I'm so excited I have two buddies on my blog - yay for Josh and Matt.
Okay most of chapter 10 is just talking about the descendants of Noah, but this is important stuff because these are the people that began the civilizations that started recording their histories. Look at the names of the sons and descendants of Noah - do any of them sound familiar? Like countries and empires and people groups you've heard of? Hmmmm? Also that dude Nimrod seems to just jump off the page, so I have to say something about him...
10:8ff - This is the only guy in the chapter who is actually described. He is called the first ever mighty man...a hunter...a kingdom builder...he's a pretty impressive guy, so who is he? Contrary to popular (youth group) belief I don't know everything about the bible off the top of my head, so I looked Nimrod up in my bible commentary. I will sum up a little of what they said. Some Jewish historians believed that Nimrod was the guy who started the whole tower of Babel thing and was also the first man to begin idol worship, and while that would sell newspapers...there's not much evidence to support that. There is a possibility that he was this Babylonian king named Hammurabi, because of some funky linguistic stuff the commentator does - the Hebrew transliteration of one of his names might come out as Nimrod. From the evidence given you cannot tell for sure who this guy was...what you can tell is that he was a great hunter and he built up a huge kingdom.
11:3 - Bricks would have been like the i-pod touch of the ancient world...this was incredible, sophisticated technology. And what do they do with it? They use technology to lead them away from God. That doesn't sound like any generation of people I know...oh wait...
11:4 - Because of their arrogance, they actually brought about the end result they were trying to avoid. They wanted to make sure that they would never be separated...they built and incredible building that would draw all people to it, but because of the tower they are scattered all over the face of the earth and they can't communicate with one another. People just can't leave well enough alone...just like Adam and Eve these people could not be satisfied...they wanted recognition...they wanted to be gods and what they got was confusion and chaos.
11:6 - When all men were completely unified, their sinfulness is exponential and the consequences of their combined actions is rebellion, arrogance and destruction. Today we have world wide communication and shared technology and what has it ushered in? Machines of destruction that can kill from afar at the push of a button, countless opportunities to look at free porn, communication that undermines relationship, etc. (Hehehe...I say this all as I do a bible study with people through a computer)
11:12ff - Notice how the ages of everybody steadily goes down after the flood...pretty interesting.
12:1ff - One of the most important passages yet in the bible...this is God's covenant with Abram - a covenant that we are the beneficiaries of. He tells Abram, leave you country, your people and your family and I will give you a nation, fame, blessings and I will bless the entire world through you (i.e. Jesus is coming to save everybody). Abram believe God and walks away from everything he has ever know. God please let me have faith like this...I want t utterly and completely trust you too.
12:7-8 - I love that Abram is constantly reminding himself that God is in control. He is always setting up altars and doing what it takes to remember what God has done for him and what God has promised. That is still a good practice for God followers.
12:13 - Here we see that Abram is definitely not perfect. He encourages his wife to lie and basically gives her over to Pharaoh's household...which is really sick! Abram is not only a leader of his people, but he should be a leader in his family life. Instead of honoring his wife, he uses her to make his life easier. How many husbands do this on a regular basis?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Gensis Chapters 7-9 - July 13, 2009
7:5 - How would you like that to be said about your life? "And Brandon did everything the Lord had commanded of Him." That would be awesome. I need to stop making excuses for myself and live out the life God is calling me to live.
7:11 - I like the term the ESV uses, "The windows of heaven were opened...". I think maybe there were different types of cloud layers at this point in earth's history. Maybe the clouds were insanely low and thick so that the entire earth was like a greenhouse...enabling the people to live hundreds and hundreds of years. You will notice that after the flood, the ages of people start to drastically decline. Maybe God caused the greenhouse clouds to collapse causing the flood and He didn't put them back the way they were?
8:17 - God gives Noah and his family the same promise/command that He gave Adam and Eve - "be fruitful and multiply." God has started over from square one.
