10.31.08, Mark 2:1-12

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .” He said to the paralytic, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Faith and Action

this passage provides two wonderful insights for us – first, the nature of faith.  for some reason, ialways  envisioned a house with a hole already built into the ceiling (pretty obtuse house design).  but no, the truth is that the friends carry the paralytic to the roof, dig a hole through that roof large enough for a person, and lower him through it!  and you figure that this process must have taken at least 10 minutes, so Jesus and all the disciples are all watching this process go on above their heads!  that’s a funny image to me…

but what’s striking is that it says that Jesus “saw their faith”.  we tend to think of faith as a mental, invisible quantity, something that comes when know all the answers.  but that’s not what Jesus saw – he sees their faith revealed in their action, as they chip away at the roof.  our faith and our action are not separate, isolated things, but flow out of each other.  if we really have faith in God’s sovereignty, power, provision, we will act in certain ways.  if we do not really have faith in God, then we will act in a different way…what do your actions reveal about your faith?

and one more insight relates again to the identity of Christ.  when Jesus tells the paralytic his sins are forgiven, the pharisees respond, ”Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  believe it or not, they are theologically right on target – only God can forgive sins.  but they fail to ask the next logical question: “if only God can forgive sins, and this man can forgive sins and heal like this…could he be God?”

a couple of applications we reap from this.  first, sometimes we make up our minds so early and so totally that we stop seeing truth.  the pharisees were so fixated on catching Jesus doing something wrong that they fail to see the logical truth right in front of their eyes, that Jesus can forgive sins because he is God.  it is important to have an open and teachable heart, otherwise we will be unable to see amazing things right in front of our eyes.  secondly, all the theology in the world means nothing if you don’t know Jesus.  because the pharisees didn’t personally know Jesus, all their theology was meaningless, and even served as an impediment to recognizing Christ.  never let the pursuit of theological answers become an end to itself – first, know Jesus, and then those answers will be far more intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally enriching for you!

Questions:

1. what are you really sure about God, about his character or his action?  how does this translate into action in your life?  if it doesn’t, how can it?

2. has there ever been a time where you felt pretty sure in what you knew about God, and yet, felt very far from him personally?  what do you think caused the disconnection between what you knew about Him, and how you felt towards Him?

3. do you have a hard heart towards something right now?  a person, a group, an organization?  has it stopped you from seeing something that God wanted you to see?

10.29.08, Mark 1:29-45

Jesus Heals Many

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

A Man With Leprosy

40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

PP: some of the thoughts below were also addressed in comments to earlier posts…just in case they sound familiar!

The Many

In these three passages, a common theme is revealed that will continue throughout the opening chapters of Mark: Jesus brings with him the power and authority and the character of the Kingdom – healing, authority, teaching.  The crowds are of course drawn by this new teaching, and by the miracles that they have heard about, and throng to Christ.  But instead of courting these crowds and amassing followers…he avoids them.  He commands demons not to reveal his true divine identity.  He asks those who are healed not to tell everyone, but to give the proper offering for their healing.  And he seeks out solitude, rather than the crowds.

For a person who is beginning a new movement, this behavior seems wildly counter-productive – why not tell everyone?  Why not get more and more followers?  A couple of important reasons: that Jesus had not yet accomplished what he had come to do.  Yes, Jesus did come to preach the Kingdom and heal the sick and drive out demons, but this was not the main reason – he came to die for our sins.  Until that happens, Jesus’ work and the gospel as we know it is not yet complete.  Jesus maintains his focus, not to get distracted by adoring followers, not to get hung up on numbers, not to see his time on earth as a popularity contest, but instead keeps his eyes on a very difficult prize: the cross, and his victory over sin.  In our ministries, in our churches, in our lives, are we getting distracted by externals and forgetting about Christ crucified?

And to some extent, this also hints at the true nature of discipleship, that Jesus shuns large crowds because a crowd is a terrible place to create disciples.  Discipleship can never happen in large crowds because they allow you to be anonymous, to come and go and make decisions on your own pace and pleasure, to avoid accountability and transparency and vulnerability, all of which are vital to a life of true discipleship…

We may like being a faceless part of a crowd because it is easy and comfortable, and we can remain masters of our time, of our privacy, and our lives.  But there are few deadlier mentalities for a Christian to have than the desire to remain anonymous because it reveals that we have a problem with the Lordship of Jesus Christ…and that is a big problem to have.

