Tag Archives: Christianity

June 20, 2013 Bible Study — The Lord Will Vindicate Me

June 19, 2013 AttilaDimedici

I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for over a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

1 Kings 22:1-53

     For three years there was peace between Aram and Israel. Then in the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel. While Jehoshaphat was there Ahab decided to attempt to recover a city which Aram had taken from Israel. Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to go with him in battle. Jehoshaphat said that he would be glad to assist, but that they should find out what God had to say first. So Ahab summoned 400 prophets and asked them if he should go to war or refrain. They all replied that the Lord said he should go.
     Then we read something interesting. After hearing what the 400 prophets whom Ahab had summoned had to say, Jehoshaphat asks, “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here? We should ask him the same question.” The passage does not tell us, but it appears that perhaps these prophets whom Ahab had summoned were prophets of Baal. What we know of Baal worship suggests that Baal worshipers did not make a distinction between Baal and God. Ahab responds that there is a prophet of the sort that Jehoshaphat is looking for, but Ahab hates him because he never tells Ahab what he wants to hear. Jehoshaphat tells Ahab that a king should not talk that way and asks to hear this prophet.
     Ahab did as Jehoshaphat asked and summoned Micaiah, the prophet of God. When Ahab’s messengers found Micaiah they warned him that the other prophets had all prophesied victory and that he should do the same. When Micaiah arrived before Ahab he initially told Ahab that he should attack and God would give victory into his hands. There was something about the way Micaiah said this that told Ahab that he was not being truthful and Ahab demanded that Micaiah tell him what God had truly said. Micaiah replied that he had seen Israel scattered like sheep without a shepherd. Micaiah went on to say that God had sent a spirit to mislead Ahab’s prophets in order to entice Ahab into battle so that he could be killed. Ahab ordered Micaiah arrested and held on bread and water until he returned safely from battle. Micaiah responded that if Ahab returned safely from battle, God had not spoken through him.
     Despite the prophecy of Micaiah, Ahab and Jehoshaphat went to war as planned. However, in an attempt to avoid the fate prophesied for him, Ahab convinced Jehoshaphat to go into battle in full royal regalia while Ahab disguised himself as a common soldier. The king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders to attack only the king of Israel. As a result when the battle began they went after Jehoshaphat. However, when Jehoshaphat cried out (whether to give an order or in fear we do not know) they realized that he was not the king of Israel and stopped pursuing him. While this was going on, an Aramean archer randomly shot at the Israelite troops and hit Ahab. Ahab realized he was seriously wounded and had his chariot driver get him out of the battle. Ahab remained propped up in his chariot for the rest of the day until evening when he died. At that word spread through his army to retreat and they did so. So for all of Ahab’s deception he was unable to avoid the end which God had prophesied for him.

Acts 13:16-41

Paul and Barnabas had left Cyprus and traveled to Antioch of Pisidia. They went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, where they were invited to speak. At this invitation, Paul stood up and began speaking. He addressed both the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles who were listening to him. Paul gave a synopsis of Jewish history to David, who he referred to as a man after God’s own heart. He then told them that Jesus was a descendant of David and God’s promised savior of Israel. Paul told them about John the Baptist’s ministry and his statement that he was not the Messiah, but that the Messiah was coming soon.
Paul then reiterated that the message of salvation that he was bringing was for both the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles. Paul told them that the leaders of the people in Jerusalem did not recognize Jesus as the prophets had prophesied about. Instead they condemned Him and had Him crucified. However, God raised Jesus from the dead and, over a period of many days He appeared to those who had been His disciples. Those disciples were now His witnesses to the people of Israel. Paul told them that the Gospel message was that through Jesus everyone can have forgiveness of sins. He concluded by warning them not to be scoffers who wondered at God’s power and perished because they refused to believe.

Psalm 138:1-8

Once again today’s psalm is a psalm which lifts my spirit. It is a short psalm, so I will encourage you to read it for yourself. However, I will pull out a few bits that spoke to me as I read them:

I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.
I will praise God with all of my heart. I will praise God more than anything else which I might be inclined to praise.
As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.
God does answer prayers. When I don’t hear His answers it is usually because they are not answers that I want to hear. Nevertheless, He encourages me by giving me the strength to face my trials. The psalmist reminds us that for all of His greatness, God prefers the company of the humble to that of the proud. I took the title of today’s blog from the NIV: The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever
Yet, in many ways I prefer the New Living Translation: The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
God has plans for my life and those plans will come to fruition. God’s plans are formed out of His love for me, so I can be sure that they will bring me joy.

Proverbs 17:17-18

If you are someone’s friend, you will always be loyal to them and if you are someone’s brother (or sister), you were born to give them aid when they are in need. This does not mean that you will not see when your friend is wrong. It means that you will always encourage them to do what will be best for them, and it is always best to do what is right.
You should only guarantee the debt of someone for whom you are willing to pay it if they fail to do so.

