Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Be Quiet!!?? or Share Your Heart??!!

This past Sunday was one of THOSE Sundays.  I had read the Sunday School lesson and it had really sparked something in me.  It was several different feelings. It was disbelief. It was sadness. It was joy. It was just welling up in me and I couldn't stand it.  Well.......our poor Sunday School class heard it all. 

When it was over my sweet Hubby says.."Just share what you think" or something to that note.  I quickly told him to PLEASE elbow me, whisper in my ear or something to tell me to be quiet next time.  He said I was fine.  He was so sweet and supportive but I felt bad because I talked the entire time. It was about to explode and I let it explode in front of a bunch of people that hardly know us......

What got me like this........well, that would come from out Sunday School lesson.  I will type it out for you as a direct quote.  I realize that this person is a evolutionary biologist..  It still just rattled me. 

"In his book The God Delusion, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins emphatically states: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infantaicidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully." 

I read this and it totally had me feeling a load of different emotions.  The reason that this was even in the book was the first part of the lesson talking and asking if you find the Old Testament sometimes hard to believe or understand.  The question was posed in the class if we leaned more toward the Old Testament or the New Testament.  Of course my first response was Old Testament.  Of course others talked about the struggle reading through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Yes, they are difficult.  Yes, there are laws upon law. Yes there are all kinds of people in the books.  This is a series done in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) called "The Life of Moses".  It was one of those times in my life when I literally saw The Word come to life!  I looked for Jesus in every weeks lesson.  Guess what?  He was right there.  Did they miss it?  Yes!  Do we miss it? YES!!!!  The other part is that He provided a way for us to not have to go to The Tabernacle every day with the animal sacrifices, the blood stream flowing out of the tent, the daily rituals that were told.  Instead, I can go to my High Priest at any time.  Sitting in the quiet of my house. Sitting in the car rider line. Sewing on my machine.  He is there and I can be in His presence.  Makes me that much more grateful for living on this side of the cross!!!!

The quote saddened me.  First, he is not a believer.  Second that anyone could believe such about my Savior.  Thirdly, some Christians don't read the Old Testament with the excitement and enthusiasm.  Yes, He is a God of Order and without it, our world would be chaos.  Yes, we get frustrated with the Israelites because they are short tempered, they try to take a short cut, they do things 90%.  Guess what, you and I are just like them.  We do the same thing. 

What about you?
Where do you like to read, Old Testament or New Testament? 
Why do you read that part? 
What is your favorite book?
What is your favorite verse?
If you have one, what is your life verse?
If you have one, what is your verse for your children?
For sure something to think about.  Are you looking for Jesus?  He's here!!!!!!
For our sweet Sunday School Class.....thank you so much for letting me share my heart on Sunday!!!


1 comment:

  1. I like to read the New because I love reading the red letters, words directly from our Savior. Of course, the entire book is important, but I love to read the words Jesus spoke.

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