In today's section, we read about:
The death of Saul, and David installed as king
David's mighty warriors and the list of men who joined him
David moves the ark, the death of Uzzah, then finally it is brought to Jerusalem
David's song of praise to God
More victories for David
David sins by taking a census
David leaves instructions for the Temple and for the Levites' duties
Some things that stuck me:
10:9 - A warning not to quote selectively, "then they proclaimed the good news" ..... of Saul's death. Compare this with 16:23 - "each day proclaim the good news that he saves!"
11:1 where the Israelites tell David they are all his flesh and blood is a bit of a contrast with what is to come (1 Ki 12:16)
I like the style of the chronicler - he lists all these people in ch 12 and then in 12:38, he adds, "in fact, everyone did the same thing". He also does it later when listing David's victories (18:13)
The incident of the sound like marching in the tops of the trees was referred to in (2 Ki 5:24)
In 15:23 we get the explanation for why God struck down Uzzah who was only trying to stop the Ark being destroyed - they hadn't consulted God on the correct way to move the Ark, and in doing so had disobeyed two commands God gave to Moses - only Levites to move the ark, and it should be carried on poles on the Levites' shoulders
15:29 is a salutary reminder that not everyone will be happy if we whole-heartedly serve God. (BTW Jane, you wouldn't have been like Michal, would you?)
What can you say about the song of praise in 16:8-36 - Remember God, God is faithful, God keeps his promise, we have been chosen to be His special people, give Him the glory He deserves, give Him thanks. "And all the people shouted 'Amen!' and praised the Lord".
When David is told that God will not allow him to build the temple, but that his son will, his response is one of thankfulness and awe, at the amazing generosity of God towards him.
20:1 skirts very lightly round the episode with Uriah the Hittite and Bathsheba.
We get a few more insights into the relationship between David and Joab, his cousin, who was appointed as commander of the Israelite army. In 21:6, we see Joab getting so hacked off with what David has told him to do, that he didn't do it. It is reminiscent of 2 Sam 19:5-7, when Joab rebukes David, yet David too has things against Joab, as he tells Solomon from his death bed (1 Ki 2:5-6)
ch22 makes it very clear that the idea and design for the temple come from David, and Solomon is very much following that path. When Solomon leaves it, he ends up in trouble pretty soon.
Friday, 30 November 2007
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Day 29 - 1 Chronicles 1:1 - 9:44
In today's section we read about:
Lots of genealogies of the Israelites, from Adam through to the exile
The first people to return from exile in Babylon
Some things that struck me:
It is very easy to skim over the genealogies and not really read it. However, I was wondering about all these people, who are just a name in a long list. Kinda puts into perspective the transience of our lives, and yet our names are written in God's roll of life.
Amalek was a descendant of Esau (1:36)
Compare 2:4 with Lev 18:15
I hadn't realised that Joab, who was the commander of David's army, was David's cousin, which didn't prevent him telling Solomon to sort him out.
I think the Bezalel in 2:18 is the master craftsman whom Moses put in charge of making many of the objects for the Tabernacle (Ex 31:2).
4:9-10 - I've seen bookmarks in Christian bookshops with the Prayer of Jabez on it, but it had never really registered with me. But, the chronicler takes time out from his genealogies to single out a man, who doesn't appear to have been a clan leader, yet who was righteous. It's not even the most memorable of prayers, but rather has a certain simplicity. The key thing is that God granted him his request.
5:1-2 is interesting. I'd remarked before that Reuben had been supplanted by Judah as the most prominent of the tribes, but I hadn't appreciated that the birthright belonged to Joseph.
6:31 - Interesting that musicians were listed before the priests. David certainly set a huge store on their ministry.
I wonder about some of these comments, eg 7:40 "they were all select men - mighty warriors and outstanding leaders", and 9:13 "they were heads of clans and all very able men".
In ch 9 it is notable that the first returnees were priests and musicians - whether this is just because these people would not have been a threat to the Babylonian authorities, or if there is some deeper significance, I do not know.
I'm also not sure why we have the genealogy repeated in 9:35-44 after we had in 8:29-39
Lots of genealogies of the Israelites, from Adam through to the exile
The first people to return from exile in Babylon
Some things that struck me:
It is very easy to skim over the genealogies and not really read it. However, I was wondering about all these people, who are just a name in a long list. Kinda puts into perspective the transience of our lives, and yet our names are written in God's roll of life.
Amalek was a descendant of Esau (1:36)
Compare 2:4 with Lev 18:15
I hadn't realised that Joab, who was the commander of David's army, was David's cousin, which didn't prevent him telling Solomon to sort him out.
I think the Bezalel in 2:18 is the master craftsman whom Moses put in charge of making many of the objects for the Tabernacle (Ex 31:2).
4:9-10 - I've seen bookmarks in Christian bookshops with the Prayer of Jabez on it, but it had never really registered with me. But, the chronicler takes time out from his genealogies to single out a man, who doesn't appear to have been a clan leader, yet who was righteous. It's not even the most memorable of prayers, but rather has a certain simplicity. The key thing is that God granted him his request.
5:1-2 is interesting. I'd remarked before that Reuben had been supplanted by Judah as the most prominent of the tribes, but I hadn't appreciated that the birthright belonged to Joseph.
6:31 - Interesting that musicians were listed before the priests. David certainly set a huge store on their ministry.
I wonder about some of these comments, eg 7:40 "they were all select men - mighty warriors and outstanding leaders", and 9:13 "they were heads of clans and all very able men".
In ch 9 it is notable that the first returnees were priests and musicians - whether this is just because these people would not have been a threat to the Babylonian authorities, or if there is some deeper significance, I do not know.
I'm also not sure why we have the genealogy repeated in 9:35-44 after we had in 8:29-39
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Day 28 - 2 Kings 15:27 - 25:30
In today's section, we read about:
The end of the northern kingdom, deported to Assyria, and Samaria resettled by foreign and alien tribes
The good kings Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah
The very bad king Manasseh
The capture and despoilment of Jerusalem and the temple by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar
Some thoughts which occurred to me:
I'm confused - 15:30 talks about the 20th year of Jotham's reign, yet 15:33, it says he reigned for 15 years. I guess it is because the first one is also counting the regency period when his father had leprosy.
17:7 makes clear the reason for Israel's suffering - the result of their turning away from God, and His judgment
Compare Ps 8:5 with 2 Ki 17:15 " They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves."
These "foreign settlers" (17:25) are presumably the forefathers of the Samaritans, who were despised by the Jews at the time of Jesus.
17:27 - the king of Assyria understands the importance of following God, even if Israel doesn't (Deut 32:21; 1 Sam 14:14). The people there worshipped God, but also kept their own customs, leading presumably to some form of syncretism
18:5-6 is a great testimonial - " Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses."
Reading ch 18 and the speech of the Assyrian chief of staff, it occurred to me that his taunting could seem plausible and even resemble superficially something that could have come from God. Eg, v32 says "Choose life instead of death!"(cf Deut 30:19) Hezekiah's instinctive response is the key - 19:1, he went and prayed
The comparison between 18:25 and 19:21-28 is pretty striking!
If there was noone like Hezekiah before or since, does he really need a sign (20:8)? I wonder if there was irony in Isaiah's reply in 20:9, "and just how high would like me to jump, sir?"
20:19 is a pretty sorry end, coming on top of his folly in showing all his treasures to the Babylonians
After Hezekiah in 18:5-6, we get the other extreme in Manasseh (21:11)
Josiah is incredible in his assiduity in removing all the altars, which is described in enormous detail in ch 23. I had forgotten the prophecy in 1 Ki 13:2, but no word from God is forgotten or wasted!
In Josiah, you get a picture of the type of result God had in mind when instructing the king to read the law every day, and to instruct the whole nation every 7 years (Deut 17:18).
Destruction comes as a result of sins, but even in the darkest situation there is some mercy (25:27-29)
Question from Miriam (to which I do not know the answer) - what happened to the Ark of the Covenant, when the temple was destroyed. This is what wikipedia says ' When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and plundered the temple, the Ark entered the domain of legend. Many historians suppose that the ark was probably taken away by Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed. The absence of the ark from the Second Temple was acknowledged. The Ark is finally re-established to the Temple in vision: "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the Ark of his Covenant" (Rev. 11:19 NIV).'
The end of the northern kingdom, deported to Assyria, and Samaria resettled by foreign and alien tribes
The good kings Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah
The very bad king Manasseh
The capture and despoilment of Jerusalem and the temple by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar
Some thoughts which occurred to me:
I'm confused - 15:30 talks about the 20th year of Jotham's reign, yet 15:33, it says he reigned for 15 years. I guess it is because the first one is also counting the regency period when his father had leprosy.
17:7 makes clear the reason for Israel's suffering - the result of their turning away from God, and His judgment
Compare Ps 8:5 with 2 Ki 17:15 " They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves."
These "foreign settlers" (17:25) are presumably the forefathers of the Samaritans, who were despised by the Jews at the time of Jesus.
17:27 - the king of Assyria understands the importance of following God, even if Israel doesn't (Deut 32:21; 1 Sam 14:14). The people there worshipped God, but also kept their own customs, leading presumably to some form of syncretism
18:5-6 is a great testimonial - " Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses."
Reading ch 18 and the speech of the Assyrian chief of staff, it occurred to me that his taunting could seem plausible and even resemble superficially something that could have come from God. Eg, v32 says "Choose life instead of death!"(cf Deut 30:19) Hezekiah's instinctive response is the key - 19:1, he went and prayed
The comparison between 18:25 and 19:21-28 is pretty striking!
If there was noone like Hezekiah before or since, does he really need a sign (20:8)? I wonder if there was irony in Isaiah's reply in 20:9, "and just how high would like me to jump, sir?"
20:19 is a pretty sorry end, coming on top of his folly in showing all his treasures to the Babylonians
After Hezekiah in 18:5-6, we get the other extreme in Manasseh (21:11)
Josiah is incredible in his assiduity in removing all the altars, which is described in enormous detail in ch 23. I had forgotten the prophecy in 1 Ki 13:2, but no word from God is forgotten or wasted!
In Josiah, you get a picture of the type of result God had in mind when instructing the king to read the law every day, and to instruct the whole nation every 7 years (Deut 17:18).
Destruction comes as a result of sins, but even in the darkest situation there is some mercy (25:27-29)
Question from Miriam (to which I do not know the answer) - what happened to the Ark of the Covenant, when the temple was destroyed. This is what wikipedia says ' When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and plundered the temple, the Ark entered the domain of legend. Many historians suppose that the ark was probably taken away by Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed. The absence of the ark from the Second Temple was acknowledged. The Ark is finally re-established to the Temple in vision: "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the Ark of his Covenant" (Rev. 11:19 NIV).'
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
Day 27 - 2 Kings 4:38 - 2 Kings 15:26
In today's section we read about:
More miracles performed through/by Elisha, including the healing of Naaman
Ben-Hadad besieges Israel, but is thrown into panic by God
Jehu becomes king of Israel, kills Jezebel and all of Ahab's house
Good kings in Judah - Joash, Amaziah and Uzziah
Some things that struck me today:
Similarities between 4:43-44 and the feeding of the 5000 (Matt 14:15-21, Mk 6:30-43; Lk 9:12-17;Jn 6:5-13) and the feeding of the 4000 (Matt 15:32-38; Mk 8:1-9).
Naaman acknowledges the uniqueness of God (5:15), but he originally was contemptuous, because he wanted lightning and thunder, and was not willing to look for God is the mundane things of everyday life. We are not really at all that different. I like the comment of his servant in v 13, "the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” Naaman obeys his servant, another reversal of the established order to reveal the sovereignty and glory of God.
If only we could see the reality of the world as Elisha does in 6:16 - "there are more on our side than on theirs".
6:23 reminded me of Rom 12:20, which recalls Prov 25:21-22 to feed our enemies, for in doing so we are pouring burning coals on their head.
8:10 - Elisha weeps when God shows him what Hazael will do to Israel. He had God's heart in this.
In ch 9, Jehu is clearly anointed for God's purposes, and because he carries out the instruction to destroy Ahab's family, he receives the promise that his line will sit on the throne for 4 generations (10:30). Yet in spite of this promise, he does not serve God with all his heart.
Ch 11 is heartening - even if the darkest situation, God keeps someone to carry out his plan. Here it is the dead king's sister, who hides the young Joash, and the priest Jehoiada who keeps him in the temple. His inauguration in 11:12 is a really good start, not least because Jehoiada gives him a copy of the Law, in accordance with Deut 17:18.
11:17-18 - the covenant is renewed and the people go out and destroy the temple of Baal, even if they don't use it as a public toilet as Jehu did in Samaria (10:27)
In ch 12, Joash orders the temple to be repaired, yet there is an inordinate delay in doing this (v7). When work gets underway, v15 is amazing - "No accounting of this money was required from the construction supervisors, because they were honest and trustworthy men."
13:4, 14:26-27 - in spite of the persistent idolatry in Israel, God still hears their prayers and gives them respite
13:21 - !!!!??!!!?!?!??!?!!?!!!
15:16 seems to fulfil 8:12
More miracles performed through/by Elisha, including the healing of Naaman
Ben-Hadad besieges Israel, but is thrown into panic by God
Jehu becomes king of Israel, kills Jezebel and all of Ahab's house
Good kings in Judah - Joash, Amaziah and Uzziah
Some things that struck me today:
Similarities between 4:43-44 and the feeding of the 5000 (Matt 14:15-21, Mk 6:30-43; Lk 9:12-17;Jn 6:5-13) and the feeding of the 4000 (Matt 15:32-38; Mk 8:1-9).
Naaman acknowledges the uniqueness of God (5:15), but he originally was contemptuous, because he wanted lightning and thunder, and was not willing to look for God is the mundane things of everyday life. We are not really at all that different. I like the comment of his servant in v 13, "the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” Naaman obeys his servant, another reversal of the established order to reveal the sovereignty and glory of God.
If only we could see the reality of the world as Elisha does in 6:16 - "there are more on our side than on theirs".
6:23 reminded me of Rom 12:20, which recalls Prov 25:21-22 to feed our enemies, for in doing so we are pouring burning coals on their head.
8:10 - Elisha weeps when God shows him what Hazael will do to Israel. He had God's heart in this.
In ch 9, Jehu is clearly anointed for God's purposes, and because he carries out the instruction to destroy Ahab's family, he receives the promise that his line will sit on the throne for 4 generations (10:30). Yet in spite of this promise, he does not serve God with all his heart.
Ch 11 is heartening - even if the darkest situation, God keeps someone to carry out his plan. Here it is the dead king's sister, who hides the young Joash, and the priest Jehoiada who keeps him in the temple. His inauguration in 11:12 is a really good start, not least because Jehoiada gives him a copy of the Law, in accordance with Deut 17:18.
11:17-18 - the covenant is renewed and the people go out and destroy the temple of Baal, even if they don't use it as a public toilet as Jehu did in Samaria (10:27)
In ch 12, Joash orders the temple to be repaired, yet there is an inordinate delay in doing this (v7). When work gets underway, v15 is amazing - "No accounting of this money was required from the construction supervisors, because they were honest and trustworthy men."
13:4, 14:26-27 - in spite of the persistent idolatry in Israel, God still hears their prayers and gives them respite
13:21 - !!!!??!!!?!?!??!?!!?!!!
15:16 seems to fulfil 8:12
Monday, 26 November 2007
Day 26 - 1 Kings 16:21 - 2 Kings 4:37
In today's section we read about:
Omri takes over the throne of Israel, succeeded by Ahab
Elijah prophecies a drought, flees and is fed by ravens and by a widow
Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel
Elijah flees to Sinai where God speaks to him
Ahab fights Ben-Hadad
Jezebel kills Naboth to get his vineyard for Ahab
Jehoshaphat is king of Israel, allied with the northern kings
Death of Ahab
Elijah is taken into heaven, succeeded by Elisha
Some things that struck me today:
16:34 fulfils the words of Joshua (Josh 6:26). Is it any coincidence it happened during the reign of Ahab, who "did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him"?
Elijah suddenly appears in the narrative - why is it so sudden? How was he called?
18:28 - cf Lev 19:28
18:39 - In v24, it has been agreed that the god who answers by fire is the true God, and here everyone is in absolutely no doubt.
18:46 - the Lord gave special strength to Elijah so he could outrun the chariot, which presumably was not to confront Ahab, but to enable him to escape.
19:11-18 - I was struck by the phrase "God was not in the earthquake/wind/fire". We often look for amazing signs and miracles, yet these are merely to point to what God really wants, which is for us to listen out and hear his voice. In v14, Elijah is a bit like a sulky kid, but God is tender but firm - 'no, you're not the only one left, I have kept 7,000 others safe too'.
Mind you, if Elijah was sulky in 19:13, that is nothing compared to Ahab in 20:43 and 21:4.
21:28-29 was for me the most fascinating bit I read today. Here you have Ahab, the most evil of all the kings, and yet God here is almost bragging to Elijah that he has humbled himself. It is a real encouragement, that noone is intrinsically irredeemable, whether it is the robber on the cross, the town of Nineveh or even Ahab.
The NLT translation of 22:15 is fabulous - "Micaiah replied sarcastically", which really makes sense of the exchange between the kings and the prophets
22:37 - Just to hammer home the point of how bad Ahab was, the dogs come and lick his blood at the place where prostitutes bathed
In 2 Ki 1 and 2, there are some bits that make you stop and think - two companies of men killed by fire, 42 boys mauled by bears for calling Elisha "slaphead" (my translation, the NLT has 'baldy').
