All posts by AttilaDimedici

February 22, 2013 Bible Study — Take Nothing With You

February 21, 2013 AttilaDimedici Leave a comment

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.

Leviticus 13:1-59

Today’s passage gives detailed instructions for diagnosing skin diseases in a society with limited ability to treat them. This is followed by instructions for determining if an item of clothing, leather or other fabric is contaminated. If the item is contaminated they were instructed to burn it completely.

Mark 6:1-29

     Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth. He preached in the Synagogue on the Sabbath. Initially, people were impressed by His teaching, but then they started to ask what made Him special. They knew His mother, His brothers and His sisters. As a result, they gave His message no credence. This meant that few came to Him for healing. As the saying goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” This passage is often seen as a warning to not dismiss a message from God just because we know the messengers background. That is a very good point to keep in mind, but how often do we overlook or dismiss lessons from Bible passages because we think we know what they say? I know that I sometimes do that. This blog has helped with that, when I have to come up with something to say about a passage that I think of as completely “mined” I have to read it through several times trying to see if there is anything there that hasn’t been said time and again (of course, I have to be careful not to read something into the passage that isn’t there as well).
     Jesus left Nazareth and traveled the region teaching in the various villages. He began sending the Twelve out in teams of two to preach the Gospel. They were to take no provisions with them. In each town they were to find a house that would welcome them and stay in that house until it was time to move on. They were to leave any town that did not welcome them and to symbolically shake the dust off of their feet as they left. They followed His instructions by going forth and preaching repentance. They cast out demons and healed many sick people by anointing them with oil. I read this today and saw that there are two lessons here for us. The first lesson is that when we are missionaries, we should trust God to provide our needs. Perhaps not in as extreme manner as Jesus instructed the Twelve here (although we should not automatically assume that is the case), but we should trust that if God is calling us to a ministry, He will provide for our needs. It is worth noting that the Twelve were sent into an area where they probably had contacts (they were preaching in Galilee, which was the region where they grew up and lived). The second lesson is for those of us who are not sent on missions, we need to provide for the needs of those who are sent by God to minister. This is especially true when those called by God come into the area where we live and work.
     Mark tells us that people were trying to figure out who Jesus was, some saying He was Elijah, some saying that he was another prophet. Herod, however, believed that He was John the Baptist resurrected. Herod had arrested John the Baptist and kept him in prison because John had been preaching that it was a sin for Herod to marry his brother’s wife. Herod’s wife wanted John executed but Herod was afraid of John. Besides which Herod liked listening to John preach. Finally, on his birthday Herod gave a feast for his high officials. At the feast, his wife’s daughter danced for him and his guests. Herod was so impressed by her dancing that he promised to give her anything she asked for. She consulted with her mother who told her to ask for John’s head on a platter. Herod was distressed by this, but he did not want to appear in front of his guests to not be a man of his word. So he gave orders for John to be executed and his head brought to his wife’s daughter.

Psalm 39:1-13

Let us refrain from complaining in front of unbelievers. We have but a short time on this planet to serve the Lord. I will put my hope in God, He will relieve me of my troubles. He will answer my prayers and give me help when all seems lost.

Proverbs 10:10

Those who give wrong-doers a pass cause trouble to escalate. Those who confront minor wrong-doing keep things from getting out of hand.

Daily Bible Study

February 21, 2013 Bible Study — Touch the Hem of His Cloak

February 20, 2013 AttilaDimedici Leave a comment

Leviticus 11-12:8

The passage gives an account of what types of animals may be eaten. It does not list out all of the animals that may be eaten. Rather it gives the characteristics that determine whether an animal may be eaten. In order to make clear what types of animals may and may not be eaten it gives examples of both and why they fall into the category they are in. The rules then go on to spell out what to do if a clean or unclean animal dies and touches containers (or clothing) made of various materials. Based on what we know today about food preparation and disease transmission, these rules make very good sense for a culture with the technologies that were available to the Israelites (and for many centuries after).
The passage goes on to describe the length of time a woman is ceremonially unclean after giving birth. This is the time that her husband cannot have sexual relations with her, she cannot prepare food for others or handle clothing or utensils that others will use. People have often used this passage about a woman being ceremonially unclean after childbirth as an example of a biblical law which mistreats women. However, this law actually enforces that a woman be given a period to rest after she gives birth. I am not sure why she is given longer when she gives birth to a daughter, perhaps to offset the greater social prestige of giving birth to a son.

