Sat, 11 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Exodus 22:1-15

¹ “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. ² “If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, ³ but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. ⁴ If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.

⁵ “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.

⁶ “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.

⁷ “If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man’s house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. ⁸ If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property. ⁹ For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.¹⁰ “If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, ¹¹ an oath by the LORD shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. ¹² But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. ¹³ If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.

¹⁴ “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. ¹⁵ If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.

After giving the summary of His law in the Ten Commandments in chapter 20, God now goes on to give various case laws. These are civil laws for the nation of Israel, and they reflect the specific way God wanted His people who were living under His theocracy to enforce the moral law.

These civil laws are not in effect today, because theocratic Israel no longer exists. We are subject to the various laws of the government under which we live. But these case laws still have value for us today, because they show what God considers the appropriate punishment for specific crimes. A just society should model its penal system after the case law laid out here in scripture.

What do we learn from this?

What is the appropriate punishment for theft? What is the appropriate punishment for someone who damages the property or goods of another? What do you do when one person borrows another’s property and it is damaged, lost or stolen?

In all of these cases, we find that if one person found responsible for harming or stealing another’s property, the appropriate punishment is restitution. If you steal something and dispose of it, you must pay back four or five fold. If you are found with the stolen property, you must pay back only double. (If you have the stolen property you can restore exactly what was taken, plus something of equal value. But if you sell or kill what you stole, you restore four or five times the value since you can’t give back exactly what you took.) In cases of damaging another’s property, you must pay for the damage. Make it right by restoring it or paying for it.

So we see the appropriate punishment for stealing and damaging property is restitution to the injured party (not to the government). Make it right by replacing what you took or defaced, plus (in some cases) a fine.

How does that compare with our current judicial system? In most cases of theft, the punishment is incarceration, which according to Biblical standards, is wholely inappropriate. The wrong is not righted. Those who are harmed don’t have their property restored by the responsible party. The punishment doesn’t match the crime. Don’t lock up the thief. Make them restore what they took plus a heavy fine.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Every wrong must be punished. God’s wrath must be poured out upon every sin. No sin can be ignored or overlooked, but all of them must come under God’s punishement. And when God punishes sin, the punishment is appropriate for the crime. Since every sin has earned the death sentence, hell is the destiny of those who have violated God’s law.

But, God out of His mercy has provided a Substitute, one who will bear that punishment that is due to the sinner. Jesus Christ takes the guilt of the sins of all who come to Him in faith, and He has borne that punishment Himself on the cross. The wrong is righted, and the punishment is meted out, but the sinner who is trusting in Christ is spared. Justice is done, but mercy is given to the sinner. The punishment matches the crime, but the Substitute bears the punishment.

Fri, 10 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

2 Corinthians 9:6-9

⁶ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”

We are very uncomfortable when we hear a sermon on giving to the church, probably because it hits quite close to home. Our giving is a very personal thing, and when someone tells us what we should do with our own money, we tend to resent it.

But we see here in today’s passage that Paul didn’t shy away from talking about a Christian’s responsibility to give to God. We should give, and we should give cheerfully and willingly.

What do we learn from this?

Paul knows that God ultimately doesn’t need our money. He’s God, and He could still accomplish all His purposes in this world if we never gave a cent to His church. But Paul tells us that God loves it when we cheerfully give. We can please God by giving back to Him a portion of what He has given us. God loves it when we do this willingly, not because we have been shamed into it, but because we want to thank Him for all He has done for us.

So we should consider our giving. Why do we tithe? What is our motivation? Do we do simply it because we are commanded to (like paying our taxes)? Are we giving grudgingly? If so, we might as well not give anything. God doesn’t need our money, and He certainly doesn’t want what we are unwilling to part with. What He desires is what we give from a truly thankful heart. He wants what we can give out of gratitude for what He has done.