God takes Elijah up in a whirlwind; God wasn't in the wind in 1 Ki 19
The parting of the Jordan, putting salt into water to purify the springs - this must have been enough to freak everyone else out
2:9 - Elisha asks to inherit a double portion of Elijah's spirit. I read this to mean, not that he will be have twice as powerful as Elijah, but to mark out that he is in effect the firstborn son, ie the worthy successor. Deut 21:17 sets out the principle of the eldest son receiving a double share, although in Genesis there are two examples (Esau and Reuben) of the rights of the firstborn being taken/given away. Here the seal of the Spirit is the confirmation that Elisha is Elijah's successor.
Elisha is a pretty scary character - he calls out bears to maul the youths taking the mick out of him, and you can just feel the withering disdain and scorn in 3:14. And yet, you really get a palpable sense of his compassion in ch 4.
Omri takes over the throne of Israel, succeeded by Ahab
Elijah prophecies a drought, flees and is fed by ravens and by a widow
Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel
Elijah flees to Sinai where God speaks to him
Ahab fights Ben-Hadad
Jezebel kills Naboth to get his vineyard for Ahab
Jehoshaphat is king of Israel, allied with the northern kings
Death of Ahab
Elijah is taken into heaven, succeeded by Elisha
Some things that struck me today:
16:34 fulfils the words of Joshua (Josh 6:26). Is it any coincidence it happened during the reign of Ahab, who "did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him"?
Elijah suddenly appears in the narrative - why is it so sudden? How was he called?
18:28 - cf Lev 19:28
18:39 - In v24, it has been agreed that the god who answers by fire is the true God, and here everyone is in absolutely no doubt.
18:46 - the Lord gave special strength to Elijah so he could outrun the chariot, which presumably was not to confront Ahab, but to enable him to escape.
19:11-18 - I was struck by the phrase "God was not in the earthquake/wind/fire". We often look for amazing signs and miracles, yet these are merely to point to what God really wants, which is for us to listen out and hear his voice. In v14, Elijah is a bit like a sulky kid, but God is tender but firm - 'no, you're not the only one left, I have kept 7,000 others safe too'.
Mind you, if Elijah was sulky in 19:13, that is nothing compared to Ahab in 20:43 and 21:4.
21:28-29 was for me the most fascinating bit I read today. Here you have Ahab, the most evil of all the kings, and yet God here is almost bragging to Elijah that he has humbled himself. It is a real encouragement, that noone is intrinsically irredeemable, whether it is the robber on the cross, the town of Nineveh or even Ahab.
The NLT translation of 22:15 is fabulous - "Micaiah replied sarcastically", which really makes sense of the exchange between the kings and the prophets
22:37 - Just to hammer home the point of how bad Ahab was, the dogs come and lick his blood at the place where prostitutes bathed
In 2 Ki 1 and 2, there are some bits that make you stop and think - two companies of men killed by fire, 42 boys mauled by bears for calling Elisha "slaphead" (my translation, the NLT has 'baldy').
God takes Elijah up in a whirlwind; God wasn't in the wind in 1 Ki 19
The parting of the Jordan, putting salt into water to purify the springs - this must have been enough to freak everyone else out
2:9 - Elisha asks to inherit a double portion of Elijah's spirit. I read this to mean, not that he will be have twice as powerful as Elijah, but to mark out that he is in effect the firstborn son, ie the worthy successor. Deut 21:17 sets out the principle of the eldest son receiving a double share, although in Genesis there are two examples (Esau and Reuben) of the rights of the firstborn being taken/given away. Here the seal of the Spirit is the confirmation that Elisha is Elijah's successor.
Elisha is a pretty scary character - he calls out bears to maul the youths taking the mick out of him, and you can just feel the withering disdain and scorn in 3:14. And yet, you really get a palpable sense of his compassion in ch 4.
Sunday, 25 November 2007
Day 25 - 1 Kings 7:38 - 16:20
In today’s section, we read about:
· The dedication of the temple and Solomon’s prayer
· God’s second appearance to Solomon
· The riches of Solomon’s achievements
· The visit of the Queen of Sheba, and Solomon’s many wives
· The division of the kingdom after Solomon’s death
· The sin of the northern kingdom
· The sin of the kings of the southern kingdom until king Asa
Some things that struck me:
8:13 – there is something about the tone of everything Solomon says and does which I find slightly jarring, particularly when compared to David. Here it is “Now I have built a glorious temple for you, a place where you can live forever”. It’s almost as if Solomon is telling God that God should be grateful that he had time to fit him in with all the other building going on
As for the rest of ch8 and Solomon’s prayer, all the words are there, and are an echo of Lev 26 and Deut 30, but somehow there is something missing (or maybe this is just my imagination)
8:27 is great - “But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less the temple I have built!”
8:41-43 is a great vision of the future when God’s glory will be made known throughout the world and people will flock to worship Him.
God’s second appearance to Solomon in ch 9 is both a comfort (Solomon’s prayer has been answered), a promise (lasting dynasty if he obeys whole-heartedly) and a warning (consequences of turning away from God).
Ch 10 shows how God has fulfilled his promises of 1 Ki 3:13. When I read that no throne in the world could compare with Solomon’s, I thought immediately of Is 66:1 “This is what the Lord says: Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool.”
Ch 11 – Solomon has ignored the warning of Ex 34:16 and allowed himself to be seduced by all these foreign women. Two thoughts struck me. (1) If even Solomon, the wisest man who has ever lived or ever will live is so far short of God’s standards, what hope is there for the rest of us?; (2) it is not our wisdom or skills that God is interested in, it is our hearts. 11:2 says “Solomon insisted on loving them anyway”. It was a conscious decision of Solomon’s to disobey. Both of these thoughts should point us to the realisation that we are totally dependent of the grace and mercy of God, and He is such an incredible God that he accepts us and makes it possible to know him.
11:13 – Solomon doesn’t suffer the same fate as Saul, just as God promised in 2 Sam 7:15. This also seems to follow the pattern Chris showed us about sin being followed by judgment, then the effects of the punishment are mitigated by grace.
Jereboam has the chance to become king of a lasting dynasty, because of God’s amazing offer, yet he blew the chance and instead made idols, and encouraged his people to follow them. In fact, it was a whole new religious order, as he appointed as a priest anyone who wanted to be one.
I’m not really sure I know what to make of ch 13 and the prophet killed but not eaten by a lion, other than we have to be obedient to God, and not look at what other people have been called to do.
1 Ki 15:5 is a great tribute not just to David - “for David had done what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and had obeyed the Lord’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite” – but also to the honesty of the Bible. It is a bul****t-free zone. I also like 15:4 where it says God allowed David’s descendants to continue ruling, shining like a lamp.
Good for king Asa. I have this picture of his grandmother being ushered out like Aunt Agatha (PG Wodehouse’s Jeeves stories) onto the streets and her bags being thrown after her. It probably didn’t happen like that, but Asa’s dedication was such that it might.
The events in the northern kingdom are reminiscent of the time of the judges, albeit less anarchic. There is a descent to civil war, brutality and utter godlessness.
· The dedication of the temple and Solomon’s prayer
· God’s second appearance to Solomon
· The riches of Solomon’s achievements
· The visit of the Queen of Sheba, and Solomon’s many wives
· The division of the kingdom after Solomon’s death
· The sin of the northern kingdom
· The sin of the kings of the southern kingdom until king Asa
Some things that struck me:
8:13 – there is something about the tone of everything Solomon says and does which I find slightly jarring, particularly when compared to David. Here it is “Now I have built a glorious temple for you, a place where you can live forever”. It’s almost as if Solomon is telling God that God should be grateful that he had time to fit him in with all the other building going on
As for the rest of ch8 and Solomon’s prayer, all the words are there, and are an echo of Lev 26 and Deut 30, but somehow there is something missing (or maybe this is just my imagination)
8:27 is great - “But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less the temple I have built!”
8:41-43 is a great vision of the future when God’s glory will be made known throughout the world and people will flock to worship Him.
God’s second appearance to Solomon in ch 9 is both a comfort (Solomon’s prayer has been answered), a promise (lasting dynasty if he obeys whole-heartedly) and a warning (consequences of turning away from God).
Ch 10 shows how God has fulfilled his promises of 1 Ki 3:13. When I read that no throne in the world could compare with Solomon’s, I thought immediately of Is 66:1 “This is what the Lord says: Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool.”
Ch 11 – Solomon has ignored the warning of Ex 34:16 and allowed himself to be seduced by all these foreign women. Two thoughts struck me. (1) If even Solomon, the wisest man who has ever lived or ever will live is so far short of God’s standards, what hope is there for the rest of us?; (2) it is not our wisdom or skills that God is interested in, it is our hearts. 11:2 says “Solomon insisted on loving them anyway”. It was a conscious decision of Solomon’s to disobey. Both of these thoughts should point us to the realisation that we are totally dependent of the grace and mercy of God, and He is such an incredible God that he accepts us and makes it possible to know him.
11:13 – Solomon doesn’t suffer the same fate as Saul, just as God promised in 2 Sam 7:15. This also seems to follow the pattern Chris showed us about sin being followed by judgment, then the effects of the punishment are mitigated by grace.
Jereboam has the chance to become king of a lasting dynasty, because of God’s amazing offer, yet he blew the chance and instead made idols, and encouraged his people to follow them. In fact, it was a whole new religious order, as he appointed as a priest anyone who wanted to be one.
I’m not really sure I know what to make of ch 13 and the prophet killed but not eaten by a lion, other than we have to be obedient to God, and not look at what other people have been called to do.
1 Ki 15:5 is a great tribute not just to David - “for David had done what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and had obeyed the Lord’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite” – but also to the honesty of the Bible. It is a bul****t-free zone. I also like 15:4 where it says God allowed David’s descendants to continue ruling, shining like a lamp.
Good for king Asa. I have this picture of his grandmother being ushered out like Aunt Agatha (PG Wodehouse’s Jeeves stories) onto the streets and her bags being thrown after her. It probably didn’t happen like that, but Asa’s dedication was such that it might.
The events in the northern kingdom are reminiscent of the time of the judges, albeit less anarchic. There is a descent to civil war, brutality and utter godlessness.
Saturday, 24 November 2007
Day 24 - 2 Samuel 22:19 - 1 Kings 7:37
In today’s section, we read about:
The second part of David’s song of praise, and his last words
David takes a census incurring God’s judgment
Solomon, not Adonijah succeeds David, and settles a few scores
Solomon asks God for wisdom
Solomon sets about ruling the country
Solomon’s building projects – the temple and his palace
Some things that struck me today:
22:24 – in spite of the adultery with Bathsheba, or possibly because of it, David has an insight of the reality of the scope and extent of God’s forgiveness. I also like v 30 “in your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall”
23:5 – No wonder David feels special in 23:1 and shouts out how wonderful God is: God has made an everlasting covenant with him.
23:39 – Uriah the Hittite wasn’t just some ordinary nobody – he was one of the Thirty Mighty Men!
I wondered about Chapter 24 where God tells David to do something, David is obedient and does it and yet David realises it is a sin. This is muddied even further by the parallel passage in 1 Chr 21, where v1 says “Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census”. How can it be sin if we do something that God commands us to do?
I discussed this with Martin Webber and he was very wise in saying that sometimes when we want to do something against God’s will, He’ll say “fine, go ahead and do it”. The nearest parallel we came up with in our brief discussion was in 1 Sam 8 when the people say they want to have a king, so God tells Samuel to go ahead and anoint one. Here there is the additional context of God’s judgment against Israel, and David is both the initial instrument of that judgement (by ordering the census) and the primary object of that judgment as the king in charge of his people. But it is still not totally clear why this is the case.
Adonijah was the fourth born son, according to 2 Sam 3:4
1 Ki 2:27 cf 1 Sam 2:30-34
1 Ki 3:1 – why does Solomon marry Pharaoh’s daughter, and why does scripture not comment on whether this was good or bad? Was it purely for strategic political reasons, or is this an early sign that Solomon would not be whole-hearted in following God as David had been?
We read in 1 Ki 3:11 where God says to Solomon that because he has asked for wisdom and not riches and long life etc, He will give them to him all the other things he might have asked for but didn’t. I am struck by the similarity with Matt 6:33 “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV)
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I found the example of Solomon’s wisdom here slightly absurd. Is it because it is so familiar? Is it a case that God’s wisdom is not like our wisdom (Is 55:8)? Or is it that Holy Spirit can convict and penetrate to the heart more acutely than could possibly be imagined?
I wonder who Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, Calcol and Darda were, that they are used as comparators for Solomon.
1 Ki 6:13 – God is at pains to keep reminding us of his promises to us, and also of our duty to be obedient and faithful to him.
The second part of David’s song of praise, and his last words
David takes a census incurring God’s judgment
Solomon, not Adonijah succeeds David, and settles a few scores
Solomon asks God for wisdom
Solomon sets about ruling the country
Solomon’s building projects – the temple and his palace
Some things that struck me today:
22:24 – in spite of the adultery with Bathsheba, or possibly because of it, David has an insight of the reality of the scope and extent of God’s forgiveness. I also like v 30 “in your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall”
23:5 – No wonder David feels special in 23:1 and shouts out how wonderful God is: God has made an everlasting covenant with him.
23:39 – Uriah the Hittite wasn’t just some ordinary nobody – he was one of the Thirty Mighty Men!
I wondered about Chapter 24 where God tells David to do something, David is obedient and does it and yet David realises it is a sin. This is muddied even further by the parallel passage in 1 Chr 21, where v1 says “Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census”. How can it be sin if we do something that God commands us to do?
I discussed this with Martin Webber and he was very wise in saying that sometimes when we want to do something against God’s will, He’ll say “fine, go ahead and do it”. The nearest parallel we came up with in our brief discussion was in 1 Sam 8 when the people say they want to have a king, so God tells Samuel to go ahead and anoint one. Here there is the additional context of God’s judgment against Israel, and David is both the initial instrument of that judgement (by ordering the census) and the primary object of that judgment as the king in charge of his people. But it is still not totally clear why this is the case.
Adonijah was the fourth born son, according to 2 Sam 3:4
1 Ki 2:27 cf 1 Sam 2:30-34
1 Ki 3:1 – why does Solomon marry Pharaoh’s daughter, and why does scripture not comment on whether this was good or bad? Was it purely for strategic political reasons, or is this an early sign that Solomon would not be whole-hearted in following God as David had been?
We read in 1 Ki 3:11 where God says to Solomon that because he has asked for wisdom and not riches and long life etc, He will give them to him all the other things he might have asked for but didn’t. I am struck by the similarity with Matt 6:33 “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV)
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I found the example of Solomon’s wisdom here slightly absurd. Is it because it is so familiar? Is it a case that God’s wisdom is not like our wisdom (Is 55:8)? Or is it that Holy Spirit can convict and penetrate to the heart more acutely than could possibly be imagined?
I wonder who Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, Calcol and Darda were, that they are used as comparators for Solomon.
1 Ki 6:13 – God is at pains to keep reminding us of his promises to us, and also of our duty to be obedient and faithful to him.
Friday, 23 November 2007
Day 23 – 2 Samuel 12:11-22:18
In today’s section, we read about:
God’s judgment on David and the death of his first child by Bathsheba
Amnon rapes Tamar and is killed by Absolom
Absolom rebels against David, who flees across the Jordan
Absolom killed and David returns to Jerusalem
Another revolt, this time by Sheba
David avenges the Gibeonites
David’s song of praise
Some thoughts that struck me today:
The division between the daily passages often seem arbitrary (including today’s), yet here there is a certain symmetry. We open with God’s judgment passed on David for his sin with Bathsheba, we go through the working out of that judgment with the sword never leaving his family, and we end with David praising God, in a spirit of adoration and closeness to God that seems to have been missing for most of the passage.
12:20-23 – David dares to hope that God might change his mind, but when the child dies, the first thing he does is go to praise God.
12:24 – It is amazing that David’s marriage to Bathsheba, which began in the most horrific sin should be blessed with a son who has a special name, “beloved of God” and this is made clear to David by God sending a special message through Nathan (the channel for the rebuke earlier in ch 12) to make sure the message gets through.
13:15 – “suddenly Amnon’s love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her”. This reminded me of the Magician’s Nephew in the Narnia books, where the Witch eats the apple of life to which she is not entitled and from then on it is completely abhorrent to her.
14:14 – what a fabulous verse – “God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.” Amen for that.
I like the description of David in 14:17 and 20 “you are as wise as an angel of God”. All that time in walking closely with God has left its impression.
15:6 – Absolom “stole the hearts” of all the people of Israel
15:21 – cf the promise of Ruth to Naomi (Ru 1:16)
By ch 15, David seems a shadow of his former self, unsure, almost fatalistic about what to do. As Nicki wrote, we can choose our actions but not the consequences. David has been forgiven, so he is free of the punishment of his sin, but the effects of it will haunt him for the rest of his life
17:23 – God was determined to thwart the advice of Ahithophel, who realising this went and hanged himself. If God is against us, what hope can we have?
I heard Don Cole (a former missionary in Angola) say that 2 Sam 17:27-28, this feast set out before David while they are being chased by Absolom and his armies is remembered by David in Ps 23:5
18:18 – Absolom built a monument to himself (cf Gen 11:4, 1 Sam 15:12)
19:5-7 – Joab thinks David has lost the plot, putting his personal grief ahead of the needs of the people as a whole. Was David guilty of being self-absorbed, which accounts for the apparent fatalism of the previous chapters? Was he being merciful or weak in forgiving Shimei (19:23)?
21:1 – At last! David asks the Lord again.
21:1-2 – Saul broke the treaty that Joshua made in Josh 9:15. Vows were incredibly serious undertakings.
21:14 – God ended the curse after blood had been shed. These descendants of Saul were not themselves directly responsible for the curse. How much less is Jesus responsible for our separation from God the Father, yet he willingly poured out his own life so that that curse could be lifted from us – “for all God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “yes!”” (2 Cor 1:20)
Ch 22 – David’s song seems like a wonderful song of reconciliation and reunion. The power described is amazing “Then at the command of the Lord / at the blast of his breath, / the bottom of the sea could be seen, / and the foundations of the earth were laid bare” (22:16). I love v17 “He reached down from heaven and rescued me; / he drew me out of deep waters”. You can really imagine David thinking of himself as a drowning man, pulled out of his troubles by the hand of God.
