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Daily Bible Study

June 15, 2012 Bible Study

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     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 14-15:24

     Jeroboam’s son became sick. Jeroboam had his wife disguise herself and go to the prophet who had told him he would become king to find out what would happen to his son. The prophet recognized Jeroboam’s wife, even though he was now blind. The prophet told her that the boy would die and that Jeroboam’s family would be destroyed. The prophet condemned Jeroboam for his idolatry and prophesies that Israel will be scattered for its sins.
     The next section tells us that Rehoboam reintroduces the practice of pagan rituals in Judah. We are told that the people imitated the “detestable practices” of the peoples that God had driven out of the land. Among those practices that the people adopted was that of having male prostitutes as part of worship of certain idols. The passage tells us that they set up shrines, sacred pillars and Ashera poles on every high hill and under every green tree. We are told that the king of Egypt came and ransacked Jerusalem. When Rehoboam died his son Abijam succeeded him. We are told that Abijam’s mother was the daughter of Absalom and that Abijam committed the same sins as his father. Abijam reigned for three years before he died and was succeeded by his son Asa. The people of Judah stopped worshiping God and started worshiping idols and taking up pagan religious rituals. It reminds of what we see today. People have been taught that Christianity is superstitious nonsense. So, they do not follow Christian religious practices. Instead, they adopt religious practices that they imagine are those of their ancestors from various pagan religions.
     We are told that Asa, Rehoboam’s grandson did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He got rid of the shrine prostitutes, burned the Asherah poles and destroyed the idols his father and grandfather had made. He went so far as to depose his grandmother from the position of queen mother because of the Asherah pole she had made, which he cut down and burned. He was unable to stop the practice of worshiping at local shrines, but he appears to have mostly eliminated idol worship. The Law of Moses said that all worship of God should be at the Tabernacle and after the Temple was built at the Temple, but the people often conducted sacrifices at local shrines. Even when these sacrifices were to God, they were condemned throughout the Old Testament. It took me awhile to realize why this would be. If the people worshiped at various places, they would develop competing understandings of correct practices and what God commanded. By centralizing worship, God could more readily correct improper practices by raising up prophets to condemn them. It is the same reason that we as Christians today should gather with other Christians on a regular basis, so as to test our understanding of God against what the Spirit is saying to others.

Acts 10:1-23

     While Peter was staying in Joppa, God sent an angel to appear to a Roman officer named Cornelius, telling him to send to Joppa to summon Peter. We are told that Cornelius was a devout, God-fearing man along with the rest of his household. Cornelius gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. Cornelius sent three men to Joppa. As they were arriving in Joppa, Peter was praying. It was near lunchtime and Peter was hungry. While a meal is being prepared, Peter has a vision of a sheet being let down from heaven filled with all sorts of unclean animals. A voice tells him to kill and eat them. Peter replies that he has never eaten anything proscribed by Jewish Law as unclean. The voice tells him not to call anything unclean that God has declared clean. This vision repeats three times. As Peter is trying to figure out what the vision means, Cornelius’ messengers arrive. When Peter hears their message he agrees to accompany them.
     We read this passage and the message of the vision seems obvious and I think that it was. We often wish that God would give us such obvious guidance. I think that He often does if we follow the process we see in this passage. The first thing is that Peter was praying, something the context and other passages in Acts suggest he did regularly. So, the first step is regular prayer. The second is that Luke makes a point of telling us that Peter was hungry and that a meal was being prepared. Further, it was around the middle of the day. I don’t know about you, but if I spend time in prayer around lunchtime, I often fall asleep. So, Peter could have dismissed this vision as a dream that was the result of the combination of his hunger with the smells of a meal being prepared. He doesn’t. When the men from Cornelius arrive, it is immediately clear to him what message God was sending him. If we regularly spend time in prayer and worship, we too will see how the dreams and thoughts that God sends our way apply to the decisions we need to make.

Psalm 133:1-3

     The psalmist tells us that living in harmony with our brothers is a wonderful thing. We need to strive to live in harmony with those around us, especially our fellow believers. This does not mean that we should not correct them when they are wrong, but we must be humble and recognize that we might be the ones who are wrong. We must also recognize that even if we are right on one issue, we have issues where we struggle to follow righteous behavior.

Proverbs 17:7-8

     This proverb tells us that it is dangerous when a fool is eloquent and even worse is when someone in authority lies. I have seen how people begin to believe things they would otherwise see as foolish when someone presents those ideas in a manner that is eloquent and convincing. I have learned not to decide how I feel about an issue on the basis of a speech or a video, but instead wait until I can see the arguments in writing. When I can take the time to read an argument for something, I can more readily see where the weaknesses in the case being made are. I can then explore those weaknesses and discover if they truly make the position wrong, or if they turn out to be not important.

