13 December 2009
Psalm 63, 98; Amos 9:11-15; 2 Thess. 2:1-3,13-17; John 5:30-47
The promise of the Lord is that the judgment is not a final judgment on the people. They are not entirely rejected. They will be restored to their former status and they will again possess the land and it will produce in abundance. If the Lord had said, “It’s over” the people would not have returned to Him. The prophet does not leave them without hope. As bad as it will be, there will be a time when they are restored. We live for the hope of the coming of the Lord and the establishment of an eternal kingdom of righteousness and justice.
Jesus comes speaking truth to the people and they will not hear it or receive it. He has just healed the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda but He has done so on the Sabbath and so he is doubted. In many of Jesus’ miracles there is a place where the religious leaders can find fault, typically because He dared to do something on the Sabbath when no work was to be done. They would rather have religion and righteousness on their own terms, be in control. Jesus points to the testimony of John, the Father, the Spirit, the works He is doing, the Scriptures and to Moses as at one concerning Him. The charge, you prefer receiving glory from one another than from God. The call, lay down that desire and walk humbly before God and receive the One who has been sent by God.
Paul speaks prophetically to the people of Thessalonica concerning what will come, lawlessness and rebellion. They are told that Jesus has not come back yet, no matter what they have heard or what anyone has said in Paul’s name. The promise is that He will come again and in order to receive glory from Jesus requires them to stand fast in the belief in the truth and holding to the “traditions” Paul and his companions taught them. God’s people have always been required to stand for truth against the world in order to receive the promised glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
14 December 2009
Psalm 41, 52; Zech. 1:7-17; Rev. 3:7-13; Matt. 24:15-31
Zechariah’s prophecy was written during the time of Ezra-Nehemiah as the city and now the temple were being rebuilt. This vision shows that the nations who had destroyed the city and the temple are at peace while God’s people are harassed by enemies and in the midst of rebuilding. The angel of the Lord, on hearing this news, intercedes on behalf of Jerusalem. God’s response is that He is angry with the nations because they went too far in conquering. He was angry and used them as a tool for correction of His people, but they went beyond their boundaries in dealing with the nation. The vision ends with a promise of restoration of glory to the city.
Jesus gives an apocalyptic vision. His prophetic words are dire, reminiscent of Sodom and Gomorrah in the beginning of the vision, telling them to flee from the destruction. The temple and the city continue to matter to God and the vision of Revelation is of a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. We are warned of those last days that the suffering will be great and yet the mercy of the Lord will shorten that time. We are also warned that many will claim Messiah has come but we are to wait for His coming in the heavens. The promise is clear, that He will return and set all things to rights.
The church at Philadelphia is the one church against whom God does not state a grievance, only a promise. The word is spoken to a church with “little power” and who are opposed by what is referred to as the “synagogue of Satan.” Apparently the church was insignificant on the landscape but important to God and the opposition was Jewish and their particular sin was the denial that Jesus is Messiah. They are commended and encouraged in patient endurance with the promise that if they continue they will be kept from the judgment that is coming. The words “hold fast” are words Paul and others use to encourage their followers to keep the faith, not lose heart, and continue in the Way. Our promise is that one day, the nations will be judged and that we will see the kingdom established forever.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
I will thank you forever,
because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
in the presence of the godly.
Psalm 41, 52; Zech. 1:7-17; Rev. 3:7-13; Matt. 24:15-31
Zechariah’s prophecy was written during the time of Ezra-Nehemiah as the city and now the temple were being rebuilt. This vision shows that the nations who had destroyed the city and the temple are at peace while God’s people are harassed by enemies and in the midst of rebuilding. The angel of the Lord, on hearing this news, intercedes on behalf of Jerusalem. God’s response is that He is angry with the nations because they went too far in conquering. He was angry and used them as a tool for correction of His people, but they went beyond their boundaries in dealing with the nation. The vision ends with a promise of restoration of glory to the city.
Jesus gives an apocalyptic vision. His prophetic words are dire, reminiscent of Sodom and Gomorrah in the beginning of the vision, telling them to flee from the destruction. The temple and the city continue to matter to God and the vision of Revelation is of a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. We are warned of those last days that the suffering will be great and yet the mercy of the Lord will shorten that time. We are also warned that many will claim Messiah has come but we are to wait for His coming in the heavens. The promise is clear, that He will return and set all things to rights.