God’s judgment on David and the death of his first child by Bathsheba
Amnon rapes Tamar and is killed by Absolom
Absolom rebels against David, who flees across the Jordan
Absolom killed and David returns to Jerusalem
Another revolt, this time by Sheba
David avenges the Gibeonites
David’s song of praise
Some thoughts that struck me today:
The division between the daily passages often seem arbitrary (including today’s), yet here there is a certain symmetry. We open with God’s judgment passed on David for his sin with Bathsheba, we go through the working out of that judgment with the sword never leaving his family, and we end with David praising God, in a spirit of adoration and closeness to God that seems to have been missing for most of the passage.
12:20-23 – David dares to hope that God might change his mind, but when the child dies, the first thing he does is go to praise God.
12:24 – It is amazing that David’s marriage to Bathsheba, which began in the most horrific sin should be blessed with a son who has a special name, “beloved of God” and this is made clear to David by God sending a special message through Nathan (the channel for the rebuke earlier in ch 12) to make sure the message gets through.
13:15 – “suddenly Amnon’s love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her”. This reminded me of the Magician’s Nephew in the Narnia books, where the Witch eats the apple of life to which she is not entitled and from then on it is completely abhorrent to her.
14:14 – what a fabulous verse – “God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.” Amen for that.
I like the description of David in 14:17 and 20 “you are as wise as an angel of God”. All that time in walking closely with God has left its impression.
15:6 – Absolom “stole the hearts” of all the people of Israel
15:21 – cf the promise of Ruth to Naomi (Ru 1:16)
By ch 15, David seems a shadow of his former self, unsure, almost fatalistic about what to do. As Nicki wrote, we can choose our actions but not the consequences. David has been forgiven, so he is free of the punishment of his sin, but the effects of it will haunt him for the rest of his life
17:23 – God was determined to thwart the advice of Ahithophel, who realising this went and hanged himself. If God is against us, what hope can we have?
I heard Don Cole (a former missionary in Angola) say that 2 Sam 17:27-28, this feast set out before David while they are being chased by Absolom and his armies is remembered by David in Ps 23:5
18:18 – Absolom built a monument to himself (cf Gen 11:4, 1 Sam 15:12)
19:5-7 – Joab thinks David has lost the plot, putting his personal grief ahead of the needs of the people as a whole. Was David guilty of being self-absorbed, which accounts for the apparent fatalism of the previous chapters? Was he being merciful or weak in forgiving Shimei (19:23)?
21:1 – At last! David asks the Lord again.
21:1-2 – Saul broke the treaty that Joshua made in Josh 9:15. Vows were incredibly serious undertakings.
21:14 – God ended the curse after blood had been shed. These descendants of Saul were not themselves directly responsible for the curse. How much less is Jesus responsible for our separation from God the Father, yet he willingly poured out his own life so that that curse could be lifted from us – “for all God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “yes!”” (2 Cor 1:20)
Ch 22 – David’s song seems like a wonderful song of reconciliation and reunion. The power described is amazing “Then at the command of the Lord / at the blast of his breath, / the bottom of the sea could be seen, / and the foundations of the earth were laid bare” (22:16). I love v17 “He reached down from heaven and rescued me; / he drew me out of deep waters”. You can really imagine David thinking of himself as a drowning man, pulled out of his troubles by the hand of God.
Thursday, 22 November 2007
Day 22 – 1 Samuel 28:20 – 2 Samuel 12:10
In today’s section, we read about:
David is sent home by the Philistines only to find his home ransacked
Saul and his sons are killed, Israel’s armies are destroyed. David mourns
David is crowned king by the tribe of Judah, the others follow Saul’s son Ishbosheth
David becomes king over all Israel
The Ark of the Covenant is moved to Jerusalem
God’s covenant promise to David
David defeats all his enemies
David commits adultery with Bathsheba and Nathan comes to confront him
Some things that struck me today:
When David gets sent home from the Philistine army, the king who knows him best readily admits that he has never had cause to complain about David at all – “as far as I am concerned, you’re as perfect as an angel of God”.
1 Sam 30:4-6 - they return to find their families carried off, they weep until they can weep no more (v4), and there was even talk of stoning David. But what does David do? “David found strength in the Lord his God”.
As Jane McB commented, before practically every decision, David asks the Lord before he commits himself to action
1 Sam 31:11-13 is a salutary reminder not to think we are the only ones following God, as even Elijah though (1 Ki 19:14 an 18). David recognises this (2 Sam 2:6)
2 Sam 1 again reminds us how David shared God’s view of Saul even if Saul himself did not.
2 Sam 3:1 says this was the beginning of a long war between those who were loyal to Saul and those who were loyal to David. Yet it doesn’t seem particularly long in the context of the rest of the book, and also presumably it was 7 and half years out of a 40 year reign.
Is Abner a goodie or a baddie? He follows Ishbosheth and kills Asahel, yet he is instrumental in bringing unity to Israel by sending out messengers to David, admittedly out of pique because of Ishbosheth having a go at him over one of Saul’s concubines.
2 Sam 3:29 – the curse of David on Joab and his family is not that dissimilar from what awaits David in 12:10. “By your own measure….”
2 Sam 5:24 – “When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of poplar trees”, what would that have been like?
2 Sam 6:6-7 – I feel sorry for Uzzah, because he was surely only trying to stop the Ark falling off the cart and get smashed.
2 Sam 6:21-22 – David is so lost in worship for God that he forgets everything else. I, on the other hand, am far too self-conscious.
2 Sam 7 is the most amazing two way conversation between God and David (albeit via a vision to Nathan, but David knows the voice of the Good Shepherd, recognises it and listens to it).
2 Sam 7:25-26 reminds me almost of marriage vows, where the bride has heard the vows from the groom, and in repeating them she not only claims them for herself, she also commits herself to the arrangement. I really like 7:27 “your words are truth”, and 7:29 “when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing.” Cf 2 Cor 1:19-20 “For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No”. He is the one whom Silas, Timothy and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes”, he always does what he says. For all God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”
2 Sam 9 is a wonderful expression of David’s kindness. We saw it in his treatment of the Egyptian slave wandering on his own (1 Sam 30:11). Here he fulfils the promise he made to Jonathan (1 Sam 20:15).
The mood changes so markedly in ch11, starting with the opening line “in the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war... David stayed behind in Jerusalem”. Was it that he didn’t go out to war, or was it that by doing so, he laid himself open to lots of temptations, which he otherwise would not have done, and to which he succumbed whole-heartedly.
David tries everything to cover up his sin, but he knew what he had done was wrong – his behaviour proves that.
2 Sam 2:9-10 – again it is clear that sin, although it may be horrific against other people, it is above all rebellion against God – “why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? … you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.”
David is sent home by the Philistines only to find his home ransacked
Saul and his sons are killed, Israel’s armies are destroyed. David mourns
David is crowned king by the tribe of Judah, the others follow Saul’s son Ishbosheth
David becomes king over all Israel
The Ark of the Covenant is moved to Jerusalem
God’s covenant promise to David
David defeats all his enemies
David commits adultery with Bathsheba and Nathan comes to confront him
Some things that struck me today:
When David gets sent home from the Philistine army, the king who knows him best readily admits that he has never had cause to complain about David at all – “as far as I am concerned, you’re as perfect as an angel of God”.
1 Sam 30:4-6 - they return to find their families carried off, they weep until they can weep no more (v4), and there was even talk of stoning David. But what does David do? “David found strength in the Lord his God”.
As Jane McB commented, before practically every decision, David asks the Lord before he commits himself to action
1 Sam 31:11-13 is a salutary reminder not to think we are the only ones following God, as even Elijah though (1 Ki 19:14 an 18). David recognises this (2 Sam 2:6)
2 Sam 1 again reminds us how David shared God’s view of Saul even if Saul himself did not.
2 Sam 3:1 says this was the beginning of a long war between those who were loyal to Saul and those who were loyal to David. Yet it doesn’t seem particularly long in the context of the rest of the book, and also presumably it was 7 and half years out of a 40 year reign.
Is Abner a goodie or a baddie? He follows Ishbosheth and kills Asahel, yet he is instrumental in bringing unity to Israel by sending out messengers to David, admittedly out of pique because of Ishbosheth having a go at him over one of Saul’s concubines.
2 Sam 3:29 – the curse of David on Joab and his family is not that dissimilar from what awaits David in 12:10. “By your own measure….”
2 Sam 5:24 – “When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of poplar trees”, what would that have been like?
2 Sam 6:6-7 – I feel sorry for Uzzah, because he was surely only trying to stop the Ark falling off the cart and get smashed.
2 Sam 6:21-22 – David is so lost in worship for God that he forgets everything else. I, on the other hand, am far too self-conscious.
2 Sam 7 is the most amazing two way conversation between God and David (albeit via a vision to Nathan, but David knows the voice of the Good Shepherd, recognises it and listens to it).
2 Sam 7:25-26 reminds me almost of marriage vows, where the bride has heard the vows from the groom, and in repeating them she not only claims them for herself, she also commits herself to the arrangement. I really like 7:27 “your words are truth”, and 7:29 “when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing.” Cf 2 Cor 1:19-20 “For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No”. He is the one whom Silas, Timothy and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes”, he always does what he says. For all God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”
2 Sam 9 is a wonderful expression of David’s kindness. We saw it in his treatment of the Egyptian slave wandering on his own (1 Sam 30:11). Here he fulfils the promise he made to Jonathan (1 Sam 20:15).
The mood changes so markedly in ch11, starting with the opening line “in the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war... David stayed behind in Jerusalem”. Was it that he didn’t go out to war, or was it that by doing so, he laid himself open to lots of temptations, which he otherwise would not have done, and to which he succumbed whole-heartedly.
David tries everything to cover up his sin, but he knew what he had done was wrong – his behaviour proves that.
2 Sam 2:9-10 – again it is clear that sin, although it may be horrific against other people, it is above all rebellion against God – “why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? … you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.”
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Day 21 – 1 Samuel 16:1 – 28:19
In today’s section, we read about:
Samuel anoints David king
David defeats Goliath
David’s friendship with Jonathan
David forced into hiding to escape from Saul and twice spares his life
Saul goes to consult a medium
Some thoughts that struck me today:
16:1 – fulfilment of the blessing in Ru 4:12
16:7 – “Don’t judge by his appearance or height… The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
16:13 – the pattern of kingship is repeated again here: anointing, the Spirit comes in power, and David goes out to victory (17:50)
16:18 – one of the things that God seems to do with those who follow him closely is that they enjoy a very good reputation with other people
Saul’s relation with David changes markedly over time “Saul loved David very much” (16:21), “Saul kept a jealous eye on David” (18:9), Saul was afraid of David (18:12), Saul became even more afraid of him (18:15)
The contrast between the Israelites and David is huge. This army of grown men is terrified, but David, armed only with his faith in God, runs to tackle Goliath head on – “You come at me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies – the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defied” (17:45). “As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him” (17:48)
18:21 – but Saul had already promised his daughter to whoever killed Goliath, but he uses this as a pretext to get David killed. The strategy which Saul tries against David in 18:26, and which failed, is the one that David used to get rid of Uriah the Hittite (2 Sam 11:15).
The friendship between Jonathan and David is very inspiring. Even though Jonathan knew that David would replace his father as king, so taking what he might legitimately have expected to be his, he still loved him as he loved himself (18:3)
19:24 – Not only does God keep David safe from Saul, he humiliates and taunts Saul by reminding him of the time when God was with him and he prophesied (10:10), but also making him roll around on the floor naked for a day
22:2 – David’s followers are hardly fit for a king – outcasts, debtors, almost the scum of the earth. It’s a bit like God has to put up with when he has us! Yet he does more than puts up with us. He uses us and makes us a key part of carrying out his plan. David himself has not had it all easy – he has to pretend he’s mad (21:13), lives in hiding, moving from cave to cave, and yet he still does what God wants him to
22:8 – Saul has now descended into self-pity
22:16-19 – the priests were the source of legitimacy for a ruler. When one of the priests defends David, Saul feels his legitimacy is threatened and so removes them, in a vain attempt to bolster his position
24:5 – David has a clearer sense of Saul’s worth than Saul himself does (15:17)
25:38 is a very clear example of Rom 12:19, although it doesn’t always work out that neatly
28:5 – the end is near for Saul, and he cuts such a pathetic figure you almost feel sorry for him. Here it says “he became frantic with fear”. But he undoes even the good he has done in banishing mediums (28:3)
28:16-17 is confirmation that if you haven’t got the answer you want from God, you’re not going to get it from anywhere else
Samuel anoints David king
David defeats Goliath
David’s friendship with Jonathan
David forced into hiding to escape from Saul and twice spares his life
Saul goes to consult a medium
Some thoughts that struck me today:
16:1 – fulfilment of the blessing in Ru 4:12
16:7 – “Don’t judge by his appearance or height… The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
16:13 – the pattern of kingship is repeated again here: anointing, the Spirit comes in power, and David goes out to victory (17:50)
16:18 – one of the things that God seems to do with those who follow him closely is that they enjoy a very good reputation with other people
Saul’s relation with David changes markedly over time “Saul loved David very much” (16:21), “Saul kept a jealous eye on David” (18:9), Saul was afraid of David (18:12), Saul became even more afraid of him (18:15)
The contrast between the Israelites and David is huge. This army of grown men is terrified, but David, armed only with his faith in God, runs to tackle Goliath head on – “You come at me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies – the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defied” (17:45). “As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him” (17:48)
18:21 – but Saul had already promised his daughter to whoever killed Goliath, but he uses this as a pretext to get David killed. The strategy which Saul tries against David in 18:26, and which failed, is the one that David used to get rid of Uriah the Hittite (2 Sam 11:15).
The friendship between Jonathan and David is very inspiring. Even though Jonathan knew that David would replace his father as king, so taking what he might legitimately have expected to be his, he still loved him as he loved himself (18:3)
19:24 – Not only does God keep David safe from Saul, he humiliates and taunts Saul by reminding him of the time when God was with him and he prophesied (10:10), but also making him roll around on the floor naked for a day
22:2 – David’s followers are hardly fit for a king – outcasts, debtors, almost the scum of the earth. It’s a bit like God has to put up with when he has us! Yet he does more than puts up with us. He uses us and makes us a key part of carrying out his plan. David himself has not had it all easy – he has to pretend he’s mad (21:13), lives in hiding, moving from cave to cave, and yet he still does what God wants him to
22:8 – Saul has now descended into self-pity
22:16-19 – the priests were the source of legitimacy for a ruler. When one of the priests defends David, Saul feels his legitimacy is threatened and so removes them, in a vain attempt to bolster his position
24:5 – David has a clearer sense of Saul’s worth than Saul himself does (15:17)
25:38 is a very clear example of Rom 12:19, although it doesn’t always work out that neatly
28:5 – the end is near for Saul, and he cuts such a pathetic figure you almost feel sorry for him. Here it says “he became frantic with fear”. But he undoes even the good he has done in banishing mediums (28:3)
28:16-17 is confirmation that if you haven’t got the answer you want from God, you’re not going to get it from anywhere else
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Day 20 - 1 Samuel 2:30 - 15:35
In today's section, we read about:
The call of Samuel
The end of the house of Eli as priests as foretold, and defeat for the Israelites
The Ark of the Covenant is captured and God wreaks judgment on the Philistines
Samuel intercedes for the Israelites and God defeat the Philistines
The people ask for a king, and God reluctantly grants the request
Saul chosen and anointed as king and leads them to victory over the Ammonites
Samuel takes his leave of the people
Saul disobeys God and is rejected by God
Some things that struck me today:
2:30b - In the film Chariots of Fire, the verse "I will honour those who honour me" was the given to Eric Liddell just before he won the 400m. The context here highlights the contrast between Eli and his sons on the one hand, and Samuel, still just a boy or a young man on the other.
3:1 - "in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon".
3:11-14 - this is quite shocking. Eli doesn't seem to be a bad person, he knows enough of God to point Samuel in the right direction, but this is not enough. He knows what is right, but is too weak and too indulgent of his sons to put a stop to their outrages. He turns a blind eye to sin, which is simply not acceptable as the leader of God's people.
3:19 - The people the whole length and breadth of the country recognise that God is with Samuel.
Even though God afflicts the Philistines after they have captured the Ark, he still graciously teaches them a lesson by putting their god Dagon in his place, but he even hears their prayers and shows them how to return it to its rightful place (5:12; 6:3-9).
6:19 - God may be on our side, but he is still holy and must be obeyed with reverence and fear.
7:2 - "it seemed the Lord had abandoned them"
7:3ff - It took them 20 years to become serious about coming back to God, but then they did get rid of their idols and worshipped only God. After they had done that, God answered their prayer (v9).
7:10-12 - God defeated the Philistines with no input at all from the Israelites, just by the power of a thunderstorm he sent and the panic that induced.
7:12 - another stone to serve as a reminder!
And yet, having seen God deliver this victory, the people say they want to be like the other nations and have a king. This is a repudiation of the covenant promise, where God makes them his special treasure, his special possession. Instead, they want to be just like everyone else. God reassures Samuel in 8:7 that it is God not Samuel they are going against.
8:10 -22 - Samuel warns them what the king will do to them, even taking for himself the things that are the prerogative of God - v14 "the best of the fields and vineyards"; v15 "the tenth of the grain"; v17 "a tenth of the flocks". But the people refuse to listen, just bleating that they want to be like the other nations.
