The rich think that their wealth will protect them from troubled times. They believe that they will be able to depend on it, even when civilization collapses around them. As a result, they are often arrogant and haughty. Such arrogance keeps them from recognizing the dangers which threaten them until it is too late. Arrogance leads people to make mistakes which bring about their downfall. It is those who humbly acknowledge their vulnerability who are prepared to act when disaster strikes. They will be honoured for their foresight.
The book of Psalms begins with a wonderful statement of how to live a faithful life. First we have the things we should not do:
Do not follow the advice of the wicked
Do not spend all of your time with sinners
Do not join in mocking others
Then we have the the things we should do:
Delight in God’s law
Meditate on that law day and night
I would like to say that the latter is more important than the former, but the fact of the matter is that if we do the latter we will find we do not have time to do the former. Of course, the inverse of that is also true, actually the inverse is more than true; if we do the former we will have neither the time, nor the desire, to do the latter.
After he had been arrested, Paul addressed the commander of the Roman soldiers in Greek. By doing so, he revealed to the officer that he was not who the officer thought he was. There is an important lesson for us here. Paul knew that the officer arresting him did not share the biases of the mob, so he politely addressed the officer in order to make it clear that he was not the one making trouble. Paul then convinced the officer to allow him to address the crowd.
It immediately became apparent that most of those in the crowd which had just rioted had no idea who Paul was. They were surprised into silence when he began speaking to them in Aramaic. Paul used this opportunity to tell the people in the crowd who he was, and his background. He started by giving his credentials as a good Jew, pointing out that he even went so far as to persecute the Church. He goes on to explain how and why he changed. This is also an important lesson for us. When we preach the Gospel we need to tell people about our sinful past. Then we tell them what God did to make us receptive to change and how He transformed us.
In today’s passage, Judah once more has a leader, a king, who serves God. When Josiah reached his majority, his first act was to order the Temple to be cleaned and repaired. In the process of cleaning the Temple, the high priest, Hilkiah found a copy of the Book of the Law (I believe it was the first five books of the Bible, but the passage does not say that). When it was read to Josiah, he was mortified at how badly the people of Judah had failed to keep God’s law. Josiah immediately sought God’s forgiveness and guidance. Josiah was not satisfied with living a personally holy life, he led the people of Judah in a revival. He used his position to get rid of the idols, pagan shrines, and evil worship practices throughout the land. I believe that in many ways Josiah’s revival prepared the Israelites to survive the coming Exile.
For today, One Year Bible Online links here. This is the first day of a New Year. Let us dedicate ourselves to serving God each and every day in everything we do. I will ask His Holy Spirit to make me more faithful in service to God this year than I was last year.
As we start a new year, it is worth considering how reading the Book of Proverbs can help us live better lives. The Book of Proverbs was written in order to teach people wisdom and discipline. It even answers the question: why do we need wisdom and discipline?
The answer to that question is: so that we may do what is right, and just, and fair. So, join me in this new year in finding guidance for our lives by exploring the sayings recorded in this book. May God grant us understanding so that we may receive guidance for living our lives.
Speaking of receiving guidance, this psalm gives us some good guidance about living our lives. If you want true joy in your life, this psalm gives you a couple of things not to do and a couple of things to do. Things not to do:
Follow the advice of the wicked
Hang out with sinners
Join in with those who mock others
It is not enough to know what not to do, we must also know what to do:
Delight in the law of the Lord
Meditate on that law day and night
That sounds fairly simple. Why do I have so much trouble doing it?
When Joseph discovered that his arranged bride was pregnant, he did not become vindictive and demand she be publicly shamed. Instead, he planned to quietly step aside, perhaps to allow her the opportunity to marry the father of her child. However, God sent a messenger to Joseph in a dream. Joseph listened to the messenger and married Mary. There is a lesson there for us. Joseph did not seek to assuage the hurt he must have felt by shaming Mary. As a result he was receptive to hear God’s guidance when it was given to him. Joseph suffered a lot for Jesus to come into this world and apparently did not live to see Jesus begin his ministry.