Mark 5:21-43

     This passage is one that has an account of a healing inside of an account of another healing. It starts off telling us that the leader of a local synagogue, Jairus, came to Jesus and pleaded for Him to come and heal his daughter. Jesus accompanied Jairus along with a large crowd that pressed in on Jesus from all sides. In that crowd was a woman who had suffered bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal and had spent large sums of money on many doctors, but she only got worse. When she heard about Jesus and that He was coming nearby, she thought that if she could just touch the mere edge of His clothing she would be healed. She approached Jesus from behind in the crowd and touched His cloak. Immediately the bleeding stopped along with her other symptoms. Jesus turned around and asked who had touched Him. His disciples response was, “In this crowd, who can tell?” However Jesus was aware that someone had been healed so He continued to look around. When the women realized what had happened to her, she fell at His feet and told Him the entire story. Jesus responded to her story by telling her that her faith had healed her and to go in peace.
     This has always been a story that indicated the power and importance of faith to me. However, a year or two ago, when my wife was struggling with something, she would start to pray, “Just let me touch the hem of His cloak.” This opened up a new insight into this story for me and gave it greater meaning. The woman in this story did not feel that she needed Jesus’ full attention, she just wanted to be in the bare periphery of His presence, the merest touch of His cloak. Do I have similar faith that if I can merely touch the edge of God’s presence, my struggles will be resolved? Do I have the same desire to fight my way through the crowd so that I can experience just the very periphery of God’s presence? There is more to the story than just that. All the woman desired was just the merest touch of Jesus’ cloak, that was all she needed. But when she touched it and experienced His healing, that was not enough for Jesus. He wanted to know who she was and what her story was. It is the same with God, we may be satisfied with just the barest touch of His presence, but He is not. We often feel that God is too big and has more important things to deal with than our little problems. This story is about how Jesus made time for this woman. I will touch on more of that in a moment.
     As this interruption came to a conclusion, some people came from Jairus’ house and told him that his daughter was dead, there was no point in bothering Jesus anymore. The delay had cost him his daughter’s life. Except, Jesus didn’t see it that way. He told Jairus not to be afraid, just to have faith. Jesus allowed only Peter, James and John to accompany Him the rest of the way. When He got to the house, Jesus saw the commotion made by the people going into great show of mourning. Jesus asked them why they were making such a fuss? He told them that the girl was merely sleeping. They laughed at Him. They thought He was crazy. He made them all leave. Then He took the mother and father and the three disciples that were with Him in to where the girl lay. He called out to the girl and told her to get up. She did so. Jesus told the parents to not talk about it and to give the girl something to eat.
     Notice what happened here. Jesus was delayed and now it was too late, the girl had died. There was nothing more to be done. But that’s not the way it works with God. He does things in His own time and it is never too late as long as we have faith and patiently wait for His action. God may have more important things to deal with than our problems, but He has all the time He needs to deal with our problems and those more important problems. We also need to remember that we do not know which problems God thinks are more important. I am tempted to tell a story here to illustrate the point I am about to make, but the story is too long and takes too much explanation. The point is that we should never be afraid to “interrupt” God with our problems because He cherishes us bringing them to Him. And not just our problems, but our successes and joys. That is what Jesus meant when He said we should be like children. Think about how little children are constantly following their parents around and interrupting them with their joys and their sorrows. That is what God wants from us.

Psalm 38:1-22

The psalmist cries out to the Lord for rescue. He expresses how his troubles are more than he can bear. He calls on God because he is at the end of his strength and cannot go on. He acknowledges that his troubles are the result of his sins and confesses to God that he has failed to live according to God’s commands. He lays himself before God and begs for His forgiveness. The psalmist has faith that God will answer his plea and patiently awaits God action. I will strive to depend on God and wait for Him, even when I am desperate and nearing the end of my strength,

Another picture of Magrat — Another picture of magrat

Proverbs 10:8-9

Today’s proverb tells us that the wise accept commands, while the fool is busy talking about why they should or should not follow the instructions they have been given. The wise understand that there is a time for taking action and doing what those in charge instruct and a time for talking about why things are done the way they are. Those who want to debate every action, no matter how minor, before it is taken are foolish.
Those who have integrity walk in safety and do not need to fear their motives being revealed. Those who attempt to use indirection to get their way will, sooner or later, be caught out as people realize that their stated goals are not what they are truly striving for.

Daily Bible Study

February 20, 2013 Bible Study — The Kingdom of God Is Like a Growing Seed

February 19, 2013 AttilaDimedici Leave a comment

Leviticus 9:7-10:20

Once Aaron and his sons ordination was complete, Aaron offered sacrifices for the people. Aaron prepared the offering and placed it on the altar with the assistance of his sons. After Aaron had placed the portions on the altar that were to be burned, he and Moses went into the Most Holy portion of the Tabernacle. When they came back out they blessed the people once more and the glory of the Lord appeared before the people. Fire then blazed out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the sacrifices waiting on the altar. The people shouted for joy and worshiped the Lord.
Two of Aaron’s sons placed coals in their incense burner and put the incense on top of it. This was in violation of the commands God had given Moses on how the incense was to be burned before Him. As a result fire blazed forth from God’s presence and burned them to death. I do not fully understand why this happened here, but this is a story that, for me, brings home what the Bible means when it says that we should fear the Lord. These two men were insufficiently afraid of God, which led them to take a casual approach to following His commands. Because they failed to follow His commands closely tragedy struck and they died. We should strive to carefully follow the Lord’s commands in every aspect of our lives.

