Tue, 31 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Hosea 5:1

¹ Hear this, O priests!
Pay attention, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O house of the king!
For the judgment is for you;
for you have been a snare at Mizpah
and a net spread upon Tabor.

Hosea has been confronting the sin in the northern tribes of Israel. He has confronted the priests in chapter 4, charging them with their guilt for having lead the people astray. But here at the beginning of chapter 5, we see that there is plenty of blame to spread around. The priests are guilty of leading the people astray. But the people of Israel bear their own responsibility for having followed the false spiritual leaders. And the political leaders (the house of the king) also are to blame for not administering justice.

What do we learn from this?

False teachers bear much guilt for the fact that they lead people astray. And our political leaders also bear guilt if they do not see that justice is administered. God holds accountable those who have been granted positions of political and spiritual leadership. They must be very careful to carry out their duties faithfully and well as those who will be called to give account.

But the people will also be held accountable. The leaders might bear the greater guilt, but no one is exempted from responsibility because they followed the example of bad leadership. We must do what is right, even if our leaders are leading us into wrong. We can’t just blindly follow our leaders, but we must carefully consider what they are teaching and what they are telling us to do. Does it match up with what God commands us to do in the scripture, or does it contradict God’s word? If God tells us in His word to do one thing, and our leaders tell us to do something different, we must obey God, not man. We will have to bear the consequences of disobeying our leaders, but realize that violating God’s law will also have consequences.

Where is Christ in this passage?

God’s specific complaint against Israel is that they have instituted pagan worship on all the hilltops (see 4:13). That is probably the significance of Mizpah and Tabor in today’s reading. These were places of religious significance, and they had become places of pagan worship. The people had replaced true worship with the worship of idols.

The true worship could only take place in Jerusalem. They were to bring their animal sacrifices to the temple to offer them as a substitution for their sin. They were to perform this ritual in order to show that they were looking for God’s perfect substitute who would bear the penalty for their sins. This act of sacrifice pointed them to the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ that was to come. But they polluted all this by instead offering animals to pagan deities on every high hill, and particularly at Mizpah and Tabor. Thus God was angry with them. They were blaspheming the sacrifice of Jesus Christ by offering animals to idols, and so God has promised to bring judgment against them.

Mon, 30 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

2 Timothy 2:8-10

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, ⁹ for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Some say that the idea of election will kill any evangelistic zeal we might have. They tell us that if we believe God has from eternity chosen His own people, we have no motivation to go spread the gospel.

Paul turned that thought on its head. Paul suffered greatly in his life. He was arrested, beaten, driven out of towns, and otherwise threatened and ridiculed. He endured much in his missionary journeys. But it he had a purpose in what he did. The driving force behind his work was the thought of election. To Paul, the idea that God has chosen His people drove him to want to share the gospel with people. Paul desired to be used by God to bring the news of salvation to the elect.

What do we learn from this?

Election is not contrary to evangelism or missionary work. On the contrary. A proper understanding of election will motivate us to spread the gospel. We know that the gospel will not fail. There are people out there in every tribe, race and nation who are chosen by God. They need to hear the gospel, and in the preaching of the gospel, God will bring them to salvation.

We don’t save anyone. God saves His elect. But God uses us to spread this good news of salvation to the world. We are called to spread this gospel indiscriminately, and to let God do the work of bringing the gospel to fruition in the hearts of His people.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Paul tells us to remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. He is the content of the gospel we preach. We tell others of salvation in Jesus Christ. He lived and died for the salvation of the elect. And it is through faith in Him that we are saved.

