All posts by AttilaDimedici

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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

Exodus 26-27:21

Today’s passage is a detailed description of the plans for building the Tabernacle. As I read this I became impressed by the attention to detail called for in this. The craftsmanship necessary to follow these directions is impressive, although what it calls for is not great artistry but rather painstaking attention to detail. This passage is definitely one of those which led me to start this blog. There are two things I saw in here to highlight. The first is that Moses was given the detailed description of how various parts of the Tabernacle should be built, the detailed description was followed at several points with instructions to make it as he was “shown on the mountain.” Indicating that the earthly Tabernacle was based on a heavenly Tabernacle which was shown to Moses. The other thing I want to highlight is that the Israelites (in particular the priests) were to maintain lights in the Tabernacle at night. There was always to be light in the Tabernacle, during the day from the sun and at night from the lamps that Moses was instructed to have made.

Matthew 25:1-30

Today’s passage contains two parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. The first parable is about 10 women waiting for their bridegroom to come. Five of them prepared for a long wait and brought extra oil for their lamps. The other five were foolish and assumed he would come before the oil in their lamps ran out. Then while all ten waited, they became drowsy and fell asleep. Suddenly they were awoken by word of the bridegroom’s coming. Those who had prepared added oil and trimmed their lamps. The unprepared asked to borrow some oil from them, but the prepared brides explained that they did not have enough for both themselves and the unprepared. They sent the unprepared out to get more oil, but by the time they returned it was too late. Jesus tells us that we should remain prepared, no matter how long the delay, because when we see Him coming it will be too late to prepare.
The second parable tells us to make the best use of the resources which God has given us. This parable has always been a challenge to me because I have been given many talents in this life, yet I have always struggled with knowing how and where to apply them. I will continue to strive to find the ways to use the gifts God has given me to please Him. All too often I feel like I am the man given the five bags of gold acting like the man given just the one bag.

Psalm 31:1-8

I desire to be as the psalmist and turn to the Lord for protection. I will not turn to idols or worship other things in the hope that they will protect me. I will not rely on the government, myself or anything else for my protection. I will trust in the Lord. God will be my rock and my fortress. If I follow the path He guides me on I will not fall into any of the traps set for me. I will commit my spirit and all that I am into God’s hands, for He will protect me.

Proverbs 8:1-11

Wisdom calls out to us. The proverb writer tells us that wisdom is there for anyone willing to listen. Anyone who does not possess wisdom has chosen not to listen to wisdom calling out to them. Not listening to the wisdom that is there for us to acquire as we experience life is like leaving precious metals or gems lying on the road as we walk along. Yet all too many people make that choice everyday, treating the wisdom they could acquire like a penny that is not worth their trouble to bend over and pick it up.

Daily Bible Study

February 6, 2013 Bible Study — No One Knows the Day or Hour

February 5, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Exodus 23:14-25:40

     God laid out three festivals of worship for the people of Israel to keep each year. Every man of Israel was to present himself before God at least these three times a year. Three times of year they were to set aside their daily lives and come together and celebrate what God had done for them. This is certainly a model that we should consider for ourselves. Is it too much for us to set aside three times a year to set aside our daily lives and gather with our fellow believers?
     God goes on to tell the people of Israel that He will go ahead of them into the land He has promised them. He will drive those living there out of the land, but the Israelites must not worship their gods or imitate their practices. They were to make no treaties with the people living in the land or their gods. There are many who disagree with me, but I believe that this is sound advice for Christians, we should not make common cause with non-Christians to accomplish our goals. This does not mean we have to work against them when they are striving to accomplish similar goals to ours, just that we have to recognize that, even when we are working towards common goals, they have a different agenda than we do and are focused on other ends than we are. This is definitely a difficult position to clearly define, but we as Christians must be very careful about lending our support to groups who are ultimately promoting a message that opposes the message of Christianity.
      Moses went down to the people and reported the instructions that God had given him. Moses wrote carefully wrote all of these instructions down. Early one morning Moses set up an altar and some pillars. He had some young men make an offering to God. Moses then read the book that he had written of God’s instructions to the people. The people listened to these instructions, including the command to worship no other gods, and enthusiastically agreed to keep them. Moses then returned to the mountain to speak with God, accompanied by Joshua. He remained on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. (This is the second occurrence of forty days and forty nights as a significant time. The first being when the rains fell during the Flood.)

Another Picture of Snow In the Back Yard

Matthew 24:29-51

Jesus continues His prophecy about the destruction of the Temple and the end times. Today’s passage starts with Jesus explaining why we should not be fooled by the false prophets and false messiahs. He tells us that when He returns everyone will know and His angels will gather His chosen ones from the ends of the earth.
Jesus goes on to tell us that no one knows the day or hour of His return, except the Father. He tells us that it will be as in the days of Noah. People will be going about their business when suddenly those who have been chosen will be taken. We need to keep watch because we will not know in advance when Jesus is going to return.

Psalm 30:1-12

I will praise the Lord with the psalmist. When I cry to the Lord for help, He cares for me. He turns my mourning into gladness. I will give the Lord thanks forever.

Proverbs 7:24-27

Another passage warning against getting sexually involved with someone married to someone else. Such relationships lead to ruin and even death.

