I definitely agree with the proverb writer. I would rather live on a diet of bread and water (and stale bread at that) while living in peace than eat the fanciest feast among those who are arguing and agry with each other.
The beginning of this psalm is a reflection of Israel’s early years of slavery in Egypt. However, it also reflects the experience of the Jewish people through most of history. In my opinion the second part of this psalm represents both the feelings of the psalmist and prophecy/curse. It is worth noting that the word used that is translated “Jerusalem” translates more accurately as “Zion”. Which means when the psalmist refers to those who “hate Jerusalem” he is referring to those who hate Jerusalem as a city of Jews.
It is worth noting that at the end of his speech Stephen did not sugarcoat his point. He outright accuses those he was speaking to of deliberately disobeying God’s law. I think it is an important reminder to us that we do not always need to strive to avoid offending people. In this case, Stephen very clearly chose to offend those to whom he was speaking. Of course, if we follow Stephen’s example we should be prepared to experience what he experienced as well.
When I read the story of Philip preaching in Samaria, I am reminded of the Amazing Randi. The Amazing Randi is a former magician(at least, I think he has retired) who took to debunking those claiming supernatural powers. His main point was that, as a magician, he knew how to perform, without any supernatural power, the same feats these people were claiming they used supernatural power to accomplish. When he watched the various shysters he debunked perform their miracles, he could generally tell how they were doing it. In those cases where he was not sure how they did it, it was because he could not tell which of several methods they were using. My point is that Simon was a renowned magician who was thought to have magical powers. He followed Philip around watching him perform miracles. Eventually, Simon believed and was baptized. This tells me that Simon saw what Philip was doing and realized that he could not duplicate it.
I love Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple. I do not believe that we need to face Jerusalem when we pray in order to be heard by God. However, I do believe that God honours Solomon’s prayer. There is a common theme through much of the prayer, “if they acknowledge God’s name and turn from their sins…” Solomon acknowledged that the Temple could not contain God. He presented the Temple as a visible symbol, turning towards the Temple represented turning towards God. It was not necessary, but we humans sometimes need to move our bodies in order to move our minds.
For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Christmas is coming soon. Let us remember what it is truly about, the birth of Jesus Christ. Let us strive to not be caught up in the commercialism which is what this season is about for many in our society today.
Words are not, by themselves, sufficient to impose discipline. While those who hear them may understand what is said, unless they lead to greater consequences, they will not change their behavior as a result.
Talking without thinking how others will hear what you say is the most foolish thing you can do. Thoughtless words will have longer term consequences than any other action you can take.
This psalm is a reminder that the Jewish people have been persecuted for as long as they have been a people. Nevertheless, they have remained a people favored by God. Those who hate Jerusalem and the Jewish people will suffer and become outcasts. God’s blessings will be withheld from them.
John gives a message to each of the seven churches. His first message is for the church in Ephesus. He starts out with praise for them. They work hard and patiently endure difficult times. They do not tolerate evil people (an important point for us to note in this age of “tolerance”). They have not been fooled by false teachers who claim to speak for God. They have patiently endured suffering for their faith. All of this is praiseworthy. However, they have lost their enthusiasm.
His message to the church in Smyrna is praise and a warning. They are materially poor and physically suffering, but they are rich in faith. Unlike the other churches, the warning is not a warning to change somethings. It is a warning that persecution is about to start. But it is also encouragement, reminding them of the reward that awaits those who remain faithful.
Next is the message for the church in Pergamum. They are praised for remaining faithful in the face of persecution. They continued to call on the name of Jesus, even when threatened with death for doing so. However, they have among them those who encourage sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. I think this can be contrasted with the church in Ephesus which would not tolerate evil people. In Pergamum, they had among them those who preached in the church that they must tolerate all types of behavior. Such teaching encourages people to sin, instead of encouraging people not to sin.
When we read the messages to the seven churches, we must take careful note of our own lives and our own churches to decide which of these messages most closely addresses where we are. Here in the U.S., there are few, if any churches which fall into the category of the church in Smyrna. We are not poor. nor are we truly suffering. However, much of the church in the U.S. falls into one of the other two we studied today, and some have both problems. All too many of us have lost our enthusiasm for Christ. And all too many people in the church today teach that we must be tolerant of others, no matter what they do, or teach. I do not make the second mistake, but I struggle with the first. How do I regain my enthusiasm?