The other part of this story is the wise men. Actually what I notice here is that when someone asked Herod where the Messiah (because that is the only “king” that he would have expected to be heralded by a star) was to be born, he knew just who to ask. And when he asked them, they knew the answer off of top of their head. Yet out of all of the political and religious leaders not a single one of them chose to go and see this long awaited Messiah. They knew the answers, but when it came time to do something, they did nothing.
It is appropriate to study the creation story on the first day of the year. This story tells us the power of the Word of God. Time and again we are told, “Then God said…” and what He said came to pass. Not only did it come to pass as God said, but it was good.
To cap it all off, God created mankind. God placed man in the Garden, where He decided that man needed a companion. First God showed all of the animals to the man and the man named them. However, none of the animals were found to be suitable companions for the man. When I was growing up, I was under the impression that God brought each of the animals to the man in order to see if they might do. But now when I read it I realize that God brought all of the animals to the man to show him that none of them would do. God already knew that none of the animals was a suitable companion for the man. Having shown the man that none of the other animals would do, God created woman. After having seen all of the animals, the man knew that the woman was meant for him. He realized it at once that she was to be his wife. I wish I could say that the same was true for me. It took God a lot longer to convince me that the woman He had brought into my life to be my wife was the right one, but I am glad He finally convinced me (her persistence had more than a little to do with that as well)
The wealthy believe that their riches will protect them. While there is some truth to that, riches provide less protection than they imagine. The only true security is trusting in God.
Haughtiness and arrogance will lead to destruction. Those who are arrogant will, sooner or later, overlook a threat because they believe they are too important, or special, to be threatened by it. On the other hand people will be eager to honour those who are humble in their actions and do not seek to be seen as better than others.
This psalm tells us how to live prosperous and happy lives. The first part of tells us what not to do. Do not follow the advice of the wicked. Do not spend all of your time hanging out with sinners. Do not join in mocking the righteous. The corollary to these is that we should seek the advice of the righteous, we should hang out with the godly (this means those who seek to do God’s will, not those who just attempt to appear godly), we should seek to learn the true facts about those being mocked.
Then the psalmist tells us what to do. If we wish to live prosperous, happy lives we should delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on His words. Let us seek to be guided in all of our actions, even the most minor, by God’s word. Study scripture and make it an integral part of how we see the world.
This passage shows us something that is often the case when a mob is roused against someone. Paul had been arrested by the Roman soldiers as the cause of the riot they had deployed to quell. The Roman commander was surprised when Paul spoke to him in Greek because he had thought Paul was an Egyptian revolutionary (based on what he had understood the people in the crowd say about Paul). Then when Paul began speaking to the crowd in the local language (the Greek is ambiguous as to whether he was speaking Hebrew or Aramaic), the members of the crowd were surprised. In both cases, people had formed a false impression about who Paul was and what he stood for. Paul realized this and made the effort to correct the misunderstandings.
We will often run into similar situations in our lives, where the few people who are angry with us for what we have actually done have distorted our actions so as to cause others to be angry with us. We should seek out opportunities to correct the understanding of those who view us negatively on the basis of a false understanding of what we believe.
I think that this account is among my favorites. Josiah began by working to restore the Temple. When the workmen found a copy of the Law of Moses as they were repairing the Temple, the priests brought it to Josiah. When Josiah heard what it contained, he was mortified by how badly the people of Judah had failed to keep God’s commands. When God responded to his inquiry about what the scroll said, he did not become complacent. Even though God told him that the disaster was unavoidable but that it would not come in his lifetime Josiah did not become complacent. Instead Josiah became even more determined to follow God’s commands. He led the people to renew their covenant with God. He actively sought out all of the ways in which the people of Judah had incorporated pagan practices into their worship. He sought out the shrines in the high places and destroyed them. He brought the priests who had sacrificed to God at those shrines to Jerusalem. Josiah was systematic and thorough in wiping out pagan practices among the people of Judah.
