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Genesis 13:5-15:21

     Sarai realized that she was getting old and had been unable to give Abram a son. In order to give him a son, Sarai encouraged Abram to take her servant Hagar as his wife. Abram did as Sarai suggested and Hagar became pregnant. When Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to treat Sarai with contempt. Sarai went to Abram and demanded that he do something about it. Abram responded that Hagar was Sarai’s servant and Sarai should do to Hagar whatever she thought necessary. Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that Hagar ran away. An angel of God came to Hagar as she was by a spring near the desert and told her to return to Sarai and to submit to her. The angel told Hagar that she would have a son and that her son would have many descendants, but that he would live in hostility to all of his relatives. So Hagar returned and bore Abram a son who Abram named Ishmael.
     We have two lessons here (perhaps three). The first is that Sarai knew that Abram wanted a son that she had been unable to bear. She tried to solve the problem by giving him her servant as his second wife. Rather than being satisfied with her marriage and trusting in God to work things out for the best, she tried to make her husband happy by allowing him to have another woman as wife. Then we have the second mistake. This one was by Hagar. Because she was able to get pregnant and Sarai had never been able to do so, she thought her position had become elevated so that she could mistreat Sarai. Hagar thought that she now had an in with Abram over his wife of many years. It turns out she was wrong, Abram loved Sarai very much and wanted her to be happy. But this is where we see what is perhaps the third lesson here. Abram failing to deal with things as he ought to have. When Sarai offered him Hagar, he should have told her no, she (Sarai) was enough for him even if she did not give him a son. Then he compounded this by telling Sarai to deal with the problem of Hagar rather than dealing with it himself.
     When Abram was 99 years old, God appeared to him again and told him that He, God, would give him, Abram, countless descendants. Further God made a covenant with Abram that He would give Abram’s descendants the land of Canaan and it would be their possession forever. On the other side of the covenant, Abram and his male descendants obligation in the covenant is to be circumcised. God then changes Abram’s and Sarai’s name. Abram becomes Abraham. Sarai becomes Sarah. God then tells Abraham that Sarah will give him a son. Abraham thinking of his, and Sarah’s advanced age (he was almost 100, Sarah was almost 90) asked God to grant the blessing through Ishmael. God replied that he would bless Ishmael and make him the father of a great nation, but that the covenant would be through a son to be born to Sarah, whom Abraham was to name Isaac. Abraham followed through on the covenant by taking Ishmael and all of the men of his household and having them all circumcised.
     An unspecified time after this (although it could not have been long), Abraham saw sitting in the entrance to his tent when he saw three men standing nearby. He immediately went to them and offered them hospitality (food and refreshment from their journey). When the food was prepared, Abraham served it to the men. While they were eating, the men asked Abraham where his wife Sarah was. Abraham told him that she was inside the tent. One of the men replied that he would return about that time next year and by then Sarah would have a son. Sarah was eavesdropping (not hard to do when all you have between you and the conversation is a tent wall) and laughed silently to herself, thinking that there was no way a woman of her advanced age could have a child to a man as old as Abraham. Then the Lord asked Abraham why Sarah laughed did the two of them not believe that with God anything is possible.
     Both Abraham and Sarah believed that their days of being productive were over. It was time to relax, rest on their laurels and live out their days. God responded that no, all things were possible for Him and that if He decided that a 100-year-old man with a 90-year-old wife were the people for the responsibility of raising a child to walk in His paths, then that would come to pass. We are never too old (nor too young) to accomplish the tasks to which God calls us. If God is calling you to something, do not think that the time is past for you to do whatever it is, even if it is something that is normally the province of the young.

Matthew 6:1-24

Jesus continued His Sermon on the Mount by talking about doing things to look righteous. When we give to those in need, we should do it in order to help them, not to make ourselves look good. In fact, in order to keep our motivations honest, we should not tell anyone what we are doing. The same is true of prayer and fasting. We should pray and fast in order to become closer to God. In order to prevent ourselves from doing acts of righteousness for the purpose of appearing righteous, we should perform those acts privately. Jesus is not teaching that we should hide the fact that we fast and pray, rather we should avoid being ostentatious about it. A good example is found in Daniel. Daniel went into his upstairs room and prayed three times a day. Everybody knew he did it, but he did not do it out in the public square to make sure that everyone knew how righteous he was. We should behave the same way. Don’t act righteous, be righteous.
Jesus goes on to say that rather than attempting to gather material possessions we should serve God and acquire spiritual capital. If we focus our attention on acquiring material possessions we will make the material world the focus of our lives. If, on the other hand, we make pleasing God the focus of our attention we will receive the fulfillment of acquiring eternal riches. We cannot serve both God and the material world. We have to choose where we will seek to focus our attention. I constantly struggle with turning my focus away from physical desires and pleasures and turning it to doing the will of God.