Daily Bible Study

February 5, 2013 Bible Study — Laws For a Just Society

February 4, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Exodus 21:22-23:13

     The first interesting thing I noticed in this passage was that the idea of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is placed here in the context of people fighting and a pregnant woman getting hit and caused to give birth prematurely. The passage says that if no serious injury occurs, the one who hit the woman must pay a fine determined by the woman’s husband and allowed by the court. However, in this situation if there is serious injury, the offender is to suffer loss of life for loss of life, loss of eye for the loss of an eye, etc. This is not a command for general situations where someone causes injury to someone else, but for a case where people are fighting and one of them causes injury to a pregnant woman, and/or her child.
     Yesterday’s passage had a command that is often used to condemn Old Testament law. It said that if someone beat their slave and caused injury, but the slave recovered after a few days there should be no punishment. However, in today’s passage we have more on the treatment of slaves. In today’s passage, the command is that if a master knocks out the eye or tooth of their slave, they must set the slave free to compensate the slave for the loss. The passage goes on to suggest that people not be held accountable for the unpredictable behavior of the animals they own. However, if an animal repeatedly demonstrates a tendency to attack people or other animals and the owner allows it to do so again, then the owner shall be held responsible for the damages. Overall, this passage consists of a series of commands about taking responsibility for one’s actions.
     There are a few of the commands here that I think are worthy of emphasis. The first is one that is stated twice in this passage: Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner. The passage offers an explanation for this command. It reminds the people that they were foreigners in Egypt and know how it feels to be a foreigner. Another is a warning not to take advantage of widows or the fatherless. God promises that if this warning is not heeded He will avenge them. The final is two passages that I feel make a matched set. The first tells us not to follow the crowd when it favors doing wrong and most definitely to not show favoritism to the poor in a lawsuit. The second says that we should not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits. I think these two show two problems that societies often have…as a matter of fact, I think that societies often have both of them. That is, there is often a tendency to weigh the scales of justice in favor of the poor over the rich in highly publicized cases, while in cases that are out of the limelight, the poor often have trouble receiving justice in the courts. I think there is a principle here about how we should treat people in general. We should show the same level of respect for the opinions offered by all people regardless of their economic situation.

Matthew 24:1-28

As Jesus was leaving the Temple area, His disciples pointed out the wonderful architecture of the various buildings. Jesus responds by telling them that these wonderful buildings will be completely destroyed. His disciples then asked Him a question that has led to many misunderstandings. They asked Him when that would happen and what would be the signs of His return and the end of the age? Jesus’ answer as recorded by the Gospel writer clearly refers to the coming Jewish revolt that culminated with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. To what extent this reads this way because the Gospel writer saw Jesus’ prophecy applying to what was going on when he wrote the gospel (I believe that the Gospel was written sometime around 60 AD and thus the writer would have been aware of the rising unrest in Judea) or because that was the focus of Jesus’ answer, I do not know. However, that being said, I do believe that a large part of what Jesus was saying was about the coming Jewish revolt against the Romans and what was going to happen in the days leading up to it (which would answer the first part of the disciples’ question).
All of that being said, there are some important points to be noticed here. One of those points is that many will come claiming to be the Messiah, the one who will save us from troubled times. They will perform great signs and wonders in order to deceive. And many will be deceived by them. In addition there will be people proclaiming that this person or that person is the Messiah. Some will proclaim someone who is preaching in the wilderness, who is an outsider, as the Messiah. Others will proclaim someone who is in the “inner rooms”, which I take to mean a religious or political insider/power broker, as the Messiah. Jesus warns us to believe none of them. Another important point is that those who remain faithful to His teachings will be hated and persecuted. He tells us that many will turn away from the faith, that many will lose their love for God because of the increase in wickedness around them. Yet despite all of the trials and troubles for those who believe, the Gospel will be preached throughout the entire world.

Psalm 29:1-11

Today we have a psalm of praise. The psalmist tells us that the voice of the Lord is powerful and can be heard over roaring waters (such as the sound of waves breaking on the beach or a mighty waterfall). The sound of the Lord’s voice is powerful, it can shatter mighty trees and cause the ground to shake. I will give praise to the Lord because His word shakes the earth to its core.

Proverbs 7:6-23

Once again the proverb writer talks about the danger of adultery. I have not kept careful track, but I am in the seventh chapter of Proverbs and the overwhelming majority of what I have read thus far in the book is a warning against committing adultery. I think this tells us something about the importance of sexual fidelity to our marriages…and avoiding sexual relationships with those married to others.

Daily Bible Study

February 4, 2013 Bible Study

February 3, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Exodus 19:16-21:21

On the third day, God descended onto the mountain top and called Moses up to Him. God then sent Moses back down to warn the people not to cross the boundaries around the mountain and to bring Aaron back up with him. Moses went down the mountain and gave the people the message God had given him. While Moses was at the base of the mountain, God gave the people the Ten Commandments (at least that is how I read the passage, there is some ambiguity in the passage). The people’s reaction to this was fear. They asked Moses to speak to God for them and pass God’s words onto them. They asked that God not speak to them directly. This is a human tendency. We are constantly trying to place someone as an intermediary between ourselves and God.
The passage goes on to describe the rules God gave the people for how they would treat their slaves and in cases of personal injury. Seen from the light of the way we treat people today, these rules often seem horrendous. Yet when seen in light of the way slaves were treated by the societies around them (and even in many societies today) one sees a very different picture. Perhaps at some point I will do a study of slavery as implemented by Old Testament law. I am sure that many have done a more thorough and comprehensive study than I would do. However, it is a subject that, every now and again, I get curious about and think about doing a detailed study (and if I write it as a blog post, I am more likely to actually do it at some point).

Matthew 23:13-39

Jesus follows up His previous teaching by expounding on the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He points out how they create rules of behavior that they insist must be followed but that focus on superficial good behaviors while excusing more significant bad behaviors. Jesus condemns them for creating rules that give the appearance of righteousness without actually leading one to behave righteously. Jesus tells us that it is more important to behave righteously than to appear to behave righteously.

