Month: May 2019

Living by faith. It sounds grand and adventurous. And, in a sense, it is. But in another way, it’s an ordinary day-by-day process.

‘Father Abraham’ was the topic of an English class I taught recently. I, for one, was encouraged and challenged by a fresh look at this extraordinary and yet somewhat ordinary man who lived four millennia ago. We took Hebrews 11:8-19 as our text, using the New International Reader’s Version. That version is ideal for English language learners because it minimises the hurdle of uncommon words and convoluted sentences. 

Let me share with you a few insights which I gained from our lesson on this ‘hero of the faith’. I know that the students learnt lots of new vocabulary. They had opportunities to use English in real communication. I wonder if they learnt as much as I did , though, about living by faith? I wonder, too, if you will glean a few fresh insights by reading along as well?

Foundations

It’s the lack of indoor plumbing which would disgruntle me. Not that they likely even had indoor plumbing back in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) where Abram spent his first 70 years. Hebrews 11, however, makes a bigger deal about the foundations of the city dwellings Abram called ‘home’ back then. (Abraham and Sarah were known as ‘Abram’ and ‘Sarai’ for most of their lives.)

In response to God’s call, Abram moved his family from homes with foundations into tents. It wasn’t just a camping trip. No – this was to become the ‘new normal’. They would be nomads for the rest of their lives. Mostly, anyhow. 

There were a few occasions along the way when various family members moved into sturdy houses. Lot and his family settled in the city of Sodom for a season. That ended badly. Very badly. Abram took his beautiful wife and settled in Egypt for a bit, during which time Sarai was ‘invited’ to live in the palace as a guest of the Pharaoh himself – an invitation which couldn’t be refused (Genesis 12). That the elderly couple’s half-truths resulted in a similar scenario being played out again at the invitation of another king (Genesis 20) hardly seems appropriate for a hero of the faith. The ‘stuff-ups’ made by Abraham and Sarah give me hope that my relationship with God isn’t based on me having it all together. 

The contrast between the settled lifestyle Abraham enjoyed the first half of his life and the nomadic nature of the second half makes me think of the lifestyle of Tibetans. Traditionally, Tibetans have either been either nomads or settled farmers. The two groups are fairly distinct. These days, however, there is also a significant Tibetan diaspora living outside the country, hoping vehemently to return one day to their homeland. 

Abraham went from being a settler in a house with foundations to a nomad living in tents. This was not because it was thrust upon him, but because of a call from God himself. He left his home willingly, but according to the writer of the letter to the Hebrews, his focus was on becoming a city-dweller again one day. We catch a glimpse of the city that he longed for in the book of Revelation.

Kids

It doesn’t make sense. How can you be promised descendants and a nation when you’re an old man and childless? Yet he was. Believing that promise made Abraham a hero of the faith. 

Not that he was perfect in the way he believed. Going along with his wife’s plan of how to bring about God’s promised miracle by their own means wasn’t one of his smarter moves. The resulting dysfunction in his family was crazily messy, though it did result in a precious revelation of God. The Creator revealed himself to Abraham’s second wife as ‘El Roi – the God who sees me’ (Genesis 16).

Finally, Isaac was born – the child whose name means ‘laughter’. At the time, the aged Sarah said, “God has given laughter to me. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” (Genesis 21:5 NIRV). I envy the blessing bestowed on the elderly lady, but don’t envy the ensuing complications in her life. And can you imagine what Sarah had to say when she heard details after Isaac got home from the expedition with his father to make that special sacrifice to God … the time when Isaac so almost WAS that sacrifice? What would a child psychologist make of that experience? 

In all that, Abraham and Sarah were held up as heroes of the faith. Once again, I am reminded that living by faith means trusting in Almighty God … but it doesn’t mean that I need to have my act together. I want to, and I try to, but I’m as human and complicated as elderly Sarah was. Yet, despite our imperfections, like Abraham’s rejected and dejected second wife, we are also known by El Roi, the God who sees us. 