If we find that we are not able to give to God out of gratitude for what He has done, then either we really don’t have the faintest idea of what He really has done for us, or we aren’t Christians at all.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Think about what Jesus Christ has done. The Second Person of the Trinity left heaven and came to earth, taking upon Himself human flesh. He lived the perfect life, suffering everything we have suffered, yet without sin. He then died a terrible death on the cross to pay the price for the sins of everyone who comes to Him in faith. Now He offers His perfect righteousness to anyone who comes to Him in faith, seeking salvation. He takes the punishment for their sins and pays the price Himself on the cross. Thus He saves everyone who trusts in Him. All His people are spared the torments of an eternal hell, and are accepted into God’s very presence, because of what Jesus Christ has done.

If we understand what God has saved us from and what He has saved us to, there is no way we could begrudge giving back a small portion of what He has given us. He has forgiven so much. We should love Him in return, and our giving is one tangable way we can display this love.

Thu, 9 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Job 38:1-3

¹ Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

² “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
³ Dress for action like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.

As Elihu finishes his discourse, a storm breaks upon them. (It is interesting to note all the weather allusions Elihu uses in his speech. It seems that the storm was building around them, and Elihu used the weather from his surroundings as a visual aid to illustrate his discussion.)

God asks who is speaking without knowledge. God speaks here to show that Job’s words are wrong. He will also speak to vindicate Job and prove him righteous in all but his words. In chapter 42, Job will acknowledge that he is the one who has been speaking without knowledge, so we see that Job gets the point God is making.

But first, God interrogates Job with 77 questions. Many are rhetorical: God alone knows the answer or God alone can do what is asked. Many of the questions have answers. Because of modern scientific advances, we are able to answer some of the questions that Job could not. But even with our advanced knowledge, we don’t have answers to many of the questions God asks. We really aren’t much better off than Job in our ability to respond to God’s questions.

The questions fall into three areas:

1. Creation and the Flood (The world that was): (38:4-11)
2. Current World (The world that is): (38:12-38)
3. Animals: (38:39-41:34)

What do we learn from this?

God questions Job about things that can only be understood by God’s revelation. We can’t observe creation or the flood, nor can we repeat them. The only way we can know anything about them is through what God has told us. We can learn some of the things about the current world and about the animals, but our knowledge is woefully small compared to what God knows.

What we see from these questions of God is that He created the world and is active in it. God is active in everything that happens. Nothing is an accident. He is in control, and nothing is beyond His care and concern. This certainly speaks to Job’s main concern. Why hasn’t God acted to save Job from his suffering? It isn’t because He can’t act, or because He doesn’t know what is happening to Job, or because He doesn’t care. No. God shows by His questions that He has the power, the knowledge, and the concern to act on Job’s behalf, if He so desired.

God is asking Job many “simple” questions to show that Job is wrong to correct God on the complex issues of pain and suffering. If we demand God treat us differently than our current circumstances, we are challenging God’s authority and wisdom. We are saying that we know better than God how things should be done. But, God asks us, who are we to challenge God? We can’t even answer His simple questions. With our limited knowledge and ability, we should be submitting to God’s rule rather than dictating terms to God.

God is humbling Job through these questions. Job thought he could walk right up to God and demand justice. Now he learns who God really is and how far He is beyond us.

It is a lesson we all can learn. We think quite highly of ourselves, and we think we can demand things of God. But we learn from God’s questions to Job that we should consider our true position in relation to God. We should come humbly before God, not demanding anything from Him, but begging Him for mercy. He is God, and we can’t even answer His simplest questions. Therefore, we should humble ourselves before Him.

Where is Christ in this passage?

If we ever were to stand before God without a mediator, we would be left completely speechless. We, like Job, would have nothing we could say to God. We wouldn’t be able to answer God’s simple questions, never mind the difficult ones. Our only hope is to have one who can plead our case for us.

But thankfully, God has provided a mediator. The Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, is that mediator who enables us to stand before God. It is because of what Jesus Christ has done for us, and how He even now pleads our case before the Father that we can come before God in prayer, and we can enter into His presence at our death.

