I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     When the boy that Elisha had predicted for the woman from Shunem was a little older, he grew sick and died. The woman came to Elisha and tells him indirectly of the boy’s death. Elisha sends his servant to lay his staff on the boy, but the woman refuses to return home unless Elisha accompanies her. Elisha does so. On the way, his servant met him and told him that the boy was still dead even though he had followed Elisha’s instructions. Elisha prayed to God and was able to raise the child.
     The passage tells us that there was a famine in the land. During this famine, Elisha performed two miracles that we are told about. The first is that while the group of prophets was making a stew, one of the young man accidentally added some poisonous gourds to it. When some of them tasted it they realized it was poisoned and told Elisha. He put some flour in it and neutralized the poison. Later during the same famine, someone brought a small amount of food to Elisha. Elisha told his servant to give it the people of the town to eat. His servant says that it is not enough for that many people. Elisha tells him that it will not only be enough but there will be leftovers. The servant gives the food to the people and there are indeed leftovers after everyone had plenty to eat.
     The passage then tells us the story of Naaman. Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. Naaman had leprosy. Naaman’s wife had a slave girl as a maid who had been captured in a raid into Israel. One day this slave girl tells Naaman’s wife that she wished that Naaman would go see the prophet in Samaria, because he would heal Naaman of his leprosy. When Naaman told the king of Aram what the slave girl said, the king sent Naaman to see the prophet with a letter of introduction to the king of Israel and rich gifts. When Naaman gives his letter to the king of Israel, the king of Israel is sure that the king of Aram is seeking an excuse to attack him. When Elisha hears of the king of Israel’s distress, he sends a message to the king telling him to send Naaman to him. Naaman went to Elisha’s house and waited at the door. Elisha sent him a message telling him to go and wash in the Jordan river seven times. Naaman is furious that Elisha did not come out and see him. He expected Elisha to come out and wave his hand over him to heal him. Further Naaman doesn’t understand why he could not wash in one of the rivers closer to his home. Some of his officers point out to him that if Elisha had given him some difficult task in order to be healed, he would have done it, why not at least give washing in the Jordan a shot? Naaman listens to their counsel and washes in the Jordan seven times. The passage tells us that he was healed. Naaman returns to Elisha and offers him the goods he had brought with him. Elisha refuses the gifts. Naaman then swears that he will make no sacrifices to any god but God.
     Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, thinks that Elisha should not have let Naaman go without taking at least some of his gifts. So, Gehazi goes after Naaman and makes up a story about some young men that had come to Elisha that Elisha would like Naaman to give some clothes and money. Naaman gives Gehazi the clothes and money. When Gehazi returns, he hides what Naaman gave him, but Elisha confronts him about it. Elisha tells him that because he has done this, he will have leprosy. Now the thing about this is that leprosy is a contagious disease. It is likely that Gehazi got the leprosy because he was exposed to it through the clothes he took from Naaman.

     After Paul and Barnabas return from their missionary journey, some Jewish believers come from Jerusalem and begin teaching that the Gentile believers must be circumcised in order to be saved. Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them and there were vehement arguments between them. The church in Antioch decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to see what the apostles and elders of the church in Jerusalem thought. They also sent some local believers along. On the way they stopped in several cities that had believers and shared how God was calling Gentiles. The believers in these cities were delighted to hear this news.
     When Paul and Barnabas got to Jerusalem, the entire church there welcomed them and listened to their report. Then some of the believers insisted that the Gentiles needed to be circumcised and follow the law of Moses. The elders of the church and the apostles met to discuss this issue. After a lengthy discussion where there was apparently little agreement, Peter gets up to talk. Peter tells of his experience being called to preach to the Gentiles. He points out that God made no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles in the pouring out of His Spirit. He further points out that the Jews, including himself, have been unable to keep the Law and asks why they would burden the Gentiles with a requirement that they themselves has been unable to keep. Finally Peter points out that all are saved by the undeserved grace of Jesus.
     After Peter finished speaking, Paul and Barnabas again told about what they had witnessed God doing when they ministered among the Gentiles. Finally, James gets up to speak. He summarizes the sense of the meeting at that point as that they should only ask the Gentiles to follow a few points of the Law; don’t eat food sacrificed to idols, avoid sexual immorality, avoid eating strangled animals and blood. The Council wrote a letter to the believers in Antioch and sent a delegation to deliver it.

     The psalmist calls on the Lord to protect him. In particular he asks God to keep him from wickedness. He asks God to prevent him from even speaking wicked words, to allow the righteous to correct him when he does wrong. The psalmist prays that the wicked suffer for their wickedness, but he also prays that they hear his words and turn from their wickedness. He prays that they fall into the traps and snares they have set for others. We should seek to live and speak so that when the folly of their wickedness is exposed to them. the wicked will heed our words and turn to God.