Mark 4:26-5:20

     In this passage Jesus tells two parables about the Kingdom of God. In both of them He compares it to a seed. The first parable compares it to a seed planted by a farmer. The farmer plants the seed in the ground and then it grows. It does not matter whether the farmer sleeps or is awake, the seed grows just the same. The farmer does not understand how the seed grows. All by itself the seed grows into a plant that bears fruit. The Kingdom of God works the same way. All we can do is plant the seed of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will cause it to be watered and to grow into a strong and fruitful plant. In the second parable Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. The mustard seed is a very small see, yet it grows into a large plant. In the same way, small efforts on behalf of God often have impact far out of proportion to the initial action. Between these two parables there are many lessons for Christians today. The first lesson is to spread the Word of God far and wide without worrying about how or why it will grow. All too often we spend too much time in our churches trying to figure out how to make the Church grow. The first of these parables tells us not to worry about how. We are to faithfully spread the Word without worrying about being “relevant”. The Word of God is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. We may not understand how, but according to Jesus, that’s not our responsibility. The other problem we have is that we think our group is too small to make a difference. Jesus tells us that if we faithfully follow God’s commands the results we witness will be out of all proportion with the size of the effort we make. I do not mean that this means that we should ignore whether or not something works, but the first question we should ask ourselves is, “What does God want us to do?” It is only when we are unclear as to the answer to that question that we should ask, “Well, what works?” I was going to write that we should never ask ourselves, “What difference can I make?” but that is not true. We should ask ourselves, “What difference can I make?” It’s just that we need to remember that the answer is never “None”. One person who is faithful to God’s call on their life can change the world. We may never see the difference we make, but if we faithfully follow God’s will for our lives that difference will be there none-the-less.
     In the early evening Jesus and His disciples started across the lake. As they crossed the lake a storm blew up and nearly swamped the boat. Meanwhile Jesus was sleeping in the stern of the boat. His disciples were terrified and could not understand how Jesus could sleep through the storm. They woke Him, He got up and rebuked the storm. It immediately became calm. Jesus then asked His disciples why they were so afraid, did they lack faith? How often do we become terrified when the storms of life arise? Do we recognize that Jesus is the One who calms the storms and there is no need to fear because He is right here with us? Or do we panic and try to control every little detail, afraid that He is sleeping? God is not sleeping, if we patiently wait for His time He will calm all of the storms that life throws at us.
     When they reached the other side of the lake, a man possessed by a evil spirits came down to meet Him. When Jesus commanded the spirits to comes out of the man, they begged Him to allow them to go into the pig herd nearby. Jesus gave them that permission and the spirits caused the pigs to rush into the lake and drown. Those tending the pigs went and told people in the surrounding area what had happened. When the people came to investigate, they discovered this notorious “crazy” man sitting there dressed and in his right mind. This terrified the people. When those who had been present told them the whole story they begged Jesus to leave the area. As Jesus left, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him. However, Jesus told him to stay with his own people and tell them what the Lord had done for him. The man went around the region and told people what Jesus had done for him and they were amazed.
     This story has several elements that I want to touch on. The first is the desire of the spirits to move into the pigs rather than be sent away from that area completely and Jesus allowing them to do so. Followed by the spirits causing the pigs to run into the lake and drown. The reason I want to touch on it is because there is something going on here that I do not understand. I can see some pieces of it. Pigs were unclean animals and the people of this area were herding them and using them as food. Another piece is that Jesus was more concerned with the well-being of people than He was with that of pigs. That’s it. There is more to the role of the pigs in the story than that, but I don’t know what it is. The other element to the story is one that I do see what is being got at. The man wants to follow Jesus, but Jesus tells him to go home and tell his story to the people around him. The man wants to join the “ministry” by becoming one of those following Jesus around. Jesus tells him that is not the role God has for him. His role is to return to his mundane life and share with the people he meets what God has done for him. It is human nature to want the glory of spending our lives in jobs where we obviously serve God, but most of us are called to serve God in other ways. We need to tell those we meet what God has done for us, so that they can be amazed by His love and grace.

Psalm 37:30-40

This psalm makes some great points. It tells us that the righteous speak wisdom and what is just. They do not stumble because they plant their feet on what is firm. The wicked attempt to ambush them, but God protects them. The wicked and ruthless may seem to prosper, but before long they disappear from history no more to be found. In the meantime, God looks out for the upright and protects them. The future belongs to the righteous. We do not need to plan how we will defeat the wicked. All we need to do is place our trust in the Lord and He will provide us with salvation and protection from the wicked. We may not see how God will bring us to victory, but if we follow His will all will be well for us.

Proverbs 10:6-7

This proverb fits right in with today’s psalm. It tells us that the righteous will be blessed in all that they do, while the wicked will use words to hide their evil intentions. The righteous will be remembered as people to be emulated and whose lives we all wish to live, while the lives of the wicked will be regarded as a fate to be avoided at all cost, if they are remembered at all.