Daily Bible Study

June 19, 2013 Bible Study — Don’t Leave Out the Details

June 18, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Kings 20-21:29

     Ben-hadad, the king of Samaria, besieged Samaria. He sent a demand to King Ahab for all of his silver, gold ,wives and children. King Ahab agreed to the demand. Ben-hadad then demanded the right to search the city for anything they might consider valuable. This demand was too much for King Ahab and the elders of Samaria so they repeated their willingness to meet Ben-hadad’s first demand but refused the second. Ben-hadad responded that he would completely destroy Samaria. King Ahab replied to this that a warrior preparing for battle should not boast like a warrior who had already won. Ben-hadad received this reply as he and his commanders were drinking their tents. Ben-hadad immediately ordered the attack.
     Here we have a lesson in arrogance. Ben-hadad had brought an overwhelming force to attack Samaria. However, he was so sure of his ability that he demanded more than the people of Samaria were willing to give, even with their lives on the line. Then to compound this problem he launched his attack while he and his commanders were drunk. The passage goes on to tell us the results of Ben-hadad’s decisions. As Ben-hadad gathered his forces to attack a prophet of God came to Ahab and told him that God was going to give Ben-hadad’s forces into his hands. The prophet further told Ahab that the key to his victory was to attack fist using his auxiliary forces. When Ben-hadad’s scouts reported that forces were coming out of Samaria, he ordered his troops to capture them alive, whether they had come out in peace or to battle (yet another sign of his arrogance). Israel’s auxiliary troops defeated the front lines of Ben-hadad’s force. This spread fear throughout his entire army and the Israelites defeated them decisively. Ben-hadad and some of his elite commanders managed to escape.
     The prophet who had predicted victory to Ahab told him to start preparing because Ben-hadad would attack again the following spring. When Ben-hadad got back to Damascus, his officials told him that his army had lost because Israel’s gods were gods of the hills. They said that if Ben-hadad did battle on the plains, Israel’s gods would be unable to help them and he would be victorious. Ben-hadad took their advice and built another army like the one he had just lost. The following year he launched an invasion of Israel, being careful to stay on the plains. The man of God came to Ahab and told him that because Ben-hadad and his people thought that God would have no power on the plains, God was going to once more hand them over to Ahab and his army. When battle was joined, the Israelites once more were overwhelmingly victorious. This time Ben-hadad was unable to escape. He threw himself on Ahab’s mercy and offered Ahab a treaty. Ahab accepted the treaty and allowed Ben-hadad to go free. The man of God who had predicted Ahab’s victory confronted him over allowing Ben-hadad to go free.
     At another time, King Ahab attempted to buy a vineyard from a man named Naboth. Naboth refused to sell the vineyard because it had been passed down from his ancestors. When King Ahab got home, he threw a temper tantrum by refusing to eat and turning his face to the wall. When Jezebel asked him what was wrong and he told her she reassured him that she would get Naboth’s vineyard for him. After all, he was the king of Israel. Jezebel then used Ahab’s authority to arrange with the elders of Jezreel (the city in which Naboth lived) to have Naboth accused of blasphemy and stoned to death. When Jezebel received word that Naboth was dead, she told Ahab and told him to go claim the vineyard. Ahab did so.
     God sent Elijah to confront Ahab. God told Elijah to prophecy to Ahab that he and his family would all meet disaster. Through Elijah, God told Ahab that he would destroy his family just as He had destroyed the families of Jeroboam and Baasha. In response to this message from God, Ahab began dressing in sackcloth and behaving meekly. God sent another message to Elijah saying that He would hold off on His judgment until the end of Ahab’s lifetime.

Acts 12:24-13:15

     When Barnabas and Saul finished their mission to Jerusalem they returned to Antioch with John Mark. One day as Barnabas and Saul were fasting and worshiping the Lord with other leaders of the Church in Antioch the Holy Spirit led the other leaders to dedicate Barnabas and Saul to a special work to which God had called them. The leaders did some more fasting and praying, then they laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them on their way.
     Barnabas and Saul sailed to Cyprus accompanied by John Mark. They traveled across the island preaching the word of God in Jewish synagogues until they came to Paphos. In Paphos they met a Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus (or Elymas), who was an attendant to the proconsul, who was named Sergius Paulus. The proconsul wanted to hear what Barnabas and Saul had to say, so he sent for them. Elymas argued against the teaching of Barnabas and Saul attempting to keep the proconsul from accepting their teaching. Saul confronted Elymas. This passage reads to me as if Saul did what we would call today “getting in Elymas’ face.” It is in this context that Luke tells us for the first time that Saul is also called Paul. Paul told Elymas that he was full of deceit and the he perverted the ways of the Lord. Because of this, Paul told Elymas that he was going to be blind for a time. When the proconsul saw Paul’s prediction come true there in front of him, he became a believer.
     Last year, when I read this passage I touched on the fact that the name Paul means “little”. The fact that Luke first uses that name for Saul/Paul in this setting gives me the image of Elymas as a towering, dominating figure of a man (although there is not really anything to tell us that he was) and Paul as a short, physically unimpressive person. I imagine Elymas using his height to intimidate others and get his way. Then in this situation, Paul, the little wimpy-looking guy, becomes filled with righteous indignation and, all of a sudden, takes over the room by the force of his personality.
     There is one thing that really struck me as I read this passage today. It is something that I have heard other people talk about, but it is something that we often overlook when we read the Bible. As we go through this passage, Luke included lots of detail that can be (and has been) checked. Barnabas and Saul went from Antioch in Syria to Seleucia from where they sailed to Salamis on the island of Cyprus. They crossed the island to Paphos, where they met the proconsul named Sergius Paulus. These are identifiable locations and the proconsul is somebody who was likely to be known, by reputation at least, to Luke’s readers. This passage concerns the sorts of details that the website snopes.com tells us to look for to see if a story is true or urban legend. If it lacks the kind of details which Luke included, it is probably an urban legend, myth, or just plain old folklore. Rather than reading like a myth, the book of Acts reads like a story that was intended to be verified. Luke is telling his readers, “Here are the details, go ask the people who were there. They will confirm what I am saying.”

Psalm 137:1-9

Today’s psalm speaks of the anguish experienced by the Jews when they were in exile in Babylon. In some ways, we are in a similar situation today. We are in exile from our home while we are here in this world. Just as the psalmist writes of the importance of remembering Jerusalem and the desire to return, so we must remember that heaven is our home and desire to be there rather than here.
However, there is a shortcoming to applying this psalm to our situation. Because even while we are in this world, we are in the Kingdom of God. While in some respects we are in exile from our home, in other respects our home is where God has placed us to do His work.

Proverbs 17:16

Fools spend money to obtain wise advice that they fail to heed. As I read this, I thought of those who pay for a college education and then do not go to class.

Daily Bible Study

June 18, 2013 Bible Study — His Faithful Love Endures Forever

June 17, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Kings 19:1-21

     When Ahab got home and told Jezebel what had happened, she sent a message to Elijah promising to kill him. Elijah was frightened and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and left his servant there. Elijah traveled from there into the wilderness. When evening came he sat down under a broom tree and prayed to die. He fell asleep under the tree. An angel woke him and told him to get up and eat. When Elijah woke up he saw some fresh-baked bread and a jar of water, so he ate the bread and drank the water. In the morning the angel once more woke Elijah and provided him with food. Elijah then traveled to Mount Sinai.
     When Elijah got to Mount Sinai, he complained to God that while he had zealously served God, but the Israelites had rejected God and killed His prophets, so that Elijah was the only one left. God instructed Elijah to stand before Him on the mountain. While Elijah was standing there a mighty windstorm came through, lifting the rocks with its force, but God was not in the wind. The windstorm was followed by an earthquake and then by fire, but God was not in either the earthquake or the fire. Then Elijah heard a gentle whisper and he knew that this was God. God asked Elijah why he was there and once more Elijah uttered his complaint. God responded by giving Elijah a mission to anoint a king of Aram, then a king of Israel and finally Elisha as his successor. In addition, God told Elijah that he was not alone in serving the Lord. Rather there were 7,000 who God had reserved for Himself who had not bowed to Baal, nor kissed Baal’s idols.
     On can understand why Elijah was depressed. He had just completed a mighty demonstration of God’s power, yet the powers that be were out to get him. He felt like all of his work was for naught and the people of Israel had refused to turn from their sin. God answered Elijah’s depression in three ways. First, He showed Elijah that the best place to see God is not in the flashy and showy events. The best place to see, and hear, God is in the quiet moments when we can hear God’s voice whispering to us. Second, God gave Elijah a job to do. He sent him to anoint two men to become king of different countries and to anoint his successor. Finally God told Elijah that he was not alone, that there was a sizable number of people who had remained faithful to God in the land of Israel. These can be lessons for us. We will hear God more clearly when we settle ourselves and seek out the quiet and still than when we immerse ourselves in the loud and busy. But once we have heard God’s word to us it is time to get to work and perform the tasks He has given us. Finally, we need to remember that we are not alone in serving God and spend time with our brothers and sisters who are also striving to do His will.

