Tag Archives: Acts 6:1-15

June 08, 2015 Bible Study — Seek Wisdom Before Prosperity, Or Anything Else

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 16:26-27

    It is good to have unsatisfied wants and needs, it provides motivation to be productive. Those who have everything they need and want are not as motivated as those who must struggle to meet their needs.

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Psalm 126:1-6

    The last two verses of this psalm are a great reminder of God’s grace to His people. Let us not allow our current sorrow stop us from doing God’s work. God will give us joy at harvest time.

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Acts 6:1-15

    As the number of believers rapidly increased, the problem with the arrangement described in chapter 4 cropped up. It becomes difficult to distribute resources fairly as the group becomes larger. This is especially true when the group grows rapidly. The Apostles proposed a solution of appointing seven men whose specific job it would be to oversee the distribution in order to make sure that everyone’s needs were met. The lesson we learn is that in order to care for the needs of those unable to care for themselves (whether that inability is due to a permanent disability of some sort, or to some sort of temporary setback) someone needs to know each individual in need well enough to know what they need.

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1 Kings 3:3-4:34

    Solomon’s great success results from the fact that he chose to seek wisdom from God rather than wealth, a long life, or victory over his enemies. We should follow Solomon’s example in this (although probably not in much of the rest of his life).

June 8, 2014 Bible Study — Who By Himself Is Able?

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 16:26-27

    It is good to have desires, they provide motivation for working hard. It is not wrong to work hard in order to satisfy our desires for the finer things in life. We should, however, also desire to help those in need. Let us work hard to satisfy our godly desires.

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Psalm 126:1-6

    When we face hard times and sorrows, let us remember what God has done for His people in the past. If we are faithful to God during our hard times and sorrows, we will reap a harvest for God when He restores us to joy. Let us be witnesses for God, so that when He brings good things to us it will lead those who have not known Him to praise Him.

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Acts 6:1-15

    As the number of believers multiplied, so did discontent. The Apostles were Hebraic Jews, that is more traditional in their background and culture. As a result they were more aware of the needs among the Hebraic Jewish believers. This led to those believers who were Hellenized Jews, more assimilated into the culture of the Roman Empire, to feel that those with needs among them were being neglected. The Apostles recognized this as a legitimate concern. They worked with the rest of the believers to choose seven men whose job it would be to make sure that everyone’s needs were met. This is an important model for us. The Apostles delegated some of the work of leadership (providing for the needs of the widows and others) to these seven men.
    In this new leadership role Stephen quickly found himself debating those Hellenized Jews (these were not believers) who questioned Jesus’ teachings. When they realized that they could not defeat Stephen in debate, they started spreading lies about what he taught. Let us remember to always take with a healthy grain of salt any accusation which non-believers make against our fellow believers. When they realize they cannot defeat believers in open debate they will often distort what they have said or don (or flat out lie about it) in order to put them in a bad light. We must be careful not to fall for such tactics.

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1 Kings 3:3-4:34

    Solomon followed the instructions which David, his father, had given him. Except that he worshiped and offered sacrifices at the “high places”. Through out the Old Testament there are repeated condemnations of the practice of worshiping God and offering sacrifices to God at these high places. It never quite makes clear why this was bad. However, we can tell by “reading between the lines” that one of the problems with these high places was that worship at them often degenerated into idol worship rather than remain true to God. This is an important reminder that we need to be careful not to allow the rituals and practices we use to worship God to become the objects of our worship rather than God Himself.
    When God appeared to Solomon in a dream, he responded with humility. Solomon recognized that ruling well was beyond his ability to do on his own. He asked God for His help and wisdom so that he might do the task well. Solomon recognized that he was not able to do the task which God had given him on his own. God has given me tasks in this world which I cannot accomplish without the Holy Spirit. It is only through the power of God that I will be able to accomplish the tasks which God has set me. Let us remember that if we desire that God give us what we need to accomplish the tasks He has given us and ask Him for that, He will give it to us. He will give us not only what we need to do what He has assigned us, but much more than that as well.

June 8, 2013 Bible Study — The Wisdom of Solomon

     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.

Magrat hunts frogs
Magrat hunts frogs

1 Kings 3:3-4:34

     The passage begins by saying that Solomon loved the Lord and walked according to the instructions given to him by his father, David. Then it says something I never noticed before. It says that one way Solomon did not follow David’s instructions was by burning incense and offering sacrifices on the high places. I think this is worth noting because I think it relates to some of what went wrong later (worshiping the gods of his foreign wives). Nevertheless at this time Solomon is dedicated to following God.
     While he was at Gibeon offering sacrifices, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and told him to ask Him whatever he wanted God to give him. Solomon responded by requesting the wisdom and understanding to be a good ruler of God’s people. God was pleased by Solomon’s request and agreed to grant it. In addition, God promised Solomon great wealth and honor, telling him that if he walked in obedience to God, God would grant him a long life.
     The passage then gives an example of Solomon’s wisdom. Two prostitutes came before Solomon each claiming that child was their own and that the other woman’s child had died. There was no third witness to the dispute. Solomon proposed that the child be cut in half and each woman get one half. One of the two women was satisfied with this solution. The other woman immediately begged Solomon to give the child to the other woman to raise. Solomon’s verdict was to give the child to the woman who begged him to allow the other woman to raise the child rather than kill it. We are told that this woman was the child’s true mother. The important point of this story that is often missed is that it does not matter if the woman Solomon gave the child to was his biological mother. She was the woman who would be the child’s true mother because its well-being was more important to her than which of them raised the child. I know women who were the biological mother of children that they preferred to kill rather than allow someone else to raise them.

