Tag Archives: Christianity

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

Nehemiah was serving in the court of Artaxerxes as the king’s cup-bearer when his brother and several other men visited him after taking a trip to Jerusalem. Nehemiah asked how things were going in Jerusalem and his visitors told him that it was not going well, the wall was torn down and the gates destroyed. Nehemiah was heartbroken at this news, so he began to fast and pray. He admitted his sins, and the sins of his family and his people. He asked God to remember His promise to restore His people when they turned back to Him. Finally, he asked God to make the king favorable to him and grant him his request.
At some point during his fast Nehemiah appeared before the king looking sad. Nehemiah had never before appeared sad before the king and the king asked him about this change in demeanor. Nehemiah was terrified, but nevertheless summoned the courage to tell the king that he was sad because of the state of Jerusalem. The king asked Nehemiah how he could help him. Nehemiah replied by requesting that the king send him to Judah to rebuild Jerusalem. The king asked him how long he would be gone and, when Nehemiah answered, granted his request. Nehemiah followed that up by requesting letters to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates allowing him to travel through their territory unmolested to Jerusalem and a letter to the overseer of the king’s foresters instructing him to provide Nehemiah with timber for the work. The king granted this request and sent a military escort with Nehemiah. Despite the letters from the king, two of the officials in the areas around Judah were upset that Nehemiah had arrived to work on rebuilding Jerusalem.

***
     I never noticed this before, but during the time when Nehemiah was fasting and praying before he appeared before the king he was doing more than fasting and praying. He was making plans. When he appeared before the king he had his plans all made, so that when the king asked him how long he would be gone on this project, he knew the answer. This is an important lesson for us. While we are praying and seeking God’s support for our course of action, we should be planning what we will do if and when God grants us that support. It would not have been enough for Nehemiah to have spent that time down on his knees praying to God, “Please cause the king to approve my going to Jerusalem to rebuild it.” He wisely spent some of that time planning what he would do if the king granted his request.
***
     When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he spent several days settling in before telling anyone why he had come. He then slipped out of the city at night and made a survey of Jerusalem’s defenses. In the morning Nehemiah addressed the various leaders of Jerusalem. He summarized the results of his survey, acknowledging that the leaders were well aware of what he had found, and proposed that they begin rebuilding the wall. He told them about his conversation with the king and the support the king had given him for the project. The leaders were enthusiastic about the project.
     When several of the officials of surrounding areas(Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem) heard what the Jews were doing they suggested that rebuilding the walls was rebellion. Nehemiah replied that God was with them and that these men (Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem) had no share or claim (legal or historical) on Jerusalem. Various family groups began working on sections of the walls and gates of Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 7:1-24

In today’s passage Paul addresses an issue that was apparently raised in a letter the Corinthians had sent to him. He begins by saying that it is good to abstain from sexual relations. However, because society puts such an emphasis on sexual activity and assumes sexual immorality as the norm, it is good for most people to be married. Those who are married should meet the sexual needs of their spouse (husbands filling the sexual needs of their wives and wives filling the sexual needs of their husbands). Married couples should strive to regularly be sexually intimate, only occasionally abstaining when they have agreed to do so as part of a specified period of praying and fasting.
Paul says that he wishes everyone was single, as he was, but that not everyone is given the gift to be able to live like that. He recommends that those who are not married, or are widowed remain single. However, he encourages those who feel they cannot control their sexual urges to get married. He then gives a command from God. Those who are married are to stay married with their current spouse. If they do separate, they should remain single, or get back together. He continues by saying that in the case where a Christian is married to an unbeliever the Christian should stay with their unbelieving spouse because perhaps the spouse will come to know the Lord through the Christian’s witness. However, if the unbelieving spouse leaves the Christian, the Christian is no longer bound to the unbelieving spouse (Paul seems to be teaching that if someone who is married becomes a Christian and their spouse does not and that unbelieving spouse divorces them, it is OK for this new Christian to remarry).

***
I would like to add to this that when Paul discusses a believer staying with an unbelieving spouse, I concluded that he was talking about someone who became a Christian after being married. I reached this conclusion because elsewhere Paul tells us that we should not be unequally bound.

Psalm 31:19-24

Today’s psalm is summed up by the first verse.

How great is the goodness
you have stored up for those who fear you.
You lavish it on those who come to you for protection,
blessing them before the watching world.
The psalmist tells us that even when it appears that we are cut off from God, He hears our cries for help and will come to our aid. If we put our hope in God, we will not be disappointed.

