Daily Bible Study

August 18, 2012 Bible Study

Re-enactors at Goschenhoppen Folk Festival

     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.

Re-enactors at the Goschenhoppen Folk Festival

Esther 1-3:15

     Today we begin the Book of Esther. The story begins when the king of Persia, King Xerxes, throws a six month celebration. At the end of it, he threw a seven-day “open bar” feast. On the seventh day, King Xerxes was quite lit and decided that he wanted to show off his queen, Queen Vashti, to his guests, so he sends for her to come to him. Queen Vashti refuses the summons. King Xerxes is furious and turns to his advisers as to what he should do. Now keep in mind that King Xerxes and his advisers have been drinking heavily for seven days at this point. One of his advisers tells him that Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but everyone in the entire empire because women throughout the empire will follow her example and treat their husbands with contempt. Therefore he recommends that Xerxes issue a decree that Queen Vashti be forever banished from his presence. King Xerxes issues this decree that in addition says that every husband should be ruler in his own home.
     When the wine wears off and his anger subsides, King Xerxes begins to regret banishing Queen Vashti. His attendants suggest that he have the most beautiful unmarried young women from throughout the empire brought into his harem. From among these women, King Xerxes can then choose a replacement for Queen Vashti. King Xerxes orders that this plan be implemented.
     Here we are introduced to Mordecai, a man of some standing among the Jews. We are told that he is Esther’s cousin and when her parents died, he adopted and raised her. Esther is chosen by the king’s agents to enter into his harem. Each woman who was brought in was given twelve months of beauty treatment. Esther made a positive impression on the eunuch in charge of this portion of the harem and he treated her with favoritism. During this time (and up until the critical point in this whole story) Esther kept her heritage a secret because Mordecai had told her to do so. When each woman was first taken to King Xerxes bed, she was given her choice of clothes and jewelry to wear. When Esther’s turn came, she followed the advice of the eunuch in charge of the harem as to what to wear. Esther made a positive impression on the king and he chose her as his queen to replace Queen Vashti.
     Mordecai throughout this time maintained communication with Esther and when Esther was made queen she used her influence to get Mordecai a post in the palace. Shortly after taking up this new post, Mordecai uncovered a plot against King Xerxes that he passed on to Esther. Esther informed King Xerxes of the plot while giving credit to Mordecai.
     Some time after this King Xerxes appoints a man named Haman to the number two spot in the empire. All of the king’s officials bowed down before Haman whenever he passed, except for Mordecai. Other palace officials told Mordecai that he ought to bow down to Haman, but he refused. The account does not tell us outright why he refused, but it suggests that no other Jew would have either. This in turn suggests that Mordecai refused to bow down because he viewed doing so as worshiping Haman in place of God. When Haman became aware of Mordecai’s refusal to bow down to him, he was furious. He decided to destroy all of the Jews. Haman used divination to determine when the best time to carry out his plan would be. Once he had made his plan, he approached King Xerxes and, presenting the Jews in the worst possible light, offered King Xerxes a large sum of money if he would order them destroyed. King Xerxes does not issue the decree, but gives Haman the authority to do so. Haman sends out a decree to the entire empire that all of the Jews, men, women and children, should be killed on the day he selected, with all of their property going to those who killed them. We are told that this order threw the capital into confusion.

Goschenhoppen Folk Festival Re-enactors

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

     Today’s passage is teaching from Paul on the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The first thing Paul says as introduction to this topic is that he has no praise for them on this topic. He says that he hears that when they meet it causes more harm than good because of the divisions among them. Then before he goes on he says something that I have never noticed before. Paul says that some division in the Church is necessary in order to tell who has God’s favor. Then he gets back on topic. He condemns them for gathering for the Lord’s Supper and then some hurrying to eat their own meal. This results in some going hungry while others get drunk. He tells them that this sort of behavior disgraces the Church and shames the poor. He then reiterates the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. Paul says that when we eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord’s Supper we are announcing His death again, something we are to continue doing until He returns. We should examine ourselves before we partake of the Lord’s Supper because if we take it in an unworthy manner we are guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Christ. When we do that we are bringing God’s judgment upon ourselves. Paul suggests that this sort of behavior is why some are weak and sick. Paul concludes his teaching on the Lord’s Supper by saying that when we gather such a meal we should wait for each other. Paul answers the argument of those who say, “But I can’t wait, I’m really hungry,” by saying, “If that’s the problem eat something at home before you come to this meeting.”

Goschenhoppen Folk Festival Re-enactors

Psalm 35:17-28

     The psalmist calls on the Lord to come to his defense. He proclaims that his enemies are bearing false witness against him. He calls on God to humiliate and bring disgrace against those who are unjustly attacking him, but bring joy to those who are coming to his defense. This brings up an important point we should keep in mind when people claim that someone of otherwise good reputation has done wrong. We should consider two things in judging such accusations. The first is, what do the accusers stand to gain from ruining the reputation of the person they are accusing? The second is, what sort of person is the accuser? If the accuser fails on both accounts, it does not necessarily mean that their testimony is false, but it does mean that we should seek corroboration before we accept it as true.

