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.

Proverbs 17:17-18

    A friend is always loyal, but that does not mean that they will not tell you when you are wrong. I have three brothers and I can attest that they have been a help to me at various points in my life. This proverb is a good reminder that, since I am a brother, part of my purpose on this earth is to be a help to my siblings in their time of need, whenever that might be.

Psalm 138:1-8

    This psalm reminds me to give thanks to God for the many wonderful things He has done for me. His promises are backed by the honor of His name. When I pray He answers me immediately (although it usually takes me quite a bit of time to hear). Whenever I face trouble too great for me to bear, He provides me either the strength to bear up, or relief from my trouble. God has been good to me all of my life. I thank Him and praise Him every day (although not nearly as much as He deserves).

Acts 13:13-41

    I decided to start today’s reading from Acts a couple of verses earlier than where One Year Bible Online does because otherwise my first thoughts don’t make sense. It was after Saul’s confrontation with Elymas that Luke began referring to him as Paul. In addition, it was at this point that Luke began listing them as “Paul and Barnabas” rather than “Barnabas and Saul”. From this point forward, Paul is the primary focus of most of the activities of these two men. Something happened to Paul in his confrontation with Elymas which changed him.
    To follow up on this change it is Paul who stands up when he and Barnabas are asked to address the synagogue. His sermon is very similar to the one Stephen gave before the Sanhedrin, which led to his killing. It is interesting that one of the differences from Stephen’s message is the reference to John the Baptist. This suggests that the Jews of Cyprus were familiar with John the Baptist and his teachings. As Paul wraps up his message he offers an indirect invitation to his listeners to accept Jesus, followed by a direct warning not to ignore the Gospel which he had just preached.

1 Kings 22:1-53

    King Ahab has been at peace with the Arameans for three years when King Jehoshaphat of Judah paid him a visit. This suggests there is more to Ahab’s decision to go to war than just, “Hey, that town belongs to us. We should go to war to get it back.” It suggests that something which Jehoshaphat said encouraged Ahab to decide to go to war. That being said, I find it much more interesting that when Jehoshaphat asked Ahab to consult God before going to war, Ahab summoned 400 prophets (the same number as the prophets of Baal at Mt.Carmel). Instead of accepting the prophecies of the prophets Ahab produced when he asked to consult God, Jehoshaphat asks if there isn’t a prophet who can consult God for them. Jehoshaphat does not consider the prophets whom Ahab produced to be prophets of God, although Ahab does.
    From time to time I read about historians and others who say that the pre-Exile Israelites were not monotheistic, that monotheism was a later development. Reading passages like this reminds me that while they are not wrong, they are also not correct. Ahab was not a monotheist, and he probably thought that he worshiped God. However, Ahab also worshiped other gods and appears to have considered Baal and God to be the same. However, Jehoshaphat did not consider Baal to be the same as God, and appears to have only worshiped God. He was somewhat tolerant of those who worshiped other gods (after all he married his son to Ahab’s daughter). This suggests to me that while there were many Israelites, and probably members of the tribe of Judah, who worshiped multiple gods and thought of God as the Supreme God over a pantheon, there were also those who recognized that God alone was divine and the gods others worshiped were mere idols.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 17:17-18

    A friend loves when times are good and when times are bad. If you count yourself someone’s friend you will not stop loving them no matter what they do. We were born to help our family members when they face hard times.

Psalm 138:1-8

    I will give thanks to God with all my heart. When I read verse 3, I thought of a friend of mine who recently experienced a tragedy in her life. She recently posted a poem on Facebook which contained the line:

I have unanswered prayers

It also contained the lines:

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

Yet the psalmist tells us:

As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.

How can these two sentiments both describe how we relate to God? The answer to that question is that God does indeed answer us as soon as we pray. However, we do not always see or understand His answer to our prayers. No matter how bad the troubles which surround us, God will protect us. He will reach out His hand and deliver us. I will give thanks to God, even when tragedy strikes.

Acts 13:16-41

    Paul and Barnabas went to a Jewish worship service where they were asked to offer any words of encouragement they might have for the people there. Paul got up to speak. He recounted the story of God’s actions with the Israelites. Then Paul told them of how the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled with Jesus’ coming, death, and resurrection. He finished his sermon with a warning that applies to us as well. Let us be careful that we are not mockers who refuse to believe what God is doing in the world around us.

1 Kings 22:1-53

    When Ahab asked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join him in battle, Jehoshaphat readily agreed. But he wanted to first ask for God’s counsel. Ahab responded by doing what many today do (and what many say was the view of most of that time). He called on his 400 prophets. The passage does not say so, but the similarity with the number of prophets of Baal which Elijah confronted at Mt Carmel seems striking. Ahab acted as if he believed, and perhaps he did, that Baal and God were the same. Jehoshaphat was having none of this. He asked once more for a prophet of God.
    Ahab admitted that there was indeed a prophet of the Lord. However, Ahab did not want to speak to him, because he never told him what he wanted to hear. Jehoshaphat chided Ahab on his attitude. It is important for a leader to hear the thoughts and opinions of those who disagree with him.