Josiah thoroughly destroyed everything that might distract the people from worshiping God and following His commands. Then he called on all of the people to celebrate the Passover in the manner prescribed by the Law. Josiah turned to the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and strength. Let us dedicate ourselves to serving God with a similar effort, destroying anything in our lives that may distract us from God and turning to God with all of our heart, soul, and strength.
Happy New Year one and all. I hope that you are looking forward to this New Year as much as I am and that you will experience God’s blessings on your life as we travel through yet another year in which we may serve the Lord. I want to praise the Lord for all He has done for me in the previous year and dedicate myself to seeking how I may serve Him in the coming year. I ask God to place His Spirit upon me to direct me in the path He has chosen for me.
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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
I start the year with the Genesis account of creation. Actually we have two separate accounts here. However, they are not contradictory accounts, they merely have different foci. The first is about the creation of the universe and the creatures which live within it. The focus of this story is that God created the universe and all of the beings within it. It has as a secondary point establishing the position of mankind in relation to God and to all other living creatures. Mankind was created in God’s image to be God’s friend, although subordinate to God. However, mankind was placed in charge of all other living creatures so that he could manage them for God’s glory. God looked at all He had created and it was very good.
The second creation story focuses on how mankind relates to one another, in particular how men relate to women. When God placed man in the Garden of Eden to tend it and watch over it, He gave man a helper. So God took a rib from man and created woman to be similar to man, but not the same. Woman was created to complete man. While this story could be interpreted that woman is secondary to man, I do not believe that is what is meant at all. Woman complements man and makes him complete, just as man complements woman and makes her complete. The two are united into one and are made complete by this union. Men and women are designed to be partners who work together to serve God and tend to this world which He created.
Matthew here gives his account of Jesus’ birth. He tells us that Mary and Joseph were pledged to be married, something that was in that day more binding than engagements are today. Before they came together to consummate the marriage, Mary became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, while still a virgin. Joseph initially assumed that some other man was the father, but did not desire to publicly shame Mary. As a result, he decided to quietly divorce her. The implication is that he wished to leave her free to marry the man he believed she must prefer to himself (this is my understanding of Joseph’s thinking and is not supported by anything in either the Bible or other literature, nor is it contradicted, as far as I am aware). We are told that Joseph was a good man.
Having made his decision, Joseph fell asleep. In a dream an angel appeared to him and told him that he should not fear that Mary desired another man. Rather she had become pregnant at the working of the Holy Spirit. Joseph was to marry her and name the son she would bear, Jesus (which means “the Lord saves”). Joseph did as the angel instructed him, but did not consummate the marriage until after the child was born. Matthew tells us that this occurred to fulfill the prophecy given in Isaiah 7:14.
Matthew tells us that shortly after Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem some dignitaries, or wise men, from the east arrived in Jerusalem. They began asking after the newborn king of the Jews, telling people that they had seen his star rise in the east. Matthew tells us that their questions disturbed King Herod, and consequently disturbed everyone in Jerusalem. Herod recognized that such a star could indicate the birth of no one other than the expected Anointed One (Messiah) of God. So he gathered the chief priests and religious leaders to ask them where the prophets said that the Messiah would be born. They informed him that it would be in Bethlehem of Judea. Herod called the wise men to him and told them to go to Bethlehem and search for the child. He requested that when they had found the child they return and tell him where it was, so that he could go and worship it as well.
As we read this, we realize that there were many in Jerusalem who understood that the portents pointed to the long promised Messiah being born in Bethlehem and that the appearance of the star in the east could only mean one thing. Yet, here we have Herod planning, not to accede to God’s will and acknowledge the One whom He had sent, but rather attempting to prevent it from coming to pass. We have in this passage a contrast between two men: Joseph, who did as God desired, and Herod, who attempted to circumvent God’s will. I pray to God the His Spirit rest upon me so that I may follow Joseph’s example and not that of Herod. The latter can only lead to heartache and pain.
