Week 17 2 Kings 1
A guy once told me you can prove anything you want from the bible. I figure that if bible writers had decided to compose a bland encyclopedic document that was endlessly reader-editable then maybe it’s true. But I’m not exactly convinced the bible is that gelatinous.
Of course reading the bible isn’t a walk-in-the-park. Last week I read the story of a troop that came to arrest Elijah and – in a divinely-mandated strike – was instantly incinerated. I’m asking myself: what do I do with that?
If – like the guy said – I can do anything I like then I can say: that’s unfair. Cruel. Terrible. God is brutal-unfeeling-disgusting. Like that. But if I can’t just do anything I like then I try a couple of other things: a) admit I don’t know and b) file it for now and c) realize that not knowing now isn’t the same as not knowing.
Anyway Elijah’s story was in memory when I read psalm 119 today. The writer said about the Lord: you are good and only do good. And later: your decisions are fair.
A few days ago it looked like the Lord acted in an unexplained and unfair and arbitrary way. But today I read that he has reasons and he’s fair and acts with purpose.
He acts – and apparently only acts – in good ways.
Today was a bible-reader’s reminder: I’m not just reading…I’m trying to correctly jigsaw bits-and-pieces together.
Note: quotes from Psalm 119:68 & 75 (NLT). The Elijah story’s in 2 Kings 1.