Daily Bible Study

June 14, 2012 Bible Study

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     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 12:20-13:34

     Upon returning to Jerusalem after the bulk of Israel rejected him as king, Rehoboam mustered the fighting men of Judah and Benjamin to attempt to reclaim control over all of Israel. God sends word telling Rehoboam and the people of Judah and Benjamin not to war against the rest of Israel. They listened to this command from God and Rehoboam did not attempt to regain control of the rest of Israel by force.
     In the meantime, Jeroboam consolidates his control over Israel. He becomes concerned that if the people of Israel go to Jerusalem to the Temple to worship, they will switch their loyalty back to Rehoboam. To prevent that from happening, he had two golden calves made, one in the south of his kingdom and one in the north. He, also, built shrines in various high places and ordained priests who were not descended from the tribe of Levi. Jeroboam then compounded this by establishing a religious festival that was not one of those given by God in the Law where he himself offered the sacrifices. While Jeroboam is offering the sacrifices God sends a prophet to condemn his actions. When Jeroboam directs his men to seize the prophet, the hand he uses to point at the prophet becomes paralyzed.
     Jeroboam, in an attempt to consolidate his power, set up a new religion completely under his control. He established new holidays and ordained his own priests. Jeroboam made the same basic mistake as Saul. He made pragmatic decisions to shore up his power base but did not focus on obeying the will of God. The passage tells us that Jeroboam made anyone who wanted to be a priest a priest. It reminds me of what has happened to the Church in the U.S., or at least the denomination that I am part of. When I was very young, my denomination selected pastors by a method called the lot. When a congregation needed a new pastor, the members would nominate from among its members those they thought might make good pastors. Then they prayed for God’s guidance and used a random system to select which of those nominated should be the next pastor. In this way, the congregation called a pastor with guidance from God. There were flaws in the system and not all congregations executed it in a manner that was truly faithful to the leading of God, but the principle was there. Sometime when I was young, congregations began hiring young men who had gone to seminary as a career choice as pastors when they needed a new pastor. This became a matter of making into pastors those who wanted the job. For a while, those who entered the pastorate were those who in high school or college decided to pursue that as a career. The Church was not doing a good job of calling men to the pastorate, it was merely hiring from among those who chose that career. The system is not as bad as the way I described it makes it sound, just as the system it displaced was not as good as my description may make it sound. The current system has those who are truly called to the ministry, just as the previous system had those who ended up in the pastorate who had not been so called. I believe that there are others besides myself who have noticed the shortcoming of the current system and are working at seeking God’s guidance for calling people to the ministry.

Acts 9:26-43

     When Saul fled from Damascus he returned to Jerusalem where he tried to meet with the believers. The believers were afraid of him, not believing that he had truly converted. However, Barnabas knew the story of his conversion on the road to Damascus and his preaching there. Barnabas took Saul and introduced him to the apostles and told the story of what had happened to him in Damascus. After his introduction, Saul stayed with the apostles and traveled around Jerusalem with them preaching boldly. At one point he got into a heated argument with some Greek speaking Jews which led them to try and kill him. When the believers heard about this they got him out of Jerusalem and sent him to his home town of Tarsus.
     We do not pay as much attention to Barnabas as we should. The scriptures do not tell us a lot about him, but he was clearly a very influential man in the early Church. The first mention we have of him is when he sold some property and gave the money to the apostles to distribute to the poor among the believers. Now we have him taking Saul in hand and introducing him to the apostles. Later he goes on several missions trips. What do we know about Barnabas? He was generous. He gave people the benefit of the doubt. He listened to the direction of the Holy Spirit.
     Meanwhile, we are told that Peter traveled around Judea, in particular he visited Lydda and Joppa. In Lydda, Peter healed a man who had been paralyzed for eight years, leading to many coming to believe. Shortly thereafter, Dorcas (also known as Tabitha), a believer, died in Joppa. The believers in Joppa sent for Peter, who came and raised her from the dead. Again the news spread throughout the town leading many to believe. Dorcas was noted for doing kind things for others and for helping the poor. If we died today, would people say that we did kind things for others and that we helped the poor?

Psalm 132:1-18

“Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord;
let us worship at the footstool of his throne.”

     This was the prayer of the psalmist. While the Temple of God is now in our hearts, there is still something to be said for gathering with the believers to worship God. It is as important today as it was in the psalmist’s day to get together with others who share our faith whenever possible. The imagery here of worshiping at the footstool of God’s throne is that of prostrating ourselves before God. Recognizing that we are unworthy to be in His presence.

Proverbs 17:6

     This proverb tells us that grandchildren are the glory of their grandparents. If you have ever met a grandparent, you probably know how true that is. It further tells us that children should be proud of their parents. There is certainly something to both aspects of that.

Daily Bible Study

June 13, 2012 Bible Study

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     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.

