All posts by AttilaDimedici

Daily Bible Study

June 26, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

2 Kings 9:14-10:31

     As soon as Jehu had the support of the officers with him, he led a force of men to Jezreel, where King Joram was recovering from his wounds. When Jehu and his men approached Jezreel, the city guard told the king that a troop was coming. King Joram sent out a messenger to find out if the approaching men were hostile or not. Jehu ordered the messenger to join his force. King Joram sent out and second messenger with the same result. King Joram had his chariot prepared and rode out to meet Jehu accompanied by his nephew, King Ahaziah of Judah. They met Jehu at the plot of land that King Ahab had killed Naboth over. Jehu killed King Joram and King Ahaziah fled. Jehu pursued King Ahaziah and some of his men were able to wound him as he fled. King Ahaziah was able to escape from Jehu, but died of his wounds. His servants took his body back to Jerusalem for burial. When Jezebel heard that Jehu was coming to the city of Jezreel, she made herself up and sat at the window of the palace. When Jehu entered the city, she called out to him that he would meet the same fate as Zimri, who had killed the predecessor to Ahab’s father. Jehu calls out for Jezebel to be thrown down from the window. Several palace eunuchs follow his command and throw her out, where Jehu tramples her body under his horses’ hooves. Jehu points out to those accompanying him that the death of Joram and Jezebel fulfilled the prophecies of Elijah concerning Jezebel and Ahab. Jehu then has all of Ahab’s remaining sons killed.
     Jehu then declares a great assembly and sacrifice to worship Baal. He summoned all of the Baal worshipers to the assembly. When the Baal worshipers had assembled, he tells them to make sure that no one who worshiped the Lord was there, only Baal worshipers. As the rituals get under way, Jehu orders his men to kill everyone in the assembly. After killing all of the Baal worshipers, Jehu completely desecrated the temple of Baal. The passage tells us that Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal worship in Israel, but continued the worship of the golden calves that Jeroboam had built.

Acts 17:1-34

     When Paul arrived in Thessalonica, he went to the synagogue service and for three Sabbaths in a row he made the case from Jewish scripture that Jesus was the Messiah. Some of the Jews and many of the God-fearing Gentiles were convinced and joined Paul and Silas. Some of the Jews who did not believe stirred up a mob to drag Paul and Silas before the town council. When they did not find them, they grabbed some other prominent believers and took them before the council. They accused the believers of being part of an insurrection. The city council forced the believers who had been brought before them to post bond and then released them. That night the believers sent Paul and Silas on to Berea. The Bereans were more receptive of the message of Paul and Silas. However, when some Jews from Thessalonica came to Berea and started stirring up opposition to Paul and Silas, they sent Paul on to Athens.
     In Athens, Paul got into debates with various philosophers. Paul appears to have done well in these debates until he started talking about the Resurrection. At this point, they asked Paul to address the assembly of philosophers (the original Greek is ambiguous as to exactly who Paul was asked to address, this is my interpretation of the situation). Paul talked about how the people of Athens worship many different gods and even have an altar to an “unknown god.” Paul told them that the “unknown god” is the God of whom he speaks. Paul said that God has no needs for people to fill, that instead God fills people’s needs. He continued by saying that God had overlooked man’s ignorance of Him in the past, but has now sent Jesus to call people to repent of their sins and follow Him. Paul told them that God proved that Jesus was His messenger by raising Him from the dead. Once again, the Resurrection is a sticking point for many of the philosophers. The response to Paul’s message here is the same as we experience today when we speak to people about the Gospel. Many held Paul in contempt for believing that someone could be raised from the dead, some wanted to debate him some more at another time, and a few believed.

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Psalm 144:1-15

     God will provide for our safety and protection if we rely on Him. If we accept God as our Lord and Savior we will experience joy and God will watch over us.

Proverbs 17:27-28

     If an argument you are trying to make will take a lot of words to explain, you should probably refrain from making it. When you are having a discussion with someone and you find yourself becoming angry, it is probably time to stop talking. If you wish to be perceived as wise, keep your mouth shut. The wise speak sparingly and if the foolish do not speak, they will not reveal their foolishness.

Daily Bible Study

June 25, 2012 Bible Study

2 Comments

     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.

2 Kings 8-9:13

     God revealed to Elisha that there was going to be seven years of famine in Israel. So, Elisha tells the woman in Shunem to move out of Israel for seven years. She takes he family and does so. After seven years, she returns. Upon her return she went to the king of Israel to see about getting her land back. When she arrives before the king, Gehazi, Elisha’s former servant, is telling the king the story of Elisha raising her son. Gehazi tells the king that she is the woman and this is the son that Elisha had raised. The king has one of his officials see that she gets all of her land back.
     Elisha travels to Damascus. King Ben-hadad has taken sick. When he hears that Elisha has come to Damascus, Ben-hadad sends Hazael to inquire of Elisha is he will get better. Elisha tells Hazael to tell Ben-hadad that he will recover, but that Elisha knows that Ben-hadad will actually die. Hazael returns and gives Ben-hadad Elisha’s message, but the following day he suffocates Ben-hadad in his bed.
     Next we learn that Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram succeeds him. We are told that Jehoram married one of Ahab’s daughters and followed Ahab’s example rather than that of his own father and did evil in the sight of the Lord. Jehoram is succeeded by his son, Ahaziah. We are told that Ahaziah also followed the evil example of King Ahab’s family. We learn here the importance of who one chooses to marry. We were told that Asa and his son Jehoshaphat were good kings who did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. However, Jehoram followed the eample of his father-in-law Ahab and worshiped Baal. Ahaziah joins his uncle, King Joram of Israel in his war against Hazael of Aram. When Joram is wounded in battle both he and Ahaziah go to the city of Jezreel for Joram to recover.
     After King Joram is wounded, Elisha sends one of the young prophets to Ramoth-gilead to secretly anoint Jehu, one of Joram’s army commanders, king of Israel. When the young prophet arrives at Ramoth-gilead, he finds Jehu sitting with other army officers. The prophet gets Jehu to take him aside and anoints him, telling him that he must destroy Ahab’s entire family. The prophet then opens the door and runs. When the other officers ask Jehu what the prophet told him, he dissembles and calls the prophet a madman. When the officers push further, Jehu tells them that the prophet anointed him king over Israel. The other officers immediately declare their support for him as king.