Goschenhoppen Folk Festival Re-enactors

Proverbs 21:19-20

     Every time I write about how grateful I am that I do not have a quarrelsome wife (which is every time the proverbs for the day talks about it) my wife thanks me and expresses her concern that she is a quarrelsome wife. There is nothing wrong with her concern because remaining conscious of not wanting to behave in a certain way is part of avoiding behaving that way.
     The second proverb tells us that if we spend our money as soon as we get it, we will never accumulate wealth and be able to enjoy luxury. This is one of several proverbs that tell us that in most cases poverty is the result of the actions of those who are impoverished.

Daily Bible Study

August 17, 2012 Bible Study

Kutztown Folk Festival Soap Making

     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.

Kutztown Folk Festival Bonsai

Nehemiah 12:27-13:31

     When the construction of the wall was complete, Nehemiah organized a celebration to dedicate the new wall. He asked all of the Levites who had resettled in Judah to come to Jerusalem for this celebration. All of the priests and Levites ritually purified themselves and then did the same for the people, the gates and the wall. Nehemiah organized the Levites into two choirs. The two choirs went in opposite directions along the top of the wall singing and praising God, with the people of Jerusalem following along. When the two groups met up again they went together to the Temple to offer sacrifices and worship God. On this day they set up a system to ensure that the needs of those who tended the Temple (priests, gatekeepers, choir directors, etc) were met without them having to leave their posts at the Temple to provide for themselves.
     Nehemiah recounts how he had gone back to the court of King Artaxerxes for a period of time (as he had originally agreed to do when he gained permission to travel to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall) and then returned to Jerusalem. When he got back to Jerusalem he discovered that the priest who had been put in charge of the storerooms in the Temple had given the use of one of them to Tobiah (Tobiah was one of the leaders of the neighboring peoples who had worked against the rebuilding of the wall). He also discovered that the Levites tending the Temple had not been given the portions of food that were prescribed for them and had returned to working in the fields to support themselves rather than conducting worship services at the Temple. Nehemiah confronted the leaders about this. He called the Levites back to work as worship leaders in the Temple and appointed new supervisors of the Temple storerooms in order to ensure that the Levites received an honest distribution of supplies.
     Upon his return to Jerusalem, Nehemiah discovered that some of the Jews were working on the Sabbath and more were bringing merchandise into Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath. In addition, he discovered that Gentile merchants were bringing goods in to sell as well. He confronted the Jewish leaders about allowing the Sabbath to be desecrated in this manner. Then Nehemiah ordered that the gates of Jerusalem be shut at sundown the day before the Sabbath (the technical beginning of the Sabbath) and to remain shut until the Sabbath was over. The first week or two after he did this he found merchants camped outside the walls selling goods. However, he warned them that if they did this again he would have them arrested and they stopped doing so.
     Finally, Nehemiah discovered that some of the Jews were not only marrying women from the surrounding peoples, but were not even teaching their children from these marriages to speak the language of Judah. He forced the people to swear that they would not allow their children to intermarry with pagans.

Tin work and tools at the Goschenhoppen Folk Festival

1 Corinthians 11:1-16

     It is a shame that the first verse of chapter 11 was included in today’s passage rather than in yesterday’s, since it is the conclusion about the argument that Paul was making in that passage. In yesterday’s passage Paul said that he did not do just what was best for him, but he tried to do what was best for others so that many may be saved. The first verse of chapter 11 follows that by telling us that we should imitate Paul as he imitates Christ. He is telling us that we should imitate his practice of doing what is best for others in order to lead them to salvation.
     Then Paul starts discussing a new topic. This passage is the origin of the tradition that gentlemen do not wear a hat indoors and the tradition that men take off their hats during the singing of the national anthem. Paul tells us that men should not wear anything on their head when they pray or prophesy. On the other hand, he says that women should have something on their heads when they pray or prophesy. This is a passage that the Church in the U.S. has pretty much completely abandoned, simply because they do not like what it says. Those groups that do continue to preach this generally encourage women to wear old fashioned head coverings (there are exceptions but they are almost a minority). There is nothing wrong with women wearing the old fashioned head coverings, but if the Christians who teach this were to emphasize that any type of head covering would do, we might see a resurgence of women’s head coverings of various sorts. I knew a young woman who followed the teaching of wearing a head covering, but I do not think many people realized it (even among others who followed the teaching) because she always wore some kind of pretty head covering that completed the rest of her outfit.
     There is another important teaching in this passage that often gets overlooked because of the controversy over the teaching on head covering. That is that women are not independent of men. This sounds very sexist especially in the context of Paul teaching that women should wear a head covering of some kind when they pray or prophecy. Except he follows that up immediately by saying that men are not independent of women. I think this is the most important part of this passage. This teaching that men and women are interdependent. Women need men and men need women. This is not a teaching about marriage or sexuality, Paul covers those elsewhere. This is about human nature. In large part I believe that Paul teaches women to wear head coverings as a way for the Church to bring out this interdependence and make people aware of it.

