Tag Archives: Bible Study

Daily Bible Study

September 26, 2016 Bible Study –Walk Humbly With God

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Micah 3-7.

    Today’s passage begins with a condemnation of leaders who hate good and love evil. It is the leaders who are supposed to teach the people right from wrong. Instead, the political leaders take bribes and the religious leaders work for whoever will pay them. God’s call to political leaders is for them to provide justice; punishing the evildoer and protecting the helpless. Instead they are protecting the evildoer and punishing the helpless. God’s call to the religious leaders is for them to call evildoers to repent of their sins and to comfort the poor. Instead they are comforting the evildoer and calling for the poor to do evil. The leaders work on behalf of those who can, and will, offer them some benefit while using their position to threaten those who cannot or will not support and strengthen their power.

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    The prophet tells us that it is not difficult, or challenging, to know how to satisfy God. He has told us what He wants from us. God does not want our material possessions, nor does He ask us to sacrifice our most precious possessions, our children. He makes it very clear what He wants of us. He wants us to act justly, to do what is right. He wants us to love mercy, to give those who repent of their wrongdoing a second, or third, or fourth opportunity. Finally, God wants us to walk humbly with Him.

Bible Study

Finding Common Ground With Idolatry

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Every week I receive the bulletin for the upcoming Sunday worship service in my email. It contains the announcements and the Scripture reading which our pastor is going to base his sermon on. A few weeks ago, I decided to read the scripture passage and write a blog entry containing my thoughts on the passage as a way to prepare for Sunday morning worship. I do not know how long I will continue doing this, but it seems to be an exercise that has some value.

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This weeks scripture passage is Jeremiah 2:20-37.

    I am having trouble this morning putting together a cohesive set of thoughts about this passage. The first phrase which struck me as relevant to our society today was “Israel is like a thief who feels shame only when he gets caught.” It sounds like so many in our society today. All too often when people apologize for doing wrong in our society their apology sounds like they are only sorry for getting caught. The other thought that came to me was that the comments Jeremiah made about those worshiping other gods seems to apply to syncretists (those who take pieces from various different religions and put them together). These are the people who claim to be Christian, but who say that all religions teach the same things. Jeremiah is condemning those who are constantly seeking to find common ground between Christianity and other religions. I want to note that this is different from those who look for themes in other religions which resemble things taught in Christianity as a jumping off point for preaching the Gospel.

Daily Bible Study

September 25, 2016 Bible Study — Feeling Compassion for Those Who Do Evil

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Jonah 1-4 and Micah 1-2.

    Every time I read the Book of Jonah I am amazed at the number of lessons contained within this one short book. The first lesson we learn is that running away from God’s will for us will end badly, for us and for those around us (and we will end up doing it anyway). Next we learn (there is probably one or more I am missing both here and later) that if people genuinely mourn for the harm they have done and repent of their sins, God will be merciful. A third lesson we learn is that we often value material goods more than we value people. Jonah was more upset about the death of the plant which had shaded him than about the deaths he had prophesied for the people of Nineveh. The final lesson of this Book is that we should feel compassion and pity for those who do evil rather than hate. We should prefer that they turn from their evil and do good to them being punished and suffering for their evil.

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    The first chapter of the Book Micah contains a series of prophesies where the prophet does one play on words after another. As I read it (and the notes), it seems to me that some of the towns mentioned are real towns whose names lent themselves to the desired play on words, while others are fictitious names which would have been understood by the prophet’s audience as applying to towns they were familiar with.
    Then we get into Micah’s full message, the reason the bad things he is prophesying will happen. In many ways, Micah’s message is much like Amos’. His audience is those who think that if it is not illegal it is not wrong, and if they don’t get caught it is not illegal…and if they don’t get punished, they didn’t get caught. I have a saying I often say to people, “Stay out of trouble…If you don’t get caught you aren’t in trouble, and if you do get caught but like the consequences, you still aren’t in trouble.” That is the philosophy of the people Micah is condemning. However, those who know me know that my philosophy has another corollary to that rule: If someone gets hurt as a result of what I did, I get caught, even if no one else knows I did it, and I do NOT like the consequences. If what you have done hurts others, you may get away with it for now, but God will hold you accountable. God is merciful and forgiving, but He is also just. Those who sin and hurt others (and those who sin ALWAYS hurt others) will pay for that sin…either through their own remorse and self condemnation, or through the judgment which God will bring upon them

Daily Bible Study

September 24, 2016 Bible Study — We Need to Repent and Turn From Our Sins

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. Yesterday was my 16th anniversary. It has been a wonderful 16 years and I look forward to many more.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Amos 6-9 and Obadiah.

