Melchizedek

I learned how to spell Melchizedek. 

M - E - L - C - H - I - Z - E - D - E - K.

Let's quiz your bible knowledge, today.   Guess which chapter I was copying?

This is the chapter where Paul talks about how Abraham gives a tithe to Melchizedek before the tithe was really a thing.  And how the tithe is normally given to the Levites, but Abraham (Levi's father) gave a tithe to Melchizedek - so in a roundabout way Levi, being a twinkle in his father's eye, also gave a tithe to Melchizedek. The chapter continues in the convoluted swirl of how Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek - not the Levites - because Jesus comes through Judah, Levi's brother.

Abraham gives a tithe to Melchizedek, a priest of the most high God. 
Melchizedek is a priest, but not in the traditional group of Levites. 
Levites come from Levi, the son of Abraham.  Who gives a tithe to Melchizedek. 

It's like a snake eating its tail. Or a Mobius strip. Perfectly clear.

After writing Melchizedek so many times I started thinking,
I bet Melchizedek is the most used word in Hebrews chapter 7.

(Did you guess Hebrews 7? Good job, bible scholars.)

But it's not. Melchizedek is not the most common word in Hebrews 7.... 
priest is.  

Melchizedek - only 13 times
Abraham - 8
God - 11
Levi (and Levites) - 7
Priest(s) (and priesthood) - 23  (our big winner)
Moses - 2
Jesus - 5

Melchizedek is a priest.  Levi is a priest. The Levites are priests.  Jesus is a priest, a high priest, in the order of Melchizedek.  Spoiler alert:  I'm a priest, too. You are a priest. We are a kingdom of priests, a holy nation (Ex 19:6).  

Now I need to do some research on priests and get back to you.   



-  Jenn Pete

Writing the Word.
Everyday.
ModernDayScribe

I'll take Felix for 500, Alex.

New Year's Eve we were playing a trivia game at a friends house.  It's a real fancy Jeopardy set up with 5 people on each team and little paddle to buzz in first.   Amantha, one of my daughters, is AMAZINGLY FAST on the draw.  It's terribly annoying playing with her.  Even if you are on her team.  She knows the answers and she hits the button fast.  Almost every time.  So frustrating.

Anyway, proud mom moment aside.

One of the questions was about my frenemy Paul and who was the person in power when he was in prison.   There were some bibley words involved... like governor, Caesarea,  province, hearing.  

The point I'm trying to make is this.  From the deep recesses of my brain, a name filtered up.  A name I had written 3 or 4 months ago when I was so frustrated with Paul and I kept getting angrier and angrier as I wrote... Felix. 

"I think it was Felix." 

And it was. 

The answer was Felix. 

I had copied down Acts 23, along with 259 other chapters (to be exact) in 2019. In a random moment, on the last day of the year, the last day of the decade, it came back to me.  And if you know me, I don't always have the best memory.    

*******

Felix  means happy, prosperous, lucky or successful. 

I'll take that word, Lord.  Might be my word for 2020... or my word for the whole 20s decade.

Now, the fact that we didn't get a point for my fabulous answer didn't deter me from using Felix as the answer to a number of other questions.  Or pointing out that I really needed a point for remembering Felix.  

They eventually caved and gave me a point.  I think I even whined about it enough to get a second point.  Didn't matter anyway.  Amantha wasn't on my team.  I'll take my pity points all the way to the losers bank.

But who's the real winner here?  I think we all know it's me!

-  Jenn Pete

Writing the Word.
Everyday.
ModernDayScribe

Starting 2020 with Job.....

I really wanted to start with Psalms.

Just because I'm copying the bible doesn't mean I have to do it in any particular order.  I could do it like it's written and start with Genesis...  but then I'll be writing Leviticus in March.  Then Numbers and Deuteronomy.  I'm just not ready for that this year. 

*****

A quick search of the interwebs reminded me that Psalms is one of the poetry or wisdom books along with Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon AND Job.  So my occasional OCD won't let me start with Psalms if Job is the first one in that group.

In 2019, I wrote the new testament.  242 pages long, with 260 chapters in 27 books.  That's with my NLT Premium Slimline Reference Edition - Large Print.  Your mileage may vary.

My old testament is saying 775 pages long, with 929 chapters in 39 books.   That's a LOT more words to write. 

If I start at Job, that's 361 pages in 2020 and 414 pages in 2021.  Makes my hand cramp just thinking about it. 

And if you don't really like math, your brain may be cramping with all those numbers.   Just know this.... the old testament is 3 times longer than the new testament.  3 times more writing than what I have already done. 

3 times more notebooks, 3 times more pens and 3 times more time. 

Sounds like a plan.  

-  Jenn Pete

Writing the Word.
Everyday.
ModernDayScribe

30 Minutes of Silence

  

   When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll,     there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour.