Proverbs 21:4

I read this proverb in the New Living Translation (NLT) and thought, “This is interesting.” The NLT translation says that being proud and arrogant is as much sin as taking evil actions and therefore just as bad. That certainly is consistent with what I read elsewhere in the Bible.
However, when I looked at the NIV, this proverb reads to say that being proud and arrogant leads one to commit sins. There is certainly truth to that as well.

Daily Bible Study

August 10, 2013 Bible Study — Let Yourselves Be Cheated

August 9, 2013 AttilaDimedici

This water is much better than the clean stuff in my bowl

Ezra 10:1-44

     When Ezra had finished confronting the people of Israel over marrying pagan wives and following their idolatrous practices he laid face down in front of the Temple, weeping and praying. A large crowd of Israelites joined him in this activity. One of the leaders of Israel came to Ezra and declared that the people were prepared to confess their sin and send their pagan wives away. He told Ezra to get up and direct them in how to proceed.
     A proclamation was sent out demanding that all of the returned exiles gather in Jerusalem on pain of forfeiture of their property, unless they had special dispensation from the leaders and elders of the people. When the people had gathered, Ezra stood up and confronted them over the sin of marrying pagan women and following their practices. Ezra told them to separate themselves from the people of the land and these pagan women. The people responded that Ezra was right and that they needed to do as he said. However, they said that since so many had done this it would take time to address the issue. They requested that delegates be selected to act on behalf of the people because it was the rainy season and they could not remain gathered in the open long enough to go through each case.
     It was proposed that each person with a foreign wife come before the assembled leaders at a scheduled time. This proposal was adopted with only four of the leaders disagreeing with this plan of action. The chosen leaders spent the next three months talking to the men who had married pagan wives and addressing the appropriate action for those men to take.

1 Corinthians 6:1-20

     In today’s passage Paul addresses the issue of lawsuits between believers. He tells us that we should not go to secular courts if we have a dispute with fellow believers. Rather we should select someone from within the church to arbitrate between us. Paul asks how we can possibly expect to get a good ruling from judges who do not share our values, nor understand our priorities. Wouldn’t it be better to be cheated than to ask outsiders to judge between believers?
     Paul goes on to say that the actual situation is even worse than that. In a situation where, as believers, we should be willing to be cheated, some of us are cheating others, and not just outsiders (which is bad enough), but our fellow believers. Paul points out that cheaters, along with those who practice many other types of wrongdoing, will never inherit the Kingdom of God. Paul goes on to list a series of types of people who will not inherit the Kingdom of God. That list includes the sexually immoral, men who have sex with other men (both actively and passively), idolaters, adulterers, the greedy, thieves, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers. Paul lists three types of sexual sin (possibly four, since some idol worship involved sexual behaviors) in this passage, but he does not limit it to sexual sins.
     Paul goes on to speak about our freedom in Christ. He tells us that we have the right to do anything, but that some things are not good for us and we should not let anything gain mastery over us. He points out that our bodies were not made for sexual immorality. Rather we were made to be joined with one other person and one other person only. We have been made part of the body of Christ, how can we then join the body of Christ with that of a prostitute? When we have sex with another person, our bodies become one.

***
There are some very basic teachings here for us to pay attention to. The first is that while Paul clearly states that homosexual behavior is unacceptable for those who claim to be followers of Christ, so is any other form of sexual immorality. In addition, Paul lists some other sins which he says also disqualify us from heaven if we practice them as a matter of course.
There is one other point that Paul makes here that I want to pick up for closer examination. He tells us that our bodies were not made for sexual immorality. I believe that he was addressing a cultural attitude that is prevalent in our society today. The attitude that sex is something that people are going to do, that it is unrealistic to expect people who are not in a committed, lifelong relationship with someone of the opposite sex to abstain from sexual acts. Paul is telling us that it is not unrealistic. I will say from my experience that it is possible, not easy, but possible. Through the grace of God I was able to remain celibate for ten years before I met my wife. There were times when I resisted temptation and there were times when I went seeking to break that celibacy but by God’s grace did not find an opportunity to do so. It was not by my righteousness that I was able to remain celibate for that ten year period of time. Rather I was able to do so purely on the power of the Holy Spirit intervening in my life.

Psalm 31:9-18

Today’s psalm is a difficult one for me, because the psalmist spends most of the psalm describing his troubles. However, I take two things away from it. The first is where the psalmist says, “Sin has drained my strength;”. He is admitting that his own sin is the origin of his troubles. When I face troubles in this world, they are, more often than not, a result of my own sins (I will not speak for others here, only for myself). The second one is cause for joy. Even though his troubles are the result of his own sins, the psalmist is confident that now that he has repented of his sin and turned back to God, God will hear him and rescue him. If we repent and turn back to God, He will rescue us from the troubles that our own sin got us into.

