For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I am starting to feel better and, God willing, should experience steady improvement to full recovery in a little over a week. I thank those of you have been praying for me.
Most people know how dangerous it is to separate a mother bear from her cubs, but we often forget how dangerous it can be to point out foolish behavior. Everyone does the occasional foolish thing, and most people are appreciative when you show them their mistake. However, some people will viciously attack you when you show them the foolishness of their actions. They will go to ridiculous lengths to destroy you rather than correct their foolish behavior.
The second of today’s proverbs is a warning not to be that person. In most cases, when someone points out that something you have done is foolish, they are trying to help you. If you respond to their attempt to aid you by attacking them, you are returning evil for good. The proverb warns us that those who return evil for good will find that evil continually finds their door.
The psalmist reminds us to praise the Lord and compares God’s greatness to the limitations of other gods. I will praise the Lord for He has indeed done great things. I have examined the claims made for other gods and their accomplishments are empty.
I think people often overlook the real essence of what happened when Peter returned to Jerusalem from Cornelius’ house. Everybody notes that the Jewish believers criticized Peter for associating with and eating with Gentiles. Everybody notes Peter’s defense of his actions and praises it as well stated (which it is). However, people rarely take note that those criticizing Peter listened to his explanation for his actions, and when they heard it, they stopped objecting. In addition, Peter recognized that he was accountable for his actions. This is an important part of how Church leadership should work. Church leaders need to recognize that they need to accept their accountability to the rest of the Body.
Now we come to a change in the way the Church grew. Up until this point, all of the spread of Christianity was from Jerusalem. Believers left Jerusalem, went somewhere, and preached the Gospel, to Jews. But following Peter preaching to Cornelius, some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene preached the Gospel to Gentiles in Antioch. When the Church in Jerusalem heard this, they sent Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas, we are told, was strong in faith and full of the Holy Spirit. Barnabas encouraged the new believers and many people came to the Lord. Then his “adopt a stray” instincts kicked in. He left Antioch and went to Tarsus to get Saul. Saul came to Antioch with Barnabas and became an active leader in the Church there.
A few years back I realized what a showman Elijah is at the confrontation with the prophets of Baal. He starts off by addressing the crowd, a crowd that has mostly turned away from God as boring, but is not quite willing to walk away from the nostalgia that was all that really still connected them to God. He called on the people to choose between Baal and God, making it clear that of their two competing claims, only one could be true. The people were bored by this call, the prophets of God had been making such demands of them for years. Elijah had an ace up his sleeve. He suggested a contest between himself and the prophets of Baal, one with excitement and fireworks. The people readily agreed, quite confident in the show the prophets of Baal could put on.
The contest begins and Elijah, wisely, allowed the prophets of Baal to go first. The prophets of Baal danced around, cut themselves, and raved. I am sure it was quite entertaining at first, but before long I am sure people began to get bored. It was then that Elijah’s true showmanship came through. He began to mock them, suggesting that they were just not loud enough, or outrageous enough, to get Baal’s attention and that was why nothing happened. Then after the people were tired of the show and spectacle of the prophets of Baal, Elijah called them over to his altar. He carefully rebuilt the altar with symbolism the people recognized. It was all calm and deliberate. Then, when all was ready, Elijah made sure no one could claim trickery, he had the people pour water over the altar until it was soaked. Then Elijah calmly called out to God and requested proof of God’s power. Elijah was a showman, but he used that talent to focus people’s attention on God.
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.
Every last one of God’s words prove true. If we take refuge in His words He will faithfully protect us. But be careful not to rely on your interpretation of His words when that interpretation goes beyond what God actually said.
I will serve God and I will praise Him. God has done great things. He listens to our prayers and speaks to us. He sees what we do and gives us guidance. Those who worship things made by man are as foolish and lacking as the things they worship. Those who place their trust in things made by man do not truly see and cannot hear the truth about the world.