Tin work and tools at the Goschenhoppen Folk Festival

Psalm 35:1-16

     The psalmist calls on God to fight his enemies for him. The psalmist claims that he did them no wrong. That when they fell on hard times he prayed and fasted for them. He mourned for their troubles as if they were his own family. This is a model for us, we, also, should pray and fast for those who suffer as if they were our own family, even if they consider themselves our enemies. The one thing that is often overlooked in the Bible’s calls for us to care for the needy is that it assumes that we will first care for our families. You should be suspicious of someone who claims to be working for the poor if members of their own family are in need when they have the means to help them.

A chicken goes for a ride

Proverbs 21:17-18

     The first proverb tells us that the pursuit of pleasure is the road to poverty and seeking after wine and luxury will leave us without the resources to enjoy either. The second proverb tells us that the wicked will be punished in the place of the godly. I am not quite sure what that means, but I think a story about my childhood might shed some light. I was a “good boy”, I usually did what I was supposed to and rarely got into trouble. I rarely did things to get into trouble for. I had a good friend who often got into trouble. He frequently challenged authority. He wasn’t a “bad boy”, but he was close. Most of the time when we were together, I kept him out of trouble because he understood that I had a better grasp of what the limits of what we could get away with were. But every now and then, I would come up with a bad idea and he would be the one who thought better. On those occasions that we followed my course of action when it was a bad idea and we got caught, he always got blamed. Because so often he did things that got him in trouble and I so rarely did (and almost never when not with him) those in authority assumed that the bad idea was his and I just went along. He never really minded though, because for every time I got him into trouble there were two or three where I kept him out of trouble. The point of this is that because I had a reputation as being a “good boy” and he had a reputation as being a “bad boy” he got the blame in my place. That seems to me to be the point of this second proverb.

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Daily Bible Study

August 16, 2012 Bible Study

Rabbits at Kutztown Folk Festival

Nehemiah 11-12:26

     Today’s passage tells us that the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but that a tenth of the people living in other towns of Judah were chosen by lot to live in Jerusalem. We are told that the people commended those who volunteered to resettle in Jerusalem. This is interesting wording since the fact that they were chosen by lot suggests that either everyone (or at least most) wanted to be among those who resettled in Jerusalem or they did not have a choice. Yet, it says that those who did so were commended for volunteering. My best guess would be that at the time nobody really wanted to resettle in Jerusalem, but they recognized that if Jerusalem was going to be the center of their worship some people needed to. So, they chose ten percent of the population by lot to settle there and those chosen willingly relocated there. The passage then goes on to list the leaders of the people who settled in Jerusalem. It, also, tells us that the people of Judah resettled from Beersheba in the south to just north of Jerusalem. Today’s passage concludes with a list of the leaders of the priests and Levites who were part of this settlement process.

Chicks at the Kutztown Folk Festival

1 Corinthians 10:14-33

     Paul follows up what he said in yesterday’s passage by telling us to flee from the worship of idols. He tells us that we should not eat the festival meals at the temples of other gods. That to do so is to make ourselves part of a body that worships idols, just as taking communion makes us part of the body of Christ. Paul tells us in this passage that insofar as the other gods are anything, they are demons. Paul then returns to commenting on the freedom theme. He says that yes, we are free to do anything, but some things are not good for us and therefore we should not do them. Paul tells us that we should be concerned not only about what is good for us, but also about what is good for others.
     Paul then expounds further on the subject in a manner that helps us understand what he is getting at. He tells them to go ahead and buy meat in the marketplace without asking questions “of conscience”. That is, don’t ask whether or not it was part of a sacrifice to idols (apparently it was a practice in that day for meat to be butchered as part of a pagan ritual and then sold in the marketplace), just buy it and eat it. Further if an unbeliever invites you to share a meal with them, go ahead and eat whatever they serve you. Unless of course they were to tell you that the food was part of the worship of an idol. In the latter case, you should not eat it. Not because there is any harm to you from eating it, but because the person who told you that it was part of a pagan worship practice would perceive you as worshiping that idol. Paul sums up his teaching on this subject by telling us that everything we do should be done for the glory of God. We should tailor our actions in order to maximize the impact of our witness so that those who see our behavior might come to the Lord.

Kutztown Folk Festival soap making

Psalm 34:11-22

     The psalmist tells us that the key to a long and prosperous life is avoiding evil and lies. He tells us that while those who strive to live righteous lives will repeatedly face troubles, God will come to their rescue each time. We could avoid some of the troubles in life by abandoning our faith, but if we stand firm in the face of those troubles, God will stand beside us and bring us through.

Kutztown Folk Festival soap making

Proverbs 21:14-16

     A good way to calm someone who is angry with you is by giving them a gift that they do not have to acknowledge. Those who strive to do good are happy to see Justice done. Those who do evil are afraid of Justice, even when they are not the subjects of it. Failure to exercise common sense is a good way to end up dead.

Early farm machinery at Kutztown Folk Festival

     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.