Proverbs 21:3

It is more important to God that we do the right thing than that we perform the rituals correctly.

Daily Bible Study

August 9, 2013 Bible Study — Sin Is Self-destructive Behavior

August 8, 2013 AttilaDimedici 1 Comment

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.

***
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.

***
     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.

***

Daily Bible Study

August 8, 2013 Bible Study — What Makes Me Better Than Anyone Else?

August 7, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Ezra 7-8:20

In the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra the priest traveled from Babylon to Jerusalem, along with other priests and Levites. Artaxerxes gave Ezra a letter to take with him to Jerusalem. The letter gave Ezra permission to travel to Jerusalem with funds and articles for worship he had received from Artaxerxes and his officials. In addition, the letter instructed the officials of the region of which Jerusalem was part to supply Ezra with a stipend out of the taxes which they collected. They were also instructed that the priests and other Temple workers were exempt from taxes.
Upon receiving the letter from Artaxerxes, Ezra gathered Jewish leaders in exile to go with him to Jerusalem. These leaders were accompanied by their families and other men of Israel. When the group had gathered, Ezra discovered that he had priests and other people, but no non-priestly Levites. Ezra sent word to a group of Levites living in exile in another city requesting they send representatives to accompany him. His request was granted and a group of Levites and other Temple servants joined his expedition.

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Paul wraps up his teachings on our attitudes towards the various teachers of the Gospel today before starting on other topics. He tells the Corinthians (and us) to view leaders such as himself and Apollos as mere servants of Christ. We should not be proud of following one teacher over against another. Paul asks them what makes them better than anyone else. Isn’t it true that anything that might be listed as making us better than someone else is something which was given to us by God? If it was a gift from God, then by what right do we boast of it?
If everything about us that makes us people of value was a gift from God, how dare we claim to be better than anyone else? God could just as easily give them the gifts which He has given to us.

Psalm 30:1-12

Today’s psalm is a reminder of our all too human tendencies. When times are good we often forget God and think that we are invincible in our own power. When that happens God brings trouble upon us that is beyond our ability to master. However, if we turn back to Him in those times of trouble, He will rescue us once more and bring us back to times of peace. When God restores our fortunes, let us not forget Him a second time. Rather let us praise His holy name and not be silent. Let us thank Him forever.

Proverbs 20:28-30

It is through love of, and faithfulness to, his people that a ruler’s power is made secure. While the young are rightfully proud of their strength and dexterity, we should not be ashamed of the signs that show we have gained experience and learned how to deal with diverse problems. Sometimes physical punishment is the only way to teach someone, ourselves included, the folly of evil.

Daily Bible Study

August 7, 2013 Bible Study –Building the Temple of God

August 6, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Ezra 4:24-6:22

Due to the opposition of the surrounding peoples, work on rebuilding the Temple was stopped for some time, until the second year of King Darius’ reign in Persia. At that time two prophets began prophesying in Judah and Jerusalem. They inspired the leaders of the people to resume work on the Temple. When the regional officials of the Persian Empire learned of this they came to investigate. They asked the Jews who had given them permission to do this work and demanded the names of those involved. The Jews responded that King Cyrus had ordered the reconstruction of the Temple. The regional officials sent a letter to Darius requesting that the claim be investigated and that Darius issue a ruling on the matter. After an extensive search of the Persian archives, King Darius sent back a reply that King Cyrus had indeed ordered the Temple rebuilt. Darius ordered the regional officials to not interfere with the Jewish efforts to rebuild the Temple. In addition, Darius ordered that the full construction costs be paid out of the taxes collected for the Empire, including the costs to support the priests living at the Temple. This latter was done in order that the priests might offer sacrifices and prayers on behalf of Darius and his sons.
The Jewish people were much encouraged by this news and by the prophets who had inspired them to resume work on the Temple. The reconstruction of the Temple was completed in the sixth year of Darius’ reign. Upon completion of the Temple, they held a massive celebration dedicating the Temple to the worship of God. A little over a month later they celebrated the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread at the Temple.

***
While discussing the Passover celebration conducted at the restored Temple there is an interesting phrase: “The Passover meal was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile and by the others in the land who had turned from their immoral customs to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.” This stands, for me, in contrast to the earlier rejection of help from the people living in the land when the returned exiles first began rebuilding the Temple. I don’t think one can make much from either passage because there is insufficient information about what happened. However, I would point out that successful completion of God’s work involved embracing all of those who chose to join in dedicating themselves to serving God.