The church at Philadelphia is the one church against whom God does not state a grievance, only a promise. The word is spoken to a church with “little power” and who are opposed by what is referred to as the “synagogue of Satan.” Apparently the church was insignificant on the landscape but important to God and the opposition was Jewish and their particular sin was the denial that Jesus is Messiah. They are commended and encouraged in patient endurance with the promise that if they continue they will be kept from the judgment that is coming. The words “hold fast” are words Paul and others use to encourage their followers to keep the faith, not lose heart, and continue in the Way. Our promise is that one day, the nations will be judged and that we will see the kingdom established forever.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
I will thank you forever,
because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
in the presence of the godly.
Friday, December 11, 2009
12 December 2009
Psalm 30, 32; Haggai 2:1-9; Rev. 3:1-6; Matt. 24:1-14
The prophet speaks words of encouragement regarding the rebuilding. It has become increasingly clear to me that the Lord always wants his people to be realists, understanding the situation in which we find ourselves, aware of the obstacles and the impossibility of the task confronting us. Never do we see Him giving His people a job to do that they are able to do on their own. He always wants them to see the enormity of the work but not to discourage them, but rather that they will pray and ask Him for help. We tend to take on the work we estimate ourselves to be capable of doing but He generally calls people to greater things. Haggai calls them to remember the former splendor in order to give them a vision of what they are working towards. They are also reminded that all the resources needed to accomplish the work belong to the Lord and even though they may see a lack of resources, the Lord does not.
Jesus speaks prophetically of the overthrow of the temple and of what else the disciples will suffer. The disciples remark on the grandeur of the temple and Jesus immediately tells them it will not be left standing, a prophecy that came true in their lifetimes. Jesus wants them to not be afraid when they see the obstacles before them as they go about the work of establishing the church, and not lose heart in the work. To hear his words would, for many, be so discouraging that they would not attempt the work at all, but the disciples will experience the physical resurrection of Jesus after having seen Him crucified, will witness the ascension and will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit before that work begins. They will know that there is more than this life at stake and they will be willing to sacrifice everything for what they know to be true. Are we?
The word to the church at Sardis is that all that glitters isn’t gold. What looks good to outsiders is not appealing to the Lord. They are called to remember what they have heard, obey and repent. While the message may seem less clear in some ways than the other letters we can assume that the people of Sardis knew what this referred to. The call is to purity, as only those whose garments are unsoiled will be allowed into the banquet. We cannot take a haphazard approach to the Lord, we must come undefiled.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
Psalm 30, 32; Haggai 2:1-9; Rev. 3:1-6; Matt. 24:1-14
The prophet speaks words of encouragement regarding the rebuilding. It has become increasingly clear to me that the Lord always wants his people to be realists, understanding the situation in which we find ourselves, aware of the obstacles and the impossibility of the task confronting us. Never do we see Him giving His people a job to do that they are able to do on their own. He always wants them to see the enormity of the work but not to discourage them, but rather that they will pray and ask Him for help. We tend to take on the work we estimate ourselves to be capable of doing but He generally calls people to greater things. Haggai calls them to remember the former splendor in order to give them a vision of what they are working towards. They are also reminded that all the resources needed to accomplish the work belong to the Lord and even though they may see a lack of resources, the Lord does not.
Jesus speaks prophetically of the overthrow of the temple and of what else the disciples will suffer. The disciples remark on the grandeur of the temple and Jesus immediately tells them it will not be left standing, a prophecy that came true in their lifetimes. Jesus wants them to not be afraid when they see the obstacles before them as they go about the work of establishing the church, and not lose heart in the work. To hear his words would, for many, be so discouraging that they would not attempt the work at all, but the disciples will experience the physical resurrection of Jesus after having seen Him crucified, will witness the ascension and will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit before that work begins. They will know that there is more than this life at stake and they will be willing to sacrifice everything for what they know to be true. Are we?
The word to the church at Sardis is that all that glitters isn’t gold. What looks good to outsiders is not appealing to the Lord. They are called to remember what they have heard, obey and repent. While the message may seem less clear in some ways than the other letters we can assume that the people of Sardis knew what this referred to. The call is to purity, as only those whose garments are unsoiled will be allowed into the banquet. We cannot take a haphazard approach to the Lord, we must come undefiled.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
11 December 2009
Psalm 31; Haggai 1:1-15; Rev. 2:18-29; Matt. 23:27-39
Haggai’s prophetic words were addressed to the returned exile community who had re-settled in the land. They have seen to their own needs and gone about their business seemingly unconcerned with rebuilding the house of the Lord. They are confronted with this neglect and then the prophet shows them that their lives and labor have failed to live up to their expectations and says that this is God’s judgment on their failure to attend to the temple. The prophetic word stirs the people to action.