HyperSmash

Daily Bible Study

August 15, 2012 Bible Study

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Bubble organ at the Kutztown Folk Festival

Nehemiah 9:22-10:39

     Today’s passage starts out with the second half of the prayer that the Levite leaders prayed over the assembled people. In the prayer, they recounted how God had repeatedly blessed the people of Israel and the people of Israel had repeatedly rebelled against God. There is a recurring theme in the prayer. When God blessed His people and times were good they turned away from Him. God would punish the people for their sins and they would once more turn to Him. How little things have changed today. We still cry out to God when we are suffering, but all too often when God answers our prayers and brings us blessings we respond by turning away from Him. I struggle not to fall into the same trap.
     The returned exiles vowed to keep the Law and the Lord’s commands. They promised to keep the Sabbath and the Sabbath Year. That every seventh year they would allow the land to lie fallow and would cancel all debts that they were owed. There is something here that we should learn. If we cannot pay off a debt in seven years, we should give serious consideration as to whether we should enter into that loan in the first place. I also see in this passage something that is central to Christian faith. Each generation must decide to follow God for themselves. Parents can do their best to teach their children to follow God, but the children must choose to do so for themselves. The parents cannot choose for them.

Old Tractors and farm machinery at Kutztown Folk Festival

1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13

     Paul continues to talk to us about the meaning of our freedom in Christ here. He tells us that even though he was free, he allowed himself to be bound by the understanding of those he was preaching to. There are different ways to understand what he was saying here, but I believe that he was saying that he lived according to the “rules” that those he was preaching to believed that a “good” person would follow. However, he avoided living according to rules that would cause them to perceive him as self-righteous. He did this insofar as doing so was consistent with following Jesus. and no further. In addition, he tells us that he trained his body like an athlete. I am not sure if by this he means that he exercised regularly or that he trained his body to endure hardship (hunger, cold, etc.). Or perhaps he means both.
     Paul then goes on to give us examples from the history of the people of Israel. How, despite all of them going through the same experience of God’s providence, some of them fell away and rebelled against God. He tells us not to become arrogant in our faith and think that we are better than others, neither those who came before, nor our contemporaries. There are two final points he makes in today’s passage. The first is that the temptations we face are no different from those that everyone else has faced both now and in the past. The temptation we face is neither easier to master, nor harder than what anyone else has faced. The second is that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to overcome. He will show us the way to overcome temptation, if we are willing to take it. I struggle with this. All too often, I fail to take the path that will lead me away from temptation even when I know where the other path leads.

More old tractors and early farm machinery at the Kutztown Folk Festival

Psalm 34:1-10

     The psalmist tells us that he will praise the Lord at all times. He tells us that in time of trouble he prayed to the Lord and God saved him. He tells us that even when we are helpless God will rescue us if we call to Him. Then he uses one of the great lines of the Bible, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Just try a little bite of trusting in the Lord and you will never want anything else to eat. It reminds me of the people dispensing samples of food in the grocery store. I have friends that I wish to reach for the Lord. If only they would try a taste of what it means to trust in Him. That is my prayer, that they see my life and want a taste of what it is I find so appetizing. And if you are reading this and have not given your life to Jesus, just try a taste of what it’s like. Unlike the food they are offering up in the grocery stores, this taste is for everyone.

Early farm machinery and brass fittings at the Kutztown Folk Festival

Proverbs 21:13

     Today’s proverb tells us that if we ignore the poor when we are in a position to help them, we will be ignored when we need help. This reminds me of what Jesus said about Judgment Day in Matthew 25. God turns to those on either side and says, “I was hungry,…thirsty,…a stranger,…naked,…sick,…in prison,…” And those on either side responded the same way, “When did we see you like that?” The difference between the two was not that one saw God in the people suffering and the other did not. The difference was that one group saw people in need and cared for them. The other group saw people in need and passed them by. I pray to God that I never pass by those in need when I have it within my power to provide them comfort and/or care.

Display of hex signs at the Kutztown Folk Festival

     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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Daily Bible Study

August 14, 2012 Bible Study

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© Image Copyright 2012, D.J. Hacker. All rights reserved.

Nehemiah 7:73-9:21

     Once the people got settled again after completing the walls around Jerusalem, they gathered on the first day of the seventh month (which by our calendar would have been early October) to listen to Ezra read the Law of Moses. The passage tells us that Ezra read the Law from early morning until noon to everyone who could understand and all of the people listened closely. While Ezra was reading from the Law there stood to either side of him thirteen Levites. I am not certain of this, but the passage reads to me as if these additional men were also reading the Law, with them spaced out so that everyone could hear what was being read (after all, this was in the days before amplifiers). As they read, they explained to the people what each passage meant, helping the people to understand what was being read. As they listened to the Law being read, the Spirit of God touched the people and they began to weep. We are not told why the people were weeping, but from the context I would guess it was as a result of their recognition that they had failed to live up to God’s commands. Nehemiah and the other leaders calmed the people and told them not to weep because this day was a day of sacred celebration and feasting. The leaders told them to go and celebrate with a feast and to share their feast with those who did not have.
     The following day, the leaders of the people met with Ezra to go over the Law in greater detail. As they studied they discovered that the Law had instructed the people to celebrate this festival by gathering branches and building temporary shelters in which to live during this festival. So, they instructed the people to do this and the returned exiles built such shelters and lived in them for the duration of the festival (which was seven days, with a solemn assembly on the eighth day).
     On the 24th day of the seventh month, they gathered again. This time they gathered for a time of penitence and mourning for their sins. The passage tells us that this time, they stood for three hours listening to the Law being read. Then, for another three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped God. And today we sometimes complain when our Sunday morning service goes over an hour and a half, most of which we spend seated on comfortable seats.