Wed, 8 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Luke 22:1-6

¹ Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. ² And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.

³ Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. ⁴ He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. ⁵ And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. ⁶ So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

We are coming now to the final days of Jesus Christ before His crucifixion. As Jesus has the disciples prepare for the Passover, Judas makes the arrangements for his betrayal of the Lord.

What do we learn from this?

Judas was one of the disciples. He was a highly respected and trusted member of Jesus’ followers. Judas was the treasurer for the group. Obviously, they felt he was someone they could all depend upon. But we find out here that was not of the elect, and that he became a tool of Satan. Satan entered into Judas and he went off to find Jesus’ enemies and make arrangements to betray Him.

How is this possible? How could someone so blessed by God go so wrong? How could one who walked and talked with Jesus turn on Him. How could one of the disciples who learned so much from Him end up betraying Him? How could Judas have listened day after day to Jesus and still not be saved?

If there’s anything we learn from Judas, it is that just being an upstanding member of a church does not save us. I can be an official in my church, do all the right churchy things, and have everyone admire me as a great religious person, but still be completely lost. Just being a part of a religious group doesn’t do anything for me. Doing things that impress the people around me doesn’t save me any more than it saved Judas.

I’m only saved as I repent of my sins and trust in Jesus Christ only for my salvation. That is a much different thing than just regularly attending church and putting on an great external show of my piety. If I am saved, it will show in my conduct as God progressively makes me to be more and more Christlike in my behavior, but the conduct itself isn’t what saves me. Just putting on a show of how good I am doesn’t make me a Christian anymore than Judas was saved by his association with Jesus Christ.

Where is Christ in this passage?

I must make sure that I am truly saved by trusting in Jesus Christ only for my salvation. I can’t trust in anything I do, but only in what God has done for me through Jesus Christ. In the next two chapters of Luke, we see Jesus crucified and raised again for the salvation of everyone who comes to Him in faith. Salvation is based upon Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection. It is only in Him that we can be saved.

Tue, 7 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Exodus 18:1-12

¹ Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, ³ along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), ⁴ and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). ⁵ Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. ⁶ And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” ⁷ Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. ⁸ Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. ⁹ And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰ Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” ¹² And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

Before they reach Mount Sinai, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro (aka Reuel) comes to meet him with Moses’ wife and children. (Apparently, Moses had sent his family back to his father-in-law at some point, and now they are returning to join him.) Jethro is called the priest of Midian, and he is presented as one who truly worships God. In this passage, we see that he brings a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and he is a leader at the following meal as all the elders of Israel [come] to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

What do we learn from this?

Jethro is one who believes in the true God. He apparently knows God and has been leading people in worship of God. Yet when Jethro hears all that God has done in bringing Israel out of Egypt, it strengthens him in his faith and he declares, Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods. Did he not know the LORD was greater than the other gods before? Yes. But he is reaffirmed in his knowledge and it drives him to praise and worship God. He declares his renewed faith and then brings offerings and sacrifices, followed by a sacramental meal.

Hearing what God has done in the lives of others throughout time is one of the ways that God uses to build our faith. This whole episode of God saving His people from the bondage of Egypt is recorded so that we can know what God has done for His people, and hearing it, we too may grow in our faith. In reviewing these things, we should be encouraged to trust Him more, and to praise God for what He has done to save His people in time.

As we read the story of the Exodus, Jethro should not be the only one who is worshiping God for His great mercy upon His people. We too should join him.

Where is Christ in this passage?

We are driven to praise God for the salvation He provided in bringing Israel out of Egypt. But we should praise Him even more for the salvation He has provided for all His people in saving them from their sins in Jesus Christ.

Mon, 6 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

¹ For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ² For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, ³ if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened–not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

Paul tells us of the great hope of the Christian: the Resurrection. After we die, we will eventually be reunited with our perfected and glorified bodies, to live forever in God’s presence.

What do we learn from this?