8:20-21 - This is why Noah was chosen - he is a righteous man. The first thing he does after getting off the ark is worship God. There are very few animals left to sacrifice, but Noah trusts God and offers up what he has. And whoever said that worship and prayer are not powerful...when God smells the aroma of Noah's sacrifice and sees the righteousness of his heart, He promises to never destroy all of creation again, no matter how vile they become.
9:4-ff - Life is sacred to God...blood is required for life and it is also sacred. God is serious about blood, because when the blood of a man is spilled - the very image of God he carries is being destroyed, trampled, dishonored.
9:9-17 - I find it interesting that God's covenant with Noah includes the animals. Seems like God cares a great deal about creation/animals and not just people. This kinda flies in the face of people who have the, "It's all gonna burn anyway mentality." As stewards of the earth, it is a part of our worship and honor of God to take care of creation.
9:21-ff - Ham shames his father by running out to tell his brothers that he saw their father naked. He mocks his father and dishonors him. His brothers put an end to the shame by refusing to look at their father's nakedness and by covering him up. When people have shamed themselves like Noah did, it is evil to pile on more shame through gossip and laughter...it is good and God-honoring to refuse to let the shame continue on. Hopefully you and I will be people who refuse to let shame continue on around us...hopefully we can be people who put an end to other peoples' dishonor.
7:11 - I like the term the ESV uses, "The windows of heaven were opened...". I think maybe there were different types of cloud layers at this point in earth's history. Maybe the clouds were insanely low and thick so that the entire earth was like a greenhouse...enabling the people to live hundreds and hundreds of years. You will notice that after the flood, the ages of people start to drastically decline. Maybe God caused the greenhouse clouds to collapse causing the flood and He didn't put them back the way they were?
8:17 - God gives Noah and his family the same promise/command that He gave Adam and Eve - "be fruitful and multiply." God has started over from square one.
8:20-21 - This is why Noah was chosen - he is a righteous man. The first thing he does after getting off the ark is worship God. There are very few animals left to sacrifice, but Noah trusts God and offers up what he has. And whoever said that worship and prayer are not powerful...when God smells the aroma of Noah's sacrifice and sees the righteousness of his heart, He promises to never destroy all of creation again, no matter how vile they become.
9:4-ff - Life is sacred to God...blood is required for life and it is also sacred. God is serious about blood, because when the blood of a man is spilled - the very image of God he carries is being destroyed, trampled, dishonored.
9:9-17 - I find it interesting that God's covenant with Noah includes the animals. Seems like God cares a great deal about creation/animals and not just people. This kinda flies in the face of people who have the, "It's all gonna burn anyway mentality." As stewards of the earth, it is a part of our worship and honor of God to take care of creation.
9:21-ff - Ham shames his father by running out to tell his brothers that he saw their father naked. He mocks his father and dishonors him. His brothers put an end to the shame by refusing to look at their father's nakedness and by covering him up. When people have shamed themselves like Noah did, it is evil to pile on more shame through gossip and laughter...it is good and God-honoring to refuse to let the shame continue on. Hopefully you and I will be people who refuse to let shame continue on around us...hopefully we can be people who put an end to other peoples' dishonor.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Genesis Chapters 4-6 - July 9, 2009
4:7 - God confronts Cain about the anger that is boiling up inside of him (For any at the BBQ and Bible last night - Mr T talked about this). I think it is interesting that God describes sin as an almost living entity. In my version it says, "It's desire is for (against) you, but you must rule over it." God describes sin as this predatory thing that lives within Cain, and in my experience that is completely true. There is always this twisted part of my nature that is trying to take control and I must rule over it...and I fully believe we cannot do that under our own power - we need the Holy Spirit living within us to overcome the voracious appetites of sin.
4:19 - This is the first recorded instance where a man takes two wives, and I think this is important because you see sinful selfishness and arrogance start to rise up in humanity. Lamech is greedy, so he takes two wives and he impresses his wives with a song about how dangerous and deadly he is. This sinful pride is going to spread throughout mankind and lead to the events of the flood in chapter 6. Overindulgence and sinful arrogance are never marks of godly people.