© Image Copyright 2012, D.J. Hacker. All rights reserved.

1 Corinthians 9:1-18

     Today’s passage is an interesting one. It appears that Paul is responding to rumors that question his authority and motives. He starts out by saying that while some might not view him as an apostle, certainly the Corinthian Church should. This makes sense here since the Greek word that is translated “apostle” (and which is the root for the word apostle itself) means delegated messenger. Paul was certainly God’s delegated messenger to deliver the Gospel to the Corinthians. Paul then goes on to give several examples which demonstrate that those who preach the Gospel are entitled to receive support from those they preach to. Paul points out that he was entitled to their support, but that he did not avail himself of it. He emphasizes that he does not wish to start doing so now.
     There are two things I take away from this passage. The first is that God calls on the Church to provide financial support to its preachers, teachers and missionaries. The second is one that people tend to overlook. Some people who are called into ministry are called by God to support themselves. The Church should call people into ministry and be prepared to provide support to those they so call. However, some fraction of those called are called by God Himself to support themselves, leaving those Church resources for use in other ministries. I do not know what percentage that should be, but it is a small number. I am sure the number would vary depending on the financial circumstances of those who make up the Church body which does the calling. I doubt it is ever much higher than 10% of those called to ministry and probably usually much lower.

© Image Copyright 2012, D.J. Hacker. All rights reserved.

Psalm 33:12-22

     The psalmist tells us that military prowess is not sufficient to maintain a nation that does not have God’s favor. However, he also tells us that if we put our hope in God, He will protect us, no matter what other forces are arrayed against us. No matter what forces and troubles we face, we can have confidence that God is more than equal to shielding us from them.

© Image Copyright 2012, D.J. Hacker. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 21:11-12

     The simple-minded need to witness punishment before they will learn wisdom, while the wise simply need to be instructed in order to become wiser. The righteous know what the wicked do and recognize that such behaviors lead to destruction.


© Image Copyright 2012, D.J. Hacker. All rights reserved.

     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.

Daily Bible Study

August 13, 2012 Bible Study

1 Comment

© Image Copyright 2012, D.J. Hacker. All rights reserved.


Nehemiah 5:14-7:73

     Following on his discussion of the problems that resulted from the wealthy Jews taking advantage of the misfortune of the poor Jews, Nehemiah writes that, unlike previous governors, during his twelve years as governor he never drew the governor’s food allowance. Nehemiah accuses his predecessors of putting a heavy burden on the people with even their assistants taking advantage of the people. Nehemiah says that he acted this way because he feared God. Nehemiah dedicated himself to working on rebuilding the wall, requiring his servants to spend time working on the wall as well. Nehemiah spent from his own resources to fulfill his duty as governor to host officials and visiting dignitaries. He did this because he felt that the burden on the people to rebuild the wall was all that they could bear and the added burden of supporting him and his officials would have been too much for the people.
     When the enemies of the Jews among the surrounding peoples found out that Nehemiah had completed the walls around Jerusalem, they attempted to lure him to a meeting where they could ambush him. Nehemiah refused to accede to a meeting with them offering as an excuse that he was busy with his work and saw no benefit in such a meeting. They sent him four such invitations. When they realized that he would not meet with them voluntarily, they attempted to blackmail him. They claimed that they had evidence that he was planning to set himself up as king in Jerusalem and that if he did not meet with them they would send this evidence to the king of Persia. When this did not work, they hired an invalid that Nehemiah visited to try to convince Nehemiah to shut himself up in the Temple over night to avoid an attack. Nehemiah recognized that shutting himself up in the Temple to avoid an attack while leaving the rest of the population vulnerable would destroy his credibility. He chose instead to trust in the defenses of the city.
     It took the people 52 days to rebuild the walls under Nehemiah’s leadership. During the time spent rebuilding the laws, many of the leaders among the Jews were telling Nehemiah what a wonderful man Tobiah (one of the leaders of the surrounding peoples who opposed rebuilding the walls) was. At the same time, they were reporting to Tobiah everything they knew about Nehemiah’s plans. Meanwhile Tobiah kept sending Nehemiah threatening letters to try to intimidate him. It is never spelled out in this account, but the reason that these attempts to thwart Nehemiah failed was because Nehemiah had a personal relationship with Artaxerxes who was then the king of Persia. Which shows how God’s hand was at work here. If someone without Nehemiah’s connections in the court of Persia had attempted this, they would have been thwarted. But God chose Nehemiah for this task and Nehemiah had both the connections and the dedication to God to complete it. When the walls were finished, Nehemiah turned over responsibility for governing Jerusalem to his brother, Hanani, along with specific instructions on maintaining the defenses of the city.
     Nehemiah noted that the population of the city was small and the houses within the city had not yet been rebuilt. This led him to decide to call together the leaders and the common people to register who was living in the city. He had found a record of the people who had first returned to Jerusalem from Exile and records that information here.