Questions:

1. In your life and ministry, have you ever been completely distracted by something that you realize wasn’t important to God?

2. Superficial and external things are not bad in themselves, but only when they eclipse what they represent.  Going back to the question above, how can you transform that distraction into a reminder of more important and eternal things?

3. When was the last time you consciously avoided something that you knew would be spiritually beneficial because you didn’t want to be vulnerable with others?

4. In your life, what are the best ways in which you can leave the crowd behind, and follow more in the footsteps of a disciple?

10.27.08, Mark 1:21-28

Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

A New Teaching

In this passage of Mark, we see the public’s first conception of who Jesus was, that most people saw him as a new teacher with a new teaching.  This isn’t surprising as we know from other gospel accounts that at a young age, Jesus showed amazing mastery of the Word.  Also, we know from John’s gospel that there is some intimate, eternal connection between Jesus and the logos, or the Word.  So people were definitely correct in their perception of Jesus.

But how many teachers do you know can also command spirits to leave people with only a word?  He is a great teacher, but obviously so much more.

When I think about God’s character, I think about it as some strange zero sum game, that he is either one way or another.  I emphasize a sole element of his character at a time, and at the expense of other sides of who he is.  Jesus is a great teacher…no, He is a righteous JUDGE…no no, he’s a loving Father.  None of these is wrong, but none of these alone is a complete understanding of who Jesus is.  Like in this passage, our understanding of God needs expansion, that he is a Teacher and a Judge and a Father and even more.  For many of us, God is not different from who we think he is, he is more than we think he is.

Questions:

1. When you think about God, how do you usually see him, as a Teacher?  A Friend?  A Father?  A God?  Why do you think this is?

2. Out of the different conceptions of God’s character that you are aware of, which is the hardest for you to remember or relate to?  Why do you think this is?

3. Why do you think it is important or useful to have an expanded, larger understanding of God’s character?

4. Is there a situation in your life where this larger understanding of God would be useful or appropriate?  In what ways does reshape how you see that situation?

10.24.08, Mark 1:14-20

The Calling of the First Disciples

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

“At Once”

Again, we see the usage of this phrase “at once”, this time used in the context of the calling of the disciples.  As soon as Peter and Andrew here the calling of Jesus to become fishers of men, they immediately drop their nets (their very livelihood) to follow Jesus.

The application of this point is so simple, and yet so very difficult – would we be willing to drop our nets if Jesus called us to do so?  And moreover, could we drop our net “at once”, as Peter and Andrew did?  Most of us would like to answer positively to this question, but honestly are not really sure if we would if the situation arose – maybe if we didn’t like that net anyway, or if we could do it on our own timeframe, say, in 5-6 years or so?

But the key to imitating this behavior is not understanding ourselves better, but understanding Jesus better.  If we see Christ only as a friend and companion, we expect more time to chew things over, and even reserve for ourselves the right just to say, “No, sorry!  Maybe later though!”  But if Christ is LORD…one who has total command, one who has absolute authority, then there is no question – we lay down our nets and follow him.  But this is not a completely blind obedience that we are called to, but an invitation to a better transformation: from fishers of fish, to fishers of men!

Questions

1. What is your “net”, something that you have or would have difficulty laying down for Christ?  Why is this particular thing so difficult to let go of?

2. Is there something in your life that you felt God was calling you to do, but you put it off instead?  Do you think there have been any negative consequences to that hesitation?

3. Although Jesus is both, what conception of Jesus do you tend to have, Christ as Friend or Christ as Lord?  Why do you think balancing this conception is important for your life?

10.22.08, Mark 1:9-13

The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

When the Going Gets Tough

When I said that Mark was fast and furious, you can see that I wasn’t kidding!  Here we find two incredibly pivotal events, the baptism and the temptation, placed right up next to one another in no more than 4 verses.  The other gospels take much more time to treat each of these events because of their theological importance.

But there is a benefit to reading these two accounts in sequence like this, and it hinges off that word “At once” in verse 12.  Mark often uses the word “immediately” or “at once” in his gospel to show immediate action and response.  And this is one of those moments – Jesus’ official ministry begins with an incredible show of intimacy and anointing and power – I mean, God audibly speaks from heaven to his Son!  After a start like that, it seems like Jesus’ ministry is going to get off on a great start, that it will all be smooth sailing…but “at once”, the Spirit then leads him into the wilderness, where he faces danger, hardship, and persecution on a very intense level.