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1 Kings 11-12:19

     As Solomon’s rule continued he took many wives from the neighboring nations. This was despite the Law saying that when Israel has a king he should not have an excessive number of wives and many of them being from nations that with whom God had commanded the Israelites not to intermarry. In addition, Solomon built worship places for the gods of these foreign wives. The passage specifically mentions Ashtoreth, Molek and Chemosh. The first of these was a fertility goddess and her rituals of worship involved sexual immorality. The worship of the latter two involved human sacrifice. The passage tells us that God became angry with Solomon and promised to take most of the kingdom from his son, leaving the kingdom while during Solomon’s life for the sake of David.
     The passage then tells us that God raised up two kings to fight against Solomon. One was from the Edomite royal line and returned to fight against Solomon with the support of Egypt. The other set himself up in Damascus and fought against Solomon. Then we learn of a prominent young man of the tribe of Ephraim, Jeroboam, whom Solomon promoted to a position of some importance. A prophet comes to him and tells him that God is going take most of Israel from the house of Solomon and give it to Jeroboam. The prophet tells Jeroboam that if he is faithful to God’s laws, God will establish a dynasty for him. Solomon learns of this, we are not told how in this passage, and attempts to have Jeroboam killed. Jeroboam flees to Egypt where he finds refuge.
     Upon Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam succeeded him on the throne. When Rehoboam went to Shechem to be crowned, the people of Israel sent for Jeroboam to lead them in their demands for Rehoboam to reduce his forced labor levies from those imposed by Solomon. Rehoboam asked for time to compose his answer. He asked for advice from his father’s advisers. They told him that he should agree to the demands and that if he did so, the people would serve him faithfully. Rehoboam did not like this advice and asked for advice from his childhood friends. They told him that he should promise to people that he would make increase his demands for forced labor and punish those who resisted even more harshly. After this response the ten tribes went into rebellion against Rehoboam. Rehoboam sent out his deputy in charge of forced labor and they stoned him to death. Rehoboam fled to Jerusalem. This passage shows Rehoboam as a spoiled son of privilege. He rejects the advice of his father’s experienced advisers and follows that of his cronies who tell him what he wants to hear.

Acts 9:1-25

     Luke tells us that Saul was persecuting the believers, continuing on after supporting for the stoning of Stephen. He obtained a letter from the high priest requesting support from the synagogues in Damascus for Saul to persecute the believers in that city. The passage tells us that Saul was struck by a light from heaven and fell to the ground. He heard a voice asking him why he was persecuting Him. Saul correctly interpreted this voice as being divine and asked who it was. The voice said that it was Jesus and that Saul should go into Damascus and wait to be told what to do. The passage tells us that the men traveling with Saul heard the sound but did not see anyone. I had always assumed that they did not actually hear what the voice said, but I realize now that the passage actually implies that they heard the actual conversation. After receiving this vision, Saul was blind and those traveling with him led him into Damascus. Saul fasted and prayed for three days upon his arrival in Damascus.
     God appeared to a believer in Damascus by the name of Ananias and told him to go to Saul and lay hands on him so that he could see again. Ananias protested that he had heard that Saul is persecuting the believers. God told Ananias that Saul was His chosen instrument. Ananias goes to Saul and tells him that Jesus has sent him to restore Saul’s sight. Saul spent a few days with the believers in Damascus and then began preaching the Gospel in the synagogues. The Jews are amazed to hear what him preaching that Jesus is the Son of God because they knew he had been persecuting the believers until recently. When they were unable to refute his arguments, some of the Jews began plotting to kill Saul. Saul became aware of the plot and some of the believers let him down through a gap in the city walls to avoid the assassins.
     When God wants to redirect our lives, He will use whatever means necessary to get our attention. In this case, He used what I call the blunt force approach. He struck Saul down and blinded him in order to get his attention. There are times when such a clear message from God would be nice. However, it appears to me that people who receive such blunt and clear messages from God are generally called to missions of hardship and deprivation. That the price for such an incontrovertible calling is a lot of suffering. I am willing to undergo suffering such as that which Saul, later known as Paul, went through if that is the service God calls me to, but I do not wish to do so just to have an experience such as his conversion. This is especially the case when you consider that even Saul’s conversion experience was rather traumatic. There are other accounts of people where God has had to use forceful means to get their attention to the message He has for them. I liken that to the story of the man who bought a mule. The story goes that a man was looking to buy a mule to haul is wagon. The merchant tells him that he has a great mule that knows many verbal commands. So, the man buys the mule and hooks it up to his wagon. The man tries every command he can think of, “Go”, “Giddyup”, “Start”, “Forward”, etc.. Finally he says to the merchant, “This mule is worthless, he won’t pull my wagon.” The merchant tells the man, “Well, you need to get his attention first,” and takes out a two by four and hits the mule right between the ears before telling it to go. The mule immediately begins pulling the wagon. I don’t want to be that mule. I want to listen when God tells me what He wants and not require Him to get my attention with a two by four.

Psalm 131:1-3

     The psalmist says that he does not fret about matters too great for him to grasp. This is a reminder that we are not going to be able to understand all of the things that God wills. The psalmist tells us to put our hope in the Lord, now and always. Even if we do not understand what God is doing, we can be sure that He has our best interests in mind. God will care for us, even when things seem to be going wrong.