The passage refers to 144,000 who will be sealed with God’s seal from among the tribes of Israel, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes. There are arguments about whether this number is literal, or merely symbolic. I tend to think it is merely symbolic. Whether or not this number is literal, it is certainly symbolic. The number 12 indicates completeness. Twelve of something indicates a complete set. The number 1,000 indicates a number that cannot be easily counted. If there are 1,000 of something it means that there are so many they cannot truly be counted. So the number of those sealed is 12 times 12 times 1,000. This means to me that the number of the people of Israel who will be saved is a complete representation of all of the people of Israel.
Despite the symbolism I talked about in the last paragraph, it is clear from the next part of today’s passage that the Jews, the members of the people of Israel, who are sealed is a limited number, a very large, but still limited, number. This is not to in any way denigrate the Jews, the people of Israel. It is to point out that we have the 144,000 Jews who are sealed with God’s seal who are contrasted with the countless numbers of those who died in the great tribulation. I believe that this passage is very intentional in showing that while a large number of people of Jewish descent will enter into heaven, the total number of those who will die for their faith will be many more than that. There will be martyrs from every people and nation in large numbers. ,br>
Micah speaks about what God has done for Israel and what He has done for us. Micah asks what it is that we should offer God. Are we to offer God from our material resources? Does God require that we bring Him great wealth? Does he require that we sacrifice our children to Him? Micah tells us the answer in one of the most powerful passages in Scripture:
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.
I was going to stop there, but as I read more of Micah’s condemnation of the evil which people do, I came upon this:
As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.
This was in contrast with the conflict and infighting between people within the same family that Micah said was the norm. But Micah did not have confidence in the Lord because of his righteousness. No, he tells us:
I will be patient as the Lord punishes me,
for I have sinned against him.
Let us not seek to determine who is more guilty before the Lord. There is more than enough guilt to go around. Rather, let us seek how we can work together to do good going forward.
A fool will defend his foolish acts with even greater ferocity than a mother bear will defend her cubs. Everyone does something foolish from time to time. However, those who are wise will not attempt to defend their foolishness. If you do evil to those who have done good to you, misfortune will follow you day in and day out.
Let us praise the Lord in all we say and do. If we are seeking to serve the Lord, let us praise His name as well. I know the greatness of the Lord. I have seen His mighty works with my own eyes. Every generation will learn the fame of our God. Those who worship anything other than God are oblivious to the evidence of their senses for the very world around us testifies to God’s greatness.
When Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, some of the Jewish believers criticized him for going into the home of a Gentile and eating with him. The passage suggests to me that the majority of the believers initially supported the criticism. However, Peter told them the story of why he had gone to Cornelius’ house. He explained how the Holy Spirit had guided him to do so. Further he told them of the outcome that came when he preached to Cornelius’ household. AND he pointed out the men who had witnessed his actions and the results of them. He did not ask the congregation of believers to accept just his word for what happened. He presented them with trusted witnesses to the event. When the believers heard Peter’s explanation about how the Spirit had worked, they stopped objecting and praised God. It is worth noting that in recounting this, Luke does not condemn those who initially criticized Peter for his actions. They would only have come in for condemnation if they had continued to criticize after hearing how the Holy Spirit had worked in this situation. Let us learn from their example and be willing to change when the Holy Spirit moves. But, let us make sure that we wait for the Holy Spirit.
In the account of the confrontation between Elijah and the priests of Baal it is important to remember that the priests of Baal had the power of numbers and the power of the government on their side. All Elijah had on his side was the power of God. While that meant that Elijah had the clear edge, it sure did not look that way when they met on the mountain. Elijah was clearly a bit of a showman here. But there was more to it than just showmanship. Elijah covered all of the excuses they might try to make for why Baal did not light the sacrifice on fire in a manner that made it clear that such explanations were ridiculous. The prophets of Baal were not going to repent, so Elijah focused his presentation to those who were not committed one way or the other. I have a bit (perhaps more than a bit) of the showman in me. I need to allow the Spirit to guide me to use that to spread the Gospel
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.
