Semester 1 Year 2

This semester is ending tomorrow. So, what have I learned? Am I still the same like last year did not learn any spiritual thing but only academic from STM? This semester I have changed my perception. I've learned spiritually. A lot indeed. I think, I have learned more in my character building through STM be it academically, spiritually or through fellowship with friends and lecturer. Just share something that I've learned:

1. Mark subject - This is the first thing to share not because I got a good mark for MARK from Dr. KY, but is because through out the process, I learned one thing which is very important: are we an outsider or insider. Studying theology, are we closer to God or further away from God even though we always study His word daily; or will we be like the women at the end of Mark, run away because they were afraid? This subject really challenges my life as Christian, a disciple and minister of God.

2. Fear God and obey His commandment - As I've shared in previous entry, even though the world seems to be unfair to the righteous, even though the wise and fool have the same destiny, those who chose to fear God are far wiser than those who did not.

3. Remember God - While I was preparing my Homiletics' preaching assignment on Joshua 5, one of the things that I reflected is Remembering God especially mentioning about circumcision and we have been talking of this for a month!! potong potong!! Although we guys always joke about it, but one thing that I reflected through the word circumcision is that it is not only the sign of covenant that God has made to Abraham, but is also a sign for us to remember God. Here is the "18sx" explanation. I believe guys will always see his "little brother" whenever we go to toilet and do our small business or "pay our water bill". Whenever we pay our water bill, we will see the mark of covenant (if you are circumcised). I though of, whenever the Jews saw this, they remember why they being circumcised. And this is how I memorized the hebrew word for rememberזָכַר, zakar. You can check this word in internet.:D

Hmm..After all, studying theology is not only fun, but we have to reflect it in our lives.

Happy Holiday.

Isaac

Ecclesiastes

I've been struggling through the Book of Ecclesiastes last two weeks. It is interesting to go through it and study it in details. Of course as I am writing this, I am writing with many regrets because I should insert this thoughts into my assignment. Anyway, I just want to share some of the thoughts that I got and some "enlightenment" to the difficulties that I've encountered when I was doing this assignment.

The Qoheleth started with a "big sigh", "vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity"(1:2) and this question, "What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun" (1:3). And at the end of the book, he summarized it with this in 12:13, "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."

I am not quite satisfy with the conclusion that the Qoheleth made at the beginning because I couldn't understand it and accept it because just because everything is under God control, then he made this conclusion.

I've posted the question in FB and I got this answer, "If he dieth, he dieth a little wiser". At first I could not accept this answer because I was questioning that what is the point of being wise if you have died?

Keep on questioning really can help you to find an answer. I got some enlightenment when I questioned about the wise and the fool. I got this answer, "wise people will choose to fear God" even though there are a lot of unfairness in this world. I mean the fool are wise if the choose to fear God. The world define wise as not being stupid, but to be wise in God is to choose to fear him. With this answer I can understand why Qohetleth came to this conclusion even though the rich and the poor, the wise and the fool, the clean and unclean, those who offer sacrifice and those who didn't will come to the same end, DEATH!

After all, life is not really meaningless if we choose to Fear and Keep God's command. Notice, it is our whole duty as a man

Isaac