300 Trained Servants

Genesis 13 and 14 tells the story of Abram and Lot parting ways. There substance was too great, so they separated. We all know that Lot went over by Sodom, and Abram stayed in the promised land. The story goes on that the city of Sodom is overrun by some people with long unfamiliar names, and Lot and his family is taken captive.

As I was reading this story, a phrase stuck out to me as Abram was preparing to go rescue Lot. It says that Abram "armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen..." I don't suspect that they were "trained" in the cullinary arts, or in clothes-washing techniques. If that's all it was, it wouldn't make sense to arm them. It has to be that these 318 men were trained for battle. Abram had 318 men born in his own house that he had trained for battle.

I guess I never really pictured Abram as having been so wealthy. I mean, he did wait until his father died before he came into Canaan. He did get a bunch of stuff from Pharaoh as he was lying about Sarai. But he thought it worthwhile to have 318 trained soldiers.

You're probably asking me: Andy, what's your point?! That's my problem. I don't really have one. It is just strange to me that Abram had his own little army. I'm sorry to let you down...

Just a pointless thought...

Oh, I should add that Jeff Adams has a great post today that I wish was my lunch-time thought (as do all of you!). You can find it here: http://drjeffadams.com/?p=615

Latin at 6? Writing?

I have been assigned to write a Research Paper for 2 of my classes this semester, and the topic is Jonathan Edwards. It is safe to assume that for the next few weeks my blog readers will be hearing about him from time to time.

My first post about him is the education that he received from his parents. At age 6, his father, the Rev. Timothy Edwards, began teaching him Latin. Now, I'm not so impressed with the idea of learning Latin. It would be fun to do that some day (this is the part where all of you start making fun of me), but imagine starting with Greek with your 6 year old. I mean, my Timothy is 5. I guess he better watch out when September comes around and he turns 6! Sure, he can't read a whole lot of English yet, but that's ok!

Something else I learned about Jonathan Edwards' education was that his parents made him write. He would write letters to his sisters (poor guy was the only boy with 10 sisters!). He even wrote an essay on spiders at the request of his father who wanted it to send to a friend of his over in England. This English friend was interested in learning more about America, and so Mr. Edwards sent him this boy's work on spiders. They suppose that Jonathan was only about 12 when he wrote it.

I guess the moral of the story: Go ahead and teach them real stuff while they're still young - I suppose less video games and movies would be a good idea for everyone. And make them write! That's something I hadn't thought about before.

Oh, and lastly, the benefits of a godly home. Jonathan Edwards' dad was a pastor. And his mom was a pastor's daughter. It was a large family with godly parents directing their children to Christ early. It figures that Edwards would go on to be one of the most respected American theologians of all time.

Anyway, just a thought...

PC Clearly More Spiritual

I was reading an article this morning in PC Magazine, and I came to the conclusion that PC's are better because they are more spiritually oriented. As you will see below, this magazine actually references a Bible verse. I mean, from experience, I've recognized that PC users are more spiritual than Mac users, but now I realize that is because their reading material is just more inclined in that way.

I love having my own blog... Hey, this is on the Internet - it must be true.

Anyway, PC Magazine had an article about the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). I have always heard rumors about this device and how it could be used to help control the buying and selling in the world, etc., prophecy stuff. I never realized how developed it already is. This article pointed that out to me.

I tried to scan in the article, but it was too narrow to fit nicely. Anyway, it has a timeline of the RFID Implant, referring to actually putting a RFID device inside a human or animal. It begins in 1995 when livestock had it implanted, 1998 when some "club kids" in Europe implanted themselves with them to pay for drinks. In 2004, Mexico had them implanted in several of his staff for security purposes. In 2006, it was a part of an episode of a popular TV show. And last year, Arnold actually signed into law in California a bill saying that employers can't force human RFID tagging. I guess that kind of thing was already happening. The article is mixed with some sarcasm in it as well, but I am going to copy verbatim the last four entries in the list:

2007: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a bill against forced human
RFID tagging. the Governator knows only too well where this is headed.

2008: Various reports begin to surface abotu cancerous tumors caused by
implanted chips in animals. The FDA stands by its technology, saying in a
statement, "RFID chips are as safe as Vioxx, Topps meat, and Chinese pet food."

2014: Gov. Schwarzenegger was right. Skynet hacks the RFID networks [I
think this may be a reference to the movie Terminator?]

2014:
Revelations 13:16, 17

Did you see that? The PC Magazine used a Bible reference referring to the beast and his controlling of the buying and selling in the world. They actually used the verse in context, apparently.

Even so, Come Lord Jesus!!

Just a thought...

How Sad

As much as Benson would like me to make this post about his Giants winning the Super Bowl, I'm not gonna do it!

An inch and a half. I would like everyone to use their thumb and pointer finger to see how big an inch and a half is.

No, really, do it for me... I'll wait...

Ok, thanks. According to my BabyCounter add-on at the top of my blog, that is how big our baby is that is growing in Sarah's womb. Now do the inch and half with your fingers again... Can you imagine!?