Paul describes our lives now as living in a tent, and our future life in our resurrected bodies as a building from God and a house not made with hands and our heavenly dwelling. Our lives now in this body are temporary and limited. It is like we are roughing it in our temporary camp before we move into our more substantial, better furnished, and permanent dwelling place. We long for the future unburdened life in our glorified bodies as our current life is one of toil and pain. At death we will be unclothed (we will be separated from our bodies), but only for a time as we await the resurrection when we will be further clothed with our resurrection body.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Our future resurrection was earned for us by our Savior who preceded us in His resurrection. He was raised from the dead and is now ascended to the right hand of the Father. Now the Godhead is preparing us for our resurrection and the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a guarantee of the resurrection that is to come.

Sun, 5 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Job 34:1-9

¹ Then Elihu answered and said:

² “Hear my words, you wise men,
and give ear to me, you who know;
³ for the ear tests words
as the palate tastes food.
⁴ Let us choose what is right;
let us know among ourselves what is good.
⁵ For Job has said, ‘I am in the right,
and God has taken away my right;
⁶ in spite of my right I am counted a liar;
my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
⁷ What man is like Job,
who drinks up scoffing like water,
⁸ who travels in company with evildoers
and walks with wicked men?
⁹ For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
that he should take delight in God.’

For me, the most perplexing question from the book of Job is this: Is Elihu right or wrong? Is he just another voice wrongly condemning Job, like the other three friends? Or does he actually say that which is correct in his rebuke of Job and the three friends? I’ve thought about it a lot, and the conclusion I’ve come to is that Elihu is right for the following reasons.

He brings a harsh message, but delivers it in a loving way. He keeps stopping and giving Job a chance to rebut what he says, but Job never speaks up. The friends speak nonsense to Job and Job does not let them go unchallenged. After every speech of the three friends in their three rounds of discourses, Job has something to say in reply. But Elihu speaks, and Job is silenced. Job has nothing to say in his own defense against Elihu. I think this shows that he recognizes that Elihu is speaking what is correct.

Elihu rightly points out the errors on both sides. He shows the friends were wrong to condemn Job without any evidence, but he also calls Job to task for his rash words. In today’s passage, we see Elihu points out the danger of Job’s loose accusations against God.

Finally, God condemns Job’s three friends and has Job pray for their restoration, but God does not have him pray for Elihu. Apparently, Elihu didn’t speak wrongly about God as Job’s three friends did.

What do we learn from this?

Job earlier said, As God lives, who has taken away my right (it can also be translated As God lives, who has taken away my justice). Elihu points out how serious this charge is by showing the ramification of Job’s charge.

Job is serving evil men (travels in company with evildoers) by such talk. He is strengthening them in their opposition to the right way. The wicked say, “The righteous suffer and the wicked prosper. Therefore come join us and prosper.” Job doesn’t believe this but it is the logical conclusion of the statements Job has made. If God has truly denied justice to the righteous, then the wicked have a point. Why serve God and suffer.

And so Elihu condemns Job’s rash words, which is much different than the three friends who attacked Job himself. But Elihu can’t allow Job’s words to go unchallenged. It is important that we not strengthen the argument of the wicked by our rash words, even in our times of great suffering.

Where is Christ in this passage?

The inference we could draw from Job’s rash words is that It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God. But in fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

We don’t have any promise that we will see profit from our serving God here and now. In fact, we might suffer because we delight in God. We might pay a tremendous price to delight in serving God. There are many people in history who have given their lives because they chose to serve God.

Of course the ultimate example is Jesus Christ. God the Son became human, taking on human flesh. As Jesus Christ, God incarnate, He suffered death on the cross out of obedience to the will of God the Father. He delighted in doing the will of His father, and it caused Him great suffering here in time. But there was great profit from this suffering. It would be false to say that there was no profit from Jesus Christ delighting in serving God the Father. He earned the salvation of His people, doing for them what they could not do for themselves. He saved them from the wrath of God and made them God’s children.