If we delight in God’s commands and meditate on His word, we will prosper and bear fruit like a tree planted on a river bank. We will neither take advice from the wicked, nor hang out with sinners, nor join in mocking others. Those who follow those latter practices will be scattered by the wind and never amount to anything of worth. God will watch over our path if we strive to be godly, but the path followed by the wicked leads to destruction.
Studying the proverbs will teach us wisdom and discipline. Listening to the wisdom they contain and following the discipline they advise will help us to do what is right, just, and fair. Listening to proverbs will help the wise become wiser and give guidance to those who possess understanding. I will explore the meanings of the proverbs throughout the year so that I may better serve God.
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.
Josiah ordered repair work on the Temple. While the Temple was being repaired, Hilkiah, the high priest, found a copy of the
Book of the Law in the Temple. He sent it to King Josiah. When Josiah heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he sent to inquire of the Lord what they should do. He recognized that the people of Judah had failed to keep the Covenant with God. The prophetess whom they consulted told them that God was angry with the people of Judah and was going to bring disaster upon Jerusalem because of the sins of the people. However, because Josiah had humbled himself and sought God’s will, God was going to delay that destruction until after Josiah’s death.
Josiah held a convocation of the people at the Temple of the Lord where the Book of the Law was read to them. Josiah pledged to obey the Lord and keep His laws and decrees with all of his heart and soul. The people joined Josiah in dedicating themselves to obeying the Lord. Josiah then began a campaign of cleansing the land of idolatry. He started by removing all of the implements of idol worship from the Temple and having them destroyed. He then systematically began destroying and desecrating the pagan shrines throughout the city and then the land. He went so far as to destroy the pagan shrines in what had been the Northern Kingdom, including the idols and shrines built by Jeroboam.
Josiah called on the people to celebrate the Passover and the Passover was celebrated in all of its fullness for the first time since the time of the judges. Josiah went on to get rid of the mediums and psychics in the land as well as all of the detestable practices which people had adopted from the pagan peoples surrounding them, even those practiced in the privacy of people’s own homes. As I read the detailed description of the cleansing which Josiah performed, I realized how thoroughly ingrained in the lives of the people idolatry had become. It makes me wonder how much idolatry goes on in supposedly Christian America? Even among those who proclaim themselves “the Church”?
As he was about to be taken into the barracks, Paul asked the commander for permission to speak to him. The commander was surprised that Paul could speak Greek and expressed the thought that Paul was an Egyptian revolutionary. Paul corrected his misunderstanding and requested permission to address the crowd. Paul motioned for the crowd to be quiet and they quieted down. When he could be heard, Paul began speaking in Aramaic (or Hebrew, the Greek is unclear, but it was the local language). When they crowd heard him speaking in the language of the Jews, they became very quiet (suggesting that the crowd was under a similar misunderstanding to the Roman commander).
Paul started by telling the crowd about his credentials as a student of Jewish law, referring to his time as a student of the prominent rabbi Gamaliel. Paul told them of his fanatical opposition to the early followers of Jesus. He then told them of his trip to Damascus to continue persecuting the Christians and how God struck him on the road with a bright light. Paul told them how this experience led to his conversion to being a follower of Jesus.
This psalm gives us wonderful advice. It tells us that the route to great joy is to not follow the advice of the wicked, nor hang out with sinners, nor join in mocking others. No, the path to joy is to take delight in God’s commands and to study His instructions both day and night. Following this advice will make us like a tree planted on a riverbank, firmly rooted and prospering in all we do.
The wealthy think that their riches will protect them from the troubles of life. They are not always wrong, but even the wealthy will experience the consequences of their actions.