The book of Amos starts of with repeated statements saying, “The people of XXX have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished.” This is to remind us that we cannot escape judgement for our sins by saying, “But everybody else was doing it.” God brought judgement against the peoples living around the land of Israel for the injustices they did against the people of Israel. But Israel did not get a pass because they were so mistreated. God will not excuse us for our sins just because we were “misunderstood”, or had a difficult childhood, or whatever other excuse we may have.
This proverb reminds us that it is better to live in poverty with barely enough to eat but at peace with those we live with than it is to have the most sumptuous lifestyle in conflict with those we live with.
The psalmist tells us that those who hate Jerusalem, who battle against it, will be turned back in defeat. They will dry up and wither away. As log as their hostility remains they will receive no blessings from God, or God’s people.
When Stephen reached the end of his account of the history of the Jewish people, the common ground he had with his accusers, he pointed out that the crucifixion of Jesus (and indirectly the persecution of himself) were rebellion against God just as much as the making of the golden calf. His audience did not want to hear that they had any sin to repent of. They stoned Stephen to death. Yet while he was being killed, Stephen asked God to forgive them. In doing this Stephen provided us a model for how we should react to those who persecute us today (especially considering that few of us face death for our faith…I have utmost respect for those who live where this is not true).
The persecution which followed Stephen’s death scattered the believers. Philip went to a city in Samaria and began to preach. Notice that while the persecution scattered the believers, it did not silence them. They still preached the Gospel wherever they went. In Samaria, Simon the Sorcerer had been amazing people with the tricks he could perform. He led people to believe that he was someone great and had gathered quite a following. However, when Philip started preaching in Samaria, the people stopped following Simon and were baptized into the name of Jesus. Simon himself became a believer and followed Philip around listening to him and watching the wonders he performed.
Solomon prayed as part of dedicating the Temple. He talks about many different situations where people will turn to God in prayer. He asks God to hear their prayers and grant their requests. This is not just a prayer for those of Jewish descent. Solomon specifically mentions foreigners who come to worship God. Let us make ourselves a Temple that honors God in the same way that Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem to honor God. If we do so, God will hear our prayers when we turn to Him and pray. Let us lift up our hearts to God with humble and earnest requests.
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.
The first thing to take note of is that Amos was a shepherd when God called him to his ministry. He was not one of the elites, nor was he particularly well-educated. If God could call Amos to be one of the men who wrote part of the Bible, He could call you or me for a similar role. Certainly, He has a ministry in mind for us that is just as important to Him as Amos’ ministry was.
First Amos prophesies against all of Israel’s and Judah’s near neighbors. He prophesies their destruction for their sins. Then he prophesies the destruction of Judah and Israel. He indicts them for selling the honourable and the poor. They trample the helpless and abuse the oppressed. They are immoral and corrupt. Then he comes to the worst of their sins, they forced those who had made vows to the Lord to serve Him break those vows and silenced the prophets whom God had sent to warn them of their sin. The people have forgotten how to do what is right and all of their wealth was acquired by deceit and violence.
I read this and see that this indictment holds against our society today. Can God’s judgment be long in coming if we do not change our ways and turn back to Him?
In today’s passage we have the messages for the first three of the seven Churches. I believe that every Christian group falls into one of these seven categories. The first category is that of the Church of Ephesus. Those in this group work hard for God and are patient in waiting for Him to work His will in this world. They will not tolerate those who do evil in the name of God or Christ, who use religion as a cover for self-aggrandizement. They hate the practices of those who use the freedom we have through Christ as an excuse for immorality (the Nicolaitans, more of my thoughts on them later). However, they have lost their enthusiasm, their love, for Christ and doing God’s work. They continue to do God’s work, but it is out of obligation and duty, not out of love. Let us serve God, not because we are obligated to do so, but because our love for Him makes it a joy to do what He desires. If you have forgotten the joy of serving the Lord, search your heart and fall to your knees, asking the Spirit to bring it back to you.