Psalm 28:1-9

The psalmist cries out to the Lord, requesting to be heard. However, he asks more than just to be heard, he asks for God to speak. How often do I listen when I pray? When I pray do I spend time silent waiting for God to reply? Do I expect God to reply? At the end of today’s psalm the psalmist praises God because He has heard him. How would the psalmist know that God has heard him unless he has heard God’s reply? Perhaps the reason we so often feel that God does not listen to our prayers is because we do not pause to listen to His answers.

Proverbs 7:1-5

I had never noticed before how much space the writer of Proverbs dedicates to advising against sexual immorality. Once again today’s passage is about the value of wisdom and insight in keeping one from sexually immoral behavior. If the writer of Proverbs spent so much time advising on keeping proper sexual morals, perhaps we would do well to spend more time teaching on the issue.

Daily Bible Study

February 3, 2013 Bible Study — Call No One Father, Or Teacher

February 2, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Exodus 17:8-19:15

     While they were in the desert, the Amalekites attacked them. Moses sent Joshua out with some of the men to fight them. Moses went to a hilltop with Aaron and Hur to watch the battle. While Moses, holding the staff of God in his hands, held his arms in the air, the Israelites prevailed in battle. When he let his arms down, the Amalekites prevailed. When Moses’ arms got tired, Aaron and Hur found a rock for Moses to sit on. They then stood on either side of him and held his arms up. Thus the Israelites defeated the Amalekites in the battle.
     Moses’ father-in-law heard the things which God had done for Moses and the Israelites and came to see Moses at the Israelite camp in the wilderness. Upon arriving, Moses’ father-in-law offered a sacrifice to God. That evening Moses, Aaron and the elders of Israel ate a meal before God with Moses’ father-in-law. The following morning Moses sat in court, heard the disputes of the people of Israel and passed judgment in each of them from morning until evening. Moses’ father-in-law told him that he could not keep on doing this. He advised Moses to appoint god-fearing men who could be trusted to judge the minor disputes, bringing only the most important and difficult ones to Moses. Moses followed his father-in-law’s advice. Learning to delegate is an important lesson for all leaders to learn. When a group gets above a certain size, a single leader cannot make all decisions for the group, nor can he resolve all disputes within the group.
     The Israelites moved on into the Wilderness of Sinai. They camped in front of Mount Sinai. God spoke to Moses and told him to tell the people that they had seen what God had done in bringing them out of Egypt. If the people of Israel will obey God’s voice and keep His covenant, God will make them His people, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The people responded that they would do all that God commanded. God then told Moses that He would come down on the mountain so that the people could hear Him as He spoke to Moses. God instructs Moses that the people should spend the next two days consecrating themselves and washing their clothes. On the third day, God would come down onto Mount Sinai in the sight of the people. In the meantime no one was to touch the mountain until a ram’s horn sounded a long blast on the third day, at which time the people were to come up the mountain. Anyone who touched the mountain before that was to be killed without being touched directly, either by stoning or by arrows.

Matthew 22:34-23:12

     Once again some of the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus. One of them came up to Him and asked Him which was the greatest commandment. Jesus answered that the greatest, most important commandment was the first commandment: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ Jesus followed this up by telling them that the second commandment was almost as important and was similar in content: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Jesus told them that all of the other commandments rested on these two. If we are truly following these two we will keep all of the rest. Some people thinks that this means that if you keep these two, you can break the others. I believe it means that in order to keep these two you would need to keep the others, even if they were not spelled out.
     Jesus follows this up by asking the Pharisees whose son the Messiah is? They respond that the Messiah will be the son of David. Jesus then asks them if the Messiah is David’s son, why does David call Him Lord? After that all the religious leaders were afraid to ask Jesus questions. Jesus then speaks to His disciples and the crowd. He tells them to practice and obey what they tell you to do, but do not follow their example. Jesus tells them that the Pharisees do all of their deeds to be noticed by men. They seek out the places of honor and expect respectful greetings from all. They desire to be called Rabbi (or teacher). Jesus tells His followers that they should not seek special titles, nor should they give any special titles to others for all of us are brothers. We have but one Teacher and one Father. Our Teacher is Christ and our Father is God in Heaven. Jesus then repeats a teaching He has made before. Those who wish to be the greatest must serve others. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, while those who humble themselves will be exalted.
     There is a definite human tendency to set some people apart. It is really a two-sided approach. Some of is want to be set above others. Some of us want to set some people up above themselves. We readily understand the first part, where someone wants to be seen as special and more important than others. However the other side is just as seductive. We get to acknowledge that God calls for a higher standard of righteousness than we wish to live up to, but that is only for the “special” people, the priests, or the clergy. Jesus was telling us here that God’s standard of righteousness is for everyone, not just some elite few. Some people think that because they use a different title than the ones Jesus specifically mentions here that this does not apply. Jesus was not giving an exhausting list of titles we should not use. We should not use any title that sets some people above others. Pastor is a role, not a title. We should refer to our pastor by his name or perhaps by Mister or Brother in front of his name, titles which can be applied to any man in the congregation. As soon as we start calling him Pastor in front of his name, we start to say that his opinion matters more than someone else’s, not because he backs it up with a better understanding of the Scripture, but because he is the pastor. We are saying that he matters more than someone else.

Psalm 27:7-14

Have you heard the Lord say, “Come and talk with me”? If you have not heard, stop and listen for He is saying it now. If you have heard have you answered, “Lord, I am coming”? And have you turned to go listen to Him? If you have not, stop whatever you are doing, including reading this blog and go to Him and listen to what He has to say to you. Then come back and finish reading because perhaps He has more to say through my writing (and even if not, I like people to read what I write ☺). Let the Lord teach you His way. Your parents may turn against you, but the Lord never will. Wait for the Lord and take courage for He will not forsake you.
I do not often enough take time to listen to the Lord, to let Him teach me His way. I will strive to do so more in the future.