Sun, 29 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

2 Kings 10:1-11

¹ Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of the city, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying, ² “Now then, as soon as this letter comes to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, fortified cities also, and weapons, ³ select the best and fittest of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne and fight for your master’s house.” ⁴ But they were exceedingly afraid and said, “Behold, the two kings could not stand before him. How then can we stand?” ⁵ So he who was over the palace, and he who was over the city, together with the elders and the guardians, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and we will do all that you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your eyes.” ⁶ Then he wrote to them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow at this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were bringing them up. ⁷ And as soon as the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. ⁸ When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.” ⁹ Then in the morning, when he went out, he stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck down all these? ¹⁰ Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the LORD has done what he said by his servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

Jehu has just killed Ahab’s son, Joram, and in this chapter, he arrange for the slaughter of Jorham’s family. In the midst of his actions, Jehu recognizes that what is happening is all in fulfillment of God’s prophecy through Elijah.

What do we learn from this?

Nothing that God has willed will fail. He will work to bring about all that He has determined. God uses people to carry out His will, and in this case Jehu acts as His agent. Jehu has some serious problems. His methods are less than honest, and his motives are suspect. But even though he is serving his own interests rather than God’s, Jehu ends up doing exactly what God has ordained.

It is a comfort to us to know that in all that happens, God’s will is accomplished. People act in accordance with their own desires, and the end result is what God has planned from all eternity.

Where is Christ in this passage?

God’s will is accomplished in all things. He is working everything for the salvation of His people. He will bring His people to faith in Jesus Christ. They will come to understand their sin against God and their need for salvation. They will come to understand what God had done for them in the life and death of Jesus Christ, and come to trust in Him only for their salvation. Nothing that God wills fails to come about.

Sat, 28 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Psalm 119:73

⁷³ Your hands have made and fashioned me;
give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.

We are working through the longest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 119. Yesterday, we read in verse 64: The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes! God’s creation declares His mercy in His creation of it, and His sustaining it. Here, the psalmist is more specific, and talks of his own creation.

What do we learn from this?

God’s hands have made you and fashioned or formed you. The word translated here “fashioned” is not the term used of shaping pottery. Instead it is the word translated as “established” in verse 90. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. It means literally, “to set up” or ‘to stand perpendicular”. It is used in scripture as establish, fix, prepare, apply, appoint, render sure, prosper. God has not only made you, but He has stood you upright, established you, and made your way sure.

But the psalmist goes on to ask that God would give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. God has taken such great care of our physical bodies we can be confident that He will also care for our souls.

Where is Christ in this passage?

We desperately need understanding from God. We need to understand His ways, and His word. Our only hope for our future is that we correctly understand what God has done for us, and how we can be made right with Him. We are in rebellion against God, and our only hope is to understand who we are, who God is, and what He requires of us. We need to understand what God has done for us in sending Jesus Christ to live the perfect life and die on the cross for the sins of all who come to Him in faith. This is knowledge that can only come from God.

Fri, 27 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Daniel 12:1-3

¹ “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. ² And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ³ And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. ⁴ But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

The book of Daniel ends with a strange and confusing vision of the future, and its interpretation. The interpretation helps somewhat, but even with being told what the vision means, there is much that is unclear to me. At the conclusion, we are told that there will be a resurrection to eternal life and a resurrection to eternal shame.

What do we learn from this?

There is more to life that what we see. From what we can see, death is our end. But that is not so. There is an after life, and everyone is destined for one of two places. We will go to either heaven or to hell, and these are not just spiritual places. We will spend eternity in our resurrected bodies in either heaven or in hell.

Heaven is a place of eternal life. It is a place where we will be in our glorified bodies, enjoying God forever. But hell is a place of shame and everlasting contempt. It is a place of eternal punishment for the sins we have committed.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Hell is where people pay the price for the sins they have committed. We have all sinned, and so we are all bound for hell as the appropriate punishment for our sins. However, God has provided a substitute to bear that punishment on our behalf. Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the price for the sins of all who come to Him in faith, so that they do not have to spend eternity in hell. Because of the work of Jesus Christ, heaven is open to all who trust in Him for their salvation.

Thu, 26 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Timothy 4:6-9

⁶ If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ⁹ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.

Exercise is a good thing. It can lessen your chance of chronic health problems. It can help you to enjoy life much more because you sleep better, have more energy, and just feel better. Most people don’t get enough exercise, and they could benefit greatly by just adding some physical activity to their lives.