This is a good lesson for us to learn as well.  We assume that our “spiritual highs” will translate into “easy, good and fun times” in our lives, and are shocked when after a great experience with God, we get into fights with family or roommates or some other kind of setback.  But God doesn’t pour out his Spirit on us so we can coast, but so that we can run, so we can persevere through difficult situations.  God’s will for us is not to give us a couch to lounge on…but to help us run in a way to win the prize.

Also, we musn’t forget the tactics of the enemy.  When we are doing terribly spiritually, Satan just leaves us alone – after all, we seem to be doing a great job at doing terribly.  But it is when we grow and are climbing out of the pit that Satan pounces, throws difficult situations and temptations at you.    So if you sense the enemy throwing these kinds of obstacles in your direction, praise God!  That means that Satan is feeling threatened by your growth and wants to nip it in the bud.  But remember the authority you have in Christ, that Satan can take nothing away that God has given you.

Questions:

1. Have you ever had an experience like this, where a tremendous spiritual experience was followed by a terribly difficult season of life?

2. What forms do Satan’s temptations take in your life?  A recurring sin or attitude that you slip into?  A negative thought about someone else, or about yourself?  Remember your authority – how do you think you can put a stop to these temptations?

3. You’ll notice that it is his Father’s affirmation and love that carries Jesus into the desert – when have you felt the Father’s love most powerfully in your life?  What are ways in which you remind yourself of that love?

4. In the desert, it is angels who minister to Jesus in his time of need…who are your “angels”, the people who strengthen, encourage, and even sustain you during difficult times?  Are you an angel to anyone else?

10.20.08, Mark 1:1-8

PP: We’re going back to the future, and will cover the gospel of Mark – it’s fast and furious, action oriented, the first and shortest gospel account.  Pay particular attention throughout the gospel as to who people think Jesus is…and ask yourself at the same time, who is Jesus to you?  And because it is a little more straightforward than Joshua, my explanations will be more brief, and please feel free to submit your own observations and insights, even if they are totally different from my own!

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ ” 4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Pre-Preparation

John the Baptist’s ministry was a movement in itself, a crazy prophet coming out of the wilderness to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom, baptizing people in the river Jordan.  It even says that the entire Judean countryside came out to see him, and all the people of Jerusalem.  We shouldn’t forget that John the Baptist was an incredibly important figure in Biblical history, of whom Jesus says, “There is no one greater than John the Baptist.”  He was a great prophet in the same spirit as Elijah.

But what is even more remarkable is that this entire ministry is a ministry just of preparation, of getting people ready for the coming of the Savior, of Jesus Christ.  An entire ministry that drew thousands of people, had a baptism based on confession of sins…all just in preparation for Christ’s coming.

This is kind of like a huge parade with massive flower floats and balloons and men on stilts, and the last guy says, “We are only the parade to announce the parade which is coming NEXT!”  Man…you know the next parade is going to be incredible.  And so we get a taste of the importance of Jesus, that something BIG is happening here, that even John the Baptist is only a messenger of who is to come, someone whose sandals he is unfit to tie…

Questions:

1. The presence of Jesus Christ in the world, and in our lives, is a big deal, one that required an entire ministry of preparation!  In what ways can we prepare and get ourselves ready to meet Jesus (at church, at fellowship, in our QT’s, etc.)?

2. How do you feel about the opportunities you have to meet Jesus in your life (church, bible study, small group, QT, etc.)?  Is there a sense of expectation and excitement, as we read in Mark?  If yes, what makes certain avenues more effective than others?  If not, why do you think this is so?

3. John the Baptist’s role is essentially that he ushers Jesus’ presence into the world.  In what ways can you imitate this ministry, and bring more of Jesus into your world: your dorm room, your class room, your relationships, your family, your school?

4. One of the greatest men of the Bible felt unfit to tie Jesus’ sandal – and so we get our first glimpse of who Jesus is, a great Lord.  How does your conception of Christ compare to John’s?  In what ways in John’s attitude a proper, or even helpful one?

