The Bible in C-Major
Long time, no post. So here we go… a summary of the entire Bible in “C Major.”
Creation= Genesis 1 & 2 tell the story of creation- how the Almighty fashioned the universe out of nothing, including the male and female, made in the image of God. Chapter one features the refrain, “It was good.” Chapter two describes how it is not good for adam (= earth creature) to be alone. To be made in the image of God is to be created for relationship, receiving and giving love from God, receiving and giving love to each other. The beginning is all about praising the Creator.
Crisis= Everything was good, but now enter the serpent who tempts Adam and Eve to “be gods” instead of to “be God’s”. There is a relational crisis that ripples throughout the universe (Genesis 3-11). Everything is messed up. At one point, the Almighty floods the earth and starts over again with Noah and his family. To quote one of my favorite movie lines, “Houston, we have a problem.”
Calling= To deal with the crisis, God calls Abraham and Sarah to birth a new family, a new nation, a new people. He will bless them to be a blessing, allowing relational harmony to ripple throughout the universe.
Covenant and conversation= Abraham begets Isaac who begets Jacob who has his named changed to Israel and he beget 12 sons and one daughter. Thus we have the 12 tribes of Israel. One of the sons, Joseph, ticks off his brothers. They sell him to some nomads. And Joseph goes from slave to prisoner to prime minister of Egypt. When there’s a famine back home- Jacob and the other sons go to the breadbasket, the Nile River, looking for some bread. And who provides for them but Joseph!
Yada, yada, yada… years pass… Israel becomes enslaved. God sends Moses to deliver them out of slavery, through the sea, into the wilderness where they receive training on how to live as God’s chosen people. For 40 years they are immersed in the commandments and in the “manna lifestyle” (= trusting God to provide daily bread). The people receive the covenant- a special relationship with God where they’ll be blessed and live in such a way that the nations will be drawn to their God, Yahweh.
Conquest= At the end of 40 years, it is time for Israel to enter the Promised Land. One little problem, the land is already occupied. So Joshua leads the people across the Jordan River where they’ll conquer the current inhabitants, and start living off the fruit of the land. Mission accomplished. Blessed to be a blessing!
Cycles= Did I say “mission accomplished”? Close, but no cigar- the original inhabitants [who will eventually begin a counter insurgency] are still in the land. They are practicing that “good old time Canaanite religion,” hoping to manipulate the gods into sending rain by men having sex with temple prostitutes out in the fields, a porn show for the gods, to get them to send rain. Thus begins the ABCD cycle- the Israelits abandon God, they are battered by enemies [counter insurgents], they cry out to the Lord, and then they are delivered by a judge (= military commander/leader) sent by God.
Crown or coronation= The ABCD cycle repeats over and over again. The people get sick of it. So they ask God to give them a king “just like all the other nations.” Within the Bible there is a debate about whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Saul is anointed or crowned as the first king over Israel. He is followed by David who has a secret coronation while Saul is still in office. After Saul’s death, David rules and expands a united kingdom. David offers to build God a “house” (= a temple). God counters that David will not build him a “house,” but God will build David a “house” (= a dynasty that will last forever.) Solomon follows his father, David, as king.
Conflict= Solomon builds God a Temple, a project that takes seven years. Then Solomon constructs a palace and administrative complex that takes 13 years to complete. Unfortunately, Solomon forces the northern tribes to both finance and provide the labor for these projects, essentially enslaving the northern tribes, acting like he was an Egyptian Pharaoh. Following his death, Reheboam (Solomon’s son) promises the northerners that he will be even more brutal than his father. So the north (Israel) splits from the south (Judah). The united kingdom becomes two kingdoms as a result of this conflict.
Collapse= The northern kingdom (according to 1 & 2 Kings) practices idolatry and fails to worship the one God in the one place (= the Jerusalem Temple). God’s judgment falls. The northern kingdom is destroyed and collapses from an Assyrian invasion in 721 B.C. Later, the southern kingdom (according to 1 & 2 Kings) follows a similar path to her “sister” (Israel). Babylon exiles the “big potatoes” of Judah in 597 B.C. Then the Babylonian superpower flattens Jerusalem, destroys the Temple, smashes the ark, and the southern kingdom collapses in 587 B.C.