The righteousness of the Pharisees is condemned in the strongest possible way, calling them “whitewashed tombs.” When festivals were held in Jerusalem, one of the public works projects was to whitewash the tombs in order to make everything as beautiful as possible and at the same time this whitewashing obscured the fact that they were the abode of the dead. Jesus uses this powerful image to describe the religious leaders. Further, he links them with their ancestors who killed the prophets while these contemporary leaders disavowed the connection. At this very festival they will do far worse than killing God’s messengers, they will kill His only begotten Son.
The church at Thyatira is criticized for listening to a false prophetess who is leading them astray from their spiritual loyalty to Christ. The specific teaching here is not available to us and yet we can surmise certain things based on what we do know of teachings that were current among those who would lead the church astray. It seems likely that this prophetess claimed special revelation from God and that this revelation was leading the people into truths that were not found in Scripture, the deeper truths as it were. This same spirit exists today in some churches and we should always be careful of those who claim to have this knowledge that is unattainable to others. We have the Word written and the Spirit of God to guide us into all truth, we should be skeptical of those who claim new revelation.
Blessed be the LORD,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was in a besieged city.
I had said in my alarm,
"I am cut off from your sight."
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
when I cried to you for help.
Psalm 31; Haggai 1:1-15; Rev. 2:18-29; Matt. 23:27-39
Haggai’s prophetic words were addressed to the returned exile community who had re-settled in the land. They have seen to their own needs and gone about their business seemingly unconcerned with rebuilding the house of the Lord. They are confronted with this neglect and then the prophet shows them that their lives and labor have failed to live up to their expectations and says that this is God’s judgment on their failure to attend to the temple. The prophetic word stirs the people to action.
The righteousness of the Pharisees is condemned in the strongest possible way, calling them “whitewashed tombs.” When festivals were held in Jerusalem, one of the public works projects was to whitewash the tombs in order to make everything as beautiful as possible and at the same time this whitewashing obscured the fact that they were the abode of the dead. Jesus uses this powerful image to describe the religious leaders. Further, he links them with their ancestors who killed the prophets while these contemporary leaders disavowed the connection. At this very festival they will do far worse than killing God’s messengers, they will kill His only begotten Son.
The church at Thyatira is criticized for listening to a false prophetess who is leading them astray from their spiritual loyalty to Christ. The specific teaching here is not available to us and yet we can surmise certain things based on what we do know of teachings that were current among those who would lead the church astray. It seems likely that this prophetess claimed special revelation from God and that this revelation was leading the people into truths that were not found in Scripture, the deeper truths as it were. This same spirit exists today in some churches and we should always be careful of those who claim to have this knowledge that is unattainable to others. We have the Word written and the Spirit of God to guide us into all truth, we should be skeptical of those who claim new revelation.
Blessed be the LORD,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was in a besieged city.
I had said in my alarm,
"I am cut off from your sight."
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
when I cried to you for help.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
10 December 2009
Psalm 37:1-18; Amos 9:1-10; Rev. 2:8-17; Matt. 23:13-26
This is a fearsome vision of the destruction of the people of God. In it are images familiar from Psalm 139 where David speaks of not being able to escape from God, ultimately finding it to be a source of comfort. Here, however, there is no comfort to be found in any place. The judgment of God is complete and his anger unabated against them. The judgment is against the sinful, it is not utter destruction, a righteous remnant will remain. God’s judgment is never unjust, it falls on those who have rejected Him and His ways, and now, His Son.
Jesus speaks directly to those who bear responsibility for the law, the scribes and Pharisees. They have taken this responsibility upon themselves and have received public acclaim for their work. Jesus says that they have mis-interpreted and mis-applied the law. Their logic is not good in their teaching and that teaching reveals their own values. They value gold and offerings above the temple itself and thus the God of the temple. His words concerning the tithe are in line with the words the prophets have spoken time and again, calling them to true righteousness which has to do with justice and mercy first and other things later. The final admonition is the reminder that God sees the heart and the heart is the source of sin and of righteousness, the source of desires.
These two letters mince no words and speak directly to the two churches. The first speaks of a coming persecution of the church in Smyrna and an admonition to persevere in the faith and witness in order to receive life. The second speaks of the sin of holding to the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolatians. Jewish teaching concerning Balaam is that he instructed the king of Moab that the way to destroy Israel was not militarily but rather by sending the beautiful women of Moab to tempt the Israelites, become their wives and then entice them to follow their gods. In all these things, sex was more important than the Lord. It isn’t just our modern world that was sexually obsessed. Righteousness matters to God and we, as forgiven sinners, are called to a greater righteousness made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. The cross isn’t a get out of jail free card, it is the way to the life God wants us to live.