10.16.08, Genesis 3

PP: While I wait to hear where we go next for QT’s, I’m going to do something very different for today’s devotional.  Having different translations is an important part of Bible study, and here is the account of Genesis 3 for a very unique (and little!) audience:

The Terrible Lie

Adam and Eve lived happily together in their beautiful new home.  And everything was perfect – for a while.

Until the day when everything went wrong.

God had a horrible enemy.  His name was Satan.  Satan had once been the most beautiful angel, but he didn’t want to be just an angel – he wanted to be God.  He grew proud and evil and full of hate, and God had to send him out of heaven.  Satan was seething with anger and looking for a way to hurt God.  He wanted to stop Gods plan, stop this love story, right there.  So he disguised himself as a snake and waited in the garden.

Now, God had given Adam and Eve only one rule: “Don’t eat the fruit on that tree,” God told them.  “Because if you do, you’ll think you know everything.  You’ll stop trusting me.  And then death and sadness and tears will come.”  (You see, God knew if they ate the fruit, they would think they didn’t need him.  And they would try to make themselves happy without him.  But God knew there was no such thing as happiness without him, and life without him wouldn’t be life at all.)

As soon as the snake saw his chance, he slithered silently up to Eve. “Does God really love you?” the serpent whispered.  “If he does, why won’t he let you eat the nice, juicy, delicious fruit?  Poor you, perhaps God doesn’t want you to be happy.”

The snake’s words hissed into he ears and sunk deep into her heart, like poison. Does God love me?  Eve wondered.  Suddenly she didn’t know anymore.

“Just trust me,” the serpent whispered.  “You don’t need God.  One small taste, that’s all, and you’ll be happier than you could ever dream…”  Eve picked the fruit and ate some.  And Adam ate some too.  And a terrible lie came into the world.  It would never leave.  It would live on in every human heart, whispering to every one of God’s children:

“God doesn’t love me.”

And it wasn’t a dream.  It was a nightmare.  A dove flew from Adam’s hand.  A deer darted in a thicket.  It was as if they were frightened by something.  A chill was in the air.  Something strange was happening.  They had always been naked – but now they felt naked, and wrong, and they didn’t want anyone to see them.  So they hid.

Later that evening, as God was taking his walk, he called to them.  “Children?”  Usually Adam and Eve loved to hear God’s voice and would run to him.  But this time, they ran away from him and hid in the shadows.

“Where are you?” God called.

“Hiding,” Adam said.  “We’re afraid of you.”

“Did you eat the fruit I told you not to eat?”  God asked them.

Adam said, “Eve made me do it!”

“What have you done?” God asked.

Eve said, “The serpent made me do it!”

And terrible pain came into God’s heart.  His children hadn’t just broken the one rule; they had broken God’s heart.  They had broken their wonderful relationship with him.  And now he knew everything else would break.  God’s creation would start to unravel, and come undone, and go wrong.  From now on everything would die – even though it was all supposed to last forever.

You see, sin had come into God’s perfect world.  And it would never leave.  God’s children would always be running away from him and hiding in the dark.  Their hearts would break now, and never work properly again.  God couldn’t let his children live forever, not in such pain, not without him.  There was only one way to protect them.

“You will leave the garden now,” God told his children, his eyes filling with tears.  “This is no longer your true home, it’s not the place for you anymore.”

But before they left the garden, God made clothes for his children, to cover them.  He gently clothed them and then he sent them away on a long, long journey – out of the garden out of their home.

Well, in another story, it would all be over and that would have been…the End.

But not in this Story.

God loved his children too much to let the story end there.  Even though he knew he would suffer, God had a plan – a magnificent dream.  One day, he would get his children back.  One day, he would make the world their perfect home again.  And one day, he would wipe away every tear from their eyes.

You see, no matter what, in spite of everything, God would love his children – with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.  And though they would forget him, and run from him, deep in their hearts, God’s children would miss him always, and long for him – lost children yearning for their home.

Before they left the garden, God whispered a promised to Adam and Eve: “It will not always be so!  I will come to rescue you!  And when I do, I’m going to do battle against the snake.  I’ll get rid of the sin and the dark and the sadness you let in here.  I’m coming back for you!”

And he would.  One day, God himself would come.

