Job 1-2
Character counts! Job lived a life that was characterized by God in this way... “He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” High praise from the creator of the heavens and the earth; who knows us better than we know ourselves. One example of his habits is described in Job 1:5. Many parents have a regular practice of praying for their children, but Job took it a step further. Since his children often had parties that lasted for days... when the parties were over, Job would purify his children by offering a burnt sacrifice in their name just in case his children had sinned and "cursed God in their hearts." This was Job’s regular practice!
Evidently Satan didn't think as much of Job's character. He thought that Job's character would change once Job was faced with calamity... that Job would curse God to his face... but Satan didn't know Job's heart. It's one thing for Satan, God's enemy, to think that way, but how strange it must have seemed to Job that his own wife should encourage him to "curse God and die." Such an idea was incomprehensible to Job, so in all this Job said nothing wrong.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Privileged Position
Romans 1-2
One of the things I like about the New Living Translation is that it often words familiar passages in a way that is easier for me to process... a way that catches my attention... a way that convicts. The NLT translation of Romans 1:5 is a good example.
One of the things I like about the New Living Translation is that it often words familiar passages in a way that is easier for me to process... a way that catches my attention... a way that convicts. The NLT translation of Romans 1:5 is a good example.
Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.We have been given the privilege and authority to evangelize... to tell people everywhere what God has done for them. When I read that this morning I felt convicted. Then, at church tonight, Mark started a new sermon series on Evangelism. God knows my heart so well. I shall listen.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Friend or Foe?
Joshua 1-5
Joshua has successfully taken the reins of control from Moses and moved the Israelites across the Jordan. He has listened to the Lord's commands and obeyed unquestionably. Now as he prepares to go up against the fortified city of Jericho, he looks up to find a man in front of him with his sword drawn. Joshua asks him if he is friend or foe and he simply states his position as the commander of the Lord's army while Joshua falls to his face in reverence and submission.
At first, I found it rather odd that the commander of the Lord's army didn't express his position as a friend of the Lord's chosen people, but on reflection it seems very proper. The commander of the Lord's army is committed to the Lord God only. If you follow after God and revere and obey him, then the commander and you are fighting for the same purpose, and you might be on his side, but he is still neither friend nor foe, but simply the commander of the Lord's army.
Joshua has successfully taken the reins of control from Moses and moved the Israelites across the Jordan. He has listened to the Lord's commands and obeyed unquestionably. Now as he prepares to go up against the fortified city of Jericho, he looks up to find a man in front of him with his sword drawn. Joshua asks him if he is friend or foe and he simply states his position as the commander of the Lord's army while Joshua falls to his face in reverence and submission.
At first, I found it rather odd that the commander of the Lord's army didn't express his position as a friend of the Lord's chosen people, but on reflection it seems very proper. The commander of the Lord's army is committed to the Lord God only. If you follow after God and revere and obey him, then the commander and you are fighting for the same purpose, and you might be on his side, but he is still neither friend nor foe, but simply the commander of the Lord's army.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Where's the Garden
Genesis 1-3
After reading the location of Eden in Genesis 2:10-14, it occurred to me that perhaps you could "find" Eden in Google Earth based on locating the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Of course, I didn't really expect to zoom into the Garden of Eden, but it was an interesting search anyway. I ran across an article that places Eden in northwest Iran in the area of modern-day Tabriz, Osku, and Kandovan... a reasonable location given biblical history. They like Osku -- a lush oasis in the midst of desert as a focal point. I find it somewhat ironic that the Iranian government has a "secret" military installation here... perhaps near the site of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When I zoomed out of that area of Iran, it almost looks like a giant crater... as if God removed the garden of Eden from the earth until a later time.
Alas, Eden is not to be found, at least not physically on earth, yet we need only delve into His word to find Him.
After reading the location of Eden in Genesis 2:10-14, it occurred to me that perhaps you could "find" Eden in Google Earth based on locating the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Of course, I didn't really expect to zoom into the Garden of Eden, but it was an interesting search anyway. I ran across an article that places Eden in northwest Iran in the area of modern-day Tabriz, Osku, and Kandovan... a reasonable location given biblical history. They like Osku -- a lush oasis in the midst of desert as a focal point. I find it somewhat ironic that the Iranian government has a "secret" military installation here... perhaps near the site of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When I zoomed out of that area of Iran, it almost looks like a giant crater... as if God removed the garden of Eden from the earth until a later time.