Daily Bible Study

February 19, 2013 Bible Study — The Wicked Borrow and Never Repay

February 18, 2013 AttilaDimedici Leave a comment

Leviticus 7:28-9:6

God instructed the people of Israel that the breast and right thigh of their peace offerings were to be the portion of the priests. The passage then goes on to describe the actual ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests. The ordination occurred over a period of seven days. On the eighth day, Aaron and his sons took up the duties of the priesthood and began offering sacrifices for the children of Israel. On the first day he took up his office as high priest, Aaron was instructed to offer a sin offering and a burnt offering for himself and his sons. The people of Israel were instructed to bring a sin offering, a burnt offering and a peace offering. The animals for these sacrifices were brought to the Tent of Meeting and the entire community gathered before the Lord.
The people did not come one by one to make their offerings to make themselves right with God. They came as an entire community. Our relationship with God is both individual and communal. We must each personally enter into a relationship with God, but we do so as part of the community of God’s people.

Mark 3:31-4:25

     Today’s passage begins with a follow-up to yesterday’s passage. Yesterday, we were told that Jesus’ family set out to take charge of Him because they thought He had lost His mind. In today’s passage, His mother and His brothers arrive at the place He was teaching. He is in a house surrounded by a crowd. His mother and brothers send someone in to call Him out to them. When Jesus was told that His mother and brothers were outside, He rhetorically asks the crowd who His family is. He then indicates those seated around listening to Him and tells them that they are His mother and brothers and sisters, that those who do the will of God are His family. We still do not learn why His family decided to not take charge of Him.
     We have Mark’s version of the parable of the sower. Mark’s description of Jesus’ explanation of the parable is shorter than that given in Matthew, but much the same. First Jesus explains why He preaches in parables. Jesus taught in parables so that those listening who did not take the time to understand would hear what He said but be unable to comprehend what He was saying. I think He was talking about those who get caught up in creating a carefully spelled out set of rules about what Jesus’ teachings were. Jesus told stories that explained how we should live, rather than giving rules we should follow. We need to learn to live our lives so that they look like the stories Jesus told. There are not a set of rules we can follow and check off, “Yup, did that. Now I just need to do that and that and I’m golden.” Getting back to the parable of the sower, every time I read it I fear that I am in the third group. I always fear that I have gotten so caught up in my day-to-day life, going to work, paying the bills, etc, that I have failed to put proper emphasis on following and sharing God’s Word. That I have failed to produce the fruit that I am called to bear.
     The next parable Jesus tells is the parable of the lampstand. We do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl or a bed. Instead we put it on a stand so that its light may cover the greatest area possible. We should strive to do the same. We should strive that as many people as possible see our faith and know that we strive to follow the teachings of Jesus. That message is followed up with the next thing Jesus said. The measure we use to give will be used to give to us. If we have received few blessings from God, perhaps that is because we have not given much of God’s blessings to others (whether in material things or in spiritual things). I will strive to give more of God’s blessings to those around me.

Psalm 37:12-29

The psalmist tells us that the wicked become angry with the righteous and plot against them. But God merely laughs at the posturing of the wicked because He knows that their plans will turn against them. It is better to be righteous and have little than to be wealthy yet wicked because in time the wicked will face judgment for their wicked acts while the righteous will receive God’s commendation. The righteous will receive God’s protection and when disaster strikes, He will care for them.
There is a line in this psalm that I think applies to our current society, “The wicked borrow and never repay.” This is a strong indictment of our society. All too many in our society borrow without ever considering how they will repay the loan. They borrow money to purchase something and then borrow more money to pay the debt, constantly going from debt to more debt. The psalmist contrasts this with the righteous who he says are always generous and lend freely. The psalmist tells us that he was young and now he is old, but in all that time he has never seen God abandon the righteous. God will keep the godly safe forever.

Magrat spots something moving from the hood of the car

Proverbs 10:5

The proverb tells us that the wise youth harvests when the crops are ready for harvest and the one who chooses to let that time go by in sloth is a disgrace. We should spend the time to gather goods when we are in the prime of our life so that we have resources when our strength begins to fail.

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February 18, 2013 Bible Study — Patiently Wait For God

February 17, 2013 AttilaDimedici Leave a comment

Leviticus 6-7:27

Today’s passage contains instructions for various types of offerings to be offered before God. There are lessons to be learned from these instructions, but none that stand out to me today. The passage ends with the command that they are never to eat the fat of animals or their blood.

Mark 3:7-30

     Today’s passage tells us that when Jesus went down to the lake in Galilee to preach He instructed His disciples to have a boat ready, in case the crowd pressed into Him too heavily. Jesus had healed many. As a result those with diseases were always pressing in to get close to Him. Whenever those with impure spirits saw Jesus, the spirits caused them to fall down at His feet and proclaim that He was the Son of God. Jesus gave them strict orders not to repeat this to others.
     Jesus went up on the mountainside and called some of His followers to Him there. From that group Jesus appointed twelve to accompany Him and for Him to send out to preach. He also gave those twelve the power to cast out demons.
     At one point Jesus and His disciples entered a house and a crowd gathered. The crowd became so constant that Jesus and His disciples did not even have time to eat. When word got back to His family about this, some of them came to take charge of Him because they thought He had lost His mind (it is interesting to me that we never learn why they did not follow through). While this was happening some teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem began to claim that Jesus was able to cast out demons because He was possessed by the prince of demons. Jesus pointed out that it makes no sense to postulate that Satan was giving Him the power to cast out demons. What would Satan gain by casting out the demons that he had caused to possess people? Such an action by Satan could have no outcome except to weaken his control over people. Jesus then makes an interesting comment. He tells us that any sin we commit or slander we utter can be forgiven. Except for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.
     Jesus does not tell us what it means to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. However we can draw some conclusions from the context. The teachers of the law had just attributed Jesus casting out demons to Satan. Jesus was casting out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit, it seems to me that Jesus was saying that attributing that to Satan was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Jesus was telling us that when we attribute the clearly good actions of the Holy Spirit to evil causes and motives, we risk eternal damnation.

