Burning Ones

Posts from January, 2009

• NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

  From January 31, 2009 @ 6:00 am

  Well, NASA’s new photo blog, Astronomy Picture of the Day, has finally made me just have to link to them with this astonishingly beautiful picture of the band of our Milky Way Galaxy over Hawaii.

  Some of you may know that I took an astronomy course during this past semester. It was really pretty interesting and my instructor couldn’t have been more accommodating to my situation of having a new baby girl and a full time job and classes to boot. At the end of the semester, I “strongly agreed” with the statement that I had increased my interest in the subject through the class. So when I read Patrick Norton’s Tweet about how awesome APOD was, I just had to check it.

  Turns out that it was awesome that I did.

  I don’t think I can legally include any of the pictures directly here in this entry, but here’s a quick list o’ links to my favorites so far (in no particular order).

  • AE Aurigae and the Flaming Star Nebula: This picture just feels so visceral to me.
  • Annular Eclipse: The Ring of Fire: This eclipse is just amazing. And I’ll be honest, I thought of Hidalgo (wrongly of course… That was the ocean of fire).
  • The Bubble Nebula: Metroid!!! Zoinks! ;)
  • Planetary Nebula NGC 2818: This reminds of some renaissance painting of Heaven.
  • A Lenticular Cloud Over New Zealand: Wow… Talk about Wicked awesome clouds.
  • Suspension Bridge Solargraph: Amazing pinhole shot of 6 months of sun.

  If there’s anything to complain about the blog, it’s the design. Man, why can’t they just copy The Big Picture?

  Anyway, I suppose that’s enough. Just be sure to check it out. If you dig it, make sure you give their RSS feed some love. ;)

• Reflection on Hebrews 4:11-5:2

  From January 29, 2009 @ 10:00 pm

  I’ve been trying to memorize a section of Scripture a week recently and I’m currently moving through Hebrews. I’ve worked on Hebrews 4:11-5:2 for the past 2 weeks or so and I transitioned to Hebrews 6:17-20 this past Sunday. What I want to start doing is putting a reflection on whatever Scripture I memorized up here just so that I document whatever thoughts I had on it while I was memorizing. I don’t want to memorize for the sake of memorization. Anyway, we’ll see how I do, eh? ;)

  So, Hebrews 4:11-5:2…

  My Version

  Let us therefore strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

  Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but one who in every respect was tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, to receive mercy and to find grace to help in time of need.

  For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on their behalf in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. And he is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward because he himself is beset with weakness.

  Real Version

  Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to they eyes of him to whom we must give account.

  Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

  For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.

  Just for total fun, I thought I’d include a unified diff of the two versions for your viewing pleasure… ;)

  1c1
  < Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by
  ---
  > Let us therefore strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by
  6,7c6,7
  < his sight, but all are naked and exposed to they eyes of him to whom
  < we must give account.  Since then we have a great high priest who has
  ---
  > his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we
  > must give account.  Since then we have a great high priest who has
  10c10
  < sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been
  ---
  > sympathize with our weaknesses but one who in every respect was
  12,16c12,16
  < near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace
  < to help in time of need.  For every high priest chosen from among men
  < is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer
  < gifts and sacrifices for sins.  He can deal gently with the ignorant
  < and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.
   No newline at end of file
  ---
  > near to the throne of grace, to receive mercy and to find grace to
  > help in time of need.  For every high priest chosen from among men is
  > appointed to act on their behalf in relation to God, to offer gifts
  > and sacrifices for sins.  And he is able to deal gently with the
  > ignorant and wayward because he himself is beset with weakness.
  

  1. Context: Hebrews is at the core an exaltation of Jesus as the high priest of the new covenant, an example to which we can look for encouragement and help. It opens with a discussion of the greatness of Jesus, who is greater than the angels and greater than Moses and is therefore able to offer a true and final rest for those who cling to him for refuge. He became like us so that in every way he could sympathize with our weakness and mercifully execute leadership under the new covenant that he himself inaugurates. However, the author wants to remind us that just hearing the promise is not enough, but one should react to the offer with an effort to be found faithful by joining the message with faith in honor of the work that he did at the first. Our section of scripture wraps that discussion up.

  2. I love the juxtaposition in this passage. It starts out with an incredibly horrifying thought: This perfect God knows us and every creature perfectly. It almost seems mocking that he would say that we should strive to not fall by the same sort of disobedience, which is unbelief and testing of God. I certainly do not believe everything that God claims is true of himself. I want to, but I wouldn’t be foolish enough to state that I do. My life simply doesn’t reflect it.