Proverbs 6:27-35

The writer points out that people will accept compensation for just about any crime or sin against them, except for having sex with their spouse. There are very few people who will ever forgive someone for doing that.

Daily Bible Study

February 2, 2013 Bible Study — Give To Caesar What Is Caesar’s…And To God What Is God’s

February 1, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Exodus 15:19-17:7

     Today’s passage begins the description of the Israelites travels in the desert. After crossing the sea, they traveled for three days without finding water. When they finally found water, it was bitter and undrinkable. The people started to grumble against Moses and Aaron. Moses cried out to God and God showed him wood that when placed in the water made the water fit to drink. They traveled on from there and entered into the Desert of Sin. At this point their food supplies started to run low. Again the people grumbled against Moses and Aaron saying that they would have been better off if they had stayed in Egypt.
     God responded to their complaining by telling Moses that He would give the people bread in the morning and meat in the evening along with a test to see if they would listen to His instructions. Moses passed God’s message on to the people along with His instructions. They were to gather the food, enough for the day, but they were not to keep any until the following day. The exception to this was on the sixth day, when they were to gather twice as much as normal, because there would not be any on the seventh day. The first morning this food arrived the people asked each other what it was. When Moses told them it was the bread that the Lord was providing them they called it “manna” which sounds very similar to the Hebrew for “What is it?” Despite the instructions that Moses had given them some people tried to save some of the manna for the following day. The next morning the leftover manna was full of maggots and stank. On the sixth day, Moses repeated the instructions to gather extra and not to go out to gather on the seventh day. Nevertheless some people went out to gather on the morning of the seventh day, but they found no manna.
     This story gives us a good sense of how God’s provision works. When the people who went out and gathered manna, those who gathered a lot did not have too much. While those who gathered a little did not have too little. On the other hand those who attempted to save some to build up a surplus found that it went bad, except on the sixth day into the seventh day, when there was none to gather on the seventh day. God provided them enough for each day and only provided extra to allow them to prepare for the day when He was going to not make any available. Another key factor was that God let them know that they needed to gather extra on the sixth day. The lesson here is that God will provide us what we need to survive and carry out His will, when He provides us extra it is because there are lean days coming and we should save up for those days.
     The people of Israel traveled on from there and once again found themselves without sufficient water. They began grumbling against Moses, demanding that he supply them with water. Moses became afraid that the people would attack him and cried out to God for an answer. God instructed him to take his staff and strike the rock at Horeb. Moses followed these instructions and when he struck the rock water flowed forth from it. This is the second time that God made provisions for the people to have water in the desert.

Matthew 22:1-33

     Jesus told a parable comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to a wedding feast prepared by a king for his son. He prepared a guest list and sent out invitations. When the feast was ready, he sent his servants to notify the invited guests, but they refused to come. So, he followed up by sending other servants. But his invited guests ignored these servants, going about their business, whether that was being a farmer or a merchant. Some of the invited guests actually seized the servants sent to tell them the feast was ready and killed them. The king was furious and ordered his army to kill the guests he had invited. However, he still had a wedding feast prepared, so he sent his servants out to invite whoever they could find who would come to the feast. The wedding hall was filled with guests. However, when the king came in to see the guests, one of the men was not wearing wedding clothes. The king asked him why he was not properly dressed and the man had not answer. The king had him thrown out into the darkness.
     I saw two points when I read this. The first was that no matter how long we have been preparing to serve God, we need to respond when God gives us the call. The other is that when we respond to God’s call we need to make ourselves ready to serve the call He has given us.
     After this the Pharisees approached Jesus and attempted to trap Him by asking Him a question about paying taxes to Caesar. The trap was a cunning one. They asked Jesus if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? This was a cunning trap because the people had a strong resentment of the Roman occupation and there was a strong religious case that Jews should not pay taxes to foreigners. If Jesus came out in favor of paying the tax to Caesar it would seriously damage His reputation as a righteous teacher who was willing to take on the powers that be if they went against God’s will. On the other hand, if Jesus said that it was not right to pay the tax to Caesar, He was a revolutionary and the Pharisees could get the Romans to arrest Him. The Pharisees were cunning, but Jesus was clever. He called them out on the question by calling them hypocrites. Then He asked them to show Him the coin used to pay the tax. They promptly produce such a coin. Jesus asks them whose image is on it and whose inscription? These two questions sum up the point of Jesus’ answer and the fact that the Pharisees had such a coin in the Temple precinct indicates that they are indeed hypocrites. Jesus’ question about whose image and inscription are on the coin references two central elements of Judaism. The reference to whose image is on it is a reference to the command not to bow down to any graven image. The question about whose inscription is on it is a reference to the phrase “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” By calling attention to the fact that the coin has Caesar’s image and inscription on it, Jesus points out that possessing such a coin is idolatry…and the people who asked Him the question were carrying just such a coin. It goes even further than that, by producing such a coin the Pharisees demonstrated that they profited from the Roman occupation of Palestine and oppression of their fellow citizens. Ultimately Jesus answers their question by saying that we have to choose whether we are loyal to God or to the government. Jesus finally answers their question by telling them to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. However, He gives this answer after pointing out that everything is God’s even though Caesar claims everything as his own. There is a lot more to be said from this exchange. Perhaps I will do a blog on it someday.
     Later that same day, the Sadducees attempted to trap Him with another trick question. They asked Him about a widow who was successively married to and widowed by seven brothers without having any children. They asked Him whose wife she would be at the resurrection? Now the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, so they thought they had come up with the perfect logical conundrum for Jesus. There is an interesting assumption underlying their question. They assume that a woman would need to have a husband in the resurrection. This is a much simpler question for Jesus to answer than the one about taxes to Caesar. Nevertheless in answering the question, Jesus attacks the faulty logic underlying the question rather than just answering the surface question. First Jesus points out that at the resurrection women will not need a husband to enter in. He then attacks the assumption that the Sadducees started from that there was no resurrection by pointing out that God refers to Himself in the present tense as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God is the God of these men, He is not the God who was the God of these men. In answering both this question and the question about taxes to Caesar, Jesus refuses to allow His opponents to frame the debate (or to put it another way, He refuses to have the debate on the basis of their assumptions). Before answering the questions that have been asked of Him, Jesus puts the questions into a context that eliminates the trap they thought they had set for Him. It is a lesson that we as Christians need to learn. We should not argue with non-believers in the terms they use.