4:26 - Why did people begin to call on the name of the Lord here? I am not sure, but I have a guess. With Adam and Eve, and even their sons Cain and Abel...God has a personal relationships with them and converses with them. That disappears after Cain. I think that as the sinfulness of men begins to grow and spread, the connection that men had with God is destroyed. God cannot be in the presence of sin...His holiness and perfect justice would destroy the sinfulness of men. I think God has pulled His presence back from men and the men and women of earth have begun to cry out for Him. They know who they were made to be plugged into, as I believe every one of us does.
5:29 - Noah's dad names him Noah, because he believes that Noah is going to bring relief to the workers of the world. Well, in a way he does bring relief, because every man and woman on earth is killed outside of Noah and his family in the great flood! So...no more work, right? But seriously, I think that after the flood, God starts over with Noah as almost a second Adam and that God allows people who work for their food to have an easier time than they did in the time of Adam. Growing crops is hard work, but it is possible for man and nature to work together to make food. God shows mercy in the face of Noah's righteousness.
6:5ff - You think we are living in the end times because the earth we are living on is the most sinful it has ever been? Think again. Did you read those verses? Every thought of every person on the face of the earth is pure evil all the time...except for Noah. God has searched the earth and found one man who is not totally vile. God looks at the earth and His heart breaks - He wanted to give His love to people and wanted them to choose to love Him back...He wanted to live in community with His creation and they have utterly rejected Him. He is actually sorry that He made human beings. Sometimes it feels like everyone int he world is living however they want to live and having a great time doing it...I want to be a Noah. I want to be a man that honors God with his life no matter what the rest of the world is doing. While I'm not perfect, I don't want God's heart to break when He sees what I am doing wit the life He gave me.
4:19 - This is the first recorded instance where a man takes two wives, and I think this is important because you see sinful selfishness and arrogance start to rise up in humanity. Lamech is greedy, so he takes two wives and he impresses his wives with a song about how dangerous and deadly he is. This sinful pride is going to spread throughout mankind and lead to the events of the flood in chapter 6. Overindulgence and sinful arrogance are never marks of godly people.
4:26 - Why did people begin to call on the name of the Lord here? I am not sure, but I have a guess. With Adam and Eve, and even their sons Cain and Abel...God has a personal relationships with them and converses with them. That disappears after Cain. I think that as the sinfulness of men begins to grow and spread, the connection that men had with God is destroyed. God cannot be in the presence of sin...His holiness and perfect justice would destroy the sinfulness of men. I think God has pulled His presence back from men and the men and women of earth have begun to cry out for Him. They know who they were made to be plugged into, as I believe every one of us does.
5:29 - Noah's dad names him Noah, because he believes that Noah is going to bring relief to the workers of the world. Well, in a way he does bring relief, because every man and woman on earth is killed outside of Noah and his family in the great flood! So...no more work, right? But seriously, I think that after the flood, God starts over with Noah as almost a second Adam and that God allows people who work for their food to have an easier time than they did in the time of Adam. Growing crops is hard work, but it is possible for man and nature to work together to make food. God shows mercy in the face of Noah's righteousness.
6:5ff - You think we are living in the end times because the earth we are living on is the most sinful it has ever been? Think again. Did you read those verses? Every thought of every person on the face of the earth is pure evil all the time...except for Noah. God has searched the earth and found one man who is not totally vile. God looks at the earth and His heart breaks - He wanted to give His love to people and wanted them to choose to love Him back...He wanted to live in community with His creation and they have utterly rejected Him. He is actually sorry that He made human beings. Sometimes it feels like everyone int he world is living however they want to live and having a great time doing it...I want to be a Noah. I want to be a man that honors God with his life no matter what the rest of the world is doing. While I'm not perfect, I don't want God's heart to break when He sees what I am doing wit the life He gave me.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Genesis Chapters 1-3 - July 8, 2009
Well, we blogged through the New Testament last year...now it is time to take on the Old Testament. There are about three times as many chapters in the OT as there are in the NT, so we are going to be reading three chapters a day. That means there will be a lot of information, and I will not be able to cover as much in detail, so I am just going to be commenting on what really jumped out at me. I hope you will leave comments telling about how God spoke to you through the passage too.
