This week I finished Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy as part of the Bible in 90 Days class I am leading. In the spirit of BIND, here are my brief summaries of these 3 books of the Bible.
Leviticus--This book is a stumbling block for most people trying to read the Bible all the way through, whether they are doing it in 90 days or a year or longer. Full of descriptions of animal sacrifices and rules about eating, drinking, health concerns, clothing and more, it is a sure-fire cure for insomnia for the modern day Christian reader. Odd factoid: the phrase "the fat is in the fire" comes from Leviticus.
Since I have the advantage of also studying Hebrews this year in connection with another Bible study I am leading, this time through I was able to gain a greater appreciation for the freedom we have in Christ today and the burden of the Old Testament law. The anthem this Sunday at church was Thomas Tallis' "If Ye Love Me Keep My Commandments". How appropriate!
Numbers--This is just a little bit more readable than Leviticus. Instead of a jumble of rules and regulations, though, it is a lot like reading a modern day census. The story of the pagan prophet Baalam and his Ass is found here, and it is a welcome diversion!
Deuteronomy--I actually enjoyed reading Deuteronomy. It is more literary and historical in its style and so easier for me to read. I like to think of it as Moses' Last Will and Testament to his people. One of my favorite passages in scripture comes at the very end of the book. It is the valedictory to Moses, after his death:
Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt--to Pharoah and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. (NIV)
This week we're reading Joshua, Judges, Ruth and part of 1 Samuel.
Add Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear to the list of books I have read in 2008. Like the other two Maisie Dobbs books in this series, the solution to the mystery lies in the effect of the tragic events of WWI and its aftermath. I'm going to order more of these mysteries.
Birds of a Feather (a Maisie Dobbs mystery) by Jacqueline Winspear. Babs got me started on the Maisie Dobbs series and gave me this book for Christmas. I love the series, which is set in post-WWI Britain. The themes of the books involve the aftermath of the war on individuals and society in Britain and are historically accurate. The heroine is symbolic of the era--a plucky servant whose employers recognized her intellectual gifts and assisted her in getting a university education. She was a nurse in the war and lost her fiance' in a tragic accident that also injured her. After the war she became a psychologist and private investigator. The solution to the mystery in this book is found in the social history of the era of the Great War. Babs gave me another Maisie Dobbs mystery that I'm reading now.
Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez and Kristin Ohlson. I picked this one up on a whim at Barnes and Noble. This is a true story about an American hairdresser who volunteered to go to Afghanistan to help rebuild the country and ended up founding a beauty school in Kabul which trained local women in hairdressing and other beauty techniques. It's a quick read and suffers from an obvious "as told to" style. Debbie Rodriguez is a memorable character--honest about her own shortcomings and the mistakes made because she didn't understand the Afghani culture very well. Ultimately she fled the country because she feared for herself and her son, but says she wants to return. Although I admired her defense and advocacy of the Afghani women she befriended and taught, she was also impetuous, hard-headed and reckless in ways that its hard not to criticize. It's an interesting book.