1 Corinthians 3:5-23

     Paul continues his commentary against division in the Church by asking who Apollos is? Or who he himself really is? This is a rhetorical question because Paul immediately answers it. They are both merely God’s servants, doing the work which God assigned to them. Paul planted the seed of the Gospel and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made the plants of faith grow. It is not the one who plants, nor is it the one who waters, who is important. Rather it is God, who makes the seed grow, that is important. The one who plants and the one who waters work together to serve God’s purpose.
     Now Paul changes his metaphor (and to a degree the message he is giving). He tells them that, by the grace of God, he was the one who laid the foundation of the faith of those in Corinth. Those who are building on that foundation need to be careful because there is no foundation on which to build aside from Jesus Christ. And here Paul tweaks his metaphor a little further and changes focus from those on the outside (himself, Apollos, Peter) to the individual. We can build on the foundation using many different types of materials of varying durability and quality. On judgment day what we have built will face testing, as if by fire. If we have used quality, durable materials, what we have built will last and we will be rewarded. But even if we have used inferior materials and what we have built is destroyed, as long as we have built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, we will be saved, even if in the latter case it is as if we had passed through a wall of flame.
     All of those who truly follow Jesus are, together, God’s Temple. Anyone who destroys the unity of the Church will face God’s wrath. If we think of ourselves as wise, we are fools. The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s eyes. We should not seek to boast of the wisdom we have acquired from listening to the teachings of a particular teacher. Rather we should listen to all who base their teaching on Jesus Christ and learn the wisdom which God intends to reveal to us through those teachings. The key aspect is making sure that the teachings are based on Jesus. Some of those teachings will be of higher quality and more enduring than others, but all can be useful for building a structure for worshiping God.

Psalm 29:1-11

The psalmist calls for “heavenly beings” to honor God. The translation notes for the NLT says that the Hebrew translated as “heavenly beings” literally means “sons of God”. To me that says that the psalmist is telling those of us who are following Christ, whom Paul says are the children of God, to honor God for the glory of His name and worship Him for the splendor of His holiness. If we wish to be in God’s Temple, to be part of the Church, which is God’s Temple, then we need cry “Glory” when God speaks.

Proverbs 20:26-27

A wise ruler removes the wicked from among his subjects, because, sooner or later, they will bring about his downfall and that of his nation. Our very spirit provides the light which allows God to see into the very depths of our being so that He can understand what drives us.

***

Daily Bible Study

August 6, 2013 Bible Study — Are We Ready For Solid Food?

August 5, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Ezra 3-4:23

In the fall after their return the returned exiles gathered in Jerusalem and rebuilt the altar of the Lord on its original location. They began holding the festivals prescribed in the Law of Moses. In the spring of the following year they began work on the foundation of the Temple. When they completed the foundation of the Temple, they had a celebration. Some of the older persons present, who remembered the first Temple, wept when they saw the completed foundation, but everyone else was overjoyed.
When the people living in the surrounding territory (the passage calls them the enemies of the exiles) heard that the exiles were rebuilding the Temple, they asked for permission to help with the rebuilding. The leaders of the exiles rejected their request to help with rebuilding the Temple. From that time forward the people in the surrounding territories truly were the enemies of the exiles and began making efforts to stop them from rebuilding Jerusalem. When Xerxes took the throne of Persia they sent him a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and again when Artaxerxes took the throne. Artaxerxes responded to their letter by giving orders that Jerusalem only be rebuilt if he gave his express command for that to happen. The leaders of the surrounding peoples then went in force to Jerusalem and forced the people of Judah to stop their rebuilding project.

***
It is never explained why the returned exiles refused to allow the people who were living in the land around them to help in the rebuilding of the Temple. My inclination is to consider that refusal a mistake. Certainly it is possible that the help was conditional on having a say on how worship would be conducted in the rebuilt Temple, which would have been a legitimate basis for refusal, the pattern of worship was laid out in the Law of Moses. Even if the leaders of the surrounding peoples did not demand a say in how Temple worship would be conducted, I can see a legitimate fear that they would later demand such a role. However, considering how things turned out, I do not see how accepting their help and avoiding alienating them would have been any worse.
As I said, the passage takes it as a given that the leaders of the exiles did the right thing by rejecting the help of the surrounding peoples, but the only justification it provides for that is their later enmity towards the Jewish people rebuilding the Temple.

1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4

Today, Paul tells us that while he does not attempt to use wisdom to introduce the Gospel to people, there is a message of wisdom for mature believers. But God’s wisdom is not the same as the world’s wisdom. God reveals His wisdom through the Holy Spirit. We have received the Spirit of God, not the spirit of this world. The Spirit of God allows us to understand the wisdom of God.

