1 Kings 20-21
You might have heard people say that there is no love and grace in the OT, just hardness and law. That shows that people have not really read the OT. Particularly today, you have to ask yourself, "Why did God include these stories?" It seems they are included to show His love and grace. And the kicker is, He is showing love and grace to people who didn't deserve it or respond to it. That is REALLY love and grace when you show it to evil people. Doesn't that sound like what Jesus in Luke 6:35, "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish."
1 Kings 20
Vs. 13-14 Notice that this is God encouraging and saving Ahab, the utterly bad guy.
Vs. 41-43 Notice that Ahab, given a victory by God, didn't obey God. Getting God's blessing was great, but not to obey afterward showed that Ahab deserved God's punishment. What God says through the prophet is true: Ahab was to have killed this king, but Ahab chose to make this a political tool rather than obeying.
1 Kings 21
V. 13 Later we'll see that Naboth's entire family, wife and kids, were also killed with him. No heirs were left.
Vs. 17-26 Ahab and Jezebel deserved this judgment on so many counts, but with the murder of Naboth, they had crossed the point of no return.
Vs. 27-29 And still, the Lord will show mercy if even the most vile respond in repentance. That sounds like love and grace to me. We'll see again, that this wasn't true repentance; it was just for a minute. Ahab's next move will be to openly ignore God and punish a prophet. And he'll get what he deserved.
Acts 12:24-13:15
Acts 12:24-25
Significant here is not only the growth of the church, but John Mark, Barnabas' cousin, enters as a disciple and a missionary. The prayer meeting for Peter was at the house of John Mark's parents, a well-to-do family, and it is thought that the last supper and the meeting where the Spirit came were also at that house. John Mark is the writer of the Gospel of Mark, and he is the disciple wrapped only with a sheet who, on the night Jesus was arrested, was grabbed, slipped out of the sheet and "streaked" home.
Acts 13:1-15
Vs. 1-3 Notice that the church in Antioch of Syria was very organized, international and very independent of Jerusalem.
Since they weren't under any distress, the leaders were praying and fasting for other reasons, probably because of the harvest.
Notice again, how "talky" the Spirit is. This is not an impersonal force.
Vs. 14-12 It is interesting that Paul, like Jesus, went first to the synagogues, found those who easily and naturally responded to the Gospel, and then began reaching the Gentile population.
Notice that Paul gets his name change in verse nine, from Saul to Paul, that is, in Gentile country, he preferred to use his Greek name.
Notice too, that at this point, when both men are mentioned together, it is "Barnabas and Paul." Later, this will change as Barnabas steps back and allows Paul to lead.
V. 12 Although the governor was impressed that the Holy Spirit had power over the magician, it says that he was astonished at what Paul taught. This indicates true faith.
V. 13-15 Note that John Mark deserted them here and went home to Jerusalem. It is fair to call what Mark did here, desertion, since Paul will insinuate in chapter 15 that it was in fact desertion. Really, when we get to heaven we'll have to ask Mark why he left. Here are some thoughts you can add to your own. First, Mark knew the Saul that hurt people. As Paul began to take the lead, he might have sounded like the old guy every now and then. Also, Mark was a true blue Jew and he was a city boy who lived well. This adventure might have started to look like camp Gitchy-Goomy and he wasn't used to pork chops or those who ate them. I think he was having a cultural crisis; it overwhelmed him and he ran home. It is to be noted that Barnabas will not only pursue Mark and pick him up, but he will go nose to nose with Paul to show trust and belief in John Mark. As a result, this failed servant will write the first of all the gospels about the suffering servant who fulfilled His mission. Mark will eventually travel with Peter after traveling later with Barnabas. Paul, just before he dies, will speak highly of Mark.
V. 15 Isn't it interesting how the Spirit just set up this situation? It really is more about the Spirit than about Paul and Barnabas. It would be hard to publish a book on missionary or church planting strategy as our own ideas, when the main concept is watching what the Spirit is doing and following.
Psalm 137
This psalm is obviously written by one of the exiles from Jerusalem who was there when the city was finally destroyed because of their continued rebellion and disobedience to God. This was a just judgment.
Now in exile, how could they sing or forget what happened to Jerusalem. Three things are mentioned that were painful to them. The taunts of singing to Zion, which they deserved, since they really weren't worshiping God. The revenge of the Edomites, who, according to Obadiah, would get theirs. And the cruelty of the Babylonians.
It was on the basis of psalms like this one, that C.S. Lewis didn't think the entire Bible was inspired. How can God express something like verse nine? If you lose the graphic image, what you really have is, "blessed will be he who does to you what you have done to us."
As we have just read about God's judgment on Jeroboam and on Baasha, God Himself judged their evil with the evil of others. Soon we will see God use a demon to lure Ahab to his own judgment. This is totally just in that Ahab preferred to listen to lies, rather than God, and he served demons rather than God. Jerusalem, as we'll see in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, was totally sick, diseased and infested with evil and idolatry. They deserved it.
When Babylon sacked Jerusalem the final time under Zedekiah, as the Babylonian soldiers went through the city, rather than stabbing children with their swords, they grabbed a child by the arm and swung it against the corner of a building, or a rock wall, smashing its head and killing it. God and the psalmist are saying that the Babylonians will be judged with the same kind of cruelty that they dished out.
Proverbs 17:16
In English this comes across like a play on the words, "money and sense," like, "How can a fool buy wisdom with money if he has no sense?"
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
No comments:
Post a Comment