Proverbs 17:4-5

     This passage tells us that wrongdoers are always ready and eager to believe the worst of others, that those who lie readily believe malicious lies about others. It is an easy way to tell something about a person, those who give others the benefit of the doubt when they hear negative stories about others are usually people that you can trust. Those who believe the worst when they hear negative stories about others are often those who would do the same if they were in that situation. This can be used to not only evaluate others, but yourself. If you believe those negative stories you hear about others, you should think about why you are so ready to believe the worst about others.

Daily Bible Study

June 12, 2012 Bible Study

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     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 9-10:29

     The passage tells us that the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had the first. The first time was in a dream, so I figure that this was probably in a dream as well. The Lord tells Solomon that He will establish the Temple as holy, that the site of the Temple will be honored forever. God goes on to tell Solomon that if the people of Israel worship other gods, He will uproot them from the land and make them an object of ridicule to the world.
     When Solomon finished both the Temple and his palace, he gave twenty towns to Hiram, king of Tyre. The passage says that Hiram called the area Solomon gave him worthless, but still paid Solomon in gold that would be worth over $204 million today. The passage then tells us about some of Solomon’s other accomplishments, including building a trading fleet that sailed into the Indian Ocean. It tells us that this fleet brought back gold that would be worth more than $816 million today.
     The passage then tells us that word of Solomon’s wisdom had spread so that the Queen of Sheba came to see him and challenge his wisdom. It is not clear from the text whether she came with her hard questions because she wanted to test whether he really was as wise as she had heard or if it was because she had questions to which she desired/needed answers. In either case, she was impressed by his wisdom and praises God because of it.
     The passage then goes on to describe Solomon’s wealth. It tells us that he received each year an amount of gold that would be worth over $1 billion today. It then tells us about his other wealth including a trading fleet that went on three year trading voyages and brought back large amounts of wealth and exotic goods. Finally the passage tells us about the sizable military force that he put together. All in all, this passage tells us that Solomon used his wisdom to make himself king over a sizable and wealthy trading empire.

Acts 8:14-40

     In yesterday’s passage we read how Philip preached and performed miracles in Samaria so that many came to believe. In particular the passage tells us that Simon the sorcerer came to believe and be baptized. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard about the many people coming to believe in Samaria they sent Peter and John. When they arrived, Peter and John prayed for the new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. They then laid their hands on the people and they received the Holy Spirit. Something very extraordinary must have happened when Peter and John laid their hands on people because Simon the former sorcerer offered them money to give him the same power. Peter sternly rebuked him for thinking that the gift of God could be bought with money. Simon’s response is abject repentance and a request for the apostles’ prayer. There are two important pieces to this passage. The first is that when people receive the Holy Spirit it is an noteworthy event. The second is that the Holy Spirit and other gifts from God cannot be purchased. I think the failure of the Church in the U.S. to experience miracles and signs to a greater degree indicates a lack of full faith in God among to many of us. The New Testament account suggests to me that we should see signs and miracles all around Christians, yet we do not. I know that when I think about the fact that I believe that I should exhibit the power of the Holy Spirit through signs and wonders, it scares me. I am scared for two reasons. The first is, what if I call for a miracle and it doesn’t happen? The second is, to what degree will I be opened up for ridicule for believing such things are possible?
     After the Peter and John leave Samaria, the Spirit calls Philip to go down the road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza. When he gets there he sees a eunuch of consequence from Ethiopia returning to Ethiopia from Jerusalem. The eunuch was reading aloud from the book of Isaiah. When Philip approached him and heard what he was reading he asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading. The eunuch replied that he needed someone to explain it to him and invited Philip to ride with him and do so. Philip starts with the passage the eunuch was reading and preached the Good News about Jesus to him. After a while they came upon some water and the eunuch requested that Philip baptize him, which Philip did immediately. There are two things about this passage that I think are noteworthy. First, Philip starts preaching the Good News by answering the questions that the eunuch already has. Second, Philip baptizes the eunuch as soon as the eunuch recognizes his need for it and asks for it. There is an immediacy and urgency to the evangelism of the New testament, that I too often today do not share. We need to recapture the urgency that the early Church felt for evangelism.

Psalm 130:1-8

     The psalmist here tells us that we would have no hope if God kept a record of our sins. It is only through God’s forgiveness that we can survive. If we cry to the Lord and throw ourselves on His mercy, He will save us. He will forgive us and rescue us from our troubles. If we rest our hopes for our future in anything other than God we will suffer disappointment, but if we put our hopes in God they will be exceeded.

Proverbs 17:2-3

     Today’s proverb tells us that a servant who serves faithfully and with prudence will be rewarded. The second of the proverbs today tells us that just as the metal smith purifies silver and gold using fire, so will God test us. He will put us through trials that will feel like passing through fire in order to purify us and make us into something much more valuable. We should learn to praise God for the trials He puts us through because they are for our benefit to make us better and purer.

Daily Bible Study

June 11, 2012 Bible Study

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     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 8:1-66

     When Solomon had finished having the Temple built he summoned the leaders of Israel and had the Ark of the Covenant brought to the Temple. Unlike when David had the Ark brought to Jerusalem on a cart, Solomon had the Ark moved by priests carrying it using the carrying poles which were designed for that purpose when the Ark was first built. In his prayer of dedication Solomon touches on two very important points. The first is that God does not dwell in a Temple. That not even heaven can contain God. Solomon built the Temple as a unifying symbol for those who worship God. The second important point in Solomon’s dedication prayer is that God will forgive sins. Solomon prays that when people sin, and he says that they will sin, if they repent of their sins and turn back to God, he asks God to answer their prayers and deliver them. There is one additional point in Solomon’s prayer worth noting. He calls on God to accept those foreigners who turn to Him and worship Him, to answer their prayers just as He does those of the Israelites. Solomon does this because he knows that God is the God if all the earth and not just of the Israelites.

Acts 7:51-8:13

     Now we come to the climax of Stephen’s speech before the Sanhedrin. He has pointed out how the Israelites rejected Moses repeatedly. Now he points out that the Israelites, the ancestors of those on the Sanhedrin, persecuted the prophets. He tells the Sanhedrin that they are like their ancestors in rejecting the One who brought God’s message. When he said this, the members of the Sanhedrin became furious and started to express their anger at him. Stephen then said that he saw the heavens opened and the “Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” The Sanhedrin knew he was referring to Jesus when he said “Son of Man.” At this point they took actions so as not to be able to hear anything further he said and dragged him out of the city and stoned him. As he died, Stephen cried out to God asking Him not to hold his death against them. I have trouble forgiving people who cut me off on the highway. How would I manage to forgive those who were causing my painful death?
     The writer tells us that the death of Stephen was followed by persecution of all of the believers such that most of the Church was scattered throughout the region. But despite being persecuted and scattered, the believers preached the Gospel wherever they went. One such story is that of the deacon Philip. He went to Samaria and preached the Good News. The crowds listened intently because he was a good speaker and performed miracles. The writer tells us that many were healed and came to believe and be baptized. One in particular was Simon the sorcerer, who had performed acts of power and presented himself as a “Power of God”. Simon had long been influential in the city of Samaria because he had astounded the people with his magic. But now the people were turning from him to follow Jesus. Simon could have been angry and become an enemy of the Church, but he did not. Instead, he became a believer and was baptized. Simon began following Philip around, recognizing real power when he saw it. Philip did not turn Simon away because of his past. Despite a background that suggested he would be hostile to the believers, Philip welcomed Simon when he asked to be baptized. The passage tells us that Simon was amazed by the signs and miracles Philip performed. Are those around us amazed at what we do in the name of Jesus? Why are we not performing similar signs and miracles?

Psalm 129:1-8

     The psalmist says that Israel has been persecuted from its beginning, but God has freed them from those who enslaved them. The psalmist requests that the enemies of Jerusalem be turned back in defeat. I believe that God has granted that request throughout history. Those who have driven the Jews out of Jerusalem have soon gone down to defeat.

Proverbs 17:1

     This proverb tells us that it is better to have nothing more to eat than the image in the above thumbnail if one is at peace with those around one than it is to have a feast if one is arguing and in conflict with those around.

Opinion

So, You’re Not Perfect?

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I came across this elsewhere on the web and thought it was something people should see and think about.

There are two important things to take away from this the first is, if you think you’re not good enough for God to make use of you, are you really worse than these people? Everyone of the people on this list are considered great men or women of God…and in every case, the failure listed above is not the only way that they fell short of God’s will.

On the other side are those of you who think you have it all together, are you really so conceited as to think you are better than the people listed above? “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…” Romans 3:23

Daily Bible Study

June 10, 2012 Bible Study

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     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 7:1-51

     This passage tells us that after building the Temple Solomon had a new palace built for himself. It took Solomon seven years to build the Temple, but it took him thirteen years to build a palace for himself. In addition to his own palace, the passage tells us that Solomon built living quarters for the daughter of Pharaoh that he had married similar to those he built for himself. My reading of this is that he built a second palace for Pharaoh’s daughter, although it may be that it was part of the palace that the passage tells us took thirteen years to build. In either case, this suggests that Solomon had a problem of priorities. He put a higher priority on his own comfort and prestige than he did on that of God. He took what was basically twice as long building his own house and he did building God’s House. One could suppose that he focused more strongly on building the Temple and that is why it was completed sooner. However, the description of Solomon’s palace indicates that it was a more complex structure than the Temple that Solomon built.
     The next part of the passage tells us that Solomon sent to Tyre for a master bronze worker to make the furnishings for the Temple. One of the interesting things about bronze is that it is actually a superior metal for most uses to iron (or any other metal available at that time). The reason that iron displaced bronze in the Iron Age is because iron is much more common that tin (a component of the alloy we know as bronze). Solomon could have chosen to make the Temple furnishings out of a mix of iron and copper, iron for items that required strength and copper for things where beauty was more important. Instead he chose the more beautiful, durable and expensive bronze.