Alas, Eden is not to be found, at least not physically on earth, yet we need only delve into His word to find Him.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
All in the Family
Matthew 1-2
The genealogy of Matthew 1 struck as I breezed through it again. Normally when I read through genealogies, I often do the speed reading thing where I skim to see if there is an interesting factoid, but don't really pay much attention. I got to wondering today, if I was missing something... If you've researched your own genealogy (or had a wonderful mother who did), you know there is a mix of good and bad within any family tree. What about the family tree of Jesus. The following is a terse summary of the people of the Matthew genealogy for whom I could find scriptural references:
Abraham - Told King Abimilech that Sarah was his sister, preferring that she be taken by the King rather than he be killed.
Isaac - The second-born son of Abraham
Jacob - With his mother's help, Jacob stole his twin brother Esau's birthright and blessing.
Judah - Judah was the fourth son of Jacob. Shortly after selling his brother Joseph into slavery, Judah moved to Adullam. His firstborn son Er married Tamar but died childless. His second son Onan refused to have a child by Tamar and died too. Judah refused to allow his third son to marry Tamar, but later mistook her for a prostitute and had sex with her. Twin sons were born, Perez and Zerah.
Perez - When Tamar was giving birth to Perez and Zerah, the midwife tied a scarlet string around the wrist of Zerah who had started out first, but Zerah pulled his hand back and Perez burst out.
Hezron
Ram
Amminadab
Nahshon - The leader of the tribe of Judah during the time of the dedication of the ark of the covenant. He also led the tribe of Judah and the procession of the Isaelites as they left Sinai.
Salmon - Married Rahab the prostitute who hid the Israeli spies in Jericho
Boaz - An honorable man who looked after and later married Ruth
Obed
Jesse
David - The second King of Israel, he was a man after God's own heart, but not without is failures. In the spring of the year, when kings are to be at war, David stayed home, had an affair with Bathsheba, then had her husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed to hide the sin.
Solomon - King of Israel, he was the wisest and richest man in the world, he presided over the building of the Temple of the Lord; yet he had 700 wives and 300 concubines that turned his heart away from the Lord.
Rehoboam - King of Israel (Judah), he abandoned the Law of the Lord. The beginning of his reign caused the Israelites to be split into northern and southern tribes. He reigned for 17 years over a people who did evil in the sight of the Lord. They constructed idols and Asherah poles, instituted temple prostitutes and allowed all of the temple gold to be stolen by the Egyptians.
Abijah - King of Israel (Judah), he went to war with Jeroboam and the northern kingdom and defeated an overwhelming force by trusting on the Lord
Asa - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. He removed the idols and altars to false gods and instituted religious reform. The Lord gave them peace in the land.
Jehoshaphat - King of Israel (Judah), he was a good king, he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He continued to take down the shrines and altars and banished the prostitutes. He made a truce with the northern tribes of Israel.
Jehoram - King of Israel (Judah), he followed the example of the kings of Israel and was as wicked as King Ahab, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters. So Jehoram did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.
Uzziah - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful. But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar so he was struck with leprosy.
Jotham - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He learned from his father's mistakes and became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God.
Ahaz - King of Israel (Judah), he did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord. He made images for the worship of Baal, he sacrificed his own sons in the fire. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines. He shut the doors of the Lord’s Temple so that no one could worship there, and he set up altars to pagan gods.
Hezekiah - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He called on the Levites to purify the Temple and rededicated it to the Lord. He reinstated the Passover feast and the people worshipped the Lord. He sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful, even facing down King Sennacherib of Assyria by trusting on the Lord.
Manasseh - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. He even took a carved idol he had made and set it up in God’s Temple. So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God! He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the Lord
Amon - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He worshiped and sacrificed to all the idols his father had made, but unlike his father, he did not humble himself before the Lord. Instead, Amon sinned even more. Then Amon’s own officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace.
Josiah - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He destroyed all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images. He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem. During his repair of the Temple of the Lord his God, his workers found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple! He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll. And he required everyone in Jerusalem and the people of Benjamin to make a similar pledge.
Jehoiachin - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and captured it, and he bound Jehoiakim in bronze chains and led him away to Babylon.
Shealtiel - Taken prisoner to Babylon.
Zerubbabel - Returned from exile with Ezra/Nehemiah as governor of Judah to rebuild Jerusalem. The Lord spoke through Haggai to him saying I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!