Those who are arrogant are on their way to their own destruction, while a necessary prerequisite to receiving honor is humility.
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
This is the start of a New Year. I did not start this blog until April of last year, I am looking forward to doing this blog from the beginning of the year and the beginning of the Bible.
Question:What is the first sport mentioned in the Bible?
Answer: Baseball. Genesis 1:1 starts out “In the big inning…”
Ok, now that I have that groaner out of the way to start the New Year. Genesis starts with what should always be our starting point, “In the beginning God…” That is where it starts. That is where everything starts, with God. Whenever we start anything our fist thought should be about God. That is certainly the place to start the New Year. We are at the beginning of a new year, I am going to dedicate myself to putting God first, at the beginning, of all aspects of my life this year.
In today’s passage we have two creation accounts. Many people claim they are contradictory, but that is because they read them looking for “errors”. The first account is about the creation of the universe, this world and everything in it. The second account is about the creation of mankind and marriage. In the first account the author is telling us about the creation of the earth and everything on it (including man) and how man relates to the earth and to God. We learn that God created everything in a systematic manner. Then God created man in His own image and gave man dominion over all of the other living creatures. When God finished creating everything, He instructed mankind to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. He completed that command by telling mankind to govern the earth. Govern means to control and bind to your will, so that is part of what mankind has a divine mandate from God to do; bend the earth and the living things upon it to mankind’s will. However, it also means to guide and develop in a productive manner, so mankind also has a mandate from God to guide the development of the living creatures on the earth in a productive (rather than destructive) manner. Even from this first command, we are to be responsible stewards of the earth.
The second creation account is about the creation of mankind specifically and our relationship to each other, to God and to all of creation. This account tells us that God handcrafted man as an artisan carefully crafts something. I believe that the author is intentionally evoking the image of a potter forming clay into a pot or some other item. The item (in this case man) was carefully created with thought going into every detail. After God had created man, He planted a garden, a paradise where every need was met. As soon as man was created it became obvious that this new creature was a social animal and needed a companion/helper. God then brought each other animal to man so that man could name them, but none of them were suitable helpers for man. This was not done so that God could see if one of the animals would do. This was done to show man that none of the animals would do. God then put man into a deep sleep and took a part of him and created woman. This was to show that man and woman are part of each other, but not identical. God did not create another being just like the first man to be man’s helper. God created woman to be man’s helper, similar but with different characteristics. This is the origin and purpose of marriage. Men and women are complimentary to each other. They bring different gifts and ways of thinking to their relationships with each other. These difference mean that when they come together in marriage, they bring a kind of completion to one another that cannot be formed in any other way.
There is a lot more I could say about this passage, but I only have so much time. Perhaps I will do a blog on just this passage at some point.
Another good place to start the new year is Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth. Matthew starts with the genealogy of Joseph (which is legally the genealogy of Jesus). The most interesting part of that genealogy to me is the fact that Matthew makes a point of mentioning five women in Jesus’ genealogy. Those women are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. The first four are women who were of backgrounds that would have ordinarily made them not fit for discussion in polite society. Yet the first three are held up as examples of godly behavior. Tamar played the prostitute with her father-in-law, yet we are told that he was the one at fault. It was he who violated the norms and practices of the day by not arranging for her to marry his third son after the first two died without giving her any children thus leaving her with no means to support herself. Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho who, when the opportunity presented itself, sided with God’s people against her own out of faith in God. Ruth was a Moabitess who left her people after her husband died in order to support her mother-in-law. I do not know why Matthew chose to incorporate these five women (well, OK, I know why he included Mary), but it is noteworthy that, in a society that viewed women as unimportant or even as inherently evil, he chose to include women in the genealogy of Jesus’ father. This is the first indication that this is not just a retelling of a myth, that this story is about something different.