Micah predicts that a day will come when a ruler over God’s people will arise from Bethlehem. In that day, God will destroy all armies and all defenses. He will get rid of all of the things we use to think we can take control of our lives away from God. Those nations and peoples who refuse to obey God will suffer the consequences of their actions. We are not called upon to make sacrifices to God from our worldly possessions or to make sacrifices of our children. These are not the things which God is asking of us. God has shown us what is good and desires that we do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him.
Micah warns that when a nation becomes dominated by merchants who use dishonest measures and cheating to acquire wealth and political leaders use violence and extortion to do the same the armies of destruction are on the way. When this happens attempts to save money will fail (inflation?) and plans for the future will fail. When we look around and there seems to be no one godly to be found, then we can be assured that destruction is on its way. However, Micah tells us how to face such a day. Let us wait confidently for God. Let us patiently submit as He punishes us for our sins, for we have all sinned. If we will do this, God will, in due time, take up our case and be on our side against our enemies. God will not stay angry forever. He will pardon our sins and have compassion on us. In that day, all of those who witness what God has done for us will stand amazed. I will trust in the Lord.
John continues to describe what he saw after the sixth seal was broken. He saw four angels who had been given the power to harm the land, sea, and what lived upon/within them. They were told to wait until God’s servants had been marked with His seal. The number marked with God’s seal was 144,000 from all of the tribes of Israel. This number had some significance to John and his early readers, but, besides the significance of being a multiple of 12, I do not know what it was.
In addition to that 144,000 from the tribes of Israel marked with God’s seal, there was(will be) a countless number of people gathered from every nation, every tribe, every people, and every language before God praising Him. John is telling us here that there will be people from every conceivable subgroup of mankind who will serve God by putting their faith in Christ. These people gathered before the throne of God praising God are those who came out of and through the great tribulation of life is this broken and sinful world. Whenever you look around and think that there are no righteous people left, remember this throng which will gather before God on that day to praise His name.
I will praise the name of the Lord. I will praise Him for all He has done. Anything else that we might give our worship to is but a created thing. It can have no power to do. The things which people worship aside from God cannot speak, cannot see, cannot hear, cannot smell. If we trust in them, we become just like them, unable to speak truly, unable to see what is real, unable to hear the truth, unable to smell corruption. I will not turn to worshiping idols, because the path to life and truth is fearing the Lord.
God’s words prove true and He will shield us when we turn to Him for protection. Let us not add anything to the words which God gives us for if we do we will be found to be liars and subject to God’s rebuke.
Today’s passages contain one of my favorite stories from the Old Testament. The story of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Elijah was in the minority, yet Elijah had the faith and determination to stand up for God. As the book of James says, Elijah was a man just as we are, yet he prayed that it would not rain and for three and a half years it did not rain. Then he prayed that it would rain and it rained. When the prophets of Baal held a worship service, they put on a great show and were wonderfully entertaining. Elijah was a “troublemaker” who wanted to spoil everyone’s fun, but when Elijah prayed God answered him. Let us not be afraid to be seen as troublemakers when we are following the commands of God.
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for over a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
After three years of drought God told Elijah to tell Ahab that He was about to send rain. At the same time, Ahab sent his palace steward, named Obadiah, to search for water to save at least some of the royal horses and mules. Obadiah feared God. At one point, when Jezebel was persecuting God’s prophets he had hidden 100 prophets and provided them with food and water. Elijah approached Obadiah while he was out looking for water and told him to go and tell Ahab where he, Elijah, was. Obadiah was afraid to do so at first because he was sure that when Ahab got there, Elijah would be gone. Elijah assured Obadiah that he would be there when Ahab arrived. So Obadiah went and told Ahab. When Ahab arrived he greeted Elijah by calling him a troublemaker. Elijah responded that it was Ahab and his family who were the troublemakers, because they had refused to worship God and worshiped Baal instead. Elijah told Ahab to summon the people of Israel to Mount Carmel and to bring the prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth who received support from Jezebel (Ahab’s wife).
