February 25, 2013 Bible Study — The Joy of Being Kind to the Poor

     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.

Morning after a new snowfall
Morning after a new snowfall

Leviticus 16:29-18:30

     God tells Moses to instruct the people that they are to conduct all of their sacrifices at the Tabernacle, in the presence of the priests. The purpose of this law is to prevent the people from continuing to offer sacrifices to goat idols (the word translated as “idols” could also be translated as “demons”). God then repeats the command He gave to Noah after the flood, instructing the people of Israel not to eat any meat with the blood in it.
     The next portion gives a list of people with whom it is wrong to have sexual relations. That list includes the children and siblings of either of your parents. It then gives a list of women married to someone else that are forbidden as sexual partners, eventually, after listing various people whose wives are forbidden sexual partners, it makes it clear that any woman married to someone else is a forbidden sexual partner. The fact that it lists it this way makes it clear that there are no “special case” exceptions to the law against adultery. There are several other practices listed here as detestable. They include sexual relations between people and animals and sexual relations between two men. They, also, include sacrificing one’s children and marrying sisters while both are living. This last is interesting since Jacob, also named Israel, did that very thing.
     Some years back I read a column that suggested that these commands free us up by clearly channeling our sexual desires. The columnist suggested that our sex drive is such that without some clear guidelines as to acceptable sexual partners we will expend large amounts of mental energy on satisfying that drive, energy that could be better used in other areas. I think that the columnist made a good point, although I think there is more to these instructions than just that. Sex distorts human relationships, not necessarily in a bad way. My relationship with my wife is made better and stronger by our sexual intimacy. However, not all human relations should have a sexual element. By taking certain people off of the list of potential sexual partners, the commands in this section allow relationships and friendships to develop that do not contain the sexual element, something that is necessary for a healthy society (and something that is contributing to our society’s breakdown, since as time goes by there are fewer and fewer relationships that our society views as not having a sexual element).

Another picture on the morning after a snowfall
Another picture on the morning after a snowfall

Mark 7:24-8:10

     Jesus left Galilee for a time and went into the region around Tyre (perhaps to get away from the crowds, since the writer made earlier references to Jesus attempting to withdraw with His disciples and being followed by the crowds). While there, He attempted to keep secret where He was staying. However, this was not possible. A woman from the area whose daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and begged Him to heal her daughter. Since she was a Gentile, Jesus told her that it was not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. This was a very nasty insult, Jesus basically said that she was a dog. Her response however was to accept the insult and tell Him that the dogs get to eat the scraps that fall to the floor. Jesus commends her for her answer and tells her that her daughter is healed (as indeed she was). We need to emulate this woman and acknowledge before God that we are sinful, evil creatures not worthy of His grace. But, we also need to recognize, as this woman did, that God has overwhelming love for us and wants to redeem us from our sin.
     After this Jesus returned to the region around the Sea of Galilee. While He was there some people brought a deaf man to Him requesting that He heal him. Jesus took the man aside and restored both his hearing and his ability to talk (although modern experience suggests that most of the man’s problem with speaking was a result of being unable to hear himself talk). Jesus instructed those who witnessed this not to tell anyone, but the more He asked people to keep His miracles quiet, the more they talked about them. This is another piece to the puzzle that has been bothering me lately, why don’t we see more miracles in the Church today? The answer is that all too often we in the Church are trumpeting these miracles. There is too much of an element of self-promotion in what little I do hear about miracles. I am not quite sure where I am going with this, but it is clear from the Gospel accounts that it was not Jesus or His disciples who spread the word about His miracles.
     Today’s passage concludes with the Feeding of the Four Thousand. A crowd had gathered to hear Jesus preach. After three days, Jesus called His disciples together, concerned that if He sent the crowd away hungry some of them would collapse on the way. Despite having witnessed the feeding of the five thousand not that long before, the disciples wanted to know where they could find enough food for this large of a crowd in such a remote place. Once again Jesus asked them how much food they had with them. When they told Him they had seven loaves, He had the crowd sit down on the ground, gave thanks, broke the bread and gave it to His disciples to distribute. Everyone ate and was satisfied. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of leftover food. Jesus then sent the crowd away and got into a boat with His disciples. How often are we like the disciples? How often do we wonder how we can possibly get through a situation we are in, a situation similar to one that God provided us miraculous deliverance from just a short time earlier? We are as slow on the uptake as the disciples (which is certainly to be expected).

Sword and cape vs two swords
Sword and cape vs two swords

Psalm 41:1-13

     

Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!
The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.

What more is there to say? I will strive to help those who are struggling, even when I am not sure how I am going to pay all of my bills. I have not been in a position where I wondered where my next meal was coming from, so I am not among those who are truly poor.

Sword and dagger duel
Sword and dagger duel

Proverbs 10:15-16

     The godly use whatever wealth they acquire to enhance their lives (for example, by helping the poor), while the wicked squander their money on sin.