Category: recap

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Story So Far Q2 Week 6, Lessons from 1 Samuel

Saul Attacking David, Guercino, 1646

We’ve made our way through all of 1 Samuel and there are clear lessons learned about authority. It begins with Israel not content to have God as their king and preferring to be like everyone else. They want an authority over them they can see and so they plead to have their own human king. Samuel tries to dissuade them, but even as God allows for it, the situation in choosing Saul makes it clear that this is from God. Even in having another authority, the king, we are to understand where the true authority lies. This king Saul makes the greatest errors when he doesn’t accept this truth. He thinks since he is king, he can takeover for God and for God’s servant Samuel. When he acts as though he is in charge, Saul makes great mistakes and loses God’s blessing.

David is then anointed to be the next king. His job is to do the opposite of Saul: to seek the Lord in all things and lead Israel as one whose authority is found in God. He is not one, as we’ll see in 2 Samuel, who does this perfectly. But when he does make errors that are unfortunately similar to Saul’s, David recognizes the voice of God in others, repents, and brings himself back into a position of humility, even as a king.

If a king, with so much power and authority, still must seek God in all he does, how can we not follow suit. Following the example of David doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect, but it does mean that when we stumble, we know where to turn. Saul relies on himself, David relies on God.

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Week in Review, Quarter 2, Week 3

Samson and Lion fountain in St. Petersburg, just one character we passed over this last week in Judges.

I haven’t devoted much typing to the book of Judges this week, something I’ll be sure to remedy for the next week’s assignments for Year in the Bible. But in reading through Galatians I see a connection to Judges, and Galatians could just about be retitled and delivered to the tribes of Israel. Paul writes in chapter one:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—

He goes on to say that calling anything but the gospel of Christ ‘gospel’ doesn’t make sense, for nothing is good news compared to God’s grace. But, the point I’m making with relation to Judges is that this church in Galatia, some two thousand years ago, suffered the same problems that God’s people struggled with thousands of years before that. They so quickly turn from the God who had delivered them from Egypt and delivered them into the promised land. Sadly the story is a common one in which humanity, for no good reason, turns from God.

I don’t know whether we should grow more angry with ourselves seeing this pattern continue or if we should have greater sympathy. Maybe both. At least it should help make us humble people.

The good news is that this pattern also includes a God who forgives and welcomes us back again and again.

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Week in Review, Quarter 2, Week 2

Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still

The following verses are the most well-known of the book of Joshua:

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:14-15

We’re missing out if we think this statement is only for a past time, a time of Joshua. We still today have foreign gods, idols that seek to take a place in our lives that only God should occupy. To be a disciple of Christ and follow him is a choice that is for God, and by necessity is then a choice against other gods. It is a choice that excludes possibilities from our life. We are to turn from those lesser things in this world, the false gods and idols. We must stop worshiping them or worshiping self and make a stand for God.

Joshua reminds the people before this statement of who their God is and all that he has done. Having read Mark we’ve been reminded of who God is and we see him most clearly in Jesus Christ. We know what he has done for us. God has done it all. Jesus Christ died the death we deserve so that we may be with him. Christ tells us as well what marks the life of a disciple. A life of sacrifice, death to self, service, witness, love of neighbor, and obedience to the will of the Father.

In response to God’s good news and his invitation to follow Christ, will we cast off the false gods of the land in which we dwell serve the Lord?

 

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Kicking Off Quarter Two, Week One

Year in the Bible, the BIG story so far

Today we had a lunch after church to celebrate the end of our first quarter of Year in the Bible. Looking back it is a great amount of reading that has been finished and so many of the big stories of the Bible have been covered. You’ve really accomplished a lot in just a few months.

Noah Ark – One of the many well-known stories of quarter one.

We’ve gone from creation to God’s people readying themselves to enter the promised land. In between God has shown himself to be faithful and true, strong and mighty, full of grace and mercy, as well a God of judgment who does not tolerate sin. God has chosen a people for himself, beginning with Abraham, and has provided all that was needed. But God’s provision and sufficiency ironically never seem like enough and Israel always turns away. God meets this faithlessness with his grace. There is judgment, like 40 years of wandering, but God never ceases being a God for us.

God is never revealed more clearly as for us than in Jesus Christ, of whom we read about in the New Testament. We read John and Luke who present to the reader the gospel, and that is the story of Jesus Christ. God is for us and has stopped at nothing to make us his own, and this means that God came to earth in Jesus Christ and took our sin upon himself, dying the death that we deserve, so that we can be reconciled. Now we a sinful people can be with a holy God.

In response to such an amazing, world-changing event, the lives of the disciples of Christ can never be the same. In the book of Acts we see the way in which the church exists in light of the death and resurrection of Christ, as empowered by his Spirit.

Now in quarter two we take up both of these strands and follow the story further along. The promised land, which has been held out before Israel, is finally occupied in the book of Joshua. We’ll then see Israel move from prophets and judges to a nation that wants and gets a king for itself, just like all the other nations. This summer quarter will also give us a chance to read all of the minor prophets who speak against the nation, calling for its people to return to God and to his ways.

The church that finds its footing in the Roman empire is still in need of help and encouragement and we’ll read many letters that were circulated to do just that. These are the letters of Paul and Peter, who sought to build up the people and strengthen the small group of believers who would one day rise up from under the oppression of a hostile culture to be a force for the kingdom of God.