Acts 7:30-50

     Stephen continues to testify before the Sanhedrin. The last passage ended with Stephen telling the Sanhedrin that the people of Israel initially rejected Moses. Here Stephen continues that theme. He tells the Sanhedrin that God sent the man the people of Israel had rejected, Moses, to be their savior from the Egyptians. Stephen further says that even after Moses saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, they rejected him again and asked Aaron to make them an idol to worship in the place of God. We today can see where Stephen was going with this, repeatedly pointing out how the people of Israel rejected the man God had sent to save them. Stephen then goes on to talk about how David asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for God, but it was Solomon who built it. Then he says that God does not live in a Temple built by human hands. How could we humans hope to build a dwelling place for the Lord that compares to the one He built for Himself when He made the universe? It seems to me that Stephen is building the argument that we, as humans, have repeatedly attempted to constrain God to meet our expectations, rather than accepting the need to allow us to remake us to meet His expectations. That the early Israelites asked Aaron to make them an idol that they could worship when God did not provide them with the luxuries in the wilderness that they had experienced in Egypt. That later, after Solomon built the Temple, the Israelites tried to limit God to living in the Temple. Stephen ends this segment by saying that God will not be limited by our human conceits.

Psalm 128:1-6

     If we follow the ways of the Lord we will receive joy. Our families will be like grapevines and olive trees, providing us with joy and pleasure. I will join in the psalmists prayer, may Israel have peace. While this is a good in itself, if Israel has peace, the whole world will know peace. Not because, the conflict in Israel leads to conflicts throughout the world, but because the conflicts throughout the world lead to the conflict in and around Israel. In many ways the diplomats around the world who are trying to arrange for peace in the Middle East have it backwards. They seem to believe that if they can resolve the conflicts in the Middle East and in Israel specifically, the conflicts in much of the rest of the world will be resolved. In fact, I believe that the conflicts in the Middle East and particularly in Israel are a result of the conflicts elsewhere.

Proverbs 16:31-33/a>

     The first of these proverbs challenges the common practice of our society. Our society encourages us to cover up the signs of aging. This proverb says that gray hair is a crown of glory. That age is not something to be hidden but rather something to be proud of. The second proverb tells us that self-control is more valuable to a person than raw power. The final proverb tells us that while we may allow things to fall to chance, they never do. God determines the outcome, even of the roll of the dice. You may think something is coincidence, but it happened because of the will of God. This is important to remember. God is in control of all that happens and nothing is too small for His attention. In Matthew 6 Jesus tells us that God provides for the birds of the air and clothes the flowers of the field. If God will take the time to care for these, how much more will He take the time to care for even the smallest detail in our lives?

Daily Bible Study

June 9, 2012 Bible Study

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     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 5-6:38

     In this passage, king Hiram of Tyre sends envoys to Solomon to discover what relationship Solomon would have with him, since he had always been friendly with David. Solomon’s response to Hiram indicates that Solomon intends to rule in a different manner than his father David. David started out as a bandit/raider (In 1 Samuel 27 we have an account of how David raided neighboring peoples while he was living among the Philistines). As he grew in power, he suppressed bandits and lived off of merchants providing him with tribute to suppress bandits. Even before he went to live among the Philistines he had done bandit suppression (see the story of David and Nabal in 1 Samuel 25). Considering that many of the peoples in that area lived by raiding merchant caravans, it is likely that bandit suppression played a significant motivational role in David’s wars of conquest. In his response to King Hiram, Solomon indicates that rather than receive payment from merchants in order to suppress bandits within the area he controls, Solomon intends to sponsor trade. The merchants passing through his lands will work for him.
     Upon making this trade deal with Hiram king of Tyre, Solomon begins building the Temple. Solomon conscripted close to two hundred thousand men to work on gathering the materials to build the Temple. This reflects some of what Samuel had warned the Israelites about when they demanded he anoint someone to be their king. The description of the Temple that Solomon built is very impressive with wood paneling on all of the interior surfaces and gold plating on much of it. It is impressive that he was able to get this built in seven years without using any modern machinery.

Acts 7:1-29

     When Stephen is brought before the Sanhedrin on charges of blasphemy, the high priest asks him if the charges are true. Stephen responds by giving an exposition on the history of the Jewish people. He starts by talking about Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. He talks about how God made promises to Abraham and gave him the covenant of circumcision. Stephen goes on to point out how God prophesied both the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt and His freeing of them. At this point the members of the Sanhedrin are probably listening with rapt attention and agreeing with everything he is saying. Then he starts talking about Moses. He points out that Moses was special from birth and was called by God to rescue the Israelites. He tells how Moses killed an Egyptian overseer for abusing an Israelite. Then he says that Moses thought that the Israelites would see that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. Stephen illustrates this rejection by telling the story of Moses’ attempt to reconcile two Israelites who were fighting. I do not think his audience perceived where he was going when he got to this point. I think it is clear that Stephen was using Moses to show how the people of Israel had repeatedly rejected God’s messenger to them. That this rejection of Moses was a precursor to the rejection of Jesus.