Thinking and talking

The way Abraham and Sarah thought and talked about God’s promises demonstrated their faith (Hebrews 11:13b-16a). Thoughts precede action. Just ask any dieter about the importance of managing our thoughts if we are to gain control over what goes in our mouths. In more important matters, not only did Abraham and Sarah keep their thoughts fixed on what God had promised, but they also talked in a way that reflected their mindset. 

The Bible teaches us a lot about the importance of managing our thought lives. We are told to meditate on the Law of God (eg Psalm 1:2), to renew our minds (Romans 12:2), to think about things that are good (Philippians 4:8) and more. It seems, from what the writer to the Hebrews has to say about it, that this discipline of thinking godly thoughts and talking out of that mindset is a key aspect of living by faith.

How is my thought life? Some days, it doesn’t take much for me to spin into a frazzle of worry about money or health or frustration at the mess at home or my inability to achieve perfectionistic goals. While such matters will likely always hover around the periphery of my thought life, I want to make an unswerving focus on God the centre. I hope that the way I talk even about money matters or health concerns or mess or unmet expectations will reflect my relationship with El Roi, the God who sees me.

Abraham and Sarah didn’t have it all together, but even in the messiness of life, they lived by faith. As heroes of the faith, they are models for us fallen, broken people, for we have also been invited into a relationship with the God of Abraham, the God who sees us. As we bumble through life, sometimes getting a little off track but drawn back by a faithful and patient God time after time, may we also live by faith and so be examples to others who come after us.

I had a hap on the train today. No, not a nap, but a hap. 

‘Hap’ – it’s an old English word, coming from the same root word as ‘happen’. I usually like a modern translation of the Bible, but was recently taken with the term ‘hap’ as used in the King James version of the story of Ruth. (We studied Ruth at Bible Study Fellowship last week, which is why it is fresh on my mind.) 

As for Ruth, the KJV says that “… her hap was to light upon a part of the field belonging unto Boaz….” (Ruth 2:3 NIV). When I read more about the original language, I learned that there are two Hebrew words in that passage which could be translated as ‘It just so happened’. Doubling up these words emphasises the providential nature of Ruth’s hap. In fact, her hap would change the course of her life and of history, for the man in whose field the foreigner scavenged grain would become her kinsman-redeemer, husband and, along with her, the ancestor of kings and of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

A modern hap

I love Ruth’s story. My own hap today was a little bit special too. I am writing up this story to remind myself again of the hand of our providential God in my own life and to encourage you to look out for it in your life too. 

Today’s hap involved a random encounter on the train with someone I know only slightly. Let’s call her ‘Drolma’ for anonymity’s sake.

Drolma is Tibetan. There are not many Tibetans in Melbourne, and those that are here are scattered around the city. It’s not like Sydney where most live in the one area. 

I had decided to take the train to a meeting today rather than drive because I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with a lot happening this week. You can double your time on the train with reading or doing digital things on your phone, plus get steps on your FitBit besides. Which is why I had left home in plenty of time for the 8.40am train, taking with me a big fat book that I am slowly slowly plowing through. I got there ten minutes early but my train was a little late, then delayed until further notice, then finally, it was cancelled. 

Grump, grump, grump went the middle-aged lady with the big book. Yes, that was me. I had things to do and places to go and people to see. This wasn’t the start to the day that I had planned. 

Frustrations

I know in my head that my plans aren’t actually that important. Not in the big scheme of things, they’re not. I’ve written at length about this before. But I still tense my shoulders and furrow my brow when my plans are frustrated. 

It’s nothing like the ancient tale of woe that Ruth lived day in and day out in the lead-up to her hap. Perspective is hard to maintain some days.

A train finally came, half an hour after I had arrived at the station. I could have driven to my destination in that time and here I was, still back at the starting point. Eight carriages, each with three doors. I picked one at random. 

Two stations later was where I experienced the hap.  Drolma just happened to get on the same train … on the same carriage … entering through the same door near which I sat. “Long time, no see,” she commented. 

