For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 21:1-2

    We may think that we are doing good, but God knows what is truly in our hearts, better even than we do. God knows what our true motives are and will show us how to do the right things for the right reasons, if we ask Him to.

Psalm 31:1-8

    If we turn to God for protection He will not allow us to be disgraced. No matter how desperate our situation may seem, God will rescue those who put their full trust in him. Let us not cling to anything other than God, such things have no power to save us.

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

    This passage reminds me of many in the Church in the U.S. today. Paul condemns the Corinthians for being proud that one of their number was committing sexual sin. There are portions of the Church today who are stand up for a brag about their support for those who commit sexual sins. Paul tells us that rather than do that we should refuse to associate with such people. In doing so, we must remember that our purpose is not to punish the sinner, but to call them back to faithfulness to God. We are to make clear that their actions are destructive both to themselves and others. We cannot look the other way and pretend that those who claim to be following Christ, yet are actively practicing self-destructive behaviors, are in good standing with God. Note that the situation Paul was addressing was not one where the person was caught in the power of sin and striving to find the strength to escape. The situation was one where the person involved was claiming that there was nothing sinful about their actions (at least, that is how I read it).
    We, also, need to note that Paul did not instruct us to avoid those who commit various sins who do not acknowledge God. Let us make sure that we communicate to those who claim to follow Christ and openly sin that they are failing to faithfully follow Him. Yet, let us always remember that the purpose is not to bring harm or hurt to that person. The purpose of our interactions with everyone should be to open them to the working of the Holy Spirit so that they might more faithfully serve God (or start serving God).

Ezra 8:21-9:15

    Once more we get a lesson on undertaking a task for God. As the people prepared to travel from where they had gathered to set out, Ezra called on them to fast and humble themselves before God. They prayed asking God to protect them from robbers and bandits (and any other dangers) on their trip to Jerusalem. Ezra did not want to call on the secular authorities for a military escort because he had bragged (accurately) of God’s ability to protect them from dangers. The other part of Ezra’s preparation was that he selected certain individuals to be accountable for the treasure which they were carrying. He made a specific account of what was being transported and turned it over to these people, making it clear that they were to account for these items when they arrived in Jerusalem. It is important to be clear who in the group is responsible for the money and equipment which the group is using.
    When Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, some of the people came to him to complain about those previously returned Exiles who had married those living in the land, or given their sons in marriage to women from among those living in the land. It is easy to get caught up with the concerns about racial purity which this passage expresses and miss the real concern. The problem with marrying the local women was the practices which they followed in order to complete these alliances. The problem was not with Jewish men marrying non-Jewish women. The problem was that the Jewish men adopted the pagan practices of their wives. In the same way today, Christian men and women should only marry those who also follow Christ, or risk being seduced away from God by their spouse.

     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 8:21-9:15

     As Ezra prepared to lead his group on their journey to return to Jerusalem he was concerned about opposition they might face on the journey; in particular bandits, since they were transporting so much wealth. However, Ezra was embarrassed to ask the king for a military escort because he had told the king that God was a mighty defender of those who worshiped Him. So, Ezra had all of those who were going to accompany him on the journey fast and pray before they set out. They asked God to give them a safe journey and to protect them, their children and the goods they were transporting. After doing this, Ezra and those accompanying him set forth. They traveled to Jerusalem without incident. Upon arrival they took an accounting for the goods that they had been given and they were all accounted for, none were lost on the journey. The travelers then offered sacrifices to God, thanking Him for their safe journey.
     When Ezra was settled in, some of the leaders of the Jews who had previously settled in Jerusalem and surrounding areas came to Ezra. They told him that many among them had married foreign women and had arranged for their sons to marry from among the foreigners living around them. As a result, they had begun practicing some of the detestable practices of these other peoples. After hearing this, Ezra tore his clothes and sat down in mourning until the time of the evening sacrifice. At the time of the evening sacrifice, Ezra got up and preached a sermon publicly calling out those who had chosen to marry foreign women and follow their religious practices while they at the same time pretended to continue to worship the Lord.