Psalm 37:1-18; Amos 9:1-10; Rev. 2:8-17; Matt. 23:13-26
This is a fearsome vision of the destruction of the people of God. In it are images familiar from Psalm 139 where David speaks of not being able to escape from God, ultimately finding it to be a source of comfort. Here, however, there is no comfort to be found in any place. The judgment of God is complete and his anger unabated against them. The judgment is against the sinful, it is not utter destruction, a righteous remnant will remain. God’s judgment is never unjust, it falls on those who have rejected Him and His ways, and now, His Son.
Jesus speaks directly to those who bear responsibility for the law, the scribes and Pharisees. They have taken this responsibility upon themselves and have received public acclaim for their work. Jesus says that they have mis-interpreted and mis-applied the law. Their logic is not good in their teaching and that teaching reveals their own values. They value gold and offerings above the temple itself and thus the God of the temple. His words concerning the tithe are in line with the words the prophets have spoken time and again, calling them to true righteousness which has to do with justice and mercy first and other things later. The final admonition is the reminder that God sees the heart and the heart is the source of sin and of righteousness, the source of desires.
These two letters mince no words and speak directly to the two churches. The first speaks of a coming persecution of the church in Smyrna and an admonition to persevere in the faith and witness in order to receive life. The second speaks of the sin of holding to the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolatians. Jewish teaching concerning Balaam is that he instructed the king of Moab that the way to destroy Israel was not militarily but rather by sending the beautiful women of Moab to tempt the Israelites, become their wives and then entice them to follow their gods. In all these things, sex was more important than the Lord. It isn’t just our modern world that was sexually obsessed. Righteousness matters to God and we, as forgiven sinners, are called to a greater righteousness made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. The cross isn’t a get out of jail free card, it is the way to the life God wants us to live.
9 December 2009
Psalm 38; Amos 8:1-14; Rev. 1:17-2:7; Matt. 23:1-12
Amos continues to call for justice in the land. The accusation against them is that they are driven entirely by commercial interests, desiring not to worship God but instead only to do business and, if that weren’t enough, desiring to do so dishonestly. The great punishment of God in all this is that there will be a famine in the land of hearing the word of God. Along with the other judgments this one will cut them off from hope. When they need to hear from God, He will be silent.
Jesus is doing away with the organization chart. They are accustomed to a second hand relationship with God, mediated through priests and scribes, professional religious people. The sacrificial system actually required all this. Sacrifices must be done at the temple and the only ones authorized to offer them were the priests. The law needed to be interpreted in order to be applied, so you needed someone to interpret it, thus the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. The problem was the motives of the leaders were as wrong as the people of Amos’ day. Jesus’ sacrifice would open the way to a more direct relationship with God, no priests offered that sacrifice, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit means that the law is written on our hearts, we don’t need another to interpret. It isn’t that there is no need for anyone to preach or interpret the Word, we can always learn from one another, but it does mean that we can seek the Lord on our own and receive wisdom and knowledge.
The letter to the church at Ephesus is similar in some ways to much of the prophetic books of the Bible but remarkably dissimilar in one important way. The similarity is the accusation of abandoning the love they had at first. They have made secondary things primary things and in the process lost the one primary thing. The dissimilarity comes in the encouragement they receive in this brief letter. We are always tempted to make secondary things primary but we must constantly resist that temptation and keep the love of God primary. Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 6 was to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be added remains true. We allow other things to take precedence, sometimes good things, but the love of God must always be primary.
Do not forsake me, O LORD!
O my God, be not far from me!
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
Psalm 38; Amos 8:1-14; Rev. 1:17-2:7; Matt. 23:1-12
Amos continues to call for justice in the land. The accusation against them is that they are driven entirely by commercial interests, desiring not to worship God but instead only to do business and, if that weren’t enough, desiring to do so dishonestly. The great punishment of God in all this is that there will be a famine in the land of hearing the word of God. Along with the other judgments this one will cut them off from hope. When they need to hear from God, He will be silent.
Jesus is doing away with the organization chart. They are accustomed to a second hand relationship with God, mediated through priests and scribes, professional religious people. The sacrificial system actually required all this. Sacrifices must be done at the temple and the only ones authorized to offer them were the priests. The law needed to be interpreted in order to be applied, so you needed someone to interpret it, thus the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. The problem was the motives of the leaders were as wrong as the people of Amos’ day. Jesus’ sacrifice would open the way to a more direct relationship with God, no priests offered that sacrifice, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit means that the law is written on our hearts, we don’t need another to interpret. It isn’t that there is no need for anyone to preach or interpret the Word, we can always learn from one another, but it does mean that we can seek the Lord on our own and receive wisdom and knowledge.