Abiud
Eliakim
Azor
Zadok
Akim
Eliud
Eleazar
Matthan
Jacob
Mary
The genealogy of Matthew 1 struck as I breezed through it again. Normally when I read through genealogies, I often do the speed reading thing where I skim to see if there is an interesting factoid, but don't really pay much attention. I got to wondering today, if I was missing something... If you've researched your own genealogy (or had a wonderful mother who did), you know there is a mix of good and bad within any family tree. What about the family tree of Jesus. The following is a terse summary of the people of the Matthew genealogy for whom I could find scriptural references:
Abraham - Told King Abimilech that Sarah was his sister, preferring that she be taken by the King rather than he be killed.
Isaac - The second-born son of Abraham
Jacob - With his mother's help, Jacob stole his twin brother Esau's birthright and blessing.
Judah - Judah was the fourth son of Jacob. Shortly after selling his brother Joseph into slavery, Judah moved to Adullam. His firstborn son Er married Tamar but died childless. His second son Onan refused to have a child by Tamar and died too. Judah refused to allow his third son to marry Tamar, but later mistook her for a prostitute and had sex with her. Twin sons were born, Perez and Zerah.
Perez - When Tamar was giving birth to Perez and Zerah, the midwife tied a scarlet string around the wrist of Zerah who had started out first, but Zerah pulled his hand back and Perez burst out.
Hezron
Ram
Amminadab
Nahshon - The leader of the tribe of Judah during the time of the dedication of the ark of the covenant. He also led the tribe of Judah and the procession of the Isaelites as they left Sinai.
Salmon - Married Rahab the prostitute who hid the Israeli spies in Jericho
Boaz - An honorable man who looked after and later married Ruth
Obed
Jesse
David - The second King of Israel, he was a man after God's own heart, but not without is failures. In the spring of the year, when kings are to be at war, David stayed home, had an affair with Bathsheba, then had her husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed to hide the sin.
Solomon - King of Israel, he was the wisest and richest man in the world, he presided over the building of the Temple of the Lord; yet he had 700 wives and 300 concubines that turned his heart away from the Lord.
Rehoboam - King of Israel (Judah), he abandoned the Law of the Lord. The beginning of his reign caused the Israelites to be split into northern and southern tribes. He reigned for 17 years over a people who did evil in the sight of the Lord. They constructed idols and Asherah poles, instituted temple prostitutes and allowed all of the temple gold to be stolen by the Egyptians.
Abijah - King of Israel (Judah), he went to war with Jeroboam and the northern kingdom and defeated an overwhelming force by trusting on the Lord
Asa - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. He removed the idols and altars to false gods and instituted religious reform. The Lord gave them peace in the land.
Jehoshaphat - King of Israel (Judah), he was a good king, he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He continued to take down the shrines and altars and banished the prostitutes. He made a truce with the northern tribes of Israel.
Jehoram - King of Israel (Judah), he followed the example of the kings of Israel and was as wicked as King Ahab, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters. So Jehoram did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.
Uzziah - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful. But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar so he was struck with leprosy.
Jotham - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He learned from his father's mistakes and became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God.
Ahaz - King of Israel (Judah), he did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord. He made images for the worship of Baal, he sacrificed his own sons in the fire. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines. He shut the doors of the Lord’s Temple so that no one could worship there, and he set up altars to pagan gods.
Hezekiah - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He called on the Levites to purify the Temple and rededicated it to the Lord. He reinstated the Passover feast and the people worshipped the Lord. He sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful, even facing down King Sennacherib of Assyria by trusting on the Lord.
Manasseh - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. He even took a carved idol he had made and set it up in God’s Temple. So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God! He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the Lord
Amon - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He worshiped and sacrificed to all the idols his father had made, but unlike his father, he did not humble himself before the Lord. Instead, Amon sinned even more. Then Amon’s own officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace.
Josiah - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He destroyed all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images. He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem. During his repair of the Temple of the Lord his God, his workers found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple! He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll. And he required everyone in Jerusalem and the people of Benjamin to make a similar pledge.
Jehoiachin - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and captured it, and he bound Jehoiakim in bronze chains and led him away to Babylon.
Shealtiel - Taken prisoner to Babylon.
Zerubbabel - Returned from exile with Ezra/Nehemiah as governor of Judah to rebuild Jerusalem. The Lord spoke through Haggai to him saying I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!
