Friday, May 31, 2013

The Bible Challenge: Day 151

The scriptures read are 2 Chronicles 4-6, Psalm 122 and Romans 13.

2 Chronicles 4. The building and furnishing of the temple but in a much more concise account than the one in Kings which lovingly examined every detail. If you absolutely can't bear to read about it again, how about seeing a CGI 3D rendering that is interactive? Click here. (How did I know there was a 3D version online? I didn't. I figured it was just the kind of thing some Bible geek would do, so I Googled it and Bing-o!) (No offense, Bible geeks. I am one, too. I just don't have the computer skills to do such a thing.)

2 Chronicles 5, 6. The Ark of the Covenant gets moved into its new home, the temple fills with the cloud that signifies God's presence and Solomon prays a beautiful prayer. He prays for the worshippers, sinners, the defeated, the disaster survivors, the foreigners, and the whole rebellious people of Israel. I wonder if anyone has adapted this prayer for a modern liturgy? (Or if there's a church built to look like the temple? I googled it and struck out.)

Psalm 122. Another song of ascents full of familiar verses.

Romans 13. Obey your government and pay your taxes. It's right there in the Bible. Don't argue with me; argue with God if you have a problem with this.

Love your neighbor, keep alert and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what Christianity is really about: becoming more like Jesus every day. As C. S. Lewis said, it's more like painting a portrait than following a set of rules.

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