Acts 12:1-23

     Herod arrested some of the believers. He had James, the brother of John, put to death. When this was well-received by the Jewish leaders he arrested Peter, planning on doing the same thing to Peter after Passover. Herod had Peter heavily guarded. However, the church was praying hard for Peter. The night before Peter was supposed to be put on trial an angel appeared to him, waking him up and telling him to get dressed and follow the angel. Peter did as he was told, thinking he was having a vision. It was only when Peter was walking down the street and the angel disappeared that Peter realized that what was happening was real. At this point Peter went to a home where he knew some of the believers would be gathered in prayer.
     When Peter knocked at the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda went to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so excited that she forgot to let him in before she went back to tell everyone that he was at the gate. They thought she was crazy, but when she insisted they thought it must be Peter’s ghost. However, Peter kept knocking and eventually someone else opened the gate. Those present were astonished and Peter had to make some effort to get them to quiet so that he could tell them what had happened. He told them to tell James and the other believers about what had happened and then went into hiding (or left the city, the passage is not clear). In the morning, Peter’s disappearance from the prison caused quite a commotion. When a search for Peter failed to locate him, Herod had the guards who had been guarding him executed.
     Shortly after this a delegation arrived from Tyre and Sidon in an attempt to resolve a dispute that Herod had with those cities. The delegation wanted to mollify Herod because they were dependent upon food from territory controlled by Herod. After Herod addressed them at one point, they declared that he was no mere man, but a god. The passage tells us that Herod was immediately struck down with a sickness which killed him because he accepted their worship and did not give praise to God.

Psalm 136:1-26

Give thanks to God because His faithful love endures forever. The psalmist tells us that we should give thanks to God because He is good and His faithful love endures forever. The psalmist goes on to recount many of the wonders which God did for Israel. He then wraps up by telling us that we should give thanks to God because He provides food for every living creature.

Proverbs 17:14-15

It is harder to stop a quarrel than it is to start one, so we would be wise to do our best to let the matter drop before it becomes a torrent which we cannot stand against. God detests a society that lets the guilty go free and punishes the innocent. You do no one any favors when you fail to hold wrongdoers responsible for their sins, even when there are extenuating circumstances, while you hold people accountable for overlooking hidden dangers.

Daily Bible Study

June 17, 2013 Bible Study — Elijah Was a Man

June 16, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Today’s passages contain one of my favorite stories from the Old Testament. The story of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Elijah was in the minority, yet Elijah had the faith and determination to stand up for God. As the book of James says, Elijah was a man just as we are, yet he prayed that it would not rain and for three and a half years it did not rain. Then he prayed that it would rain and it rained. When the prophets of Baal held a worship service, they put on a great show and were wonderfully entertaining. Elijah was a “troublemaker” who wanted to spoil everyone’s fun, but when Elijah prayed God answered him. Let us not be afraid to be seen as troublemakers when we are following the commands of God.

I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for over a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

1 Kings 18:1-46

      After three years of drought God told Elijah to tell Ahab that He was about to send rain. At the same time, Ahab sent his palace steward, named Obadiah, to search for water to save at least some of the royal horses and mules. Obadiah feared God. At one point, when Jezebel was persecuting God’s prophets he had hidden 100 prophets and provided them with food and water. Elijah approached Obadiah while he was out looking for water and told him to go and tell Ahab where he, Elijah, was. Obadiah was afraid to do so at first because he was sure that when Ahab got there, Elijah would be gone. Elijah assured Obadiah that he would be there when Ahab arrived. So Obadiah went and told Ahab. When Ahab arrived he greeted Elijah by calling him a troublemaker. Elijah responded that it was Ahab and his family who were the troublemakers, because they had refused to worship God and worshiped Baal instead. Elijah told Ahab to summon the people of Israel to Mount Carmel and to bring the prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth who received support from Jezebel (Ahab’s wife).
     When the people had gathered, Elijah addressed them. Elijah told the people that it was time to choose, either worship God or worship Baal. The people did not respond to this challenge in any way. Just as Elijah called on the people of Israel to choose what god they would worship, God calls on us today to choose. And just as the people did not respond to Elijah’s initial challenge, so today people tend to act as if they don’t understand the question being asked. However, Elijah went on. Elijah proposed a contest to see which god had true power. He proposed that both he and the prophets of Baal would prepare an altar and a sacrifice, but neither would light their sacrifice. Whichever god answered by sending down fire to light the sacrifice, that god would be shown to be the true God. Elijah told the prophets of Baal to go first, since there were more of them.
     The prophets of Baal took the bull for their sacrifice, cut it up and laid it on the altar. They called on Baal to answer them, dancing around the altar putting on quite a show from morning until noon. At noon, Elijah began to mock them saying that maybe they needed to call louder, after all Baal was certainly a god, perhaps he had stepped out or was in the bathroom, or maybe he was taking a nap. In response, the prophets of Baal got louder and began cutting themselves, putting on even more of a show. This went on until the early evening, but the prophets of Baal got no response. In the early evening, Elijah called the people to him. Elijah repaired the altar of God and dug a trench around it. He took the wood and the ox and placed them on the altar. He then turned to the people and told them to take jars of water and pour them over the offering, the wood and the altar. He had them repeat this until the trench around the altar was full of water. Then comes what to me is the best part. Just picture this, all day the prophets of Baal have been shouting and dancing and cutting themselves to summon Baal putting on quite a show. Now in the early evening, as the sun is going down in the sky, Elijah approaches the altar, which is clearly soaked so that he could not possibly light it himself at this point, and prays to God a simple prayer. He asks God to answer him so that the people know that God is the only true god and turn back to Him. As Elijah finishes praying, fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering, completely burning the sacrifice and the wood on the altar, but not only that it completely dried up all the water that Elijah had had the people pour over the altar. When the people saw this they responded by saying, “The Lord, He is God.” Elijah told them to take the prophets of Baal and execute them.
     Every time I read this it strikes me how the prophets of Baal put on a big show, but Elijah took a low-key approach and merely prayed a simple prayer asking God to show His power. On Elijah’s side, it was God who put on the show.
     The story does not end there. Elijah then told Ahab to go get something to eat and drink because a storm was coming. So Ahab went and got his meal. It is worth noting that at this point it had been over three years since the last time it rained in Israel. Elijah went back up the Mount and kneeled down to pray. He sent his servant to look out toward the sea. The servant returned and said he had seen nothing. Elijah sent his servant seven times to look. Finally on the seventh time the servant returned to say he saw a small cloud, about the size of a man’s hand rise out of the sea. Elijah urgently told his servant to tell Ahab that he should mount his chariot at once and head for home, or the rain would stop him. Elijah himself gathered his garment and ran for town. God gave Elijah special strength so that he got there before Ahab.