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1 Corinthians 8:1-13

     Paul now addresses the question they had sent him about food offered to idols. It appears that the question had been couched in a manner so as to elicit the answer they wanted from Paul by starting out with something along the lines of, “We all know…” Paul replies to this by saying that, “Yes, we all know some things.” And that knowledge makes us feel important. However, love is what builds the Church. The person who is convinced that knowing the answers is what is important does not yet understand what matters. What matters is loving God. Being right is less important than showing our love of God and our fellow believers.
     Having said that, Paul begins to address their question. He starts out by saying that idols are not really gods. There is only one God. He points out that nevertheless some people worship a multitude of gods and lords. Paul tells us that we as Christians know that there is only one God, who created everything, and we live for Him.
     However, Paul points out that not all believers have come to this understanding yet. Some believers still believe in the power and existence of the gods that they worshiped before they came to the Lord. If they eat of food offered to idols, it is an act of worship to those idols. Paul points out that we gain nothing spiritually from not eating food offered to idols, but we, also, gain nothing spiritually from eating it. Therefore since some other believers might consider eating meat offered to idols to be idol worship and if they see a believer they look up eating such meat they might be led to do the same, we should not eat such food. If we, who know that idols are nothing and can eat meat offered to idols without worshiping the idols, are seen eating meat offered to idols, a believer who still struggles with believing in the power of idols might be led to return to worshiping idols. This argument applies in other areas besides meat offered to idols, which we have little exposure to in the U.S.. We need to be sensitive to the weaknesses of faith that other believers around us suffer from. Whether that is taking care about drinking alcohol around those who struggle with alcoholism, or in exercising some other freedom we have in Christ in front of a believer who struggles with temptation in that area. We must be careful not to lead a fellow believer to stumble and fall.


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Psalm 33:1-11

     The psalmist tells us that those who love the Lord should be joyful and sing praises to God. We should use whatever instruments come to hand to produce music to praise God and not be afraid to write new songs that reflect out experience of Him. He tells us that creating the world was effortless for God, as easy for Him as breathing is for us. God’s plans will come to fruition, no matter who or what stands in their path.


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Proverbs 21:8-10

     The first proverb today tells us that the guilty are devious, but the innocent are straightforward. This is a warning. If you are dealing with someone with whom everything seems to corkscrew through all kinds of hard to follow permutations, be suspicious of their intentions. On the other hand, someone who is straightforward and forthright can be trusted.
     The second one tells us that it is better to live in poverty with little, than to be wealthy and live with a wife who quarrels all the time. I thank God every day that the latter is not my lot in life.
     The third one tells us that if you know someone who is constantly plotting to cause unpleasantness for others, stay away from them because they will soon target you.

© Image Copyright 2012, D.J. Hacker. All rights reserved.

     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.

Daily Bible Study

August 12, 2012 Bible Study

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Nehemiah 3:15-5:13
     Today’s passage begins with a continuation of the detailed list of who worked on rebuilding the various sections of the wall. The importance of this is that it shows that the people pitched in and worked on the project. Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem was not a project that was done by leadership taxing the people and hiring builders. The people themselves took responsibility for different parts of it. Some people took responsibility for just the little bits “immediately across from his own house.” Other people took responsibility for larger sections. All are given credit here with no sense that some were better than others because they did more. Not only does this account not read as giving some more credit than others, it reads, to me, as those who did more doing so happily and not considering themselves more important than those who only did the section across from their own house.

     When the leaders of the neighboring peoples learned of the progress being made by the concerted effort to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, they were furious. They insulted the quality of the work being done in what appears to have been an effort to discourage the workers. Nevertheless work continued. The neighboring peoples made plans to attack Jerusalem. However, Jews who lived near to them heard of their plans and warned Nehemiah. Nehemiah responded by posting guards and mobilizing the people. When their enemies discovered their preparations they abandoned their plans to attack. From that point on, Nehemiah kept his guard up and made sure that the people were prepared to stop working and defend the city at a moment’s notice.

     At this point some of the Jews came to Nehemiah to complain that the wealthy and powerful among the Jews were taking advantage of them and causing them to have to sell their children into slavery. Nehemiah was angry when he learned what was going on, so he called a public meeting to address the issue. Nehemiah makes the point that they as a collective group were working to redeem Jews who had had to sell themselves into slavery, yet, here some of the same people were causing some of the Jews to sell themselves back into slavery. Nehemiah says that they must stop doing this. He admits that he, his family and retainers had been profiting from lending to the poor. He says that they must all stop charging interest for their loans to their fellow Jews and that they must restore what they had taken to cover the debt. The leaders agreed to return the property they had taken as interest and not charge interest going forward. Nehemiah does not say, “You are doing this and you must stop.” He says, “We are doing this and we must stop.” A reading of the passage suggests that Nehemiah and those around him were not guilty of the abuses that led to the problem coming to a head. But Nehemiah recognized that there was a fine line between what he was doing and what was causing the problem and that his actions might inevitably lead to the problem. Even though his own actions might have been “OK”, he chose to stop them because they could too easily slip over into the “Not OK”.

