For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I am starting to feel better and, God willing, should experience steady improvement to full recovery in a little over a week. I thank those of you have been praying for me.
Most people know how dangerous it is to separate a mother bear from her cubs, but we often forget how dangerous it can be to point out foolish behavior. Everyone does the occasional foolish thing, and most people are appreciative when you show them their mistake. However, some people will viciously attack you when you show them the foolishness of their actions. They will go to ridiculous lengths to destroy you rather than correct their foolish behavior.
The second of today’s proverbs is a warning not to be that person. In most cases, when someone points out that something you have done is foolish, they are trying to help you. If you respond to their attempt to aid you by attacking them, you are returning evil for good. The proverb warns us that those who return evil for good will find that evil continually finds their door.
The psalmist reminds us to praise the Lord and compares God’s greatness to the limitations of other gods. I will praise the Lord for He has indeed done great things. I have examined the claims made for other gods and their accomplishments are empty.
I think people often overlook the real essence of what happened when Peter returned to Jerusalem from Cornelius’ house. Everybody notes that the Jewish believers criticized Peter for associating with and eating with Gentiles. Everybody notes Peter’s defense of his actions and praises it as well stated (which it is). However, people rarely take note that those criticizing Peter listened to his explanation for his actions, and when they heard it, they stopped objecting. In addition, Peter recognized that he was accountable for his actions. This is an important part of how Church leadership should work. Church leaders need to recognize that they need to accept their accountability to the rest of the Body.
Now we come to a change in the way the Church grew. Up until this point, all of the spread of Christianity was from Jerusalem. Believers left Jerusalem, went somewhere, and preached the Gospel, to Jews. But following Peter preaching to Cornelius, some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene preached the Gospel to Gentiles in Antioch. When the Church in Jerusalem heard this, they sent Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas, we are told, was strong in faith and full of the Holy Spirit. Barnabas encouraged the new believers and many people came to the Lord. Then his “adopt a stray” instincts kicked in. He left Antioch and went to Tarsus to get Saul. Saul came to Antioch with Barnabas and became an active leader in the Church there.
A few years back I realized what a showman Elijah is at the confrontation with the prophets of Baal. He starts off by addressing the crowd, a crowd that has mostly turned away from God as boring, but is not quite willing to walk away from the nostalgia that was all that really still connected them to God. He called on the people to choose between Baal and God, making it clear that of their two competing claims, only one could be true. The people were bored by this call, the prophets of God had been making such demands of them for years. Elijah had an ace up his sleeve. He suggested a contest between himself and the prophets of Baal, one with excitement and fireworks. The people readily agreed, quite confident in the show the prophets of Baal could put on.
The contest begins and Elijah, wisely, allowed the prophets of Baal to go first. The prophets of Baal danced around, cut themselves, and raved. I am sure it was quite entertaining at first, but before long I am sure people began to get bored. It was then that Elijah’s true showmanship came through. He began to mock them, suggesting that they were just not loud enough, or outrageous enough, to get Baal’s attention and that was why nothing happened. Then after the people were tired of the show and spectacle of the prophets of Baal, Elijah called them over to his altar. He carefully rebuilt the altar with symbolism the people recognized. It was all calm and deliberate. Then, when all was ready, Elijah made sure no one could claim trickery, he had the people pour water over the altar until it was soaked. Then Elijah calmly called out to God and requested proof of God’s power. Elijah was a showman, but he used that talent to focus people’s attention on God.