***
     Once more I find that writing a synopsis of what Paul wrote was not working for me today. I summed up yesterday’s passage as saying that we will never convert anyone by the wisdom of our arguments for the Gospel. Toady’s passage tells us that that does not mean that there is not wisdom in the Gospel. On the contrary, there is wisdom which dwarfs that of the world. However, we can never learn to understand that wisdom until God’s Spirit comes to dwell within us. The only way to understand God’s will is for God’s Spirit to reveal it to us. To those without God’s Spirit the wisdom of God seems foolishness. That is because they do not start with an understanding of God. It is possible for someone in whom the Holy Spirit resides to evaluate the wisdom of the actions of those of the world, but it is not possible for those without the Holy Spirit to evaluate the wisdom of the actions of those with the Holy Spirit.
     This is an important point for us to remember. It is possible for Christians to understand the priorities of non-Christians, no matter how misguided we think they are. This allows us to judge whether their actions can be reasonably expected to accomplish what they want out of life (that is whether those actions are wise by the standards the non-Christians use to judge wisdom). On the other hand, it is impossible for non-Christians to understand the priorities of Christians. This means that they always see our actions as foolish because they cannot understand what our goals are.
***
     Paul continues by telling the believers in Corinth that he had been unable to share the wisdom of God with them when he was last there. He had been forced to give them nothing but the most basic spiritual food because they were as unbelievers or spiritual infants, they were not ready for anything more advanced. In fact, he says, they still are not ready for the more advanced teachings of Christ because they are quarreling with each other. They are busy trying to make themselves more important than others by claiming to be followers of this, or that, teacher, who they claimed was the greater authority on Christianity.
     Am I ready for spiritual food that is solid? Or am I still only willing to drink spiritual milk?

Psalm 28:1-9

The psalmist cries out to the Lord and begs Him to show him mercy. Later the psalmist says that he will praise the Lord because He has heard his cry for mercy. What is the difference between those whom God tears down and destroys and those whom He shields and to whom He grants mercy?
The psalmist tells us this about those whom God will tear down:

They care nothing for what the Lord has done
or for what his hands have made.

But as for himself he says:

The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.

If we are willing to trust God with all of our hearts, He will grant us mercy and shield us from all troubles that this world brings.

Proverbs 20:24-25

Our steps are directed by God, which makes it hard for us to understand how we end up in some of the places He puts us. We should not strive to understand how we arrived at our destination, rather we should seek to understand what God wants us to do now that we are here.

Daily Bible Study

August 5, 2013 Bible Study — God Chose the Foolish Things

August 4, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Ezra 1-2:70

Today’s passage tells us that shortly after Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon he issued a decree permitting, even encouraging, the Jewish people to return to the lands of Israel and to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. This fulfilled the prophecy that God had given through Jeremiah. In response to Cyrus’ proclamation a large number of Jews, in particular Levites and descendants of priests, were moved to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. God led their neighbors to donate towards the expense of the journey. Cyrus gathered together the articles that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple when he conquered Jerusalem. Cyrus gave those articles to the leader of the exiles returning to Jerusalem.
When they arrived at Jerusalem, some of the family leaders gave from their own funds towards the expenses of rebuilding the Temple. The priests and Levites, along with some other people, settled in and around Jerusalem. The rest of the returning exiles settled in their ancestral towns throughout what had been Israel.

1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5

Today’s passage begins with verse 18, but I am going to back up and start with verse 17 because I think it is necessary to get context. In verse 17 Paul says that God sent him to preach the Good News, but not with clever speech (or as the NIV says, “not with eloquence and wisdom”). He goes on from there to say that the message of the cross is viewed as complete foolishness to those who have not accepted God’s free offer. However, to those whom God has called it is the power and wisdom of God.