Matthew then tells us that Mary was betrothed to be married to Joseph. We often translate that as engaged, but it was much more binding than engagement. Next he tells us that Mary was “found to be with child.” This was a major scandal. There were two possibilities. The first is that Joseph had broken his promise to Mary’s parents and had sex with her before the betrothal period was completed and they were married. The second was that Mary had been unfaithful to Joseph and had sex with someone else. Matthew tells us that there was a third possibility. The power of the Holy Spirit had done what was impossible and caused a virgin to become pregnant. Joseph has three choices. He can make a big stink about this and publicly divorce Mary, thus freeing himself from any taint of scandal, but marking Mary as an adulteress and possibly bringing about her death. He can go through with the marriage and take the hit on his pride and reputation. Or he can divorce her quietly and allow her to attempt to keep it all a secret (perhaps marrying the father of the child). Joseph is not a bitter, spiteful man and chooses the last option. However, an angel appears to him and tells him that Mary has not been unfaithful and that he should marry her. Joseph believes and acts accordingly (that is, he marries Mary).
In due time, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Shortly after that some prominent men arrived in Jerusalem asking where they could find the newborn king of the Jews because they had seen his star rise in the east. Matthew identifies these men as magi, which would make them the scientists of their day. They studied the stars and other aspects of natural science. Herod was disturbed by their questions, as was everyone else in Jerusalem when the word got out. Herod summoned the experts in the Law and the prophets and asked them where the Messiah was to be born. He knew that this star could only mean one thing, God’s promised Messiah had been born. Herod’s experts told him that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Herod holds a private meeting with the magi and finds out when they first saw the star. He tells them to go to Bethlehem and find the child. He asks them (although in this case it would have been more of an order) to return once they have found the child and tell him where it is so that he can go and worship it. The magi leave Jerusalem and head for Bethlehem. Matthew tells us that the star gave them further guidance and showed them where Jesus was living when they got to Bethlehem. They were overcome with joy at finding the child. They worshiped Him and gave Him valuable gifts. After spending some period of time there with His family they returned home. However, before they left they had a dream and did not return and inform Herod.
The psalmist gives us guidance on how to start off our year correctly. First, do not follow the advice of the wicked. Second, don’t spend all of your time hanging out with sinners. Third, don’t join in with those who mock and make fun of others. Rather, we should meditate on the law of the Lord, making it the focus of our attention and seeking its advice on how we should live our lives. If we follow the psalmist’s plan we will be well established and that which we turn our hand to will prosper.
We begin our year by considering the purpose for which the Book of Proverbs was written. The proverbs provide us with insight into understanding wise behavior. If we study them we will learn to behave prudently by doing what is just and right and fair. If they would study the proverbs those who are easily duped would learn to recognize how foolish and wicked behavior will lead to future unhappiness. If those who may not be gullible but are young and inexperienced study the proverbs they will gain knowledge and discretion. Finally, if those who are already wise continue to study the proverbs they will increase in wisdom. No matter who we are, we will become wiser and better people by studying the proverbs and meditation on their meaning.
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.
Like King Jehoash several generations earlier, King Josiah orders Temple repairs. During the repairs, the priests discover the Book of the Law. They gave it to the king’s court secretary, who in turn read it to King Josiah. King Josiah is horrified to learn how far they have fallen short of keeping the Law. Josiah at once sends someone to inquire of the Lord what they should do and to beg forgiveness of God. God sends word that He is indeed angry and that disaster is going to come to Jerusalem because the people had failed to keep His law, but that because Josiah had repented in sorrow and turned to God, it would be delayed until after his death.
King Josiah gathered the elders of Judah and read them the book which had been found in the Temple. He renewed the Covenant between the descendants of Jacob and God. Josiah then began the most thorough cleansing of pagan practices from among the people of Judah that had occurred under any king of Israel or Judah. He thoroughly desecrated all of the pagan shrines throughout the land, including the high places where Yahweh had been worshiped alongside of pagan gods. He extended this cleansing through most of what had been the Northern Kingdom. He brought all of the priests living throughout Judah to Jerusalem. He did not allow the priests who had served at the high places to serve in the Temple, but he allowed them to eat from the same offerings that supported the priests of the Temple. King Josiah then ordered the people to celebrate the Passover. The passage tells us that the Passover had not been completely celebrated under any of the previous kings, including David. Finally the passage tells us that King Josiah was killed when he went to battle to prevent the King of Egypt from marching through his land.