Acts 16:16-40

     While Paul and Silas are in Philippi, a slave girl that could tell fortunes started following them around shouting out that they were servants of the Most High God who had come to tell them how to be saved. After a few days, Paul became exasperated with her and turned and commanded the demon within her to come out of her in the name of Jesus. The slave’s masters are furious and have Paul and Silas dragged before the authorities. A mob forms against them and the authorities have them beaten and thrown in prison.
     While they were in prison they prayed and sang hymns of praise. The other prisoners were listening to them. There was a massive earthquake that opened all of the gates to the prison and released the chains off of all of the prisoners. The earthquake awakened the jailer, who thought that the prisoners had escaped and prepared to kill himself. Paul assures him that all of the prisoners are still there. The jailer is so overwhelmed by this turn of events that he asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved. Even though it was the middle of the night he took them into his house and cared for their wounds. He and his entire household were baptized. In the morning, the city officials sent the town magistrates to tell the jailer to release Paul and Silas. When the jailer tells Paul and Silas that they are free to go, Paul replied that they were Roman citizens who were punished without a trial and that they would not leave in secret. The town officials came and apologized to them and begged them to leave the city. Paul and Silas returned to Lydia’s house and met with the believers before leaving the city.

Psalm 143:1-12

     The psalmist here is suffering from depression and talks about how a daily devotional helps him deal with it.

Proverbs 17:26

     A society where those who do good are punished and leaders are discouraged from being honest will not long survive.

Daily Bible Study

June 24, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

2 Kings 6-7:20

     This passage tells of some of Elisha’s miracles. The first one is a story about how the group of prophets was building a new meeting place near to the Jordan river. One of the men dropped a borrowed ax into the river. Elisha causes the ax to float to the top of the water so that the man can recover it.
     Next we are told how Elisha kept thwarting the plans of the king of Aram to raid Israel by warning the king of Israel where he was planning to strike. The king of Aram was convinced that he had a traitor in his midst, but his advisers told him that Elisha was telling the king of Israel of his plans. The king of Aram sends an army to capture Elisha. When they arrive, Elisha’s servant is scared, but Elisha tells him that there are more on their side than there are against them. Elisha prays that his servant can see. The servant sees that there is a mighty force of fiery horses and chariots around them. This is Elisha showing his servant a truth that the writer of 1 John put as “…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. “ This is a truth which we must always remember and is further illustrated in this passage. After revealing to his servant the forces of God that surrounded them, Elisha prayed for the Aramean army to be struck blind. This appears to be a figurative blindness, not a literal blindness. Elisha then went out to them and told them that they had come to the wrong city. He led them from there into the midst of Samaria, where they were surrounded by the Israelite army. The king of Israel asked Elisha if he should kill them, but Elisha tells him “No, treat them as prisoners of war. Feed them and send them home.” After this event the Arameans stopped raiding Israel.
     However, some time later, Ben-hadad,the king of the Arameans, mustered his entire army and laid siege to Samaria. I must say that this makes Ben-hadad appear to be a bit of a slow learner. This is the third time that he attacked Israel with the entire force that he could muster and it does not turn out any better than the first two times. Things are very bad in the city and the king of Israel determines to have Elisha killed. When his messenger cannot get in to kill Elisha, the king goes himself. The king confronts Elisha and tells him that with all the misery that they are suffering from the Lord, he sees no benefit in trusting in the Lord any longer. Elisha tells him that by that time the next day, food in the market will be ridiculously cheap. One of the king’s officers replies that that could not happen “even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!” Elisha tells him that he will see it with his own eyes, but will not be able to eat any of it.
     That night the Aramean army hears what they believe to be a great army arriving nearby. They are convinced that the king of Israel has hired both the Hittite army and the Egyptian army to come relieve the siege. These were the two great powers of the time. They were the equivalent for that area at that time of the U.S. and the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. If they both came in on the side of your opponent, you were doomed. The Aramean army fled for their lives, leaving the camp standing with the animals tethered for the night. Four lepers had been sitting in the city gate. They were very hungry and concluded that they had nothing to lose by going out and surrendering to the Arameans. When they got to the Aramean camp, they discovered that the camp was abandoned. They started out by stuffing themselves with food and wine and taking money and luxury goods and hiding them. After a bit, their conscience attacks them and they decide to tell the authorities. They returned to the city and reported what they had found. The gatekeepers shouted this news to everyone. The king of Israel suspects a trap, so he sends scouts out to find where the Aramean army is. The scouts find evidence that the enemy had fled across the Jordan. When the people of Samaria got this news they rushed out to plunder the camp. The king assigned the officer who had not believed Elisha to control the traffic at the gate, but the people trample him to death thus fulfilling Elisha’s prophecy.