Psalm 27:1-6

If we make God’s will all we desire, why should we fear anyone? Who can endanger us if God is our protector? No matter what is thrown against us we can have confidence because none can stand against God and be victorious. God will be our light and our salvation.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

Proverbs 6:20-26

The proverb writer reminds us to listen to what our parents taught us, that by doing so we will have light for our paths and guidance to keep us out of trouble. He reiterates his advice to stay away from immoral women (although I do not think it is a stretch to say that the gender of the sexually immoral person is irrelevant to this advice).

Daily Bible Study

February 1, 2013 Bible Study

January 31, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Exodus 13:17-15:18

     When Pharaoh let the Israelites go God did not lead them by the shortest route to the promised land because He did not think they were ready to face war. Instead He led them by a more roundabout route. As a matter of fact, God instructed Moses to turn back at one point and camp between the desert and the sea. God explained to Moses that by doing this He would entice Pharaoh to pursue the Israelites giving God an opportunity to display His power for the entire world to see.
     Pharaoh did indeed change his mind about letting the Israelites go. He mustered his chariot forces and set off in pursuit. When the Israelites saw the Egyptian forces approaching they panicked. Moses told them not to be afraid and to stand firm. God instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea to divide the sea so that the Israelites can pass through on dry ground. Moses did as God commanded and the Israelites crossed the sea on dry ground. When the Egyptian forces attempted to follow their chariot wheels got caught in the mud. When I read this passage I imagine the Israelites on foot or with carts with big thick wheels. The Egyptian chariots on the other hand would have had narrow wheels in order to allow them to move faster. I don’t know if you have ever seen the muddy bed of a river or lake shortly after the water has dried up off of it. The mud on the bottom tends to dry out and develop a hard, brittle crust on the surface, especially if a strong wind is blowing as is described in the passage. So, as the Israelites crossed over it would have been hard and would have supported their weight since it was well distributed by their feet and even by the thick wheels of any carts they may have had. The other thing about the dried mud on a river or lake bed that has recently dried out is that underneath it is still wet. When you intermittently apply pressure to the dry, hard surface of the mud (such as, say when a large number of people and animals walk across it) the moisture works its way to the surface and the surface becomes soft. When I read this passage, I imagine a scene which appears as if someone intentionally planned a trap for a more mobile, superior military force pursuing one which they completely overlooked as a potential threat…oh, yeah, Someone did.
     Once the Israelites had crossed and the waters had returned to trap and drown most of Pharaoh’s chariot forces, they sang a song of praise. The song covers so many aspects of God. Our enemies may boast of their prowess and power, but God will stand by our side. God reigns over all and our success is due to Him, not our own power or worthiness.

Matthew 21:23-46

     Jesus returned to the Temple the day after driving out the merchants. The chief priests and other religious leaders demanded to know by what authority He did these things. Jesus answered them by saying that He would answer their question if they would answer His question. He then asks them whether John’s baptism was from heaven or merely of human origin. The religious leaders view the question as a trap. On the one hand, if they said that it was from heaven, Jesus could then ask them why they did not believe and follow John. On the other hand they were afraid of the people’s reaction if they said it was merely human, since the people all thought John was a prophet. As a result they chose to tell Jesus that they did not know. Jesus then tells them that since they did not answer His question He would not answer theirs. I have heard several commenters on this passage say that Jesus was very clever here. He knew that the religious leaders asked their question as a trap for Jesus. Any way He answered the question the religious leaders could use it as an excuse to have Him arrested. So, He asked them a question that He knew they would not answer.
     I am sure there is some truth to that. However, I see another element at work as well. If the religious leaders had been willing to answer Jesus’ question about John, it would have given Him a basis to start making His case for His authority to chase the merchants out of the Temple. By refusing to answer His question, the religious leaders revealed that they were playing a game of “Gotcha”, rather than entering into an honest debate about righteousness. Jesus then tells two parables directed at the religious leaders, but with much more applicability than just them.
     The first parable is about two sons. A father goes to one son and tells him to go work in the vineyard. The son rebelliously tells his father that he will not. However, later he changes his mind and goes and does as his father asked. The father goes to the other son and gives him the same instructions. The second son quickly and respectfully agrees to do as his father asked, but he did not actually do it. Jesus asks the religious leaders which of the two sons did what his father wanted. They answered with the obvious answer, the first son did as his father wanted. Jesus then points out to the religious leaders that tax collectors and prostitutes were more responsive to John’s calls to behave righteously than were those who claimed to be religious.
     Jesus then tells a parable about a landowner who leased a vineyard out to to some farmers. When harvest time approached the landowner sent servants to collect his share of the harvest. The farmers mistreated the servants and failed to send to the landowner his share of the harvest. Finally the landowner sends his own son, figuring that the farmers would respect him. When the farmers saw the son, rather than respect him, they killed him. Jesus asked them what the landowner would do to those farmers. the religious leaders replied that he would bring them to a wretched end and find new tenants who would give him his share at harvest time. Both of these parables have a common theme that just because we pay lip service to righteous living does not mean that we are actually doing so.

