It’s funny what pops in your head when reading the Bible. Sometimes nothing, to be honest, but other days connections snap like corn popping.

Mister Spock, from the TV series Star Trek, loomed before me this morning with his dour visage. Spreading his fingers he pronounced the classic line—Live long and prosper.

I thought of the Enterprise’s faithful first officer as I read how Moses, in his parting words, implored the children of Israel to stay true to the Lord. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you possess.

Live long and prosper, the blessing attributed to Vulcan sages, was appropriated by the writers of Star Trek straight from the mouth of Moses. But they left out one vital prerequisite—walk in obedience to all that the Lord has commanded you.

As kids my friends and I worked to spread our fingers like Spock. The move creates more of a challenge for some than others. But what remains a challenge for all of us is the practice of walking in obedience to all that the Lord has commanded. This proved too hard for Moses’s audience, just as it proves too hard for us.

Thankfully, Jesus followed Moses, creating a new path toward prosperity we all can follow.

Now to figure out how to make a Vulcan Mind Meld work for me.

Deuteronomy 5 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Og, king of the ancient realm of Bashan, formed up his army and marched against the Israelite nation. Strategic mistake. Completely destroyed, Og faded into history.

Except for his bed.

Og possessed a bed the was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide (14 feet by 6 feet). That’s twice as long as a California king (7 feet long and 6 feet wide).

Why would this king need such a long bed? And why include such a bizarre detail in the chronicles of Israel?

Og descended from the Rephaim, which means giants, so Og might have been a really big guy who needed a really big bed. Many of my tall friends sleep with their feet hanging off the bed, and Og moved to mitigate this annoyance.

Perhaps this giant bed represented Og’s rule as king. He took whoever he wanted, and his bed pointed to his power and virility. Or maybe “bed” referred to a sarcophagus, Og’s future place of burial. No matter what, the bed stood out. Designed to impress, it begged for attention and awe.

I believe the author included this odd detail for a simple reason. Although big and powerful and rich and virile and smart and talented, Og crumbled before the Lord. The message to Israel was clear—trust in the Lord your God—not in the kings of this world. The bed stood for years as a sort of tourist attraction, a symbol of the foolishness of standing against the Lord.

Which makes me wonder—as silly as it sounds—what are the giant beds in my life? What do I consider wonderful or powerful or important, but moves my eyes from the Almighty? Our days fill with vain symbols of prestige. Do I pause to consider that all will soon crumble?

Some men build giant towers in their honor—this man built a bed. No matter the token, only the Lord remains worthy of our ultimate trust.

Deuteronomy 3 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Zulian Firmansyah

He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

No kidding. I love the clarity of the Bible.

Jesus fasted 40 days, sat in the desert starving, and at just the right moment the devil materialized in his face.

I notice how Jesus used scripture to parry the temptations thrown at him. It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone and It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.

However, his ever resourceful opponent quoted scripture right back. For it is written…

Twisting words remains a temptation.

I grow as I approach the word of God with humility and patience and depth of view, asking the Lord to reveal his wisdom and insight. I fail altogether when I cherry-pick a verse and fire off a salvo, or tickle an ear with a tempting interpretation that’s not quite true to the text but fits my cultural leanings.

So, when considering an argument and proofing it from the scriptures, it helps me to remember that both saints and devils know their Bible verses.

Luke 4 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Hansjörg Keller

We tend to register for lots of things in life. I remember going to the post office at age 18 and registering for Selective Service, meaning I was eligible for the military draft. Never called, but it made for a thoughtful signature on the form.

We register our vehicles, we register to vote, newly engaged couples register for wedding gifts. I might register a complaint at times. And apparently I’m registered on a number of sales lists. I get marketing emails and texts and calls for phones, golf gear, auto services, travel and restaurants. It’s a bummer being on the wrong list.

In the wilderness the Lord asked Moses and Aaron to take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by the father’s houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.

Moses and Aaron set about registering the fighting men, eventually reaching a total of 601,730. Then a chilling reminder of an earlier registration: But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had said of them, “They will die in the wilderness.”

The Lord kept his promise. The entire generation who rejected the Him at the edge of the promised land all those years ago died off (except Caleb and Joshua, of course), just as the Lord predicted.

Which underscores the point—it’s a bummer being on the wrong list.

Numbers 26 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Tiffany Tertipes