What made this a hap? 

Part of my stress for the day was that I had arranged to start back with Tibetan lessons this afternoon after a lengthy hiatus. I felt unprepared. I have been reviewing, reviewing and reviewing some more, but there is so much to remember.  I forget so quickly. 

“Please, Lord,” I had been praying this week, “If learning this language is a good use of time and money, could you affirm that? And if not, would you show me that too?” 

I don’t think I’m reading too much into it when I say that I sensed God’s hand in the way that Drolma got on ‘my’ train this morning. Something similar happened three years ago too, actually, when I first started Tibetan lessons and ran into her husband at a petrol station right after praying for wisdom about spending time and money on learning this language. 

In the case of the ancient Moabiteness, Ruth, the Bible says that “… her hap was to light upon a part of the field belonging unto Boaz….” (Ruth 2:3 NIV).

In the case of this modern Australian, my hap was to light upon a particular woman in a particular section of a particular carriage of a particular train … a woman whose people God has put on my heart.  I am taking this ‘hap’ as affirmation that I’m spending my time wisely.

Ruth’s story had a ‘happily ever after’ ending. I wonder where mine will end? 

Watch this space. 

The rainbow stretched from Kilsyth to Lilydale (both suburbs of Melbourne’s outer east).  

The original story is complicated. This little tale of how it intersects with the life of an ordinary Australian woman today is a tad convoluted too. I hope you enjoy it and find it thought-provoking, just the same. 

Perseverance

Two days ago, I taught a lesson about Noah to a class of English language learners. My aim was that these theology students from Asia would grasp vocabulary specific to that story and which is also applicable to church settings in Australia in which they currently serve. Such words included ‘righteousness’, ‘deliverance’ and ‘covenant’.

I have been challenged yet again recently to persevere with the dream of writing, but struggle to make time for writing a priority. This blog post on Noah, for example, was outlined yesterday but then I ran out of time to write it up. I then planned to write it up early this afternoon after a morning full of activities, but again, the time slipped away.

It was late afternoon and time to head out and meet a friend for a walk. I got in the car, looked up at the black sky, and went back inside for an umbrella. 

Umbrella by my side, I got into the car, backed out of the carport and drove towards Lilydale, a neighbouring suburb.

Halfway there, mulling over Noah’s story, this rainbow (pictured) appeared in the sky. The photo doesn’t do it justice. It was a brilliant full rainbow with a second arc faintly visible above it. I pulled up for a photo but was not in a position, quite literally, to capture in all in one shot.

It’s not all about me, I know.  But, from my perspective, the rainbow suggested a divine prompt that it is time for me to write up a few thoughts about Noah.

Looking Back

Rainbows are a sign of the covenant God made with the earth. Never again will our Creator destroy the earth by flood. 

The earth was a wicked place back then. We think it’s a mess now, and in many ways it is, but that’s nothing new. Back in Noah’s day,  God’s heart was grieved. My English language students wrote down the noun ‘grief’ and the verb ‘to grieve’. They could be useful words in pastoral work.

As an aside, I wonder what I do … what we do … that grieves God today? Ephesians 4 (particularly the second half of the chapter) suggests that we grieve his spirit whenever we live in ways which are not not right in his eyes. 

To be fair, the depravity of Noah’s generation wasn’t entirely their fault, as I understand Genesis 6. Beings from the spirit world had intermarried with humans. Their descendants were giants and heroes of the day – people to be admired.  (‘Descendants’ was another new word for my students.) 

In that context of wickedness, we meet Noah, ‘a preacher of righteousness’ according to 2 Peter 2:5.  

‘Righteousness’ is a rather important word for theological students. I told them that Noah kept urging his peers, “Do what is RIGHT!” Right – righteous – righteousness … breaking words down to their roots is a helpful strategy for English language students.  