Sat, 4 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Luke 18:1-8

¹ And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Jesus encourages His hearers (and us) to continue to pray, even when it seems like our prayers are not being answered. To do so, He related this parable.

What do we learn from this?

First of all, we should not learn from this that God is like the unjust judge in the parable. That is not the point Jesus is making. Rather, Jesus is giving us a contrast. The unjust judge will act, if only because of her importunity. But God is not an unjust judge. God loves His people, and He is The Just Judge. He hears the cries of His people, and He will not delay long in answering them. And since God is a just judge, if He denies a request of one of His loved ones, it is only because He has something better for them.

So what is the point Jesus is making? Obviously, Jesus is encouraging us to understand our relationship to God and to not become discouraged if it seems like God isn’t responding to our prayers. The answer isn’t to become discouraged and give up, thinking that God doesn’t exist or doesn’t care. Instead, Jesus tells us that when we feel like God isn’t answering, we should continue to persevere in our prayer. If you think God doesn’t hear you, pray more, not less. Remember who you are (a child of His), and who He is (the Just Judge, and your Father who loves you). He will do what is right. He will bring justice. He will not delay long.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Jesus Christ encourages us to pray more. He tells us to confidently pray, because He has taught us to pray in His name. It is through His mediation that we can bring our requests to God. Jesus Christ is now in heaven praying for us, and thus we can bring our requests to the Father through Jesus Christ. He takes our prayers and makes them acceptable. The Father will answer our prayers because of Jesus Christ.

Fri, 3 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Exodus 14:1-4

¹ Then the LORD said to Moses, ² “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. ³ For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ ⁴ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.

Israel is now free from Egypt, as God has promised. But God isn’t through yet. He still has one final act to display His power and to display that He is the one and only true God. The Egyptians are going to pursue the Israelites, and God will destroy them.

What do we learn from this?

The mightiest army of the time is out to pursue a bunch of rag-tag slaves. The situation looks hopeless. It looks like it will be a rout, and the Israelites are understandably filled with fear. But God has brought this situation to again display His power and to receive the glory.

To this day, we know what happened on that day, as the Egyptian army was killed, not by the brilliant fighting of the freed slaves, for they never raised a weapon in their own defense. No, the battle was won by God alone, as He caused the Egyptians to drown in the Red Sea.

God gained the glory for Himself in saving His people from the Egyptians. He fought the battle for their salvation from Egypt and their deliverance from bondage, and therefore He alone is to be praised for it.

Where is Christ in this passage?

God saved Israel from slavery in Egypt. But there is a bigger salvation that God has single handedly won for His people. He has saved them from the punishment of sin and He gives His people eternal life in Jesus Christ. And just as at the Red Sea, God has fought and won this battle on His own. We don’t bring anything to our salvation. There is nothing that we do to earn it or to cause it to happen in our lives. It is all God’s work from start to finish as Jesus Christ has paid for our sins and has given us His righteousness. God even gives us the faith required so that we can trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation.

Our salvation is all done by God, and therefore, just as at the destruction of the Egyptian army at the Red Sea, He alone gets the glory for our salvation.

Thu, 2 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. ⁶ If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. ⁷ Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

Today we begin Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. In his brief greeting quoted above, Paul tells us something about God’s purpose for us in our suffering.

What do we learn from this?

Paul says that God comforts us in our suffering so that we will be enabled to comfort others in their suffering. So we learn that one of the reasons God allows us to suffer is because it teaches us to sympathize with others when they suffer. We learn how to comfort others by having gone through suffering ourselves.

So as we face difficulties, whatever they may be, and by God’s grace surmount them, we should be looking for how we can help others who might be suffering as we were. Our thought should be, since I’ve experienced God’s comfort, how can I comfort those around me? God has done so much to make my difficulties bearable. What can I do to help carry the burden of fellow sufferers?

Where is Christ in this passage?

The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ can be our great High Priest because He has experienced all that we face. Since He has suffered as we do, He is able to help us in our times of suffering.

Hebrews 2:14-18

¹⁴ Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.