Abiud
Eliakim
Azor
Zadok
Akim
Eliud
Eleazar
Matthan
Jacob
Mary
Saturday, January 2, 2010
To Follow the Wicked or Not
Psalms 1-2
Much like the choices presented in Isaiah, Psalms 1 offers a stark contrast in choices... follow the wicked and be "worthless chaff, scattered by the wind" on the road to destruction... or delight in doing what the Lord wants "bearing fruit each season without fail" prospering in everything they do. Such an easy decision (if you believe) and yet the people of Israel (and us still) can't seem to pick the right path. Hmm... what does that say about our thought processes.
Is it any surprise that Psalms 2 begins with "Why do the nations rage?" The nations rage because they are wicked, for if they were following after the Lord then surely they would be filled with the joy that is "for all who find protection in him!"
In a recent message on the Lord's Prayer (12/20/2009), pastor Francis Chan from Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California describes one reason why this might happen. He held up a huge poster board of a Y on its side and described the decision like this... we come to a fork in the road and can choose our path... doing right (symbolically up towards heaven)... or wicked (down towards hell). The problem is that the wicked path goes downhill and is soooo much easier to walk, and after going down a little, even if you have second thoughts, you realize that now you have even farther uphill to go, because you've been going downhill so far. The further down you go, the harder the climb out seems.
Thanks be to God, he has provided a way. In Psalms 2:7-8 the king proclaims "You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as you inheritance, the ends of the earth as your possession." Halleluia!
Friday, January 1, 2010
It's a Brand New Year
I'm going to try it differently this year. The last several times I attempted to read through the Bible in a year I quit somewhere in the Pentateuch. The basic approach I'm going to use this year is based on a plan I found at http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.html. The plan splits the Bible into 7 parts... The Law, History, Poetry, Psalms, Prophecy, Gospels, and Epistles. The author's thought was that by not getting bogged down in one section, there would be a greater probability of finishing. So here goes...
Isaiah 1-6
I'd forgotten how rich and fresh Isaiah was. It has been several years since I read through Isaiah, but I remember thinking last time that he could be speaking to the the current political/social climate. It is still pertinent, even in the differences...
Right out of the starting gate I was struck by Isaiah 1:3. The people Israel are more thankless than the donkey and ox, for even the animals appreciate their master. We are a fickle lot that thanks in one moment and turns in disdain the next. It happens at all levels... children to parents, political leaders to constituents, workers to employers, and Christians to God. God tells us through Isaiah that he is sick and tired of our actions and the we had better straighten up and fly right.
At Mulder Church, we have just completed our Advent Conspiracy campaign. The campaign slogan is to... Worship Fully, Spend Less. Give More. Love All. Isaiah's staccato words in 1:16-17 remind me of that slogan.
As Isaiah proceeds into Chapter 2, I think of the recent environmental summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. Somehow, I don't think many attendees would agree with Isaiah's statements that "the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem will become the most important place on earth" and that "the Lord will settle international disputes."
I had to smile with recognition (and yet furrow my brow in consternation) as I read in Isaiah 3:12... "O my people, can't you see what fools your rulers are? They are leading you down a pretty garden path to destruction." And yet there is no escaping the Lord's invitation in Chapter 6. "Whom should I send?"
Send Me.
Isaiah 1-6
I'd forgotten how rich and fresh Isaiah was. It has been several years since I read through Isaiah, but I remember thinking last time that he could be speaking to the the current political/social climate. It is still pertinent, even in the differences...
Right out of the starting gate I was struck by Isaiah 1:3. The people Israel are more thankless than the donkey and ox, for even the animals appreciate their master. We are a fickle lot that thanks in one moment and turns in disdain the next. It happens at all levels... children to parents, political leaders to constituents, workers to employers, and Christians to God. God tells us through Isaiah that he is sick and tired of our actions and the we had better straighten up and fly right.
At Mulder Church, we have just completed our Advent Conspiracy campaign. The campaign slogan is to... Worship Fully, Spend Less. Give More. Love All. Isaiah's staccato words in 1:16-17 remind me of that slogan.
As Isaiah proceeds into Chapter 2, I think of the recent environmental summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. Somehow, I don't think many attendees would agree with Isaiah's statements that "the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem will become the most important place on earth" and that "the Lord will settle international disputes."
I had to smile with recognition (and yet furrow my brow in consternation) as I read in Isaiah 3:12... "O my people, can't you see what fools your rulers are? They are leading you down a pretty garden path to destruction." And yet there is no escaping the Lord's invitation in Chapter 6. "Whom should I send?"
Send Me.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)