Acts 15:36-16:15

     After awhile Paul wants to go back and visit the cities where they had preached on the first missionary journey. He speaks to Barnabas and Barnabas likes the idea. But Barnabas wants to bring John Mark along. Paul is opposed because John Mark left them part way in on the first trip. Paul and Barnabas argue over this and end up going their separate ways over it. This disagreement does not reflect well on Paul, but it did serve the will of God. We know that Barnabas was known as the “son of encouragement” and it seems likely that his support of John Mark grew out of this characteristic. As a result of this dispute, Barnabas set out with John Mark and Paul set out with Silas.
     Paul and Silas’ first stop was at Derbe and Lystra. In Lystra, Paul took under his wing Timothy, the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. Timothy’s mother was a believer. Paul arranged for Timothy to be circumcised out of deference to the Jews who lived in the area (the fact that Timothy had not been circumcised until this point becomes significant later). It is interesting that Paul felt the need to take a young man under his wing at this point. Someone who filled a similar role to the one that John Mark had on the first journey. If Paul and Barnabas had stayed together, Timothy would likely have never been taken under Paul’s wing and the Church may have lost a gifted leader. This passage demonstrates how God can even use disputes among believers to further His will.
      Paul and Silas continued their missionary journey, but the passage tells us that on several occasions they were forced to change their plans. The passage does not tell us why they changed their plans, only that the Holy Spirit prevented them from going in a particular direction. As a result they ended up in the seaport of Troas.
     In Troas, Paul has a vision of a man from Macedonia asking him to come over and help them. At this point, the author starts to use the first person plural to describe Paul’s journey. This suggests that up until now the author has been relying on the accounts of others, but starting here, he is describing events that he actually witnessed (later he returns to the third person). When they reach Macedonia they traveled through several towns until they reached Philippi. On the Sabbath they went outside the city to a place by the river where they expected to find some people meeting for prayer. The implication here is that Jews in a city without a synagogue would meet by a local river to pray. I wonder if this tradition is related to Psalm 137 where the psalmist refers to the Jews in exile sitting by the rivers of Babylon and weeping as they thought of Babylon?
     They found some women gathered by the river and sat down to speak with them. One of the women was Lydia from Thyatira, who was a wealthy trader in purple cloth (a luxury item of the day). The passage tells us that she worshiped God. She accepted Paul’s teachings and was baptized along with other members of her household. She invited the missionary party come to stay at her house and would not take no for an answer.

Psalm 142:1-7

     The psalmist proclaims that he will plead to the Lord for mercy, that when he is in trouble only the Lord knows the path he should follow. The psalmist complains that no one will help him, that no one cares about him. Then he tells us that when he relies on God, God rescues him and the godly crowd around him. I think this is something to remember, that when we feel all alone, if we turn to God God will guide us to those who can and will help us. Sometimes God performs supernatural miracles to help us, sometimes He performs the natural miracles of showing us who can provide us aid.

Proverbs 17:24-25

     This proverb tells us to keep our eyes focused on the wise course of action. Do not spend time considering all kinds of other ways to do things. It is important that once you have chosen a course of action with due consideration of the guidance of the Spirit, do not spend time thinking of other paths you could have taken.

Daily Bible Study

June 23, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

2 Kings 4:18-5:27

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

Acts 15:1-35

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

Psalm 141:1-10

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

Proverbs 17:23/a>

The wicked take secret bribes
to pervert the course of justice.
Daily Bible Study

June 22, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

2 Kings 3-4:17

     After the death of his brother, Ahaziah, Ahab’s son, Joram takes the throne of Israel. We are told that while he did evil in the sight of the Lord, he was not as bad as his father and mother. Joram tore down the sacred pillar of Baal that Ahab had constructed. The king of Moab had given a tribute each year to King Ahab. When Ahab died the king of Moab stopped giving this tribute. When Joram took the throne, he went to war against Moab to enforce this tribute. Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Edom joined him in his war against Moab. Joram chose to launch his attack against Moab by a roundabout route through the wilderness. Unfortunately, Joram chose a route that did not have any water along it (at least at this time). After seven days, Joram is desperate and asks the other two kings what he should do. Jehoshaphat asks if there is a prophet of the Lord with them, they can ask him what to do. One of Joram’s officers says that Elisha was with the army and he used to be Elijah’s servant. The three kings go to Elisha. Elisha asks Joram why he has come, he should have gone to the pagan prophets of his parents. Joram replies that no, it was God that called the three kings to this place, so God was the one for them to consult. Elisha then says that he is only talking to them because of Jehoshaphat. He tells the three kings that the valley there will be no rain, but the valley they are in will fill with water. Elisha further tells them that they will utterly defeat Moab. The next morning water started flowing into the valley. The sun shining on the water made it appear to be blood to the Moabite army. This led the Moabites to believe that the three armies had fought among themselves and killed each other. The Moabites rushed in to plunder what they thought was an abandoned camp, when they got there the Israelite army came out to meet them and defeated them decisively.
     Sometime later, a widow of one of the group of prophets came to Elisha to request help because a creditor was threatening to take her sons to sell them into slavery to pay off her debt. Elisha asks her what she has in the house. She replies that she has nothing of any value except for a flask of olive oil. Elisha tells her to borrow as many empty jars from her neighbors as she can. Then she should go into her house with her sons and close the doors. When she has done this she should start filling the containers. She followed these instructions and there continued to be more olive oil in her flask until all of the jars was filled. She then sold the olive oil and paid her debt with money left over for her and her sons to live on.
     Still later a wealthy woman invited Elisha to come eat at her house. Whenever he passed that way he would stop for a meal. After a little bit the woman tells her husband that they should furnish a room for him to stay in as he passes by because he is a man of God. After a while Elisha has his servant ask her what they can do to repay her for her kindness. She replies that she is well cared for by her family. When she has left, Elisha asks his servant what they can do for her. The servant replies that she does not have a son and her husband is elderly. Elisha has his servant call her back. When she comes back, Elisha tells her that by next year at this time she will be holding a son in her arms. The woman is afraid to get her hopes up, but nevertheless by the following year she has born a son.
     These two women had something in common. They both chose to serve the Lord. The one, when she was in need, turned to the community of God (Elisha was the leader of the group of prophets of which her husband had been a member). Elisha gives her instruction on what she should do. She acts on faith and God provides for her. Notice that Elisha does not give her money, he provides her a means to generate the income she needs. She still has to fill the jars with olive oil and sell them. The second has plenty and out of her plenty she shows hospitality. When Elisha asks her what her needs are, she replies that she is well cared for. Elisha then inquires of others what needs she might have. When he discovers that she does not have a son to care for her when her husband will no longer be able to, he asks God to provide her one.