Questions:

This passage is from the Jesus Storybook Bible for children.  It of course takes a lot of liberties with the text so that children can understand it (and so is not a literal Bible), but actually reminds us of several important points about the Fall:

1. The Fall is interpreted here as trying to make ourselves happy without God, not knowing that there is no true happiness outside of him.  Has this ever happened in your life, where you tried to find happiness apart from God and found pain instead?

2. The passage alludes to several upcoming events – Jesus’ incarnation, and his final coming at judgment.  How do these two events reshape your understanding of the Fall?

3. The temptation of the serpent comes in the form of this question: “Does God love you?”  Why is this question so especially damaging to us?  What are its consequences?  Have you ever felt that way?

4. The serpent also wraps another question into this – “if God loves you, why doesn’t he allow you to eat that fruit?”  Has there ever been a situation where you asked yourself the same question, why God wouldn’t allow something to happen in your life?  Why do you think he did so?

10.15.08, 1 Samuel 4:12-22

Death of Eli

12 That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.

14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”
The man hurried over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes were set so that he could not see. 16 He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”
Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”

17 The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”

18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel forty years.

19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20 As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.

21 She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel”-because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

PP: I am still in the process of deciding what book to cover next – in the meantime, a few devotionals from random parts of the Bible!

Heat of the Moment

We briefly skip the book of Judges and go to 1 Samuel, and here we read about one of the lowest points of Israel’s history to that point – the capture of the Ark.  30,000 Israelites are killed, and the sons of the high priest die in battle.  The news travels back to their father, who also drops dead from shock and grief.  And then we encounter his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife.  Because of all the turmoil around her, she goes into premature labor.  The midwives encourage her, telling her to take heart because she has born a son, but to no avail.  She is so overwhelmed by the news she has heard, that she curses the son with the name Ichabod (no glory), and dies in desperation.

But the saddest part of this account is that if you look in the next few chapters of the book of 1 Samuel, you read that the ark of the Lord is returned to Israelites only seven months later, accompanied by a guilt offering from the Philistines.  Only seven months…Phinehas’ wife could not keep the larger, longer work of God in her mind and heart, and let the pain of the immediate situation dictate her actions.  And because of this, she lost out on so very much…

Believe it or not, we are so similar in so many ways – we allow emotion and our immediate circumstances and desperation dictate the course of our lives, giving up all hope and turning from God’s way when any sort of setback occurs.  We see no end in sight, and so we abandon our course, either trying our own way again or just giving up altogether.  And when we do this, like Phinehas’ wife, we miss out on God’s bigger plan for salvation.

There are few warnings and encouragements we take away from this: first, to always remember that God’s plan has length and breadth to it, that he has a longer plan for things than we are used to.  Second, to not allow raw emotion and desperation to control our actions, and rob us of the salvation God has planned for us.  And third…never give up.  Things may seem bleak, you may even find yourself in the worst situation of your entire life (as Israel did in this passage)…but don’t give up.  Hold on for your “7 months”, place your faith in God’s plan and salvation, and he won’t fail you.  From very personal experience – he won’t fail you.

Questions:

1. Do you remember a time where emotion or desperation dictated your course of action?  What were the consequences of your choice?

2. In that situation where you just gave up, it actually may not be too late to get back on course and see it through – is there a way you can return and try to faithfully stick with it?

3. Has there ever been a time where you stuck things out longer than you thought you could, and you got to experience something very positive consequently?

4. Is there a situation in your life right now where you would like to just give up?  What do you think God wants to show you through this situation?

10.13.08, Joshua 24:1-15

The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

5 ” ‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. 6 as far as the Red Sea.  7 But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time. When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen.

8 ” ‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. 910 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand. When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you.

11 ” ‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Great Is Your Faithfulness

PP: This is the final passage in Joshua that we will cover – I hope that the devotionals we have discussed have been a blessing to you all!  Now, give me two days to decide where we go next…

Very early in our study, we looked at Joshua 3-4, at the passage of the 12 stones.  There, we discovered that the memorial set up in that passage was a testimony not just to God’s faithfulness in one season, but through the entire Exodus, from the Passover until their entry into the Promised Land.  This must have been a very powerful reminder to these people as to what they had seen God do with their own eyes!

