Bad things result when people are punished for doing good and leaders are criticized for being honest. Any society which does such things is headed for disaster.
If you are suffering from depression or feeling overwhelmed by the events of your life, call out to God. Pay attention to what He says and follow the path He lays out for you. Start each day by reading about God’s acts of unfailing love. Give yourself to God and He will lift the weight from your shoulders. If you start your day by calling to God His Spirit will lead you to firm footing where the troubles of this life will no longer seem insurmountable.
I find a couple of points about this passage interesting. The first thing I find interesting is that a demon caused the girl to tell people that Paul and Silas were servants of God. What was it attempting to accomplish by doing so? The second thing I find interesting is that the slave girl’s masters new immediately that she no longer had the ability to tell fortunes after Paul cast out the demon. How? Clearly, something dramatic happened when Paul commanded the demon to leave the girl.
Another thing that I find interesting, but in a different way, is that Paul and Silas spent the night in prison praying and singing. The praying part is not particularly noteworthy, but the singing is different. They had been severely beaten before being imprisoned. Yet here they were singing praises to God. We should behave likewise. When we are counted worthy of suffering because of our faith we should praise God for so honoring us. I’m not sure I could do it, but I believe that I should.
In this passage we discover the problem with Jehoshaphat’s friendship with King Ahab. Despite Jehoshaphat’s faithfulness to God, he allowed, or more likely, arranged, for his son to marry Ahab’s daughter. As a result of this marriage, Jehoram, Jehoshaphat’s son, followed the example of Ahab and was just as wicked. All-in-all, this passage reminds us of the importance of choosing our associates carefully, and in choosing wisely when we get married. As a result of Jehoshaphat’s association with Ahab, both his son and his grandson became wicked kings and both died at a relatively young age.
It is destructive of society when the innocent are punished. The government will break down when officials are punished for telling the truth, no matter how unpleasant that truth may be.
The psalmist appears to be suffering from depression. Yet he holds out hope for escaping from that depression. Verse 8 contains something I desire to pray every day:
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.
Then verse 10 contains more on that theme:
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing.
The psalm ends by reminding us what we need to do in order to count on God to rescue us. The psalmist declares, “I am your servant.” If we live our lives as God’s servants He will never abandon us.
Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten, and thrown in jail. But not just thrown in jail, but put in stocks so that they could not sit comfortably, or move about to relieve cramping muscles. Yet in this situation they prayed and sang hymns of praise to God. While they were doing this there was an earthquake which sprang the locks and opened the doors of the jail. When the jailer came out and was about to kill himself, fearing that the prisoners had escaped, Paul was able to tell him that all of the prisoners were still there.
I have wondered from time to time why none of the other prisoners escaped. I realized today that this passage answers that question. The passage tells us that when the earthquake happened the other prisoners were listening to Paul and Silas pray and sing hymns. The other prisoners were so entranced by the message that allowed Paul and Silas to sing after being beaten and locked up that they were unwilling to go anywhere until they learned more. This is what explains the jailer and his households quick acceptance of the Gospel. If those hardened criminals (I assume that at least some of them were) were more interested in what Paul and Silas had to say than in escaping, there must be something to it. Do we witness to the Gospel in a way that has a similar impact on those around us? If not, why not?
This passage shows us the importance of marrying someone who is godly. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, was a godly king. However, his son, Jehoram, married the daughter of Ahab, the king of Israel. We are told that as a result of marrying the daughter of Ahab, who was himself a wicked king, Jehoram did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Furthermore, when Jehoram’s son, Ahaziah, became king, he was also wicked. Ahaziah followed the evil example of his grandfather Ahab rather than the good example of his grandfather Jehoshaphat.
In some ways all of this was a result of Jehoshaphat partnering with Ahab for many tasks. While Jehoshaphat was a righteous king, he had a friendly alliance with King Ahab, who was an evil king. It seems likely that Jehoshaphat’s close alliance with Ahab led to his son marrying Ahab’s daughter (perhaps that marriage was even part of that alliance). This all is a reminder of the dangers of joining in common cause with those who do not serve the Lord. I am not saying that we should not do so, but when we do, we must be wary.
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.
Elisha told the woman whose son he had raised from the dead to move out of Israel for a time because a famine was coming. She did as Elisha recommended. When the famine had ended, she moved back to Israel. When she returned to Israel, she went to the king of Israel to request her land back. She got there as the king was talking to Gehazi, Elisha’s servant. As Gehazi talked about the time Elisha had raised her son, she arrived at the court. Gehazi immediately pointed out that she was the mother of the boy whom Elisha had brought back to life. When she confirmed Gehazi’s story, the king ordered that her property be returned to her. This passage confirms that God will look after our interests if we make the effort to serve Him with our resources.
The passage goes on to recount how Elisha told Hazael that he was going to kill Ben-hadad, king of Aram. It tells us that Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat married Ahab’s daughter and as a result did evil in the sight of God, as did his son, Ahaziah. And finishes by telling us how Elisha sent one of the young men from among the group of prophets to anoint Jehu as king of Israel. After being anointed, Jehu led a revolt of army officers against the existing king of Israel.
One day while they were in Philippi, a slave girl who was used as a fortune-teller started following Paul and the rest of his party shouting that they were servants of the Most High God and that they had come to tell people how to be saved. This went on every day for several days until Paul became exasperated. Paul turned to the girl and commanded the demonic spirit which allowed her to tell fortunes to come out of her in the name of Jesus. It immediately departed. The slave girl’s owners, having lost a source of income, roused a mob against Paul and Silas. This led the arrested and beaten. They then threw them into prison.