A common opinion among biblical scholars is that the “Book of the Law” this passage says was found in the Temple was actually written at this time and is the starting point for the book we now know as Deuteronomy. I understand why they take this position, but I do not agree. I believe that there are two things that call this conclusion into question. One of the things that they base this on is the fact that evidence suggests that the people of Israel and Judah had practiced a kind of polytheism up until this time, treating Yahweh as the chief god of the pantheon (it is much more complicated than that and I would debate this conclusion, but that is for another time). During the time of Josiah and forward, Judaism was much more militantly monotheistic. Even if one accepts this understanding there is a flaw in the reasoning. Modern Christians consider slavery to be wrong and sinful, yet until the eighteenth century Christians accepted it. No new scripture was needed to make the change, just a different understanding of existing scripture…and of a Christian’s relationship to his fellow man. Another reason that some biblical scholars reject the Mosaic origins of Deuteronomy and place its origins here is that they do not believe in God’s supernatural intervention into history. I believe that it is logically consistent to accept the Bible as an authoritative document and yet reject the idea that God intervenes into history. My experience with those who do that is that they pick and chose what parts of the Bible they will believe and what parts of modern archeology they will believe based on how well either supports their preconceived understanding. I know that when I read the Bible, I tend to understand it based on preconceived notions. However, I try very hard to question those preconceptions when I come across scripture which conflicts with them.
As the Roman commander is taking Paul into the garrison, Paul asks for a word with him. The Roman commander is surprised that Paul speaks Greek because he thought that Paul was an Egyptian rebel (there is no explanation in the passage as to where the commander got that idea). Paul tells the Roman commander that not only is he not, but that he is a citizen of Tarsus (I believe that Paul was telling the commander that he was a Roman citizen from the city of Tarsus, rather than that he was just a citizen of the city of Tarsus). Paul requests permission to address the crowd, which the commander grants. When Paul starts speaking in Aramaic, the crowd quiets down (apparently taken by surprise that Paul can speak that language). Paul begins by telling the crowd his background as a Jew born in Tarsus and raised in Jerusalem. He lays out his credentials as a student of Gamaliel and as a persecutor of the Church. He then tells of his conversion experience. I think that this is an important model for us as Christians when we are testifying to others. We need to lay out our background so that people can understand what a change our conversion represents. God will use us to witness to those to whom our life story connects. We should not be ashamed of either a “goody-two-shoes” background or a “steeped in sin” background, or anything in between. It is the path that God has given us to use to reach those we meet.
The psalmist tells us not to take the advice of the wicked or hang out with sinners or join in with those who mock others. There are three levels here. The first is that you should consider the source when you receive advice, if the person giving the advice does not share your values their advice is not likely to yield results that will please you. The second is that what you find to be acceptable behavior for yourself will be influenced by those you spend time around, make sure that a majority of your free time is spent with those who are trying to live righteous lives. Finally, do not join in with those who mock others for whatever perceived flaws they have, mocking others is hurtful both to them and ourselves. If instead of listening to the advice of the wicked, hanging out with sinners and mocking others we study the scripture and attempt to apply it to our lives we will be rock solid and successful in what we do.
This proverb tells us that the rich think that their wealth will protect them from danger. While this is often true, there are situations where wealth will bring increased danger rather than security. Being puffed up and proud of yourself will often lead you to put yourself onto a path where your skills will be inadequate to get yourself out of trouble. On the other hand, those who are humble and recognize their limits will often be praised for their successes.