The second category of Christian group is the Church of Smyrna. They are poor and they are suffering persecution. They face opposition from groups who claim to serve God, but actually reject His commands. They face prison and martyrdom. However, they are rich in faith and the joy of serving the Lord. They are enthusiastic for Christ and give of what they have to help those in even greater need. Let us praise God if we find ourselves amongst such Christians.
The third category is the Church of Pergamum. They remain loyal to Christ despite living among those who dedicated themselves to serving Satan (I do not think that this refers to Satanists per se). Despite the fact that they live among people who worship actions which are evil and immoral, they strive to follow God’s commands. However, they tolerate those who use the freedom we have in Christ and God’s grace in forgiving our sins as an excuse to justify sins of various kinds, but especially sexual immorality. There are two groups among these whom they tolerate. Those who seduce people away from God by encouraging their baser instincts and lusts and those who use these base instincts and lusts to gain power over people. Those who use people’s base instincts and lust to control them include people like David Koresh and Jim Jones, but there are others who are not as obvious. We are to reject such people from our fellowship, so that we, and our weaker brothers and sisters, will not be tempted by their evil. We must not have an attitude of “go along to get along” with such people.
The Lord will free us from being bound to serve the ungodly. The psalmist instructs us to refrain from blessing those who hate the City of God and righteousness. I do not believe by this he means (or at least that God intends us to interpret it that way) that we should refuse to desire that good things happen to those who reject God and righteousness. Rather, my understanding is that we should not offer our support to efforts to work against righteousness and God’s will.
Sometimes it takes more than words to convince people to mend their ways. They may understand what you say, but if they suffer no consequences for their bad behavior, they will not change what they do. It is worse to say something without thinking about how it will be understood than it is to take ill-advised action.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Amos the prophet was a shepherd from a small village in the Kingdom of Judah when he was called by God. He begins his prophetic words by warning Israel’s neighbors that God is going to bring judgment against them for their sins. But these are not the point of his ministry. When he gets to Israel, Amos goes into detail regarding their sins. They mistreated the poor, selling them into slavery. They abused those who could not look after themselves. They shoved those without power out-of-the-way. They were shamelessly adulterous. They celebrated religious festivals using goods acquired through corruption. They did everything in their power to corrupt the righteousness of those who publicly dedicated themselves to righteous living. For all of this God was going to bring judgment and there would be no escaping it.
This reminds me of our society. Some elements of it sound like it is describing the Christmas shopping season:
“They trample helpless people in the dust
and shove the oppressed out of the way.
Other parts sound like a sitcom (couldn’t you see this being an episode of next season’s “Two and a Half Men”):
Both father and son sleep with the same woman,
corrupting my holy name.
But I look around and this really strikes home, because I see it everywhere:
“My people have forgotten how to do right,”
says the Lord.
“Their fortresses are filled with wealth
taken by theft and violence.”
Let us read God’s word and learn once more how to do right. Too many of our churches spend Sunday morning entertaining those who come to service rather than teaching them what God commands. And we who attend them demand that they do so. We seek out churches that entertain us rather than those which discipline us to follow God.
Bhakail Yule Watching Commedia Dell’Arte
Today I read the message to the first three of the seven churches. The first message is to the church in Ephesus. They are commended for their patience and hard work. They are further commended for recognizing false prophets and teachers for what they are and not following them. In particular for not following the teachings of the Nicolaitans (a sect that appears to have taught that grace allows Christians to live immoral lives). However, they are condemned for having lost their enthusiasm. It is not enough that we get our doctrine correct, we need to be enthusiastic in our love of the Lord. Remember the enthusiasm we had when we first came to know the Lord, we need to recapture that.
The second message is the church in Smyrna. They are commended for their suffering and poverty. The writer tells us that despite their reputation for poverty they are rich. Since their is no condemnation given of them, I will assume that he was referring to spiritual riches, not material ones. Further they are praised for standing up against blasphemous opposition. Finally they are warned that there is more persecution coming against them, but if they remain faithful they will receive eternal life. Let us strive to be like the church in Smyrna, faithful in the face of opposition and persecution.