Psalm 37:1-11

The psalmist tells us that we should not worry about the wicked, nor envy those who appear to prosper by wrongdoing. They will only prosper for the short-term. If we trust in the Lord and do good, He will see that in the long-term we prosper. We are to patiently wait for God, we should not fret when those around us succeed by doing evil. If we remain meek and trust God, we will inherit the land. We must let go of our anger and wrath. If we hold onto them and worry about how others are succeeding through doing evil, we, also, will do evil. Instead we should be patient and meek and wait for God to move in His time.

Proverbs 10:3-4

God will provide for those who righteously server Him, while the wicked are always craving more. Laziness leads to poverty while hard work leads to prosperity.

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February 17, 2013 Bible Study — Dining With Tax Collectors and SInners

February 16, 2013 AttilaDimedici Leave a comment

Fum still has it (even if his knees have gone awol)

Leviticus 4-5:19

Today’s passage lists the procedures for making an offering if one unintentionally sins. The passage makes it clear that intentions do not absolve one of sin. If we commit a sin, even though we did not intend to, we are still guilty of the sin and need to make ourselves right with God. When we realize that we have sinned, we must confess our sin before we can be made right. The fact that I did not mean to sin, or maybe even meant to do well, does not absolve me of the guilt of my sin. We often hear, “Oh, he meant well,” when someone did wrong. It is not enough to have meant well. If we have sinned, even if that was not our intent, we must confess that we have done wrong.
This passage highlights one side of a basic principle, doing the wrong thing for the right reasons is still the wrong thing. The reverse of that is also true, doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is still the right thing. What you do often matters more than why you do it. This passage emphasizes that when you realize you have done the wrong thing, you must confess that you were wrong and change your ways.

Mark 2:13-3:6

     Jesus went out along the lake shore and began teaching the crowds that gathered. As He walked along he saw Levi working as a tax collector. Jesus approached Levi and told him to follow Him. Levi immediately got up and become Jesus’ disciple. Later, when Jesus was eating at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and other sinners ate with Him (after all, Levi was a tax collector, so his friends would have been tax collectors). The teachers of religious law wanted to know why He was eating with such lowlife’s. Jesus’ answer is one which we should pay attention to. How are we going to reach those who most need the Lord if we refuse to spend any time with them? How are we going to show sinners what it means to serve God if we do not hang out where they hang out?
     Jesus was questioned as to why His disciples do not fast. Jesus answers that they do not fast because He is with them, in the future when He is not with them, they will fast. He then makes a comment that is very profound, although I am not sure of how it connects with the issue of fasting. He tells them that one does not sew new cloth onto old clothing and one does not put new wine into an old wineskin. When God does a new thing, the forms will be new as well.
     Jesus then goes on to have a confrontation with the religious leaders about the Sabbath. We must not allow our rules about what it means to be righteous get in the way of doing the things that are righteous.

Psalm 36:1-12

The wicked do not even know that they are wicked. All too often we lie to ourselves about our true nature. The psalmist is pointing out something that is a basic truth. No one perceives themselves as evil, no matter how evil others may see their actions as being. However, God will pour out His love on those who love Him. If we strive to do what He desires, He will shine a light on our lives to show us what we should change.

Proverbs 10:1-2

A wise child brings joy to his parents, while a foolish child causes them grief. Those who gain wealth through illicit means will discover that it does not bring joy. Those who live a righteous life will experience happiness.

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February 16, 2013 Bible Study — Bring Our Friends To Jesus

February 15, 2013 AttilaDimedici 1 Comment

Baron Gunnar shows that he can still fence

Leviticus 1-3:17

Today’s passage describes the procedures for making a burnt offering, a grain offering and a peace offering. The burnt offering and the peace offering were an animal, either a young bull, or a young sheep or goat of either sex. Whichever type of animal it was, it was to be an animal with no defects. It was not acceptable to give an animal that would otherwise just be destroyed as an offering. When we make a sacrifice it needs to be something that something that is actually a sacrifice.
I found it interesting that the instructions for the variations on the grain offering were all to include salt. However, no offering was to include yeast or honey, with the exception that those were allowed to be part of the first fruits of harvest offering. I am not sure what the significance of that is, but I found it interesting.

