GroshLink

The other day, I received a link to Discovering the Psalms during Holy Week. Upon review, I'll use these devotions during Holy Week, alongside our family Lenten devotional. Some of you may also find this a helpful resource.

This morning, In the Shadow of the Cross we reviewed Segment 2: Old Testament Perspectives on Evil (N.T. Wright's DVD on Evil) and viewed Segment 3: New Testament Perspectives on Evil. Three questions from Segment 2 became the focus of our brief time for conversation:

1. Why is it significant that the Bible doesn't give us a theory of evil, but rather tells us the story of evil and the actions God undertakes to deal with it?

2.  The people of Israel bore tremendous suffering throughout their existence as God's chosen ones.  How is the suffering of God's people related to God's way of overcoming evil in the world?

3.  In the midst of their many years of oppression, the people of Israel began hoping for God to send a Messiah who would finally rescue them from evil and set the world right.  In what ways did the prophet Isaiah transform this vision of a coming Messiah (see especially Isaiah 53)?

I would encourage you to take some time to consider these questions. One other question I raised with the class was the following: 

When faced by difficult circumstances, do I remember the faithfulness of God from the past and set my eyes of the hope of the promises of God or do I grumble regarding God's perceived failures of the past and the certain danger of the future as I realize my inability to overcome difficult circumstances on my own?

I used the contrasting example of the Israelites in the wilderness and the doorstep to the Promised Land versus Jesus in the wilderness and later in Gethsemane.  Note:  Inspiration for these thoughts and a helpful figure depicting The Mind as Context for Temptation can be found on p.419 of Gary Edward Schnittjer's The Torah Story:  An Apprenticeship on the Pentateuch.

 O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power,and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to your servant. Yes, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not judge my brother; For you are blessed to ages of ages. Amen. -- Prayer of St. Ephraim (or Ephraem, or Ephrem) the Syrian