The letter to the church at Ephesus is similar in some ways to much of the prophetic books of the Bible but remarkably dissimilar in one important way. The similarity is the accusation of abandoning the love they had at first. They have made secondary things primary things and in the process lost the one primary thing. The dissimilarity comes in the encouragement they receive in this brief letter. We are always tempted to make secondary things primary but we must constantly resist that temptation and keep the love of God primary. Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 6 was to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be added remains true. We allow other things to take precedence, sometimes good things, but the love of God must always be primary.
Do not forsake me, O LORD!
O my God, be not far from me!
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
December 8, 2009
8 December 2009
Psalm 26, 28; Amos 7:10-17; Rev. 1:9-16; Matt. 22:34-46
Not surprisingly, the prophet’s words are not warmly received in Israel by either priest or king. Bethel is the site of the temple of the northern kingdom of Israel, the word meaning “house of God.” It was the oldest worship site in the land, dating to the time of Jacob. It is the place where Jacob saw the vision of heaven standing open, angels ascending and descending on the ladder. Jerusalem, however, seems clearly to have been the site God chose for the worship of the nation. The kingdom was divided into two sections, with Israel being the northern kingdom and Judah being the southern, during the reign of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. Israel was made up of 10 tribes and Judah, two, Judah and Benjamin. At that time Bethel was re-established as the site of worship for the northerners. Amos states that he isn’t a prophet for hire, that he was called from his day job with the word of God.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day prove themselves as unreceptive to prophets than the leaders of Amos’ day. Attempting to establish a pecking order among the commandments, the Pharisees send a lawyer (expert in the law) to ask Jesus a question. Jesus’ answer distills the commandments to two, love God, love your neighbor. The question is one that occupied the minds of the legal scholars, trying to summarize the law more succinctly. Since it seems that this one is an expert, Jesus returns the favor by asking a question of the expert concerning the Messiah. Jesus proves more adept at Bible games than the expert in proving that the Messiah is greater than David and therefore cannot be David’s son but his superior.
The imagery John sees here relates to Daniel’s prophetic vision. It should not be surprising that the two should correspond so closely as they are both revelations of and by the same God. John’s revelation is more complete as he is able to identify this Son of Man who remained an enigma to Daniel and those who do not know Jesus. John’s book here is prophecy in the same sense as the Old Testament prophets. It will be written to the people of God in seven particular churches in the form of letters of both commendation and condemnation, a warning of what will happen if correction is not made. We need to be able to hear from the Lord that we are not getting it right in some of what we do, we should always be open to correction as we continue to struggle to follow the Lord. Our humanness still carries weight in all we do and we tend to need course correction.
Blessed be the LORD!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 26, 28; Amos 7:10-17; Rev. 1:9-16; Matt. 22:34-46
Not surprisingly, the prophet’s words are not warmly received in Israel by either priest or king. Bethel is the site of the temple of the northern kingdom of Israel, the word meaning “house of God.” It was the oldest worship site in the land, dating to the time of Jacob. It is the place where Jacob saw the vision of heaven standing open, angels ascending and descending on the ladder. Jerusalem, however, seems clearly to have been the site God chose for the worship of the nation. The kingdom was divided into two sections, with Israel being the northern kingdom and Judah being the southern, during the reign of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. Israel was made up of 10 tribes and Judah, two, Judah and Benjamin. At that time Bethel was re-established as the site of worship for the northerners. Amos states that he isn’t a prophet for hire, that he was called from his day job with the word of God.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day prove themselves as unreceptive to prophets than the leaders of Amos’ day. Attempting to establish a pecking order among the commandments, the Pharisees send a lawyer (expert in the law) to ask Jesus a question. Jesus’ answer distills the commandments to two, love God, love your neighbor. The question is one that occupied the minds of the legal scholars, trying to summarize the law more succinctly. Since it seems that this one is an expert, Jesus returns the favor by asking a question of the expert concerning the Messiah. Jesus proves more adept at Bible games than the expert in proving that the Messiah is greater than David and therefore cannot be David’s son but his superior.
The imagery John sees here relates to Daniel’s prophetic vision. It should not be surprising that the two should correspond so closely as they are both revelations of and by the same God. John’s revelation is more complete as he is able to identify this Son of Man who remained an enigma to Daniel and those who do not know Jesus. John’s book here is prophecy in the same sense as the Old Testament prophets. It will be written to the people of God in seven particular churches in the form of letters of both commendation and condemnation, a warning of what will happen if correction is not made. We need to be able to hear from the Lord that we are not getting it right in some of what we do, we should always be open to correction as we continue to struggle to follow the Lord. Our humanness still carries weight in all we do and we tend to need course correction.
Blessed be the LORD!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
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