Psalm 26:1-12

I see today’s psalm as a challenge for me, that I should strive to live up to its call. I know that God will test me and try me. I know that I do not meet His standard. I will strive to not lend my support to those who deceive others (or deceive them myself). I will do my best to hold myself to a higher standard than I hold others. I will resist the urge to plot evil with those who gather to do so. I will seek to always be mindful of God’s unfailing love and to express that love to those around me.

Proverbs 6:16-19

Today’s passage from proverbs lists seven things that God detests and that destroy all whom they touch. Those seven things all tie together. Arrogance, lying, the killing of innocents, contriving schemes to bring harm to others, hurrying to take advantage of other’s misfortune, telling lies about others in order to cause them trouble and doing things to get others to be in conflict. These are all things that lead one to another. Doing any one of them increases the likelihood that one will do the others and all are reprehensible.

Daily Bible Study

January 31, 2013 Bible Study — Jesus Clears the Sports Arena, I Mean, Temple

January 30, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Exodus 12:14-13:16

     Moses established several traditions for the people of Israel related to this event. The first one was the Festival of the Unleavened Bread. They were to celebrate it that night in Egypt so that when God sent the destroyer to kill the first born in Egypt, the destroyer would pass over the households which were prepared in this manner. They were to celebrate this Festival every year as a lasting ordinance. There is an interesting phrase in this passage. According to the NIV it says that when their children ask them “What does this ceremony mean to you?” they are to answer that it is to commemorate when God spared the Israelites while He struck the Egyptians. Reading this reminds me about a discussion we had in my small group a few months back about rituals and their importance. A ritual is only of value when it means something to the person who is taking part in it.
     On the night they first celebrated this festival, the firstborn of all the Egyptians and of their livestock died. In the middle of the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and told them to leave Egypt with all of their people and all of their livestock. Many of the Egyptian people also encouraged the Israelites to leave out of fear for their lives. When the Israelites asked their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver or gold and for clothing the Egyptians readily gave them those things. The passage tells us that the number of Israelite men who left Egypt was about 600,000 men plus women and children. In addition we are told that many other people went with them, all of them driving large herds and flocks of livestock.
     The second tradition that God had Moses establish for the Israelites out of this event was the consecration of the first born male of both people and animals to God. The firstborn of all of their livestock was to be sacrificed to God, although they could redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb. They were required to redeem their firstborn sons. Once again this was a tradition and ceremony that they were to use to explain what God had done for them. Do we have traditions and ceremonies that we use to convey the message that God has done great things for us? Things that might be inconvenient and uncomfortable, but that somehow give us comfort by grounding us in a tradition of following God and acknowledging His power?

The Reason the Salt truck Was By Earlier

Matthew 20:29-21:22

     This passage begins with Jesus beginning His journey from Jericho to Jerusalem, where He knows that He will die. As He leaves Jericho, two blind men cry out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”. The crowd around Jesus tells them to be quiet and not disturb the great man, but they only become more persistent and louder. Jesus hears their cries and has compassion on them. He asks them what they want Him to do for them and they reply that they want to see. Jesus touched their eyes and immediately they were able to see. In response to this gift, they followed Him.
     When they got near to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two disciples into Bethpage to get a donkey’s colt for Him to ride. Jesus then rode the donkey’s colt into Jerusalem in order to call to mind the prophecy of Zechariah. This was a declaration the He was not coming to start a war, but rather in peace.
The king in Zechariah’s prophecy was not bringing war, rather He was going to destroy weapons. The people viewed Jesus entry as the triumphal entry of a king and sang His praises as He entered the city. People all throughout the city heard the commotion and asked what was going on.
     The writer does not say, but I have always imagined that Jesus led this procession all the way up to the Temple. Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive the merchants out of the Temple, overturning their benches and tables. Jesus tells them that they have turned what is supposed to be a House of Prayer into a den of thieves. Whenever I read this I am reminded of our modern sporting arenas and how all of the vendors there pay a fee to the team for the privilege of selling to the captive market attending events in the arena. Once He had driven the merchants out of the Temple, the blind and the lame came to Him there and He healed them. Meanwhile the children continued to cry out “Hosanna to the son of David.” I imagine what would happen if someone did this in our sports arenas today and then I read how the priests and religious teachers reacted much the way that I imagine that those responsible for our sports arenas would react. They were indignant. While I am sure that today’s sports owners (and the others in charge of our big arenas) would call out the police immediately to get Him removed, they also do not pretend that the arenas are a place designed specifically for the worship of God. On the other hand, don’t many people around us treat sports as more important than God?
     The next morning on His way back into the city, Jesus approached a fig tree to see if it had any fruit. When He discovered that it did not, He cursed it and it immediately withered. The disciples were amazed at how quickly the fig tree withered. Jesus told them that if they had faith, they would be able to do even more than make a fig tree wither. They would be able to tell a mountain to move into the sea and it would do so. Whatever they asked for in prayer, they would receive if they believed. Why don’t we have the faith to tell mountains to throw themselves into the sea?

Psalm 25:16-22

The psalmist calls on God when he is all alone and facing troubles that seem insurmountable. He trusts that God will rescue him and puts all of His hope in God. If we follow the psalmists example we will not be disappointed. God will rescue us from our troubles.

Proverbs 6:12-15

Wicked people lie constantly and are always stirring up trouble. Those who follow such a life will seem to be successful until sudden disaster overcomes them and leaves them wondering what went wrong.