But as much as we need physical exercise, we need something even more: spiritual exercise. We need to grow in sanctification. We need to learn to obey God, and to put it into practice every day.

What do we learn from this?

Godliness is a of value in every way. It is good for us in our lives today. But it also is our great hope in glory. We should strive to live like we will live in eternity. We will be glorified and freed from our sinful nature when die and enter God’s presence. Our goal is for that to be a small change for us, as we have been growing in godliness through the course of our spiritual lives.

But notice that godliness doesn’t just happen with not effort on our part. Paul tells us that we need to train ourselves in godliness. We are all familiar with the way we must discipline ourselves to do the unpleasant tasks of physical exercise, especially when we don’t feel like it. We have to exercise anyhow because we want the benefits. If we stop exercising every time we don’t feel like it, soon we are not exercising at all, and we lose all the benefits that would have come to us had we disciplined ourselves to continue our exercise routine.

Our spiritual lives require discipline also. We must continue to do the things that lead to our growing in godliness, even when we don’t feel like it. We must read our Bibles and pray. We must attend church every week. We must take part in the sacraments when they are presented. We must listen intently to the sermon and pray for God to use His word to change our lives. We must study the scriptures, memorize them and meditate upon them. We must commit ourselves to, with God’s enabling, obey His word. And as we find that we have failed again, we need to repent of our sin, and seek God’s forgiveness. Then out of gratitude for His forgiveness, we commit ourselves to live a life of obedience.

It is discipline. It is work. But the result is godliness, and that have value in every way.

Where is Christ in this passage?

When we consider Jesus’ life as presented in the scriptures, we see a life of discipline. He was fixed upon the goal the Father had set before Him: to live the perfect life and to die upon the cross. It was a difficult life He lead. But He did it for our sakes. He did it to win our salvation. And out of gratitude for what He has done, we too should lead a disciplined life, seeking after the godliness that is of value to us and that pleases Him.

Wed, 25 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

2 Kings 6:8-19

⁸ Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” ⁹ But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” ¹⁰ And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.

¹¹ And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” ¹² And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” ¹³ And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” ¹⁴ So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” ¹⁶ He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. ¹⁸ And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. ¹⁹ And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.

This section of 2 Kings gives us snapshots from the life of Elisha. God used Elisha in a marvelous way, and God displayed His power through Elisha in many unique ways. In today’s chapter, Elisha is “trapped” in a city, surrounded by a hostile army intent on taking him prisoner. Elisha’s servant clearly saw the threat, and he asked in dismay to know what they were going to do since they were in such danger.

Elisha remained calm in the crisis, not because he did not see the threat, but because he was able to see God’s perspective on the situation. Elisha was surrounded by God’s protection, and in fact was in no danger at all.

What do we learn from this?

It is easy for us to get caught up in our circumstances and to become afraid or worried. We can clearly see the threats and the problems. They are real. They are right in front of us. We can’t miss them.

But we miss what is happening spiritually. God is with us. God is protecting us. God is guiding the circumstances for our good and His glory. We can’t see that. The only way we know the spiritual side is because scripture tells us it is so. The Bible proclaims God’s providence in all situations, and we know that He is a gracious and loving Father. He has promised to work our salvation through everything that He brings into our lives. And so, even though our eyes can’t see the hosts of heaven surrounding us, protecting us from the enemies we can see, we know that God is working everything for the good of those who love Him.

It is important that we learn this lesson well when we are not suffering, because being grounded in this doctrine will be an anchor for us the times of pain. If you don’t know this beforehand, in your suffering, you will question God’s actions, motives, character, and even His existence. If there is a loving God, how could He allow this to happen to me?

The answer is that God is there with you in your pain. He is working to bring you through the suffering. And the end result will be for your good and His glory. He is working salvation in His people, even if it means that they must experience pain.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Where is Christ in your suffering? He is there with you. You might not feel His presence. You might feel alone with your pain. You might see nothing other than the problems. But there is a greater one with you, even if you don’t feel His presence. If you have come to Him in faith, He is there with you, working in your life to bring about your salvation.

