Tag Archives: Acts 17:1-34

June 26, 2015 Bible Study — Finding the Missing Piece

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 17:27-28

    Those who are wise use words sparingly. There are several reasons for this. One of which is touched on in today’s passage: even a fool will seem wise if he doesn’t say anything. Another advantage of not saying everything that comes to your mind is that you have time to think over what you thought and polish your thought so that your wording is well chosen. Yet another reason to not say what comes to your mind is that by keeping silent and listening you may learn things which show you the error in your original thought before you speak.
    There is one other point I would like to make. While it is true that a fool who keeps silent will be thought wise when they are not, a fool who keeps silent will gain wisdom by doing so (and is probably demonstrating that they have already started the process of ceasing to be a fool).

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Psalm 144:1-15

    I will praise the Lord, He provides me with stability and a safe place to stand. He gives me the talents and training I need to accomplish the tasks to which He has called me. I am but a man, a human being of little consequence is this large and varied universe. Yet God cares for me. He cares for every single person.
    I was going somewhere else with my thoughts on this psalm when I got to this point. I am not very significant when one looks at the universe, or even at the people of this earth. Despite my insignificance God cares for me. Not only does He care about me, He cares about every single person on this earth, no matter how insignificant we think they are. What does that mean for us? There is the obvious; if God cares about you (and He does), then you should not think of yourself as someone of no worth. If God cares about you, you are clearly someone of value. However, there is a more important thing for us to take from this; if we think that someone is not worth caring about, we had better re-examine our conclusion because God disagrees. He is a much better judge of a person’s value than we are.

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Acts 17:1-34

    When Paul arrived in Athens he got into a discussion with some philosophers there. It seems that they found his philosophy appealing, but balked at the idea of resurrection from the dead. One of Paul’s key points in his discussion with the philosophers of Athens was that they were spiritual in every way they could imagine, yet they acknowledged that something was missing. Paul’s message to the people of Athens is one we need to convey to those around us. No matter how spiritual people may be, if they have not come to know Jesus, something is missing. Most of them will realize this and seek to fill that void. The Christian message is that the Gospel provides the answer about what is missing. Once one truly comprehends the Gospel message one realizes that Jesus fills the missing place in all other spirituality.

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2 Kings 9:14-10:31

    Jehu killed Ahab’s son to become king over Israel. He killed all of Ahab’s family, fulfilling Elijah’s promise regarding Ahab. Jehu then proceeded to completely eliminate Baal worship in Israel. It is interesting that while Jehu recognized the evil in Baal worship, he did not recognize the evil in worshiping the golden calves which Jeroboam had set up.

June 26, 2014 Bible Study — What Is Idolatry?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 17:27-28

    Those who are truly wise do not have a lot to say, even a fool will seem wise if they keep silent most of the time. You can gain a reputation for intelligence and wisdom by not speaking. Learning to keep your temper will make it easier to avoid speaking up in situations that will make you seem foolish.

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Psalm 144:1-15

    As I read this psalm, I recognized it as being appropriate in my current situation. I am in a new job where there are people with whom I find myself battling as I seek to do the best job that I can. I need to remember that God will give me the skills needed to fight these battles in the proper ways. As I serve God and do as He directs, He will be my ally in the battles I face. It is not up to me to win these battles. God will win them for me. If I am careful to only fight those battles which God commands me to fight, I will find myself in a position of strength when I face those who oppose me.
    I have recently seen how true this is, and it leads me to praise God. He is indeed my rock and fortress.

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Acts 17:1-34

    As I have been reading through Acts this year I noticed something. On multiple occasions, when opposition to Paul’s preaching arose in a town, the believers sent Paul out of town. As I read, it became more and more clear to me that Paul did not deal with disagreement well. Paul did not know when to back down, when to move on. Others had to tell him, “This is not your battle to fight.” This is not to say that Paul was wrong to fight the battles he fought, just that it appears that sometimes others had to tell him when there was nothing more to be gained from continuing the fight.
    We often forget that there is only one person in the Bible who we are supposed to imitate. That person is Jesus. The Bible accounts tell us about the good things and the bad things which people like Paul did. All too often, we see the accounts of Paul and think that his confrontational style is something we are supposed to imitate, even the parts where he got it wrong. If we are faithful to God as Paul was, we will face trials and persecutions. However, sometimes we are supposed to “leave town” when we have stirred things up through our faith. We need to listen to our fellow believers when they tell us it is time to move on.

