Bible Diary - Hebrews 9:1-10
September 7, 2008
In today’s largely atheistic culture, it’s hard to appreciate what a big deal sanctuary worship was for those people of long ago living under the first covenant. Unlike so many of us, they had a strong sense of their need of forgiveness. Their elaborate and tradition-based sanctuary with their priest’s elaborate rituals had but one purpose: to remove the guilt of sin. It never quite worked.
The Arrangement and Ritual of the Earthly Sanctuary
9:1 Now the first covenant, in fact, had regulations for worship and its earthly sanctuary. 9:2 For a tent was prepared, the outer one, which contained the lampstand, the table, and the presentation of the loaves; this is called the holy place. 9:3 And after the second curtain there was a tent called the holy of holies. 9:4 It contained the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered entirely with gold. In this ark were the golden urn containing the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 9:5 And above the ark were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Now is not the time to speak of these things in detail. 9:6 So with these things prepared like this, the priests enter continually into the outer tent as they perform their duties. 9:7 But only the high priest enters once a year into the inner tent, and not without blood that he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. 9:8 The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet appeared as long as the old tabernacle was standing. 9:9 This was a symbol for the time then present, when gifts and sacrifices were offered that could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. 9:10 They served only for matters of food and drink and various washings; they are external regulations imposed until the new order came.
Today most would deny the guilt of sin. And yet, in those rare moments when we are alone with ourselves and not distracted by the busy-ness of our frantic lives, the idea that we are somehow missing the mark steals in on our consciousness. It makes us uneasy, so we quickly yield back to our busy lives.
The sanctuary with its annual ritual of atonement for sin did not solve the problem of man’s guilt and sin. External regulations are not enough. In the fullness of time, God established a new priesthood to bridge the infinite gap between God and man. Stay tuned.
Dave, too often distracted.
-sdg-
Elections: check or romance?
February 8, 2008
Blogging economist Arnold Kling has this interesting outlook on the purpose of free elections:
I continue to view elections as an opportunity for voters to provide a check against politicians. Instead, if you view it as an opportunity to elect a great leader, you are falling into the trap of what Daniel Klein calls “the people’s romance.”
Dave, tending to agree with Arnold on this.
Meet Mr. Im Sa Um
June 22, 2007
Exactly a year ago I contributed to a micro-finance loan for Boris Puero Candela, owner of Puero y Asociados in Ecuador to help finance his computer business. The loan was paid back over 18 months, so I selected another business to help finance. This was done through an online business named Kiva, which seems to be thriving.
So meet Mr. Im Sa Um in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
He is 71 years old and works selling motor oil, gasoline, and auto parts - earning about $5/day. He also fixes motorbikes with one of his children and they can earn $2/day. The loan of $1,000 (my part is $100) will be used to buy spare parts for cars that he will sell in his store. In the future, he would like to make his shop larger so that he can leave it for his son.
If you’re interested in International microfinance for developing countries, zip over to Kiva and help out one of their portfolio of entrepreneurs seeking small loans.
Dave, not exactly a big financier.
The Many Myths of Ethanol
May 24, 2007
Since you most likely already know what I think about Ethanol, I won’t further belabor the point. You can read the article for yourself.
RealClearPolitics - Articles - The Many Myths of Ethanol
I’ll give you a hand with the priceless final paragraph, though.
And it’s good for vote-hungry presidential hopefuls. Iowa is a key state in the presidential-nomination sweepstakes, and we all know what they grow in Iowa [http://www.iowacorn.org/]. Sen. Clinton voted against ethanol 17 times until she started running for president. Coincidence?
“It’s no mystery that people who want to be president support the corn ethanol program,” Taylor says. “If you’re not willing to sacrifice children to the corn god, you will not get out of the Iowa primary with more than one percent of the vote, Right now the closest thing we have to a state religion in the United States isn’t Christianity. It’s corn.”
Dave, loving the entertainment of the presidential race.
The craze for maize
May 12, 2007
An Orlop hat tip to Michael Kruse for finding this article. The local hype about the ethanol plants that seem to be rising out of every cornfield proclaims a pot at the end of the rainbow for the local economy. It’s much more likely a momentary pop for our farmer friends (some of them) and the ag industry. Doesn’t anyone understand fundamental economics? I suspect this article pretty much has the right of it.
Iowa’s ethanol economy | The craze for maize | Economist.com
Corn-based ethanol is neither cheap nor especially green: it requires a lot of energy to produce. Production has been boosted by economically-questionable help from state and federal governments, including subsidies, the promotion of mixing petrol with renewable fuels and a high tariff that keeps out foreign ethanol. The federal government offers ethanol producers a subsidy of 51 cents per gallon (13.5 cents per litre); and a growing number of states are pushing for wider use of E85, a fuel blend that is 85% ethanol and only 15% petrol. Since oil prices rose above $30 a barrel in 2004 (they are more than double that now), ethanol capacity has grown especially rapidly. And although the country is experimenting with other renewable plant-based fuels of varying feasibility, from biodiesel to (much greener) ethanol derived from trees, the biggest boom has been in corn-based ethanol.
It’s hard to be objective about agricultural matters, living where I do in the middle of corn and pig country. I just haven’t been there and done that. Nevertheless, the little I’ve learned from my time at Cow College in Kansas has embued at least some sympathy for my farm friends, and I suspect that more than a few of them fully understand what the article is saying. Like the rest of us, they just want theirs, now.