Paul and Silas were placed in the inner dungeon and their feet were placed in stocks. During the night Paul and Silas were singing and praying, while the other prisoners listened. There was a violent earthquake in the middle of the night which opened the prison doors and released the locks on the chains holding the prisoners. When the jailer came out of his house and saw that the prison doors were open, he thought the prisoners had escaped. As a result, he drew his sword and prepared to kill himself. Paul quickly called out to him that he should not harm himself as all of the prisoners were still there. The jailer brought Paul and Silas out of the prison and asked what he needed to do to be saved. Paul preached the Gospel to them and they believed. Even though it was the middle of the night, the jailer had Paul and Silas cared for and fed them a meal. Then he and his household were baptized.
In the morning, the city officials sent word to have Paul and Silas released. At this point, Paul declares that he is a Roman citizen and demands that the city officials come themselves to release them. The city officials were alarmed to discover that they had had Roman citizens beaten and imprisoned without a trial. The city officials came to try to appease Paul and Silas and asked them to leave the city. Paul and Silas returned to Lydia’s house, where they met with the believers and encouraged them some more.
There are several points that I wanted to highlight. The first is that, unlike the way many people would react, Paul was annoyed by the slave girl following them around proclaiming that they were servants of God. Paul refused to accept acclamation from a demon-possessed person. Another point is that when the jailer and his household expressed belief in Christ, Paul made sure they had a basic understanding of what that meant by teaching them immediately and then he and Silas baptized them. They did not wait to have them complete a class, just as in the other accounts in the New Testament, baptism immediately followed a profession of faith. The final thing that struck me in this passage was that Paul did not make an issue over being punished in violation of his rights until the city officials were trying to make him go away. I am not sure what that means for us today, but it is something that needs to be thought about.
The psalmist proclaims that he will turn to the Lord when depression strikes, that he will not allow deep depression to disrupt his faith in God. Even though he has suffered major setbacks, he still trusts on God to rescue him. He will call on God to show him the path he should follow. I will call on God to teach me to do His will, even when times are difficult and circumstances seem to be stacked against me. He is my God and I know that He will guide me on firm footing and that He will silence my enemies. I will forever be His servant.
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.
God revealed to Elisha that there was going to be seven years of famine in Israel. So, Elisha tells the woman in Shunem to move out of Israel for seven years. She takes he family and does so. After seven years, she returns. Upon her return she went to the king of Israel to see about getting her land back. When she arrives before the king, Gehazi, Elisha’s former servant, is telling the king the story of Elisha raising her son. Gehazi tells the king that she is the woman and this is the son that Elisha had raised. The king has one of his officials see that she gets all of her land back.
Elisha travels to Damascus. King Ben-hadad has taken sick. When he hears that Elisha has come to Damascus, Ben-hadad sends Hazael to inquire of Elisha is he will get better. Elisha tells Hazael to tell Ben-hadad that he will recover, but that Elisha knows that Ben-hadad will actually die. Hazael returns and gives Ben-hadad Elisha’s message, but the following day he suffocates Ben-hadad in his bed.
Next we learn that Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram succeeds him. We are told that Jehoram married one of Ahab’s daughters and followed Ahab’s example rather than that of his own father and did evil in the sight of the Lord. Jehoram is succeeded by his son, Ahaziah. We are told that Ahaziah also followed the evil example of King Ahab’s family. We learn here the importance of who one chooses to marry. We were told that Asa and his son Jehoshaphat were good kings who did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. However, Jehoram followed the eample of his father-in-law Ahab and worshiped Baal. Ahaziah joins his uncle, King Joram of Israel in his war against Hazael of Aram. When Joram is wounded in battle both he and Ahaziah go to the city of Jezreel for Joram to recover.
After King Joram is wounded, Elisha sends one of the young prophets to Ramoth-gilead to secretly anoint Jehu, one of Joram’s army commanders, king of Israel. When the young prophet arrives at Ramoth-gilead, he finds Jehu sitting with other army officers. The prophet gets Jehu to take him aside and anoints him, telling him that he must destroy Ahab’s entire family. The prophet then opens the door and runs. When the other officers ask Jehu what the prophet told him, he dissembles and calls the prophet a madman. When the officers push further, Jehu tells them that the prophet anointed him king over Israel. The other officers immediately declare their support for him as king.
While Paul and Silas are in Philippi, a slave girl that could tell fortunes started following them around shouting out that they were servants of the Most High God who had come to tell them how to be saved. After a few days, Paul became exasperated with her and turned and commanded the demon within her to come out of her in the name of Jesus. The slave’s masters are furious and have Paul and Silas dragged before the authorities. A mob forms against them and the authorities have them beaten and thrown in prison.
While they were in prison they prayed and sang hymns of praise. The other prisoners were listening to them. There was a massive earthquake that opened all of the gates to the prison and released the chains off of all of the prisoners. The earthquake awakened the jailer, who thought that the prisoners had escaped and prepared to kill himself. Paul assures him that all of the prisoners are still there. The jailer is so overwhelmed by this turn of events that he asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved. Even though it was the middle of the night he took them into his house and cared for their wounds. He and his entire household were baptized. In the morning, the city officials sent the town magistrates to tell the jailer to release Paul and Silas. When the jailer tells Paul and Silas that they are free to go, Paul replied that they were Roman citizens who were punished without a trial and that they would not leave in secret. The town officials came and apologized to them and begged them to leave the city. Paul and Silas returned to Lydia’s house and met with the believers before leaving the city.