Acts 11:1-30

     When Peter returned to Jerusalem from Caesarea, some of the Jewish believers challenged him for breaking the Jewish religious law by going into a Gentile’s house and eating with Gentiles. Peter recounted the events that led up to him going to Caesarea. Then he told the believers in Jerusalem about the Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit in the same way that the first believers did on Pentecost. This reminded Peter of Jesus saying that while John baptized with water, they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Peter concluded that since God had given the Gentiles the same gift he had given the other believers, who was he to stand in their way? When they heard Peter’s account the other believers concluded that Peter had been correct and praised God.
     Luke went on to tell us that the believers who had been scattered by the persecution that came in the wake of Stephen’s death had spread to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch in Syria. In all of the places that they went, they restricted their preaching to the Jews. Except in Antioch where some of the believers began preaching to the Gentiles. When the Church in Jerusalem heard this news, they sent Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas saw evidence of God’s blessing and was filled with joy. He encouraged the believers to be true to the Lord. In response to his teaching, many more came to the Lord. Barnabas left Antioch and went to Tarsus looking for Saul. When he found Saul, he brought him back to Antioch with him and the two of them preached in Antioch for a year. Barnabas and Saul taught a considerable number of believers in Antioch. The passage does not tell us why Barnabas went to get Saul. However, I believe that part of the reason was that Saul was one of the few early believers who had been thoroughly taught to be a teacher of traditional Judaism. This meant that Saul was able to teach the new Gentile believers the things they needed to know in order to be faithful Christians (a term that was first coined in Antioch).
     Near the end of the year, some prophets arrived in Antioch. One of them predicted by the Spirit that a famine was coming to the Roman world. The believers in Antioch decided to send some aid to the believers in Judea. Everyone gave as much as they could and they sent their contributions in charge of Barnabas and Saul.

Psalm 135:1-21

Let us praise the Lord as the psalmist recommends!

For I know that the Lord is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.(NIV)
The psalmist goes on the describe the wonderful things that God has done. He then gives a warning:
The idols of the nations are but silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
Those who make them will be like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.(NIV)
The psalmist warns us that those who trust in idols will have eyes, but will not see what is right in front of them, and ears, but will not hear what is plainly said to them. They will refuse to believe the evidence of their senses when it points to the true God. I have known such people and will continue to pray that God will open their eyes so that they might see His wonderful works and open their ears so that they might hear His commands and be saved.

Proverbs 17:12-13

We have all heard about the danger of coming between a mother bear and her cubs. There is even a very cute video of some people who use a creative method to rescue some cubs caught in a dumpster while avoiding getting attacked by their mother. This proverb tells us that it is even more dangerous to confront a fool when we catch him in his foolish behavior.
The second proverb warns us that if we do evil to those who have done good to us, evil will haunt us for the rest of our days.

Daily Bible Study

June 16, 2013 Bible Study — Seek First The Kingdom of God

June 15, 2013 AttilaDimedici

I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

1 Kings 15:25-17:24

     Jeroboam’s son, Nadab, succeeded Jeroboam on the throne. Nadab continued the sins of his father. Nadab was assassinated by Baasha in the second year of his reign. After assassinating Nadab, Baasha took the throne and slaughtered all of Jeroboam’s remaining family as the prophet had foretold. However, Baasha continued the practices of Jeroboam. God sent the prophet Jehu to Baasha to tell him that his family would meet the same fate as that of Jeroboam. Baasha reigned for twenty-four years and was at war with King Asa of Judah for the entire time. When Baasha died his son Elah became king.
     Elah ruled for two years. In the second year of Elah’s reign, Zimri, the commander of half of Elah’s chariot forces, assassinated Elah. Zimri then killed all of the relatives of Baasha that he could find. When the army, which was attacking a Philistine town at the time, heard that Zimri had assassinated Elah they chose Omri as their king. Omri led the army to the capital and occupied it. When Zimri saw that the Omri’s forces had taken control of the capital city, he went into the citadel and burned it down around himself. After the death of Zimri, the people of Israel were split into two camps. Half of the people supported Omri and half of the people supported Tibni. Omri’s supporters defeated Tibni’s supporters and Tibni was killed, clearing the path for Omri to become king. Omri built the city of Samaria and made it his capital. The passage tells us that Omri was even worse than his predecessors.
     When Omri died, his son Ahab became king in his place. Ahab sinned even worse than his father Omri or any of the other previous kings of Israel. Ahab married Jezebel the daughter of the king of Sidon. Ahab built a temple for Baal in Samaria and set up an Asherah pole. It was during the reign of Ahab that Elijah began his prophetic ministry. Elijah told Ahab that there would be no reign for the next several years until he, Elijah, gave the word. God told Elijah to go and hide by a brook near the Jordan River. God caused ravens to bring food to Elijah morning and evening. Eventually the brook dried up and Elijah needed to move.
     God instructed Elijah to go to a village near Sidon. When he arrived at the gates of the city, he saw a widow gathering sticks. He asked her to bring him a cup of water. When she went to get it for him, he called after her asking for a piece of bread as well. She responded that she had very little flour or oil left. She had been about to make a final meal for herself and her son and then they would die. Elijah told her to go ahead and make that meal, but first make a bit of bread for him. Elijah told her that if she did as he requested there would always be a bit of flour and a bit of oil in her containers until the rains returned. She did as Elijah had asked and there was always enough flour and oil in her containers to make another meal. Some time after this the widow’s son became sick and died. She confronted Elijah over the death of her son. Elijah took the body of her son up to his room and prayed over the boy. God answered Elijah’s prayer and returned the boy to life. Elijah returned the boy to his mother.
     There is a lot in this passage for us to think about. I will first mention the widow. She provided for Elijah out of her meager store and God blessed her for that action in a time of hardship. However, the main thing I wanted to touch on was the succession of kings of Israel. One after the other they led the people of Israel into ever greater sin and this reflects badly on those kings. However, it also reflects badly on the people of Israel because they followed those kings. If the people of Israel had been faithful to following God’s commands, God would have raised up leaders to lead them in godliness. While God will hold the leaders of a nation accountable for the direction they lead the people in, He will also hold the people accountable for following those leaders. The same is true of us today. Perhaps our political leaders are leading us ever further into godlessness, but if we as a people were to stop asking our government to take the place of God, God would raise up leaders who would lead us back to godliness. We keep looking for political leaders who will lead us back to godliness, when instead we should just be seeking to do the will of God and expecting our political leaders to follow along. Rather than seeking a political solution to our problems we should follow Jesus admonition, “Seek first the Kingdom of God.”

