14 August 2015

Scriptures:

• Mark 11
• Jeremiah 40-41
• Ruth 3
• Psalm 12

Observations:

• Mark 11:28-33

In the Mark passage, we see much of the preparation leading up to the cross. We see the borrowing of the donkey, cursing of the fig tree, clearing the temple courtyards, and admonishing the pharisees. In Jeremiah, we see a faction war among those left behind after the Babylonian exile. Certain individuals plotted against and executed the man the Babylonian king had appointed to rule over Judah, while another sought permission to protect him. In Ruth, we see Ruth stepping out in faith to gain the action of Boaz as a kinsman-redeemer. Two cultural matters I'm unsure of are the laying at a man's feet and the idea of a kinsman-redeemer. In Psalms, we see the psalmist decrying the evil of man.

I'l be honest here - my tired brain is having a hard time putting everything together. It's been a crazy-paced day, having woken up late and there being a test on Monday. What I see, though, is the prideful ambivalence of the Pharisees in Mark. They choose not to answer Christ's question because they are anticipating how He might trap them, so they claim to have no answer. I'm having a hard time syncing that with the issue of the governor in Jeremiah, the role of kinsman-redeemer in Ruth, and the cries against the evil men in Psalms.

Application:

I don't want to or need to be prideful as the pharisees were. They obfusticated their answers for the sake of their egos, even when it is apparent they had an inkling of their wrongness.

Prayer:

Lord, I ask that I would have the humility to be wrong. I apologise for my lateness today and that this late hour of sleep would be refreshing and that you would have me well-rested to study well in preparation for Monday's test. It's a lot of material.

Bless my wife in her weekend. Let her have time for relaxation and allow for me to give her quality time that shows her love.

Amen