Psalm 127:1-5

     The psalmist tells us that no matter what we work at, if it is not the Lord’s will for it to come to fruition we are laboring in vain. No matter what we work at, we will not have success unless the Lord works with us toward that end. We should acknowledge that all of our successes are a gift from God. They are not a credit to our hard work. The psalmist goes on to say that children are a blessing from God. This goes directly counter to what is taught in our society today, which is that there are too many people on this earth and having many children is irresponsible. I do not think it is wrong for a couple to limit the number of children they have based on what they believe are their ability to properly raise them. However, the argument of those who disagree is rather compelling. If children are a blessing from God as the Bible teaches and I believe, why would you deny yourself a blessing? Is it not somewhat sacrilegious to deny yourself a blessing which God wishes to give you? I do not have an answer for that, but I do not agree with the starting point of those who say that we should limit the number of children we have because the earth is overpopulated. I do not believe that the earth is overpopulated and I do not believe that God will allow the earth to become overpopulated.

Proverbs 16:28-30

     We have today three proverbs that tell of three types of people who create trouble. The first is the troublemaker who spreads gossip in order to create conflict among others, often merely to amuse themselves watching other people fight. The second is the person who justifies using violence to resolve a dispute with someone else. Finally, is the person who conspires to make trouble for others. If you are involved with someone who is like this you should be careful because you may be their target next and, even if not, is their ends really worth the pain and suffering that they cause to others?

Daily Bible Study

June 8, 2012 Bible Study

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     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 3:3-4:34

     This passage starts by telling us that Solomon showed his love for the Lord by obeying the instructions that David had given him, except for the fact that he offered sacrifices at the high places. When I was younger I believed that these were sacrifices to idols. My recollection is that I was taught that, but that may be a faulty memory. In fact if one reads closely one realizes that Solomon was offering sacrifices to God on those high places. It is after Solomon offered sacrifices to God at one of these high places that God tells Solomon in a dream to ask for whatever he wants God to give him. I had never noticed before, but most translations say that God told Solomon to tell Him what Solomon wanted God to give him without actually saying that He would give it to him. This is consistent with God’s answer to Solomon’s request. After Solomon tells God that he would like God to give him wisdom, God tells Solomon that because he asked for wisdom, He will grant Solomon’s request. The implication is that if Solomon had asked for something else, God may not have granted his request.
     Next we have the story where Solomon was asked to decide which of two women was the mother of a child. Both women claimed that the child was born to them and that the child born to the other woman had died. There were no other witnesses. Solomon has a sword brought and proposes that the child be cut in half and that each woman receive half. The account tells us that the child’s real mother objected, saying that rather than kill the child give it to the other woman to raise. While the other woman was content that the child be killed. Solomon then ordered that the child not be killed but be given to the woman who was willing to give up her claim that the child might live. The biblical account tells us that the woman who wanted the child to live was the child’s real mother and I believe that it means that she was the child’s biological mother. However, in this story, even if she was not the child’s biological mother, the woman who would give up her claim in order to save the child’s life was indeed the child’s real mother.

Acts 6:1-15

     In earlier passages we had been told that wealthy believers sold their property and brought the money to the apostles to be distributed to those in need. Now we are told that as the number of believers increased there was strife among the believers between the Greek-speaking believers and the Hebrew-speaking believers. The Greek-speaking believers felt that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution. From the remedy that the apostles chose it is clear that there complaint was not without some basis. The apostles asked the believers to choose seven well respected men to take over the distribution of food to those in need. While these men were chosen to handle the distribution of food to those in need and free up the apostles to preach and pray, it quickly becomes apparent that these men did not limit themselves to overseeing the provision to the needy.

     We are told that Stephen got into a debate with some men from the Synagogue of the Freed Slaves. I was unable to find any definitive information about this group. However, some of them were from Alexandria and Cyrene, both of which were noted centers of learning in the Roman empire. This suggests to me that these were Jews who were practiced in Greek philosophy and debate. In addition, the passage tells us that some of them were from Cilicia. Tarsus, the birth place of Saul, later Paul, was in Cilicia. All of this suggests to me that Stephen got into a debate with a group of men who were proud of their debating skills. Men who were sure they had the answers that proved that Jesus was not the Messiah. When they were unable to counter Stephen’s arguments they became angry and claimed that he had committed blasphemy. I suspect that before their encounter with Stephen they had claimed that in order to believe that Jesus was the Messiah one needed to also believe some blasphemous creed. When Stephen was unswayed by their arguments and further defeated their arguments, they concluded that he must be blaspheming because they had decided before ever engaging Stephen in discussion that anyone who believed what he did must also believe certain blasphemous things. When Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin on these charges, some kind of transformation came over him so that those who looked at him felt that they were in the presence of someone extraordinarily holy.

Psalm 126

     The psalmist tells us here that suffering is only temporary for those who love the Lord. That those who sever the Lord will experience joy and laughter.

Proverbs 16:26-27

     This proverb tells us that those who have unsatisfied desires will work harder than those whose every want has been met.

