Date: 7 January 2009
New Testament: Matt 2:1-3:1
2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 "'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for from you shall come a rulerwho will shepherd my people Israel.'"
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
The Flight to Egypt
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
Herod Kills the Children
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 "A voice was heard in Ramah,weeping and loud lamentation,Rachel weeping for her children;she refused to be comforted, because they are no more."
The Return to Nazareth
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: "He shall be called a Nazarene."
Psalm:
Ps 2:10-12
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Ps 3:6-8
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 7 Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!
Sun Tzu:
Military action is important to the nation—it is the ground of death and life, the path of survival and destruction, so it is imperative to examine it.
The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):
Presocratics: Greek Philosophers that lived before Socrates (469-399BC). Hallmark of their belief was a distinction between appearance and reality. Further: uncritical, everyday observation tends to present us with a misleading picture of the world. For Example, Thales felt that everything was ultimately composed of water, Heraclitus felt that everything was actually built from fire and that everything was in constant motion.
Events: I went home for the night last night and spent time with Marla and Sadie, it was great. Watched an episode of Scrubs which I still maintain is a much more accurate depiction of true life in the hospital than “House.” We also watched an episode of Desperate House Wives. Got up early and drove back up to the Hood. Saw lots of pts in clinic and met with the Doc that I’m replacing in Iraq. Sounds like I’ll have my own room J and I’ll be flying directly to FOB Delta on a Jet not a helicopter or convoy. Best ETA to FOB Delta is early Feb.
Thoughts:
1) Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; Why was all Jerusalem troubled with king Herod? At the birth of their king? I really don’t know any thoughts? Maybe it echoes the quote: “Everyone wants a savior, no one wants a LORD”
2) King Herod, the priests, in fact all Jerusalem seemed to understand the implications of the Birth of Christ. Further, Jesus repeatedly tells the disciples , Jews and Gentiles of his purpose to live as God incarnate, die as a sacrificial lamb, raise to life and ascend a king. so why do the disciples and so many apostate today have difficulty understanding and accepting it? Is it just that they were dumb? Stupid? Are we saved simply because we are smarter and could weigh the benefit of Belief in Christ’s offered Salvation and make an informed decision to “accept Christ?” Or, could it be (as the bible describes) that the father has to draw sinners to himself. In that way none can boast before God of our superior intellect or that we had anything to do with our salvation (even a good decision!!). In this way we can have true compassion on unbelievers. In addition our judgment over the action of unbelievers is suspended. Remember: “but for the grace of God, there go I.”
3) 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” Notice they worshiped Jesus and not Mary. How do the Catholics spend more time during their Mass adoring Mary than Jesus. If a Catholic were transported back 2011’ish yrs to the birth of Christ? I guess it depends on the catholic… If the Pope were transported back what would he have done? I don’t know that either. What I do know is that much more of their current day service speaks to Mary (even if just as an intercessor) than Christ. Why not just speak to the biblical intercessor, the biblical mediator…Jesus?
4) V15: and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." The Old Testament in its entirety foreshadows Christ; even its true, historic events. It is a commentary on Gods plan for the redemption of his chosen people (Old Testament Israel) to the exclusion of the rest (Old Testament gentiles). I’ve never heard people cry about God being “unfair” to the cannonites, Ishmael, Esau etc…. But, I often hear arguments against God’s right to choose today. Was it easier when an entire nation was condemned?
5) Psalms: Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! The amazing dichotomy between God’s wrath being poured out on the unfaithful vs. His salvation towards his chosen people(the faithful). Again this is not the golden calf, teddy bear in the sky god that is preached across America every Sunday. This is the God the true God of the bible. We may choose to worship a more manageable, nicer version of True God who rules as long as we acknowledge that we are not worshiping the Judeo-Christian God but a God of our own creation, a less majestic, less powerful and less respectable god. L
6) Sun Tzu: I feel that the primary purpose of the government is to ensure the safety of its citizens both at home and abroad. This bailout and growth of the Government should be with the explicit goal of its citizens safety, not comfort. The point at which the Government steps out of the realm of protection and into the realm of provider seems very dangerous!
1) Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; Why was all Jerusalem troubled with king Herod? At the birth of their king? I really don’t know any thoughts? Maybe it echoes the quote: “Everyone wants a savior, no one wants a LORD”
2) King Herod, the priests, in fact all Jerusalem seemed to understand the implications of the Birth of Christ. Further, Jesus repeatedly tells the disciples , Jews and Gentiles of his purpose to live as God incarnate, die as a sacrificial lamb, raise to life and ascend a king. so why do the disciples and so many apostate today have difficulty understanding and accepting it? Is it just that they were dumb? Stupid? Are we saved simply because we are smarter and could weigh the benefit of Belief in Christ’s offered Salvation and make an informed decision to “accept Christ?” Or, could it be (as the bible describes) that the father has to draw sinners to himself. In that way none can boast before God of our superior intellect or that we had anything to do with our salvation (even a good decision!!). In this way we can have true compassion on unbelievers. In addition our judgment over the action of unbelievers is suspended. Remember: “but for the grace of God, there go I.”
3) 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” Notice they worshiped Jesus and not Mary. How do the Catholics spend more time during their Mass adoring Mary than Jesus. If a Catholic were transported back 2011’ish yrs to the birth of Christ? I guess it depends on the catholic… If the Pope were transported back what would he have done? I don’t know that either. What I do know is that much more of their current day service speaks to Mary (even if just as an intercessor) than Christ. Why not just speak to the biblical intercessor, the biblical mediator…Jesus?
4) V15: and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." The Old Testament in its entirety foreshadows Christ; even its true, historic events. It is a commentary on Gods plan for the redemption of his chosen people (Old Testament Israel) to the exclusion of the rest (Old Testament gentiles). I’ve never heard people cry about God being “unfair” to the cannonites, Ishmael, Esau etc…. But, I often hear arguments against God’s right to choose today. Was it easier when an entire nation was condemned?
5) Psalms: Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! The amazing dichotomy between God’s wrath being poured out on the unfaithful vs. His salvation towards his chosen people(the faithful). Again this is not the golden calf, teddy bear in the sky god that is preached across America every Sunday. This is the God the true God of the bible. We may choose to worship a more manageable, nicer version of True God who rules as long as we acknowledge that we are not worshiping the Judeo-Christian God but a God of our own creation, a less majestic, less powerful and less respectable god. L
6) Sun Tzu: I feel that the primary purpose of the government is to ensure the safety of its citizens both at home and abroad. This bailout and growth of the Government should be with the explicit goal of its citizens safety, not comfort. The point at which the Government steps out of the realm of protection and into the realm of provider seems very dangerous!
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