In chapter 9, Saul in chosen. Interestingly, he comes from the tribe of Benjamin. In Jdg 20-21, the whole of Israel had united against Benjamin and nearly wiped them out. Yet, it is from this tribe that God chooses the first king for their people, almost as if to say 'if this is what you want, here take one from your weakest tribes'. Is this why does God choose someone from Benjamin not Judah (Gen 49:10)? Is this God saying, OK, you do it your way, but I actually have a much better plan (1 Sam 13:14)?
We see again the pattern - anointing by a Prophet (10:1), the Spirit coming in power (10:6), and going out to victory (11:11).
When I read 10:8, I wondered Saul actually did go to Gilgal, since it was not stated clearly in 10:9-16. Is this instruction and Saul's disobedience to it told in 13:7-12? Where does 11:14-15 fit in with this?
10:25 - cf Deut 17:18-20
Samuel's farewell address in ch12 is great. Once we've completed the 90 days, I must remember to compare the various farewell addresses - Moses, Joshua, Samuel and of course Jesus, and any others we come across. Here, like Moses and Joshua, Samuel pulls the people up for their sins and unfaithfulness to God. The thunder and rain were a nice added touch of drama.
12:23 - Samuel commits himself to continuing faithful to God. I also like the NLT translation of 21 "Don't go back to worshipping worthless idols that cannot rescue you - they are totally useless!"
13:7-12 - Saul was scared so he tried to take things into his own hands. He didn't trust God to get him out of the tight spot. This was the final straw and the authority as God's chosen king has now transferred irrevocably to another.
ch 14 - Jonathan is cut from different cloth from his father. He is brave and daring because he trusts in God, yet Saul is weak and indecisive (v18-19).
Saul had a vision of a fruit-machine God, thinking God is bound to help him if he does something extra. Hence, he makes his army take a foolish oath (14:24), which, as Jonathan helpfully points out in v29, costs the Israelites in terms of their victory. Then he gets impatient in v37, wanting an immediate answer.
14:52 is the fulfilment of the warning in 8:11
15:2 - the idea of God settling accounts is pretty frightening (Lk 16:2)
15:11 - God is grieved (cf Gen 6:6), and Samuel is so in tune with God's will that he mourns all night.
15:17 really struck me powerfully. In the NLT it says "although you may think so little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king..:" We may think we are insignificant (like Gideon 'mighty hero (Jdg 6:12), but God sees with a totally different perspective.
Does God turn away from Saul or does Saul turn away from God (15:26). It is clear it is Saul who has turned away. In his own mind, he has obeyed God by defeating the Amalekites, and although he has kept the sheep, goats and cattle, he convinces himself that they are going to be offered in sacrifice. But partial obedience is still disobedience (Lk 12:48). Most telling of all, is 15:12 which tells us that Saul went t the town to set up a monument to himself. This is stark contrast to all the other monuments that littered the countryside as testimony to what God had done. It is also redolent of Gen 11:4 and the motivation of the builders of the Tower of Babel.
1 Sam 15:22 " “What is more pleasing to the Lord: / your burnt offerings and sacrifices / or your obedience to his voice? / Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, / and submission is better than offering the fat of rams."
The call of Samuel
The end of the house of Eli as priests as foretold, and defeat for the Israelites
The Ark of the Covenant is captured and God wreaks judgment on the Philistines
Samuel intercedes for the Israelites and God defeat the Philistines
The people ask for a king, and God reluctantly grants the request
Saul chosen and anointed as king and leads them to victory over the Ammonites
Samuel takes his leave of the people
Saul disobeys God and is rejected by God
Some things that struck me today:
2:30b - In the film Chariots of Fire, the verse "I will honour those who honour me" was the given to Eric Liddell just before he won the 400m. The context here highlights the contrast between Eli and his sons on the one hand, and Samuel, still just a boy or a young man on the other.
3:1 - "in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon".
3:11-14 - this is quite shocking. Eli doesn't seem to be a bad person, he knows enough of God to point Samuel in the right direction, but this is not enough. He knows what is right, but is too weak and too indulgent of his sons to put a stop to their outrages. He turns a blind eye to sin, which is simply not acceptable as the leader of God's people.
3:19 - The people the whole length and breadth of the country recognise that God is with Samuel.
Even though God afflicts the Philistines after they have captured the Ark, he still graciously teaches them a lesson by putting their god Dagon in his place, but he even hears their prayers and shows them how to return it to its rightful place (5:12; 6:3-9).
6:19 - God may be on our side, but he is still holy and must be obeyed with reverence and fear.
7:2 - "it seemed the Lord had abandoned them"
7:3ff - It took them 20 years to become serious about coming back to God, but then they did get rid of their idols and worshipped only God. After they had done that, God answered their prayer (v9).
7:10-12 - God defeated the Philistines with no input at all from the Israelites, just by the power of a thunderstorm he sent and the panic that induced.
7:12 - another stone to serve as a reminder!
And yet, having seen God deliver this victory, the people say they want to be like the other nations and have a king. This is a repudiation of the covenant promise, where God makes them his special treasure, his special possession. Instead, they want to be just like everyone else. God reassures Samuel in 8:7 that it is God not Samuel they are going against.
8:10 -22 - Samuel warns them what the king will do to them, even taking for himself the things that are the prerogative of God - v14 "the best of the fields and vineyards"; v15 "the tenth of the grain"; v17 "a tenth of the flocks". But the people refuse to listen, just bleating that they want to be like the other nations.
In chapter 9, Saul in chosen. Interestingly, he comes from the tribe of Benjamin. In Jdg 20-21, the whole of Israel had united against Benjamin and nearly wiped them out. Yet, it is from this tribe that God chooses the first king for their people, almost as if to say 'if this is what you want, here take one from your weakest tribes'. Is this why does God choose someone from Benjamin not Judah (Gen 49:10)? Is this God saying, OK, you do it your way, but I actually have a much better plan (1 Sam 13:14)?
We see again the pattern - anointing by a Prophet (10:1), the Spirit coming in power (10:6), and going out to victory (11:11).
When I read 10:8, I wondered Saul actually did go to Gilgal, since it was not stated clearly in 10:9-16. Is this instruction and Saul's disobedience to it told in 13:7-12? Where does 11:14-15 fit in with this?
10:25 - cf Deut 17:18-20
Samuel's farewell address in ch12 is great. Once we've completed the 90 days, I must remember to compare the various farewell addresses - Moses, Joshua, Samuel and of course Jesus, and any others we come across. Here, like Moses and Joshua, Samuel pulls the people up for their sins and unfaithfulness to God. The thunder and rain were a nice added touch of drama.
12:23 - Samuel commits himself to continuing faithful to God. I also like the NLT translation of 21 "Don't go back to worshipping worthless idols that cannot rescue you - they are totally useless!"
13:7-12 - Saul was scared so he tried to take things into his own hands. He didn't trust God to get him out of the tight spot. This was the final straw and the authority as God's chosen king has now transferred irrevocably to another.
ch 14 - Jonathan is cut from different cloth from his father. He is brave and daring because he trusts in God, yet Saul is weak and indecisive (v18-19).
Saul had a vision of a fruit-machine God, thinking God is bound to help him if he does something extra. Hence, he makes his army take a foolish oath (14:24), which, as Jonathan helpfully points out in v29, costs the Israelites in terms of their victory. Then he gets impatient in v37, wanting an immediate answer.
14:52 is the fulfilment of the warning in 8:11
15:2 - the idea of God settling accounts is pretty frightening (Lk 16:2)
15:11 - God is grieved (cf Gen 6:6), and Samuel is so in tune with God's will that he mourns all night.
15:17 really struck me powerfully. In the NLT it says "although you may think so little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king..:" We may think we are insignificant (like Gideon 'mighty hero (Jdg 6:12), but God sees with a totally different perspective.
Does God turn away from Saul or does Saul turn away from God (15:26). It is clear it is Saul who has turned away. In his own mind, he has obeyed God by defeating the Amalekites, and although he has kept the sheep, goats and cattle, he convinces himself that they are going to be offered in sacrifice. But partial obedience is still disobedience (Lk 12:48). Most telling of all, is 15:12 which tells us that Saul went t the town to set up a monument to himself. This is stark contrast to all the other monuments that littered the countryside as testimony to what God had done. It is also redolent of Gen 11:4 and the motivation of the builders of the Tower of Babel.
1 Sam 15:22 " “What is more pleasing to the Lord: / your burnt offerings and sacrifices / or your obedience to his voice? / Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, / and submission is better than offering the fat of rams."
Monday, 19 November 2007
Chris Edwards' thoughts on questions from Week 1 (part 1)
I sent Chris a number of questions that were posted on this blog, and he has very kindly started to answer them. This is what he said:
Gen 1 v 6-8 – what is it about the second day that means God does not say it is good
Calvin says - Moses has not affixed to the work of this day the note that “God saw that it was good:” perhaps because there was no advantage from it till the terrestrial waters were gathered into their proper place, which was done on the next day, and therefore it is there twice repeated.
So Day three may well be carrying the Day 2 “good” (1:10 and 1:12).
Gen 6 v1 - what is the difference between the sons of God and the daughters of men?
Context is always helpful, so consider this: the spread of sin is traced by four major narratives:
1) Cain and Abel (4:1-16),
2) the sons of God and the daughters of men (6:1-4),
3) the flood (6:5ff.),
4) the tower of Babel (11:1-9).
Each of these narratives (and the narrative of Genesis 3) follows a similar pattern:
a. Sin (e.g. 4:1-8; 6:1-4)
b. Declaration of God's judgement (e.g. 4:9-12; 6:5-7)
c. Grace, with some reduction in the severity of judgement (e.g. 4:13-15; 6:8-7:10). Only in the Babel narrative (11:1-9) is there no movement of grace as there is in the other narratives.
So we are witnessing the steady spread of sin in the world. The details of this time are not clear to us. We live in a time of precision but we are witnessing in Genesis 1-11 a time of very broad brush strokes.
Derek Kidner (Tyndale Old Testament Commentary - IVP, pp 83-84) is good for us at this point because he is so concise. Let me quote him:
The point of this cryptic passage, whichever way we take it, is that a new stage has been reached in the progress of evil, with God’s bounds overstepped in yet another realm.
The Sons of God are identified by some interpreters as the sons of Seth, over against the sons of Cain. By others … they were taken to mean angels.
(But) more important than the detail of this episode is its indication that (humanity) is beyond self help, whether Seth-ites have betrayed their calling, or demonic powers have gained a stranglehold.
So what is the difference? I don’t really know but I do see that the creation is slipping deeper into sin and God’s response is both judgement and grace.
Gen 11 v6 - God deliberately sets confusion at the Tower of Babel because He seems worried that "nothing they propose to do will be impossible for them" - seems strange to me - like God deliberately tries to make life difficult.
Hmmm …
Start with context again.
We are looking at the narratives tracing the spread of sin. In each episode there is an act of divine grace:
a) Adam does not immediately die;
b) Cain is marked for his protection;
c) the flood will never recur.
Only in the Babel narrative do we look in vain for such a note of divine grace. Coming at the end of the sequence, this narrative assumes a special significance and it raises a question as to whether the human race will even continue.
The account assumes the age-old human dream of one common language, one social culture, a racial union and common economic ties. It almost sounds like a League of Nations! It is a human attempt to form a “peoples” without God. Yet God comes down and “frustrates” this god-less ambition.
To think God is deliberately holding back a clever group of creative planners means you have to believe that heaven (i.e. God) is a threat to their ‘progress’. On this view the whole narrative is about the age-old human dream of a world in which, by human co-operation, a utopian heaven on earth is built. But it is always an impossible dream when God is left out of the plans, as in Genesis 11:1-9.
This view is interesting but improbable.
What is “frustrated” (and condemned) is that arrogant self assertion (v. 4 ‘we may make a name for ourselves’) which seeks to promote human unity on the social, cultural and economic levels yet ignores God. This also fails to recognise that human unity will only really be found in a common expression of allegiance to the kingship of God.
If, therefore, Genesis 3 pictures the fall of humankind, Genesis 11 pictures the fall of human society. So, Babel shows the total spread of sin and provides the logical conclusion to the episode that opened in Genesis 3.
God isn’t deliberately making life difficult for them. He is saving humanity from making life difficult for themselves because they want to leave him out!
I mentioned earlier that there was no immediate response of grace by God after Babel. That is true if you close the book at chapter 11 but the genealogy of Shem, from which Abram (later called Abraham, 17:5) stems (11:10-32), leads us to the new beginning in Abram. Genesis 12:1 recalls the ‘and God said’ of Genesis 1:3. Genesis 12:1-3 pictures Abram as the ‘new creation’, and so presents God's response to Genesis 3-11. In reply to the men of Babel who want to make a great name for themselves, God himself will make Abram's name great (12:2).The unity and community (the nation?) desired by the Babel builders will come from God through Abram.
So God makes nationhood possible but it has to be on his terms. He will be the King. Humanity cannot leave God out of the picture or make secret plans to create a world of harmony without him It’s his world! That is the same issue you find in Isaiah 29:15-16 – (the New Living Translation grabs the feel quite well) What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! “The Lord can’t see us,” they say. “He doesn’t know what’s going on!”
How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!
Likewise the human race cannot say, “We will make ourselves great – stuff God! Hey, let’s build a tower while he’s not watching …”
Gen 1 v 6-8 – what is it about the second day that means God does not say it is good
Calvin says - Moses has not affixed to the work of this day the note that “God saw that it was good:” perhaps because there was no advantage from it till the terrestrial waters were gathered into their proper place, which was done on the next day, and therefore it is there twice repeated.
So Day three may well be carrying the Day 2 “good” (1:10 and 1:12).
Gen 6 v1 - what is the difference between the sons of God and the daughters of men?
Context is always helpful, so consider this: the spread of sin is traced by four major narratives:
1) Cain and Abel (4:1-16),
2) the sons of God and the daughters of men (6:1-4),
3) the flood (6:5ff.),
4) the tower of Babel (11:1-9).
Each of these narratives (and the narrative of Genesis 3) follows a similar pattern:
a. Sin (e.g. 4:1-8; 6:1-4)
b. Declaration of God's judgement (e.g. 4:9-12; 6:5-7)
c. Grace, with some reduction in the severity of judgement (e.g. 4:13-15; 6:8-7:10). Only in the Babel narrative (11:1-9) is there no movement of grace as there is in the other narratives.
So we are witnessing the steady spread of sin in the world. The details of this time are not clear to us. We live in a time of precision but we are witnessing in Genesis 1-11 a time of very broad brush strokes.
Derek Kidner (Tyndale Old Testament Commentary - IVP, pp 83-84) is good for us at this point because he is so concise. Let me quote him:
The point of this cryptic passage, whichever way we take it, is that a new stage has been reached in the progress of evil, with God’s bounds overstepped in yet another realm.
The Sons of God are identified by some interpreters as the sons of Seth, over against the sons of Cain. By others … they were taken to mean angels.
(But) more important than the detail of this episode is its indication that (humanity) is beyond self help, whether Seth-ites have betrayed their calling, or demonic powers have gained a stranglehold.
So what is the difference? I don’t really know but I do see that the creation is slipping deeper into sin and God’s response is both judgement and grace.
Gen 11 v6 - God deliberately sets confusion at the Tower of Babel because He seems worried that "nothing they propose to do will be impossible for them" - seems strange to me - like God deliberately tries to make life difficult.
Hmmm …
Start with context again.
We are looking at the narratives tracing the spread of sin. In each episode there is an act of divine grace:
a) Adam does not immediately die;
b) Cain is marked for his protection;
c) the flood will never recur.
Only in the Babel narrative do we look in vain for such a note of divine grace. Coming at the end of the sequence, this narrative assumes a special significance and it raises a question as to whether the human race will even continue.
The account assumes the age-old human dream of one common language, one social culture, a racial union and common economic ties. It almost sounds like a League of Nations! It is a human attempt to form a “peoples” without God. Yet God comes down and “frustrates” this god-less ambition.
To think God is deliberately holding back a clever group of creative planners means you have to believe that heaven (i.e. God) is a threat to their ‘progress’. On this view the whole narrative is about the age-old human dream of a world in which, by human co-operation, a utopian heaven on earth is built. But it is always an impossible dream when God is left out of the plans, as in Genesis 11:1-9.
This view is interesting but improbable.
What is “frustrated” (and condemned) is that arrogant self assertion (v. 4 ‘we may make a name for ourselves’) which seeks to promote human unity on the social, cultural and economic levels yet ignores God. This also fails to recognise that human unity will only really be found in a common expression of allegiance to the kingship of God.
If, therefore, Genesis 3 pictures the fall of humankind, Genesis 11 pictures the fall of human society. So, Babel shows the total spread of sin and provides the logical conclusion to the episode that opened in Genesis 3.
God isn’t deliberately making life difficult for them. He is saving humanity from making life difficult for themselves because they want to leave him out!
I mentioned earlier that there was no immediate response of grace by God after Babel. That is true if you close the book at chapter 11 but the genealogy of Shem, from which Abram (later called Abraham, 17:5) stems (11:10-32), leads us to the new beginning in Abram. Genesis 12:1 recalls the ‘and God said’ of Genesis 1:3. Genesis 12:1-3 pictures Abram as the ‘new creation’, and so presents God's response to Genesis 3-11. In reply to the men of Babel who want to make a great name for themselves, God himself will make Abram's name great (12:2).The unity and community (the nation?) desired by the Babel builders will come from God through Abram.
So God makes nationhood possible but it has to be on his terms. He will be the King. Humanity cannot leave God out of the picture or make secret plans to create a world of harmony without him It’s his world! That is the same issue you find in Isaiah 29:15-16 – (the New Living Translation grabs the feel quite well) What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! “The Lord can’t see us,” they say. “He doesn’t know what’s going on!”
How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!
Likewise the human race cannot say, “We will make ourselves great – stuff God! Hey, let’s build a tower while he’s not watching …”
Day 19 - Judges 15:13 - 1 Samuel 2:29
In today's section, we read about:
The end of Samson (good riddance!)