When the people had gathered, Elijah addressed them. Elijah told the people that it was time to choose, either worship God or worship Baal. The people did not respond to this challenge in any way. Just as Elijah called on the people of Israel to choose what god they would worship, God calls on us today to choose. And just as the people did not respond to Elijah’s initial challenge, so today people tend to act as if they don’t understand the question being asked. However, Elijah went on. Elijah proposed a contest to see which god had true power. He proposed that both he and the prophets of Baal would prepare an altar and a sacrifice, but neither would light their sacrifice. Whichever god answered by sending down fire to light the sacrifice, that god would be shown to be the true God. Elijah told the prophets of Baal to go first, since there were more of them.
The prophets of Baal took the bull for their sacrifice, cut it up and laid it on the altar. They called on Baal to answer them, dancing around the altar putting on quite a show from morning until noon. At noon, Elijah began to mock them saying that maybe they needed to call louder, after all Baal was certainly a god, perhaps he had stepped out or was in the bathroom, or maybe he was taking a nap. In response, the prophets of Baal got louder and began cutting themselves, putting on even more of a show. This went on until the early evening, but the prophets of Baal got no response. In the early evening, Elijah called the people to him. Elijah repaired the altar of God and dug a trench around it. He took the wood and the ox and placed them on the altar. He then turned to the people and told them to take jars of water and pour them over the offering, the wood and the altar. He had them repeat this until the trench around the altar was full of water. Then comes what to me is the best part. Just picture this, all day the prophets of Baal have been shouting and dancing and cutting themselves to summon Baal putting on quite a show. Now in the early evening, as the sun is going down in the sky, Elijah approaches the altar, which is clearly soaked so that he could not possibly light it himself at this point, and prays to God a simple prayer. He asks God to answer him so that the people know that God is the only true god and turn back to Him. As Elijah finishes praying, fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering, completely burning the sacrifice and the wood on the altar, but not only that it completely dried up all the water that Elijah had had the people pour over the altar. When the people saw this they responded by saying, “The Lord, He is God.” Elijah told them to take the prophets of Baal and execute them.
Every time I read this it strikes me how the prophets of Baal put on a big show, but Elijah took a low-key approach and merely prayed a simple prayer asking God to show His power. On Elijah’s side, it was God who put on the show.
The story does not end there. Elijah then told Ahab to go get something to eat and drink because a storm was coming. So Ahab went and got his meal. It is worth noting that at this point it had been over three years since the last time it rained in Israel. Elijah went back up the Mount and kneeled down to pray. He sent his servant to look out toward the sea. The servant returned and said he had seen nothing. Elijah sent his servant seven times to look. Finally on the seventh time the servant returned to say he saw a small cloud, about the size of a man’s hand rise out of the sea. Elijah urgently told his servant to tell Ahab that he should mount his chariot at once and head for home, or the rain would stop him. Elijah himself gathered his garment and ran for town. God gave Elijah special strength so that he got there before Ahab.
When Peter returned to Jerusalem from Caesarea, some of the Jewish believers challenged him for breaking the Jewish religious law by going into a Gentile’s house and eating with Gentiles. Peter recounted the events that led up to him going to Caesarea. Then he told the believers in Jerusalem about the Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit in the same way that the first believers did on Pentecost. This reminded Peter of Jesus saying that while John baptized with water, they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Peter concluded that since God had given the Gentiles the same gift he had given the other believers, who was he to stand in their way? When they heard Peter’s account the other believers concluded that Peter had been correct and praised God.