Daily Bible Study

June 7, 2012 Bible Study

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     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 2-3:2

     As David lay dying he instructed Solomon to follow the laws of God. In addition he asked that Solomon see that neither Joab, who had been the commander of David’s armies, nor Shimei, who had cursed David when he fled Absalom, live to die of old age. David also asked Solomon to show honor to the sons of Barzillai, who had stood by him when he fled Absalom. We know that Joab had been the commander of David’s armies and that that may have meant that David could not punish him for his acts that David did not approve of. It might not have been possible for David to have Joab executed (or otherwise punished) and still retain control over his armies. In the previous chapter it mentions that one of David’s advisers who did not support Adonijah’s attempt to claim the throne was named Shimei. Is it possible that this was the same Shimei who cursed David when he fled Absalom? Perhaps the reason that David was so forgiving of Shimei upon reclaiming his throne from Absalom was because Shimei controlled a power base that David needed in order to remain in control of the kingdom, just as Joab did.
     As soon as Solomon is established upon the throne, Adonijah goes to Bathsheba and asks her to convince Solomon to allow him to marry Abishag the Shunammite, the woman who was made David’s concubine as a bed warmer in his old age. Bathsheba agrees. Solomon upon hearing this request recognizes it as an attempt by Adonijah to gain a claim upon the throne by marrying David’s final concubine. In response to this attempt by Adonijah, Solomon has him killed. He then removes Abiathar from all claim on the priesthood, but in recognition of his service to David allows him to retire to his estate. When Joab hears of this he goes to the altar and grabs the horns of the altar and refuses to leave. Solomon orders him killed there. Finally, as the last piece of leftover business from his father, Solomon orders Shimei to build a house in Jerusalem and never leave the city again on pain of death. Shimei agrees to this condition. But three years later two of his slaves ran away to Gath and Shimei pursues them to recover them. When Solomon learns of this he has Shimei killed.
     What we can see from this is that David had gained and kept his throne by playing various power bases off against one another. He gained the support of enough of the men who controlled various power blocks so that he could crush those who acted against him openly, but he was unable to act against those who offered him support, even when they acted against his wishes. Solomon can be seen as consolidating his power by eliminating men who had a power base outside of his control whose loyalty had been shown to be suspect.

Acts 5:1-42

     Today’s passage starts with the follow up to yesterday’s passage about the believers sharing everything that they had. It contains some important things to understand what the previous passage is telling us about wealth and the Church. When Ananias brings the money to give to the Church, Peter does not say his sin was in not giving all of it to the Church. Peter asks him two rhetorical questions. The first question tells us that the land which Ananias sold was his to do with as he chose. The second question tells us that even after he sold it the money from the sale was his to do with as he chose. Ananias’ sin was in claiming that he was giving all of the money he had received for selling the land. This tells us that the land was not held in common by the Church and neither was the money. Ananias’ sin was in attempting to gain glory for being more generous than he actually was.
     After this we are told that the believers all met at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. Luke tells us that even though this was a public place, no one who was not a believer joined them there out of fear. We are not told if that fear is because of Ananias and Saphira or because of the authorities. Nevertheless we are told that many more people became believers as time went on and others brought those with infirmities to at least have Peter’s shadow fall on them as he passed.
     The Jewish leaders who were Sadducees had the apostles arrested and placed in jail. During the night an angel of the Lord released them and told them to go to the Temple courts and preach. They did so. When the Sanhedrin met they sent for the apostles in jail. The officers who went to get the apostles found the jail securely locked, but the apostles were not inside. Someone who knew that the apostles had been arrested came and told the Sanhedrin that they were preaching in the Temple. The Temple guard went and brought the apostles before the Sanhedrin. The High Priest confronts them with the fact that the Sanhedrin had ordered them not to preach in Jesus’ name. The apostles reply by saying that they must obey God rather than man.
     At this point we discover an interesting thing, the Sanhedrin is not united. It is divided into two parties, the Sadducees and the Pharisees. It was the Sadducees who had the apostles arrested. It is a Pharisee who suggests that putting the apostles to death would not be productive. Gamaliel, a Pharisee, points out that several other men had risen up in recent past and claimed to be the Messiah. Those men had gathered a following much as Jesus had. When those men were killed, their followers dispersed. Gamaliel suggests that if Jesus was merely a man, teaching things of human origins, His followers would soon disperse and fade away. If such was the case, there was no point in further persecuting the apostles. On the other hand, If Jesus’ teachings were from God, nothing the Sanhedrin could do would stop them and if they tried to stop them they would find themselves fighting God. The Sanhedrin was swayed by this argument. They had the apostles flogged and released them with instructions not to speak in the name of Jesus.
     I think we need to follow the example of the apostles. We need to be sure that we follow the dictates of God rather than the dictates of man. If we do so, those who oppose us will find themselves opposing God.

Psalm 125:1-5

     The psalmist tells us that those who trust the Lord will not be shaken, the Lord will put a defensive barrier around them.

Proverbs 16:25

     This proverb tells us that, unfortunately, the wrong paths in life do not have signs like the thumbnail I am using for this section. In fact, many of the wrong paths appear to be good. We need to consider each path carefully before embarking down it.