Mark 1:29-2:12

     After leaving the synagogue where He had healed a demon possessed man, Jesus went to Simon and Andrew’s home. When He got there, they told Him that Simon’s mother-in-law was sick. Jesus went to her and helped her up, whereupon her fever broke completely and she prepared a meal for them. After sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He healed them all. The people of the town gathered outside the door to watch.
     The next morning Jesus got up early and went out to an isolated place to pray. When His disciples found Him, He told them that they needed to go to other towns throughout Galilee to preach. His disciples followed Him as He traveled to various towns and taught in their synagogues. Throughout His traveling and preaching He cast out many demons. At one point a man with leprosy came to Jesus and begged Him to heal him. Jesus did so. He then told the man not to tell anyone, but to go to a priest to be certified as being cleansed of the leprosy as the law commanded. I have read many attempts to explain why Jesus told this man not to tell anyone what happened. It was only during this reading that I realized that those people are missing the point of what Jesus told the man. Jesus told the man to follow the protocol laid out in the law of Moses for someone who has been healed of leprosy. If the man had followed that procedure, the healing would have been well documented and the effect would have been the same as him going and telling everyone. Except that it would have been harder for doubters to explain the healing away.
     Today’s passage ends with the story of the paralyzed man whose friends were so determined to get him to Jesus that they dug a hole through the roof in order to lower the man down in front of Jesus. They could not get the mat they were carrying the man on through the crowds to Jesus, so they climbed up on the roof and made an opening to lower the man through. Jesus saw how much faith the man’s friends had, so He told the man that his sins were forgiven. Other teachers of religious law who were sitting there were offended by Jesus saying this, since they felt that only God could forgive sins. Jesus’ response to their thoughts was to ask them whether it was easier to tell the man that his sins were forgiven or to get up and walk? He then told the man to get up, take his mat and go home. The man did exactly that. This left everyone amazed and praising God. However, they were not quite sure what to think of Jesus since He did not quite fit neatly into any of their existing categories.
     Do we have the faith of the paralyzed man’s friends? Are we confident that if we can only bring our friends before Jesus, they will be healed? How much effort are we willing to exert to bring them before Jesus? Will we match the effort that these men made?

Psalm 35:17-28

The psalmist calls on the Lord to protect him from his enemies, from those who falsely accuse him. He is confident that the Lord will do so and promises to proclaim before the world that credit for his salvation from troubles belongs to the Lord. He acknowledges that he has no power to rescue himself from his enemies. Are we willing to come before the Lord and declare that it is only through His actions that we will succeed? How often do we call on the Lord for salvation from some trouble and then take credit for getting ourselves out of trouble? I just realized that to a degree I have been guilty of this. I have a chronic health issue. It is not something that negatively effects me on a day to day basis, but if I do not get it addressed it could have serious consequences down the road. At my last doctor’s appointment to monitor the issue, everything about it had improved remarkably, almost to the point where I could stop thinking about what I need to do to control it. This was despite the fact that in every aspect of working to control it that I was consciously aware of I had failed to behave in a disciplined manner. Yet until I was reviewing this passage, it never occurred to me to praise God in anything more than a perfunctory way. I will strive to rectify that failure going forward and give God full credit for the improvement in my health.

Proverbs 9:13-18

The foolish are brash and ignorant and generally completely unaware of their lack of knowledge. They go beyond that and entice others to follow them in their foolish behavior. Those who lack judgment follow such enticement without ever recognizing the danger.

Daily Bible Study

February 15, 2013 Bible Study — Fishers of Men

February 14, 2013 AttilaDimedici Leave a comment

Exodus 39-40:38

Today’s passage begins with a description of how the garments for the priests were made. Once these were completed the preparations for the Tabernacle were finished. All of these items were brought before Moses for his inspection. God then gave Moses instructions on how to set up the Tabernacle. He was to start with the Most Holy Place and work his way out, placing the furnishings for each part within it before starting to set up the next section. Once Moses had completely set up the Tabernacle and consecrated Aaron and his sons as priests the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.
There is a message here on how we should align our lives with God starting in our inner being and working out to our public lives, but I cannot quite put the words together to describe how this works. If we start to present our outer life as aligned with God before we have set up our inner life in alignment with His will, we appear as self-righteous hypocrites. It is however possible to use this as an excuse to make changes to our lives that God is calling us to make, which is the part that makes it hard for me to express the lesson I see hear.

Mark 1:1-28

The Gospel of Mark begins by telling us that John the Baptist preached as one calling on people to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. He preached repentance of sins and when his listeners confessed their sins, he baptized them. In addition John preached that one was coming after him who was so much greater than he that he did not feel worthy to untie His sandals. Mark tells us that Jesus came to John to be baptized. At the moment of His baptism, Jesus saw the heavens split apart and the Holy Spirit descend upon Himself like a dove. At the same time He heard a voice from heaven saying “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” For the longest time I thought this passage described something witnessed by many people, but there is nothing in the passage which suggests that this was witnessed by anyone other than Jesus (although the passage also does not say that no one else saw it). After His baptism, Mark tells us that Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness, where angels cared for Him. The passage implies that Jesus went into Galilee and began His ministry after John was arrested. This suggests that Jesus spent some time among the disciples of John.
Once Jesus began His ministry in Galilee, He began calling disciples. The passage tells us that as He was walking along the Sea of Galilee He saw Simon and Andrew fishing and called them to follow Him. He told them that He would send them out to fish for people. Often times when we read this today, we envision fishing the way we do it today as a hobby, casting out a line and drawing in fish one at a time. That would not be the way that Simon and Andrew heard it. They were professional fisherman and they threw nets into the water and drew fish in by the hundreds or thousands at a time. Perhaps it is time that we rethink how we spread the Gospel and start throwing out nets rather than trying to bring people to Christ one at a time. I believe that there is a place for both types of fishing for people to follow Jesus, but I think that in the Church today we place to much emphasis on “catching” followers for Jesus one at a time.