Psalm 7:1-17

Like the psalmist I will turn to the Lord for protection. So many of the problems in this world would be solved if more of us would be willing to trust God to provide our protection. Of course, this means be willing to recognize that sometimes we will suffer consequences for our bad decisions, or that we have to give up things we want in order to serve God. What we fail to recognize is that we will suffer the negative consequences of our bad decisions, when we attempt to avoid those consequences we only make matters worse. God is just and I will praise His name. I will turn from my sins and take the punishment He metes out for my past failures. I will throw myself on His mercy and rely on His love to avoid the suffering that I surely deserve.

Proverbs 2:1-5

The last two days we have read of the consequences of ignoring common sense. Today the writer advises us to go beyond common sense and seek for wisdom and understanding. Let us strive to expand our knowledge and understanding so that we know what to do in order to please God. All too often I settle for what comes easy to me, rather than seeking even greater knowledge and understanding.

Daily Bible Study

January 6, 2013 Bibe Study — Go The Extra Mile

January 5, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Genesis 13:5-15:21

After Abram returned to Canaan, disputes began to break out between his herdsmen and those tending Lot’s flocks. Abram realizes that their herds are too big for them to stay together so he suggests they separate. Abram offers Lot the first choice of areas. Lot chose the plain of the Jordan valley near Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram moved his camp to Hebron. Shortly after this war broke out in the region and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were on the losing side. The victors plundered the area around Sodom and took captives. Among the captives were Lot and his household. One of Lot’s servants escaped and took news to Abram. Abram gathered his men and his allies and went in pursuit of those who had captured his nephew. Abram overtook them and attacked them at night. He drove off the enemy forces and recovered all of the plundered goods and the captives. Upon his return he was met by the king of Sodom and Melchizedek, the king of Salem. We are told that Melchizedek was a priest to God. Melchizedek blessed Abram and Abram gave him a tenth of the plunder. The king of Sodom asked Abram only to return his people, offering to let Abram keep the plunder. Abram rejected the goods returning all of the goods he had taken, excepting only those that his men had already consumed and a share for his allies.
Some time after this God appeared to Abram in a vision and told him that He would continue to protect Abram and reward him. Abram asks what is the point in all of these blessings since he has no sons and his servant would inherit his wealth. God tells Abram that he will indeed have a son to inherit his wealth. Despite his advanced years (Abram was around 80 years old at this point), Abram believed God. The passage tells us that God counted Abram as righteous because of his faith.

Matthew 5:27-48

Following up what I said yesterday about Jesus saying we should follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law, Jesus gave some specific applications. He said that if you even looked at a woman other than your wife and thought about having sex with her, you were committing adultery. He said that if your eye or your hand caused you to sin, remove them. In other words, you cannot blame something outside of yourself for causing you to sin. If you feel that something presents to you a temptation that you cannot resist, remove it from your life, even if it is something that is otherwise invaluable to you. After telling us that we should cut off our hand if it causes us to sin, Jesus says that if you divorce your wife, you cause her to commit adultery (unless you are divorcing her because she has already committed adultery).
Jesus goes on to say that we should not take vows. When we say that we will do something, that should be sufficient for people to know that we will do it. The same should be true when we say that we will not do something. When we say something it should be “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” From there Jesus talks about how we should respond to those who wrong us. He tells us that we should go beyond what is forced upon us, even when what is forced upon us is unjust. He tells us that if we are forced to go one mile, we should go a second mile. All too often, when we talk about “going the second mile” we are actually talking about going the first mile. The “first mile” that Jesus talked about put people out and inconvenienced them, very likely it cost them money. But Jesus tells us that if someone demands we go that “first mile”, not only should we willingly do that, we should go beyond that and go a second mile. The “first mile” is something that most people will only do begrudgingly, we should not only not begrudge the first mile, we should go above and beyond that. Not only should we love those who love us and treat us well, we are to love those who hate us and treat us badly. God sends the rain on both those who love and obey Him and those who hate Him and reject His commands. We are to extend our good will, love and resources in the same manner.

Psalm 6:1-10
“O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage.”

I deserve to be punished by God. I have sinned against Him and against my fellow-man. It often makes me sick to think how callously I treat God’s commands and those around me. I cry out to God to change my heart and make me always desire to do His will. I know that He will answer my prayer.

Proverbs 1:29-33

If we reject wisdom and do not fear the Lord, we will suffer the consequences. Going our own way and ignoring wise advice will lead us to our own destruction. On the other hand, if we follow wise advice and listen to the Lord’s commands, we will live in peace and have no need to fear.