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     If you read this passage casually, it appears to be a condemnation of marrying those from a different ethnic background than oneself, in particular of Jews marrying those not of Jewish ancestry. However, if one reads a little closer, one discovers that this is a condemnation of marrying those who have not fully embraced faith in God. The condemnation is for those who married a woman who practiced another religion and then joined her in her religious practices (the same condemnation would apply to women marrying a man of another religion).

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

     Today’s passage is Paul’s message on the limits of tolerance and not judging others. Paul addresses an issue that has been reported to him. Paul tells them that he has heard that there is a man among them who is having sexual relations with his father’s wife. Not only is the church in Corinth tolerating this man’s behavior, it is proud of it. Paul tells them that they should be mourning that one among them is doing such things. They must gather as a congregation and as a body remove this man as a member of their body. They are to do this so that he may repent of his sin and become one with Christ once more.
     Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians that they should not associate with those who indulge in sexual sins, because such sins will spread through the whole body of believers the way that yeast spreads through dough. He makes clear that when he says not to associate with those who indulge in sexual sins he is not referring to unbelievers. What he meant was that we should not associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sins, or is greedy, or cheats people, or worships idols. He tells them to not even eat with such people.
     Paul tells us that it is not our responsibility to judge those outside of the Body of believers, but it is our responsibility to judge those within the Church who are sinning. We are to remove the evil person from among us.

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     There are traditions which have abused this teaching, but all too many Christians focus on the teaching “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” This passage reads to me like Paul is saying that the teaching against judging applies primarily to our approach to non-believers. In addition, I believe that Paul’s teaching suggests that we should embrace being judged. That is, we should wish for our brothers and sisters in Christ to confront us when they see us sinning. Certainly, if we are going to confront our brothers when we perceive them to be sinning, we should expect them to confront us when they perceive us to be sinning.
     I believe that we should follow the instruction which Jesus gave in Matthew 18:15-20. I believe that what Paul said in this passage is a special case of applying that instruction. Jesus tells us to go privately to the brother who has sinned and point out their failing. There are two reasons for going privately. The first is that we should not “air the dirty laundry” unnecessarily. If the person acknowledges their sin and repents, there is no reason to make it public. The second, however, is because we are fallible human beings, perhaps we are mistaken and the person is not actually sinning. By going to them privately, we give them the opportunity to defend their actions and show us how we misunderstood the situation. Each of the steps have the same element of allowing the person to defend their actions to those who we bring to confront them about their sin.
     In all of these cases, our goal is to restore our brother (or sister) to a right relationship with God. One of my basic understandings of Christianity is that sin is self-destructive behavior. When we confront others about sin, we are pointing out ways in which they are hurting themselves (and possibly others as well). If we truly love someone, we will want to discourage them from continuing to undertake activities that are hurting them. OF course, we should also desire that those who love us gently correct us when we hurt ourselves by the things we do.

Psalm 31:1-8

     If we trust God, He will be our refuge and protection. If we allow Him to guide us, He will lead us down the path to avoid the traps and pitfalls that our enemies have laid for us. The wisdom of this world tells us that if we follow its rules and abandon the integrity and righteousness which God commands we will be victorious. However, God promises us that despite any appearance to the contrary, if we follow His commands and live with honesty and integrity, He will protect us from all danger.

Proverbs 21:1-2

     Rulers may think that they are serving their own agenda, but in the end they will follow the path which God has laid out for them.
     As human beings we often convince ourselves that we are doing something for the best, when in fact we are doing it for selfish reasons. No matter how thoroughly we may have convinced ourselves that our motives are pure, God knows the truth of the matter and will hold us accountable. If we are willing to listen to Him, He will reveal to us when we have lied to ourselves to convince ourselves that we are not sinning.

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