And here in the final chapter of Joshua, we see something very similar happening, but on an even greater scale.  Joshua reminds everyone of God’s faithfulness not just in their own lives, but spanning back well before their own lifetimes as well!  He speaks about God’s faithfulness to Abraham (even mentioning Abraham’s father!) – although this was a story of great cultural significance, none of them personally had experienced this event.   The same applies to much of Joshua’s words, for none of that generation knew Jacob or Esau, none of them even knew the time of Egypt, and very very few of them had any memory of the Exodus and the time in the desert…why does Joshua bring up things that had very little personal implication for these people?

I made an important personal realization in this passage, that God is not just faithful to me – he is faithful to everything.  He is faithful in a million different ways that I simply cannot even perceive, or am too self-centered to begin to notice.  He is faithful across this globe, to millions of his people on every continent, answering prayers, encouraging, blessing his people.  He is faithful in microscopic ways, he is faithful in macroscopic ones.  He was faithful before I was born, and even before living human memory, and he will continue in this faithfulness long after I pass on.  What we realize is that God’s faithfulness is not just a nice part of our personal lives…it is the glue that holds all things together, in our lives, in existence, in everything, for all of time.

Consequently, if God is this faithful in so many ways, surely our worship should EXPLODE as we realize the all encompassing nature of his faithfulness.  And surely this is a faithfulness that we can rely on, even today…

Questions:

1. Is there an area of your life where you have a hard time believing God’s faithfulness?

2. How does God’s universal faithfulness affect the tougher situations of your life?

3. What are some of the most important things you have learned about God through Joshua?

4. If you had to summarize the theme of this book for others, what would you tell them?

10.10.08, Joshua 22:9-34

9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.

10 When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. 11 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, 12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

13 So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14 With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

15 When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them: 16 “The whole assembly of the LORD says: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? 17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the LORD! 18 And are you now turning away from the LORD ?  ’If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel. 19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the LORD’s land, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the LORD our God. 20 When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’ “

21 Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: 22 “The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day. 23 If we have built our own altar to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account.

24 “No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the LORD.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.

26 “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ 27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD.’

28 “And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the LORD’s altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’

29 “Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle.”

30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites—heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. 31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD’s hand.”

32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. 33 They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.

34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.

A Witness Between Us

This is a long passage, but one worth delving into.  When first entering the Promised Land, the tribes of Reuben and Gad wanted to be given territory outside of that area.  They were allowed to do this, as long as they entered the Promised Land first as a kind of advance military force.  They did so, and were given their inheritance outside of Canaan, an area called Gilead.

In this account, we find the Reubenites and Gadites returning to their promised territory outside of Canaan, and on the way, they build an altar in-between themselves and the rest of Israel.  Now the Israelites view the altar as a kind of WALL between them, as if they are breaking themselves off from the rest of the people and from God.  But the heads of Reuben and Gad clarify what they have done, and why.  They build the altar not as a replacement for the tabernacle, but as a reminder to Israel and Reuben and Gad that even though they are separated in many ways, culturally and geographically, they are always one people for all generations.  It is a monument to their unity with Israel.  The rest of Israel understands, and is very pleased with this action.

How does this apply to us?  As Christians, we take offense very easily.  Maybe we’ve been hurt or betrayed in some way, or we had a disagreement with a person or a group on a fundamental issue, or just some unspoken and largely imperceptible kind of falling out.  And when this happens, we are so ready to draw lines between ourselves and others, so ready to break off all relationship, so ready to judge a person’s total character and motivations…

But we need more witnesses between us, reminders of the things that unify us as Christians to serve as the concrete and mortar of our relationships – that we are all fallen, and that we all make mistakes.  That it is Jesus Christ that is the Lord of all of us, and that we have the same Heavenly Father and the same wonderful Holy Spirit.  Of past friendship and relationship you had with someone.  Of a kindness you once received from someone whom you now don’t get along with.  If we keep these reminders between us, when there are differences of opinion and confusion as to motivation, we can always look at these reminders and remember that the things which unify us are far stronger than those which divide.  And hopefully, like Israel and Reuben, this will bring us back from the brink of division.

Questions:

1. What are the main causes of the rifts between you and others?

2.Is there someone with whom you have a rift right now in your life?

3. In terms of this person, what similarities do you share with this person?  What positive traits do they possess?  Have you ever been blessed by anything they have done previously?

4. Take some time to pray about it – do you feel that God is calling you to remember and restore a relationship with another Believer in your life?  What do you think is the first step for you?