Acts 14:8-28

     While Paul was preaching in Lystra, there was a man who had been crippled since birth listening to him. Paul looks at the man and sees that he has the faith to be healed. So Paul calls out to him to stand up. The man does so and begins walking. The people of Lystra begin talking among themselves that Paul and Barnabas must be gods. They conclude that Paul is Hermes and Barnabas is Zeus. This discussion goes on in the local dialect, so Paul and Barnabas do not know what they are talking about until they see the priests begin the preparations for a sacrifice. Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes and emphatically told the people that they were not gods. They were barely able to restrain the people from offering a sacrifice to them. Shortly after this some Jews came from the last two towns Paul and Barnabas had been at and convinced the crowds to stone Paul and leave him for dead. When the believers gathered around Paul, he got up and went back into town. The next day Paul and Barnabas went to Derbe and preached there. It is interesting how fickle the crown was. When Paul and Barnabas refused to allow the people of Lystra to worship them, they quickly turned on them.
     After spending some time in Derbe, Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps through Asia Minor appointing elders in the local churches. They then sailed back to Antioch of Syria and reported on their trip.

Psalm 140:1-13

     The psalmist here asks God to protect him from those trying to trap him and destroy him with violence. He asks God to not let the wicked become successful in their plots against the innocent. He asks God to destroy them by catching them in the traps they had set for others. The psalmist concludes that God will give justice to the poor and the righteous praise His name.

Proverbs 17:22

     Those who are cheerful always seem to be in better health than those who complain about every little thing. I have noticed that when I am happy pain bothers me less. Admittedly, it is hard to stay cheerful and upbeat when you are in pain, but it is worth trying because it seems to make things better.

Daily Bible Study

June 21, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

2 Kings 1-2:25

     After King Ahab’s death, his son King Ahaziah takes the throne. At some point, King Ahaziah falls through some latticework on an upper floor of his palace and is seriously injured. He wants to know if he will recover, so he sends messengers to the temple of the god of Ekron to inquire. While they are en route, Elijah intercepts them and tells them that because he sent to consult an idol rather than God, Ahaziah will die from his injuries. When the messengers gave Ahaziah this message, he sent fifty men to arrest Elijah. When they found Elijah, their leader called Elijah a man of God and told him that the king had commanded that he come with them. Elijah replied that if he was a man of God fire would come down from heaven and destroy those fifty men. This happened. King Ahaziah sends another fifty men. The same thing happens. King Ahaziah sends a third group of fifty men. The leader of the third group of fifty men recognizes that he has no ability to force Elijah to do anything and begs Elijah to spare the life of himself and his men. God tells Elijah to go with this group and he does. The first two groups of men believed that they had the ability and right to compel Elijah’s compliance to the King’s will despite acknowledging that Elijah was a man of God. They felt that their strength and the King’s authority carried more weight than the will of God as expressed through Elijah. The commander of the third group recognized that they would be unable to compel Elijah to do anything that God did not allow to happen. That Elijah was only subject to the secular authorities if God chose to allow it.
     Some time after this, Elijah and Elisha were traveling together. Elijah tells Elisha to stay where he is while Elijah goes on ahead. Elisha tells Elijah that he will never leave him. When they arrive at the destination, a group of prophets came to Elisha and asked him if he knew that God was about to take Elijah. Elisha replies that of course he knows. Again Elijah tells Elisha to stay where he is while Elijah goes on ahead. And again Elisha tells Elijah that he will never leave him. When they arrive at their next destination, another group of prophets ask Elisha if he knows that God is about to take Elijah and again Elijah tells them that he knows. A third time Elijah tells Elisha to stay behind while he goes on ahead and again Elisha says that he will not leave him. This time fifty of the prophets followed them at a distance. When Elijah and Elisha come to the Jordan river, Elijah uses his cloak to cause the Jordan river to part for them and they cross. Elijah asks Elisha what he wants before Elijah is taken away. Elisha asks for a double share of Elijah’s spirit and to be his successor. Elijah tells him the if he sees Elijah taken, he will get his desire. As they continued to walk and talk, a chariot of fire pulled by fiery horses drives between them. While they are thus separated, a whirlwind carries Elijah into heaven. Elisha witnesses this and is distressed, even though he knew it was coming. Elisha picks up Elijah’s cloak and returns the way they had come (including parting the Jordan).
     After Elijah is taken up, Elisha spends some time in Jericho. The elders of the town approach Elisha because their water supply is tainted. Elisha pours a bowl of salt into the spring where they got their water purifying it. Shortly after this Elisha leaves Jericho and travels to Bethel. As he is walking a gang of young men comes out and start harassing him. They tell him to go away and insult him. There is an element in their choice of words that suggests that when they told him to go away they were telling him to die. This was a large group of people approaching a single individual who was a stranger to them in a somewhat isolated area. It reminds me of stories that have been in the news recently about gangs of young people who have surrounded strangers and beaten them up. In this case, they chose the wrong target. Elisha turns to them and curses them. At which point two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them to death. Think about that, the bears mauled forty-two of them, but not all of them. That means there were more than forty-two of them in the mob that harassed Elisha. Again, Elisha was in a rather isolated area and a large group of boys or young men start following him, taunting him and insulting him. The language is ambiguous about their ages, but think about it, even if they are only 10-12 years old there are more than 42 of them and Elisha is alone. This was a dangerous group of people, whose parents had failed to teach any kind of discipline. Sooner or later they were going to seriously hurt someone, if they had not already done so.

