No one considers someone who always pursues selfish goals friendly. If you start quarrels for no good reason, no one will like you. If you want people to like you, seek to do things which help them, which make their life better. From there, seek to avoid quarrels as much as it is within your control.
He is my God and my King. I will praise His name every day. Let each generation tell the next about the wonderful things God has done. I will meditate on the wonderful things which God has done. God is compassionate, rich in love and slow to anger. I need to meditate more on His word and spend more time in prayer. What a great psalm for meditating on God!
There are two things that stood out to me about Paul’s stay in Corinth. The first was God’s command to him in a vision, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent!” I think this is a message which is meant for all of us. Right now God is telling us not to be afraid, to speak out. Now is not the time to be silent.
The other thing which stands out to me is what happened after the proconsul threw out the case against Paul. The crowd, which had been stirred up against Paul, grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him. The passage does not tell us anything else about Sosthenes. We do not know if he was sympathetic to Paul, or opposed to Paul. Considering that Paul remained in Corinth for some time after this without another incident, it strikes me as likely that Sosthenes had been among the leaders of those who brought Paul before the proconsul.
Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab who became queen of Judah. When her son was killed by Jehu, who overthrew her brother as King of Israel, she seized the throne of Judah, killing all of the remaining royal house she could lay her hands on. However, her daughter (or perhaps her husband’s daughter by another woman, the phrasing in the passage makes this less than clear), took her grandson from the nursery to the Temple and put him under the protection of the Temple priests. This grandson was Joash. He was raised by the high priest, who arranged to put him on the throne as soon as practicable. The life of Joash reminds us of the importance of good mentors. As a result of the influence of the high priest who raised him, Joash led the people of Judah back to worshiping God and repaired the Temple.
If you have exalted yourself, blown your own horn, or otherwise promoted how wonderful you are to others, you have been foolish and should be ashamed of yourself. If you have planned evil, you should be even more ashamed of yourself.
Each generation will tell the next of God’s wonderful power. I will meditate on the works which God has done and proclaim His deeds. If you are a faithful follower of God you will speak of the glory of His kingdom and give examples of His power. Let us tell others how God has worked in our lives and exalt Him before all we meet.
After the seven plagues, one of the seven angels took John to show him another vision. He saw a woman dressed in purple and scarlet, the colors of royalty and wealth, sitting on a scarlet beast. The beast had seven heads and ten horns. I am sure that John believed the woman to be the Roman Empire, and he may have been correct (at least partially). The passage tells us that the seven heads are seven kings, five of whom have already fallen from power, a sixth who is currently ruling, and a seventh who has yet to rise to power. Then we are told that the beast is an eighth king. We are told that the ten horns are ten kings who have not yet risen to power.
The angel in the vision tells John that the beast was alive, is not now, yet will come up out of the Abyss. Those who do not serve God, whose names are not written in the Book of Life, will be amazed when the beast reappears. The beast and the ten horns will hate the woman. They will combine their power first in order to attack God and those who serve Him. They will be defeated, but before that happens they will destroy the woman. The woman is the city who rules over all the kings of the world.
As I read this passage, parts of it seem to fit into something I can understand, then I read on, or refer back, and it all slips away. However, there are a few points which always remain. First, secular power is always transient. Those peoples and nations who have power today will lose that power before long. The second is that secular powers will, sooner or later, end up defying God and persecuting those who faithfully serve Him.
Zechariah prophesies that Israel’s neighbors who are also her enemies will be destroyed. Further he prophesies that the remaining Philistines will join the Jews in worshiping God, becoming a clan of Israel. God promises to protect Israel from being overrun ever again. Does this prophecy apply today? Or is it for some time yet to come?
Zechariah then gives a prophecy concerning the coming of Israel’s king, a prophecy which I see as clearly a prophecy of the Messiah. Zechariah speaks of Israel’s king riding into Jerusalem victorious, but humble. Zechariah tells us that when the Messiah comes, it will not be with great military power. In fact, the Messiah will destroy all military equipment and bring peace to the world. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, at the height of the crowd’s Messianic fervor for Him, it was this passage which He chose to embody. By doing this, Jesus was telling us that He was already victorious and would not be using military force to bring about His Kingdom.