That’s what we’ll have to look forward to this summer quarter of Year in the Bible, starting this week. Hope you can stay with it. I’ll be praying for you and for your time spent with God in his word.

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Story So Far, Week 13

Tune in tomorrow after church to get the full low down on the weekly “story so far.” We’ll look back at the big picture at our Review/Preview lunch. Then we’ll have a more substantial post to intro our Summer Quarter of Year in the BIble.

We’ve come a long way from creation to the doorstep of the promised land in the Old, and hearing about Jesus Christ to seeing his church take shape in the New Testament. I pray it has been a wonderful experience so far.

But don’t let it be enough…

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The Story So Far, Week 11

We’ve now gone through almost half of Deuteronomy and half of Acts, and we’re getting ever closer to the end of our first quarter. We’ve read in Deuteronomy how Moses is making final preparations for the people before they (and not he) enter into the promised land. He is restating the law making bold reminders that they are not entering into the land as people deserving, nor as a righteous people. God has done the work and it is by his grace that they will receive what is coming their way.

God, too, is doing the work through Acts by the Holy Spirit. Men and women are being taken up in service to the church of Jesus Christ, and by his name are doing great works and preaching the good news to both Jews and Gentiles.

Deuteronomy 8 also is the original location of the words that Jesus quotes when he is in the desert, tempted by Satan, “Man does not live by bread alone.” The Israelites are reminded by this that their needs are greater than food, more than the food they had in Egypt. They have a great need and reliance upon the Lord our God.We learn this lesson as well in Acts as all that is done is done by the power God gives and it is for God’s glory. The Spirit comes and gives the disciples the ability to work miracles, these signs are done in Jesus name, and it is all in God’s plan. The needs of the disciples move beyond bread alone, as they give up their material goods to serve others and support the new found community. If it were all about bread, or stuff, they would horde and keep to themselves, instead they sell their possessions and give to those who have need.

They do, as we read earlier in Acts, spend time breaking bread, but the church is more than that and they are devoted as well to the teachings of God. The church of Acts demonstrates well the second half of that line from Deuteronomy 8, “but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

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The Story So Far, Week 10 – Balaam and the Spirit

Rembrandt, Balaam and His Ass, 1626

First off, we’ve now completed double-digit weeks of Year in the Bible! Congratulations.

Back in the Old Testament, Numbers slows its pace down to tell the reader about the diviner, Balaam. He’s known for his abilities to discern spirits, speak oracles, and generally relate to the spiritual world. King Balak wants to use Balaam’s abilities to bring down curses upon the peoples of Israel. They are great in number and are looming at Balak’s doorstep. But God will not allow his people, whom he has blessed, to be cursed by Balaam.

Because of God’s will, Balaam says he will not go, but Balak pushes him again and again. Balaam eventually goes, but only once God allows him, and even then, he has a stern message for the diviner on the road.

Balaam is riding his old donkey, with which he seems to have shared many rides. But on this ride the donkey refuses to continue. An angel of God stands in their way. The donkey won’t succumb to Balaam who tries to drive him on becase the donkey knows better. Balaam gets angry until God opens the donkeys mouth to speak to him and then opens his eyes to see the angel. The great irony of this story is that the person who is known in the land as being able to see spiritual things is here blind, while a mere donkey can see what is right before them. How humbling for the diviner, and how revealing to us how spiritual understanding is given. God has to give it to us.

And that is what we see given to the whole church in Acts. God gives his own Spirit to the people and they are given speech, like the donkey, and they are shown all spiritual truth. God’s Spirit lives in believers now and that has changed everything.

Just think of the implications. Take a moment.

To look at one example, think about the selection of the disciple who replaces Judas. The disciples cast lots. After Pentecost, when the Spirit comes upon the church, do you see lots cast again?

It is amazing to live in a time in which we all have greater access than so-called diviners like Balaam, for God has made his dwelling place among us and in us by his Spirit.

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Sweet Potato Review with Pictures

Everyone joined in on the fun

Last Saturday a good number of folks went out to help bag sweet potatoes in Hillsborough. A produce company had a distribution deal fall through so they donated the sweet potatoes to a number of organizations, including the Society of St. Andrew.

I found out about it from their website and it was just perfect timing for Year in the Bible as we had been going over Leviticus, which talks about gleaning and leaving food for the poor and the sojourner (and Exodus, too, talks about such practices). It was wonderful to get out on a beautiful Saturday morning and discover what 80,000 lbs. of sweet potatoes look like.

Personally, I do not fear where my next meal will come from as my family is well fed, often to excess in the area of baked goods. But that is not the experience everyone in our country has, and because of this donation, many will have good food to eat. Our church has worked with Durham Rescue Mission before and it was a blessing to see men from that organization arrive and take 350 lbs. of potatoes that I know will be well prepared for people in need.

And to think, the work we did to help in the distribution was fun. It is great to see the fellowship that develops as people get together with a common purpose to serve others, as encouraged by God’s Word. I hope this is something that continues throughout this year. So, if you see an opportunity or have an idea of what we can do to connect what we read with what we do, please let me know. Maybe we can work out a way to make it happen.

Here are some pictures from Saturday to understand a bit more of what happened: