David has a way with words and is able to do thanks and
praise well. The Lord promised David
that He would make David's name great and establish his throne forever, never
lacking for one to sit on the throne. David,
in turn, praised the Name of the Lord. It
was the Lord's doing and He would accomplish what He purposed and covenanted to
do. David believed the Lord for this thing that it would be done. He praised the promise but also that the Lord
would accomplish it. Little did he know
that in Jesus, from his own line, would come the one who would quite literally
sit on the throne forever and forever was a lot longer than David could have
imagined. His attitude towards this
covenant promise is quite similar to Abraham's reaction to God's promise that
his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on
the shore. You have covenant promises
too and you know that in the resurrection of Jesus you have more than just
God's word for it, you have proof of His ability and willingness. Praise Him today as David does.
Both the blind man Jesus heals at Bethsaida and Peter see
clearly. The blind man takes two tries
to get his sight restored and Peter sees clearly who Jesus is, but it doesn't
last, he doesn't see as clearly as it seems at first blush. Peter confesses the right thing, that Jesus
is the Messiah, but his understanding is less certain than he thinks it
is. The man knows his sight isn't
perfect yet, he sees trees walking about but knows they are people. Peter thinks he sees perfectly but then he
rebukes Jesus for talking about crucifixion.
Jesus has to straighten him out, you may see clearly but your
understanding of what you see is lacking.
Peter has seen a Messiah who simply takes up satan's offer of throne and
Jesus quickly knocks Peter off the pedestal of his own understanding.
The proconsul won't listen to the Jews complaints against
Paul as it is only a matter of religious law, not secular. In response they beat Sosthenes, the ruler of
the synagogue. After Paul moves on from
Ephesus after a brief visit, another comes, Apollos from Alexandria, the center
of learning. He preaches Jesus but only
what he knows from John's preaching. He apparently
didn't know everything that came after, the baptism of the Holy Spirit poured
out and the resurrection of Jesus. He was
preaching Jesus coming in judgment rather than Jesus come to save. The two Jews from Corinth Paul had instructed
take him in hand and teach him the rest of the story and now he is prepared to
truly preach the Good News. There was
more to praise God for and proclaim about Jesus than he had imagined.
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