Luke went on to tell us that the believers who had been scattered by the persecution that came in the wake of Stephen’s death had spread to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch in Syria. In all of the places that they went, they restricted their preaching to the Jews. Except in Antioch where some of the believers began preaching to the Gentiles. When the Church in Jerusalem heard this news, they sent Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas saw evidence of God’s blessing and was filled with joy. He encouraged the believers to be true to the Lord. In response to his teaching, many more came to the Lord. Barnabas left Antioch and went to Tarsus looking for Saul. When he found Saul, he brought him back to Antioch with him and the two of them preached in Antioch for a year. Barnabas and Saul taught a considerable number of believers in Antioch. The passage does not tell us why Barnabas went to get Saul. However, I believe that part of the reason was that Saul was one of the few early believers who had been thoroughly taught to be a teacher of traditional Judaism. This meant that Saul was able to teach the new Gentile believers the things they needed to know in order to be faithful Christians (a term that was first coined in Antioch).
Near the end of the year, some prophets arrived in Antioch. One of them predicted by the Spirit that a famine was coming to the Roman world. The believers in Antioch decided to send some aid to the believers in Judea. Everyone gave as much as they could and they sent their contributions in charge of Barnabas and Saul.
Let us praise the Lord as the psalmist recommends!
For I know that the Lord is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.(NIV)
The psalmist goes on the describe the wonderful things that God has done. He then gives a warning:
The idols of the nations are but silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
Those who make them will be like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.(NIV)
The psalmist warns us that those who trust in idols will have eyes, but will not see what is right in front of them, and ears, but will not hear what is plainly said to them. They will refuse to believe the evidence of their senses when it points to the true God. I have known such people and will continue to pray that God will open their eyes so that they might see His wonderful works and open their ears so that they might hear His commands and be saved.
Magrat next to the rhododendron
We have all heard about the danger of coming between a mother bear and her cubs. There is even a very cute video of some people who use a creative method to rescue some cubs caught in a dumpster while avoiding getting attacked by their mother. This proverb tells us that it is even more dangerous to confront a fool when we catch him in his foolish behavior.
The second proverb warns us that if we do evil to those who have done good to us, evil will haunt us for the rest of our days.
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.
Micah tells us that after a ruler of Israel is born in Bethlehem, the people of Israel will stand up to their foes and their enemies will be wiped out. It is a passage that helps us understand why the Jews of Jesus day were expecting a Messiah who would lead them to military victory. But in the very next segment God says that He will destroy their military, both offense and defense. He says that He will get rid of witchcraft and fortune-tellers, idols and idolatrous shrines. God promises in that day to pour out His vengeance on nations that refuse to obey Him.
The prophet asks what kind of sacrifice we should bring to God. He suggests several expensive sacrifices and even the sacrifice of our first born children, then he rejects them. He tells us that God has told us what He requires of us. God does not want the sacrifices of material goods, or of our children. He wants us to do what is right, to love mercy and to walk humbly with Him. Then the prophet turns his attention back to what the people are actually doing. He tells them that their homes are filled with treasures gained by cheating, that merchants use dishonest measures and scales, the rich gained their wealth using extortion and violence, and even the common people are so used to lying that they can no longer tell the truth. For all of this God is going to bring judgment.
Then Micah tells us how to face the times of judgment that are coming. He tells us to look to God for help, to confidently await the Lord’s salvation because it will come. If we fall, God will raise us up. If we are in darkness, God will be our light. We should patiently endure God’s punishment because we have sinned against Him. God will bring us into His light and righteousness. He will lift us up and we will see the day of His power. God will do mighty miracles for us and through us. The world will stand amazed at the power of God.
The writer saw four angels preparing to unleash destruction upon the earth. A fifth angel told them to wait until the seal of God was placed on those serving Him upon the earth. The writer tells us that 144,000 were marked from all the tribes of Israel. I do not understand the meaning of this passage, except that it indicates that those who are faithful before God will be marked and set aside from the judgment God is bringing.
After this, he saw a crowd to large to count standing before God praising Him. This crowd came from every tribe, nation, people and language. They are people who came out of the great suffering to stand before God. They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb to make them white. No matter what we go through in this life, if we are faithful the day will come when we will stand before God and He will take away our hunger and thirst. The Lamb will lead us to springs of life-giving water and God will wipe away our tears. What a wonderful day that will be!
