June 8, Reading Notes

1 Kings 3:4-4:34

1 Kings 3

Vs. 4-14 This is a very famous portion of Scripture.

V. 4 Notice that Solomon offered sacrifices on this high place. How do you process the fact that it was forbidden in the Law to sacrifice anywhere other than at the Tabernacle, which was in Jerusalem at this time?

It seems to me that God was willing to show a lot of grace and forgiveness in encouraging people to approach Him. Just so we all understand it, this is still a violation of the Law and this violation, sacrificing in places other than the Tabernacle (and later, the Temple), will lead the people into such idolatry that they will be thrown out of the land into exile. I’m sure it was allowed because the sacrifices were to God, but it seems to me, particularly following Christ in this world in this time, it is utterly dangerous for us to disobey and then say we’re doing it for God. God’s silence doesn’t mean He approves.

V. 6 As you think of what you've read and know about David, and read statements you see here regarding his faithfulness, righteousness and uprightness in heart, how do you understand God's grace and kindness to us? What does God really want? Apparently, He received that from David.

V. 7 So how old do you think Solomon was? We have dates and places. Try to figure it out within a few years.

V. 12 This seems like an unconditional promise. Solomon would be the wisest, most discerning person that ever walked the planet, other than Jesus. If you know the story of Solomon’s life, that’s pretty sobering news.

V. 15 It's interesting that after God spoke to him in the dream, Solomon made an offering to the Lord in the Tabernacle in Jerusalem.

Vs. 16-28 This is a cool story. I always think that if I had tried that, "I'll cut the kid in half" ploy, someone would have called my bluff, and one way or another, it would have been a mess.

1 Kings 4

This chapter is kind of a general summary of the good years of Solomon's reign. This chapter not only shows the blessing of God on Solomon and Israel, but it shows the effects of the wisdom God gave Solomon. We'll see in 1 Chronicles that David did a lot of organizing too, but Solomon's wisdom wasn't just in poems and proverbs, he was a master of organization. We'll see this again with some other kings. A sign of God's blessing was organization.

V. 8 A famous movie is hiding here. "Ben" meant "the son of."

Acts 6

One important thing to ask here is where did Luke get his information, when he is quoting what went on behind closed doors.

First, Paul had been a Pharisee and may have been in some of these meetings.

Second, many Pharisees and priests came to Christ. Also, many Roman officials came to Christ. Paul mentions a guy at the end of Romans, Erastus, the city treasurer of Corinth. In this case now, in Jerusalem, with so many people coming to Christ, there weren't too many closed doors to talk behind any more.

Third, the Holy Spirit was also there, listening through the key hole.

Growth brings challenges. So where did the widows come from? According to Robinson's Word Pictures it worked like this:

First, you had two types of Jews. Jews who were more conservative and Hebrew in background, and those who grew up in other lands and were more tolerant of other cultures. Those Jews in Israel and in deeply conservative circles spoke Hebrew and Aramaic. Those Jews, like Barnabas and Stephen, who lived outside of Israel, though they followed the Law and didn't live like pagans, spoke their home language and Greek, the common language of the Roman Empire. There was friction between these different types of Jews.

Second, you had all sorts of people coming to Christ including different types of Jews and widows. Widows were usually given financial help from the temple offerings. Now that these widows claimed Christ, they lost their social security. Suddenly the church was thrust into the role of helping these new believing widows because their new faith in Christ had caused them to lose financial support.

This situation was a ticking bomb. Believe it or not, the Jews back then were deeply nationalistic. If you mentioned the word "Gentile" in the wrong setting, they went ballistic. Look at Acts 22:21-23. Believe it or not, the Christians were almost as bad. Nationalism dies a slow death even among believers, and we will see this in Acts. In fact, this prejudice on the part of the Hebrew Christians will be important to observe.

V. 2 Note that there was no teaching on gifts yet, and the apostles had been helping in the distribution.

V. 3 This seems to be the official beginning of the office of deacon.

V. 5 Note that they all had Greek names.

V. 7 You can imagine that if the growth caused challenges in the church because of the need to feed widows, then having a priest come to Christ would also create some challenges. They would no longer have jobs or income. And, they would come fully loaded with a lot of religious baggage. But back to the good news, they were now followers of Jesus.

V. 8 As aggravating as it was, up until now, the only signs that had been done were by Hebrew Christians, the Apostles. The Jewish leadership was already struggling with that. Now, signs are being done by a Hellenistic (Greek) Jewish Christian.

V. 12 This is the first time in Acts that Luke mentions the people being mad at Christians. It is interesting that it was directed toward a Hellenistic Jewish Christian.

V. 15 The council would have been the Sanhedrin. This was the same group that ordered the death of Jesus. Nick and Joe belonged or had belonged to this group. Some think that Saul the Pharisee was part of this group. Obviously, as this story proceeds, we know that Saul will be present.

So, what does "the face of an angel" look like?

Psalm 126

This psalm was apparently written by one of the worship leaders after the return of the Jews from exile in Babylon. It was a slow rebuilding process with many challenges. Some of this rebuilding, and the emotions thereof, is recorded in Ezra 3:8-15. It might have been during that time that this psalm was written as an inspiration and comfort for the people to look to the future.

Proverbs 16:26-27

Laura and I were talking this morning how it seems that all of us would look and live a lot better if God dumped us into a place where the need was desperate, where we had to care for others, where living the mission as disciples caused us sacrifice and hunger. Our bodies and our minds would be more toned and ready for action.

The reality for us as disciples is that we don't have to be thrown into the ghettos and jungles of the third world to find desperation. We live among it; the harvest is here. But it takes walking by the Spirit to see it. Unfortunately, because it is so easy to live a life focused on comfort and the flesh, as opposed to the spirit, we struggle to see the need around us and we struggle even more to live a focused life.

This "worthless" person, in contrast to the one who is forced to act because of his need, doesn't have an urging that commands his time and energy and drive. Instead, his lack of focus tends to run down hill into trouble.

God has given us this mission for our health too. Blessed are those disciples who hunger now. That hunger is a choice to be focused on following Christ in the harvest. Once we have that hunger, we can make it work for us, and Jesus promises that if that hunger drives us, we will be satisfied.

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.