   Rev 8:1

Half an hour?  Really?  I have 6 kids.  I know what half an hour of silence sounds like... sounds like I better go see what they are doing.  
Or they are asleep (and I should go check anyway).  

30 minutes of silence? 

Go to a wedding, church, recital, meeting - where people sniff and cough and laugh and whisper and crinkle paper.  People can't even make it 2 minutes.  

30 minutes of SILENCE?

I've been to concerts where the band wanted the crowd to settle down, so the singer could say something "important"... just for a few moments. I haven't seen it happen. Some hooligan is so excited to be there he screams and then someone else screams because ain't nobody gonna tell them to be quiet.  They're too excited!!!!!   

30 MINUTES of silence?

Why don't you put on a timer and sit silently for 30 minutes. Go ahead.  I'll wait. 

   

Don't move your feet.  Don't pick up your coffee.  Don't scroll any farther.  No potty break.  Just sit silently.  For 30 minutes. 

It's ok if you mess up.  Just restart your timer.  We've got all day. 

....

How did you do?  That's exactly what I'm saying.  30 minutes!  That's a long time to be silent.

🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈

Let's imagine we're at the Superbowl, it's the last play of the game...the score is tied.  Your favorite team has the ball on the 3 yard line.  You've been cheering for them since your sister-in-law got you tickets 6 months ago and you felt hopeful because the offense has really beefed up this season and the quarterback didn't get hurt yet. 

Here you sit at the last play.  Your face paint is a little smeared after that crazy 2nd quarter catch, that may be mustard on your jersey and a little beer on your pants from the guy next to you... but here you are... fully present in this moment. The seats aren't even that great - but the excitement and energy and being in the crowd.... it's crazy.  No one is sitting down - everyone is screaming and holding hands and squinting their eyes, afraid to watch - afraid to look away. The people behind you yelling at the quarterback, telling him WHO to throw it to, "DO NOT run it through the middle", "Watch the clock!"

And when the ball snaps, everyone gets quiet.  There is just silence in the stadium. Silent for about 3 seconds?  10 seconds? 30 seconds?  

No.... no way.  People screamed the ENTIRE time.  You are sure not getting 30 minutes of silence out of this crowd. 

But they pulled it off in Heaven.  

Now my mind goes in 2 directions from here.... the crowd or the timing.

I can talk about the "vast crowd, too great to count" before the throne, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.  Palm branches are sharp.  There's nothing to say that these people had experience with palm branch waving or cutting their hands.  Which means now there's blood on their white gowns and someone is asking about band-aids and ointment while the rest are "shouting with a great roar,

   

   "Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!" 

It's hard to regain control once people start shouting with a great roar. That kind of thing has to die down on it's own.  But then someone realizes he washed his robe in the blood of the Lamb and starts crying.  And the person next to him looks at Jesus and almost stops breathing.  And the person 3 rows over put too much ointment on and now the band aid won't stick...  and then the shouting starts again.

Rev 7 says there were angels holding back the 4 winds, that probably helped reduce the noise.  But I just don't think the "vast crowd" could pull it together for 30 minutes.  They "stand in front of God's throne and serve him day and night."  Maybe if they've been doing it for a few days, they start to see His mood a little better.  They know when he's feeling happy or when he's bored or when it's time to be quiet.  

Nah... not all of them.  They'll be a few leaders, trying to keep the others together.  "Karen, are you listening? We go up with the palm branches and then down.  You keep going down and then up.  It's making us look like amateurs."  "Alex, we are not at the Superbowl, keep it together man.  We only yell when the elders throw down their crown.  Then we wait for them to pick them up before we do the other cheer."

There are also the 24 elders, 4 living creatures and angels around the throne.  They've been in heaven a lot longer than the rest of us, they've seen things.  I'm willing to believe this group can be quiet for 30 minutes. 

So that just leaves the question of timing. 

I can question the half hour?  Why 30 minutes?  In eternity, was that just the moment when a baby falls down and they inhale before the screaming and crying really start?  So it was really just a moment of silence. 

Could it have been longer in eternity time? It looked like 30 minutes to John, but there wasn't a clock - it's eternity. Or is there a clock in eternity.  I feel like that is outside the scope of this post.

Maybe it was just half an hour.  Jesus was waiting for that last group from Podunk to get their tickets scanned and find their seats.  You could hear the orchestra tuning up one last time.  Was he waiting for the usher angels to give him the signal... everyone is here, time to begin.  

I'm going to go with the later.  They were watching the Lamb break the last seal.  They gazed upon his beauty, they couldn't tear their eyes away,  they weren't even aware of their own skin, they just waited on the one we love. They waited to see what would happen next.  

They waited to see what the one who was pierced, the one who bought men with his own blood, the one who rules the nations with an iron scepter, the Chosen One, they just waited for him to move.  It probably didn't seem like any time at all. 

-  Jenn Pete

Writing the Word.
Everyday.
ModernDayScribe