I will praise the Lord because He has given me the honor of serving Him. All other objects of worship are mere things. Nothing else compares to God and the mighty things He has done. I will praise God because He lives here in my heart and life.
The New Living Translation translates this proverb as “Every word of God is true.” The New American Standard Bible translates that as “Every word of God is tested.” The New International Version translates it as “Every word of God is flawless.” However, the translation I like best is the Common English Bible. It translates this as, “All God’s words are tried and true.” None of these translations contradict each other, but they each have slightly different connotations. The way the Common English Bible translates the next phrase fits it in with this first phrase the best as well.
“All God’s words are tried and true;
a shield for those who take refuge in him.”
If we take shelter in God, His words will provide us with a shield against assaults on our faith and our self-image (that’s not quite the word I am trying to get at there, but its close enough).
All of the translations agree that we should not attempt to pass our own words and thoughts off as God’s. If we do not follow that advice God will rebuke us and reveal us as liars. Again I like the Common English Bible translation best because it says that God will correct us. This reminds us that sometimes we convince ourselves that our words are God’s words and warns us against that as well. We should never place our own thoughts and words on an equal plane with those of God, whether in our own minds or in an attempt to mislead others.
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.
After three years of drought God sends Elijah to Ahab with word that God is about to send rain. The famine had become very severe, so Ahab summoned his palace administrator, Obadiah, and they each went out to search for water and grass to save some of Ahab’s horses and mules. Elijah approaches Obadiah and tells him to go tell Ahab that Elijah has come. Obadiah is at first afraid to do so because he thinks that God will carry Elijah off before Ahab gets there. Ahab has been searching very hard for Elijah. if Obadiah tells him that Elijah is someplace and when Ahab gets there, Elijah is gone, Ahab is likely to have Obadiah killed. Elijah swears to Obadiah that he will wait for Ahab.
When Ahab sees Elijah he refers to him as a troublemaker. Elijah replies that it is Ahab and his family who caused the trouble by refusing to obey God and worshiping Baal. Elijah tells Ahab to summon the people to Mt Carmel along with the prophets of Baal and Ashterah that Jezebel feeds. Ahab follows Elijah’s instructions. When the people arrived, Elijah gets up before them and tells them that it is time to make up their minds. If Yahweh is God, they should follow Him, but if Baal is God, then they should follow him. Elijah’s point was that God and Baal made competing claims. If God is who His prophets say He is, then Baal must be an imposter. On the other hand if Baal is who his prophets say he is, then God must be an imposter. Those claims are such that, if they are false, the one for whom they are made is unworthy of worship. Many people today have a similar attitude to the one that Elijah was confronting. People say about what one believes, “Well, if it works for you, that is fine.” The main competing claims in our society are that of Christianity and that of secularism. Christianity makes claims, that if they are not true, mean that Christianity is a false and destructive belief system. The same is true of secularism (in all of its many variations).
Elijah was not satisfied to leave it at that when the people failed to respond to his exhortation to choose between God and Baal. He did not allow people to remain undecided. Elijah proposes a contest, one which will substantiate some of the claims made by each faction. Each side would build an altar and put a sacrifice on it, but neither side would light the wood to burn the sacrifice. The real God would light the fire on the altar for His burnt offering. He then tells the prophets of Baal to go first. The prophets of Baal begin their worship in the morning with singing and dancing and shouting. Around lunchtime, Elijah starts to ask them what is going on, suggesting that perhaps their worship is not intense enough to get Baal’s attention. The prophets of Baal go into a frenzy, cutting themselves and shouting louder. They got no response of any kind.