Daily Bible Study

January 30, 2013 Bible Study — To Be A Leader, Be A Servant

January 29, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Exodus 10-12:13

     Today’s passage starts off with a change in tone. Up until now, it has read that Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the people of Israel go to worship their God. Today’s passage starts with God telling Moses that He has hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh’s officials tell him that he must let the people of Israel go and worship their God. One of the things I have not touched on in these devotions has been that Moses was asking Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to take a three day trip into the desert to offer a sacrifice to God and Pharaoh was categorically refusing. In today’s passage Pharaoh asks Moses who would be going on this religious retreat. Moses’ answer is “all of the Israelite people, men, women and children, and all of their flocks. Pharaoh responds by saying that he would approve a religious retreat of just the men because the only reason for the women and children (and the flocks) to go would be because they were planning on attacking the Egyptians (or some other mischief against the Egyptians).
     God instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over Egypt and summon locust swarms over the entire land. Moses did this and the locusts ate every bit of greenery left on any of the plants in Egypt. Pharaoh begged Moses to pray to God that God remove the locusts from the land. Moses did so and a wind arose and blew the locusts out of the land. However, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart(note that this time Pharaoh did not harden his own heart, God did it for him this time) and he did not let the people go. This was followed by a plague of darkness over the land, after which Pharaoh was willing to let all of the people go as long as they left their flocks. Moses rejected this on the basis that they needed to take something to sacrifice to God and would not know what they needed until they got there. Pharaoh told Moses to get out of his sight and if he ever returned Pharaoh would have him executed.
      Moses accepted Pharaoh’s exile, but before he left Moses told Pharaoh that God was going to bring one more plague against Egypt. God would pass through Egypt and every firstborn son in the land of Egypt would die, from the nobles to the slaves, even including the livestock. However, the people of Israel would be exempted from this plague. God then gave Moses instructions for the people of Israel establishing the Passover meal. They were to eat it in haste, prepared to flee. On the night designated for them to observe this, God would pass through the land striking the firstborn of both people and animals in all of the land of Egypt, except in those households that were marked according to His instruction. Every time I read this, I wonder, how many people who considered themselves Egyptian, and had been considered Egyptian by their neighbors joined in this first Passover celebration? As the plagues came down on Egypt one by one and the Israelites were, for the most part, spared, how many Egyptians circumcised their sons? Probably not many, but there were probably a few who saw the power of God and wanted to join with His people.
     The one point I wanted to make about this was that I don’t want to ever get to the point where God starts hardening my heart as He did to Pharaoh. Pharaoh time after time promised that if God would relieve the misery he was suffering, he would do God’s will, only to renege once the suffering had stopped. Eventually God started hardening Pharaoh’s heart rather than wait for Pharaoh to do so himself.

Matthew 20:1-28

     In today’s parable Jesus tells a story about a man who hires day laborers. He hires some first thing in the morning, agreeing to pay them a standard day’s wages. Later he goes out and hires some more, agreeing to pay them what is “right”. He does this several more times throughout the day, hiring some late in the day shortly before the workers wrapped up for the day. Once the workers were done for the day, he had them line up to be paid, with those hired last going first. He paid these men a full day’s wages. Those who had been hired first thing in the morning expected to be paid more, when he paid them only the agreed upon amount they grumbled. Doesn’t that sound exactly like the way we would react? The employer asked the grumbling workers how he had wronged them? He had paid them the amount that was agreed upon. What business of theirs was it if he chose to pay the others the same amount? It was his money to do with as he chose. He then tells His disciples that the last will be first and the first will be last, continuing the them from yesterday’s passage.
     There are so many lessons in that parable. There are the two obvious ones. The first shall be last and God will reward even those who come to Him late in life with the same reward He offers those who choose Him early in life (although I believe there is also the reward of serving God, which the latter will have more opportunity to do). But there is also the lesson of not begrudging others their good fortune. Why do we feel envious and resentful when others receive good things? Finally there is the idea that the vineyard owner was not obligated to be “fair” in the way he distributed his wealth.
     Jesus predicts His death for at least the third time in today’s passage. Despite the fact that Jesus had predicted His death multiple times, the disciples were still caught off guard when it actually happened. It’s as if they didn’t want to believe He meant what He said about His death. /s How often do we misinterpret something in Scripture because we don’t want to believe what it says? Often times we don’t even realize we are doing it.
     Today’s passage ends with the story of the mother of James and John coming to Jesus and asking Him to promise to seat her two sons on either side of Him when He comes into His kingdom. Jesus asks the brothers if they can face the trials He is about to face. They answer in the affirmative. Jesus tells them that they will indeed face a similar fate, but He cannot promise them those places of honor because those places are reserved for those whom the Father has already chosen. The other disciples were offended that the two brothers had the audacity to get their mother to ask for that honor. Jesus calls them together and gives them a lesson that sums up the points that were being made in the stories over the last several passages. Jesus tells the disciples that the important people of this world lord it over others, giving orders and being served, but that is not how it works in the kingdom of heaven. It is those who serve who are important in the kingdom of heaven. If you want to be someone in the kingdom of heaven, you must do what others tell you and serve their needs. This is a tough lesson for us as humans, even when we get it, we often mess it up. There have been a couple times when I have been part of a Church body where several people were competing to be serve others more than anybody else. We should strive to serve others, but sometimes the way we can best serve others is by letting them serve us.

Noel Santiago Talking About God Doing Something New

Psalm 25:1-15

I strive to follow the example of the psalmist and put my trust in God. If I follow the path that He teaches me, He will not let me be put to shame and will not let my enemies triumph over me. If I humble myself before God and acknowledge that His ways are correct, even when I do not understand why, He will instruct me in the actions I should choose and forgive my many sins. It is very hard to trust God, I so very often think I see an easier way, but I have learned that in the long run it is always better to do things the righteous way (although even knowing better I still all too often choose the wrong way).