Acts 13:42-14:7

     After Paul’s speech in the synagogue, the people begged them to come back the following week and tell them more about the Gospel. The following week we are told that most of the city came out to hear them speak. Some of the Jews were jealous of Paul and Barnabas and began slandering them and arguing against everything they said. When the Jews rejected the Gospel message, Paul and Barnabas began preaching to the Gentiles. We are told that many became believers and the Gospel spread throughout the region. The Jews stirred up the leaders of the city and got a mob to run Paul and Barnabas out of town.
     From there, Paul and Barnabas went to Iconium where a similar thing happened. Paul and Barnabas went to the synagogue and preached, many believed. But a small group of Jews became jealous and stirred up trouble for them. We are told that Paul and Barnabas stayed there a long time and performed miraculous signs, bringing many to the faith. At some point a mob is stirred up and decides to stone Paul and Barnabas. However, Paul and Barnabas learn of the plan and travel to another region.

Psalm 139:1-24

     This psalm has so much to say to us. God knows everything about us, more than we know ourselves. This psalm has been used as part of the anti-abortion argument and I certainly see why. But it is so much more than that. I am anti-abortion, but so often, we Christians have allowed others to frame the argument. Whether abortion is legal, or illegal, is irrelevant. What matters is that it is wrong. We as Christians are not called to see to it that the laws punish sinners.
      We are called to see to it that the sinners know that they have the opportunity to be saved from their sins. That we too are sinners to whom God has shown another way. As we read this psalm, the psalmist says that he cannot escape God’s eye, no matter what he does. That no matter where he goes, God can see what he does. And that is not a cause for fear and cowering, but a cause of rejoicing. There is no method we can devise, no place we can go, to hide our sins from God…and this is more wonderful than we can imagine. We need,…I need to pray the psalmist’s final lines in this psalm:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

Proverbs 17:19-21

     Those who love fights, disputes quarrels is a lover of sin. Those who think that they can find safety through defensive measures and military might will suffer disaster. No matter how powerful the armaments or imposing the defensive structures, those who lie and are deceitful will come to sorrow.

Daily Bible Study

June 20, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

1 Kings 22:1-53

     After defeating Ben-hadad’s attacks, Ahab was at peace with Aram for three years. At this point, King Jehoshophat of Judah allies with King Ahab of Israel. This leads King Ahab to decide to go to war for a border town. Ahab asks Jehoshaphat to help him in this endeavor. Jehoshaphat says that they should find out the Lord’s will first. The passage says that Ahab summoned the prophets, who numbered 400. These prophets tell Ahab that he should go right ahead and attack. Jehoshaphat asks for a prophet of the Lord. This suggests to me that the 400 prophets that Ahab first summoned were prophets of Baal since the number is the same as the number of prophets of Baal that Elijah defeated at Mt Carmel. The next exchange I find interesting. When Jehoshaphat asks Ahab if there is a prophet of the Lord they can consult, Ahab replies that there is one, but that he hates him because he doesn’t tell him what he wants to hear. Jehoshaphat tells Ahab that kings should not talk like that. This reminds me of what I noticed yesterday, that King Ahab behaves like a spoiled child. Jehoshaphat insists that they hear from the prophet of God. So, King Ahab summons Micaiah.
     There are a couple of things about this exchange that I want to comment on. The first is that when Jehoshaphat asks to what the Lord thinks of their plan, Ahab summons 400 prophets who tell them that the Lord will give him victory. Jehoshaphat is not satisfied with these prophets and asks if there isn’t a prophet of the Lord they can consult. Even though the passage seems to say that these 400 prophets are prophets of God, Jehoshaphat does not accept them as such. The second is the exchange between Jehoshaphat and Ahab about summoning Micaiah. When Ahab says that he hates Micaiah because Micaiah always prophesies bad things for Ahab, Jehoshaphat tells Ahab that kings should not talk that way. Part of that may have been that Jehoshaphat was telling Ahab that kings should not behave like spoiled children. But part of it was Jehoshaphat telling Ahab that kings should not discourage their courtiers from telling them things that they do not want to hear. This is something that anyone who is in charge needs to keep in mind. If you are in charge, you want your subordinates to tell you what they really think about your plans, not just what they think you want to hear. If you discourage your subordinates from telling you things you do not want to hear, you will make bad decisions because they will not tell you things you need to know to make a good decision.
     When the messengers arrive to deliver the summons to Micaiah they tell him that all of the prophets are telling Ahab that he will be victorious and that he should be sure to do the same. When Micaiah arrives before Ahab and Jehoshaphat he tells them, “Yeah, sure, go ahead, the Lord will give you victory.” Bet he says it in such a tone of voice that Ahab knows that he does not mean it. Ahab demands that Micaiah tell him what the Lord really says. Micaiah then tells Ahab that if he goes to war against Aram, he will be killed. Ahab orders Micaiah jailed until his return. Micaiah tells him, and everyone there, that if Ahab returns then God has not spoken through him (Micaiah). Ahab goes to war against Aram despite Micaiah’s prediction. But Ahab devises what he thinks is a clever plan to avoid the fate prophesied by Micaiah. Ahab decides to disguise himself so that he will not be recognized, but tells Jehoshaphat to dress as a king. When battle is joined, Ahab’s plan seems to work. The Aramean commanders initially pursue Jehoshaphat, until he cries out and they realize that he is not Ahab. Unfortunately for Ahab, one of the Aramean soldiers happened to fire an arrow at him at random and hit him. Ahab dies from his wounds.