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2 Kings 9:14-10:31

    The family of Ahab ruled in Israel and did evil in the sight of the Lord. As a result of their evil, Ahab’s entire family was killed. We often think that their sins were about idolatry, and this is not wrong. However, it is not complete. Ahab and his descendants abused their power. They mistreated the weak and powerless in order to satisfy their own pleasures. Their failure to honour God and follow His commands led them to believe that it was their right to treat others as objects who existed purely as a means to satisfy their lusts and desires. They chose to worship “gods” who they could manipulate to get what they wanted. Ultimately they were unwilling to accept that God was sovereign over themselves. They denied that they were accountable to anyone or anything for their actions. Ultimately, that is what idolatry is, the refusal to accept that we are accountable to anyone outside of ourselves. They discovered, when it was too late, that they were wrong. Will we make the same mistake? Or will we recognize that God will hold us to account for our actions?

June 26, 2013 Bible Study — Joyful Are Those Whose God is the Lord

     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.

Rose bush in front of house
Rose bush in front of house

2 Kings 9:14-10:31

     Having been anointed by the prophet sent by Elisha, Jehu led a chariot force to Jezreel, where King Joram had gone after being wounded in battle. King Ahaziah of Judah was visiting his wounded uncle, King Joram, at the time. When the messengers Joram sent out to determine Jehu’s intent joined with Jehu rather than return, KingJoram went out to meet him himself. His nephew, King Ahaziah joined him. When Jehu responded to Joram’s greeting by condemning Jezebel’s (Joram’s mother) idolatry, Joram realized that Jehu had come to kill him. When King Joram turned to flee, Jehu drew his bow and shot him, killing him immediately. King Ahaziah of Judah also fled and Jehu pursued him ordering his men to shoot Ahaziah as well. King Ahaziah was also shot but was able to continue to Megiddo before he died.
     When Jezebel heard that Jehu had killed her son, Joram, she put on her makeup and did her hair before sitting by a window. When Jehu entered the palace, she called down to him that he was a murderer. Jehu responded by asking if anyone in the room with her was on his side. When several of the eunuchs looked down to him, he told them to throw Jezebel out of the window. They did so and she died upon hitting the ground. Jehu consolidated his power by killing all Ahab’s family, fulfilling the prophecy Elijah had made concerning Ahab’s family.
     When Jehu was secure on the throne, he summoned the people of Samaria and told them that he would worship Baal even more fervently than Ahab had done. He then made preparations for a great festival of worship for Baal and sent word throughout Israel summoning all Baal worshipers to it. Jehu had special robes made for the worshipers of Baal and gave them out to them as they arrived. Once all of the Baal worshipers had gathered in the temple of Baal in Samaria, Jehu stationed 80 of his men outside of the temple with orders to let no one escape. Jehu then ordered his men to kill all of the Baal worshipers and destroyed the temple. Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal worship in Israel. But he did not destroy the golden calves which Jeroboam had built and continued the practice of worshiping them.

Lilies preparing to bloom
Lilies preparing to bloom

Acts 17:1-34

     Paul and Silas next went to Thessalonica. As usual, Paul started by going to the synagogue and teaching there first. He made the case for Jesus by expounding on how the prophets predicted that the Messiah would suffer, die and rise from the dead just as Jesus had done. Some of the Jews were convinced by his arguments, as were a large number of God fearing Greek men and prominent women. However, other Jews were angered by Paul’s teaching and rounded up some troublemakers and started a riot against Paul and Silas. They went to the home of Jason looking for them. When they failed to find Paul and Silas there they dragged Jason before the city officials and accused him of treason against Caesar. The city officials made Jason and some others post bond, then let them go.
     The believers sent Paul and Silas out of town to Berea that very night. They were welcomed in Berea where the people studied the Scriptures to see if what Paul and Silas were teaching was consistent with Scripture. As a result many of the Jews became believers as did many prominent Gentiles (men and women). However, when the Jews in Thessalonica who opposed Paul learned they were teaching in Berea some of them came and started stirring up trouble. The believers immediately sent Paul to Athens, while Silas and Timothy stayed behind. When they got to Athens, Paul sent for Silas and Timothy to join him there.
     While Paul was waiting for the others to arrive, he began to preach, both in the synagogue and in the public square. He was willing to engage any who wanted to discuss whether Jew, God-fearing Gentile or those who had no understanding of God. While Paul was doing this a group of Greek philosophers began debating with him. Some of them thought he was speaking nonsense, while others were interested. They invited him to speak to a group of the opinion leaders of the city.
     Paul explained how even a people with a multiplicity of gods like the Athenians knew there was something more than could be explained by their pagan idols. He told them that God had made the universe and mankind so as to direct us towards Himself. Throughout history people have striven to find God and have felt their way towards Him as if in darkness. But now God has revealed Himself in fullness through Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the dead. At this point, Paul lost most of the crowd, who were unwilling to accept the idea of resurrection of the dead. Some laughed in contempt, but some wanted to hear more and a few joined Paul and became believers.