Psalm 35:1-16

The psalmist calls on the Lord to fight against those who oppose him. He asks God to humiliate them and bring them down. The psalmist justifies asking for God to bring them down because when they were sick, or otherwise troubled, he had striven to ease their suffering. My take away from this psalm is that we can count on God to fight for us and defeat our enemies when we treat them, and everyone else, as our neighbors and love them as ourselves. If we behave in that way then God will act on our behalf to defend us against those who speak maliciously about us or otherwise try to cause us harm.

Proverbs 9:11-12

If we choose to follow the wise course of action, we will longer than if we do not. If I choose the wise actions, it is I who will benefit. If I choose to reject the wise actions, it is I who will suffer.

Daily Bible Study

February 14, 2013 Bible Study — Jesus Has Risen

February 13, 2013 AttilaDimedici Leave a comment

Exodus 37-38:31

Today’s passage describes the construction of the Ark of the Covenant and the various furnishings of the Tabernacle. At the end it describes how much gold, silver and bronze was used. The amount of gold used would be worth almost $53 million on today’s market. The silver would be worth almost $3.5 million. In addition a large amount of bronze was used (I was unable to find a price for a given weight of bronze, primarily because bronze is a mixture of copper and tin and the ratio varies). Overall, the Israelites dedicated a large amount of wealth to the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Do we dedicate a similar amount of our wealth to serving the Lord?

Matthew 28:1-20

     Early on Sunday morning the two Marys went to the tomb where Jesus was buried. As they approached the tomb there was an earthquake caused by an angel coming down from heaven. The angel rolled back the stone and sat on it. The angel’s appearance frightened the guards set by the Jewish religious leaders so much that they fell to the ground unconscious. The angel then spoke to the women, telling them that Jesus was not there because He had risen. Further the angel told them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee where Jesus would meet them. The women were frightened, yet joyful as they hurried to give the message to the disciples. Before they got far Jesus greeted them and told them not to be afraid. He repeated the angel’s instructions for His disciples.
     Meanwhile some of the guards went to report to the chief priests. Upon hearing the news, the chief priests met and devised a plan. They gave the guards a large sum of money to tell people that Jesus’ disciples had come while they slept and stole His body. The chief priests told the guards that they would intervene with the governor to keep them out of trouble. The guards took the money to spread the story.
     The eleven disciples went to Galilee as the angel and Jesus had instructed the women to tell them. Jesus met them there. When Jesus met them He gave them what we call the Great Commission: “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
     One of the things that is interesting in this passage is that when the angel descended, Jesus was already out of the tomb. The angel did not roll aside the stone to allow Jesus to leave the tomb. Rather the angel rolled aside the stone so that people could see that the tomb was empty. Another thing of note is that the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection were women. By first appearing to women, Jesus elevated women to a status of equality that was unusual for that day and age. Women were not considered reliable witnesses, their testimony was not even considered in a court of law.
     Here is what I see in the Great Commission. First, Jesus claims the authority of God, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” This leads to what His disciples (and we as their successors) were to do. They were to go and make disciples of all the nations, of all peoples. They were to teach those new disciples to follow all of the commands that Jesus had taught them. It is not enough for us to believe in God’s grace, we are to become disciples of Jesus, doing our best to imitate Him in all aspects of our lives. We are then to teach others to do the same. The Great Commission ends with words of great comfort, Jesus will be with us always, not just some of the time, not just when times are good, or when times are bad, but always.

Psalm 34:11-22

If you want to live a life that is long and prosperous, learn to fear the Lord. The psalmist tells us that the first step in doing right is controlling what we say. From there we should turn from all evil action and rather perform those actions which are good. Being good is active. It is not a matter of not doing evil but of actively doing that which brings benefit to others. God will watch out for and protect those who strive to do His will, while their own evil will strike down those who ignore His commands.

Proverbs 9:9-10

Those who are wise are receptive to learning more and to advice. The righteous are always open to receiving instruction on how to live in better alignment with God’s will. The first step to acquiring wisdom is to fear God. Until we understand that God is frightening and scary, we will not learn to follow His will. It is only after we learn to follow His will that we truly learn that God is loving and caring. It is our knowledge of His love and care which relieves us of our fear of His might and power. We learn good judgment by learning to obey the will of God.

Daily Bible Study

February 13, 2013 Bible Study — Abandoned By God?