I went with the NIV translation of today’s proverb, but I read several other translations as well. Someone who is not friendly separates themselves from others and only cares about what they perceive as benefiting themselves. They start quarrels that it makes no sense to have, quarrels where neither side gains anything.
I will do as this psalm commands. I will praise God every day and tell the next generation of His mighty acts. He is good and has been compassionate to me. I have witnessed the faithfulness and righteousness of God. Let us not be shy in telling others about what we have seen God do in our lifetimes. I will praise the Lord and encourage all that lives to do the same.
After an unproductive stay in Athens, Paul moved on to Corinth. When he got there he started preaching at the synagogue every sabbath, working as a tent maker (or leather worker, the correct translation is unclear) with Aquila and Priscilla to support himself. When Silas and Timothy got there, Paul was able to spend more time preaching. It was at this point that some of the Jews began to oppose him and his message. Those who opposed Paul did not just disagree with him and argue with his claims. They insulted him. Rather than meet his arguments with reason and scripture, the Jews who disagreed with the Gospel message resorted to calling Paul names. Rather than continue to argue with those who would descend into name calling rather than admit they had lost the argument, Paul moved on. This is an important lesson for us. When those we are attempting to convince of the Gospel message begin to reject it on the basis of ad hominem arguments, it is time to stop trying to convince them and move on.
Joash was raised by the high priest, Jehoiada. Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord because Jehoiada instructed him. However, Joash left the shrines in the high places, where people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense. It is not clear in the NLT, but these were places where people worshiped both God and idols. There would be religious reforms and people would return to worshiping God. They would worship God at these high places, but over time pagan practices would slip into their worship. Eventually, the pagan practices would work their way back into Temple worship. This repeated pattern tells us the importance of testing our faith and practices against those living outside of our local faith community. In a way it tells the importance of the larger Church body.
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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Zechariah prophesies the fall and destruction of all of Israel’s neighbors. Their destruction will be so devastating that those who survive will turn to God and join with the Israelites in worshiping Him. At the same time, God will send a King to bring peace to Israel and the world. This King will not bring peace through might and power, instead He will bring peace through humility and service. The King will come, not as a ruler, but as a servant leader. He will do away with weapons and armies. God’s people will be victorious as they follow the King He has given them, not through military might, but through serving and relying on God.
Next in John’s vision was the image of a woman sitting on a beast with seven heads and ten horns. John is told that the woman is a prostitute who rules over much of the earth. The rulers of the world have committed adultery with her and the people of the world have indulged, to the point of drunkenness, in her immorality. The beast upon which she sits will gather the power of many kings and go to war against the Lamb of God, but they will be defeated by the Lamb. Despite the fact that the woman has provided immoral delights to the peoples and rulers she rules over, they will hate her. In the form of the beast, and the rulers who are represented by its heads and horns, the peoples of the world will turn on the prostitute and destroy her.
There is a lot of symbolism in this passage, and I believe it refers to a specific set of events. I am also convinced that there are general messages for us in this passage as well. One general message is that nations and people can come to be dominant in the world through offering trade and things which people desire. Yet if that nation and people do not maintain a godly set of morality, the peoples they dominate will hate them and turn on them at the first opportunity, even if that means yielding authority and power to those who are blatantly evil, those who are obviously a beast. The only path to peaceful victory is to follow the Lamb’s example of servant leadership.
The psalmist reminds us that each generation must tell the next of God’s mighty acts and wondrous deeds. I will meditate on God’s majesty and splendor, but I will not stop there. I will go from meditating on God’s greatness to proclaiming it to those I meet. God keeps His promises and helps those bent beneath their loads. He will keep close to those who call on Him and satisfy the desires of those who fear Him. He protects those who love Him but destroys the wicked. I will praise the Lord and call on everyone to bless His Holy name.
If you have boasted of your greatness or plotted evil, now is the time to recognize your error and change your ways. Do not continue to boast, or follow through on your plots. Otherwise, you will suffer for your actions.
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.
When Queen Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, learned that her son Ahaziah, the king of Judah, had been killed, she seized the throne and began killing the rest of the royal family. However, Ahaziah’s sister, Jehosheba, smuggled Ahaziah’s infant son out of the nursery and hid him in the Temple. His name was Joash and he remained hidden in the Temple for six years. When Joash was seven, Jehoiada the priest made him king and overthrew the reign of Athaliah. After killing Athaliah, Jehoiada led the people to destroy the temple of Baal in Jerusalem.