Confusion and confidence= With the collapse of the two kingdoms, the people are left confused, wondering, “Why did this happen? Why are foreign powers dominating us? Are we still chosen and blessed?” Enter the prophets. The prophets proclaim that the collapse and the exiles were judgments from God. Yet the prophets also point with confidence to a future time when the Davidic dynasty, the house of David, will be restored, and the people will get their kings back. So the people wait and hope and pray for a new king, an anointed one, a Messiah, a Christ who will come and restore the kingdom.
Christ= Jesus arrives after more than 500 years after the collapse- the surprising fulfillment of the OT- all the previous Cs find a stunning twist in the person of Jesus. Jesus announces God’s kingdom- and this kingdom turns out to be more radical, more hidden, more amazing than what anyone had anticipated. Jesus- the Christ- drives out sin, death, the devil, the demons, the power of evil through his servant life, sacrificial death, followed by his resurrection and ascension into power- with “power” completely redefined.
Church= Jesus’ ascension was a transformation of his presence. During his earthly ministry, Jesus was limited to one spot on the space-time continuum. After the ascension, Jesus becomes present in the water and the Word of Holy Baptism, the bread and wine of Holy Communion, the community of followers whenever two or three gather in his name, and in his compassionate self-identification the “least of these”- the despised and rejected ones of our world. The church is giving a commission to bear witness to this secret, hidden, yet growing kingdom- God’s kingdom- in our world. It is already present for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.
Consummation= At the final appearing of Jesus, God’s will is finally done, fully and completely, on earth as in heaven. In fact, there is a re-creation. The heavenly Jerusalem comes down out of heaven, bringing along a new heaven, a new earth- where there will be no more tears or grief or sorrow or crying or death or pain. Christ the King will announce, “Behold, I make all things new!” (Revelation 21-22).
How did I do? Does this biblical summary using "C-Major" make sense? If it doesn't, remember I'm the Duh-sciple!
Peace, Tim
Creation= Genesis 1 & 2 tell the story of creation- how the Almighty fashioned the universe out of nothing, including the male and female, made in the image of God. Chapter one features the refrain, “It was good.” Chapter two describes how it is not good for adam (= earth creature) to be alone. To be made in the image of God is to be created for relationship, receiving and giving love from God, receiving and giving love to each other. The beginning is all about praising the Creator.
Crisis= Everything was good, but now enter the serpent who tempts Adam and Eve to “be gods” instead of to “be God’s”. There is a relational crisis that ripples throughout the universe (Genesis 3-11). Everything is messed up. At one point, the Almighty floods the earth and starts over again with Noah and his family. To quote one of my favorite movie lines, “Houston, we have a problem.”
Calling= To deal with the crisis, God calls Abraham and Sarah to birth a new family, a new nation, a new people. He will bless them to be a blessing, allowing relational harmony to ripple throughout the universe.
Covenant and conversation= Abraham begets Isaac who begets Jacob who has his named changed to Israel and he beget 12 sons and one daughter. Thus we have the 12 tribes of Israel. One of the sons, Joseph, ticks off his brothers. They sell him to some nomads. And Joseph goes from slave to prisoner to prime minister of Egypt. When there’s a famine back home- Jacob and the other sons go to the breadbasket, the Nile River, looking for some bread. And who provides for them but Joseph!
Yada, yada, yada… years pass… Israel becomes enslaved. God sends Moses to deliver them out of slavery, through the sea, into the wilderness where they receive training on how to live as God’s chosen people. For 40 years they are immersed in the commandments and in the “manna lifestyle” (= trusting God to provide daily bread). The people receive the covenant- a special relationship with God where they’ll be blessed and live in such a way that the nations will be drawn to their God, Yahweh.
Conquest= At the end of 40 years, it is time for Israel to enter the Promised Land. One little problem, the land is already occupied. So Joshua leads the people across the Jordan River where they’ll conquer the current inhabitants, and start living off the fruit of the land. Mission accomplished. Blessed to be a blessing!