Proverbs 6:6-11

In today’s passage the writer recommends that we observe the ways of the ant. The fact that it gathers food and provisions all summer and into the harvest even though it has no ruler should be a lesson to us to prepare for the future when we may no longer be able to supply our needs.

Daily Bible Study

January 29, 2013 Bible Study –The Last Shall Be First

January 28, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Exodus 8-9:35

Seven days after the waters of the Nile had been turned to blood, God sent Moses and Aaron back to Pharaoh. They were to tell Pharaoh that since he had not let God’s people go to worship Him, God was going to bring a plague of frogs on the land. Aaron stretched out his hand and frogs came up out of the Nile and other bodies of water and covered the land. Once again Pharaoh called his magicians who duplicated this feat. What Pharaoh’s magicians could not do was make the frogs go away (or die). So, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and asked them to ask God to take the frogs away. Pharaoh told them that if they did that he would let their people go to worship God. Moses asked Pharaoh to specify a time for the Egyptian households to be rid of the frogs. Pharaoh gave Moses a time and Moses prayed to God. At the appointed time the frogs that were not in the waterways died. Pharaoh however reneged on his promise and did not let the people go. The next plague was gnats. This time Pharaoh’s magicians were unable to duplicate what God had done through Moses and Aaron. Nevertheless Pharaoh would not let them go. The plagues got progressively worse and Pharaoh bargained with Moses, but he never followed through. Repeatedly through today’s passage we are told that Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to follow through on what he had promised.
How often have I been like that? When I have faced troubles I have made deals with God, promising that if just this once more He gets me out of the troubles I got myself into, I will change my ways and do what He commands. Or sometimes I have declared that as soon as things got better I would commit myself to serving Him in a new way. Then when things get better I forget, or make excuses why I won’t do the things I said I would do. The answer is I have done that all too often.

Matthew 19:13-30

     Some people brought children to Jesus for Him to pray for them. The disciples tried to discourage them, I assume because they thought it was a waste of Jesus’ time to pray over children that were not sick. Didn’t these people know that Jesus was an important man? However, Jesus intervened and told them to let the children come to Him, that the Kingdom of Heaven belonged to those who were like these children. Jesus laid His hands on the children and went on His way.
     Then a man came up to Jesus and asked Him what good thing he needed to do to get eternal life? Jesus gave a two-part answer. The first part was to question why the man was asking Him about what is good, since only God is good. The second part was to tell the man to keep the commandments. The man then asked specifically which commandments he should keep. Jesus answered this by listing six of the ten commandments. To which the man replied, “Oh, I’ve kept those.” Jesus then told him to go sell all that he had, give the proceeds to the poor and come follow Jesus. The man went away sad because he was unwilling to give up his great wealth.
     Jesus turned to His disciples and told them, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples’ response to this statement by Jesus was that if a rich man would have trouble getting into heaven, what chance did anyone else have? Jesus told them that it was impossible for man to do this, but with God all things are possible. This led Peter to burst out that they had left everything to follow Jesus, what would happen to them? Jesus told them that they would receive their reward and that those who had given up worldly possessions in order would receive a hundred-fold more and eternal life as well. Jesus followed this up by saying that many who were first would be last and many who were last would be first.
     I see a link between these two stories. The rich young man was looking for a shortcut to salvation. He was looking for a way to have both his power and position in this life and in the kingdom of heaven. The children were being brought by their parents, no one thought they were important (except for Jesus). The disciples obstructed the children’s path to Jesus. At the very least they stayed out of the rich young man’s way, if they did not actively clear the way for him to approach Jesus. The rich young man wanted to know what the rules were confident that once he knew the rules he could use his wealth and position to smooth the way for himself. The children just wanted to see Jesus and be touched by Him. Perhaps the most important point of this story is Jesus statement that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. There have been many attempts to make this comparison less ridiculous, but let’s look at what came after Jesus said this. The disciples response was, “Well then, how can anyone be saved?” and Jesus followed up by saying that it is impossible for man, but with God all things are possible. It is only through the action of God that I can be saved, I cannot earn salvation. There is nothing I can do to obligate God to let me into heaven.

Psalm 24:1-10

What the psalmist says here is so true. Everything on this earth and in this universe belongs to God. Anything we think that we have is something that belongs to God that He has given us stewardship over. This thought should give us guidance in how we spend our money and our time. How can we spend them in ways that further God’s purpose in this world? When I am considering spending money or doing something with my time I need to examine how that will serve God. I want to plan my life so that everything I do and everything I spend my money on serves God’s will.

First Fire In The Fire Pit In the New Year

Proverbs 6:1-5

Today’s passage from proverbs is a recommendation to avoid standing as security for someone else’s debt (for example, co-signing a loan for them). It is one of the few passages in Proverbs that I do not agree with completely. I would say that one should only offer to secure someone else’s debt if you are able and willing to pay that debt back for them. While you may hope and expect that someone will pay the debt, you should realize that the reason they need someone else to offer to secure the debt is because there is reason to believe that they will fail to do so.

Fact and Fantasy

All posts by AttilaDimedici

February 7, 2013 Bible Study –Keep Watch, Because You Do Not Know the Day or the Hour

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February 6, 2013 Bible Study — No One Knows the Day or Hour

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February 5, 2013 Bible Study — Laws For a Just Society

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February 4, 2013 Bible Study

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February 3, 2013 Bible Study — Call No One Father, Or Teacher

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February 2, 2013 Bible Study — Give To Caesar What Is Caesar’s…And To God What Is God’s

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February 1, 2013 Bible Study

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January 31, 2013 Bible Study — Jesus Clears the Sports Arena, I Mean, Temple

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January 30, 2013 Bible Study — To Be A Leader, Be A Servant

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January 29, 2013 Bible Study –The Last Shall Be First

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