     And the author goes further. The word of God (here referring to Jesus) is living and active. He is not disinterested or bored or unaware. He is actively searching and looking at us. Every thought and intention of our hearts is exposed to his eyes. And even more fearfully, his eyes, which know everything, are the ones to whom we will give an account for our lives!

     But, This one that knows everything to whom we must give our account, also has another quality. He is sympathetic! We see why he became like us in 2:17-18. What is so amazing about this is that though he was without sin, the fact that he was tempted, that experience, allows him to look at us with mercy fully knowing what we are feeling; the frailty of our flesh, the ineffectually of our efforts, the loving what we hate and hating what we love, all of it! This blows me away, mainly because I primarily sympathize with others weakness based not on my temptation but on my sin. I can forgive someone pretty easily for lust because I’ve struggled so deep and long with it as a Christian. I know how it feels to be addicted to something. But someone who beats their wife or gossips or murders, those people I can’t figure out how to forgive quite as easily, because those aren’t sins that I personally struggle with on a regular basis. Jesus never once sinned! And yet for all of us he can be sympathetic in his priesthood and leadership over us.

  3. Mike Bickle once said that it’s important to remember that while God does in fact see every sin and ill intention in our hearts, there is a glorious reality that is equally true and for the same reason that he also sees every good intention and movement of our hearts. The fact is that if you are born again you have a nature inside of you that longs for God. You truly do desire to walk worthy of the calling with which he called us. And just as we imperfectly know our weakness and frailty, we also imperfectly know our longing to be holy and faithful to him. God, though, lacks no knowledge of our hearts. He pierces to the division of soul and of spirit and discerns our thoughts and intentions. That means the bad and the good!

  4. Ultimately, Jesus deals gently with us. No matter how fallen we remain, our efforts to run after him are met with joy and our faults and failures, while being corrected, are still dealt with in the gentlest possible way. He does not sigh and lament every time we fail but instead, like a loving father, picks us up, perhaps disciplines us, and then shows us the way to walk again. His experience as a man gives him a source to draw from, and it gives a confidence to go to him time and again.

  5. The last thing I want to write down is that all of this should be a source of confidence for us! I have a term I like to use to describe God’s model of leadership: Grace-full failure. The magnificence of our God is that no matter how many times we fail and fall due to our frailty, he is there with love in his heart for us and mercy in his behavior towards us and grace in his helping us. There is no point after which the game is up for us! This is massive! It’s not the case with our relationships with others. If I screw you over enough times you will eventually cut off your relationship from me and just be done with it. It’s natural. Not so with God. His mercy is everlasting; It’s new every morning! And beyond that, we cannot empower ourselves to obey! But God has grace to give, and he gives it freely from his thrown of grace, knowing how it feels to want to do what you don’t ever do. This single reason is why I can so confidently draw near to him every time. Because I know that he deals gently with me and gives me grace to help in time of need.

• The Terrible Love of God

  From January 29, 2009 @ 7:55 am

  Oh, that we might worship the terrible wonder of the love of God! It is not sentimental. It is not simple. For our sake God did the impossible: He poured out his wrath on his own son—the one whose submission made him infinitely unworthy to receive it. Yet the Son’s very willingness to receive it was precious in God’s sight. The wrath-bearer was infinitely loved.

  - John Piper – The Passion of Jesus Christ

• Oh, that’s just bitter…

  From January 25, 2009 @ 12:08 pm

  I have directed my staff to reach out to those on all sides of this issue to achieve the goal of reducing unintended pregnancies. They will also work to promote safe motherhood, reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and increase educational and economic opportunities for women and girls.

  - President Barack Obama – Statement after rescinding the Mexico City Policy

  2 parts of this quote should be viewed side by side:

  1. “reducing unintended pregnancies”
  2. “reduce maternal and infant mortality rates”

  I wish people who find abortion to be acceptable would take their convictions to their logical conclusions and just come out and say that human life is only worth protecting when it’s convenient and safe. Why the double speak? Why are infants worth protecting but the unborn baby not? Please… We’re all more intelligent than this…

  I pray that wisdom and steel would be placed in the hearts of those on every side of this debate. Let every one of us have courage to speak our convictions to the full that all would not have to wonder at these vague ambiguities that we introduce through frivolous attempts at being ‘nice’ or ‘politically correct’.

• On Reading Speeds

  From January 20, 2009 @ 1:27 pm

  Our point is really very simple. Many books are hardly worth even skimming; some should be read quickly; and a few should be read at a rate, usually quite slow, that allows for complete comprehension. It is wasteful to read a book slowly that deserves only a fast reading; speed reading skills can help you solve that problem. But this is only one reading problem. The obstacles that stand in the way of comprehension of a difficult book are not ordinarily, and perhaps never primarily, physiological or psychological. They arise because the reader simply does not know what to do when approaching a difficult—and rewarding—book.

