Famous Roman

Raoul’s Two Cents: August 30, 2024

For the History Buffs

Warning: Spiritual topic. Move on to the jokes if you’re not into this.

I have been studying one of the least favorite books of the Bible: The book of Chronicles. C’mon, be honest. Even if you say you’ve been a Bible thumper for years, you kinda skip Chronicles dontcha? Can’t say I blame you — pages and pages of difficult names to pronounce. Picture this: a Jewish Mom calling her kids for dinner: “Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, Jobab – dinner time!” And just imagine her calling them by their middle name when she’s really mad.

So here I am wondering why this book was preserved and included in this collection of ancient manuscripts … wondering why I’m even reading this when more interesting social media stuff is beckoning me to indulge in the insanity of the 21st century. So I’m praying for some enlightenment from heaven; and suddenly it hit me — I’m reading an account (a diary) of the struggles and successes of a civilization long gone by. History books often give a big number for people describing an event — like Paramount’s 1956 movie of The Ten Commandments with the headline: “… filmed in Technicolor with a cast of thousands.” And that number is washed away in a long shot of Hollywood extras.

Chronicles puts a magnifying glass to the family photo of millions of ancient Jews and allows us to see individual faces. Each of these faces have a story to tell — a family they cared for, aspirations in life, etc.. Some of the more influential people (like the mighty warriors of King David’s army) are blessed with an extra line describing their accomplishments. It’s like a High School yearbook with pictures of The Guy Most Likely to Succeed and the Prom Queen who broke so many hearts.

NO EXCUSE
How can anyone still doubt the historicity of the Bible when you realize it is filled with so much detail? You can’t make these things up. 1 Chronicles acts as a cross reference for the other books. When they say King David danced half-naked when his people celebrated the return of the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem; meanwhile his wife Michal, the daughter of King Saul, looked at David with contempt; and David got so turned off that he never slept with her again and she remained childless for the rest of her life — you know for sure those events really happened.

And if you can believe this “tiny marital squabble of David” you have to believe the bigger stories and especially the accounts of Jesus. To doubt, despite all the details described in the New Testament, isn’t a problem of faith but a matter of subjective convenience. At least I think so.

RESISTANCE
Before I was a Christian, I did not want to be tied down with so many “THOU SHALT NOTs” even if I knew they were good for me. The crazy thing is, when I became a Christian, this was never an issue because the advantages far outweighed the “inconvenience.” Working hard for something you really want (like a blessed life) is worth the exhilaration of success. Of course there will be ups and downs but without the bad how can we appreciate the good? Problems still arise when one becomes a Christian but now there is meaning and understanding behind the problem.

Chronicles has also made me appreciate the Psalms more. It lists the members of the choir and the musicians. Those guys organized their worship seriously. I mean there were so many singers, that they required first and second assistants to the choir leader.

CONCLUSION
If you’ve never read the Bible, you’re really missing a lot. True, it may be confusing at first but if you want to understand the meaning of life, you don’t need to climb that holy mountain to speak to the all-knowing hermit. The information is contained inside that book. I believe it is the Word of God. He loves us so much he used this ancient database to introduce himself. It’s profound that the creator of this vast universe even wants to communicate with us mere mortals. And it blows my mind that he knows each of us intimately. Through the stories and the instructions we see patterns of who God is, who we are, and the purpose of life. Using the same data, we each see different patterns and it is through our sharing of insights that we form a clearer picture. Isn’t it an amazing never-ending system of discovery and application?

I’m still halfway through 1st Chronicles but I think the seemingly innocuous list will run by me with a little more enthusiasm from here on. And of course (be still my beating heart), there’s a 2nd Chronicles waiting for me to explore. Yaba daba doo!

But this is just me. TGIF people!

BTW, a good place to start is The Bible Project website. It has short videos and simple explanations, in very simple language.

“It is the best Book that ever was or ever will be in the world.” —Charles Dickens

“The Bible is not only a great book of historical reference, but it also is a guide for daily life, and for this reason I respect it and I love it.” —Haile Selassie

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Original art by Raoul Pascual.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Sharon of Connecticut

Thanks to Colleen of Washington State

Thanks to Jane of San Diego, CA

Thanks to Mary of Colorado

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Drew of Anaheim, CA

Thanks to Benny of Detroit

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with this.

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