1:26 - I am always drawn to the fact that God is referring to Himself in plural ("us", "our"). God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit have always existed and have always been one. The perfect community that has always existed. This brings even more power to the cross on which Jesus died, because he literally allows himself to be killed by his own creation so that he can save them. That's love.
2:3 - God made a day of rest and declared that it was holy. It is holy to stop...to rest in God...to be with your family - those things are holy. To pack your life so full of junk that you cannot even find time to breathe and connect with God is not holy...it is hellish.
2:25 - I truly believe this is one of the most beautiful verses in the bible. It says that Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. That is incredible! They are so comfortable in their own skin...they are so connected with who they are, that they don't even know they are naked. They know who they are and they know the God who created them and that is all they need. Since sin has come into the world, people have been searching for their identity. We look to other people and stuff and success, so that we can be more important than somebody else...so that we can be worth more. Adam and Eve understood how much they were worth and how much they were loved...I want to understand that.
3:21 - Death comes to paradise, because of Adam and Eve's sin. It says that God clothed them in animal skins, so He had to kill some animals to cover their shame. Sin always ends in death. Animals died to cover their shame, and as a final sacrifice, Jesus died to cover our sins and shame once and for all.
1:26 - I am always drawn to the fact that God is referring to Himself in plural ("us", "our"). God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit have always existed and have always been one. The perfect community that has always existed. This brings even more power to the cross on which Jesus died, because he literally allows himself to be killed by his own creation so that he can save them. That's love.
2:3 - God made a day of rest and declared that it was holy. It is holy to stop...to rest in God...to be with your family - those things are holy. To pack your life so full of junk that you cannot even find time to breathe and connect with God is not holy...it is hellish.
2:25 - I truly believe this is one of the most beautiful verses in the bible. It says that Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. That is incredible! They are so comfortable in their own skin...they are so connected with who they are, that they don't even know they are naked. They know who they are and they know the God who created them and that is all they need. Since sin has come into the world, people have been searching for their identity. We look to other people and stuff and success, so that we can be more important than somebody else...so that we can be worth more. Adam and Eve understood how much they were worth and how much they were loved...I want to understand that.
3:21 - Death comes to paradise, because of Adam and Eve's sin. It says that God clothed them in animal skins, so He had to kill some animals to cover their shame. Sin always ends in death. Animals died to cover their shame, and as a final sacrifice, Jesus died to cover our sins and shame once and for all.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Psalm 139 Part 2 - June 23, 2009
The second half of Psalm 139 - read through it just like yesterday...(insert your name every time you see a blank.)
13 For you created ___________ inmost being;
you knit __________ together in his/her mother's womb.
14 ___________ praises you because _____________ is fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
___________ knows that full well.
15 ____________ frame was not hidden from you
when ___________ was made in the secret place.
When ___________ was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw ___________ unformed body.
All the days ordained for ____________
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to ____________ are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were ___________ to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When ___________ awakes,
____________ is still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from ___________, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Does ___________ not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 ____________ has nothing but hatred for them;
____________ counts them his/her enemies.
23 Search ___________, O God, and know ____________ heart;
test ___________ and know ___________ anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in _____________,
and lead ___________ in the way everlasting.
This is coming from the mouth of David in the Old Testament, in a time where they did not have the Holy Spirit as an advisor and did not fully understand God's heart for ALL people...so the hatred section sounds really harsh when you put your name in there - I was a bit uncomfortable. BUT, shouldn't there be hatred for the enemies of God...not hatred of the men and women themselves, but hatred of their ways and actions. When someone misuses the name of God and dishonors my creator and Lord I should hate that. I should hate it when I do those things. This Psalm drives home the seriousness of protecting God's name.