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1 Corinthians 7:25-40
     Apparently the Corinthians had also asked whether it was OK for those who were not yet married to get married (or perhaps whether they should get married). I suspect that Paul was not quite sure of what exactly they were asking, so he phrases his answer several different ways to make sure that it was clearly understood. The first thing he says is something that he emphasizes is just advice, not a command. He says that he thinks that if you are not married, it would be better not to get married. However, he emphasizes that it is not a sin to get married. He points out that a single person can focus solely on doing God’s will. Whereas someone who is married needs to think about how to care for their family. He repeats that he is not placing restrictions on them. He tells them that he wants them to do what will help them serve the Lord with the fewest distractions. If sexual desires and temptations are distracting someone from serving the Lord, they should get married. If, on the other hand, they can restrain themselves, they should remain single. Paul expresses his belief that it is better to stay single, but that everyone must make that judgment for themselves. I think that this is something that the Church today fails to focus on. The Church (in the U.S. at least) seems to almost take the approach of teaching that getting married is God’s calling for people. Yet Paul here seems to be saying that we should look at it in the reverse. That staying single is the calling and getting married only for those who do not have that gift.

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Psalm 32:1-11
     The psalmist tells us that we must confess our sins in order to be forgiven. That when we refuse to admit and confess our sins, they will eat away at us. When we stop trying to hide our sins and pretend that we have it all together God will forgive us and bring us healing. When we admit that we are not perfect, we will experience joy. If we pretend to have it all together, it will all fall apart. It is only when we admit our sin and brokenness that we can experience God’s healing and redemption.

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Proverbs 21:5-7
     Today we have three proverbs that I see as linked. The first tells us that careful planning and hard work leads to prosperity, but that attempting to take shortcuts leads to poverty. The second two expand on this theme because they represent two “shortcuts” to wealth. One tells us that if you gather wealth on the basis of lies, at some point that wealth will vanish and you will be trapped by the lies, finding it hard to acquire wealth by legitimate means once you have started down the path of deception. The other tells us that using violence to acquire wealth will sooner or later cause that violence to rebound onto the perpetrator.

© Image Copyright 2012, D.J. Hacker. All rights reserved.
   
  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.

Daily Bible Study

August 11, 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.

Nehemiah 1-3:14

     Today is the start of the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s account begins in the 20th year of Artaxerxes reign. Ezra had led his expedition to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes reign. The story begins when Nehemiah’s brother and some other men who had recently visited Judah came to visit him. Nehemiah inquired about how things were going in Jerusalem. The men told him that things were not going well. The walls of the city had been torn down and the gates destroyed by fire. Nehemiah was heartbroken by this news. Nehemiah mourned at this news, but he did not just mourn. He fasted and prayed to God. When he had formulated a plan, he prayed for God to give him success in getting the approval of the king for his plan.
     Nehemiah was the cup-bearer for King Artaxerxes at this time. At some point after receiving the news about Jerusalem, Nehemiah is in the presence of the king. The king noticed that he looked sad and asked him about it. Nehemiah told the king that he was sad for the state of Jerusalem. The king asked Nehemiah how he could help. Nehemiah prayed silently as he asked the king to send him to rebuild Jerusalem. The king granted Nehemiah’s request. In addition, Nehemiah asked for letters instructing the governors of the areas around Jerusalem to allow him to travel to Jerusalem and to the manager of the king’s forest instructing him to give Nehemiah timber. The king granted this request as well. In addition, the king gave Nehemiah and armed escort.
     Nehemiah delivered the king’s letters to the governors of province. Several of the governors were unhappy with Nehemiah’s appointment. When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he did not apprise anyone of his arrival until he had an opportunity to inspect the city walls, which he did at night. Once Nehemiah had inspected the walls, he introduced himself to the leaders of Jerusalem. He proposed that they begin rebuilding the city walls. The city leaders received this suggestion enthusiastically. Work began on rebuilding the walls at once. The officials of the neighboring regions are unhappy with the walls of Jerusalem being rebuilt. Nehemiah tells them that they have no claim to authority over Jerusalem, legal or otherwise. Nehemiah delegates the rebuilding of various sections of the wall to different leaders of the city or surrounding settlements.
     An important takeaway from this passage is that Nehemiah prayed for God’s support and help at every stage of his plan. In addition, he made clear to everyone that he was relying on God for his plan to succeed. I have felt called by the Lord to fast as I read this passage and several others over the last few days.