Micah's idols and the tribe of Dan
Israel hits new depths with the story of the Levite's concubine and the civil war against the tribe of Benjamin
The story of Ruth the Moabite, who is blessed by God for her faithfulness
God answers the prayer of Hannah by giving her a boy, who grows up to be a mighty prophet
Some things that stuck me today:
Jdg 15:17-19 - Samson is so sure of his own strength that he boasts, and even makes it sound as if God owes him a big favour.
Jdg 16:3 is surreal - Samson carries the city gates from Gaza to Hebron (which according to http://www.cyber-contact.com/routes.html is 94 km!!)
Jdg 16:30 sets the seal of the prodigious waste that Samson represents. "He killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime."
Jdg 19:22 - Israel becomes Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:5)
Jdg 21:25 shows the descent from Jdg 1:1 - "the Israelites asked the Lord" becomes "all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes."
Ruth 1:1 - Elimelech goes to Moab, a people whom the Israelites have been commanded to shun (Deut 23:3-6), and yet through a Moabite, God's people are shown what faithfulness really is (Deut 32:21)
Ruth 1:16 is an amazing promise of commitment
Ruth 2:12 - Boaz prays to the God under whose wings Ruth has taken refuge, as she promised in 1:16
Ruth 4:11 - it is an amazing blessing that the town elders pray over a Moabite (in apparent contradiction of Deut 23:6), but they could not possibly have imagined how much more than this God would actually do. Ephrathah is the village prophesied in Micah 5:2 and where Rachel was buried (Gen 35:19)
1 Sam 2:1-10 Hannah's prayer is one of the great prayers of scripture, even if she can't resist the temptation to have a dig at her husband's other wife (v5). When I first read v8 in the NLT a few weeks back, I thought immediately of the Giraffe Project - "He lifts the poor from the dirt / and the needy from the garbage dump. / He sets them among princes / placing them in seats of honour. / For all the earth is the LORD's, / and he has set everything in order."
1 Sam 2:10 - Hannah is taken out of herself and out of her situation the more she prays, and I am intrigued by the phrase "he increases the strength of his anointed one", bearing in mind my sermon yesterday and the part on anointing.
1 Sam 2:22-26 - Eli is weak in his condemnation of his sons' behaviour and is held just as culpable as they are ("scoundrels who had no respect for the LORD" v 12). Samuel on the other hand was respected for his faithful service to God
1 Sam 2:29 is a terrible indictment of Eli "why do you give your sons more honour than you give me - for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel"
The end of Samson (good riddance!)
Micah's idols and the tribe of Dan
Israel hits new depths with the story of the Levite's concubine and the civil war against the tribe of Benjamin
The story of Ruth the Moabite, who is blessed by God for her faithfulness
God answers the prayer of Hannah by giving her a boy, who grows up to be a mighty prophet
Some things that stuck me today:
Jdg 15:17-19 - Samson is so sure of his own strength that he boasts, and even makes it sound as if God owes him a big favour.
Jdg 16:3 is surreal - Samson carries the city gates from Gaza to Hebron (which according to http://www.cyber-contact.com/routes.html is 94 km!!)
Jdg 16:30 sets the seal of the prodigious waste that Samson represents. "He killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime."
Jdg 19:22 - Israel becomes Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:5)
Jdg 21:25 shows the descent from Jdg 1:1 - "the Israelites asked the Lord" becomes "all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes."
Ruth 1:1 - Elimelech goes to Moab, a people whom the Israelites have been commanded to shun (Deut 23:3-6), and yet through a Moabite, God's people are shown what faithfulness really is (Deut 32:21)
Ruth 1:16 is an amazing promise of commitment
Ruth 2:12 - Boaz prays to the God under whose wings Ruth has taken refuge, as she promised in 1:16
Ruth 4:11 - it is an amazing blessing that the town elders pray over a Moabite (in apparent contradiction of Deut 23:6), but they could not possibly have imagined how much more than this God would actually do. Ephrathah is the village prophesied in Micah 5:2 and where Rachel was buried (Gen 35:19)
1 Sam 2:1-10 Hannah's prayer is one of the great prayers of scripture, even if she can't resist the temptation to have a dig at her husband's other wife (v5). When I first read v8 in the NLT a few weeks back, I thought immediately of the Giraffe Project - "He lifts the poor from the dirt / and the needy from the garbage dump. / He sets them among princes / placing them in seats of honour. / For all the earth is the LORD's, / and he has set everything in order."
1 Sam 2:10 - Hannah is taken out of herself and out of her situation the more she prays, and I am intrigued by the phrase "he increases the strength of his anointed one", bearing in mind my sermon yesterday and the part on anointing.
1 Sam 2:22-26 - Eli is weak in his condemnation of his sons' behaviour and is held just as culpable as they are ("scoundrels who had no respect for the LORD" v 12). Samuel on the other hand was respected for his faithful service to God
1 Sam 2:29 is a terrible indictment of Eli "why do you give your sons more honour than you give me - for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel"
Sunday, 18 November 2007
Day 18 – Judges 3:28 – 15:12
In today’s section, we read about various of Israel’s judges:
Shamgar (3:31)
Deborah (ch 4-5)
Gideon (ch 6-8)
Abimelech (ch 9)
Tola, Jair (ch 10)
Jephthah (ch11-12)
Samson (ch13 ff)
Some things that struck we today (although there are not as many as usual as I had other things on my mind!):
Jdg 6:12 in the NLT translates this verse as “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you”. I can’t imagine Gideon seeing himself as a mighty warrior, seeing as he was hiding at the bottom of a winepress, threshing wheat. Yet that was how God saw him!
The fleeces in 6:36-39 were after Gideon had stood up for God against the idols. He was called (6:14), the Spirit came on him (6:34) and he went out to victory (6:36-40). This is a pattern that continues in the story of Jephthah (ch10), Samson (ch 14-16), through the kings (1 Sam 10-11; 1 Sam 16-17) and is seen in the baptism of Jesus.
Jdg 7:10 - God clearly knows what Gideon is like. Even though Gideon doesn’t ask for a sign, the Lord is willing to give him the reassurance he needs.
Jdg 8:1 –You’d have thought they’d have been happy that the Midianites had been defeated, but now that God has won them the victory and it’s safe, they want to have been included in this.
Jdg 8:23 – I don’t know what to make of this. Was this humility that comes from knowing who God is, or is it a cop-out from taking on the responsibility that comes with the calling from God?
Jdg 10:10 – I was struck by the word ‘finally’. Only after they had been oppressed by the Philistines and Ammonites, did they turn back to God.
Jdg 10:12 shows how much the Israelites had exasperated the Lord – “Did I not rescue you from (a whole list of nations)?... Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you any more.” And yet God is still moved by their plight so he helps them (10:16).
Jdg 10:30 – It is almost as if Jephthah is treating God like a slot-machine; if he just gives God something, God is bound to give him success. It is as if the calling and anointing with the Spirit (v29) are not enough, and he needs to twist God’s arm. It shows a lack of faith and a misunderstanding of God’s true nature.
Jdg 13:18 is fabulous – “Why do you ask my name… It is too wonderful for you to understand”
Samson really annoys me. He has wonderful parents, who see this amazing calling (esp 13:19) and yet Samson, even when the Spirit comes on him, he has no self-control, no sense of the calling of God. Instead, it is all ‘me, me, me’. In a sermon on Eph 4, Chris Edwards defined gentleness as controlled strength. This is the complete opposite of Samson. What a waste.
Jdg 14:4 makes me uneasy if it is taken as a justification for marrying non-believers. There are so many injunctions against inter-marriage with the tribes surrounding Israel, that this cannot ever be the best course of action. Instead, what it shows is that nothing is beyond God’s amazing power to redeem.
Shamgar (3:31)
Deborah (ch 4-5)
Gideon (ch 6-8)
Abimelech (ch 9)
Tola, Jair (ch 10)
Jephthah (ch11-12)
Samson (ch13 ff)
Some things that struck we today (although there are not as many as usual as I had other things on my mind!):
Jdg 6:12 in the NLT translates this verse as “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you”. I can’t imagine Gideon seeing himself as a mighty warrior, seeing as he was hiding at the bottom of a winepress, threshing wheat. Yet that was how God saw him!
The fleeces in 6:36-39 were after Gideon had stood up for God against the idols. He was called (6:14), the Spirit came on him (6:34) and he went out to victory (6:36-40). This is a pattern that continues in the story of Jephthah (ch10), Samson (ch 14-16), through the kings (1 Sam 10-11; 1 Sam 16-17) and is seen in the baptism of Jesus.
Jdg 7:10 - God clearly knows what Gideon is like. Even though Gideon doesn’t ask for a sign, the Lord is willing to give him the reassurance he needs.
Jdg 8:1 –You’d have thought they’d have been happy that the Midianites had been defeated, but now that God has won them the victory and it’s safe, they want to have been included in this.
Jdg 8:23 – I don’t know what to make of this. Was this humility that comes from knowing who God is, or is it a cop-out from taking on the responsibility that comes with the calling from God?
Jdg 10:10 – I was struck by the word ‘finally’. Only after they had been oppressed by the Philistines and Ammonites, did they turn back to God.
Jdg 10:12 shows how much the Israelites had exasperated the Lord – “Did I not rescue you from (a whole list of nations)?... Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you any more.” And yet God is still moved by their plight so he helps them (10:16).
Jdg 10:30 – It is almost as if Jephthah is treating God like a slot-machine; if he just gives God something, God is bound to give him success. It is as if the calling and anointing with the Spirit (v29) are not enough, and he needs to twist God’s arm. It shows a lack of faith and a misunderstanding of God’s true nature.
Jdg 13:18 is fabulous – “Why do you ask my name… It is too wonderful for you to understand”
Samson really annoys me. He has wonderful parents, who see this amazing calling (esp 13:19) and yet Samson, even when the Spirit comes on him, he has no self-control, no sense of the calling of God. Instead, it is all ‘me, me, me’. In a sermon on Eph 4, Chris Edwards defined gentleness as controlled strength. This is the complete opposite of Samson. What a waste.
Jdg 14:4 makes me uneasy if it is taken as a justification for marrying non-believers. There are so many injunctions against inter-marriage with the tribes surrounding Israel, that this cannot ever be the best course of action. Instead, what it shows is that nothing is beyond God’s amazing power to redeem.
Saturday, 17 November 2007
Day 17 - Joshua 15:1- Judges 3:27
In today’s section, we read about:
The allocation of the land to the remaining tribes
The designation of the cities of refuge and the towns for the Levites
Caleb and Joshua are given their portions of land
The eastern tribes go back across the Jordan, nearly provoking civil war
Joshua’s farewell address and instructions to obey the Lord
The covenant renewed
Into the book of Judges, where after a good beginning, the people turn away from God
God raises up Othniel and Ehud to be judges
Some things that struck me today:
Judah and Joseph have assumed complete precedence among the people – they are the ones who get their allotment first, and only then is a complete survey of the land carried out.
What exactly was the situation with Jerusalem – was it captured or not? (15:63; Jdg 1:8, 21)?
Was the tablernacle to be based in one place or itinerant (Josh 18:1: 24:26).
Joshua and Caleb are both rewarded for their faithfulness, with whole cities as part of their allocations.
I was struck by the fact that among the allocation was land that the Israelites had not yet conquered (Josh 23:4). It reminded me that although God has blessed us with so much here and now, our full inheritance still awaits us in the future.
You can almost sense the excitement as the scribe gets carried away with everything that God has done “the LORD gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors… And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”
Josh 22 shows how our initial instinct is to be distrustful, but establishing the facts and direct communication can bring clarity to the situation – so with us, so with our prayer life, where often we do not understand what God is doing, but when we pray about it, God shows us how things really are.
Josh 22:22 – the eastern tribes call God as their witness.
Josh 23:6 is exactly the same words that God used to Joshua himself in 1:6. 23:6-8 repeats the same point in five different ways – follow God completely and have no others.
Josh 23:12-13 is a reminder that there will be many temptations to follow other gods, and we can slide into rebellion without really thinking about it. But as 23:14 says, deep in our hearts, we know that every promise of the LORD our God has come true.
In his valediction, Joshua not only reminds the people of their recent history where God has led them out of slavery into freedom, but he also reminds them of their propensity to rebel. He makes them openly state their choice to follow God or some other gods, and reminds them that they are sinful and rebellious by nature (24:15, 19).
Joshua’s statement rings down through the ages – “as for me and my family, we will server the LORD” (24:15; Dan 3:18; 6:10)
Judges 1:1 is a good start to the book of Judges – however, it was all downhill from there.
I’m slightly confused about the chronology in Jdg 1, since I had thought the conquest had already been described in Joshua.
Jdg 2:2 must have seemed a real slap in the face to the Israelites, who obviously thought they had done all they should have (Josh 24:16-18).
The tribes were left in the land as a test, even though Josh 22:43-45 says that God have given them everything he had promised. It is a reminder that we will have problems and difficulties even if we are closely following God. We are not promised that there will be no troubles. God wants us to use the times of testing to rely wholly on Him.
Jdg 3 shows that God is merciful and faithful in spite of the people’s sins. In spite of them following these other gods, God raises up a leader who is able to rescue them for a little while.
The Moabites were the descendants of Lot (Deut 23:3)
The allocation of the land to the remaining tribes
The designation of the cities of refuge and the towns for the Levites
Caleb and Joshua are given their portions of land
The eastern tribes go back across the Jordan, nearly provoking civil war
Joshua’s farewell address and instructions to obey the Lord
The covenant renewed
Into the book of Judges, where after a good beginning, the people turn away from God
God raises up Othniel and Ehud to be judges
Some things that struck me today:
Judah and Joseph have assumed complete precedence among the people – they are the ones who get their allotment first, and only then is a complete survey of the land carried out.
What exactly was the situation with Jerusalem – was it captured or not? (15:63; Jdg 1:8, 21)?
Was the tablernacle to be based in one place or itinerant (Josh 18:1: 24:26).
Joshua and Caleb are both rewarded for their faithfulness, with whole cities as part of their allocations.
I was struck by the fact that among the allocation was land that the Israelites had not yet conquered (Josh 23:4). It reminded me that although God has blessed us with so much here and now, our full inheritance still awaits us in the future.
You can almost sense the excitement as the scribe gets carried away with everything that God has done “the LORD gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors… And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”
Josh 22 shows how our initial instinct is to be distrustful, but establishing the facts and direct communication can bring clarity to the situation – so with us, so with our prayer life, where often we do not understand what God is doing, but when we pray about it, God shows us how things really are.
Josh 22:22 – the eastern tribes call God as their witness.
Josh 23:6 is exactly the same words that God used to Joshua himself in 1:6. 23:6-8 repeats the same point in five different ways – follow God completely and have no others.
Josh 23:12-13 is a reminder that there will be many temptations to follow other gods, and we can slide into rebellion without really thinking about it. But as 23:14 says, deep in our hearts, we know that every promise of the LORD our God has come true.
In his valediction, Joshua not only reminds the people of their recent history where God has led them out of slavery into freedom, but he also reminds them of their propensity to rebel. He makes them openly state their choice to follow God or some other gods, and reminds them that they are sinful and rebellious by nature (24:15, 19).
Joshua’s statement rings down through the ages – “as for me and my family, we will server the LORD” (24:15; Dan 3:18; 6:10)
Judges 1:1 is a good start to the book of Judges – however, it was all downhill from there.
I’m slightly confused about the chronology in Jdg 1, since I had thought the conquest had already been described in Joshua.
Jdg 2:2 must have seemed a real slap in the face to the Israelites, who obviously thought they had done all they should have (Josh 24:16-18).
The tribes were left in the land as a test, even though Josh 22:43-45 says that God have given them everything he had promised. It is a reminder that we will have problems and difficulties even if we are closely following God. We are not promised that there will be no troubles. God wants us to use the times of testing to rely wholly on Him.
Jdg 3 shows that God is merciful and faithful in spite of the people’s sins. In spite of them following these other gods, God raises up a leader who is able to rescue them for a little while.
The Moabites were the descendants of Lot (Deut 23:3)
Friday, 16 November 2007
Day 16 – Joshua 1:1 – 14:15
In today’s section, we read about:
God’s charge to Joshua, and Joshua’s charge to the Israelites
Spies sent into Jericho, sheltered by Rahab
The Israelites cross the Jordan
Memorials established, ceremonies of re-dedication
The Fall of Jericho
Defeat at Ai, Achan’s sin and the defeat of Ai
The treaty with Gibeon
The Israelites conquer the south, the Israelites conquer the north and the land has rest from war
Caleb claims his land
Some things that struck me today:
Josh 1:9 reminded me of Matt 28:20 – God promises to be with Joshua wherever he goes. It can’t be easy following someone like Moses (Deut 28:20). But God reassures Joshua, and commands him not to be afraid. God has given him everything he needs to succeed in the form of the written word and God himself with him. We have the same things – God’s word and the Holy Spirit in us.
My reaction to Josh 1:17 was “oh great”, when they say “we will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. Yet they were probably sincere. What is God’s reaction when we repeat of a repeated and usual sin – is he sceptical or does he welcome us with a completely clean slate? And do we ourselves believe a clean slate is possible.
Rahab would hardly have been one of the most respected members of the community, yet her name is remembered throughout the ages. Noone is too despised to be beyond being used by God.
The words which Rahab, a gentile speaks in Josh 2:8-11 are not only remarkable in themselves, but they are the fulfilment of what God had himself promised – Josh 2:9 = Deut 7:20; Josh 2:11 = Deut 4:39.
The report back from the spies in Josh 2:24 stand in stark contrast to the ten (of the twelve) sent out by Moses (Num 13:31-33)
I like the symmetry between Ex 14 and Josh 3 – they leave the land of slavery thanks to God parting the water of the Red Sea, and they enter the Promised Land thanks to God parting the waters of the Jordan River. There is also a symmetry between Ex 3:5 and Josh 5:15.