***
     I was going to do what I normally do and write a synopsis of this and then make my comments on what it meant, but that just was not working for me today. Paul tells us that people demand proof that God exists. Some people are looking for miraculous signs that prove God’s existence, others want to have God proven by logical argument starting from the assumptions they make about the world. But that is not what God offers. Instead, God offers the Jesus crucified, the opposite of a miraculous sign and logically ridiculous. We cannot discover God on the basis of our own wisdom and power. God chose the foolish and the powerless in order to shame those who relied on their own wisdom and power. We can never boast about anything except for the power of God.
     Paul goes on to tell them that when he came to them, he resolved to know nothing except for Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. If we look at Luke’s account in the Book of Acts, we see that Paul first went to Corinth after spending some time in Athens. In Athens, Paul tried to argue with the philosophers and was laughed out of town because they thought the idea of resurrection from the dead was preposterous. This led Paul to realize that he would never bring anyone to follow Christ by his personal power of persuasion.
     I used to have this image of Paul as a persuasive, engaging speaker who could lay out the argument for Christianity in careful, logical ways. Over the last few years, I have become ever more convinced that Paul was a boring speaker whose arguments never quite connected for those who did not share his basic worldview. On top of that, he was physically unimpressive. As a messenger of the Gospel, he had only two things going for him. The first was his absolute, unwavering belief that accepting the Gospel he preached was the only path to leading a truly fulfilling life (and that those who failed to do so would suffer as a result of that failure). The second was a to-the-bone fear that somehow it might be his fault if someone failed to accept that Gospel. Actually, he had one more thing going for him, a complete and utter trust that the Holy Spirit was capable of reaching even the most depraved sinner (resulting from his utter conviction that he had been the most depraved sinner to ever live). I am convinced that if we met Paul in the flesh, we would be utterly baffled by how he was able to reach so many people for the Lord.
     We will never lead someone else to Christ by the logic of our arguments, nor by the persuasiveness of our speech. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that someone will come to faith in Christ.

Psalm 27:7-14

There were two pieces of this psalm that stood out for me today. The first was:

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Have you heard the Lord calling you? I can assure that He is. I would like to add that when I hear God say to me, “Come and talk with me,” I do not always respond, “Lord, I am coming.” All too often, I respond, “I’m busy. I’ll be with you shortly.” I do this despite knowing from experience that I am passing up a blessing by doing so. I pray that God’s Spirit will move within me so that in the future I no longer do that.
Then at the end of the psalm there is a message for me in the situation of my life right now. I am asking God to bring about a change in my life and this seems to be His answer for now: Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Proverbs 20:22-23

If someone has wronged you, do not attempt to get them back. Leave the matter in God’s hands, if they have truly wronged you, God’s justice will be so much more fitting than anything you could exact yourself. And if by some chance you are blaming the wrong person, you will not be guilty of bringing harm on the innocent.
An important reminder that God does not approve when we treat some people different than others. We should treat all people fairly and make honest exchanges.

***

Daily Bible Study

August 4, 2013 Bible Study — Called To Be Saints

August 3, 2013 AttilaDimedici

2 Chronicles 35-36:23

When Josiah had gotten his restoration of the Temple well under way, he announced that the Passover feast would be held in Jerusalem. He gave orders organizing the priests and Levites so that they could perform their duties efficiently. The Passover festival held by Josiah was a time of great joy and worship of God.
Sometime after this, King Neco of Egypt was marching against the Babylonians and passing near Judah with his army. Despite Neco’s assurances that he was not going to attack Judah, Josiah entered into battle against him. Josiah was wounded in battle and was taken back to Jerusalem, where he died. Josiah’s son Jehoahaz was made king. However, he only reigned for three months when King Neco took him captive and put his brother Jehoiakim on the throne. The passage tells us that Jehoiakim did evil in the sight of the Lord and King Nebuchadnezzar came and took him captive. Jehoiakim was succeeded first by Jehoiachin, then by Zedekiah. Each of these kings did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and the people became ever more unfaithful. God sent prophets to call them back to him, but they did not listen. Finally, King Nebuchadnezzar came, destroyed Jerusalem, and took the people into captivity.

1 Corinthians 1:1-17

Paul starts off by stating his credentials and that he is writing to the church in Corinth. Paul says something very important here. He says that the church in Corinth was called by God to be His holy people; that is, saints. But, Paul tells us, this is true not just of the church in Corinth, it is true of everyone everywhere who calls on the name of Jesus.

***
There is a great song by Wayne Watson called “People of God” which takes what Paul is saying here and puts it into musical form. I won’t quote it here because of copyright, but you can go read the lyrics and listen to it here

***
     Paul goes on to thank God that the church in Corinth has been blessed by God with speech to suit every purpose and the knowledge to serve God according to His will. They do not lack any spiritual gift that might be necessary to carry out God’s will among them. This too is true of the church everywhere.
     Having finished his introduction, Paul gets into the heart of why he is writing to the church in Corinth. He writes that he has been told that there are factions among them. That various ones among them are lifting up the teachings of one or another teacher of the early Church as being authoritative while that of other teachers was not. Paul is writing to tell them to live in harmony with one another. The Church should be united in mind and thought.
     What Paul is writing about is denominationalism. Some people are Baptists (or Methodists, or Brethern, or Catholics, or…) and anyone who is not Baptist (or whatever denomination that person is) is going to Hell. Paul is writing to tell the Corinthians (and us) that such an approach is wrong. Of course, some Christians try to say, “Well, he’s not talking to me. I’m non-denominational. I’m not part of any denomination. I just worship Christ.” Paul doesn’t let them get off that easy, see verse 12:

Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.”