Acts 10:24-48

When Peter got to Caesarea, Cornelius was waiting for him with family and friends he had called together. As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. Peter told him to get up at once, stating that he, Peter, was merely a man. Peter went on to tell the people gathered at Cornelius’ house that even though it was against Jewish laws, as they knew, for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home, or even associate with Gentiles, God had shown Peter that he should no longer view anyone as impure or unclean. Peter then asked why they had sent for him. Cornelius responded that a man in glowing clothes had appeared before him, told him that God had heard his prayers and remembered his gifts to the poor. The man went on to tell Cornelius to send for Peter.
Peter then started speaking to them. He told them that he now understood that God does not show favoritism, He accepts everyone from every nation who fears Him and does what is right. Notice that while we should be willing to preach the Gospel to anyone who will listen and should consider no one impure, we are still called to teach them to fear God and do what is right. Peter went on recapping Jesus’ ministry and the events which he had witnessed after Jesus’ resurrection. As Peter as speaking the Holy Spirit came upon those listening, causing them to speak in other languages. Those Jews with Peter were astonished to see the Holy Spirit descend on the Gentiles. Peter asked those with them if any of them could object to baptizing the Gentiles who had received the Holy Spirit just as the Jewish believers had? Peter then ordered that the Gentiles who had just received the Holy Spirit be baptized in the name of Jesus. Peter stayed with them a few days giving them further teaching. Here again we have the profession of faith followed immediately by baptism. I think we have lost something in the Church today with our practice of putting people through classes before baptizing them (although I understand the reasons).

Psalm 134

Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
you who serve at night in the house of the Lord.
Lift up holy hands in prayer,
and praise the Lord.
May the Lord, who made heaven and earth,
bless you from Jerusalem.

What more is there to say? Except, perhaps, “Praise the Lord!”

Proverbs 17:9-11

The first proverb tells us that the surest way to build a relationship is to overlook the other’s failures (especially when they are offenses against ourselves), on the other hand the surest way to destroy a relationship is to constantly bring up the ways the other person has done us wrong.
The second proverb tells us that those who are wise feel worse, and learn more, from a single rebuke than those who are foolish experience from severe punishment. The final proverb tells us that evil people promote rebellion, but will suffer for it.

Daily Bible Study

June 15, 2013 Bible Study — Do Not Call Anything Impure That God Has Made Clean

June 14, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Kings 14-15:24

     One of Jeroboam’s sons became very sick. Jeroboam convinced his wife to disguise herself and approach the prophet Ahijah, the man who had prophesied that Jeroboam would become king over the ten northern tribes. Jeroboam’s wife did as he asked. However, as she approached the prophet’s door, he called out to her by name because God had told him she was coming. Ahijah then told her that God was angry with Jeroboam because of his failure to follow God’s commands and the evil Jeroboam had done. He told her that God was going to destroy Jeroboam and his entire house because of his evil. Ahijah finished by telling her that she should go home and her son would die when she got there. God was going to raise up a king over Israel who would destroy Jeroboam’s family. She returned home and as she entered her house, her son died. Jeroboam reigned for 22 years and when he died his son, Nadab, became king.
     In the meantime, Rehoboam was ruling over Judah. The people of Judah also did evil in God’s sight. They set up shrines and Asherah poles in the high places and under “spreading trees”. They went so far as to have shrine prostitutes throughout the land. They chose to follow the practices of the people whom God had driven out of the land to make room for them. As a result of their sin, the king of Egypt came up, attacked and sacked Jerusalem. Rehoboam ruled from Jerusalem for seventeen years and was succeeded by his son, Abijam.
     Abijam ruled for three years and committed the same sins as his father. He was at war with Jeroboam for his entire reign. The passage makes note that Abijam’s mother was Maacah, the daughter of Absalom. When he died, he was succeeded by his son, Asa. Asa ruled for forty-one years and did what was pleasing to the Lord. Asa banished the shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of the idols which his ancestors had made. He even deposed his grandmother from the role of queen mother because she had made an Asherah pole. He cut down his grandmother’s Asherah pole and burned it. Although he failed to destroy the shrines at the high places, Asa’s heart was dedicated to the Lord.
     Throughout Asa’s reign he was at war with King Baasha of Israel. King Baasha had the upper hand in their conflicts, conquered Ramah and began fortifying it. So, Asa sent the gold and silver remaining in his treasuries to Ben-hadad who was ruling Aram from Damascus asking him to break his treaty with King Baasha. Ben-hadad did as Asa requested and attacked the towns of Israel. King Baasha withdrew from Ramah in order to meet the attack from Ben-hadad. King Asa had his workers remove the materials which King Baasha was using to fortify Ramah and used them to fortify other towns. Asa was succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat.

Acts 10:1-23

     While Peter was staying in Joppa, an angel of God appeared to Cornelius, a Roman centurion stationed at Caesarea. Cornelius was terrified. However, the angel quickly reassured him and told him that his gifts to the poor and devotion to God had been noted. The angel instructed Cornelius to send for Peter who was staying in Joppa. Cornelius did so at once.
     The next day, as Cornelius’ messengers were approaching Joppa, Peter went up onto the roof to pray. It was approaching lunch time and Peter was hungry. While the meal was being prepared, Peter fell into a trance. While in the trance Peter had a vision of a large sheet being lowered out of heaven. On the sheet were all kinds of animals, including many that were not kosher. A voice came out of heaven telling Peter to get up and eat. Peter replied that he had never eaten anything unclean or impure. The voice then told Peter not to call anything unclean which God had made clean. This was repeated three times. Peter was still pondering what this vision might mean (if anything) when the men from Cornelius arrived outside of the gate.
     They called out asking if Simon Peter was staying at this house. The Holy Spirit told Peter that some men were looking for him. Peter was to go with them without worrying because God had sent them (the passage makes it clear that Peter received this message in the context of thinking about the vision he had just had). Peter went down and told the men that he was the man they were looking for. They told Peter that Cornelius had sent them. They went on to tell Peter that Cornelius was a God-fearing man. They further told Peter that an angel had told Cornelius to summon Peter so that Cornelius might hear Peter’s message. Peter invited the men to stay the night. In the morning, Peter accompanied the men back to Cornelius’ house. Several other believers went with Peter.

