Bother me Tomorrow

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA it's the Sabbath. Every time I call Sunday the Sabbath, I cringe, expecting wise guys to post pointless corrections in the comments. Still, for me, it's the Sabbath. And I reiterate: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Why "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA"?

Every week, since I started setting Sundays aside for God, I have had some sort of revelation about the nature of the Sabbath, or the rewards or consequences of keeping it. And this week, payoff is a renewed understanding that the Sabbath is a sanctuary. On the Sabbath, you escape your problems. The busted pool pump, the sidewalk that needs to be repaired, the emails that should be answered...they will all have to wait. I refuse to even think about it. And I count on God to prevent me from suffering because of my sanctioned procrastination. Somehow, He will work it out. The Sabbath is His idea, not mine. I'll worry about His concerns today, and He can do the same for me.

For the last two weekends, I've been unable to do a full-blown Sunday observance. First there was Father's Day. Someone explain why we let the retail industry force Sunday holidays on us, knowing it will interfere with worship and rest. After that, there were horrendous plumbing problems that could not be ignored. This weekend, things are back to normal. I'm safe again. I can take the day off! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

In addition to plodding through the New Testament in The Complete Jewish Bible, with commentary, I've been reading the books of Samuel and Judges. Unfortunately, there is no companion commentary. And it's pretty confusing. Generally when you read the Bible, it makes sense. You can see the point of each story. That seems less true in these books. The people seem much more worldly and corrupt and aimless than the folks in much of the rest of the Bible.

Some parts, like the history of Saul and David and Solomon, are not hard to understand. But other parts seem to have an almost random nature. The Jews and Fundamentalists tell us that isn't true, however. Every letter in the original Hebrew is supposed to have a meaning and a purpose. I take it on faith that they're right, and I read it and assume there will be some benefit eventually.

I can report one benefit. I got to talk to my Dad about it. He's extremely hostile to Christianity, and to religion in general. But he and I ended up having a conversation about these books during this period, and he was surprisingly willing to listen. That was great. You never know when you're going to plant a seed.

I think any reasonable person who sat and listened to an explanation of the Pentateuch and the New Testament and maybe the Psalms would eventually have to agree that all these books are connected, and that when read in pari materia, they are convincing proof of the existence of God. But you can't bind and gag people and make them listen. When it comes to religion, listening is not nearly as popular as talking. I try to think about that when other people talk and expect me to listen, but I often fail to live up to my own ideals.

Here's a pleasant piece of news. The weather has brightened up. I spend time reading the Bible on Sunday, obviously, and I very much prefer to do it outdoors. There is something about outdoor air that indoor air ordinarily can't match. The weather has been terrible all week, and I figured today I would be stuck on the couch. But it's sunny and not all that terribly humid for Miami. Maybe I'll manage to spend a few hours outside.