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God Is Closer Than You Think
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Tuesday, 06 July 2010 07:36 |
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The dust of the Rabbi
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Key Words |
Presence Learning Discipleship Passivity Work |
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Source |
God Is Closer Than You Think |
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Source Author |
Ortberg, John |
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Quote |
A splendid section on the story of Martha and Mary.
Ortberg notes a few things:
1. That this is not a commendation of passivity, that the gospel is too full of the importance of work to be about doing nothing.
2. That this is about not being distracted. The crime of Martha was distraction.
In amongst this, Ortberg links with the story of Brother Lawrence, the Lord of pots and pans who did manage what Martha in this story did not, to cultivate the sense of the presence of God.
Ortberg talks about DTR conversations, when we define the relationship. Talks about this context of thirty something relationships and in the context of defining the relationship with Jesus. He also suggests that this might be a conversation about getting in the dust of the Rabbi - learning to sit at Jesus' feet.
Other things in here include:
1. Survey of "Sitting at the feet of" in Rabbinic context
2. The need to worry if Jesus says your name twice
3. Illustration about bowling, about how we try to guide the ball after it has left our hand, and how we need to learn to let go.
4. Story about being stuck at an airport and learning the truth of Dallas Willard's prayer, "At the beginning of each morning I commit my day to the Lord's care. I have already placed God in charge. I no longer have to worry about the weather, airplanes and other people."
5. Brilliant take on Snow White, the dangers of "just waiting until my Prince will come" |
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References |
Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) |
Pharoah and the frogs
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Source |
God Is Closer Than You Think |
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Source Author |
Ortberg, John |
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Quote |
The Israelites have been living in slavery for centuries. They want freedom. It s one of the great labour-management conflicts of all time. The labour union (that would be Israel) has a very bad contract which could pretty much be summarised as work then die. Moses is the top shot steward, but he doesn t have much leverage, and the rank and file are a little shaky about going into battle with him.
Management is represented by Pharaoh, and he is a tough negotiator.
So God gives Moses some very powerful bargaining chips known as the ten plagues, to even the playing field. The second plague (which you can read about in Exodus 8) is one of the most memorable. God sends and army of frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed and into your ovens and your kneading troughs.
Old Testament scholars note at this point that the writer is deliberately painting a comic picture to ridicule pretensions of Pharaoh. Frogs in your house, frogs in your bedroom, frogs in your bed this is getting seriously disruptive. It is very difficult to get a good night s sleep or enjoy the royal harem with a bed full of frogs.
Frogs in the kitchen, on the royal salad, in the royal cereal; frogs in the garage, crunching under the wheels of the royal chariot. I would be very careful before using the royal bathroom.
The frogs are out of control. Ken Davis puts it like this:
Pharaoh can t even back his chariot out of the garage without killing a hundred frogs, His pizza is covered with frogs. If his home is anything like mine, his wife and oldest daughter have been standing on chairs screaming every since the plague began. His youngest daughter is running out of jar in which to collect and accidentally suffocate them. Frogs are everywhere.
(And guess what Pharaoh s magicians do to show their powers? Make more frogs!)
Egypt has a big problem, here.
It is frogs. But it has an even bigger problem.
A guy at the top who doesn t like admitting when he s wrong. A man used to getting his own way. A man that even when he makes mistakes, a thousand people tell him it was the other guy who messed up.
So Moses goes back to Pharaoh. Pharaoh asks Moses to say a frog-removal prayer.
Pharaoh wants the outward problem to be fixed.
Be Moses points deeper and he says, with exaggerated courtesy
I leave to you the honour of setting the time for me to pray& that you and your house may be rid of the frogs.
And Pharaoh answers in a single word Tomorrow
Because there is something to sore for Pharaoh in realising that his arrogance and inflexibility and insistence on being in charge have created this mess
In looking slightly less powerful in front of his people
In recognising that there is a greater power in the world than Pharaoh
Pharaoh has chariot and armies
God raises dead men
Pharaoh has been wielding power for the past twenty years
God is the God of Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob.
And just a little part of Pharaoh has to die when he relies on Moses
And despite the frogs on the pizza, and the frogs under the chariot and all the loss of sleep and diet he says tomorrow. |
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References |
The plague of frogs (Exodus 8) |
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