Catnip next to the lilies
Catnip next to the lilies

Psalm 144

     The last few days have been psalms of despair, where the psalmist was suffering from problems and difficulties. However, today is an unmitigated psalm of praise. This is what life is like for those who love and serve the Lord. We go through periods where life is difficult and our trials seem without end. But if we continue to call on the Lord and serve Him through the difficult times, He will bring us through to times of joy. when we will sing with the psalmist:

Praise the Lord, who is my rock.

I will sing a new song to you, O God!
I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp.

We will conclude:
Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.

Day lily
Day lily

Proverbs 17:27-28

     Those who are wise do not speak more than they need to and even those who are foolish will seem wise if they refrain from talking about things which they do not know.

June 26, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

2 Kings 9:14-10:31

     As soon as Jehu had the support of the officers with him, he led a force of men to Jezreel, where King Joram was recovering from his wounds. When Jehu and his men approached Jezreel, the city guard told the king that a troop was coming. King Joram sent out a messenger to find out if the approaching men were hostile or not. Jehu ordered the messenger to join his force. King Joram sent out and second messenger with the same result. King Joram had his chariot prepared and rode out to meet Jehu accompanied by his nephew, King Ahaziah of Judah. They met Jehu at the plot of land that King Ahab had killed Naboth over. Jehu killed King Joram and King Ahaziah fled. Jehu pursued King Ahaziah and some of his men were able to wound him as he fled. King Ahaziah was able to escape from Jehu, but died of his wounds. His servants took his body back to Jerusalem for burial. When Jezebel heard that Jehu was coming to the city of Jezreel, she made herself up and sat at the window of the palace. When Jehu entered the city, she called out to him that he would meet the same fate as Zimri, who had killed the predecessor to Ahab’s father. Jehu calls out for Jezebel to be thrown down from the window. Several palace eunuchs follow his command and throw her out, where Jehu tramples her body under his horses’ hooves. Jehu points out to those accompanying him that the death of Joram and Jezebel fulfilled the prophecies of Elijah concerning Jezebel and Ahab. Jehu then has all of Ahab’s remaining sons killed.
     Jehu then declares a great assembly and sacrifice to worship Baal. He summoned all of the Baal worshipers to the assembly. When the Baal worshipers had assembled, he tells them to make sure that no one who worshiped the Lord was there, only Baal worshipers. As the rituals get under way, Jehu orders his men to kill everyone in the assembly. After killing all of the Baal worshipers, Jehu completely desecrated the temple of Baal. The passage tells us that Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal worship in Israel, but continued the worship of the golden calves that Jeroboam had built.

Acts 17:1-34

     When Paul arrived in Thessalonica, he went to the synagogue service and for three Sabbaths in a row he made the case from Jewish scripture that Jesus was the Messiah. Some of the Jews and many of the God-fearing Gentiles were convinced and joined Paul and Silas. Some of the Jews who did not believe stirred up a mob to drag Paul and Silas before the town council. When they did not find them, they grabbed some other prominent believers and took them before the council. They accused the believers of being part of an insurrection. The city council forced the believers who had been brought before them to post bond and then released them. That night the believers sent Paul and Silas on to Berea. The Bereans were more receptive of the message of Paul and Silas. However, when some Jews from Thessalonica came to Berea and started stirring up opposition to Paul and Silas, they sent Paul on to Athens.
     In Athens, Paul got into debates with various philosophers. Paul appears to have done well in these debates until he started talking about the Resurrection. At this point, they asked Paul to address the assembly of philosophers (the original Greek is ambiguous as to exactly who Paul was asked to address, this is my interpretation of the situation). Paul talked about how the people of Athens worship many different gods and even have an altar to an “unknown god.” Paul told them that the “unknown god” is the God of whom he speaks. Paul said that God has no needs for people to fill, that instead God fills people’s needs. He continued by saying that God had overlooked man’s ignorance of Him in the past, but has now sent Jesus to call people to repent of their sins and follow Him. Paul told them that God proved that Jesus was His messenger by raising Him from the dead. Once again, the Resurrection is a sticking point for many of the philosophers. The response to Paul’s message here is the same as we experience today when we speak to people about the Gospel. Many held Paul in contempt for believing that someone could be raised from the dead, some wanted to debate him some more at another time, and a few believed.

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Psalm 144:1-15

     God will provide for our safety and protection if we rely on Him. If we accept God as our Lord and Savior we will experience joy and God will watch over us.

Proverbs 17:27-28

     If an argument you are trying to make will take a lot of words to explain, you should probably refrain from making it. When you are having a discussion with someone and you find yourself becoming angry, it is probably time to stop talking. If you wish to be perceived as wise, keep your mouth shut. The wise speak sparingly and if the foolish do not speak, they will not reveal their foolishness.