Tue, 24 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Psalm 117

¹ Praise the LORD, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
² For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!

This is the shortest psalm, but its scope is breathtaking. All nations are called to praise the lord, because of His great love to us.

What do we learn from this?

Consider the struggle within the early church about whether to include Gentiles. Some Jews were quite upset about the conversion of Gentiles and their inclusion among the believers. But if they had considered Psalm 117, they should have realized this day of opening the doors to the Gentiles was coming.

The nations are called to praise God. They are called to join with the people of God, singing God’s praise. And the reason for their praise is because of God’s love towards His people (who now include the Gentiles who are worshiping with them). God promises to be faithful forever, and He will display His love to His people. They (both Jews and Gentiles) will in return praise Him. All the nations will praise Him.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Jesus Christ has broken down the barrier that was once between Jews and Gentiles. We are now all one people of God. He has ended the hostility, and we now join as the people of God, worshiping Him together in the church. This psalm foreshadows the New Testament era, with all nations included in the people of God, united under Jesus Christ.

Mon, 23 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Daniel 8:18-26

¹⁸ And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. ¹⁹ He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. ²⁰ As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. ²¹ And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. ²² As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. ²³ And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. ²⁴ His power shall be great–but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. ²⁵ By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken–but by no human hand. ²⁶ The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

Daniel has a vision of a ram and a goat. There is a fight between the two with the single horned goat defeating the two horned ram. Then the one horn of the goat broke and was replaced with four smaller horns.

Fortunately, an angel interprets this vision for Daniel, so we are not left to guess.

This vision is of how Greece, under Alexander the Great (the one great horn in the goat) would defeat the Medes and Persians (the two horned ram). But then Alexander the Great would die and be replaced by four of his generals (the one great horn replaced by four smaller horns) who would divide his empire.

Babylon is at the height of its power. But God reveals what will happen to the empire that will depose Babylon.

What do we learn from this?

The rise and fall of nations is all according to God’s plan. The Greek empire was particularly significant because Alexander was a proponent of bringing the Greek culture to all the nations he conquered. He united them with a common language: Greek. Even up to the time of Jesus, Greek was the common language of the Roman empire. And so the New Testament was written in Greek. Paul could travel through the Roman empire and spread the gospel to Jews and Gentiles because he could preach to them in the common language: Greek.

God was preparing the world for the easy spread of the gospel by uniting the Roman empire with a common language.

And as we learn from Daniel’s vision, all this was known hundreds of years before hand. The Greek empire was no accident. It was God’s plan from the beginning.

Where is Christ in this passage?

God was preparing the world for the advent of Jesus Christ and for the spread of the good news about what happened. People would come to faith through the gospel preached in Greek. They would learn about the Person and work of Jesus Christ by reading of Him in the Greek New Testament. God’s work was accomplished by Alexander the Great conquering the known world.

Sun, 22 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-12

⁶ Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. ¹¹ For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. ¹² Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

Paul has some harsh words for lazy Christians in the Thessalonian church. Work. If you don’t work, then you won’t eat.

What do we learn from this?

If anyone is able to take care of themselves and their family, they need to do so. Obviously, there are times when each of us have financial difficulties due to our employment or our health. There are times when we will need help from our brothers and sisters in the church. And we are called to help our fellow Christians in their hardships as well.

But it is a different situation if someone is able and has the opportunity to work, but they choose not to because they are able to live off of others. Such a person is presuming upon the generosity of his more industrious companions. Paul tells us that we should encourage this lazy Christian to get out and work rather than idle away his time getting into trouble. Help them by not helping them. Don’t give them support so that they will have to get busy to support themselves. In doing so, you really are helping them, because you are encouraging them to work quietly and to earn their own living.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Paul gives us this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in His name and by His authority that we are to make sure our acts of mercy are done for people who need them and not for those who are lazy and are taking advantage of our generosity.