    As I read the beginning of today’s passage it sounds so much like our society. Amos uses phrases which so accurately describe our society: “What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury”…”You are famous and popular”…”You push away every thought of coming disaster”…”You sing trivial songs…and fancy yourselves to be great musicians”…”You care nothing about the ruin of your nation.” All of those sound so much like the elites of today, but not just like the elites, it sounds like so many of the people in our society. They spend their time entertaining themselves with no thought for taking care of those who are suffering. Amos warns them that their parties will suddenly end and they will experience the misery they have so long ignored, or worse, used for political gain. Amos circles back a little later to talk about those who put on a pretense of doing what is right, while eagerly waiting the opportunity to take advantage of others. When I read the passage about enslaving the poor, I was reminded of our complex financial systems which are structured to lure people in and capture their little bits of wealth for the truly wealthy.

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    Unless we as a people, from the least to the greatest among us, learn to care for our fellows and work to meet our own needs, God’s judgment is going to fall on this nation. Amos’ prophecy was not unique to Israel, and its application today is not unique to the United States. I see the peoples of many other countries living as those Amos condemns in this passage. We, each and everyone of us, need to repent of our sins and cry out to God for forgiveness. The key is that we must repent, we must turn from our sins. Amos pointed out to the Israelites that they were no more important to God than the Ethiopians, or the Philistines, or the Arameans. We are no more important to God than the Venezuelans, or those who live in Somalia. If they are suffering today, what makes us think that we cannot suffer the same fate. Let us repent of our sins.

Daily Bible Study

September 23, 2016 Bible Study — Happy Anniversary, Darling!!!

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. Today is my 16th anniversary. It has been 16 wonderful years.

Happy Anniversary, Alanna
Thank you for being my wife through 16 years.

I am so glad that she married me.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Amos 1-5.

    When Amos started out prophesying the people of Israel must have cheered because he started by condemning their neighbors, who were their enemies. We need to pay attention to the sins of which Amos accuses them. They mistreated and abused God’s people. They sold whole villages into slavery (Note that Amos does not say that the villages which the Philistines sold into slavery were of Israel or Judah). The Edomites chased down and killed the Israelites (the sin here seems to be that the Israelites were their relatives, not that they were God’s people). Finally, the Moabites were condemned for desecrating the dead (and again, not the Israelite dead). I am not going to attempt to determine if we as a people are guilty of these sins, but I will say that it would be very easy for any nation to go there and we should seek forgiveness for the degree to which these things have been done in our names.

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    As I said, the Israelites certainly cheered when Amos began to prophesy, but their cheering did not last long. After a few words of condemnation against Israel’s neighbors, Amos turns his attention to the sins of Israel. He condemned them for having forgotten how to do right. Things had gone beyond people doing what they knew was wrong to the point that they no longer even knew how to do right. It reminds me of what I see around me to the point where I wonder if I truly know how to do right. However, Amos does provide us with enough information to know what sorts of sins he was condemning. He condemns those who live a life of leisure which is earned at the expense of those less fortunate than themselves. They were people who made of show of their righteousness, while neglecting to actually behave righteously.

Daily Bible Study

September 22, 2016 Bible Study — Calling People to Prayer and Fasting

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. Later this month it will be my wife’s and my 16th anniversary. To celebrate this event I have decided to wish my wife Happy Anniversary for 16 days.

Happy Anniversary, Alanna–Day 15
Thank you for being my wife.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Joel 1-3.

    The prophet Joel wrote in response to a natural disaster. He does not tell them they had it coming. He does not claim it happened because of their sin. However, he does call on them to repent of their sins and turn to God. He calls on them to mourn, and pray, and fast. This is how we should respond to disasters, natural or otherwise. I remember that shortly after 9/11 one or more prominent preachers blamed the attack on the sins of this country. That is not how we should act. No, after a disaster we should call people to repent, mourn, and pray, but not condemn them. Those preachers, with their condemnation of the sin of this country, implied that they themselves were righteous. When we call people to repentance we need to acknowledge our own sins as well.

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner condemned, unclean.

Daily Bible Study

September 21, 2016 Bible Study — Flags, Nationalism, and Idolatry

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. Later this month it will be my wife’s and my 16th anniversary. To celebrate this event I have decided to wish my wife Happy Anniversary for 16 days.

Happy Anniversary, Alanna–Day 14
Thank you for being my wife.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Hosea 8-14.

    How often are we guilty of being like Israel as described here by Hosea? Do we cry out to God, claiming to acknowledge Him, while at the same time rejecting what is good? Have we been unfaithful to God? Let us examine our lives. When we give to the Lord, either through our actions or our materials possessions, are we truly giving to the Lord, or are we doing it for our own pleasure or satisfaction?