Magrat gives up the frog hunt
Magrat gives up the frog hunt

Acts 6:1-15

     As the number of believers increased their started to develop divisions. In particular the Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers (at this point all of the believers were Jewish). They said that the Greek-speaking widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. The Twelve Apostles called a meeting of all of the believers. They asked the body of believers to appoint seven men to oversee the distribution of food to those in need among the believers so that the Twelve would be free to pray and preach the Gospel. The only requirement for these seven men would be that they be filled with the Holy Spirit. All of the believers liked this idea and they chose seven men: Stephen, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (this last being a Gentile who had converted to Judaism before becoming a believer). This led to even more rapid increase in the number of believers, which now included priests.
     Stephen performed signs and miracles that amazed people. However, one day Stephen got into a debate with members of an influential group of Jews. All we know about the group is that it was called “The Synagogue of Freed Slaves”. However, Stephen spoke with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and they were unable to answer his arguments. So, they found some men to claim that Stephen had blasphemed. They were able to work up sentiment against Stephen and have him arrested. Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin, where the lies about what he said were repeated. At that point everyone began to look at Stephen because his face was transformed so that it looked like the face of an angel.

Close-up of azaleas in bloom
Close-up of azaleas in bloom

Psalm 126:1-6

     The Lord will restore us so that the nations of the world will be amazed at what He has done for us. WE may plant in tears, but we will harvest in joy.

Azaleas in bloom
Azaleas in bloom

Proverbs 16:26-27

     It is beneficial not to have all of our desires sated. The desire for greater good drives us to do good work and to work hard. Scoundrels cause trouble and the things they say cause destruction that spreads beyond their control or intent.

June 8, 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.

1 Kings 3:3-4:34

     This passage starts by telling us that Solomon showed his love for the Lord by obeying the instructions that David had given him, except for the fact that he offered sacrifices at the high places. When I was younger I believed that these were sacrifices to idols. My recollection is that I was taught that, but that may be a faulty memory. In fact if one reads closely one realizes that Solomon was offering sacrifices to God on those high places. It is after Solomon offered sacrifices to God at one of these high places that God tells Solomon in a dream to ask for whatever he wants God to give him. I had never noticed before, but most translations say that God told Solomon to tell Him what Solomon wanted God to give him without actually saying that He would give it to him. This is consistent with God’s answer to Solomon’s request. After Solomon tells God that he would like God to give him wisdom, God tells Solomon that because he asked for wisdom, He will grant Solomon’s request. The implication is that if Solomon had asked for something else, God may not have granted his request.
     Next we have the story where Solomon was asked to decide which of two women was the mother of a child. Both women claimed that the child was born to them and that the child born to the other woman had died. There were no other witnesses. Solomon has a sword brought and proposes that the child be cut in half and that each woman receive half. The account tells us that the child’s real mother objected, saying that rather than kill the child give it to the other woman to raise. While the other woman was content that the child be killed. Solomon then ordered that the child not be killed but be given to the woman who was willing to give up her claim that the child might live. The biblical account tells us that the woman who wanted the child to live was the child’s real mother and I believe that it means that she was the child’s biological mother. However, in this story, even if she was not the child’s biological mother, the woman who would give up her claim in order to save the child’s life was indeed the child’s real mother.

Acts 6:1-15

     In earlier passages we had been told that wealthy believers sold their property and brought the money to the apostles to be distributed to those in need. Now we are told that as the number of believers increased there was strife among the believers between the Greek-speaking believers and the Hebrew-speaking believers. The Greek-speaking believers felt that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution. From the remedy that the apostles chose it is clear that there complaint was not without some basis. The apostles asked the believers to choose seven well respected men to take over the distribution of food to those in need. While these men were chosen to handle the distribution of food to those in need and free up the apostles to preach and pray, it quickly becomes apparent that these men did not limit themselves to overseeing the provision to the needy.

     We are told that Stephen got into a debate with some men from the Synagogue of the Freed Slaves. I was unable to find any definitive information about this group. However, some of them were from Alexandria and Cyrene, both of which were noted centers of learning in the Roman empire. This suggests to me that these were Jews who were practiced in Greek philosophy and debate. In addition, the passage tells us that some of them were from Cilicia. Tarsus, the birth place of Saul, later Paul, was in Cilicia. All of this suggests to me that Stephen got into a debate with a group of men who were proud of their debating skills. Men who were sure they had the answers that proved that Jesus was not the Messiah. When they were unable to counter Stephen’s arguments they became angry and claimed that he had committed blasphemy. I suspect that before their encounter with Stephen they had claimed that in order to believe that Jesus was the Messiah one needed to also believe some blasphemous creed. When Stephen was unswayed by their arguments and further defeated their arguments, they concluded that he must be blaspheming because they had decided before ever engaging Stephen in discussion that anyone who believed what he did must also believe certain blasphemous things. When Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin on these charges, some kind of transformation came over him so that those who looked at him felt that they were in the presence of someone extraordinarily holy.

Psalm 126

     The psalmist tells us here that suffering is only temporary for those who love the Lord. That those who sever the Lord will experience joy and laughter.

Proverbs 16:26-27

     This proverb tells us that those who have unsatisfied desires will work harder than those whose every want has been met.