  • Adler and Van Doren, How to Read a Book.

  Few books are worth really reading… Selah.

• A Brief Outline of Leviticus

  From January 16, 2009 @ 6:00 am

  The Scene

  Exodus and Leviticus could easily be one book.

  Israel has just spent a little over 80 days plus however long it took to build the temple in presence of a flaming, shaking, thundering, smoking mountain. The temple has just been built and either Mount Sinai is still flaming, shaking, thundering, and smoking and God’s glory has descended on the temple or God’s glory has departed from Mount Sinai and is resting solely on the temple.

  Either way… Redonk!

  God calls to Moses from the Tent of Meeting (1:1) and gives him an initial set of laws (1-7)

  In all likelihood, this was a very short period of time.

  The LORD spoke to Moses.

  Likely serves a dual purpose.

  1. Reminder of whom these laws are from. Moses is not creating a government here. God is issuing the points of his covenant with the people of Israel and Moses is receiving them.
  2. Perhaps Moses was fainting or simply overloading from the glory that he was enduring in the presence of God. These points could speak to God pausing to let Moses recover for a little before continuing with his statements.

  We do not typically think of the law as being glorious, but do not forget the context! This is as glorious a moment as anything else I am aware of in scripture, particularly because of the astonishingly corporate nature of this encounter. It makes the falling away of Israel to a piddly Golden Calf all the more shocking in light of what they were experiencing.

  God instructs Moses as to the consecration of the first Priests of the Aaronic line and the cleansing is executed. (8-9)

  Less than two weeks.

  Nabab and Abihu are killed for improper worship. (10)

  1 day

  This episode does evoke questions as to the mercy and judgement of God. However, I believe the main point here was to express how completely holy the God is. Nabab and Abihu may have been ‘playing’ at religion or pridefully gloating in their new found status as Priests. These would be two possible cynical interpretations. On the other hand, they may have been sincerely worshiping a God whom they feared and loved. In either case, God makes it clear that he is not safe or like us and that he is thus to be feared and respected.

  God gives the next set of Laws and Customs, this time to both Moses and the newly consecrated Aaron. (11-25)

  About a day.

  The terms of the covenant. (26)

  Addendum Laws (27)

• 0_0

  From January 15, 2009 @ 12:30 pm

  For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

  - Exodus 40:38

• Martin Lloyd Jones on The Modern Man

  From January 15, 2009 @ 6:00 am

  The Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God, is not only the Savior, he has also been made the judge. That’s what John is saying, and if we do not repent and believe on him we shall be judged by him. I have emphasized again this evening that God has got a plan, that God has got a time, that God has got a purpose and everything he’s promised has come to pass. Christmas is proof of that. The fullness of the times have come and God sent forth his son, and when the world crucified him God allowed him to be buried in a grave but only for the time that he’d indicated and on the morning of the third day he raised him up again and he’s allowing these years to pass but remember, the plan of God is still there and the end of that plan is the coming again of the son of God into this world to judge the world. He is going to divide up between the wheat and the chaff; He’s got a winnowing fan in his hand and he’ll separate chaff and wheat! He’ll gather the wheat into his fold and the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. And what makes the difference you see is whether we have repented and believed or not. If you repent and believe you become the wheat that he will gather into his fold but if you don’t, you are the chaff that will be burned with unquenchable fire.

  Ah my dear friends, the thought is alarming and terrifying. But let us simply remember this: The god who made all those promises in the old testament that were literally fulfilled spoke to John the baptist in the wilderness, and not only told him that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Messiah, but that he is also appointed as the judge who will judge the world in righteousness at the last assize. If, therefore, you believe that God sent his only son into this world on that first Christmas morning, if you want to be logical and consistent, you must also believe that he will come again, not as the babe of Bethlehem, but as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, riding on the clouds of heaven surrounded by the holy angels, and that he will judge the world finally and forever in righteousness. The word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness and that is what it was. Have you heard it? Have you believed it? Have you acted on it? Oh, be separated to Christ tonight and thereby escape the wrath which is certainly to come, Amen.

  - Martin Lloyd Jones – Unbelief and the Modern Man Part 2

• Oh how precious, the Death of Christ!

  From January 06, 2009 @ 6:00 am

  Forgiveness costs us nothing. All our costly obedience is the fruit, not the root, of being forgiven. That’s why we call it grace. But it cost Jesus his life. That is why we call it just. Oh, how precious is the news that God does not hold our sins against us! And how beautiful is Christ, whose blood made it right for God to do this.

  - John Piper, The Passion of Jesus Christ