The third message is to the church in Pergamum. They are commended for remaining faithful in the face of persecution. They remained faithful despite a strong anti-Christian religious establishment in the city. However, they are criticized for tolerating those who follow the teachings of the Nicolaitans. They partook of the ceremonies of pagan religions and practiced sexual immorality. Is this not something that we face in our society today? A temptation to go along with non-Christian religious rituals so that we do not stand out and appear judgmental? A tendency to accept as normal and ok the rampant sexual immorality of the society around us so that we are not called “prudes”? We are told that we must repent of our sins and stand strong against such false teaching.
The Lord has cut me free from the bonds of sin and godlessness. Those who oppose righteousness will suffer defeat and humiliation. Hopefully this will turn their hearts to God.
Words alone are not discipline. If they are not backed up by further action, they will be ignored. It is worse to speak without thinking through how your words will be understood than it is to act foolishly.
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.
When Solomon had finished having the Temple built he summoned the leaders of Israel and had the Ark of the Covenant brought to the Temple. Unlike when David had the Ark brought to Jerusalem on a cart, Solomon had the Ark moved by priests carrying it using the carrying poles which were designed for that purpose when the Ark was first built. In his prayer of dedication Solomon touches on two very important points. The first is that God does not dwell in a Temple. That not even heaven can contain God. Solomon built the Temple as a unifying symbol for those who worship God. The second important point in Solomon’s dedication prayer is that God will forgive sins. Solomon prays that when people sin, and he says that they will sin, if they repent of their sins and turn back to God, he asks God to answer their prayers and deliver them. There is one additional point in Solomon’s prayer worth noting. He calls on God to accept those foreigners who turn to Him and worship Him, to answer their prayers just as He does those of the Israelites. Solomon does this because he knows that God is the God if all the earth and not just of the Israelites.
Now we come to the climax of Stephen’s speech before the Sanhedrin. He has pointed out how the Israelites rejected Moses repeatedly. Now he points out that the Israelites, the ancestors of those on the Sanhedrin, persecuted the prophets. He tells the Sanhedrin that they are like their ancestors in rejecting the One who brought God’s message. When he said this, the members of the Sanhedrin became furious and started to express their anger at him. Stephen then said that he saw the heavens opened and the “Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” The Sanhedrin knew he was referring to Jesus when he said “Son of Man.” At this point they took actions so as not to be able to hear anything further he said and dragged him out of the city and stoned him. As he died, Stephen cried out to God asking Him not to hold his death against them. I have trouble forgiving people who cut me off on the highway. How would I manage to forgive those who were causing my painful death?
The writer tells us that the death of Stephen was followed by persecution of all of the believers such that most of the Church was scattered throughout the region. But despite being persecuted and scattered, the believers preached the Gospel wherever they went. One such story is that of the deacon Philip. He went to Samaria and preached the Good News. The crowds listened intently because he was a good speaker and performed miracles. The writer tells us that many were healed and came to believe and be baptized. One in particular was Simon the sorcerer, who had performed acts of power and presented himself as a “Power of God”. Simon had long been influential in the city of Samaria because he had astounded the people with his magic. But now the people were turning from him to follow Jesus. Simon could have been angry and become an enemy of the Church, but he did not. Instead, he became a believer and was baptized. Simon began following Philip around, recognizing real power when he saw it. Philip did not turn Simon away because of his past. Despite a background that suggested he would be hostile to the believers, Philip welcomed Simon when he asked to be baptized. The passage tells us that Simon was amazed by the signs and miracles Philip performed. Are those around us amazed at what we do in the name of Jesus? Why are we not performing similar signs and miracles?
The psalmist says that Israel has been persecuted from its beginning, but God has freed them from those who enslaved them. The psalmist requests that the enemies of Jerusalem be turned back in defeat. I believe that God has granted that request throughout history. Those who have driven the Jews out of Jerusalem have soon gone down to defeat.
This proverb tells us that it is better to have nothing more to eat than the image in the above thumbnail if one is at peace with those around one than it is to have a feast if one is arguing and in conflict with those around.