We are told that Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord for as long as Jehoiada was alive to instruct him. However, Joash did not destroy the high places where people continued to offer sacrifices throughout his reign. The New Living Translation translates “high places” as “pagan shrines”. However, I think that allows us to miss an important lesson here. From my reading of the Old Testament, it appears to me that the high places were places where people sacrificed to God. However, the problem with this was that when they did that they started to forget what God really wanted from them and gradually drifted into being accepting of idolatry. We see the same thing today when people think that they don’t need to go to church to be a Christian. We need to spend time with people who are fellow Christians, at least some of whom the only reason we would ever spend time with them is because they are our fellow believers in Christ.
Joash instituted a program to repair the Temple. Late in his reign he was forced to pay tribute to the king of Aram. Shortly after doing so, he was assassinated by two of his officers.
Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, where he met Aquila and Aquila’s wife Priscilla. Paul stayed with them and worked with them because they were craftsmen in the same business that he was (tent making). Each Sabbath, Paul went to the synagogue and attempted to convince both Jews and Gentiles. Eventually, some of the Jews began to oppose Paul and answer his arguments with insults (apparently with the support of the opinion leaders of the synagogue). When this happened Paul shook the dust from his clothes and went next door to the home of a God-fearing Gentile to teach. The leader of the synagogue, along with his household became believers, as did a large number of other people, Jew and Gentile, in the city.
Paul preached in Corinth for a year and a half before problems arose. When a new governor was appointed to the region, some of the Jews brought Paul before the new governor. They accused him of teaching people to worship God in ways that were contrary to Jewish law. The governor threw the case out saying that he was not going to judge a case that involved Jewish religious beliefs, not Roman law. The crowd then grabbed the leader of the synagogue (a different man from the one were told earlier had become a believer), named Sosthenes, and beat him in front of the governor, who did nothing to intervene. There are two things that are not clear to me from the passage. The first is, was Sosthenes also a believer, or was he perhaps among those who brought the case before the governor? The second is what group made up the crowd and why did they beat Sosthenes? Were they Jews who had brought the case, unhappy about the outcome? If so, did they beat Sosthenes because they thought he had done a poor job of making their case? Or, was it because he was a believer? Maybe the crowd was composed of people who were angry that the Jews had brought the case in the first place?
Another psalm of praise. A key line for me is this:
Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
let them proclaim your power.
There are some who read this to say that we should tell each successive generation about the great things which God has done in history, and I heartily agree. However, I think that this is really telling us that we should tell the next generation about the mighty acts which God has done in our lifetimes.
This psalm reminds us of where to look to see the great things which God has done for us and around us.
The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
The eyes of all look to you in hope;
you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand,
you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
The psalmist adds to that another reason to praise and love the Lord.
The Lord is close to all who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him in truth.
He grants the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
I will recount to those around me the times when God has heard my cries for help and rescued me. And when I face troubles, I will remember that He has done so in the past and trust that He will do so again.
Magrat decides to stay by the catnip
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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Zechariah prophecies the downfall of the countries surrounding Israel. He says that they think they are well defended, but they will be destroyed. The Philistines will be so terrified by the coming destruction that they will join with the people of Israel in order to enjoy the protection of God. God will watch over His people and will ensure that no more foreign oppressors overrun their land. God will send their king and He will come riding on a donkey. The King will come to bring peace. God will destroy the weapons of war and free the captives. God will rescue His people and bring peace to the world.
The writer describes how in his vision he saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. He was told that she was a prostitute who rules over many waters. The kings of the world had committed adultery with her and the people who belonged to this world had become drunk on the wine of her immorality. The heads and the horns represent kings who will give their power to the beast. The kings will give their power to the beast and together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them. The horns and the scarlet beast will turn on the woman and destroy her.