I was struck by the repeated references that things “are still there to this day” – 4.9, 7:26, 8:29, 9:26, 10:27. It was obviously meant as a confirmation that these things actually did take place as the scribe set down.
Just as Moses had to be circumcised before he embarked on the great task God had called him to (Ex 4:24-26), so the whole of the Israelites had to be circumcised before conquering the Promised Land (Josh 5:1-3).
Is it coincidental that the manna stopped the first day of the first Passover the Israelites celebrated in the Promised Land?
Joshua’s curse about Jericho (6:26) was fulfilled in 1 Ki 16:34
God’s response to Joshua’s prayer in 7:7-9 reads as a bit of a rebuke. God is clear – there was sin, despite a clear instruction and warning (Josh 6:18), and the guilty person must be dealt with.
Achan appears to make a full and frank confession, but it was only when he had been singled out from the whole population, and he and his whole family had to pay the price.
The bodies of the defeated kings were taken down at sunset in accordance with Deut 21:23
Josh 8:30-35 shows how the Israelites carried out the instructions of Deut 27.
The reason the Israelites were deceived by the Gibeonites in ch 9 is very simple – “they did not consult the LORD” (9:14). God made sure the mistake would not be repeated by hardening the hearts of the Canaanite tribes (11:20)
The final victory in the south was pretty extraordinary – more killed by a hailstorm than by the sword, and the sun and moon stopping in the middle of the day. What lovely words “never has there been a day like this one before or since, when the LORD answered such a prayer.”
Josh 13 makes clear that this was a great task that would not be fully accomplished under Joshua. The allotment of lands to the tribes was to include the land still to be conquered.
I like the tone of Josh 14:6-12 – two men who had faithfully served God wholehearted over a long period remembering the good times together. Caleb’s statement that “today I am 85 years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then” is a wonderful example of how God keeps all his promises.
The descendants of Anak, who were the cause of such trepidation, are finally dealt with.
God’s charge to Joshua, and Joshua’s charge to the Israelites
Spies sent into Jericho, sheltered by Rahab
The Israelites cross the Jordan
Memorials established, ceremonies of re-dedication
The Fall of Jericho
Defeat at Ai, Achan’s sin and the defeat of Ai
The treaty with Gibeon
The Israelites conquer the south, the Israelites conquer the north and the land has rest from war
Caleb claims his land
Some things that struck me today:
Josh 1:9 reminded me of Matt 28:20 – God promises to be with Joshua wherever he goes. It can’t be easy following someone like Moses (Deut 28:20). But God reassures Joshua, and commands him not to be afraid. God has given him everything he needs to succeed in the form of the written word and God himself with him. We have the same things – God’s word and the Holy Spirit in us.
My reaction to Josh 1:17 was “oh great”, when they say “we will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. Yet they were probably sincere. What is God’s reaction when we repeat of a repeated and usual sin – is he sceptical or does he welcome us with a completely clean slate? And do we ourselves believe a clean slate is possible.
Rahab would hardly have been one of the most respected members of the community, yet her name is remembered throughout the ages. Noone is too despised to be beyond being used by God.
The words which Rahab, a gentile speaks in Josh 2:8-11 are not only remarkable in themselves, but they are the fulfilment of what God had himself promised – Josh 2:9 = Deut 7:20; Josh 2:11 = Deut 4:39.
The report back from the spies in Josh 2:24 stand in stark contrast to the ten (of the twelve) sent out by Moses (Num 13:31-33)
I like the symmetry between Ex 14 and Josh 3 – they leave the land of slavery thanks to God parting the water of the Red Sea, and they enter the Promised Land thanks to God parting the waters of the Jordan River. There is also a symmetry between Ex 3:5 and Josh 5:15.
I was struck by the repeated references that things “are still there to this day” – 4.9, 7:26, 8:29, 9:26, 10:27. It was obviously meant as a confirmation that these things actually did take place as the scribe set down.
Just as Moses had to be circumcised before he embarked on the great task God had called him to (Ex 4:24-26), so the whole of the Israelites had to be circumcised before conquering the Promised Land (Josh 5:1-3).
Is it coincidental that the manna stopped the first day of the first Passover the Israelites celebrated in the Promised Land?
Joshua’s curse about Jericho (6:26) was fulfilled in 1 Ki 16:34
God’s response to Joshua’s prayer in 7:7-9 reads as a bit of a rebuke. God is clear – there was sin, despite a clear instruction and warning (Josh 6:18), and the guilty person must be dealt with.
Achan appears to make a full and frank confession, but it was only when he had been singled out from the whole population, and he and his whole family had to pay the price.
The bodies of the defeated kings were taken down at sunset in accordance with Deut 21:23
Josh 8:30-35 shows how the Israelites carried out the instructions of Deut 27.
The reason the Israelites were deceived by the Gibeonites in ch 9 is very simple – “they did not consult the LORD” (9:14). God made sure the mistake would not be repeated by hardening the hearts of the Canaanite tribes (11:20)
The final victory in the south was pretty extraordinary – more killed by a hailstorm than by the sword, and the sun and moon stopping in the middle of the day. What lovely words “never has there been a day like this one before or since, when the LORD answered such a prayer.”
Josh 13 makes clear that this was a great task that would not be fully accomplished under Joshua. The allotment of lands to the tribes was to include the land still to be conquered.
I like the tone of Josh 14:6-12 – two men who had faithfully served God wholehearted over a long period remembering the good times together. Caleb’s statement that “today I am 85 years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then” is a wonderful example of how God keeps all his promises.
The descendants of Anak, who were the cause of such trepidation, are finally dealt with.
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Day 15 - Deuteronomy 23:12 - 34:12
In today's section, we read about:
More instructions for justice and care for the poor and foreigner
Instructions on offerings and tithes
Command to build an altar on Mount Ebal and to record the law there
Curses for disobedience and blessings for obedience
Moses' final reminder to keep the covenant - a choice between life and death
Joshua replaces Moses and is commanded to obey the Lord and to be strong and courageous
Moses' final song and blessings on the people
Moses dies
Some things that stuck me:
I like the way that a whole chapter (ch24) is devoted to looking after the poor, widows, orphans and foreigners. This is a helpful reminder of our true status before God - cf 26:5
Deut 25:13-16 - We may deceive others (and even ourselves), but we can never deceive God. (cf Matt 7:2, Luke 6:38)
Is the tithe in Deut 26:12 additional to the tithe in Deut 14:22, or merely the same tithe put explicitly to that use?
God's promises to his people are mind-blowing - Deut 26:18 "you are his people, his own treasure." 26:19 - "he will set you high above all the other nations he has made. Then you will receive praise, honour, and renown. You will be a nation that is holy to the Lord your God, just as he promised." 28:12 - "You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them." 28:13 - "Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom." (Being a Watford fan, I can identify with that one especially!!)
Deut 27 - an altar is a very visible, and presumably large, structure. God's Law is there out in the open for all to see. This is underlined by 30:11-14 "no the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so you can obey it".
There are some great verbs - God "guarantees" a blessing (28:8), you are a people "claimed" by God (28:10)
The section on the curses from 28:15ff makes clear that this disobedience is a conscious choice (28:15, 45, 47, 58). It is a scary thought that "just as the Lord has found great pleasure in causing you to prosper and multiply, the Lord will find pleasure in destroying you." (Deut 28:63)
Reading from 28:15 through to 29:28, I was struck by how the history of the Jews played out in accordance with that, and wondered what it must have been like before the state of Israel was founded in 1947 to believe that God will bring a remnant back. God has said His covenant is an everlasting covenant which He will not break - why then do we find it so hard to believe that God will keep all his promises?
Deut 29:19 is a salutary reminder not to forget how and why we have arrived where we have (1 Cor 10:12, Eph 2:8-9)
Deut 29:29 has been something of a guiding verse for me over the past few months, and reading the whole of the Torah again, brings home the truth of it. We read Moses setting out again and again the basic teaching of the Law - remember, remember, obey the Lord wholeheartedly, do not worship other gods, live holy lives and act justly towards everyone, taking care to ensure the weak and disadvantaged aren't neglected. God has even gone further and given incredibly detailed instructions on various issues. And yet we still want to know more. God seems to be saying -"Enough. You know everything you need to know, and live in obedience with what you do know. There are some things that you can never know or understand. Be content and live according to all these amazing things that God has revealed". (Job 38:2, Is 55:8)
Deut 30:1-10 is such a reassuring passage. After all our rebellion, there is still a way back to God. v6 is wonderful "The LORD your God will give you a new heart".
God confirms his command not to be afraid to Joshua, and repeats his assurances to him just to make the point (31:6, 8). I was struck by the phrase "the LORD will *PERSONALLY* go ahead of you"
Interesting that the instruction is only to read the Law every seventh year, when there is the reminder to the kind to read it daily and for people to keep them before them the whole time. A fresh reminder is necessary
God knew long in advance that the Israelites would turn away and yet He blessed them anyway. But He left lots of reminders - the Law, the altar on Mount Ebal and even Moses' song (31:19). He also promises that He will arouse their jealously through the Gentiles, presumably by showering them with the blessings that the Israelites forfeited (32:21)
What an accurate description 32:15 is "But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them, they made light of the Rock of their salvation."'
Nothing is unknown to God, but His perfect character will be revealed in the end
“The Lord says, ‘Am I not storing up these things,
sealing them away in my treasury?
I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
and their destiny will overtake them.’
“Indeed, the Lord will give justice to his people,
and he will change his mind about his servants,
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave or free.
Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods,
the rocks they fled to for refuge?
Where now are those gods,
who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their offerings?
Let those gods arise and help you!
Let them provide you with shelter!
Look now; I myself am he!
There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
I am the one who wounds and heals;
no one can be rescued from my powerful hand! (Deut 32:34-39)
Deut 32:47 is a final restatement - "these instructions are not empty words - they are your life!"
Why is Simeon excluded from the tribes being blessed in ch 33? Reuben, even though the firstborn tribe, was down to 22,200 at the second census (Nu 26:14). 33:9 about the Levites - cf Lk 14:26
Deut 34:10 isn't a bad epitaph - "There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, *WHOM THE LORD KNEW FACE TO FACE*" - cf 1 Cor 13:12
More instructions for justice and care for the poor and foreigner
Instructions on offerings and tithes
Command to build an altar on Mount Ebal and to record the law there
Curses for disobedience and blessings for obedience
Moses' final reminder to keep the covenant - a choice between life and death
Joshua replaces Moses and is commanded to obey the Lord and to be strong and courageous
Moses' final song and blessings on the people
Moses dies
Some things that stuck me:
I like the way that a whole chapter (ch24) is devoted to looking after the poor, widows, orphans and foreigners. This is a helpful reminder of our true status before God - cf 26:5
Deut 25:13-16 - We may deceive others (and even ourselves), but we can never deceive God. (cf Matt 7:2, Luke 6:38)
Is the tithe in Deut 26:12 additional to the tithe in Deut 14:22, or merely the same tithe put explicitly to that use?
God's promises to his people are mind-blowing - Deut 26:18 "you are his people, his own treasure." 26:19 - "he will set you high above all the other nations he has made. Then you will receive praise, honour, and renown. You will be a nation that is holy to the Lord your God, just as he promised." 28:12 - "You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them." 28:13 - "Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom." (Being a Watford fan, I can identify with that one especially!!)
Deut 27 - an altar is a very visible, and presumably large, structure. God's Law is there out in the open for all to see. This is underlined by 30:11-14 "no the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so you can obey it".
There are some great verbs - God "guarantees" a blessing (28:8), you are a people "claimed" by God (28:10)
The section on the curses from 28:15ff makes clear that this disobedience is a conscious choice (28:15, 45, 47, 58). It is a scary thought that "just as the Lord has found great pleasure in causing you to prosper and multiply, the Lord will find pleasure in destroying you." (Deut 28:63)
Reading from 28:15 through to 29:28, I was struck by how the history of the Jews played out in accordance with that, and wondered what it must have been like before the state of Israel was founded in 1947 to believe that God will bring a remnant back. God has said His covenant is an everlasting covenant which He will not break - why then do we find it so hard to believe that God will keep all his promises?
Deut 29:19 is a salutary reminder not to forget how and why we have arrived where we have (1 Cor 10:12, Eph 2:8-9)
Deut 29:29 has been something of a guiding verse for me over the past few months, and reading the whole of the Torah again, brings home the truth of it. We read Moses setting out again and again the basic teaching of the Law - remember, remember, obey the Lord wholeheartedly, do not worship other gods, live holy lives and act justly towards everyone, taking care to ensure the weak and disadvantaged aren't neglected. God has even gone further and given incredibly detailed instructions on various issues. And yet we still want to know more. God seems to be saying -"Enough. You know everything you need to know, and live in obedience with what you do know. There are some things that you can never know or understand. Be content and live according to all these amazing things that God has revealed". (Job 38:2, Is 55:8)
Deut 30:1-10 is such a reassuring passage. After all our rebellion, there is still a way back to God. v6 is wonderful "The LORD your God will give you a new heart".
God confirms his command not to be afraid to Joshua, and repeats his assurances to him just to make the point (31:6, 8). I was struck by the phrase "the LORD will *PERSONALLY* go ahead of you"
Interesting that the instruction is only to read the Law every seventh year, when there is the reminder to the kind to read it daily and for people to keep them before them the whole time. A fresh reminder is necessary
God knew long in advance that the Israelites would turn away and yet He blessed them anyway. But He left lots of reminders - the Law, the altar on Mount Ebal and even Moses' song (31:19). He also promises that He will arouse their jealously through the Gentiles, presumably by showering them with the blessings that the Israelites forfeited (32:21)
What an accurate description 32:15 is "But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them, they made light of the Rock of their salvation."'
Nothing is unknown to God, but His perfect character will be revealed in the end
“The Lord says, ‘Am I not storing up these things,
sealing them away in my treasury?
I will take revenge; I will pay them back.
In due time their feet will slip.
Their day of disaster will arrive,
and their destiny will overtake them.’
“Indeed, the Lord will give justice to his people,
and he will change his mind about his servants,
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave or free.
Then he will ask, ‘Where are their gods,
the rocks they fled to for refuge?
Where now are those gods,
who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their offerings?
Let those gods arise and help you!
Let them provide you with shelter!
Look now; I myself am he!
There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
I am the one who wounds and heals;
no one can be rescued from my powerful hand! (Deut 32:34-39)
Deut 32:47 is a final restatement - "these instructions are not empty words - they are your life!"
Why is Simeon excluded from the tribes being blessed in ch 33? Reuben, even though the firstborn tribe, was down to 22,200 at the second census (Nu 26:14). 33:9 about the Levites - cf Lk 14:26
Deut 34:10 isn't a bad epitaph - "There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, *WHOM THE LORD KNEW FACE TO FACE*" - cf 1 Cor 13:12
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Day 14 - Deuteronomy 8:1 - 23:11
In today's section, we read about:
Repeated instructions to remember and obey God's commandments
God will choose a place for the people to worship him
Restatement of commands not to worship other gods and to celebrate the festivals
Tithing, release for debtors and slaves
Rules for identifying and dealing with false prophets
Gifts for priests, cities of refuge, and rules for dealing with murder
Miscellaneous other regulations
Some things that struck me:
There is the constant instruction to remember that it was God who has done all these amazing things, and He has not done them because they are wonderful, so you should not get proud and forget Him. "He did all this so that you would never say to yourself 'I have achieved all this wealth with my own strength and energy'. Remember the LORD your God" (8:17-18). See also 9:4-6
Deut 8:15 would seem to indicate that Moses has learnt his lesson
Having said that Moses omits to mention the golden calf and Korah's rebellion, they are here in ch9.
Deut 9:18-21 returns us again to the question of whether God changes His mind. One thing is clear is that God was pleased that Moses threw himself completely into prayer.
The NLT version of 9:21 gives such a vivid image of what Jesus' sacrifice and intervention has done for us "I took your sin ... and I melted it down in the fire and ground it into fine dust. Then I threw the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain."
I like the fact that God himself wrote the commandments on the stone with his own finger, all Moses did was chisel out the stone tablets (10:1-2)
Deut 10:12-13 reminds me of Micah 6:8 " O people, the Lord has told you what is good /and this is what he requires of you: / to do what is right, to love mercy, /and to walk humbly with your God." Loving justice is also commanded at various other junctures (eg 16:18-20, 19:14ff). Justice is also required in dealing with marriage and family matters (21:10-21).
There is a constant repetition to remember that all the good things come from God, and because it was God who chose the Israelites and brought them out of Egypt, they should deal kindly and justly with strangers in their midst - Deut 10:17-19 is very powerful.
The exhortation in 10:20-21 is very powerful too - "You must fear the LORD your God and worship him and cling to him.... He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise".
The command to obey with the contingent promises of blessing or of curses is repeated so many times that the Israelites can have had no excuses for not knowing what was required. In addition, the festivals are there to help them remember.
Deut 11:26 is a foreshadowing of Deut 30:15-16 - the people are being given a very easy, comprehensible, but nonetheless, stark choice - will they choose life or will they choose death?
A crucial part of their obedience to God is the banishment of idolatry - not just ch 12, but also 18:9-14.
It is God who has told them how to worship and decreed order out of the chaos
Another theme that comes out it that it is the responsibility of each individual to confront sin when he comes across it (eg 13:9), also to go out of their way to look after their neighbour (22:1-4).
Money - 15:4 says "there should be no poor among you", yet a few verses later it says "if there are any poor Israelites..." (v7), and then v11 "there will always be some in the land who are poor". But God commands the people to be generous and share from his blessings. "The LORD will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you." (15:6-7)
Even though God appears to condone slavery, the Israelites are commanded to treat their servants and slaves kindly - cf Eph 6:5-8.