Late in the afternoon, Elijah says to the people that now it is his turn. He calls the people over while he prepares the altar. I imagine him explaining to the people what he is doing as he repairs and then prepares the altar, telling them that the twelve stones he is using represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Elijah strikes me as a great showman. Once he has the altar built and dug a trench around it, he laid the wood on the altar and placed the pieces of the sacrificial animal on the wood. Then he tells the people to fill four large jars with water and pour the water on the altar. He tells them to do this a total of three times. I can just picture him doing this. “Go fill those jars with water and pour them over the altar.” “Do it again.” “Get some more water.”
Since around lunchtime, Elijah has been putting on a show. First taunting the prophets of Baal. “Shout louder, maybe Baal is relieving himself and can’t hear you.”
“Maybe he is away on a trip.”
“Maybe he is taking a nap and you need to wake him up.”
Then repairing the altar to God and preparing the sacrifice while explaining to the people what he is doing. Finally getting the people involved by having them pour water over the altar. During all of this he is putting on a bit of a show, but none of this is part of the worship of offering the sacrifice. Once it is all prepared and he has the attention of the people, he calmly walks up to the altar and cries out to God, “Prove to these people that you are who I have told them you are.” Contrast this with the prophets of Baal, who were dancing and shouting and cutting themselves. In response to this simple, calm request, God sends down fire that engulfs the entire altar, burning the entire structure and drying up the water that was in the trench around the altar. There was no working the people up to a frenzy. The Spirit of God provided the emotional high.
When this was done, Elijah began praying for rain and the rain arrived in a deluge.
When Peter got back to Jerusalem from visiting with Cornelius, some of the Jewish believers Criticized him for associating with gentiles. Peter explained to them the vision he had while in Joppa and of the arrival of Cornelius’ messengers. Peter further told them that as he preached to Cornelius’ household, the Holy Spirit came upon them. The passage tells us that once they heard what had happened, they stopped objecting and began praising God for extending His mercy to Gentiles.
Meanwhile believers had been scattered as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. For the most part the believers only preached the Gospel to Jews. However, in Antioch some of the believers began preaching to Gentiles and a large number became believers. When the Church in Jerusalem heard about this, they sent Barnabas to look into it. The passage does not tell us why they sent Barnabas, but I am sure that it was in part because they knew that he would guide the young believers to good doctrine. Once again we have Barnabas playing a key role in the early Church. Barnabas was happy with what he found in Antioch and encouraged the new believers in sound doctrine. We are told that many came to the Lord under the influence of Barnabas. Nevertheless, Barnabas felt that something was missing in the teaching of the new believers. So he went to Tarsus to find Saul. Barnabas brought Saul back to Antioch to help him teach the new and growing Church there. Again, we do not know why Barnabas sought out Saul, but we can make some guesses. Up until now, all of the Church leaders we have been told about were good men, dedicated to following God, but not educated in the Law and Jewish theology. Saul on the other hand was a student of Gamaliel, a prominent Jewish teacher whose thought is influential even in today’s Judaism. It seems likely that Barnabas felt that the new Gentile believers needed a more thorough grounding in basic Jewish thought and theology than he could provide, so he went to get the believer he knew with the most thorough education in that. I often express a concern that the Church today places to great an emphasis on Church leaders having a seminary degree. I believe this to be true. There are many truths that are learned through experience in the world that a seminary education can make harder to see. However, this does not mean that I do not believe that the Church needs leaders who have received in depth training in theology and philosophy. It does, as Barnabas’ decision to go get Saul to help him in Antioch shows.
The psalmist here calls for us to praise the Lord because of the wonderful things He has done. He recounts the miracles God has performed for His people and calls on us to praise God for these things. Then the psalmist tells us that the idols that others worship have no power and are merely made by human hands. I was at a party recently where some of the people there were talking about how they practiced a pagan religion. This pagan religion involves some idols. At one point during the evening, while they were discussing their religion, they mentioned that they were atheists. That is, they know full well that the gods that they are worshiping have no power. I praise God that I worship a God that I know exists and has power.
The first proverb tells us that a fool will more vociferously defend his foolishness than a mother bear will defend her cubs. The second one tells us that those who repay good done to them with evil, will never escape the consequences.