February 12, 2013 AttilaDimedici Leave a comment

Dazed and confused (mostly just lack of sleep)

Exodus 35:10-36:38

When Moses finished telling the people what God required for building the Tabernacle, God moved many of them to donate what was needed for the construction. They donated gold, silver and bronze objects to be melted down to be used in the construction. They donated thread, yarn and fabric. They brought so much that when the craftsmen began work they had to come to Moses and ask him to tell the people to stop bringing such goods as they had all they needed. Do I respond to the needs of the Church with as much enthusiasm?

Matthew 27:32-66

     As they took Jesus out to be crucified, they forced Simon the Cyrene to carry His cross. This suggests that Jesus has been so weakened by His flogging that He was unable to carry the cross Himself. When they got to the place of crucifixion, Jesus was offered wine mixed with “gall”, which Jesus refused to drink once He had tasted it. I did a bit of internet searching to learn something about this drink Jesus was offered. According to several sources, the drink Jesus was offered here was either an analgesic (something to reduce the pain and suffering of the crucifixion experience) or poison (in order to end His life sooner and thus reduce the pain and suffering). In either case, the drink was designed to ease the suffering He would experience on the cross, Jesus refused to drink it. He refused to take the easy way out.
     As Jesus hung on the cross, many people mocked Him. They expressed that if He was truly the Son of God, He should demonstrate it by coming down off of the cross. Even the religious leaders of the day gathered around to mock Him. They proclaimed that if He came down off of the cross, they would believe in Him. Even those crucified alongside Him insulted Him. When I write this, it reminds me of today’s passage from Proverbs (you can go ahead and skip down and read that now if you like), which talks about how if you rebuke a mocker they will insult you. The other thing I thought of when I read this was the people I have met who reject Christianity. Many of them will say, “If such and such would happen, I would believe.” However, if what they asked for happens, they always have an excuse for why it doesn’t really show that God exists.
     Matthew tells us that from noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the land. At three, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This is a direct quote from the beginning of Psalm 22. According to several sources I have read, it was first century rabbinical tradition that quoting the first phrase of a passage was equivalent to quoting the entire passage. That would mean that when Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He was referencing the entirety of Psalm 22. Psalm 22 is a psalm both of despair at abandonment and of confidence that God will save. The next line of the psalm is “Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” Which sounds as absolutely forlorn as this cry from Jesus is traditionally interpreted. However, further down the psalmist says,

“For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.”
Which expresses a confidence that God will be with Him, even in this time of trial when God seems so far away. It is my belief that even when He felt completely abandoned by the Father, Jesus was proclaiming His faith that He was following God’s will and that God would not abandon Him. No matter how alone and abandoned we may feel, is it possible that we are feeling more alone and abandoned than Jesus did at that moment? Yet Jesus knew, even at that moment, at the lowest moment of His life, that God would not abandon Him. We can know the same thing. God will listen to our cry for help and will deliver us.
At the moment of Jesus’ death there was a massive earthquake, such that the Roman soldiers guarding the crucifixion were terrified. They recognized that such signs suggested that Jesus was someone special and were frightened as the repercussions from being complicit in His death. After His death, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for permission to bury Jesus’ body. Pilate granted that permission.
The final part of today’s passage shows that the religious leaders had been listening to Jesus (perhaps in some ways more closely than His disciples). They knew He had said that He would rise again after three days. So they went to Pilate and requested a guard be placed upon Jesus’ tomb to ensure that Jesus’ disciples could not steal the body and falsely claim that He had risen. Yet we discover later that Jesus’ disciples did not remember, or perhaps it was just a lack of belief, that Jesus had said that He would die and rise after three days until after His Resurrection. How often do we encounter non-believers who understand what Jesus taught better than we do?

Psalm 34:1-10

I will strive to praise the Lord all of the time, not just when I am around those I think agree with my faith. I will boast of no skill and no success. I will boast only of what the Lord has done. I can take no credit for my good fortune, all belongs to God who could readily choose to take that good fortune from me and give it to another. However, I know that if I continue to place my trust in the Lord, He will care for me. I encourage everyone to “test drive” faith in God. They will see that it makes their life better. If you live as if the Bible is true, you will quickly learn that it is.

Proverbs 9:7-8

Mockers and the wicked react with scorn and hostility to those who rebuke their misbehavior and/or attempt to correct their poor choices. The wise on the other hand appreciate being corrected when they make poor choices or hurt other’s feelings.

Fact and Fantasy

All posts by AttilaDimedici

February 22, 2013 Bible Study — Take Nothing With You

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February 21, 2013 Bible Study — Touch the Hem of His Cloak

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February 20, 2013 Bible Study — The Kingdom of God Is Like a Growing Seed

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February 19, 2013 Bible Study — The Wicked Borrow and Never Repay

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February 18, 2013 Bible Study — Patiently Wait For God

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February 17, 2013 Bible Study — Dining With Tax Collectors and SInners

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February 16, 2013 Bible Study — Bring Our Friends To Jesus

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February 15, 2013 Bible Study — Fishers of Men

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February 14, 2013 Bible Study — Jesus Has Risen

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February 13, 2013 Bible Study — Abandoned By God?

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