I also love how the Psalm closes out - with me asking God to search me for anything offensive. God, I desperately want to be led into the way everlasting...I want to leave the finite meaningless things I chase after behind to seek your path.
13 For you created ___________ inmost being;
you knit __________ together in his/her mother's womb.
14 ___________ praises you because _____________ is fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
___________ knows that full well.
15 ____________ frame was not hidden from you
when ___________ was made in the secret place.
When ___________ was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw ___________ unformed body.
All the days ordained for ____________
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to ____________ are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were ___________ to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When ___________ awakes,
____________ is still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from ___________, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Does ___________ not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 ____________ has nothing but hatred for them;
____________ counts them his/her enemies.
23 Search ___________, O God, and know ____________ heart;
test ___________ and know ___________ anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in _____________,
and lead ___________ in the way everlasting.
This is coming from the mouth of David in the Old Testament, in a time where they did not have the Holy Spirit as an advisor and did not fully understand God's heart for ALL people...so the hatred section sounds really harsh when you put your name in there - I was a bit uncomfortable. BUT, shouldn't there be hatred for the enemies of God...not hatred of the men and women themselves, but hatred of their ways and actions. When someone misuses the name of God and dishonors my creator and Lord I should hate that. I should hate it when I do those things. This Psalm drives home the seriousness of protecting God's name.
I also love how the Psalm closes out - with me asking God to search me for anything offensive. God, I desperately want to be led into the way everlasting...I want to leave the finite meaningless things I chase after behind to seek your path.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Psalm 139 - June 22, 2009
The spiritual discipline we are practicing in the youth group this week, is the discipline of prayer. One of the techniques we are using, is called "praying through scripture." You simply meditate on God's word and pray through the passage allowing God to speak to you. I figured I could use some of those passages int he blog this week. You can take Psalm 139 and insert your name where there is an "I" or a "me," it is an incredible practice to hear God speak His love to you. These are the first 12 verses of Psalm 139...read through them and put your name in the blank. What is God saying to you?
1 O LORD, you have searched _____________
and you know ___________.
2 You know when ___________ sits and when ___________ rises;
you perceive ___________ thoughts from afar.
3 You discern ___________ going out and ___________ lying down;
you are familiar with all ___________ ways.
4 Before a word is on ____________ tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem __________ in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon _____________.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for _____________,
too lofty for ___________ to attain.
7 Where can ___________ go from your Spirit?
Where can ___________ flee from your presence?
8 If ___________ goes up to the heavens, you are there;
if ___________ makes his/her bed in the depths, a]">[a] you are there.
9 If ___________ rises on the wings of the dawn,
if ___________ settles on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide __________,
your right hand will hold __________ fast.
11 If __________ says, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
As I read through the passage above putting my name in the blank, I couldn't help but connect to God. I couldn't help but feel more deeply how well He knows me, how much He longs for a relationship with me. Thank you Lord.
1 O LORD, you have searched _____________
and you know ___________.
2 You know when ___________ sits and when ___________ rises;
you perceive ___________ thoughts from afar.
3 You discern ___________ going out and ___________ lying down;
you are familiar with all ___________ ways.
4 Before a word is on ____________ tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem __________ in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon _____________.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for _____________,
too lofty for ___________ to attain.
7 Where can ___________ go from your Spirit?
Where can ___________ flee from your presence?
8 If ___________ goes up to the heavens, you are there;
if ___________ makes his/her bed in the depths, a]">[a] you are there.
9 If ___________ rises on the wings of the dawn,
if ___________ settles on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide __________,
your right hand will hold __________ fast.