Christ was not divided and those leaders who we look to as the founders of our various denominations were not crucified for us. We were all baptized in the name of Christ, not some other leader.

Psalm 27:1-6

The first verse of this psalm says it all:

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
There is no one and nothing I need fear except for God Himself. Nothing can happen to me that is against God’s will. No matter what anyone wishes, no matter what happens in the world, nothing can harm me in anyway against God’s will.
I will strive to live all my life by what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told Nebuchadnezzar when he threatened to throw them in the fiery furnace:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Rose of sharon plant with early spring growth

Proverbs 20:20-21

I can only say that I have seen both of these proverbs play out in real life.

Daily Bible Study

August 3, 2013 Bible Study

August 2, 2013 AttilaDimedici

2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33

     After returning from being held captive by the Assyrians, Manasseh tore down all of the idols he had constructed and reconsecrated the Temple. He told the people of Judah to worship only God. The people continued to offer sacrifices and worship at the high places, but they stopped worshiping idols there and worshiped only God. Manasseh’s son Amon succeeded him on the throne. Amon followed his father’s early example, encouraged the worship of idols and did evil in the sight of the Lord. His own officials conspired against him and assassinated him.
     The people of the land rose up and killed the officials who had assassinated Amon. They then placed his eight year old son Josiah on the throne. Josiah began to seek the Lord when he was sixteen years old and had been on the throne for eight years. When he was twenty he began destroying the high places of worship, the Asherah poles, and the idols throughout the land. He even went into the lands of the Northern Tribes and destroyed places of pagan worship there.
     When Josiah had finished purifying the land he commissioned some men to repair the Temple. While they were repairing the Temple Hilkiah, the high priest, found a copy of the Book of the Law. One of the king’s officials read the Book of the Law to him. Upon hearing what was written in the Book of the Law Josiah tore his clothes and wept for how badly he and the people of Judah had failed to keep God’s commands. He ordered Hilkiah and others among his officials to go to the Temple and inquire of the Lord what they should do. The prophetess Huldah told them to tell Josiah that God was going to bring disaster on Jerusalem because of the sins of the people. However, because Josiah had humbled himself and sincerely repented of the sins carried out by his forefathers, God would not bring the promised destruction until after his death.
     Josiah then summoned all of the leaders of the people to Jerusalem. He read to the assembled leaders the Book of the Law and pledged to keep its commands with all of his heart and soul. He demanded a similar pledge from all of the people. The people of Judah did not again turn away from God for the rest of Josiah’s reign.

Romans 16:10-27

The first thing I realized as I started reading is that Paul was not finished with his letter in what I read and blogged on yesterday. Paul continues with greetings to specific people living in Rome of whom he thought highly. When he concludes his personal greetings, he gives two final commands. The first is for the believers in Rome to “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”

***
     I am not quite sure what Paul intended with that command, but I have observed that people need a certain level of physical contact with other people in order to have healthy relationships. I think that Paul was suggesting that we need touch one another, shake hands, pat someone on the back, hug one another, and even exchange platonic kisses, that not all friendly physical contact between human beings is sexual in nature.
***
     Then Paul gives the second of his final commands. He tells the believers in Rome to watch out for people who cause divisions by teaching things contrary to the teaching they have already learned. They are to stay away from such people and have nothing to do with them. They are not serving Christ, rather they are serving their own personal interests. They use smooth talk and flattery to deceive innocent people.
***
     Paul points out two signs that we can use to recognize those who are false teachers. When someone always dresses in the finest clothes and goes to the fanciest restaurants AND is telling how wonderful they think that you are, you should be very skeptical of anything they teach which does not line up with what you were taught before you met them.

Psalm 26:1-12

This psalm is a declaration of determination to live with integrity and in the middle of it the psalmist tells us how to do that. If we want to live a life of integrity, we need to follow the example of this psalmist.

I do not sit with the deceitful,
nor do I associate with hypocrites.
I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
If we spend our time with those that fall into the categories the psalmist lists above, we will begin to act as they do. If we want to live lives of integrity than we must spend our time with those who live with integrity.

Proverbs 20:19

Gossips are constantly telling other people’s secrets, those who are chattering away all of the time will, sooner or later, reveal any secrets you confide in them.