Instead of worrying about the murky future, the state’s farmers are planting as much corn as they can—and hoping that oil prices stay nice and high.
Dave, a genertion removed from the farm.
I’m astonished!
February 15, 2007
In 1956 it was the Cold War, and our national priority was defense, as it should be. Fast-forward a half-century, and my, how our priorities have changed! With the usual caveat that comparisons like this strongly depend on the comparison year selected, consider this:
Anyone who doubts that we are pushing the margin of the socialist envelope should look again. Assuming we are getting a valid comparison, always a good question, the chart begs the questions of whether we are adequately defended and whether our present allocation of national resources is appropriate for the times in which we live.
What do you think?
Dave, getting more worried about the world facing his grandchildren.
Appreciating Our Moral and Mental Development
January 12, 2007
This article begs for a Christian outcry. The quote below should prime your pump, but read the entire article. The author, Arnold Kling, is an economist that I appreciate, but he’s missed the mark here.
TCS Daily - Appreciating Our Moral and Mental Development
But perhaps the focus on scientific ideas still misses a key component of economic growth: improvements in the human species. As we get wealthier, we also become enhanced physically, cognitively, and morally, leading to a virtuous cycle of improvements to the standard of living. As the economy improves, human cognitive ability and moral reasoning improves, which helps markets to work better and makes the process of innovation more productive, leading to greater wealth, more mental and moral development, and so on.
Evolution at work? Every year or so, some enlightened sociologist or economist decides that the human race is getting more refined and less barbaric. Tell that to the Marines in Iraq, or to the starving population in parts of Africa! This nonsense sorely needs a Christian response.
Dave, quick to point to the ‘T’ in TULIP.
WCPE-FM: A business model that works
August 30, 2006
I keep my eye open for unique businesses that thrive when most would say that they can’t. A few years ago, my love of classical music (which balances out my love for Country music) led me to The Classical Station in Wake Forest, NC. The General Manager is Deborah S. Proctor, and she often talks about their business model in her mailings.
Their quarterly publication is Quarter Notes, and its masthead says this about WCPE:
Great Classical Music is FREE from The Classical Station, WCPE,
- A commercial-free, 24-hour classical music service for cable systems, satellite services and radio stations. Available without cost or obligation via C-band and Ku-band satellite.
- Hear our Free-to-Air DVB signal on … .
- Hear our unscrambled signal on Satellite Galaxy 14, … .
- Listen online at TheClassicalStation.org.
How do they do it? Believe it or not, they are dependent 100% on listener support, almost half of which comes from people like me listening to their online stream. While off-air classical music is disappearing all over the country, WCPE is tapping into a national, even global, online market of classical listeners. Like me, many others must think that a few bucks a month is a reasonable donation to support 24-hour classical music.
The cost of providing these services is mind-boggling, and I still have trouble believing they can do it, but they do it year after year, and with on-air fund drives only twice a year. Deborah and the WCPE team: a tip of the Orlop hat to you, and may you continue to prosper!
Dave, which he loves Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Sacred music on Sunday mornings, and… .
Boomers reach 60
August 13, 2006
It’s hard to believe, but our children, the oldest ones at least, are Boomers, and some of their generation are starting to retire. For one viewpoint about what this means, see this article from The Economist.
The World In 2006 | Boomers reach 60
Time for the pushiest of generations to redefine old age, says Paul Wallace
So there’s your challenge, pushy ones, and I’m eagerly awaiting your redefinition.
Politicians will need to pluck up their courage and raise the state-pension age. It is absurd that this generally remains stuck at 65, an age set when life expectancy was far lower. A higher state-pension age is the surest way to keep older people at work. Crucially, this should not be a one-off reform. Instead, the state-pension age should be linked to life expectancy, so that it rises automatically with increasing longevity.
Most important of all, individuals must change their attitudes and behaviour in a cultural revolution that will redefine the meaning of age, in the light of sharply increased longevity and improvements in health. The baby-boomers have rightly insisted that middle age is no longer what it used to be. Now this pushiest of generations must do the same for old age.
Click here to hear a discussion on redefining old age with Paul Wallace, British economy correspondent, The Economist.
Dave, wondering what will come of all this.
Personal Stewardship and Spiritual Formation
August 12, 2006
Here is one of the best essays I have seen on the economic principles of Christian stewardship. I have never been comfortable with the “simple living” approach often taught in the church.
Kruse Kronicle: Theology and Economics: Personal Stewardship and Spiritual Formation
One of my favorite Proverbs is Proverbs 30:8-9 (NRSV):
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that I need,
or I shall be full, and deny you,
and say, “Who is the LORD?”
or I shall be poor, and steal,
and profane the name of my God.As Christians there are only two relationships to material possessions. One is to be a steward for God and the other is to forgo material possessions altogether. There may be some who are called by God to forgo material possessions in pursuit of some unique call. That is always a small minority. The rest of us are stewards. The only choice we have is whether or not to be good ones or bad ones. Will we use them with the mind and heart of God or will we use them toward our own satisfaction? (Not that the two necessarily are always, or even frequently, in conflict. It is a question of ultimate loyalty.) I hear church folk boast about being good stewards because they tithe 10%. That is all good and well but what are they doing with the other 90% of God’s resources?
All this ties in with what I am learning about developing a Christian worldview. While social darwinism keeps telling us that the spiritual and the secular are two separate spheres of life that must not be allowed to intermix, the economic principles in Kruse’s essay do not admit to such a dichotomy. Makes sense to me.
Dave, an economic animal.