11 If __________ says, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
As I read through the passage above putting my name in the blank, I couldn't help but connect to God. I couldn't help but feel more deeply how well He knows me, how much He longs for a relationship with me. Thank you Lord.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Zephaniah 3:17 - June 17, 2009
I will be spending this week going over one of the most popular verses of all time...a verse crazed Christians stands hold up on cardboard signs at sporting events to bring people to Christ...a verse everybody has memorized from the time they are three years old...Zephaniah 3:17! Oh wait...most people don't even know that there is a book of Zephaniah in the Bible. It is one of the smallest prophetic works in the Good Book. I am practicing the discipline of worship through celebration and thankfulness this week and am going to focus on a different aspect of this passage over the next couple of days.
The verse starts out, "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save." That is a short sentence that packs a lot of punch. Think about how beautiful this promise/prophecy is...God is in our midst. God is with us always. God is near. We can celebrate the fact that no matter how crazy and horrible this life gets, we are in the presence of God. That is worth celebrating! God is with me, right now - I love it!
And He is not here just lurking over our shoulder waiting for us to mess up so He can make us feel guilty. He is here to save us. He is mighty and has the power to save us and He wants to save us. That means when you are struggling with temptation, you are not alone and you have a God with you that wants to help you...wants to give you the strength to fight and wants to offer you a way out! I Corinthians 10:13 tells us, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." We have a God who is with us...and we have a God who is offering us a way out of our brokenness! If that is not cause for celebration I don't know what is! Go worship Him.
The verse starts out, "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save." That is a short sentence that packs a lot of punch. Think about how beautiful this promise/prophecy is...God is in our midst. God is with us always. God is near. We can celebrate the fact that no matter how crazy and horrible this life gets, we are in the presence of God. That is worth celebrating! God is with me, right now - I love it!
And He is not here just lurking over our shoulder waiting for us to mess up so He can make us feel guilty. He is here to save us. He is mighty and has the power to save us and He wants to save us. That means when you are struggling with temptation, you are not alone and you have a God with you that wants to help you...wants to give you the strength to fight and wants to offer you a way out! I Corinthians 10:13 tells us, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." We have a God who is with us...and we have a God who is offering us a way out of our brokenness! If that is not cause for celebration I don't know what is! Go worship Him.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Matthew Chapters 1-5 - June 5, 2009
Looking for the heart of God to the entire world through Matthew 1-5...
The case can be made fairly easily that God's heart for the world is evident in Matthew, because Matthew lays out the story of the salvation of man coming to earth in the form of the God/man Jesus. In verse 21 of the first chapter, the angel tells Joseph that Jesus will save his people from their sins. With an understanding that Jesus is the creator of all things, we know that "his people" has more far-reaching implications than simply the nation of Israel. Not only does this refer to the Jewish people, but to all peoples of the world. We see this truth written out at the beginning of chapter two when we find out that God has called upon Gentile wise men to come and worship the king of the Jews and the savior of the world. This is a perfect example of God's heart for the world and active participation int he world outside of Israel. In chapter four the devil takes Jesus to the top of a mythical mountain that looks down upon every kingdom int he world and offers to give them all over to Jesus. We see first hand a spiritual war that is being fought for the sake of the world. Though Jesus would be the perfect and just earthly king over these kingdoms, he knows that to truly bring salvation for these peoples he must die. He rejects the offer of Satan and sticks to the true salvation plan. We see at the end of chapter four that Jesus calls uneducated fishermen to be his disciples, which highlights his heart for reaching out the marginalized. That same heart carries love and compassion for the marginalized and downtrodden of every people group. Finally, when Jesus speaks of salt and light during the sermon on the mount he is calling the nation of Israel to be a change agent to the nations. If God didn't have a heart for all of humanity, why would Jesus hold up his followers as a light to the world?