Psalm 133

Today’s psalm talks about how wonderful it is when God’s people live together in peace and harmony. This is a goal that Christians find harder to attain than we should.

Proverbs 17:7-8

Today’s first proverb tells us that a fool (godless fool according to the NIV) who is eloquent is a bad thing, but a lying ruler is even worse. I realized as I was reading this that this proverb was telling us that someone who eloquently makes the argument for foolish action will lead many people to destruction, but however bad that is, when those who have government authority lie to the people it is much worse.
The second proverb has greater depth than is at first apparent. I prefer the NIV translation for this because it makes clear the point of the proverb in ways that the other translations obscure. A bribe is like a lucky charm. Those who give them are convinced that they make their life better, but just as the effectiveness of lucky charms are dubious, so too are the effectiveness of bribes.

Daily Bible Study

June 14, 2013 Bible Study — Remaining Faithful to God’s Instructions

June 13, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Kings 12:20-13:34

     When Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem, he mobilized the men of Judah and Benjamin in order to regain control over all of Israel. However, the prophet Shemaiah prophesied to Rehoboam and the people that God was telling them fight against their brothers, the rest of Israel. The people obeyed God and went home rather than going to fight the rest of Israel. It is not clear if Rehoboam sent the people home after hearing the prophet or if the people refused to support his attempt to regain control after hearing the prophet. Personally, I suspect the latter is more likely than the former.
     When Jeroboam became king over the northern tribes he was afraid that if the people continued to go to Jerusalem to worship God they would revert to supporting Rehoboam as king. In order to stop the people from going to Jerusalem, Jeroboam had two gold calves made and placed one at each end of his kingdom, one in Bethel and one in Dan. Jeroboam then built temple complexes at both sites. In addition, he appointed priests from among the general populace rather than from the descendants of Levi. Finally, he instituted a religious festival to replace the Festival of Shelters. Jeroboam offered sacrifices at Bethel as part of the religious festival he established.
     At the very first festival, while Jeroboam was offering his sacrifices, a man of God from Judah arrived and loudly condemned Jeroboam’s idolatry. The man of God prophesied that a descendant of David named Josiah would destroy these altars and execute the priests who served at them. He further prophesied as a sign that his prophecy was true that the altar would split and the ashes pour out of it while Jeroboam was offering sacrifices. When Jeroboam heard his prophecy he pointed at the man of God and ordered him killed. But as he pointed to the man of God, Jeroboam lost control of his hand and was unable to pull it back. At that moment the altar split apart and the ashes poured out. Jeroboam begged the man of God to ask God to restore his hand. The man of God did so and Jeroboam’s hand was restored. Jeroboam then offered the man of God a gift if he would return and eat a meal with him. The man of God declined saying that God had told him to eat nothing while he was in Bethel.
     When the man of God left Bethel, a prophet who lived in Bethel went after him and claimed that God had told him to bring the man of God back to his house so that he could have something to eat and drink. The man of God listened to this prophet’s lies and ate with him. While he was eating, the prophet told the man of God that God had declared that the man of God would die and not be buried with his ancestors because he had not obeyed God’s command to not eat or drink in Bethel. When the man of God left a second time, he was killed by a lion while he was on the road home. The prophet who had deceived him retrieved his body and buried it.
     This passage gives us an important lesson on testing the messages that others have received from God when they conflict with what we understand God to have commanded us. The prophet claimed to have a word from God that was in conflict with what the man of God himself had received. The man of God accepted the prophets claim without praying about it himself and paid the price.

Acts 9:26-43

When Saul arrived back in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were afraid of him, not believing that he had truly converted. However, Barnabas brought Saul to meet with the Apostles, told them his conversion story and how he had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus. Saul stayed with the Apostles and moved freely about Jerusalem. He got into some debates with Hellenistic Jews about Jesus, which led them to try to kill him. When the believers learned of this they hustled Saul out of Jerusalem and sent him to his home city of Tarsus. There was something I had not noticed here. The Church hustled Saul out-of-town twice, first in Damascus and the second time in Jerusalem. It is worth noting that this time they sent him to his home town, where he could be expected to get into fewer confrontations. It almost looks as if the early Church felt that Saul (who we know as Paul) was too confrontational and should spend some time with his family learning to tone it down a bit.
Peter was traveling around Judea. At one point, when he was visiting the town of Lydda, he met a man named Aeneas who was paralyzed and had been bed ridden for eight years. Peter told Aeneas that Jesus had healed him and that he should get up. Aeneas immediately got up. Those who lived near by saw Aeneas walking and became believers. While there, a believer named Tabitha died in the city of Joppa. The other believers in Joppa had heard that Peter was nearby in Lydda, so the sent word begging him to come at once. Peter went to Joppa at once. When he got there, they showed him the room where they had placed her body. The room was filled with widows who were weeping for Tabitha’s death. They showed Peter the many clothes that she had made for them. Peter asked them all to leave the room. Once they had all left the room he prayed over Tabitha (also known as Dorcas). Peter then told her to get up, which she did. He called everyone back in and presented Tabitha to them alive. This story spread throughout Joppa and led many people to become believers. Peter stayed in Joppa with Simon the tanner for some time.

Psalm 132:1-18

In some ways we can dismiss this psalm because it is about the physical location where we worship God. God no longer calls His people to worship Him in a specific physical location.* However when we consider that God lives within us it puts this phrase in a new light:

I will not let my eyes sleep
nor close my eyelids in slumber
until I find a place to build a house for the Lord,
a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.
Have we built a house for the Lord within our innermost being? Have I made myself a sanctuary fit for the Lord God Almighty? Will God say of me, “I will live here, for this is the home I desired?”

*Of course from a different perspective God does call us to worship Him in a specific place. That specific place is wherever we happen to be at any given moment.

Proverbs 17:6

The first part of this proverb seems self-evident, have you ever seen the way that grandparents gush over their grandchildren? On the other hand, if you have children, are they proud to have you as a parent?

