M'Cheyne Reading Reflections for Jan 3

It was bound to happen sometime. I didn't write a reflection for yesterday, but I did read.

Matt 3

I thought it was interesting that John says,"God could raise up children of Abraham from these stones." John did not know that he was speaking prophetically. God did raise up sons of Abraham from about as unlikely of a place, the Gentiles of the Roman Empire.

Gen 3

It is interesting that Eve is so fastidious with the serpent at first, and then sees the benefits of the fruit and ignores God's command. It made me think about how Eve must have doubted that God was actually good. I recently read a review of Twilight in which the reviewer made a lot of connections between the story and the writer's Mormon background. One point he made was that Mormons believe the fall was actually good because it enabled man to be redeemed.

It is tempting to say this as the text itself says, "and their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked." We use the expression of "eyes being opened as a positive expression which reflects that we now understand the true state of affairs. We know, however, that the fall was not good. Rebellion against God is never good. What would God have done with Adam and Eve had they not fallen. We don't know, but we know that his command is always for our good, and this one must have been for Eve.

Would Eve's eyes have been opened in some other circumstance? This exactly the sort of world that C.S. Lewis envisions in Perelandra when Dr. Ransom visits Venus (Peralandra) and discovers the Adam and Eve of that world before their test of faith. Could it be that a painless childbirth, harmonious marriage, and joyous work with creation and the splendid serpent were part of God's original creation order?

Ezra 3

It is interesting how Zerubbabel and Joshua are pictured together reflecting the unification between the royal and priestly that David anticipated and Jesus fully accomplished.

Also, I would have liked to have heard the shout of the people that day when the new foundation was laid. It must have been exciting to work for God in such a way and see your work taking shape.

Acts 3

ESV Study Bible has an interesting note that the word for lame used in 3:8 is a rare word that is also used in Is 35:6 which is a passage talking about the lame leaping in the coming Messianic Kingdom. We forget, or deny, that Christ innaugurated the kingdom age when he came.

It is interesting how Peter in the first two chapters turns the conversation to Jesus and the people's responsibility for his death. He uses the signs that are happening to preach the Gospel. The signs are really just attention getters.