2 Kings 4:18-5:27
2 Kings 4:18-44
Vs. 18-37 There are lots of good things to observe in this story, but the one thing I'm impressed with every year is the determination of the woman. Even after Elisha sends Gehazi, she says in verse 30 that she will not leave Elisha. She recognized his authority and wouldn't leave or give up until Elisha had come. I read this morning about the Greek woman with the possessed daughter. Jesus tested her faith, but she never gave up and finally Jesus said to her (I think with a smile), "Oh woman, great is your faith."
Vs. 38-41 This is where we get the saying, "Death in the Pot."
Vs. 42-44 Where have you seen this before? Did you know this was here? It's interesting that when Jesus fed the 5000, he did it with barley loaves too, but he had five of them.
You can see that these stories don't fit together, except to say that God was powerfully moving and people could have come to Elisha at any time.
2 Kings 5
This is a great event and full of stuff to observe. I just have a few things.
V. 1 Notice who it was that had made Naaman a success.
Notice who the real heroes of the story are. The Spirit was moving things for this guy to be healed in spite of himself.
V. 7 Note that the king could have called Elisha. It shows that there wasn't real interest in God or respect for what God had done through Elisha and Elijah.
Vs. 10-12 Notice the test here. Elisha himself didn't even come to speak to Naaman.
V. 11 Naaman was expecting a healing service, not something that would really test and show his faith.
V. 13 This reminds me of Paul's words to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5, "Exhort him as you would a father."
Vs. 17-19 Notice Naaman's confession and request. God approved it. Naaman, though extending a service to his king, would never again worship anyone other than Yahweh. He now knew there was no other God.
It is very ironic, and God is presenting it as ironic, that the only leper to ever be cleansed was a Gentile from an enemy nation; and on seeing one miracle, he understands there is only one God. Israel by now had seen and heard of dozens of miracles, but didn't turn from idolatry.
In light of the dangerous, serious situation of Israel, hanging on the brink of exile, and because Elisha hadn't done anything for Naaman, he refused to take anything from Naaman.
Vs. 19-27 Notice the words to Gehazi in verse 26. This wasn't the time for such things. The dishonesty and greed were a product of living with an understanding of life and events driven by the flesh, not the Spirit. A spiritual view of life given by the Spirit would also keep us from many things that are OK, but this just isn't the time. For a disciple, we are following Christ in the harvest and there is an urgency. It is a time for disciples to choose to hunger now and weep now. Our reward is in heaven when the harvest is over.
What seems missing from this account about Gehazi is him pleading to the Lord for mercy.
Acts 15:1-35
This is a very important portion of Scripture. It is the first church council.
Vs. 1-7 Notice that this was a huge deal. Now the party of the circumcision is called the party of the Pharisees, converted Pharisees. Verse 7 shows that this was not an easy issue for them to see through.
V. 7 God saves the day by the experiences He had given Peter. The special, visual way the Holy Spirit came and the gift of tongues were the signs to the Jews that eventually broke down the walls that would have excluded the Gentiles. Peter comes through here, but this really needs to be seen as something God did, anticipating this reaction from the Jewish believers who didn't believe the Gentiles could be saved.
Vs. 13-21 This is James, the brother of Jesus.
Rebuilding the tent of David is the raising up of the king from David's lineage who would reign forever, Jesus.
With this promise was also the salvation of mankind/the Gentiles.
V.20 Abstinence from raw blood. This was something God said to Noah, before the giving of the Law and so was seen to be binding on all of mankind. I think the prohibition from eating what was strangled was the same as the raw blood. I don't believe this is saying that raw meat is forbidden, but animals that have not been prepared and had the blood drained. An animal that has been killed and drained has been killed with a knife, not through strangulation. I think the issue here is ingesting raw blood by the cup or in freshly cut, unprepared meat.
Notice that in all of this, Barnabas' and Paul's names are reversed back and forth several times.
This council freed up the church to reach the Gentiles and made the Gospel simple, but the underlying conflict wasn't over. In Galatians, Paul tells of a run-in he had with Peter after this council. Also, when Paul comes to Jerusalem for his last time, James gives Paul some advice to try to appease these very conservative, pharisaical believers. Now the focus of Acts will be completely beyond Jerusalem, and this will be the last time in Acts that we hear from Peter.
Finally, just to make the point again: This issue wasn't resolved because they were super spiritual men with good people skills. It was resolved because God saw it coming and prepared for it beginning at the day of Pentecost with the gift of tongues and the visual coming of the Spirit. These things had a purpose.
Psalm 141
What is interesting for me is that David doesn't want to become like his enemies, running his mouth in an ungodly way. Verses 1-2 express the intensity of his need and desire to have God keep him from doing that.
It's interesting that the Lord caught me on something like this talking to my neighbor. Complaint and criticism is a common language and there is no easier way to strike up a conversation. But our mouths are not supposed to be like theirs, because our Spirit is different, and our Lord loves all men. Disciples in the harvest have to see a different world and have a different heart.
Proverbs 17:23
This couldn't happen in the church, could it?
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