Daily Bible Study

June 13, 2013 Bible Study — My Heart Is Not Proud

June 12, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Kings 11-12:19

     Today’s passage censures Solomon for his many wives. Not only did Solomon marry many wives against God’s instructions, they were from nations with which God had told the Israelites they were not to intermarry. Solomon did as God had warned would happen if the Israelites married women from those nations, he began to worship gods other than God. Solomon began to worship Ashtoreth, Molech and Chemosh. He even built places for worship at the high places for these foreign gods. I believe that, as worship of God gradually became more centralized at the Temple which Solomon had built, Solomon and others among the people of Israel replaced His worship at the high places with worship of idols. As a result of Solomon’s idolatry, God caused two kings to rise up in opposition to Solomon in nations which had formerly been pacified by his father David.
     In addition, God sent the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam, a man whom Solomon had put in charge of the labor force from the descendants of Joseph. Ahijah told Jeroboam that God was going to tear ten of the tribes from Solomon’s son because of Solomon’s failure to faithfully follow God’s commands and decrees. God told Jeroboam that he was going to punish David’s descendants, but not forever, because of Solomon’s sins and that if Jeroboam followed God faithfully, God would establish his descendants on the throne of the ten tribes. Solomon made an attempt to have Jeroboam killed, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt until after Solomon’s death.
     When Solomon died and his son Rehoboam took the throne, Jeroboam returned to Israel. Rehoboam went to Shechem to be crowned king of all Israel. The leaders of Israel asked Jeroboam to be their spokesman as they approached Rehoboam with a petition about his reign. They asked Rehoboam to reduce the labor demands and taxes which Solomon had imposed. If he was willing to do this, the people of Israel would agree to making him king. Rehoboam requested three days to formulate an answer. Rehoboam first consulted with his father’s advisers. They told him that he should agree to the request of the people of Israel, that if he did so, the people would become his devoted followers. Rehoboam did not like this answer, so he asked the advice of the young men he had grown up with. They advised him to answer with arrogance and braggadocio, to tell the people of Israel that, not only would he not reduce the burden his father Solomon had placed on them, he would increase it. As a result of his answer, the people of the northern tribes rejected Rehoboam as their king. When Rehoboam, still at Shechem, sent his official in charge of forced labor out the people of Israel stoned him to death. Rehoboam immediately fled back to Jerusalem, just barely escaping the enraged people.

Acts 9:1-25

     After the stoning of Stephen, Saul started seeking believers and dragging them out for persecution, eager to kill those who professed belief in Jesus. He obtained letters from the high priest to the synagogues in Damascus requesting their aid in arresting believers in order to bring them back to Jerusalem as prisoners. As he approached Damascus on this mission a bright light shown down on and around him. Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him why he was persecuting the speaker. Saul asked who the speaker was. The voice said, “I am Jesus…” and told Saul to get up and go into the city, where he would be told what to do. The men traveling with Saul heard a voice speaking to him, but saw no one. When Saul opened his eyes, he was blind. The men with him led him into the city. Saul fasted for the next three days.
     Meanwhile God spoke to a believer named Ananias (not the one who died for lying to the Holy Spirit). God told Ananias to go to the house where Saul was staying and lay hands on him so that he could see again. Ananias replied that he had heard about Saul and the terrible things he had done to believers. He had even heard that Saul had come to Damascus to arrest believers. God answered that Saul was his chosen instrument to take His name to Gentiles and their rulers. Ananias did as God had commanded.
     Saul’s sight was restored and he ate some food. He stayed with the believers in Damascus and began preaching in the synagogue. He began preaching in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God. Everyone who heard him preach was amazed because they knew that up until a few days prior he had been persecuting those who preached in Jesus’ name. Saul’s preaching became ever more powerful and none of the Jews in Damascus could refute his arguments that Jesus was the Messiah. Some of the Jews decided to kill Saul, but the believers in Damascus caught wind of this and lowered Saul over the wall in a basket.
     This story gives us a reason to never give up hope for the salvation of those we know who have not accepted Christ. No matter how strongly someone opposes the message of the Gospel, if there is a chance that they will listen, the Holy Spirit will strike them in a way they will find impossible to ignore.

Psalm 131

This psalm is one which we would do well to strive to live by. First it gives us this guidance:

Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great
or too awesome for me to grasp.
I do not need to concern myself with the reasons why God does or allows the things He does, that is a matter to great for me. Rather, I should calm and quiet myself and put my hope in the Lord. I know that He will do that which is best for those who love Him. I have confidence that what He does is that will bring me the greatest joy.

Proverbs 17:4-5

The first proverb tells us that it is the wicked and liars who pay attention to gossip and slander. Do I pay attention to gossip and slander? If so, perhaps I am not the person I claim to be. I need to keep this in mind when I find myself listening to gossip and slander.
The second proverb tells us that mocking those who are poor is an insult to God who made them. If we rejoice at the misfortune of others, we will suffer for it eventually. I strive to sympathize with those who suffer misfortune, no matter how much I might have wanted to see them taken down a peg.

Daily Bible Study

June 12, 2013 Bible Study — Why Can’t I Be Baptized?

June 11, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Kings 9-10:29

     God appeared to Solomon to respond to his prayer of dedication. God told Solomon that He would watch over the Temple because it had become dear to His heart. However, if the people of Israel failed to faithfully follow His commands, God would make them an object of mockery and ridicule. If that happened (and it did), those who passed by the Temple would ask themselves why God had done such things to the Temple and the people. The Temple would then stand as a symbol of what happens to those who rebel against God.
     In a previous post I had observed that I believe that King David’s governing philosophy and the source of his power was his protecting of the merchant caravans which traveled through that area of the world from bandits, even when those bandits ruled local lands. I believe that Solomon took that one step further and sponsored the merchant caravans and shipping concerns. This passage certainly suggests that Solomon set himself up as the center of a vast trading empire.
     Word of Solomon’s wisdom spread through the trade missions he sent out. The Queen of Sheba heard of his wisdom and came to learn if he was as wise as the stories she had heard claimed. She came and asked questions of Solomon. We are not told what sort of questions she asked, but she was impressed both by his answers and by the sumptuousness of Jerusalem. The passage goes on from there describing the great wealth which Solomon acquired.

Acts 8:14-40

     When word reached Jerusalem about people in Samaria being baptized, the rest of the Apostles sent Peter and John to Samaria. When Peter and John arrived in Samaria, they prayed for the Holy Spirit to descend upon these new believers. Then they laid their hands upon them and they received the Spirit. Simon the former magician saw what they did and was impressed. He offered Peter and John money to give him the power to lay hands on people and cause them to receive the Holy Spirit. Peter rebuked Simon in very strong terms for thinking that God’s gift could be bought. Simon immediately responded by begging Peter to pray to the Lord for him, so that he might not suffer punishment for his presumption. There are stories that Simon the Magician went on to be an opponent of Peter, but none of them are based on first century accounts. For my part, I believe that Simon was at this point a former magician and that he took Peter’s rebuke to heart.
     Some time after this, although not very long after, the Spirit directed Philip to take the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. As he was traveling that road, he came upon a chariot carrying the official in charge of the Ethiopian treasury. The official was returning home after worshiping God in Jerusalem. He was reading aloud from the book of Isaiah. The Spirit directed Philip to approach the chariot. When Philip got close he heard the official reading. Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading. The official responded by asking how he could without someone to explain it. He then invited Philip to join him in his chariot.
     Philip accepted the official’s invitation and began to explain the Gospel, starting with the passage which the official had been reading. Shortly the Ethiopian official saw that they were passing near a body of water and requested that Philip baptize him. They stopped the chariot and got down. Philip then baptized the official. Immediately, the Spirit of God carried Philip away from there and the Ethiopian official never saw him again. This story offers us a model that I think we should follow more often. At the first opportunity after the Ethiopian official’s confession of faith, Philip baptized him. He did not wait for him to go through a properly approved process and get vetted by the Church authorities. Not only that but it was one believer baptizing another. Philip did not say that they needed to find an appropriately ordained member of the clergy.