     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.

1 Kings 22:1-53

     For three years there was peace between Aram and Israel. Then in the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel. While Jehoshaphat was there Ahab decided to attempt to recover a city which Aram had taken from Israel. Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to go with him in battle. Jehoshaphat said that he would be glad to assist, but that they should find out what God had to say first. So Ahab summoned 400 prophets and asked them if he should go to war or refrain. They all replied that the Lord said he should go.
     Then we read something interesting. After hearing what the 400 prophets whom Ahab had summoned had to say, Jehoshaphat asks, “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here? We should ask him the same question.” The passage does not tell us, but it appears that perhaps these prophets whom Ahab had summoned were prophets of Baal. What we know of Baal worship suggests that Baal worshipers did not make a distinction between Baal and God. Ahab responds that there is a prophet of the sort that Jehoshaphat is looking for, but Ahab hates him because he never tells Ahab what he wants to hear. Jehoshaphat tells Ahab that a king should not talk that way and asks to hear this prophet.
     Ahab did as Jehoshaphat asked and summoned Micaiah, the prophet of God. When Ahab’s messengers found Micaiah they warned him that the other prophets had all prophesied victory and that he should do the same. When Micaiah arrived before Ahab he initially told Ahab that he should attack and God would give victory into his hands. There was something about the way Micaiah said this that told Ahab that he was not being truthful and Ahab demanded that Micaiah tell him what God had truly said. Micaiah replied that he had seen Israel scattered like sheep without a shepherd. Micaiah went on to say that God had sent a spirit to mislead Ahab’s prophets in order to entice Ahab into battle so that he could be killed. Ahab ordered Micaiah arrested and held on bread and water until he returned safely from battle. Micaiah responded that if Ahab returned safely from battle, God had not spoken through him.
     Despite the prophecy of Micaiah, Ahab and Jehoshaphat went to war as planned. However, in an attempt to avoid the fate prophesied for him, Ahab convinced Jehoshaphat to go into battle in full royal regalia while Ahab disguised himself as a common soldier. The king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders to attack only the king of Israel. As a result when the battle began they went after Jehoshaphat. However, when Jehoshaphat cried out (whether to give an order or in fear we do not know) they realized that he was not the king of Israel and stopped pursuing him. While this was going on, an Aramean archer randomly shot at the Israelite troops and hit Ahab. Ahab realized he was seriously wounded and had his chariot driver get him out of the battle. Ahab remained propped up in his chariot for the rest of the day until evening when he died. At that word spread through his army to retreat and they did so. So for all of Ahab’s deception he was unable to avoid the end which God had prophesied for him.

Acts 13:16-41

     Paul and Barnabas had left Cyprus and traveled to Antioch of Pisidia. They went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, where they were invited to speak. At this invitation, Paul stood up and began speaking. He addressed both the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles who were listening to him. Paul gave a synopsis of Jewish history to David, who he referred to as a man after God’s own heart. He then told them that Jesus was a descendant of David and God’s promised savior of Israel. Paul told them about John the Baptist’s ministry and his statement that he was not the Messiah, but that the Messiah was coming soon.
     Paul then reiterated that the message of salvation that he was bringing was for both the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles. Paul told them that the leaders of the people in Jerusalem did not recognize Jesus as the prophets had prophesied about. Instead they condemned Him and had Him crucified. However, God raised Jesus from the dead and, over a period of many days He appeared to those who had been His disciples. Those disciples were now His witnesses to the people of Israel. Paul told them that the Gospel message was that through Jesus everyone can have forgiveness of sins. He concluded by warning them not to be scoffers who wondered at God’s power and perished because they refused to believe.

Psalm 138:1-8

     Once again today’s psalm is a psalm which lifts my spirit. It is a short psalm, so I will encourage you to read it for yourself. However, I will pull out a few bits that spoke to me as I read them:

I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.
I will praise God with all of my heart. I will praise God more than anything else which I might be inclined to praise.
As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength.
God does answer prayers. When I don’t hear His answers it is usually because they are not answers that I want to hear. Nevertheless, He encourages me by giving me the strength to face my trials. The psalmist reminds us that for all of His greatness, God prefers the company of the humble to that of the proud. I took the title of today’s blog from the NIV: The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever
Yet, in many ways I prefer the New Living Translation: The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
God has plans for my life and those plans will come to fruition. God’s plans are formed out of His love for me, so I can be sure that they will bring me joy.

Proverbs 17:17-18

     If you are someone’s friend, you will always be loyal to them and if you are someone’s brother (or sister), you were born to give them aid when they are in need. This does not mean that you will not see when your friend is wrong. It means that you will always encourage them to do what will be best for them, and it is always best to do what is right.
     You should only guarantee the debt of someone for whom you are willing to pay it if they fail to do so.