10 weeks old, and the baby weighs 1/4 of an ounce. So, if we put 64 of these babies together, we'd have one pound! How tiny! Yet, already developing, we have the irises of the eyes, hair, and fingernails.

Now, I don't want to be harsh, so I won't ask you to try to imagine this, but I can't believe someone would voluntarily go in and take the life of a baby like that. How sad abortion is.

Job 31:15 Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?

The same God that made our baby, made the babies that are being aborted. The same God that fashioned our child, fashioned the soul from which a doctor today is taking the life. How sad.

Psalms 139:13-14
(13) For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
(14) I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Just a sad thought...

Recondite, but not from its Exaltation

Let me begin with - I hate Pastor Curran's classes. He always assigns pointless work, and he gives us a ton of reading. It is horrible. I should spend my time doing better things.

So, last night, I was reading some of my Church History assignments, and I loved it! It was quite profitable for me to read parts of Martin Luther's Bondage of the Will. I probably would not have read that, but it was part of an assignment.

(Ok, now, before you go on, go back and read the first and second paragraphs and recognize that I was using sarcasm. Pastor Curran's classes are more "in-depth" than others, but I find them to be profitable because of it... Moving on.)

The thought for the day is contained in the section of Luther's work where he answers Erasmus charge that there are some things in Scripture that are just too exalted or majestic for the layman or other person to understand. He says that not everything can be grasped by the normal Chrisitan.

Luther's reponse is that while of course there are things of God that cannot be grasped, there are not things in Scripture that are too high or majestic to be grasped. There are difficult passages, that is, passages that are "Recondite" or "Abstruse" (both of which are new words for me!), but that is only due to our ignorance of grammar or understanding of the word, not because they are too high or too spiritual to be understood.

At the same time, Luther acknowledges that the spiritual things are incomprehensible without the Spirit. So, we are talking about Christian men.

My thought for the day: I am re-encouraged and thankful anew that we can ready our Bibles! We can open them up and with the help of a dictionary, be able to understand the plain meaning of all of them. There might be difficult passages here and there, but rest assured they are explained clearer elsewhere.

KJV Preface:
"But now what piety without truth? what truth (what saving truth) without the word of God? What word of God (whereof we may be sure) without the Scripture? The Scriptures we are commanded to search. John 5:39. Isa 8:20. They are commended that searched and studied them. Acts 8:28-29, 17:11. They are reproved that were unskilful in them, or slow to believe them. Matt 22:29. Luke 24:25. They can make us wise unto salvation. 2 Tim 3:15. If we be ignorant, they will instruct us; if out of the way, they will bring us home; if out of order, they will reform us; if in heaviness, comfort us; if dull, quicken us; if cold, inflame us. Tolle, lege; Tolle, lege, Take up and read, take up and read the Scriptures "

Just a thought...

Enoch

Genesis 5:21-24
(21) And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
(22) And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
(23) And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
(24) And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

There are only a few verses about Enoch in the Bible. You have these ones here, and then Jude mentions him in passing as being a prophet and the seventh from Adam, and Hebrews lists him as being a man of faith, a man that walked by faith.

God "took" Enoch it says in Genesis 5. Hebrews 11 says that Enoch was "translated." I think all spiritually minded Christians would love the idea of being so close to God that He decides to do something miraculous to us, so that, instead of dying, we are just taken up to be with Him!

How then can we be like Enoch? What was it about Enoch and his faith that made him walk with God, a walk which was quite different than the normal walk with God?

Well, one verse jumped out to me with what I think contains the answer: Genesis 5:22 "And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:" Don't read that too fast. Take out the prepositional phrase about when the walking was (that is, take out "after he begat Methuselah"), and you get: "Enoch walked with God three hundred years."

300 years? Are you kidding me? I get all excited when I go for a whole week "walking with God." Enoch walked with God for 300 years. Now, you will argue, they lived longer then - the average lifespan was 900 years or so. That is true, but that does not mean that the time went faster for them. Their days were still 24 hours long. Their years were still 365 days or so on the average.

For 300 years, Enoch walked with God. It does not say nor imply that he was perfect. But it does say (I refer to Hebrews) and imply that he was faithful. Every day, every week, every month, every year for 300 years, Enoch walked with God.

That's a long time. What a good example of Faith.

Just a thought...

Jesus Is Coming Back in 24 Hours

(This was supposed to have been posted this morning - I don't know what happened! Forgive me for being late!)

Ok... If I'm right in my title, everyone left behind will have a good time reading this blog!

My real point of this title is this question: If Jesus Christ showed Himself to you right now, and told you that He is going to return in exactly 24 hours (and you couldn't tell anyone about your conversation), what would you do in that time?

...after thinking about it for a few seconds...

Now, look at your schedule for the next 24 hours. Is it different than what your answer was to my question?

...after thinking about that for a few seconds...

How come? I am proposing that our lives are to be lived doing always the things that God would most want us to do.

That's it. Just a thought...