I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost 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.
David settled into Jerusalem and defeated those who threatened his control. At that point he felt guilty that God was worshiped in a tent and proposed building a temple to God. He discussed this with the prophet Nathan, who at first approved of the idea. However, that night God spoke to Nathan and told him that David was not to build the Temple. God gave Nathan a message for David. In that message God promised to make David’s name be among the great names of history. In addition, God promised that He would establish one of David’s descendants on his throne and that that descendant would build God’s Temple.
The prophecy says that one of David’s descendants will sit on his throne and God would establish his kingdom forever. God would be this descendant’s Father and he would be God’s Son. The descendant would build the House for God to live in. God’s love would never be taken from him. This was for all intents and purposes fulfilled in Solomon, but, like many Old Testament prophecies, it was also fulfilled in Jesus. I know I have heard this spoken of, but this morning is the first time I read it and could see it being meant that way. First the obvious piece, Jesus constantly referred to God as His Father and Himself as God’s Son. Jesus also talked about building God’s House. That House is the Body of Christ, the Church. In this context, the Church does not refer to any of the human institutions that we give that name (the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Mennonite Church, etc). It refers to all of those who live as disciples of Christ.
In response to Nathan’s prophecy, David prayed a prayer of thanks and humility. David did not take God’s promise as his due, rather he asked why should he be given such honor. David then praised God and spoke of how God was unique among gods. He went on to accept God’s promise and thank God for making it. Can I learn to humbly accept both the hard times and the blessings that God brings me? Can I see how my life is blessed, even when I am facing difficulties? Will I accept God’s promises for the future.
The passage describes David’s military victories. It is not clear from here, but I look at the described conquests and they look to me like conquests to extend David’s control over trade routes. It also appears to involve eliminating the power base from which bandits raided merchants along those trade routes. I reached this conclusion partly from the story of David and Nabal and partly from other passages that speak of the reasons David went to war against particular kings. However, that interpretation is consistent with the order of conquest listed here and elsewhere and explains why David did not leave more archeological evidence. David’s kingdom and power was not a traditional empire of that period and region, rather it was a trade empire where David secured the trade routes so that the merchants could travel freely.
In yesterday’s passage Jesus told His disciples that if they had seen Him, they had seen the Father because He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. When I wrote about that I mentioned that elsewhere scripture tells us that we are in Jesus and He is in us. Well today’s passage is where it says that.
Jesus tells His disciples that He will send them an another advocate to be with them and to help them. That advocate is the Spirit of Truth who we refer to as the Holy Spirit. He told them (and us) that the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But those who follow Jesus know the Holy Spirit because it lives with us and in us. Jesus then told His disciples that soon the world would be unable to see Him any longer, but they would be able to see Him. They would be able to see Jesus because they were in Him and He was in them in the same way that He was in the Father. This means that when others see us, they should see Jesus. Do other people see Jesus when they see me?
If we love Jesus we will keep His commands and live as He did. If we truly love Him (demonstrated by keeping His commandments and living as He did) Jesus and the Father will love us and make their homes with each of us. Am I prepared to have Jesus and the Father living with me? Sitting next to me looking over my shoulder while I surf the Internet? Listening to the comments I make to my closest friends, or when I think I’m alone? Riding with me to work? Standing in for my co-workers? Watching the TV shows and movies I watch? Reading the books I read? When you think of it that way, you realize why many people are atheists. They don’t want to live a life they would be comfortable living if they believed God was watching. But do I really live like I believe God is right there with me all of the time?
Jesus reminded His disciples that He was telling them that while He was with them, but soon He would be gone. However, the God would send an advocate, the Holy Spirit, to remind them (and us) of what Jesus had taught and to teach us to understand what it means. All of this is difficult, but Jesus told His disciples, and tells us, not to be troubled or afraid about all of this. There was not much more that Jesus was able to tell us because the ruler of this world was coming. That one had no power over Jesus, but Jesus was going to give Himself into his power so that the world would know that He loved the Father and was willing to do whatever the Father commanded. Am I willing to face suffering and death if that is what God commands of me? Can I see the joy that others have seen in being held worthy to be treated as Jesus was treated? We must remember that the suffering and death that Jesus faced, and that we might face, was not suffering and death for their own sake. It was for the sake of making others’ lives better. It was for the sake of taking away suffering and misery from others. It is easier for me to face the prospect of suffering when viewed in that light. I like to think I would be willing to suffer to spare others’ suffering.
Today’s psalm goes well with the theme from the Book of John. In the passage from the Book of John, Jesus told us that if we loved Him, we would keep His commandments. The psalm tells us that we should keep God’s command because that is where happiness lies. Oh let me live according to this line from today’s psalms:
and I will not be ashamed.
I encourage anyone reading my blog today to read today’s psalm. It is beautiful and has given me renewed resolve to follow God’s commands.
We learn wisdom when we are afraid to do that which will anger God because we learn that these things will bring us harm (whether God wills it so or not). The only way to true honor is from genuine humility, from believing that one’s actions are not worthy of being honored.