When the wicked start forming alliances among themselves a wise ruler acts to break those groups up and bring as many of the wicked to justice as possible. He does not allow the wicked to thrive and build organizations unopposed. A wise ruler realizes that if he allows the wicked to do so it is only a matter of time until they will challenge his authority and seek to replace him. If they have been allowed to get too strong, they will succeed.
Let us honor and worship the Lord. I cannot do justice to the image which the psalmist creates as he describes the power and glory of God. Read this psalm today and meditate on what a great God we serve.
It does not matter which teacher you learned from/follow. It does not matter what denomination you are a member of. That teacher, the founder of that denomination is a servant of God, spreading His message, or they are not. Find out what message God sent through every teacher who serves Him. Some plant, some water, some provide nutrients necessary for growth, but it is God who makes things grow.
Paul then switches metaphors from growing plants to building a building. If we desire to build something worthy of heaven we must build on the foundation which is Jesus Christ. There are no other foundations which will produce a building which will stand the test. The foundation has already been laid by those who have gone before. It actually just occurred to me how this passage applies to evaluating teachers and religious groups. When you examine the teachings of a particular teacher, or the founder(s) of a denomination, are they building on the foundation which is already laid? Or are they attempting to lay an entirely new foundation? If they are laying a new foundation, run away from them as fast as you can, no matter how beautiful the structure they are building appears.
Paul goes on to speak about how different builders use different materials. Those who use more durable materials will build something which lasts, but even those who use less durable materials will survive, so long as they built on the foundation which is Jesus Christ.
In yesterday’s passage, those who opposed the rebuilding of the Temple were able to obtain orders to prevent its building by asking the authorities to check the records about Jerusalem and Judah being a rebellious province. A search of the Babylonian records indicated that such was indeed the case. Thus a halt was ordered to construction of the Temple. In today’s passage, we are told how the Jews referenced Cyus’ order to build the Temple and asked for the archives to be search. As a result, not only were they ordered to resume building, but those who had opposed their actions were ordered to support them in every way they were able. These two passages highlight the importance of how an argument is framed. Let us follow the Spirit’s lead so that we may put the task God has given us in the best possible light.
Government officials who seek the good of their people and land will not allow the wicked to band together. Rather in the interest of the people he governs, and in his own interest, he will scatter the wicked and then crush those he can catch.
The light of God’s Spirit will penetrate our innermost being, revealing secrets and motives we did not realize we possessed.
The psalmist calls on us to honour the Lord (the translation notes mention that the phrase rendered “heavenly beings” could be translated “Sons of God”). We should honour god for His glory and His strength. The psalmist reminds us that the voice of the Lord can transform the world. It can split mighty trees and twist them to His will. It can strike like lightning and cause the earth to quake. Let us remember this when we see injustice and oppression in the world. When we speak God’s words, we are speaking with the voice of God which has the power to transform the world. We may be weak and powerless in the eyes of this world, but when we allow God’s Spirit to move through us, the earth will be shaken to its core.
Those of us who are called to preach and teach the Gospel (which to at least some degree is all of us) need to remember Paul’s humility here. Some need to plant the seed, introduce people to the Gospel message. Others need to water that seed, teach people how to follow the Gospel and be disciples of Jesus. But in either case, it is God who causes the seed to grow. It does not matter who first introduces someone to the Gospel, nor does it matter who teaches them how to follow God. Both such people are merely God’s servants, doing as they have been instructed. The glory and praise belongs to God who sent them.
Paul then changes metaphor to that of building. There is only one foundation on which we can build anything lasting. As long as we build on that foundation, which is Jesus Christ, we will be saved. We can use any materials we like. However, our building will be tried by fire, if it survives we will be rewarded. But even if it does not, as long as we built on that firm foundation we will receive salvation.
Paul concludes this whole lesson (going back to the passage we covered yesterday) by reminding us that if we think we are wise using the world’s standards of wisdom, we are deceiving ourselves. If we want to be truly wise we must be willing to become fools according to the way the world measures things.
Because the returned Exiles had refused the assistance of those who lived around them when they returned, work on rebuilding the Temple was delayed for many years. When Darius became king of Persia, God sent prophets who inspired those who by then were leading the people to resume construction. When the officials set by the Persians to rule the area discovered that work had resumed, they demanded to know by what authority the Exiles were doing this. The Exiles referenced Cyrus’ proclamation and continued to work. The officials sent word to Darius requesting a ruling. Darius replied that not only was the work not to be obstructed, but that the local officials were to supply resources to aid in the construction. If we are faithful, God will cause even those who oppose us to aid us in serving His purposes.
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.
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.
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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.
Magrat pounces
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.
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.
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.
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.
As a result of the actions of the surrounding peoples, construction on the Temple was halted. However, when Darius became king of Persia two prophets rose up and encouraged the leaders of the Jews in Jerusalem and Judah to resume rebuilding the Temple. Officials from the provincial government established by the Persians soon arrive and demand who authorized the Temple work. The Jews claimed authorization by Cyrus.
The Persian officials were skeptical, but the Jews provided enough evidence that they sent to the Persian capital for confirmation. When the officials’ letter arrived in the Persian capital, Darius ordered a search of the archives to see if Cyrus had indeed ordered the rebuilding of the Temple. When the record of Cyrus’ order was found, Darius ordered the provincial officials to not only allow the Jews to build in peace, but to provide financial assistance out of the taxes they were collecting for the Persian Empire. As a result, Temple reconstruction continued and it was rebuilt.
When the Jews completed work on the Temple, they held a celebration to dedicate it once again. The following month they had a Passover celebration in the new Temple. The priests and Levites had purified themselves. They slaughtered the Passover lambs for all of the people who took part in this Passover celebration, which included some of the local people who had given up pagan practices. It is interesting to note that although the Jews had rejected the help of leaders of the surrounding people in rebuilding the Temple when they started, they accepted the local people into the Temple worship if those people chose to follow the Law.
Paul continues his discussion of the foolishness of dividing along lines according to which teacher of the Gospel one followed. Paul tells them that it makes no difference which teacher they learn from as long as that teacher bases his teaching on Jesus. Paul compares our lives of faith to a building, as long as the building is built on a solid foundation, it will survive. If the materials used to build are perishable the building may be destroyed but if the builder built on the foundation of Jesus, they will survive.
Paul wraps up this section of his writing by telling us that the body of believers as a whole is a temple to God. Anyone who destroys this temple of believers by disrupting its unity will be destroyed by God. Paul tells us not to boast in following a human leader. That we should take anything that will build our faith from any teacher who bases their teachings on Jesus.
God’s voice is loud and powerful. When He wishes He will be heard now matter how loud the other noises that attempt to drown Him out. When God shouts, the earth trembles and mighty trees split asunder. Let us praise Him that He uses this strength for the good of those who love Him.
The first proverb tells us that a wise ruler drives the wicked from his land. The wicked will destroy the land and bring destruction upon the rulers who shelter them. The second proverb tells us that God looks into our inmost being. It is not dark to the Lord.
