For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
I definitely agree with the proverb writer. I would rather live on a diet of bread and water (and stale bread at that) while living in peace than eat the fanciest feast among those who are arguing and agry with each other.
The beginning of this psalm is a reflection of Israel’s early years of slavery in Egypt. However, it also reflects the experience of the Jewish people through most of history. In my opinion the second part of this psalm represents both the feelings of the psalmist and prophecy/curse. It is worth noting that the word used that is translated “Jerusalem” translates more accurately as “Zion”. Which means when the psalmist refers to those who “hate Jerusalem” he is referring to those who hate Jerusalem as a city of Jews.
It is worth noting that at the end of his speech Stephen did not sugarcoat his point. He outright accuses those he was speaking to of deliberately disobeying God’s law. I think it is an important reminder to us that we do not always need to strive to avoid offending people. In this case, Stephen very clearly chose to offend those to whom he was speaking. Of course, if we follow Stephen’s example we should be prepared to experience what he experienced as well.
When I read the story of Philip preaching in Samaria, I am reminded of the Amazing Randi. The Amazing Randi is a former magician(at least, I think he has retired) who took to debunking those claiming supernatural powers. His main point was that, as a magician, he knew how to perform, without any supernatural power, the same feats these people were claiming they used supernatural power to accomplish. When he watched the various shysters he debunked perform their miracles, he could generally tell how they were doing it. In those cases where he was not sure how they did it, it was because he could not tell which of several methods they were using. My point is that Simon was a renowned magician who was thought to have magical powers. He followed Philip around watching him perform miracles. Eventually, Simon believed and was baptized. This tells me that Simon saw what Philip was doing and realized that he could not duplicate it.
I love Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple. I do not believe that we need to face Jerusalem when we pray in order to be heard by God. However, I do believe that God honours Solomon’s prayer. There is a common theme through much of the prayer, “if they acknowledge God’s name and turn from their sins…” Solomon acknowledged that the Temple could not contain God. He presented the Temple as a visible symbol, turning towards the Temple represented turning towards God. It was not necessary, but we humans sometimes need to move our bodies in order to move our minds.