Acts 13:16-41

     After Paul’s confrontation with the Jewish sorcerer on the island of Cyprus, Paul and Barnabas sailed to what is now Turkey and began their missionary work there. At the first city they stop at they attend the synagogue, where they are invited to share. Paul stands up and speaks. He presents a basic background of God’s work with Israel. Then he points out that John the Baptist explicitly said that he was not the Messiah, but that the Messiah was coming soon. Paul tells them that Jesus was the Messiah and talks about some of the Old Testament scripture that was fulfilled by Jesus. Paul tells them that Jesus was crucified and then raised from the dead and that there were people who had seen Him after His resurrection. Paul concludes his sermon by quoting the Septuagint translation of Habakuk. The book of Habakuk starts out with the prophet crying out to God because he is surrounded by those doing evil deeds and the courts fail to deliver justice, complaining that God has not acted. The passage Paul quotes is God’s reply. Paul quotes Habakuk saying that God has indeed acted to address the evil in the world and to correct the injustice in the courts. I think there are two elements to what Paul is saying with this quote. The first is that there are mockers who will not believe what God is doing even when they are told about it, even when it is right in their face. The other part though is that Paul is saying that Jesus is God’s answer and solution to the evil that surrounds us and to a society that accepts injustice.

Psalm 138:1-8

     All the earth will praise the Lord.

“The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.”

No matter what things look like, God has a plan for us that He will bring to fruition. God’s love endures and His plan is to bring us joy, if we will accept that joy.

Proverbs 17:17-18

     A friend will always be loyal. If you are someone’s friend you will stand beside them, no matter who stands against them. Your siblings are those you can turn to in time of need and know they will help out. You should only cosign for someone if you are willing to pay the debt off yourself.

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

1 Kings 20-21:29

     The king of Aram, Ben-hadad, mobilized his army against Israel. He demanded tribute from King Ahab in exchange for not attacking Samaria. King Ahab agrees to pay the tribute demanded. Ben-hadad then demands the right to search the city for any valuables. This is too far for King Ahab and the Israelites, they refuse this demand. Ben-hadad and his allied commanders were so confident of their victory over Ahab that while they were making demands of Ahab they were drinking heavily. A prophet of God went to Ahab and told him that God was going to give him victory over Ben-hadad. Ahab asks him what strategy he should use and then follows it. Ahab launches the attack while Ben-hadad and his allied commanders are drunk. After the battle, the prophet of God warns Ahab that Ben-hadad will attack him again the following spring.
     Ben-hadad’s advisers tell him that they lost to Ahab because the God of Israel is a god of the hills, that if they attacked on the plains they would be victorious. Ben-hadad follows their advice and attacks again, just as the prophet had told King Ahab. The prophet of God tells King Ahab that because the Arameans thought that God could not fight for Israel on the plains, He was going to defeat them again. After the complete defeat of the Aramean army the second time, King Ahab captures Ben-hadad. Ahab makes a treaty with Ben-hadad and releases him. God sends a prophet to tell Ahab that Israel will suffer because he released Ben-hadad.
     At some point after this, King Ahab decides that he wants to turn a vineyard into a vegetable garden. There is only one problem, somebody else owns it. Ahab goes to the owner, Naboth, and offers to trade another vineyard for it, or buy it outright if Naboth prefers. Naboth refuses because the vineyard has been in his family for generations. Ahab throws a temper tantrum and refuses to eat. When Jezebel, his wife, asks him why he won’t eat, he tells her that it is because Naboth will not let him have Naboth’s vineyard. Reading this passage, King Ahab sounds to me like a spoiled child crying to his mommy because another child will not do what he wants. And Jezebel acts like that mommy, telling Ahab not to worry about it, she will get him what he wants. Jezebel sends out letters in Ahab’s name to the leaders of the town where Naboth lived commanding them to bring false accusations against Naboth and execute him.
     God sends Elijah to confront King Ahab for having Naboth killed so that he could take his vineyard. Elijah tells Ahab that because of his actions regarding Naboth, his entire family will die horrible deaths. When Ahab hears God’s judgement, he fasts and dresses in sackcloth. God tells Elijah that because of Ahab’s expression of remorse, He will withhold His judgement on Ahab’s family until after Ahab’s death.

Acts 12:24-13:15

     While Barnabas and Saul are praying with other Church leaders in Antioch, the Holy Spirit inspires one or more of the leaders to propose sending them out on a missions trip. After further fasting and praying, the leaders do just that. The passage does not tell us who initially proposed the missionary journey, but it tells us that after it was first brought up the men fasted and prayed to be sure that it was indeed God’s guidance. Barnabas and Saul set sail for Salamis on the island of Cyprus. When they landed in Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the Gospel. They traveled across the island going from town to town preaching the Gospel until they reached Paphos. In Paphos, the governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him. The governor had a Jewish sorcerer (unlike in the case of Simon the sorcerer in Samaria, the passage makes no mention of any powers that this man had) as one of his attendants. This Jewish sorcerer, named Elymas, attempts to convince the governor to not pay any attention to the message from Barnabas and Saul. Saul looks the sorcerer in the eye and calls him a son of the devil and tells him that he will be struck blind. Elymas is immediately struck blind. This encounter is the first time that Luke mentions that Saul is also called Paul and after this he refers to him exclusively as Paul. I think this is interesting because the name Paul means “small”, or “humble”. It had never occurred to me before, but I think that Luke mentions that Saul was called Paul here to point out that he was not physically intimidating, that he was instead a small man that others often believed they could intimidate. So, this was Paul standing up to what was probably a physically larger man and with the power of the Holy Spirit forcing him to back down. It is also worth noting that up until this point Luke has said “Barnabas and Saul”, from this point forward it is Paul who is listed first.