The notion of a king will come from the people, not from God (17:14) The king is subject to God's law and must read the law daily " That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel." Daily reading of God's word will help us stay on the right path!!
Deut 17:16-17 is a number of commands which were broken by Israel's king with disastrous consequences - going to Egypt (Jer 42), the other two by Solomon.
Who is/was the prophet like Moses (18:15)? Elijah? Isaiah? John the Baptist?
Deut 21:22-23 - Gal 3:13
What is the reason behind prohibiting cross-dressing? (22:5)
The Ammonites and Moabites were descendants of Lot, so were not children of the covenant at any stage. The Edomites are descedants of Esau, who renounced his birthright. Interesting that God instructs the Israelites not to detest either the Edomites or Egyptians, even though both felt the wrath of God at different times (Rom 12:19-20).
Repeated instructions to remember and obey God's commandments
God will choose a place for the people to worship him
Restatement of commands not to worship other gods and to celebrate the festivals
Tithing, release for debtors and slaves
Rules for identifying and dealing with false prophets
Gifts for priests, cities of refuge, and rules for dealing with murder
Miscellaneous other regulations
Some things that struck me:
There is the constant instruction to remember that it was God who has done all these amazing things, and He has not done them because they are wonderful, so you should not get proud and forget Him. "He did all this so that you would never say to yourself 'I have achieved all this wealth with my own strength and energy'. Remember the LORD your God" (8:17-18). See also 9:4-6
Deut 8:15 would seem to indicate that Moses has learnt his lesson
Having said that Moses omits to mention the golden calf and Korah's rebellion, they are here in ch9.
Deut 9:18-21 returns us again to the question of whether God changes His mind. One thing is clear is that God was pleased that Moses threw himself completely into prayer.
The NLT version of 9:21 gives such a vivid image of what Jesus' sacrifice and intervention has done for us "I took your sin ... and I melted it down in the fire and ground it into fine dust. Then I threw the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain."
I like the fact that God himself wrote the commandments on the stone with his own finger, all Moses did was chisel out the stone tablets (10:1-2)
Deut 10:12-13 reminds me of Micah 6:8 " O people, the Lord has told you what is good /and this is what he requires of you: / to do what is right, to love mercy, /and to walk humbly with your God." Loving justice is also commanded at various other junctures (eg 16:18-20, 19:14ff). Justice is also required in dealing with marriage and family matters (21:10-21).
There is a constant repetition to remember that all the good things come from God, and because it was God who chose the Israelites and brought them out of Egypt, they should deal kindly and justly with strangers in their midst - Deut 10:17-19 is very powerful.
The exhortation in 10:20-21 is very powerful too - "You must fear the LORD your God and worship him and cling to him.... He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise".
The command to obey with the contingent promises of blessing or of curses is repeated so many times that the Israelites can have had no excuses for not knowing what was required. In addition, the festivals are there to help them remember.
Deut 11:26 is a foreshadowing of Deut 30:15-16 - the people are being given a very easy, comprehensible, but nonetheless, stark choice - will they choose life or will they choose death?
A crucial part of their obedience to God is the banishment of idolatry - not just ch 12, but also 18:9-14.
It is God who has told them how to worship and decreed order out of the chaos
Another theme that comes out it that it is the responsibility of each individual to confront sin when he comes across it (eg 13:9), also to go out of their way to look after their neighbour (22:1-4).
Money - 15:4 says "there should be no poor among you", yet a few verses later it says "if there are any poor Israelites..." (v7), and then v11 "there will always be some in the land who are poor". But God commands the people to be generous and share from his blessings. "The LORD will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you." (15:6-7)
Even though God appears to condone slavery, the Israelites are commanded to treat their servants and slaves kindly - cf Eph 6:5-8.
The notion of a king will come from the people, not from God (17:14) The king is subject to God's law and must read the law daily " That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel." Daily reading of God's word will help us stay on the right path!!
Deut 17:16-17 is a number of commands which were broken by Israel's king with disastrous consequences - going to Egypt (Jer 42), the other two by Solomon.
Who is/was the prophet like Moses (18:15)? Elijah? Isaiah? John the Baptist?
Deut 21:22-23 - Gal 3:13
What is the reason behind prohibiting cross-dressing? (22:5)
The Ammonites and Moabites were descendants of Lot, so were not children of the covenant at any stage. The Edomites are descedants of Esau, who renounced his birthright. Interesting that God instructs the Israelites not to detest either the Edomites or Egyptians, even though both felt the wrath of God at different times (Rom 12:19-20).
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Day 13 – Numbers 32:20 –Deuteronomy 7:26
In today’s section we read about:
The promise of the tribes allotted land east of the Jordan to fight with the rest of the Israelites
The journey from Egypt recalled
The boundaries of the land and the leaders appointed to oversee the allotment of land
Towns for Levites, cities of refuge, and rules for women who inherit
Moses recalls the people’s history from the time of leaving Egypt up to the point when they will enter the land
Moses is forbidden to enter the land
Instructions and reminders to remember and obey everything the Lord has taught them
A call for wholehearted commitment and for the Israelites to remain distinct.
Some thought which struck me today:
Nu 33:3 “the people of Israel left defiantly, in full view of the Egyptians” – it is a salient reminder that these great works were done in full view and openly
It came as a bit of a shock to read in 33:37, that we are already at the end of the 40 years that have passed since the spies were sent out in Nu 13.
It is interesting what Moses includes and what he does not - there is no mention of the golden calf, of the rebellion of Korah, but he does mention the advice from Jethro to share the load.
Moses obviously spoke to God presumably to allow his to enter the Promised Land, but it is clear that God had said enough (3:26)
Up until this point, Moses did not seem to moan or grumble about the fact that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. Yet in Deut 1:37 (and 3:26), Moses says God “was angry with me because of you”? Surely it was because he did not trust God enough that he was being punished liked this (Nu 20:12)? Moses’ memory also seems to betray him in Deut 2:29, when he says that the Edomites allowed them to go through their land (Nu 20:20).
I like Deut 2:36 "No town had walls too strong for us." Nothing is too difficult for God (Phil 4:13)
Very interesting that one of the first instructions Moses gives them is not to add or subtract to any of these commands (4:2) - cf Rev 22:18-19
Deut 4:4 - "all of you who were faithful to the LORD your God are still alive today" - is this just Joshua and Caleb (and Moses) or are there others?
Deut 4:39 sums up the whole Bible really – “So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other.”
When reading Deut 5, I am struck not by the amount of instructions and commands, but by the restatement of character of God.
I like Deut 5:28-29, since it gives us all the hope that we can please God, pig-headed though we are "the Lord heard the request you made to me. And he said, ‘I have heard what the people said to you, and they are right. Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever."
The shema - the most repeated prayer in my synagogue - Deut 6:4-9 "Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." I remember it starting (forgive transliteration) 'shema yisrael, adonai eloheinu, adonai, echad'. Echad is the Hebrew word for 'one'.
The constant repetition and exhortation not to forget is striking here. The repetition is not just how great God is, but also what great things God has done.
Here it says when you take an oath, you must only use God's name (6:33). How does this square with 5:11 and Matt 5:33?
Deut 7:7 is very humbling "the Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors." God chose us because He loves us, there is nothing special to commend us, except that He has chosen to make us special, because He loves us. He loves us because He loves us. It's such a simple message, we struggle to take it in.
There can be no mercy to things that are opposed to God - there can be no accommodation or easy tolerance/indifference.
Just remember today and everyday
"So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other." (Deut 4:39)
The promise of the tribes allotted land east of the Jordan to fight with the rest of the Israelites
The journey from Egypt recalled
The boundaries of the land and the leaders appointed to oversee the allotment of land
Towns for Levites, cities of refuge, and rules for women who inherit
Moses recalls the people’s history from the time of leaving Egypt up to the point when they will enter the land
Moses is forbidden to enter the land
Instructions and reminders to remember and obey everything the Lord has taught them
A call for wholehearted commitment and for the Israelites to remain distinct.
Some thought which struck me today:
Nu 33:3 “the people of Israel left defiantly, in full view of the Egyptians” – it is a salient reminder that these great works were done in full view and openly
It came as a bit of a shock to read in 33:37, that we are already at the end of the 40 years that have passed since the spies were sent out in Nu 13.
It is interesting what Moses includes and what he does not - there is no mention of the golden calf, of the rebellion of Korah, but he does mention the advice from Jethro to share the load.
Moses obviously spoke to God presumably to allow his to enter the Promised Land, but it is clear that God had said enough (3:26)
Up until this point, Moses did not seem to moan or grumble about the fact that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. Yet in Deut 1:37 (and 3:26), Moses says God “was angry with me because of you”? Surely it was because he did not trust God enough that he was being punished liked this (Nu 20:12)? Moses’ memory also seems to betray him in Deut 2:29, when he says that the Edomites allowed them to go through their land (Nu 20:20).
I like Deut 2:36 "No town had walls too strong for us." Nothing is too difficult for God (Phil 4:13)
Very interesting that one of the first instructions Moses gives them is not to add or subtract to any of these commands (4:2) - cf Rev 22:18-19
Deut 4:4 - "all of you who were faithful to the LORD your God are still alive today" - is this just Joshua and Caleb (and Moses) or are there others?
Deut 4:39 sums up the whole Bible really – “So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other.”
When reading Deut 5, I am struck not by the amount of instructions and commands, but by the restatement of character of God.
I like Deut 5:28-29, since it gives us all the hope that we can please God, pig-headed though we are "the Lord heard the request you made to me. And he said, ‘I have heard what the people said to you, and they are right. Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever."
The shema - the most repeated prayer in my synagogue - Deut 6:4-9 "Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." I remember it starting (forgive transliteration) 'shema yisrael, adonai eloheinu, adonai, echad'. Echad is the Hebrew word for 'one'.
The constant repetition and exhortation not to forget is striking here. The repetition is not just how great God is, but also what great things God has done.
Here it says when you take an oath, you must only use God's name (6:33). How does this square with 5:11 and Matt 5:33?
Deut 7:7 is very humbling "the Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors." God chose us because He loves us, there is nothing special to commend us, except that He has chosen to make us special, because He loves us. He loves us because He loves us. It's such a simple message, we struggle to take it in.
There can be no mercy to things that are opposed to God - there can be no accommodation or easy tolerance/indifference.
Just remember today and everyday
"So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other." (Deut 4:39)
Monday, 12 November 2007
Day 12 - Numbers 21:10 - 32:19
In today's section, we read about:
The journey to Moab and victory over Sihon and Og
Balaam's services are bought by Balak, but Balaam blesses Israel 3 times
The Israelites seduced by The Moabites
The second census of Israel's men of fighting age
Joshua chosen to lead Israel after Moses
Daily offerings and offerings for the festivals
Conquest of the Midianites and the division of the plunder
Some tribes ask for land east of the Jordan river
Some thoughts that struck me:
The people's attitude in 21:7-8 is out of keeping with everything else we've heard from then in Numbers
Who exactly is Balaam? He obviously is a genuine prophet of God whose reputation has spread far and wide. And he says only what God tells him, yet his is not an example to follow - why? Is it just because he was not an Israelite? Is it because he is trying to sell his gift and use it for personal financial gain (cf 1 Cor 12-14, Eph 4)? Or was it because he practised divination and sorcery (implicit in 24:1)? If he resorted to divination, how come God still speaks to him?
Nu 23 - "how can I curse those / whom God has not cursed? / How can I condemn those / whom the LORD has not condemned?" - Matt 16:19, Rev 3:7
Re our earlier question about God changing his mind - Nu 23:19 "God is not a man, so he does not lie. / He is not a human, so he does not change his mind. / Has he ever spoken and failed to act? / Has he ever promised and not carried it through?"
Nu 24:17 is a Messianic prophecy
Moab are the descendants of Lot through his eldest daughter (Gen 19:37). The Ammonites are the descendants of Lot through the younger daughter (Gen 19:38)
Nu 25 is exactly as God foretold in Ex 34:15-16
Nu 25:13 is interesting, since God has already promised Aaron that his descendants would be priests for ever, yet here us a special covenant, conferring blessing upon blessing
Although there is only a difference of 1880 between the total of fighting men between Nu 26 and Nu 22, there are so big differences between the tribes, such as 20,500 more in Manasseh, making them larger than Ephraim, Simeon has lost 37,100, or 62%
I like the repetition of the fact that only Caleb and Joshua of all the 600,000 odd men lived to see the Promised Land
God recognises the claims of the daughters of Zelophehad (Nu 27:7), and of daughters to inherit generally (27:8)
Moses is not recorded anywhere at grumbling atbout his fate in not being allowed to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land (he moaned about the burden of leading a whingey-whiney people in Nu 11)
In Moses' prayer for God to provide a suitable leader, he uses the words which are attributed to Jesus in Mk 6:34. The section also makes clear that (a) God's spirit was with Joshua (27:18); (b)it was a public event (v20); and (c) Joshua was dependant on God (21).
The festivals are repeated - they are important and they are to help the people remember what God has done, as well as being a time of joy and celebration.
The conquest of the Midianites is clearly in response to the sins of ch25 - there is also a reminder of Nu 19 with the provisions for purification after coming into contact with dead bodies.
In ch 32, Moses knows the Israelites have 'previous' in terms of turning away from God and going their own way. However, 32:16ff indicates that they might have learnt their lesson, at least for the time being!
The journey to Moab and victory over Sihon and Og
Balaam's services are bought by Balak, but Balaam blesses Israel 3 times
The Israelites seduced by The Moabites
The second census of Israel's men of fighting age
Joshua chosen to lead Israel after Moses
Daily offerings and offerings for the festivals
Conquest of the Midianites and the division of the plunder
Some tribes ask for land east of the Jordan river
Some thoughts that struck me:
The people's attitude in 21:7-8 is out of keeping with everything else we've heard from then in Numbers
Who exactly is Balaam? He obviously is a genuine prophet of God whose reputation has spread far and wide. And he says only what God tells him, yet his is not an example to follow - why? Is it just because he was not an Israelite? Is it because he is trying to sell his gift and use it for personal financial gain (cf 1 Cor 12-14, Eph 4)? Or was it because he practised divination and sorcery (implicit in 24:1)? If he resorted to divination, how come God still speaks to him?
Nu 23 - "how can I curse those / whom God has not cursed? / How can I condemn those / whom the LORD has not condemned?" - Matt 16:19, Rev 3:7
Re our earlier question about God changing his mind - Nu 23:19 "God is not a man, so he does not lie. / He is not a human, so he does not change his mind. / Has he ever spoken and failed to act? / Has he ever promised and not carried it through?"
Nu 24:17 is a Messianic prophecy
Moab are the descendants of Lot through his eldest daughter (Gen 19:37). The Ammonites are the descendants of Lot through the younger daughter (Gen 19:38)
Nu 25 is exactly as God foretold in Ex 34:15-16
Nu 25:13 is interesting, since God has already promised Aaron that his descendants would be priests for ever, yet here us a special covenant, conferring blessing upon blessing
Although there is only a difference of 1880 between the total of fighting men between Nu 26 and Nu 22, there are so big differences between the tribes, such as 20,500 more in Manasseh, making them larger than Ephraim, Simeon has lost 37,100, or 62%
I like the repetition of the fact that only Caleb and Joshua of all the 600,000 odd men lived to see the Promised Land
God recognises the claims of the daughters of Zelophehad (Nu 27:7), and of daughters to inherit generally (27:8)
Moses is not recorded anywhere at grumbling atbout his fate in not being allowed to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land (he moaned about the burden of leading a whingey-whiney people in Nu 11)
In Moses' prayer for God to provide a suitable leader, he uses the words which are attributed to Jesus in Mk 6:34. The section also makes clear that (a) God's spirit was with Joshua (27:18); (b)it was a public event (v20); and (c) Joshua was dependant on God (21).
The festivals are repeated - they are important and they are to help the people remember what God has done, as well as being a time of joy and celebration.
The conquest of the Midianites is clearly in response to the sins of ch25 - there is also a reminder of Nu 19 with the provisions for purification after coming into contact with dead bodies.
In ch 32, Moses knows the Israelites have 'previous' in terms of turning away from God and going their own way. However, 32:16ff indicates that they might have learnt their lesson, at least for the time being!
Sunday, 11 November 2007
Day 11 – Numbers 8:15 – 21:9
In today’s section, we read about:
The Levites are set apart for God
The second Passover, the fiery cloud and the silver trumpets
The people grumble for food so God sends quail
Miriam and Aaron complain about Moses
12 scouts explore the promise land and report back
More grumblings and rebellions, the budding of Aaron’s staff
Moses barred from leading the people into the promised land
The deaths of Miriam and Aaron
Edom refuses Israel passage
God sends a plague and Moses makes a bronze snake for people to look at and be healed.
Some thoughts that stuck me today:
The Levites are set apart as substitutes for the firstborn of the people – I found it interesting that God did this on the day the day he struck down the firstborn of Egypt. The Israelites were saved because of the blood of the lamb, which was killed and then the blood was smeared on the doorposts.
This Passover sacrifice was a hugely important event, which was to be remembered in a festival to be celebrated by everyone without fail
The NLT uses the verb “whine” repeated in ch 11. Moses gets fed up and when he complained about the burden, I thought of Matt 11:28-30 “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
The description of Moses’ relationship with God is incredible – Nu 12:6-8 “If there were prophets among you, / I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. / I would speak to them in dreams. / But not with my servant Moses. / Of all my house, he is the one I trust. / I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! / He sees the Lord as he is. / So why were you not afraid / to criticize my servant Moses?”
It is Miriam who is punished, not both Aaron and Miriam. Was it only she who had criticised Moses? 12:1 would indicate otherwise.