Daily Bible Study

January 5, 2013 Bible Study — The Spirit of the Law

January 4, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Genesis 11-13:4

     We start with the story of the Tower of Babel. The descendants of Noah still spoke the same language when this story takes place. They decided to build a city with a tower that reached to great heights. The purpose of building this city was to keep themselves from being scattered throughout the earth. This was the exact opposite of God’s mandate to Adam and Eve, which He repeated to Noah, to fill the whole earth. In addition, they did not take any care for whether God approved of their plan. What they did is very much what James said was evil boasting. As a result of their boasting and arrogance, God caused their language to become confused and for them to become divided. This was not God “getting even” with them for not giving Him the worship He desired. Rather this was a result of the way God made us, when we set goals and set our minds to tasks without making God and His will the focus of our efforts, we will become divided and fight among ourselves. Each person looking to be the center in God’s place.
     We then come to the story of Abram. The story begins with Abram’s father, Terah. Terah had three sons, Nahor, Abram and Haran. Both sons got married, but Abram’s wife was unable to bear children. After Haran died, Terah decided to leave his homeland of Ur and move to Canaan. He took his son Abram, Abram’s wife Sarai, and Haran’s son Lot with him. However, he never got to Canaan. He stopped in Haran (we are not told if Haran is named after his son, or if this is just a coincidence). When his father, Terah, died God told Abram to move on. Abram was 75 when he left Haran with his household and his nephew Lot. When Abram arrived in the land of Canaan, God told him that He would give that land to Abram’s descendants.
     Abram did not stay in one place in Canaan, but continued to move south little by little. Then there was a famine in the land and Abram went to Egypt to escape it. However, as he entered Egypt he was afraid that the rulers there would kill him to take his wife Sarai because of her beauty. So, he conspired with Sarai to tell people that she was his sister. I find it interesting that we rarely, if ever, see anyone discuss Sarai’s beauty. This was a woman who was over 65 years old, yet Abram was afraid that he would be killed so that someone else could take her as his wife. Not only that, but his fear proved to be founded because the Pharaoh gave Abram a small fortune in order to take Abram’s “sister” as his wife. However, God brought plagues on Pharaoh and his household for doing this. When Pharaoh realized why these plagues had come upon him he gave Sarai back to Abram and expelled him from the land of Egypt. God had a plan and despite Abram’s failure to seek God’s guidance before acting, God moved so as to move His plan forward.
     When Abram got back to the land of Canaan he settled a little north of what is now Jerusalem, setting the stage for what happens in tomorrow’s passage.

Matthew 5:1-26

     This is the start of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus started this sermon with the beatitudes. These are a series of sayings that set the stage for the rest of the sermon. Right off the bat Jesus wanted His audience to know that this message was something different from the way the world looks at things. Jesus tells us that those who have the spirit of the poor will inherit the Kingdom of God, that those who mourn will be comforted, that the meek will inherit the earth. This is contrary to the way we normally view things. We think that if you want something you need to grab it, that you need to put yourself forward in order to get what you want, that those who mourn are weak. He goes on to extol those who seek righteousness as a basic need comparable to food and water, those who are merciful when they have power, those who strive to make peace between those who are in conflict. He tells us to rejoice when people insult us, slander us and persecute us because this is how the world has always treated those who strive to please God.
     We need to like salt or like light. When you put salt on food it permeates the whole dish and effects the flavor of everything in it. When you put a light source on a high point it can be seen from a long way away. We need to act so that people know what we believe, not just those close to us, but everyone who is exposed to us in any way.
     Jesus told His listeners that He had not come to abolish the Law, rather He had come to fulfill the Law. However, unless you are more righteous than those who hold themselves up as exemplars of righteousness you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not enough to follow the letter of the Law, we need to follow the spirit of the Law.

Psalm 5:1-12

I wish to echo the psalmist and lift my requests to God each morning. But not only that I will wait expectantly for Him to reveal His reply, knowing that it will be what is best for me. I will pray to no one but Him. I will take refuge in God and rejoice. He has surrounded me with His shield of love.

Proverbs 1:24-28

Wisdom is there for the taking, if we but seek it. However, it is too late to seek wisdom once we are already in trouble. We must seek wisdom as we make ready to act, once we have made a decision and put it into practice it is too late to seek what the wise thing to do is.

Daily Bible Study

January 4, 2012 Bible Study — Jesus Called and the Disciples Followed

January 3, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Genesis 8-10:32

Today’s passage tells us that Noah and his family were in the ark for a little over a year (along with the animals). Once the flood waters had receded and the land dried sufficiently, Noah left the ark and released the animals. He kept a selection of animals that were appropriate for sacrifice and offered them to God as a burnt offering. Upon receiving this offering God vowed to Himself that as long as the earth endures He would never again destroy every living thing on the face of the earth as He had just done. God then blessed Noah and his sons, telling them that everything that lives and breathes is there for them to eat. However, they were not to eat meat that still had its blood in it. I believe that this passage is where the Jerusalem Council in Acts 16 based their instruction to the Gentile believers that they should not consume blood or animals that were strangled (I had always wondered where that dietary prohibition came from).
Further God tells them that He will require an accounting of any person and any creature for the taking of lifeblood. God decreed that anyone who takes a human life should be killed. Noah and his sons are instructed to be fruitful and multiply. They are to fill the earth with mankind. God made a covenant with Noah and his descendants (which includes us) that He would never again destroy all life on the face of the earth with a flood. God pointed to rainbows as a sign of His covenant that never again would flood waters destroy all living creatures.