Cycles= Did I say “mission accomplished”? Close, but no cigar- the original inhabitants [who will eventually begin a counter insurgency] are still in the land. They are practicing that “good old time Canaanite religion,” hoping to manipulate the gods into sending rain by men having sex with temple prostitutes out in the fields, a porn show for the gods, to get them to send rain. Thus begins the ABCD cycle- the Israelits abandon God, they are battered by enemies [counter insurgents], they cry out to the Lord, and then they are delivered by a judge (= military commander/leader) sent by God.
Crown or coronation= The ABCD cycle repeats over and over again. The people get sick of it. So they ask God to give them a king “just like all the other nations.” Within the Bible there is a debate about whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Saul is anointed or crowned as the first king over Israel. He is followed by David who has a secret coronation while Saul is still in office. After Saul’s death, David rules and expands a united kingdom. David offers to build God a “house” (= a temple). God counters that David will not build him a “house,” but God will build David a “house” (= a dynasty that will last forever.) Solomon follows his father, David, as king.
Conflict= Solomon builds God a Temple, a project that takes seven years. Then Solomon constructs a palace and administrative complex that takes 13 years to complete. Unfortunately, Solomon forces the northern tribes to both finance and provide the labor for these projects, essentially enslaving the northern tribes, acting like he was an Egyptian Pharaoh. Following his death, Reheboam (Solomon’s son) promises the northerners that he will be even more brutal than his father. So the north (Israel) splits from the south (Judah). The united kingdom becomes two kingdoms as a result of this conflict.
Collapse= The northern kingdom (according to 1 & 2 Kings) practices idolatry and fails to worship the one God in the one place (= the Jerusalem Temple). God’s judgment falls. The northern kingdom is destroyed and collapses from an Assyrian invasion in 721 B.C. Later, the southern kingdom (according to 1 & 2 Kings) follows a similar path to her “sister” (Israel). Babylon exiles the “big potatoes” of Judah in 597 B.C. Then the Babylonian superpower flattens Jerusalem, destroys the Temple, smashes the ark, and the southern kingdom collapses in 587 B.C.
Confusion and confidence= With the collapse of the two kingdoms, the people are left confused, wondering, “Why did this happen? Why are foreign powers dominating us? Are we still chosen and blessed?” Enter the prophets. The prophets proclaim that the collapse and the exiles were judgments from God. Yet the prophets also point with confidence to a future time when the Davidic dynasty, the house of David, will be restored, and the people will get their kings back. So the people wait and hope and pray for a new king, an anointed one, a Messiah, a Christ who will come and restore the kingdom.
Christ= Jesus arrives after more than 500 years after the collapse- the surprising fulfillment of the OT- all the previous Cs find a stunning twist in the person of Jesus. Jesus announces God’s kingdom- and this kingdom turns out to be more radical, more hidden, more amazing than what anyone had anticipated. Jesus- the Christ- drives out sin, death, the devil, the demons, the power of evil through his servant life, sacrificial death, followed by his resurrection and ascension into power- with “power” completely redefined.
Church= Jesus’ ascension was a transformation of his presence. During his earthly ministry, Jesus was limited to one spot on the space-time continuum. After the ascension, Jesus becomes present in the water and the Word of Holy Baptism, the bread and wine of Holy Communion, the community of followers whenever two or three gather in his name, and in his compassionate self-identification the “least of these”- the despised and rejected ones of our world. The church is giving a commission to bear witness to this secret, hidden, yet growing kingdom- God’s kingdom- in our world. It is already present for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.
Consummation= At the final appearing of Jesus, God’s will is finally done, fully and completely, on earth as in heaven. In fact, there is a re-creation. The heavenly Jerusalem comes down out of heaven, bringing along a new heaven, a new earth- where there will be no more tears or grief or sorrow or crying or death or pain. Christ the King will announce, “Behold, I make all things new!” (Revelation 21-22).
How did I do? Does this biblical summary using "C-Major" make sense? If it doesn't, remember I'm the Duh-sciple!
Peace, Tim
posted by Duh-sciple Tim at 3:30 PM
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