old testament

About 50 of us from Portland Mennonite ventured into "Bible in a Year" on Jan 1. I am already a miserable failure at reading every day but I have managed to keep the pace (about 3 chapters a day so far).

It's been great rereading the Hebrew Scriptures. Since we are part of a denomination intensely focused on the NT, I don't hear as much of the rough and tumble as I used to. I am also noticing that the lectionary can pull punches with what it casts in our path day to day and week to week. Reading two chapters a day front to back is gritty and, frankly, disturbing.

This has also been a great reminder of why I loved OT in college. At one point in time, before I learned of language requirements like Akkadian and Syro-Phoenecian, I actually wanted to be a Hebrew scholar. I still love the Hebrew language which has always seemed as gritty and obscure as the stories written in its tongue. Here are the lessons anew from this round (still in Genesis).

Lesson 1- the ancient Hebrews are completely messed up. It's quite shocking. Generation after generation they are taking multiple wives, murdering, tricking their brothers, running away, laughing at God, lying to kings, disobeying, disobeying, disobeying. And those aren't the Canaanites; those are the Hebrews. As I am reading this again and in such high volume I can truly say that as God's people, these folks in the Bible are unrecognizable!

Lesson 2 - God is always faithful. In spite of how ridiculous the Hebrews are, God returns again and again. I know that's something people say all the time and is starting to be an evangelical cliche, but seriously. There is very little to like or admire about these people. Yet God is dragging them out of burning cities, intervening when they lie to several pharaohs over several generations, blessing them when they scheme and cheat, opening their wombs even though they are snobs to their sisters.

Lesson 3 - I'm a lot less comfortable with OT sketchiness. Like Lot offering up his ENGAGED virgin daughters to a rabid mob of homosexual men. Or Jacob being blessed for tricking Laban out of his flocks and Esau's blessing. Or Leah and Rachel essentially making Jacob a prostitute for the highest mandrake bidder. In some ways I'm glad to not be in an environment where a prof tries to smooth over these rough edges with a pithy one liner. I'd rather take a little time to let this sit.

It's great to be intensely back in the Bible and in community with our church. I never thought I would again see the day when my roommate (now husband) and I sat up for hours trying to figure out why the heck Jesus got baptized....