The case can be made fairly easily that God's heart for the world is evident in Matthew, because Matthew lays out the story of the salvation of man coming to earth in the form of the God/man Jesus. In verse 21 of the first chapter, the angel tells Joseph that Jesus will save his people from their sins. With an understanding that Jesus is the creator of all things, we know that "his people" has more far-reaching implications than simply the nation of Israel. Not only does this refer to the Jewish people, but to all peoples of the world. We see this truth written out at the beginning of chapter two when we find out that God has called upon Gentile wise men to come and worship the king of the Jews and the savior of the world. This is a perfect example of God's heart for the world and active participation int he world outside of Israel. In chapter four the devil takes Jesus to the top of a mythical mountain that looks down upon every kingdom int he world and offers to give them all over to Jesus. We see first hand a spiritual war that is being fought for the sake of the world. Though Jesus would be the perfect and just earthly king over these kingdoms, he knows that to truly bring salvation for these peoples he must die. He rejects the offer of Satan and sticks to the true salvation plan. We see at the end of chapter four that Jesus calls uneducated fishermen to be his disciples, which highlights his heart for reaching out the marginalized. That same heart carries love and compassion for the marginalized and downtrodden of every people group. Finally, when Jesus speaks of salt and light during the sermon on the mount he is calling the nation of Israel to be a change agent to the nations. If God didn't have a heart for all of humanity, why would Jesus hold up his followers as a light to the world?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Daniel Chapters 1-5 - June 2, 2009
Looking for God's heart for all people through the first 5 chapters of Daniel...
From the very beginning, we are once again confronted with the fact that God is sovereign over all people. We are told that the people of Judah are handed over by God to the Babylonians. The theme throughout these five chapters seems to be that God does care about what is going on in the lives of people outside of the Israelite world. In chapter two, the Babylonian king has been plagued by dreams he does not understand and Daniel comes forward to interpret the dreams. Daniel interprets the dream for the king and makes it clear that the only reason he was able to do so, was because God wanted the king to understand what the dreams meant. The dream in itself serves as a map of God working through a multitude of different people groups, and it gives us a picture of the impact that God's salvation plan is going to have on the history of all humanity. We see as the story plays out that each time God intervenes in the life of the pagan king, the king walks away praising the Lord. God could have easily brought judgment upon the Babylonian king, but instead He chooses to offer him a chance to repent and turn from his arrogance. God offers multiple chances at forgiveness and redemption tot he king. When the king tries to force God-fearers into worshipping an idol, the fiery furnace incident open his eyes again to the power of God. When the king again returns to prideful leadership, Daniel confronts him about his lack of humility and warns that God will expose his true weakness. Again, after being miraculously shown the power of the one true God, Nebuchadnezzar gives his honor to the King of Heaven. Nebuchadnezzar's story ends there and one would hope that his life was lived out as a God-fearer. Whatever the outcome, we can see that God went out of His way to show His power to the king and offer mercy. Clearly God's heart for people goes beyond the boundaries of Israel. Daniel offers us a snapshot from the Babylonian world, but I believe it is safe to assume that God has always been working powerfully in the lives of men and women from every stretch of the globe so that His name might be glorified.
From the very beginning, we are once again confronted with the fact that God is sovereign over all people. We are told that the people of Judah are handed over by God to the Babylonians. The theme throughout these five chapters seems to be that God does care about what is going on in the lives of people outside of the Israelite world. In chapter two, the Babylonian king has been plagued by dreams he does not understand and Daniel comes forward to interpret the dreams. Daniel interprets the dream for the king and makes it clear that the only reason he was able to do so, was because God wanted the king to understand what the dreams meant. The dream in itself serves as a map of God working through a multitude of different people groups, and it gives us a picture of the impact that God's salvation plan is going to have on the history of all humanity. We see as the story plays out that each time God intervenes in the life of the pagan king, the king walks away praising the Lord. God could have easily brought judgment upon the Babylonian king, but instead He chooses to offer him a chance to repent and turn from his arrogance. God offers multiple chances at forgiveness and redemption tot he king. When the king tries to force God-fearers into worshipping an idol, the fiery furnace incident open his eyes again to the power of God. When the king again returns to prideful leadership, Daniel confronts him about his lack of humility and warns that God will expose his true weakness. Again, after being miraculously shown the power of the one true God, Nebuchadnezzar gives his honor to the King of Heaven. Nebuchadnezzar's story ends there and one would hope that his life was lived out as a God-fearer. Whatever the outcome, we can see that God went out of His way to show His power to the king and offer mercy. Clearly God's heart for people goes beyond the boundaries of Israel. Daniel offers us a snapshot from the Babylonian world, but I believe it is safe to assume that God has always been working powerfully in the lives of men and women from every stretch of the globe so that His name might be glorified.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Isaiah Chapters 1-5 - June 1, 2009
Read through the first 5 chapters of Isaiah and give me your feedback about God's heart for the entire world...