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    As I read this, I am struck by the aptness of chapter 10 verse 13 and 14:

But you have cultivated wickedness
and harvested a thriving crop of sins.
You have eaten the fruit of lies—
trusting in your military might,
believing that great armies
could make your nation safe.
Now the terrors of war
will rise among your people.

When you consider the things which happened this past weekend and previously. When I look at the arguments in our country, I see many who claim to be Christians raising a furor at those who refuse to worship their idols of the National Anthem and the flag. I will not defend the protesters, since they seem to be caught up in their own idolatry, but they, also, do not claim to be doing so in the name of Christ. Let us turn to the Lord and acknowledge that military might and gods made by human hands (whether they be flags or governments or songs) will not save us. If we repent of our sins and stop our idolatry, if we turn to worshiping and serving only God, He will heal us and answer our prayers.

Daily Bible Study

September 20, 2016 Bible Study — Don’t Try To Pass the Blame

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. Later this month it will be my wife’s and my 16th anniversary. To celebrate this event I have decided to wish my wife Happy Anniversary for 16 days.

Happy Anniversary, Alanna–Day 13
Thank you for being my wife.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Hosea 1-7.

    The essence of the Book of Hosea is that all too often when we humans have been blessed by God we forget that He is the source of our blessings. When times are good we do not give God credit for the good that has happened to us. As a result God takes His blessings from us until we turn to Him once more. It is our failure to be truly faithful which has led our society to turn ever farther from God. One of the problems in our society is that we of faith all too often point the finger of responsibility for what goes wrong at others rather than taking responsibility for our own failures to be faithful. Our religious leaders have chosen not to know God because the more their followers sin, the richer they get. We follow such religious leaders because they tell us that we can do what pleases us rather than what pleases God.

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    I know that this generalization does not fit all of us, but it does fit too many of us. As an example of where we have gone wrong, I am part of a denomination that once taught that Christians are always the minority. But somewhere in the last generation, it started to teach, well, perhaps not teach, but at least accept the teaching from others, that Christians have been in the majority. This is not to say that the forefathers in my denomination were without flaw, but they understood one important truth: If you want to be faithful to God, you will not “fit in” to society.

Daily Bible Study

September 19, 2016 Bible Study — How To Shine Like the Stars

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. Later this month it will be my wife’s and my 16th anniversary. To celebrate this event I have decided to wish my wife Happy Anniversary for 16 days.

Happy Anniversary, Alanna–Day 12
Thank you for being my wife.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Daniel 11-12.

    The vision described in this passage does a pretty good job of describing the history of the Middle East from the time of Xerxes through the arrival of the Roman Empire in the region. The described history is from the perspective of the Jewish people. I certainly understand why some people believe that this passage was written in the time of the Maccabees, but I will accept the claim of the book that it was written shortly after the fall of Babylon. I know many people who gain great satisfaction from trying to puzzle out the meaning of the cryptic phrases in passages such as this one, but some time ago I realized that I do not have enough information to figure out what the writer meant by them.

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    That being said, the beginning of chapter 12 has some words that I have no trouble understanding. There will come a time of great distress and only those whose name is written in the Book (but everyone of those) will be delivered. Those who have died will be raised, some to everlasting glory, but many to everlasting shame. If we want to be among those who rise to glory, we must seek to impart wisdom to others and/or lead them to righteousness. Of course, in order to impart wisdom we must first possess wisdom. Let us humbly seek God’s wisdom and impart it to those we know as He directs us. If we truly follow this course we will lead others to righteousness. As I write this it occurs to me that the key here is leading others. You do not lead others by telling them what to do. You lead others by going in the direction they should travel while saying to them “Follow me.” Or as Paul wrote, “Follow me as I follow Christ.”

Bible Study

Are We Still Eager To Please God?

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Every week I receive the bulletin for the upcoming Sunday worship service in my email. It contains the announcements and the Scripture reading which our pastor is going to base his sermon on. A few weeks ago, I decided to read the scripture passage and write a blog entry containing my thoughts on the passage as a way to prepare for Sunday morning worship. I do not know how long I will continue doing this, but it seems to be an exercise that has some value.

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This weeks scripture passage is Jeremiah 2:1-19

    God’s message to His people through Jeremiah discusses how eager they were to please Him in the early days of their knowing Him. Do you remember how eager you were to please God when came to know Him through Jesus? Are you still as eager as you were then? Or are we like the Israelites of old? Have we started worshiping worthless idols? Are we more interested in watching football on Sunday than in fellowship with our fellow believers? For that matter, are we more concerned with someone disrespecting the flag than with us disrespecting God?