Matthew 4:12-25

After the forty days in the wilderness fasting, Jesus remained in Judea until He heard that John the Baptist had been arrested. We do not know why He stayed, or what He did during this time. However, when He left Judea He returned to Galilee. Once there, He went down by the Sea of Galilee and saw Andrew and Peter fishing from their boat. Jesus called out to them for them to follow Him. They immediately left their nets and did so. A little further on He saw James and John repairing their nets with their father. Jesus called out to them as well. They, also, immediately left their boat and their father and followed Him. This was an amazing act of faith. They just up and left their families and their livelihood to follow Jesus. Now we know from the Gospel of John that Andrew and Peter had previously encountered Jesus when He was in Judea while John the Baptist was preaching and it is likely that He met James and John around the same time (some readings of the Gospel of John understand John to have met Jesus at the same time as Andrew). Even with that previous exposure, they had returned to their lives and were settling back in when Jesus called them. They did this before He started teaching and healing people. Do we have the faith to step out when God calls, even before anybody else sees where it is leading?
As Jesus began His ministry word spread. People began bringing the sick and injured to Him for healing. Not just those with physical sicknesses, but also those with other afflictions and Jesus healed them all. They brought those who were demon possessed, had epilepsy, were paralyzed. It did not matter, Jesus healed them all. Why does the Church today fail to offer such healing? I believe that those we call mentally ill are the same as those the Scripture calls demon-possessed. I am not saying that the mentally ill are demon-possessed (although some may well be), but they often behave in a way that certainly looks from the outside like something has taken control of them. In Jesus’ day, contemporary society could offer little hope for the demon-possessed. In the modern age, our society offers little more hope for the mentally ill. Jesus offered healing to all. He still does. We as the Church need to be offering Jesus’ healing to those suffering around us. We need to believe. I need to believe. When Jesus calls to me today, am I willing to leave my “nets” and my life to follow Him?

Psalm 4:1-8

The psalmist calls on us to not let anger lead us to sin. Do not act in anger, but take time to think about what has angered you and only act after you have had time to meditate on what is right. Trust the Lord and make sure that your actions will bring glory to His name before you act. Everyone is looking for who will bring them benefit, but let I will look to God and take joy in doing what He says is right. I can sleep peacefully because I can know that He will keep me safe. I pray that God will help me follow the first part of this when something angers me because that is something that I struggle with. I pray that He help me to bring glory to His name with all of my actions.

Proverbs 1:20-23

Today’s proverb tells us that wisdom is calling to us. Wisdom is available to anyone who seeks it. No one needs to remain a simpleton and a fool. If you desire wisdom, seek it. People lack wisdom because they choose to continue in their foolishness. We remain fools only so long as we insist on doing so. We have no excuse for being foolish, wisdom is there for the taking for anyone who is willing to leave foolishness behind.

Daily Bible Study

January 3, 2013 Bible Study — Responding To God’s Call

January 2, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Genesis 5-7:24

     Today’s passage begins with an account of the line of descent from Adam to Noah. The passage then tells us that mankind multiplied on the earth and “the sons of God” saw that human women were beautiful and took some of them as wives. The meaning of the term translated as “sons of God” is not clear, but from context and similar phrases in other texts it means some sort of heavenly or divine being. The result of these relationships was giants and other mighty men of renown. The account tells us that human wickedness became so prevalent that God regretted that He has made mankind. However, God was pleased with Noah.
     God informs Noah that He is going to destroy all living creatures because they have filled the earth with violence. God instructs Noah to build a large boat and to take on board with him a pair of every kind of animal plus enough food to feed himself, his family and the animals. We are told that Noah followed these instructions. He went onto the boat with his wife, his sons and their wives and a pair of every kind of animal and bird (seven pairs of every kind of animal that was good to eat and of every kind of bird). It rained for forty days and forty nights. The account tells us that the waters rose to more than twenty-two feet above the highest peaks. The flood waters covered the earth for 150 days.
     The important phrase from this passage is this, “So Noah did…” Over the last few weeks I have been coming across passages where God speaks to someone and then we are told that they did what God had told them. When God speaks to us we are to listen and then we are to act. God asked Noah to do something that had to be out of his comfort zone. God will often ask us to do things that are outside of our comfort zone. However, there is an important lesson here. God asked Noah to do something outside of his comfort zone, but when he did it God used it to save Noah from the terrible destruction that came upon all of those around him. The same is true of us, God will ask us to act outside of our comfort zone, but if we are faithful and do as He asks He will use those actions to protect us from difficulty that is coming our way.

