Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Bible Challenge: Day 141

The scriptures read are 1 Chronicles 7-9, Psalm 117 and Romans 4.

1 Chronicles 7-9. 3 more chapters of genealogical lists with a few tidbits (Ephraim's sons are cattle rustlers!). In chapter 9 we get to those who returned from exile in Babylon. I promise you: we start getting narrative in the very next chapter. Blessed is he and she who hold on to the end!

Psalm 117. Shortest psalm and shortest chapter in the Bible. A reward for slogging through the first 9 chapters of Chronicles.

Romans 4. Paul is arguing that things are set right for us with God because they set right by God. This is grace, pure and simple. Paul cleverly goes back to Abraham and finds the verse in Genesis where it says that Abraham trusted God and God credited that to him as righteousness. Then he points out this was before Abraham was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of not just the Jews but Gentiles who turn to God. A good relationship with God is not about rites and rituals but about trusting him or as Peterson puts it "embracing" what God did for him. 

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