I thought this was going to be a difficult book to line up with God's love to all of humanity. Chapter one starts out by clearly defining that the vision Isaiah sees regards Judah and Jerusalem, so I expected the writing to have a very narrow scope. In verse ten of chapter one Isaiah calls out to the rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah which are destroyed cities that often serve as symbolic examples of people who are against God. Isaiah is calling people who stand in opposition the ways of God, to make themselves clean, seek justice, fight oppression and do good. While it is possible that Isaiah is simply referring to the rebellious people of Judah as Sodom and Gomorrah, I think it is clear that God is calling all peoples of the world to His truth. At the beginning of chapter two, the author states that the people of the Lord will stand as a shining example to the rest of the world as to what true life really looks like. He describes people from everywhere flowing to the House of God so that He might teach them His ways. Throughout the old testament we are constantly reminded that God is setting the nation of Israel apart so that they can bring the rest of the world to God. In verse twenty of chapter two Isaiah makes it clear that in the future people from every walk of the globe will throw away their idols when they come in contact with the splendor of God's majesty. This implies that all people were made for God, not just the Israelites. All people when confronted with the magnitude of God's nature cannot help but worship Him. Most of the third, fourth and fifth chapters are heavily Hebrew-centric until we come to verse twenty-six of chapter five. The prophet speaks of how God will raise up a signal to the nations and they will come from the very ends of the earth to heed His call. In the context of this chapter, the call seems to be a call of judgement on the Israelites, but it must be noted that when the Israelites turn away from God, He uses the rest of the world to do His will. This seems to foreshadow the Gospel presentation in the NewTestament which went frist to the Jews and then to the Gentiles.
I thought this was going to be a difficult book to line up with God's love to all of humanity. Chapter one starts out by clearly defining that the vision Isaiah sees regards Judah and Jerusalem, so I expected the writing to have a very narrow scope. In verse ten of chapter one Isaiah calls out to the rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah which are destroyed cities that often serve as symbolic examples of people who are against God. Isaiah is calling people who stand in opposition the ways of God, to make themselves clean, seek justice, fight oppression and do good. While it is possible that Isaiah is simply referring to the rebellious people of Judah as Sodom and Gomorrah, I think it is clear that God is calling all peoples of the world to His truth. At the beginning of chapter two, the author states that the people of the Lord will stand as a shining example to the rest of the world as to what true life really looks like. He describes people from everywhere flowing to the House of God so that He might teach them His ways. Throughout the old testament we are constantly reminded that God is setting the nation of Israel apart so that they can bring the rest of the world to God. In verse twenty of chapter two Isaiah makes it clear that in the future people from every walk of the globe will throw away their idols when they come in contact with the splendor of God's majesty. This implies that all people were made for God, not just the Israelites. All people when confronted with the magnitude of God's nature cannot help but worship Him. Most of the third, fourth and fifth chapters are heavily Hebrew-centric until we come to verse twenty-six of chapter five. The prophet speaks of how God will raise up a signal to the nations and they will come from the very ends of the earth to heed His call. In the context of this chapter, the call seems to be a call of judgement on the Israelites, but it must be noted that when the Israelites turn away from God, He uses the rest of the world to do His will. This seems to foreshadow the Gospel presentation in the NewTestament which went frist to the Jews and then to the Gentiles.
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