Psalm 137:1-9

     The psalmist here speaks of the sorrow which the exiles in Babylon felt. He expresses that Jerusalem is his joy. In the same way, we should view the Kingdom of God as our joy. Both the expression of it here on this earth through the functioning of the Holy Spirit and its future expression in Heaven as we sit before the throne of God. We need to live constantly aware of the dichotomy of living in a foreign land and yet in the Kingdom of God. Our first loyalty is not as citizens of any nation on this earth. Our first loyalty is as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

Proverbs 17:16

     It is foolish to not desire to learn. There is no point in trying teach someone who does not want to learn.

Daily Bible Study

June 18, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

1 Kings 19:1-21

     When Ahab got home, he told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done, including how he had killed the prophets of Baal. Jezebel sends a message to Elijah promising to have him killed. When Elijah gets the message he flees for his life. He leaves his servant in Beersheba and flees into the wilderness. At the end of the day, he prays for God to take his life and lies down to sleep. I am not sure what is going on here, except that Elijah is feeling depressed. If he truly wanted to die, why did he flee Jezebel? As he sleeps, God sends him food which Elijah eats. Then he sets out and travels 40 days and 40 nights until he reaches Mt Horeb (which may be another name for Mt Sinai).
     When he gets there, he spends the night. The Lord tells Elijah to stand before Him on the mountain. As Elijah stands there a powerful wind hits the mountain and tears some of the stones loose. The passage tells us that God was not in the wind. Then there is an earthquake, but God is not in that either. The earthquake is followed by fire and God is not in that. Finally, there is a gentle whisper, when that happens Elijah covers his face and prepares to talk to God. Once more God asks Elijah why he is there. Elijah responds that he has zealously served God, but the people of Israel have turned from God and killed His prophets and now Elijah is the last one left and they are trying to kill him. God tells Elijah that he still has tasks for him, including anointing Elisha as his successor. God finishes by telling Elijah that He has preserved 7,000 others in Israel who have never worshiped Baal.
     Elijah goes and finds Elisha plowing in the field, throws his cloak across Elisha’s back and walks away. Elisha rushes after Elijah and requests permission to say goodbye to his parents before he goes with Elijah. Elijah tells him to do so, but to think about what Elijah has done to him. This sounds to me like Elijah was not particularly enthusiastic about continuing his ministry or about recruiting Elisha as his successor. Elisha on the other hand is very enthusiastic. He slaughters the oxen he was using to plow and uses the wood of the plow to build a fire to cook them. He throws a feast for the village and then goes after Elijah.

Acts 12:1-23

     This passage begins by telling us that Herod Agrippa started persecuting the believers and had James, the brother of John, killed. When he saw that this made the Jewish leaders happy, he had Peter arrested, intending to give a public trial after the Passover was over. The night before the trial, Peter was sound asleep, fastened with chains to two soldiers. There are more soldiers stationed at the gate to the prison. An angel appears to Peter, wakes him up and tells him to get dressed and follow the angel. Peter, thinking he is experiencing a vision, does as the angel instructs. They exit the prison and begin walking down the street when the angel disappears. Peter realizes that this is actually happening. Peter goes to the home of John Mark’s mother, where believers gathered for prayer. One of the servants, named Rhoda, came to the door, when she recognized Peter’s voice she was so excited she forgot to open the door for him. She went and told the others that Peter was at the door. At first they thought she was crazy, but once she convinced them of what she heard, they decide it must be Peter’s angel. They did not actually go to open the door until they heard Peter continuing to knock. When they let Peter in they were so excited that Peter had to get them to quiet down so that he could talk. He told them to tell James and the other believers what had happened and then went into hiding. How often do we do something like this? Where we believe that someone has experienced a miracle, but don’t believe the full extent of the miracle. How much of a role does that play in our not experiencing more miracles?

Christian Art

Psalm 136:1-26

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.”

     The psalmist tells us to give thanks to the Lord for all of the good things He has done for us. He goes through a litany of things that God had done for the children of Israel. As the psalmist is wrapping up, he tells us that God provides food for all living things. Throughout the psalm the psalmist reminds us that God’s love is faithful and endures forever. We should remember this and give Him thanks in all things, at all times.

Proverbs 17:14-15

     This proverb tells us that starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate. We cannot know in advance what how far the destruction will spread, but we can be sure that it will leave destruction in its wake. It is better to stop when we see a quarrel beginning than to push the issue and discover that it leads to the destruction of a relationship (whether ours or someone else’s).