When the spies reported back that there were giants in the land and that the cities were strongly defended, this was actually true as was shown when they tried to take the land without God going before them (14:44-45). Their problem was that they looked at it in human eyes and not through the perspective of faith. Without God, we feel really insignificant – “I am a worm” (Ps 22:6).
The people seem so stubborn – they have seen all the plagues in Egypt, walked through a sea and have a whopping great pillar of cloud and fire going ahead of them, and still they disobey and grumble. This struck me most forcefully in 16:41, when the very next morning after the ground has swallowed up Korah, Dathan and Abiram, “the whole community began muttering again”. It was like Chris’s sermon about the farmer in Australia who knows all his sheep by name – they’re all called stupid! This is our inclination too.
In ch 14, Moses again intercedes with God for the people. Interestingly in 14:20-23, these people are forgiven, but they still suffer some consequences from their sin. I like the phrase in 16:47-48, “Aaron burned the incense and purified the people. He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped.”
Nu 16 - Korah is not some marginalised, poor, disadvantaged outcast. Instead he is a Levite, from the strain of Levites which has the most prestigious duties - the Kohathites (Nu 4:1-20) who were to look after the sacred objects in the Tabernacle.
Nu 18:7 – “I am giving you the priesthood as a special privilege”. I’m not sure it always feels/felt like that (11:11-15) “do me a favour and spare me this misery!”
Moses’ sin in 20:11 seems fairly trivial, certainly not enough to disbar him from entering the promised land. Yet, on closer inspection, he plainly disobeyed the Lord’s command by striking the rock instead of speaking to the rock. Even more serious, in 20:10 it records Moses as saying “Must *WE* bring you water from this rock?” It could indicate that God was putting himself in God’s place as the provider for the people, even though Nu 12:3 says “Now Moses was very humble – more humble than any other person on earth”. Nothing can ever be allowed to take God’s place of precedence.
Edom , who refuse the Israelites passage in 20:14-21, are the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s elder brother (25:30)
The story in Nu 21:8-9 is referred to by Jesus in his discussions with Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader – Jn 3:14-15 “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.”
The Levites are set apart for God
The second Passover, the fiery cloud and the silver trumpets
The people grumble for food so God sends quail
Miriam and Aaron complain about Moses
12 scouts explore the promise land and report back
More grumblings and rebellions, the budding of Aaron’s staff
Moses barred from leading the people into the promised land
The deaths of Miriam and Aaron
Edom refuses Israel passage
God sends a plague and Moses makes a bronze snake for people to look at and be healed.
Some thoughts that stuck me today:
The Levites are set apart as substitutes for the firstborn of the people – I found it interesting that God did this on the day the day he struck down the firstborn of Egypt. The Israelites were saved because of the blood of the lamb, which was killed and then the blood was smeared on the doorposts.
This Passover sacrifice was a hugely important event, which was to be remembered in a festival to be celebrated by everyone without fail
The NLT uses the verb “whine” repeated in ch 11. Moses gets fed up and when he complained about the burden, I thought of Matt 11:28-30 “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
The description of Moses’ relationship with God is incredible – Nu 12:6-8 “If there were prophets among you, / I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. / I would speak to them in dreams. / But not with my servant Moses. / Of all my house, he is the one I trust. / I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! / He sees the Lord as he is. / So why were you not afraid / to criticize my servant Moses?”
It is Miriam who is punished, not both Aaron and Miriam. Was it only she who had criticised Moses? 12:1 would indicate otherwise.
When the spies reported back that there were giants in the land and that the cities were strongly defended, this was actually true as was shown when they tried to take the land without God going before them (14:44-45). Their problem was that they looked at it in human eyes and not through the perspective of faith. Without God, we feel really insignificant – “I am a worm” (Ps 22:6).
The people seem so stubborn – they have seen all the plagues in Egypt, walked through a sea and have a whopping great pillar of cloud and fire going ahead of them, and still they disobey and grumble. This struck me most forcefully in 16:41, when the very next morning after the ground has swallowed up Korah, Dathan and Abiram, “the whole community began muttering again”. It was like Chris’s sermon about the farmer in Australia who knows all his sheep by name – they’re all called stupid! This is our inclination too.
In ch 14, Moses again intercedes with God for the people. Interestingly in 14:20-23, these people are forgiven, but they still suffer some consequences from their sin. I like the phrase in 16:47-48, “Aaron burned the incense and purified the people. He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped.”
Nu 16 - Korah is not some marginalised, poor, disadvantaged outcast. Instead he is a Levite, from the strain of Levites which has the most prestigious duties - the Kohathites (Nu 4:1-20) who were to look after the sacred objects in the Tabernacle.
Nu 18:7 – “I am giving you the priesthood as a special privilege”. I’m not sure it always feels/felt like that (11:11-15) “do me a favour and spare me this misery!”
Moses’ sin in 20:11 seems fairly trivial, certainly not enough to disbar him from entering the promised land. Yet, on closer inspection, he plainly disobeyed the Lord’s command by striking the rock instead of speaking to the rock. Even more serious, in 20:10 it records Moses as saying “Must *WE* bring you water from this rock?” It could indicate that God was putting himself in God’s place as the provider for the people, even though Nu 12:3 says “Now Moses was very humble – more humble than any other person on earth”. Nothing can ever be allowed to take God’s place of precedence.
Edom , who refuse the Israelites passage in 20:14-21, are the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s elder brother (25:30)
The story in Nu 21:8-9 is referred to by Jesus in his discussions with Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader – Jn 3:14-15 “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.”
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Day 10 - Leviticus 26:27 - Numbers 8:14
In today’s section, we read about:
The conclusion of the punishments that would befall the Israelites if they did not follow God
Rules for the redemption of gifts offered to God
Census of the Israelite fighting men, and organisation of the camp
Census of the Levites and assignment of their duties
Purity in the camp and jealousy offering
Rule for Nazirites
Dedication offerings from all the tribes
Some thoughts that struck me today:
We pick up at v27 which is the final phase of the cycle of punishments which follow as a result of God’s people turning their back on him. I was stuck by v30 “… and I will despise you”, compared to v11. The choice is clear and there for all to make. The section 26:14-46 was played out in the history section of the Bible from the time of the Judges, through the Kings and then the exile. I shall try to recall this passage when we get to them.
The order of the tribes is different in Numbers 1 from ch 2. In Nu 1:5-15, the order is (a) birth order of leah’s sons; (b) Joseph’s sons in the order that Jacob blessed them (Gen 48:19) and Benjamin (his full brother); (c) the children of the two concubines (Bilhah and Zilpah). In ch 2, Judah has taken the first place (Gen 49:4, 10). The tribes descending from Rachel are grouped together on the west side of the camp. Judah has nearly 12,000 more fighting men than the next largest tribe, although Ephraim and Manasseh together are almost as numerous.
Nu 3:13 sets out that the reason why the Levites are set aside for God as redemption payment for the firstborn - “for all the firstborn males are mine. On the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both of people and of animals. They are mine; I am the Lord”
The duties of all the Levites are set out – each person knows exactly what they should do (4:19,32, 49)
Here as well, the holiness of God is spelt out as the Kohathites are told they mustn’t presume to enter the sanctuary or touch the sacred objects or they will die (4:15, 20)
Sin is always against God, not solely against another person – Nu 5:6 “If any of the people—men or women—betray the Lord by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty.”
Nazirites could be either men or women. There does not seem to be any indication of the type of vow undertaken to become a Nazirite or any set duration.
I like the way it is God himself who tells us how the priests are to bless the people with a “special blessing”. Then there is a great promise, “whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them” (6:27)
In ch 7, although the tribes made their offerings one after another, they each offered exactly the same things, each meticulously recorded for posterity.
The conclusion of the punishments that would befall the Israelites if they did not follow God
Rules for the redemption of gifts offered to God
Census of the Israelite fighting men, and organisation of the camp
Census of the Levites and assignment of their duties
Purity in the camp and jealousy offering
Rule for Nazirites
Dedication offerings from all the tribes
Some thoughts that struck me today:
We pick up at v27 which is the final phase of the cycle of punishments which follow as a result of God’s people turning their back on him. I was stuck by v30 “… and I will despise you”, compared to v11. The choice is clear and there for all to make. The section 26:14-46 was played out in the history section of the Bible from the time of the Judges, through the Kings and then the exile. I shall try to recall this passage when we get to them.
The order of the tribes is different in Numbers 1 from ch 2. In Nu 1:5-15, the order is (a) birth order of leah’s sons; (b) Joseph’s sons in the order that Jacob blessed them (Gen 48:19) and Benjamin (his full brother); (c) the children of the two concubines (Bilhah and Zilpah). In ch 2, Judah has taken the first place (Gen 49:4, 10). The tribes descending from Rachel are grouped together on the west side of the camp. Judah has nearly 12,000 more fighting men than the next largest tribe, although Ephraim and Manasseh together are almost as numerous.
Nu 3:13 sets out that the reason why the Levites are set aside for God as redemption payment for the firstborn - “for all the firstborn males are mine. On the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both of people and of animals. They are mine; I am the Lord”
The duties of all the Levites are set out – each person knows exactly what they should do (4:19,32, 49)
Here as well, the holiness of God is spelt out as the Kohathites are told they mustn’t presume to enter the sanctuary or touch the sacred objects or they will die (4:15, 20)
Sin is always against God, not solely against another person – Nu 5:6 “If any of the people—men or women—betray the Lord by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty.”
Nazirites could be either men or women. There does not seem to be any indication of the type of vow undertaken to become a Nazirite or any set duration.
I like the way it is God himself who tells us how the priests are to bless the people with a “special blessing”. Then there is a great promise, “whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them” (6:27)
In ch 7, although the tribes made their offerings one after another, they each offered exactly the same things, each meticulously recorded for posterity.
Friday, 9 November 2007
Day 9 - Leviticus 14:33 - 26:26
In today's section, we read about:
Procedures for cleansing from bodily discharges
The day of atonement
Prohibitions against eating blood and certain sexual practices
Commands for holiness in personal conduct
Punishments for disobedience
Instructions for priests, worthy and unworthy offerings
Festivals for the Israelites to celebrate
The Sabbath year, the Year of Jubilee, Redemption of the poor and enslaved
Blessings for obedience and punishments for disobedience
Some thoughts that struck me:
The two birds required for cleansing in Lev 14 remind me of Matt 10:29-31 "What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." Would that have been something the people listening to Jesus would have thought of?
God repeats the warning about coming into the holiest place just any time (16:2). The understandable tendency would be to despair about ever being able to approach God - but we have a great high priest who has enabled us to approach boldly (Heb 10:19)
The imagery of the scapegoat sent into the wilderness (16:22) is so powerful. We need someone/something to take away our sins - Psalm 103:12 "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west."
Lev 17:11 underlines that it is only because of the blood of Jesus that we can be put right with God, by restating the general principle (expanded on in Hebrews ch9 and 10) - Lev 17:11 " the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord".
The central themes of God's law are restated - God repeatedly end a command by saying "I am the Lord your God" (18:5,6,21,30; 19:1,4,10,12,16,18,25,28,30,32,35; 20:7,8; 23:22,43; 24:32; 25:17; 26:1,2). This then changes slightly to become "I am the Lord who makes you/them holy" (21:8,23; 22:16,32). Then it changes again with God reminding them that He was the one who brought them out of Egypt for a purpose - to be his people (19:35; 26; 22:33; 25:38,42,55; 26:13)
The Israelites are commanded to show justice to all (no favouritism or partiality). They are commanded to show kindness to the poor and foreigners living among them, the latter as a reminder that they were foreigners in Egypt, before God rescued them. These commands start with God, and go back to God through the treatment of other people. "Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other" (25:17). We demonstrate our love for God by obedience to his commands - "I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning." (2 John 5-6)
The festivals, which are to be celebrated annually on a permanent basis, serve as a continual reminder of the people's dependence on God and how God has shown his faithfulness to his people. These instructions help us remember. Celebrating these festivals would be another distinguishing feature and help them to obey the command not to live like the Egyptians or the peoples God was driving out of their land (20:23). And they should be celebrated with great joy! (23:40)
Lev24:10-16,23 is an illustration of how serious an offence blasphemy is. The whole community was instructed to take action against this offence.
Lev 26 sets out the clear choice - amazing promises of unimaginable blessings on the one hand, or punishment and curses for disobedience. One thing from each section that struck me most - Lev 26:11-13 is just phenomenal "I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high." The other thing from the section from 26:14 onwards is that there is always the possibility for the people to come back to God. If they remain stubborn, they will suffer the next wave of punishments, which are not the acts of a capricious or vindictive God, but the consequences of their unfaithfulness to God.
We are now a tenth of the way trough - our tithe, the firstfruits!
Procedures for cleansing from bodily discharges
The day of atonement
Prohibitions against eating blood and certain sexual practices
Commands for holiness in personal conduct
Punishments for disobedience
Instructions for priests, worthy and unworthy offerings
Festivals for the Israelites to celebrate
The Sabbath year, the Year of Jubilee, Redemption of the poor and enslaved
Blessings for obedience and punishments for disobedience
Some thoughts that struck me:
The two birds required for cleansing in Lev 14 remind me of Matt 10:29-31 "What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." Would that have been something the people listening to Jesus would have thought of?
God repeats the warning about coming into the holiest place just any time (16:2). The understandable tendency would be to despair about ever being able to approach God - but we have a great high priest who has enabled us to approach boldly (Heb 10:19)
The imagery of the scapegoat sent into the wilderness (16:22) is so powerful. We need someone/something to take away our sins - Psalm 103:12 "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west."
Lev 17:11 underlines that it is only because of the blood of Jesus that we can be put right with God, by restating the general principle (expanded on in Hebrews ch9 and 10) - Lev 17:11 " the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord".
The central themes of God's law are restated - God repeatedly end a command by saying "I am the Lord your God" (18:5,6,21,30; 19:1,4,10,12,16,18,25,28,30,32,35; 20:7,8; 23:22,43; 24:32; 25:17; 26:1,2). This then changes slightly to become "I am the Lord who makes you/them holy" (21:8,23; 22:16,32). Then it changes again with God reminding them that He was the one who brought them out of Egypt for a purpose - to be his people (19:35; 26; 22:33; 25:38,42,55; 26:13)
The Israelites are commanded to show justice to all (no favouritism or partiality). They are commanded to show kindness to the poor and foreigners living among them, the latter as a reminder that they were foreigners in Egypt, before God rescued them. These commands start with God, and go back to God through the treatment of other people. "Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other" (25:17). We demonstrate our love for God by obedience to his commands - "I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning." (2 John 5-6)
The festivals, which are to be celebrated annually on a permanent basis, serve as a continual reminder of the people's dependence on God and how God has shown his faithfulness to his people. These instructions help us remember. Celebrating these festivals would be another distinguishing feature and help them to obey the command not to live like the Egyptians or the peoples God was driving out of their land (20:23). And they should be celebrated with great joy! (23:40)
Lev24:10-16,23 is an illustration of how serious an offence blasphemy is. The whole community was instructed to take action against this offence.
Lev 26 sets out the clear choice - amazing promises of unimaginable blessings on the one hand, or punishment and curses for disobedience. One thing from each section that struck me most - Lev 26:11-13 is just phenomenal "I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high." The other thing from the section from 26:14 onwards is that there is always the possibility for the people to come back to God. If they remain stubborn, they will suffer the next wave of punishments, which are not the acts of a capricious or vindictive God, but the consequences of their unfaithfulness to God.
We are now a tenth of the way trough - our tithe, the firstfruits!
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Chris Edwards' thoughts on my question "Does God his mind"?
Yesterday I asked Chris Edwards the question that ocurred to me from reading Ex 32:14 "Does God change his mind?". This is his reply:
---
There are two Hebrew terms that express the idea of a change of heart. Loosely they can be translated “repent” but most modern scholars do not translate them that way. The one that is of interest to us is nacham which means “to lament or grieve”. In Brown, Driver and Briggs’ Lexicon they say it means to “rue” or “repent”. It appears in Genesis 6:6 as well as Exodus 32:14 in relation to God. But it also crops up in Job 42:5-6 in relation to Job so it isn’t a word used only in relation to God – unlike some Hebrew words. It would be easier if it were only used in relation to God! That way I could say it is totally a God-thing. But it’s not.
So, does God change his mind?
Well he was “sorry” he made man (Genesis 6:6) and “sorry” he made Saul king (1 Samuel 15:10). I think “sorry” here is similar, but it’s different. He did add some years to Hezekiah’s life (Isaiah 38:1-6) and as I said this morning, he did refrain from wiping out Nineveh (see Jonah 3:4 and 3:10). These last two seem more in line with Exodus 32:14.
Let’s look at Jonah. God told Jonah to proclaim, “Forty days and you’re gone!” (3:4). The possibility that God’s judgement might be withheld isn’t mentioned in Jonah 3:4 but it is implicit. Why else would he send the prophet? The present situation needed to change.
In the case of Hezekiah it is a response to a specific prayer. “God says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.” Earnest prayer changed the present situation.
In the case of Exodus 32 it is Moses’ prayer that changes the situation. God seems to respond to present situations by withholding what he would otherwise do.
Fascinating that it is in response to prayers, eh?
In the end I think the best way to look at 32:14 is as an anthropomorphism. God’s activity is explained by using human terminology. It actually doesn’t mean that God changed his mind like we fickle humans do. At this point the translations we have are not only unhelpful, but downright misleading! Instead it means he now embarks on a different course of action from that already suggested as a possibility owing to a new factor. You can see this in the book you don’t like – Ezekiel 33:13-16. God’s promises and warnings of certain action are contingent upon man’s response.
Moses’ prayer didn’t change God’s purposes for Israel. In fact, by it Moses carried out God’s purposes for Israel! I think that sometimes God’s purpose is just to get us to pray…
If you have any other questions you would like Chris to answer, please post them on the blog, and I will try to ensure Chris responds.
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