Matthew 3:7-4:11

     When John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing many of the “righteous” came out to be baptized by him. John the Baptist referred to them as a brood of vipers. He asked them who had warned them to flee God’s coming wrath, then he told them that it is not enough to show up at the events that people go to to get right with God. It is not enough to go to Creation Festival every year (or whatever the current “godly” get-together is). Your actions day-to-day need to reflect that you regret your sins and have turned away from them. You need to act every day in a way that gives glory to God. You cannot rely on your background or what credentials you have or who you are. None of those things obligates God to you, God can create someone who meets all of those criteria any time He wants. If you do not produce good fruits, you will be thrown into the fire.
     Sometime after this, Jesus comes to John to be baptized. John’s response is that he should be baptized by Jesus. Jesus tells John that it is important that John baptize Him. These two pieces go together. John told the Pharisees, the “righteous” people, that following the forms is not enough. Jesus tells John that nevertheless we should follow the forms. The message here is that being baptized, going to church, doing all the things that people see as religious will not save you from God’s judgment. Nevertheless we should still do those things so that people will know that we are trying to serve God. Doing the things that people perceive as what “righteous” people do does not save us, but that does not mean that they are worthless. They can serve to tell others that we expect to be held accountable for our actions.
     Matthew then tells us that Jesus went out into the wilderness and fasted for forty days and forty nights. During this time He faced several temptations. The first temptation was to turn rocks into food. Jesus’ response is that meeting our spiritual needs is more important than meeting our physical needs. The second temptation is to throw Himself off of the top of the Temple in order to show that God will miraculously rescue Him. Jesus’ response is that we should not attempt to force God’s hand. The third temptation is to do whatever it takes to gain political power. Jesus’ response is that we are to worship and serve only God. These three temptations represent the three ways we are tempted to take shortcuts to make the world a better place. If we meet people’s physical needs they will follow us and give us power, but that comes at the price of getting the people to take care of themselves and look out for those less fortunate than themselves. The second temptation is to claim God’s favor and demand people’s allegiance based on being God’s elect. That comes at the price of showing people how to think for themselves and turns God into our servant rather than we being God’s servants. The final temptation is to acquire political power by whatever means necessary in order to do good once we have it. This comes at the price of making what we think is right more important than doing what God says is right. The summation of these three temptations is that it is not enough to be seeking God’s ends, we must use God’s means to get there. The ends does NOT justify the means. Or to put it another way, you cannot achieve good ends using evil tools.

Psalm 3:1-8

Today’s psalm continues the theme I have seen so far in today’s passages. From the story of Noah, we learned that when God calls us to action, we should take action. From the story of Jesus’ temptations we learned that we should not try to take shortcuts to do what God asks us to do. Now in this psalm we learn that no matter how many people oppose us in doing what God has asked us to do we can have faith that God will make it happen. If we follow the path that God directs us on, He will give us the victory.

Proverbs 1:10-19

Today’s proverbs warn us against being enticed by those who tell us that easy riches can be had by doing evil. It may seem easy, but in the end those whose greed drives them to do wrong end up suffering for it.

Daily Bible Study

January 2, 2013 Bible Study — Joseph Or Herod, Which Will I Be?

January 1, 2013 AttilaDimedici

Genesis 3-4:26

The serpent approached Eve in the Garden and convinced her to eat from the tree that God has forbidden them to eat. The serpent did not come right out and suggest that she eat from it. He first made it seem that he thought the command was applied in areas and ways that it did not. Then he told her that God’s reason for telling them not to eat was petty. An important point is that while Eve, the woman, took and ate the fruit first, Adam was standing there the whole time listening to the exchange between Eve and the serpent. Adam failed to counter the serpent’s arguments or to tell Eve that she should not eat of the fruit. He made no attempt to convince her to not violate God’s command, suggesting that he wanted to eat but wanted her to go first so that he could blame her.
After Adam and Eve are cast out of the Garden, they have two sons, Cain and Abel. The two brothers gave a gift of the produce of their labor to the Lord. Abel brought the best of the firstborn lambs of his flock. Cain brought some of his crops. God preferred Abel’s offering and Cain became jealous. Abel put thought and effort into giving God a gift from the best of what he had gained. Cain just took some of what he had and made that the gift. God wants our best, not just our leftovers. But Cain, rather than accepting this and resolving to do better in the future, killed his brother. This points up a human tendency to blame those who do better for our own shortcomings. Just like yesterday there is a lot more in this passage that I could talk about, but I need to move on.

Matthew 2:13-3:6

After the wise men leave, Joseph has a dream warning him to flee with his wife and child to Egypt. Joseph heeds the warning and goes to Egypt. When Herod realizes that the wise men are not going to return and tell him where to find the child that they were seeking, he decides to have every boy in Bethlehem who was the right age to be the child killed. Herod takes this action even though he knew the child was the prophesied Messiah. That is not quite true. He knew that either the child was the prophesied Messiah, or the child was no one of any particular significance. If the former, than his attempt to prevent his rise was pointless and he was doing battle with God. On the other hand, if the latter, Herod’s actions were pointless cruelty.
When Herod died, Joseph had another dream instructing him to return to Israel. While they were preparing to travel, they discovered which of Herod’s sons was ruling in Judea. Joseph has yet another dream warning him away from Judea. As a result, he takes his family and settles in Galilee, in Nazareth. A lesson I need to take from this is that Joseph was very receptive to God’s leading. He followed God’s lead to marry Mary. He listened to God’s warning and fled to Egypt. He listened again to God and when he returned he went to Nazareth.