Psalm 130:1-8

The psalmist says that he calls on the Lord from the depths of despair. I will certainly do that, but do I call on the Lord when times are good? OR do I forget God when things are going well for me? I will certainly agree with the psalmist when he says that if God kept track of all of my sins, I would not be able to survive. However, God does not keep track of all of our sins, rather He offers us forgiveness for our sins, so that we might live to learn to fear Him. Once we learn to fear the Lord, we will fear no one and nothing else. If we fear the Lord we will also be able to count on Him to redeem us from every sin.

Proverbs 17:2-3

Fire is used to purify silver and gold, in a similar manner God purifies our hearts by passing us through difficult times. I will strive to be joyful in times of difficulty because I know that God is using those experiences to make me a better servant to Him.

Daily Bible Study

June 11, 2013 Bible Study — Stephen Forgives Those Who Stone Him

June 10, 2013 AttilaDimedici

1 Kings 8:1-66

     Once the Temple and its furnishings were completed Solomon summoned the elders of the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem. During the Festival of Shelters he had the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant from where it had been in Jerusalem to the Temple. During the celebration, Solomon and the other leaders offered too many sacrifices to count. The priests then carried the Ark into the Most Holy Place of the Temple and placed it there. When the priests withdrew from the Most Holy Place after placing the Ark there a thick cloud filled the Temple. The cloud was so thick that the priests were unable to continue with their ceremony.
     Solomon then prayed a prayer of dedication for the Temple. He declared that the highest heavens were not big enough to contain God, let alone this Temple. However, Solomon said that God had declared that His name would be present in the Temple. Solomon asked God to always hear the prayers of His people when they humbly and earnestly prayed towards the Temple. Solomon asked God to hear their prayers and forgive their sins. Solomon extended his prayer to include all the people of the earth who turn to God. When people turn to God, confess their sin and call on Him, He will answer them. He will judge between the accuser and the accused, punishing the guilty and protecting the innocent. When disaster strikes us because of our sins, if we turn back to God and follow His commands once more, He will answer our prayers and deliver us. When Solomon finished his prayer of dedication for the Temple, he turned to the people and addressed them. He told them to praise the Lord and to be faithful to God. In his comments he included this further prayer, “May He give us the desire to do His will in everything and to obey all the commands, decrees, and regulations that He gave our ancestors.”

     I wish to echo that: May God give me, and all of those who read this, the desire to do His will in everything and to obey His commands.

Acts 7:51-8:13

Having gone over the history of God’s actions on behalf of the Jewish people and their repeated rejection of God’s messengers, Stephen condemned the Sanhedrin for stubbornness and resisting the Holy Spirit. He told them that their ancestors had persecuted the prophets, going so far as to kill those who predicted the coming of the Messiah. Then Stephen told them that they had betrayed and killed the Messiah Himself. Those present for his trial reacted with anger and hostility. Stephen however looked to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. Stephen told his accusers and everyone present that he saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man (a term those present would have been aware that Jesus used for Himself) standing at the right hand of God. When they heard Stephen say this, those present covered their ears and started shouting. Then they rushed him, drug him out of the city and began to stone him. While they were doing this they laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul, who, we are told, approved of what they were doing. Stephen cried out to God asking that He receive his spirit and that He not hold this sin against those killing him. In doing this Stephen imitated Jesus when He asked God to forgive those who crucified Him. Can I follow this model which Jesus and Stephen have given us of forgiving those who persecute me? They were willing to forgive those who killed them in an extremely painful manner, how much easier it should be for me to forgive those who have done wrong to me.
After this the believers were scattered because of persecution with almost all of them fleeing Jerusalem. Saul went from house to house dragging out believers, both men and women and throwing them in prison. The believers who left Jerusalem preached the Gospel wherever they went. Philip went to Samaria (one thing I would like to point out, while it is probable that Philip the Evangelist, or Deacon, was a different person than Philip the Apostle, nowhere is that actually spelled out as being the case). In Samaria, Philip performed many signs. He cast out demons, cured the sick and made the lame to walk. This was a source of great joy in the city of Samaria. There was a man in the city of Samaria who had performed magic, amazing the people of Samaria for many years. His name was Simon and he claimed to be someone great. The people of Samaria referred to him as being the Great One of God. The people of Samaria listened to Simon because of the wonders he performed. However, now they believed Philip as he proclaimed the Gospel and many of them were baptized. Simon himself believed and was baptized. He started following Philip around because he was astounded by the signs and miracles Philip performed. Everything I read about Simon suggests that he did the sorts of things that stage magicians today do. How I would love to see some Christian demonstrate the power of God to some well-known and respected magicians today, such as Penn Jillette or James Randi. I doubt even then that they would believe, but I would like to see what impact it might have if the Holy Spirit were to lead one or both of them to start proclaiming the Gospel.

Psalm 129:1-8

From the very beginning the people of Israel have been persecuted, but God has released them from bondage. God has sent His Son to release all who believe on Him from bondage to sin and sinners. Those who hate the Jews and God’s people will find themselves ignored and despised. No one will call God’s blessings on them nor bless them themselves.

Proverbs 17:1

Better a basic meal with little flavor, eaten in peace than the finest banquet eaten in the middle of argument and strife.

Fact and Fantasy

Tag Archives: Christianity

June 20, 2013 Bible Study — The Lord Will Vindicate Me

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June 19, 2013 Bible Study — Don’t Leave Out the Details

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June 18, 2013 Bible Study — His Faithful Love Endures Forever

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June 17, 2013 Bible Study — Elijah Was a Man

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June 16, 2013 Bible Study — Seek First The Kingdom of God

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June 15, 2013 Bible Study — Do Not Call Anything Impure That God Has Made Clean

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June 14, 2013 Bible Study — Remaining Faithful to God’s Instructions

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June 13, 2013 Bible Study — My Heart Is Not Proud

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June 12, 2013 Bible Study — Why Can’t I Be Baptized?

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June 11, 2013 Bible Study — Stephen Forgives Those Who Stone Him

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