7 October 2011

Psalm 140, 142; 2 Kings 23:36-24:17; 1 Cor. 12:12-26; Matt. 9:27-34

The kingdom of Judah comes to an ignominious end in unfaithfulness. The writer here is clear that this was all according to the prophecies that had been spoken before, that it was for the evil of Manasseh and that it was deserved because of the unfaithfulness of the people. It must have been a terrible time to be in the city as wave after wave of invaders came against them, Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites and Ammonites. Finally the Babylonians come and Nebuchadnezzar comes with them to carry off whatever is left that is of value, whether that be material things or people, and remove them to Babylon. Fortunately, we have also the book of Daniel that tells us that the Lord did not abandon His people in Babylon, that He used them there as a witness and continued to speak prophetically about His purpose and plan for them.

Jesus continues to do amazing works no one has ever seen yet people come believing He is more than able to do these things. He heals two blind men who have no doubts that he is able to heal them. Did He honestly believe they would tell no one? Next, He healed a man who was mute due to demonic oppression and the crowds spoke well of Him. The religious leaders, the Pharisees, however, attributed His work to the work of satan. We need to discern spiritually what we see and hear, we need to be skeptical of claims made concerning ministries about which claims are made concerning miraculous works for there are counterfeits who use the people of God for their own enrichment and fame. That being said, we must also be prepared to see and celebrate a genuine move of God among us. Why would the leaders come to this conclusion? Was it because they could do no such things?

Paul’s concern is obvious, that there be no divisions in the body based on pride or false humility. We are to value one another equally, recognizing the contribution each makes to the whole as invaluable to the proper functioning of the body. He concludes by saying, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” Frequently, when one member suffers we indeed rally round and share in their pain, but not as often do we share in the honor of another. Jealousy sets in and we feel that if one is honored we are somehow abashed. A championship team is one that realizes that everyone has a role to play and no one player can carry a team by him/herself. In our first two lessons we see people who have lost their sense of their own roles. The kings were also spiritual leaders and both Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin failed to lead according to their divine appointment. The Pharisees jealousy kept them from seeing that they were under

To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
The God Whom Heaven and earth adore,
From men and from the angel host
Be praise and glory evermore.

Tune