"Sometimes I Can't Believe My Daughter" — “Sometimes I Can’t Believe My Daughter”

Psalm 2:1-12

This psalm is appropriate to follow today’s reading from Matthew. I commented how Herod’s action in killing the baby’s in Bethlehem was fruitless and this psalm points up how often the rulers of this earth take similar fruitless undertakings. The psalmist points out that attempting to resist God’s will is a losing enterprise. Rulers time and again attempt to overthrow God’s control over the world. The psalmist tells us that rebelling against God’s rule is destined to end in sadness for those who rebel. On the other hand those who submit to God will experience joy. I will strive to emulate Joseph who listened carefully in order to follow God’s will and not Herod who chose to rebel against what he believed to be God’s will.

Proverbs 1:7-9

Today’s proverb completes the theme. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge and wisdom. If our starting point is a fear of going against God’s will, we will seek to know and follow His will. On the other hand, fools often act according to their desires without thinking through the implications of their decisions. When you are young, listen to the instructions of your parents allow them to correct your actions and learn from their greater wisdom. Always be prepared to learn from those with more experience.

Daily Bible Study

January 1, 2013 Bible Study — In The Beginning God

December 31, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Genesis 1-2:25

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.

Matthew 1-2:12

     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.

Psalm 1:1-6

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.

Proverbs 1:1-6

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.

Daily Bible Study

December 31, 2012 Bible Study — “I the Lord Do Not Change.”

December 30, 2012 AttilaDimedici

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 my final devotion of the year. I have been blessed through this year by doing this and I am looking for the blessings the Lord will bring me in the New Year. This year I started this in April. I am looking forward to starting at the beginning of the Bible and working through it over the course of the entire year. I would encourage everyone to read through the Bible in a year. I pray that others have been blessed by what I have written and that the Spirit guide me in my studies going forward.

Malachi 3-4:6

     The prophet tells us that God is going to send His messenger before Him. The Lord will follow His messenger and appear suddenly. He will be like the refiner’s fire or a bleaching agent. He will burn away the dross and bleach away the impurities. God will sit in judgment over those who cheat employees out of their wages, those who oppress the widow and the orphan, those who deprive outsiders of justice.
     God calls on us to return to Him. He condemns those who claim that they have committed no sin and do not need God’s forgiveness. God calls on us to put Him first in our priorities, to first dedicate a share of our resources to serving Him. God condemns the people for honoring those who get rich through wickedness. I look at this section of this passage and see a condemnation of our society. There are many who say, “You don’t need God to be moral.” There are many who see people who gained fame and fortune through sin and seek to emulate them. I have failed to dedicate the first fruits of my income to God. I have been convicted over the last couple of weeks about my giving to serve the Lord. I will strive to be more faithful in the New Year.
     Those who fear the Lord will talk with one another and God will take note, placing their names in a scroll (note the similarities to yesterday’s passage in Revelation referencing the Book of Life). The prophet tells us that the difference between those who serve God and those who do not will be obvious. Is it obvious to those around me that I am different? God’s day of judgment is coming and the wicked will be burned up like straw in the fire. Yet the fire that is destructive and burns the wicked will be like the healing rays of the spring sun to the righteous. This passage evoked in my mind something like a scene from a vampire movie. I see a group greeting the sunrise on a beach. Those who are righteous greet the dawn with joy and revel in the beauty of the rising sun. The evil burn up like vampires exposed to the sun, running and screaming in terror as they seek a place to hide from the coming light. In that day there will be no place to hide from the light of God’s presence. I seek to be one of those who will bask in that light, rather than one who flees it in fear.

Revelation 22:1-21

     The writer tells us that a river of the water of life will flow from the throne of God through the city. The tree of life will grow on either bank of the river bearing ripe fruit every month. There will no longer be a curse on anything. I read this as saying that there will be no Second Law of Thermodynamics in the new heaven and earth that God will create after judgment day. The Second Law of Thermodynamics is the one that tells us that everything runs down and decays. After judgment day, we will live in a new creation where nothing ever breaks down. There will be no need for the sun or lamps there because the light of God’s presence will shine on everything.
     Jesus is returning soon. He will come back and bring all creation to completion. The Spirit is calling us to come and drink of the water of life. Let us call to those around us for them to come and drink of the water of life. As I look at the world around me I see many who are thirsty for the water of life, have I done enough to show them where to find it?
     As we conclude this year, I will echo John’s conclusion and with him say:

Come, Lord Jesus.

Psalm 150:1-6

We end the year with a psalm of praise. This psalm calls on us to use everything we can access to praise the Lord wherever we find ourselves. I will praise the Lord every day of my life.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
I will praise the Lord on this final day of 2012 and I will start the day on the first day of 2013 praising the Lord.

Proverbs 31:25-31

How appropriate that the proverb for today reminds of the other important individual in my life. The psalm reminded me to praise the Lord, now the proverb reminds me to let my wife know how much she means to me.

Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.
It may be nice to have a wife who is charming (and I do), but charm can be used to deceive. It may be nice to have a wife who is beautiful (and once again, I do), but beauty will fade. The wonderful thing to have in a wife is one who loves and fears the Lord. I am so thankful that along with her other attributes my wife has that as well.

Daily Bible Study

December 30, 2012 Bible Study — No More Death, Or Sorrow, Or Pain

December 29, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Malachi 1-2:17

     There is debate about who wrote the book of Malachi. I am not sure why. The book itself tells us that it was written by Malachi, which translates (more or less) as “God’s messenger”. Whether this was the writer’s proper name or merely a title he took as part of his prophetic work is irrelevant. The book was written by God’s messenger.
     There are three parts to today’s passage. In the first part the prophet condemns the people for bringing unworthy sacrifices to God. Rather than bring the best of their flocks to sacrifice to the Lord, they brought the excess. They brought the animals that they would otherwise have destroyed, animals they could not even sell in the marketplace as food. Do we do the same thing? Do we give the clothes and goods we would otherwise throw away to a thrift store or other charitable organization and count it as part of our charitable giving? Do we only give time to serving the Lord that we would otherwise waste? Or are we willing to spend time that inconveniences us to serving the Lord? I had never looked at this in light of the time I spend serving the Lord before and I am challenged by this understanding. All too often I pass on opportunities to serve because they would be inconvenient. That does not mean that that should not be a factor in deciding whether a particular ministry is one to which I am called. It just should not be the deciding factor.
     The second part condemns the priests, the spiritual leaders. The prophet tells us that in the past the spiritual leaders led righteous lives and turned away from sin. By doing this they set a good example for those they led and they were able to pass on God’s instructions to them. The prophet condemns the priests/spiritual leaders of his day for turning away from the paths of the Lord and teaching things other than the words of God. He accuses them of causing people to stumble into sin by their bad example and faulty teaching. He accuses them of picking and choosing which parts of God’s commands to follow. I find this warning very appropriate today. Many of those who proclaim themselves spiritual leaders today openly pick and choose what parts of the Bible to teach, rejecting certain Biblical teachings while proclaiming others. I do not consider myself a spiritual leader, but nevertheless I must examine my life to see if there are areas where I choose to ignore Biblical teaching because I think it does not apply to me.
     The final piece of today’s passage covers marital faithfulness. It is actually two parts. The first part concerns those who worship the Lord marrying someone who worships some other god. The prophet tells us that marrying someone who does not share your faith will cause a divide between you and fellowship with God. The second part tells us that people cry out to the Lord wondering why He does not look with favor on the sacrifices they bring Him. The prophet tells us it is because they have been unfaithful to the “wife of your youth.” I think this passage represents an insight into why the Church in the U.S. has struggled with getting its message through on so many issues. The Church in the U.S. once had a strong position on marital faithfulness and opposing divorce. Bit by bit over my lifetime it has reduced its emphasis on fidelity to marriage vows and sexual purity. We fail to apply Jesus teaching that looking at someone other than your spouse with lust is the same as adultery. I no less than others.

Revelation 21:1-27

The writer tells us that after God’s judgment there will be a new heaven and a new earth because the old heaven and earth will pass away. In that day, God will live among His people. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. In the new heaven and earth there will be no death, or sorrow, or pain. God will make everything new in a land that will see no more death or decay. The writer describes the new Jerusalem and tells us that it will have no Temple because God and the Lamb will be its temple. It will not need either the sun or the moon because the glory of God will provide its light. The gates to the city will never shut because there will be no night and no enemies will come against it. Nothing impure, with even the hint of evil, will ever enter into it, nor will those who do anything shameful. Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will enter into that City.
When I read this passage it filled me with joy (as it often does). When I wrote the above I found I was unable to capture the feeling that reading this passage created within me. The verse from this passage which speaks about God wiping away every tear and there being no more death there is a staple of most funerals, appropriately so. There is coming a time when God will bring joy and happiness to all who will accept it and put an end to sorrow and suffering. Whenever I read that passage I have this image in my mind of a kindly man or woman taking a handkerchief, wiping the tears of a child who has just suffered some disappointment and comforting them. I picture God as that adult taking each and every one of us and wiping away the sorrows we have felt in this life.

Psalm 149:1-9

Another wonderful psalm of praise. It is a reminder to not become stuck in traditions in our worship. We should be open to new ways of worship, “Sing to the Lord a new song.” We should praise His name with dancing and various instruments. In all that we do we should praise the Lord. There is a joy in moving and singing that allows us to express our love of God in ways that nothing else can do. We should continually seek new ways to praise the Lord.

Proverbs 31:10-24

I am happy to say that I have a wife of noble character and she has been a blessing to me. She has encouraged me in my walk with the Lord and has pushed me to follow His leading. I may have never started this blog if not for her encouragement. I thank the Lord every day for Him bringing her into my life.

