purity and holiness, we find it hard to relate to the events and stories. After all, we're not often pure and holy. But if we take the time to read further into the OT, we'll find the grit...and that's when we'll start to realize that we, too, can be part of the people of God, because the bible is full of people who are utterly sinful, and God uses them as important building blocks.

But the part of the article that really drives home how important reading the OT should be is the part where the author stresses that the message of Jesus cannot truly be understood without knowledge of the message of the OT. In particular, the author reminds us that Jesus is meant to be more than simply a "spiritual savior," but rather he is the last in the line of a great prophetic tradition. Our salvation is not limited to a life after death, but it incorporates life today. The OT shows us a God who is all about JUSTICE, and without that reading, we forget that Jesus came to bring about justice, also.

Ok, my message is getting lost here, trying to do too many things at once. The point is that I've stopped putting off my reading of the Older Testament, and will try now to see that what I think I know is not all that there is to know.