1 Corinthians 7:1-24

     Paul now begins addressing questions that the Corinthians had asked him in a letter. The first of these is regarding sexual relations and marriage. Paul starts his answer by saying that it is good to remain celibate, but that since sexual immorality is so prevalent in the surrounding society most people should be married. Paul further instructs that married couples should not abstain from sex with each other, except for limited times when they have agreed to do so as part of a prayer and fasting time. Paul again reiterates that he wishes everyone would remain single but that he knows that not everyone has that gift. Paul emphasizes that what he is saying is advice, not a command.
     Next Paul says something that he emphasizes is a command. He says that those who are married should remain married. A wife should not leave her husband. If she does, she should remain single or be reconciled to him. Interestingly, he makes no such provision for husbands. He tells husbands that they must not leave their wives. Paul then returns to giving his opinion as advice. He says that a believer who is married to an unbeliever should remain with them, but if the unbeliever leaves, the believer is no longer bound by the marriage vows. Paul says that the believer should stay with the unbeliever for the sake of the children (but if the unbeliever insists on leaving, let them go). In addition, he says that perhaps the unbeliever may come to know the Lord through their believing spouse.
     Finally Paul closes out this section by telling us that we should stay in the state we were in when God called us. If we were circumcised, we should not attempt to undo it. If we were uncircumcised, we should not become circumcised. If someone was a slave, they should not let it concern them (although if they get the opportunity to gain their freedom, they should take it).

Psalm 31:19-24

     The psalmist tells us that God has great goodness stored up for those who love Him. He tells us that even when we feel cut off from God, if we cry out to Him, He will answer our call for help. If we put our hopes in God, we should stand strong and courageous because God will come to our defense.

Proverbs 21:4

     This proverb tells us that pride and an arrogant attitude are as much a sin as evil actions. Having evil thoughts and attitudes is just as much a sin as taking evil actions.

Daily Bible Study

August 10, 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.

Ezra 10:1-44

     The story switches back to the third person again at this point. While Ezra was praying in front of the Temple a crowd of people gathered. They joined him in weeping over the sin of marrying women who do not share the faith. One of the leaders came to Ezra and proposed that the Jews who had returned from Exile make a new covenant with God and divorce their pagan wives and send them, and their children, away. Ezra demanded that the priests, Levites and all the people present swear that they would follow this suggestion. Then a proclamation was sent out that all of the returned Exiles gather in Jerusalem or, if the leaders and elders so decided, forfeit their property and be expelled from the assembly of the exiles. When the people had gathered, they agreed to follow the proposed plan. However, they said that it would take some time and they could not remain out in the open for long because it was the rainy season.
     The plan that was agreed to involved each of the men who had married a pagan wife coming before the leaders in Jerusalem with the leaders and elders from his city. This suggests that there was more to it than just every man who had married a non-Jew divorcing her and sending her away with her children. Is the reason for the meeting with the elders to determine if the non-Jewish wife has embraced Judaism and therefore does not need to be divorced? The passage does not tell us. I find it interesting to contrast this with Paul’s advice to the Corinthians. Paul advises those believers who are married to non-Christians to stay with their spouse unless the spouse chooses to leave them. On the other hand, there is some common ground as well. Paul commands that those who marry after they become believers should only marry someone who is also a believer.

1 Corinthians 6:1-20

     Paul condemns the believers in Corinth for taking their disputes before secular judges. He tells them that it is better to be wronged than to do that. It is a tragedy today that there are cases where congregations go to court to resolve matters of congregational governance, or other matters of dispute. Paul tells us that if believers have a dispute, they should take it before someone from the Church who is judged wise on the issues in question. If the other party will not accept such a judgement, we should let the matter drop, even if it means accepting injustice. Paul suggests that instead of accepting being the victims of being cheated, some of the believers in Corinth were cheating others, including their brothers in Christ. Elsewhere, when Paul confronts the Corinthians about something, he says he is not trying to shame them. In this passage he says that he is trying to shame them. He tells them that they should be ashamed of going to court against fellow believers.
     Paul moves on to addressing sexual sin. Some of the believers in Corinth had been taking the freedom in Christ too far. They justified their sins by saying, “I am allowed to do anything.” Paul counters this by saying that some things are not good for you. He tells them that they must not become slaves to sin. He then counters an argument that has been revived today, comparing sexual desires to hunger for food. People often say that we have a need for sexual behavior just as we have a need for food. Paul flat out rejects this argument and denies that it has any merit. Paul tells us that our bodies are part of Christ. He, also, tells us that our bodies become part of whomever we have sex with. We should not join our bodies, which are part of Christ, with prostitutes (or others who are promiscuous). He concludes this line of argument by saying that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we should honor God with our bodies.

Psalm 31:9-18

     The psalmist cries out that he is suffering terribly, that he is despised by all. Even his friends are afraid to approach him. But he trusts God even in this terrible state. He believes that God will save him. Can we manage the same faith when we endure suffering? Will we continue to believe that all works together for good for those who love the Lord when we face tragedy and misfortune?

Proverbs 21:3

     It is more important to God that we do what is right and just than that we follow the correct rituals, whether they be sacrifices and offerings or something else.