Daily Bible Study

December 29, 2012 Bible Study — Zombie Apocalypse?

December 28, 2012 AttilaDimedici

Zechariah 14:1-21

Zechariah says to watch for the day of the Lord is coming. When it does, the nations will gather to attack Jerusalem and the city will be sacked. After Jerusalem is sacked, God Himself will do battle against the nations on behalf of Jerusalem and His people. Once again I find this passage reminding me of passages in Revelation, yet when I read closer I see differences which suggest that this prophecy refers to something different than the similar passage in Revelation (although I am less convinced of that here than in the other passages). Zechariah tells us that on that day, God will strike down those who oppose His people and His power and show the entire world that He is the only one to worship.
Zechariah describes a plague which will strike all of the nations which go to war against Jerusalem. The description sounds much like the Zombie Apocalypse image from many horror movies. Those who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each year to worship God. Any nation which refuses to worship God will suffer drought and a resurgence of the plague. I had never realized that the first description of the “zombie apocalypse” was in the Bible. This passage paints a scary image, but it also paints a picture of hope. It describes a day when all of the world will worship God, when people will no longer doubt the existence, might and goodness of God. In that day the effects of fighting against God will be quickly and clearly evident to anyone. Yet even today, the negative consequences of opposing God can be seen by anyone willing to look. Unfortunately very few are willing to look. All too many seem to think that there is no connection between sin and the negative consequences of sin, that if science advances just a little further no one will ever again need to suffer the consequences of their sins. Rather than learning that the way to avoid the consequences of sin is to avoid the sin, they seek a way to “cure” the consequences of the sin. Such an attitude turns us into walking corpses (figuratively even if not necessarily literally).

Revelation 20:1-15

Following the battle between the Rider who is the King of all Kings and the armies of the beast, the writer tells us that an angel came down from heaven and bound the dragon who is the devil. Once he had bound the devil the angel threw him into the bottomless pit for one thousand years. After the devil has been cast into the bottomless pit, those who have been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and the word of God will be resurrected. They will reign with Christ for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit. When he is released from the bottomless pit, Satan will gather the armies of the world on a broad plain surrounding God’s people and the “beloved city” (which is generally another term for Jerusalem). Fire will come down from heaven and destroy them. The devil will then be cast into the lake of fiery sulphur along with the beast and the false prophet. This passage certainly bears resemblance to the passage we read from Zechariah today. The armies of the world gather against Jerusalem, which is now in the middle of a great plain. God uses His mighty power to strike down the armies and defend Jerusalem. Yet there are differences. In Zechariah, the attacking armies are struck by a plague that causes them to re-enact a zombie apocalypse scene. In Revelation, God strikes down the attacking armies with fire from heaven.
Once Satan has been cast into the lake of fire, God will raise the dead for a final judgment. The books will be opened, including the Book of Life. All who had ever lived will stand before God and be judged according to what they had done. When this judgment is complete, death and the grave will be cast into the lake of fire. The writer tells us that the lake of fire is the second death. After all of humanity has been judged according to their deeds, those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will also be cast into the lake of fire. Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but I noticed that the judgment for our deeds is one step. We will all be judged according to our deeds. But after the judgment, those whose names are recorded in the Book of Life will be spared from the second death. We will all have to account for our actions before God. I can and will make no defense of my sins. All I can do is throw myself on God’s mercy in Jesus’ name.

Psalm 148:1-14

Today’s psalm is a psalm of praise. It calls on all created beings and things to praise God. When I read this psalm I think of the wonder of God. It reminds me of the beauty and awe I feel when I spend time in nature. Whether it is locally or when I visited the Grand Canyon, the grandeur of looking at nature puts me in awe of how great our God is. This psalm evokes those same feelings of awe and wonder.

Proverbs 31:8-9

Today’s proverb calls on us to speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. It calls on us to seek justice to those who are powerless to mount their own defense. We should use what power we have to ensure that those who have less power than us receive justice. This is not just a matter of seeing to it that those who are accused of a crime have an opportunity to defend themselves against the accusations. It is also a matter of seeing that victims of oppression and injustice receive a voice. We are to call for judgment against the powerful when they use their power to victimize the weak.

Fact and Fantasy

Tag Archives: read the Bible in a year Bible study

January 7, 2013 Bible Study — It’s Never Too Late to Serve the Lord

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January 6, 2013 Bibe Study — Go The Extra Mile

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January 5, 2013 Bible Study — The Spirit of the Law

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January 4, 2012 Bible Study — Jesus Called and the Disciples Followed

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January 3, 2013 Bible Study — Responding To God’s Call

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January 2, 2013 Bible Study — Joseph Or Herod, Which Will I Be?

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January 1, 2013 Bible Study — In The Beginning God

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December 31, 2012 Bible Study — “I the Lord Do Not Change.”

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December 30, 2012 Bible Study — No More Death, Or Sorrow, Or Pain

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December 29, 2012 Bible Study — Zombie Apocalypse?

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