Daily Bible Study

June 17, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

1 Kings 18:1-46

     After three years of drought God sends Elijah to Ahab with word that God is about to send rain. The famine had become very severe, so Ahab summoned his palace administrator, Obadiah, and they each went out to search for water and grass to save some of Ahab’s horses and mules. Elijah approaches Obadiah and tells him to go tell Ahab that Elijah has come. Obadiah is at first afraid to do so because he thinks that God will carry Elijah off before Ahab gets there. Ahab has been searching very hard for Elijah. if Obadiah tells him that Elijah is someplace and when Ahab gets there, Elijah is gone, Ahab is likely to have Obadiah killed. Elijah swears to Obadiah that he will wait for Ahab.
     When Ahab sees Elijah he refers to him as a troublemaker. Elijah replies that it is Ahab and his family who caused the trouble by refusing to obey God and worshiping Baal. Elijah tells Ahab to summon the people to Mt Carmel along with the prophets of Baal and Ashterah that Jezebel feeds. Ahab follows Elijah’s instructions. When the people arrived, Elijah gets up before them and tells them that it is time to make up their minds. If Yahweh is God, they should follow Him, but if Baal is God, then they should follow him. Elijah’s point was that God and Baal made competing claims. If God is who His prophets say He is, then Baal must be an imposter. On the other hand if Baal is who his prophets say he is, then God must be an imposter. Those claims are such that, if they are false, the one for whom they are made is unworthy of worship. Many people today have a similar attitude to the one that Elijah was confronting. People say about what one believes, “Well, if it works for you, that is fine.” The main competing claims in our society are that of Christianity and that of secularism. Christianity makes claims, that if they are not true, mean that Christianity is a false and destructive belief system. The same is true of secularism (in all of its many variations).
     Elijah was not satisfied to leave it at that when the people failed to respond to his exhortation to choose between God and Baal. He did not allow people to remain undecided. Elijah proposes a contest, one which will substantiate some of the claims made by each faction. Each side would build an altar and put a sacrifice on it, but neither side would light the wood to burn the sacrifice. The real God would light the fire on the altar for His burnt offering. He then tells the prophets of Baal to go first. The prophets of Baal begin their worship in the morning with singing and dancing and shouting. Around lunchtime, Elijah starts to ask them what is going on, suggesting that perhaps their worship is not intense enough to get Baal’s attention. The prophets of Baal go into a frenzy, cutting themselves and shouting louder. They got no response of any kind.
     Late in the afternoon, Elijah says to the people that now it is his turn. He calls the people over while he prepares the altar. I imagine him explaining to the people what he is doing as he repairs and then prepares the altar, telling them that the twelve stones he is using represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Elijah strikes me as a great showman. Once he has the altar built and dug a trench around it, he laid the wood on the altar and placed the pieces of the sacrificial animal on the wood. Then he tells the people to fill four large jars with water and pour the water on the altar. He tells them to do this a total of three times. I can just picture him doing this.
“Go fill those jars with water and pour them over the altar.”
“Do it again.”
“Get some more water.”
     Since around lunchtime, Elijah has been putting on a show. First taunting the prophets of Baal.
“Shout louder, maybe Baal is relieving himself and can’t hear you.”
“Maybe he is away on a trip.”
“Maybe he is taking a nap and you need to wake him up.”
Then repairing the altar to God and preparing the sacrifice while explaining to the people what he is doing. Finally getting the people involved by having them pour water over the altar. During all of this he is putting on a bit of a show, but none of this is part of the worship of offering the sacrifice. Once it is all prepared and he has the attention of the people, he calmly walks up to the altar and cries out to God, “Prove to these people that you are who I have told them you are.” Contrast this with the prophets of Baal, who were dancing and shouting and cutting themselves. In response to this simple, calm request, God sends down fire that engulfs the entire altar, burning the entire structure and drying up the water that was in the trench around the altar. There was no working the people up to a frenzy. The Spirit of God provided the emotional high.
     When this was done, Elijah began praying for rain and the rain arrived in a deluge.

Acts 11:1-30

     When Peter got back to Jerusalem from visiting with Cornelius, some of the Jewish believers Criticized him for associating with gentiles. Peter explained to them the vision he had while in Joppa and of the arrival of Cornelius’ messengers. Peter further told them that as he preached to Cornelius’ household, the Holy Spirit came upon them. The passage tells us that once they heard what had happened, they stopped objecting and began praising God for extending His mercy to Gentiles.
     Meanwhile believers had been scattered as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. For the most part the believers only preached the Gospel to Jews. However, in Antioch some of the believers began preaching to Gentiles and a large number became believers. When the Church in Jerusalem heard about this, they sent Barnabas to look into it. The passage does not tell us why they sent Barnabas, but I am sure that it was in part because they knew that he would guide the young believers to good doctrine. Once again we have Barnabas playing a key role in the early Church. Barnabas was happy with what he found in Antioch and encouraged the new believers in sound doctrine. We are told that many came to the Lord under the influence of Barnabas. Nevertheless, Barnabas felt that something was missing in the teaching of the new believers. So he went to Tarsus to find Saul. Barnabas brought Saul back to Antioch to help him teach the new and growing Church there. Again, we do not know why Barnabas sought out Saul, but we can make some guesses. Up until now, all of the Church leaders we have been told about were good men, dedicated to following God, but not educated in the Law and Jewish theology. Saul on the other hand was a student of Gamaliel, a prominent Jewish teacher whose thought is influential even in today’s Judaism. It seems likely that Barnabas felt that the new Gentile believers needed a more thorough grounding in basic Jewish thought and theology than he could provide, so he went to get the believer he knew with the most thorough education in that. I often express a concern that the Church today places to great an emphasis on Church leaders having a seminary degree. I believe this to be true. There are many truths that are learned through experience in the world that a seminary education can make harder to see. However, this does not mean that I do not believe that the Church needs leaders who have received in depth training in theology and philosophy. It does, as Barnabas’ decision to go get Saul to help him in Antioch shows.

Christian Images

Psalm 135:1-21

     The psalmist here calls for us to praise the Lord because of the wonderful things He has done. He recounts the miracles God has performed for His people and calls on us to praise God for these things. Then the psalmist tells us that the idols that others worship have no power and are merely made by human hands. I was at a party recently where some of the people there were talking about how they practiced a pagan religion. This pagan religion involves some idols. At one point during the evening, while they were discussing their religion, they mentioned that they were atheists. That is, they know full well that the gods that they are worshiping have no power. I praise God that I worship a God that I know exists and has power.

Proverbs 17:12-13

     The first proverb tells us that a fool will more vociferously defend his foolishness than a mother bear will defend her cubs. The second one tells us that those who repay good done to them with evil, will never escape the consequences.