Noah’s peers did not listen. And they were judged. ‘To judge’ (verb), ‘a judge’ (noun) and ‘judgement’ (noun) were added to the list of new vocabulary, the latter somewhat complicated by different spelling conventions in British and American English. 

The rain poured down and underground waters gushed up. The verbs ‘to pour’ and ‘to gush’ were added to the list of new words in our lesson.  Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out. 

‘Wiped out’? Most students were familiar with the verb ‘to wipe’. But, they asked, what is the difference between ‘to wipe out’, ‘to wipe on’, ’to wipe off’, ’to wipe away’, ‘to wipe up’ and just plain old ‘to wipe’? 

Birds – a potential tangle for translators

I had the students tell me the story of Noah’s ark before I taught what I expected would be new to them. I wanted to see what English words they already knew and I wanted them to genuinely need the vocabulary they were about to learn. 

To my surprise, the students informed me that, after the floodwaters began to recede, Noah first sent out a crow, then later a pigeon. I tried to gently correct the students. 

“He sent a raven first – a big black bird.”  

“No, it was a crow.”  The students were adamant.

It turns out that, in the Chinese version of this tale, the word used – 乌鸦 – can be translated as both ‘crow’ and ‘raven’.  Some of the students were familiar with the English word ‘crow’, but none had yet come across the word ‘raven’. 

Being a bird that eats dead creatures as well as being a bird of prey, I tend to think negatively of ravens. In Tibetan culture, however, both crows and ravens symbolise good luck. I wonder what connotations, if any, ravens had in Noah’s day. That train of thought is a rabbit trail not to be pursued in an English lesson, fascinating though it be. 

As for pigeons and doves, I have encountered this confusion before. Again, in Chinese, the one word 鸽子 refers to both pigeons and doves. Having had a flying pigeon do its business right over my head in a city square in Sydney, I think of pigeons as dirty little creatures. In Chinese cities twenty or thirty years ago, ‘Flying Pigeon’ bicycles were ubiquitous. I suspect that the name ‘Flying Pigeon’ was intended to bring to mind an image of graceful birds swooping about town. Though I rode a Flying Pigeon bicycle for years, that imagery never worked for me. 

These tangents weren’t relevant in the English lesson but they are important for translators of the Bible to consider. What a challenging but purposeful role Bible translators have.

A Sign and a Cycle

The story of Noah finishes with hope and a future. 

After surviving cramped conditions for over a year, some animals were finally released only to be sacrificed by Noah as burnt offerings. And God was pleased. He made a covenant (yes ‘covenant’ was a new word for the students) with Noah, his descendants and the earth.

The rainbow image was a lovely way to finish this story. Yet it was not just an end but also also a beginning. Sadly, in just this first post-flood generation alone, sin would again tarnish God’s creation. Down, down, down humanity would spiral … again. 

The story of Noah illustrates a pattern repeated over and over in Scripture. It is a pattern of judgement, mercy and deliverance. ‘Deliverance’, a new word for most students, comes from the verb ‘to deliver’, a word with which the students are more familiar. Australia Post delivers parcels … sometimes. Mothers deliver babies. Something is taken from one setting to another and given a new start. Noah’s family were delivered. We enjoy deliverance too if we trust Jesus as Lord and Saviour. 

Ultimately the story of Noah points to Jesus. He not only delivers us for a season, but he will restore all creation, including things on earth and in the heavens.  The apostle Peter has some interesting points to make about just how the story of Noah pointed to Jesus. Turn to 1 Peter 3:1 8-22 and 2 Peter 2:5 if you are interested. I am fascinated by it, but glad that, as a mere English language teacher, I am not expected to understand it fully, let alone explain it. Next week, we will consider English vocabulary related to the rite of baptism. It is a natural segue since Peter likens the floodwaters of Noah’s day to the waters of baptism.

Today, as I admired the gorgeous double rainbow, I was reminded afresh of the fact that, like Noah, we serve a powerful God who is holy and pure and yet still perseveres with us. 

And that, in any language, is amazing.