Problems and Solutions - August 8, 2010

Daily Lectionary Readings for August 8, 2010

Psalm 78:40-72
Judges 11:1-11, 29-40
2 Corinthians 11:21b-31
Mark 6:35-41

Psalm 78:40-72
This section of Psalm 78 spends a good deal of time recounting the ways in which God delivered the people from bondage in Egypt and brought them to "his holy hill, to the mountain his right hand had won".  Specific reference is made to the various plagues that God visited on Egypt reminding the people that it was God who acted mightily on their behalf.  The culmination point is v. 56, "Yet they tested the Most High God and rebelled against him.  They did not observe his decrees, but turned away and were faithless".  Which is to say, once they got where they were going they forgot how they got there.  They woke up one day and liked the view and somehow imagined that they had brought themselves to that point.  A caution to us to both take care to remember the ways in which God has blessed us and been active in our lives and to remember that we don't arrive anywhere on our own.

Judges 11:1-11, 29-40
I've got nothing.  Be careful what promises you make, maybe...or what promises your father makes.  I mean, really, you make a promise like that, who is going to come out the door and you are going to go, "Oh good."?

Mark 6:35-41
Jesus and the disciples are out in a deserted place, it's getting late, folks are getting hungry and the disciples are getting nervous.  They go to Jesus, explain the situation and ask him to disperse the crowds so they can go find food.  Jesus answers, "You give them something to eat."  I like these disicples a lot.  Identify the problem and then turn it over to Jesus for fixing.  I can find all sorts of things for God to fix.  Then Jesus responds, "You found the problem.  Excellent.  Now get to work on the solution."