There is a lot of symbolism in this passage, most of which I have no idea how to interpret. However, there is one message that I see that some people should take to heart. The woman represents a nation that has ruled over the world by trade and negotiation. She has gained her power, at least in part, by giving to the peoples of the world things that they desire. Nevertheless, they hate her. I am not a big fan of attempting to apply these prophetic passages to modern politics. I generally believe that God does not call us to be involved in politics. However, I think there is a message here that applies to the modern U.S.. If any country in the world today were to qualify as the prostitute from this vision, it would be the U.S.. The U.S. has spread immorality throughout the world in the form of our culture. Despite the fact that many throughout the world have (from a worldly perspective) benefited from their relationship with the U.S., they still hate the U.S.. Ultimately the lesson to be learned from this is that we was Christians are not to be in the business of building up kingdoms in this world. We are instead to put our energy into building up the kingdom of the One who said, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
I will praise the Lord. I will meditate on God’s majestic splendor and wonderful miracles. I will be one of His faithful followers and praise Him. I will speak of the glory of His Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. I will not give my loyalty to any kingdom or nation of this world, but only to God Himself and His Kingdom. The Lord lifts those bent under the burden of their loads and helps the fallen. The Lord is righteous and I will call on Him. He will protect me and provide for me.
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.
After the death of King Ahaziah of Judah, his mother, Athaliah, attempts to kill off all of his sons. However, King Ahaziah’s sister hides his infant son, Joash, and takes him to the priest, Jehoiada. Athaliah, Jezebel’s daughter, ruled Judah for seven years. When Joash is seven years old, Jehoiada organizes a revolt against Athaliah and puts him on the throne. Jehoiada uses his position as the man who put Joash on the throne to destroy the temple of Baal and kill Baal’s high priest. Early in his reign, Joash instructs the priests to take part of the money that is brought as offerings to the Temple and use it to repair the Temple. However, by the twenty-third year of his reign, little to no progress has been made in repairing the Temple. Joash instructs that all money donated for any reason other than as a guilt or sin offering will go into a separate fund exclusively for Temple repair. In addition, he took responsibility for the Temple repair away from the priests and gave it to construction experts.
I remember when I was young there was a bit of a controversy in the local conference of the Mennonite Church because the financial management for the conference was taken out of the hands of ordained ministers and given to lay persons. The bulk of the controversy was because some people interpreted this move as expressing distrust of the ordained ministers. I remember my father explaining/arguing that ordained ministers have many gifts, but they are selected to be ordained and for conference leadership positions for gifts other than financial management. My father went on to make the case that the Church’s money should be managed by people who are selected for that job because they do have the gift of financial management. Conference finances improved significantly after this change was made and my impression is that the ministries of the conference became more effective as well. I believe that this represents an important point, the Church should select people with ministry gifts for those roles we traditionally consider “ministry” and choose people with the appropriate gifts for those roles that call for other gifts, rather than assume that the guidance of the Holy Spirit will suffice to direct those we have called to the ministry to the proper action in areas where they have not been gifted.
After his experience on Mars Hill, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. In Corinth, Paul meets Priscilla and Aquila. He lived and worked with them for awhile because they were tent-makers, as was he. Each Sabbath Paul went to the synagogue and attempted to convince Jews and Gentiles of the truth of the Gospel. When Silas and Timothy joined him in Corinth, Paul spent more time preaching the Word. At this point some of the Jews in the synagogue became hostile to him. Paul stopped going to the synagogue and started teaching in the home of a Gentile who lived next to the synagogue. Luke tells us that even though Paul moved his preaching and teaching from the synagogue, the leader of the synagogue and his household became believers. The Jews who did not believe left Paul alone until there was a change in the governor. At that point they brought Paul before the governor and accused him of teaching things contrary to Jewish law. The governor refused to even listen to Paul’s defense and threw the case out telling them that it was a matter for them to settle themselves and not for his court.
Paul spent some more time in Corinth and then traveled to Ephesus where he preached for a short time. The Jews in Ephesus asked Paul to stay longer, but he declined, promising to return if the Lord willed. He then traveled to Jerusalem by way of Caesarea. From Jerusalem he returned to Antioch.
The psalmist declares that the Lord is great and the he will praise Him everyday. He tells us that each generation should tell the next of God’s mighty works and raise them to praise Him. The psalmist tells us that God provides for all of creation and protects those who love Him. The psalmist closes by repeating that he will praise the Lord and calls on everyone on the earth to do the same. I will do my best to join the psalmist in praising the Lord everyday.