Daily Bible Study

August 2, 2013 Bible Study — The Lord Our God Will Rescue Us

August 1, 2013 AttilaDimedici

2 Chronicles 32-33:13

After Hezekiah had completed his religious reforms and brought the people of Judah back to worshiping the Lord, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Judah. Hezekiah responded to this invasion by strengthening Jerusalem’s defenses. He repaired the wall of the city and built a second wall outside of the first. Most importantly, he secured the water supply for the city while at the same time making sure there were no readily available water sources right outside the city.
While conducting a siege on another city, Sennacherib sent messengers with a letter for the people of Jerusalem. In it, Sennacherib started by claiming that God would not save Jerusalem from his armies. However, he continued by claiming that even if He would be willing to do so, God would be powerless to save Jerusalem from him. The officers sent by Sennacherib to deliver his message shouted to the people of Jerusalem in an attempt to terrify them and reduce their willingness to resist an Assyrian attack. The officers compared God to the pagan gods of the surrounding peoples and insulted Him as if He were no more than an object created by human hands. Hezekiah responded to Sennacherib’s threats by crying out to God. God answered Hezekiah’s prayers by destroying a large portion of Sennacherib’s army, forcing Sennacherib to return home. Before Sennacherib was able to rebuild his army and resume conquest, two of his sons killed him while he was worshiping his own gods.

***
What happened when Sennacherib invaded Judah is a classic example of the way that God works. The Assyrian army was overwhelmingly powerful. There was no chance that the army of Judah would have been able to withstand it in battle. However, Sennacherib became arrogant and challenged God. After Sennacherib proclaimed that God would be unable to protect Jerusalem from him, something happened to his army. The two passages that discuss this event do not describe what happened to the Assyrian army, but they read to me as if it was struck by disease of some kind. Whatever happened, Sennacherib was unable to complete his conquest of Jerusalem, despite his boasts that God could not stop him.
***
After Hezekiah’s death, his son Manasseh succeeded him on the throne. Manasseh undid many of the religious reforms which Hezekiah had instituted and worshiped many pagan gods. He even sacrificed his own sons in fires (probably as part of worship of Molech,a god of the Phoenicians). Manasseh set up an idol in the Temple of God and worshiped it there. Despite many warnings from prophets, Manasseh did not turn from his evil ways. As a result, he was taken captive by the Assyrians. While held captive by the Assyrians, Manasseh finally turned to God and was released to return to Jerusalem.

Romans 15:23-16:9

Paul concludes his letter by telling his readers that he is finally going to be able to visit Rome. His plan is to stop there on his way to Spain. He has not been able to make this trip previously because there was more work for him to do in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia. However, he feels he has completed his work in these regions. He has one last task to complete before he can set off on his journey to Spain. The churches of Macedonia and Achaia had gathered an offering to aid the poor among the believers in Jerusalem and Paul was tasked with delivering it to the church in Jerusalem.

***
It appears to me that by the time that Paul wrote this letter, several people had told Paul that the Holy Spirit was telling them that he would face problems from the Jewish authorities when he got to Jerusalem. While it is possible that his request of his readers for their prayers was a generic request for Paul, it appears to indicate that he was expecting trouble when he got to Jerusalem. I have wondered for several years if God was trying to tell Paul that he should not go to Jerusalem, or if the warnings he received were to prepare him for what he would face.
***
Paul then asks the readers to care for the needs of Phoebe, who apparently is the messenger delivering his message. Finally, he extends special greetings to people he cares for who are now living in Rome.

Psalm 25:16-22

This is the conclusion to Psalm 25. I strive to pray similar to this when I face difficult times in my life. I believe that honesty and integrity will protect me because I put my hope and trust in God.

Proverbs 20:16-18

If you want your plans to be successful, seek advice. It is only by listening to good advice that one can make plans that will succeed.

***

Fact and Fantasy

Tag Archives: Christianity

August 11, 2013 Bible Study — Be Content With Where the Lord Has Placed You

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August 10, 2013 Bible Study — Let Yourselves Be Cheated

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August 9, 2013 Bible Study — Sin Is Self-destructive Behavior

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August 8, 2013 Bible Study — What Makes Me Better Than Anyone Else?

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August 7, 2013 Bible Study –Building the Temple of God

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August 6, 2013 Bible Study — Are We Ready For Solid Food?

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August 5, 2013 Bible Study — God Chose the Foolish Things

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August 4, 2013 Bible Study — Called To Be Saints

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August 3, 2013 Bible Study

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August 2, 2013 Bible Study — The Lord Our God Will Rescue Us

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