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YEAR OF THE BIBLE Qs&As and PASTOR'S REFLECTION
Here's the question and answer from Thursday:
Who shares a common destiny, according to Ecclesiastes 9?
Ecclesiastes 9:2 2 All share a common destiny-- the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.
And from Friday:
What is urged first of all? (I Timothy 2)
1 Timothy 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
And here's the question of the day:
What is the Teacher’s conclusion at the end of Ecclesiastes? (Ecclesiastes 12)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Chapter 12 is quite the finish for the Teacher.
The chapter crescendos to a loud "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Everything is meaningless!" (verse 8), which is ironically where we started: Ecclesiastes 1:2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
What exactly does he mean? Surely there's more to this book than the pronouncement that all of life is meaningless--why would it be included in the canon if this was the case?!
Scholars suggest that death is the key to Ecclesiastes. In the end, death conquers all. No matter how heroic our struggle against it may be, in the end, we will all die. This is a fundamental truth that the Teacher pounds into our minds over and over again. No amount of wisdom or courage can help us to escape death.
True wisdom, the Teacher is telling us, "lies in the living of these days, before the sickle cuts its wide swath" (William P. Brown, Interpretation, Ecclesiastes, p 115). Hence the admonition to "be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-- this is the gift of God" (Ecc 3.12-13). To the teacher, this is the stuff of life--what Baloo from "The Jungle Book" would call the "bare necessities."
Knowing then what lies ahead, the Teacher advocates a "carpe diem" kind of lifestyle because death is always lingering around the corner.
Now we, as Christians, know that Jesus conquered death in his resurrection. Death--the end of this life--is but the beginning of eternity. Christians are sometimes rightly accused of living with their head in the clouds--perhaps being a bit too heaven-focused. The Teacher seems to know that humans are put on earth with a "duty:" to "Fear God and keep his commandments" (Ecc. 12.13). The Teacher sees things starkly in black and white, and in his opinion, humans are here to carry out their duty.
Apart from God--apart from fulfilling our "duty"--indeed life IS "meaningless."
But WITH God, there is meaning and purpose and fulfillment--which is an optimist's version of Ecclesiastes' message!
Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Don't Believe Your Own Hype!
Good morning! (Or afternoon or evening, depending on when you're reading this.) I hope you're enjoying the read through 2 Chronicles a little more than 1 Chronicles--many more little narratives and a lot fewer lists.
I also hope you're keeping up with "My Book of Chronicles" too! I was so glad to hear how many people were willing to share where they see God at work in their lives during worship on Sunday. (For those of you who missed it: two Sundays ago, I preached on 1 Chronicles 5. I talked about how 1 Chronicles was the story of a family's faith and witness of seeing God at work in the everyday, mundane details of their lives, which is why the Chronicles were so precious to their descendants. So I handed out little notebooks to those who were there and encouraged them to write down where they saw God at work in their lives; hence, their own "book of Chronicles" which could be handed down through the generations of THEIR family.)
Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
What does Paul ask the Christians at Ephesus to do? (Eph 3)
Ephesians 3:13 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. I belatedly realized this is a reading from Wednesday's schedule, not Thursday. Sorry!
And here's the question of the day:
What did Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, do when she learned her son had died? (2 Chron 22)
And here's the reflection of the day:
2 Chronicles 24 has an interesting little story for us today. "Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years."
Sheesh, seven years old. How many of you parents barely allow your seven-year-old to pick out his or her own clothes, let alone rule over Israel?! But that's the way it goes with passing down the kingship through lineage. It is just one of the tragic results of a life, for better or worse, cut short.
Fortunately, Joash had Jehoiada. We have read much about Jehoiada in the last couple chapters of 2 Chronicles, so we know he was a no-nonsense kind of guy, clearly anointed by the Lord for leadership over his people. For forty long years, Joash did "what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest" (v2). Isn't that a little different than what we're used to reading about these kings--usually it says they did "what was right in the eyes of the Lord" period. There's not usually an end limit on their obedience; generally they are obedient all of their lives.
The text doesn't tell us exactly what went wrong, but my guess is that Joash believed his own hype. It does tells us, "After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them" (v17). Maybe Joash started to believe his own hype.
And it all went downhill from there. Joash seems to have forgotten all that Jehoiada had done for him and taught him. He was one who guided Joash, acting as a direct connection between the king and God. Jehoiada was probably also the one who kept Joash's ego under control. Once that presence was gone, things fell apart.
The moral of the story? Be careful of the company you keep. Surround yourself with people who will give you sage advice, who will keep you accountable, and will help you not believe your own hype!
Have a splendid day!
Allison
I also hope you're keeping up with "My Book of Chronicles" too! I was so glad to hear how many people were willing to share where they see God at work in their lives during worship on Sunday. (For those of you who missed it: two Sundays ago, I preached on 1 Chronicles 5. I talked about how 1 Chronicles was the story of a family's faith and witness of seeing God at work in the everyday, mundane details of their lives, which is why the Chronicles were so precious to their descendants. So I handed out little notebooks to those who were there and encouraged them to write down where they saw God at work in their lives; hence, their own "book of Chronicles" which could be handed down through the generations of THEIR family.)
Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
What does Paul ask the Christians at Ephesus to do? (Eph 3)
Ephesians 3:13 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. I belatedly realized this is a reading from Wednesday's schedule, not Thursday. Sorry!
And here's the question of the day:
What did Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, do when she learned her son had died? (2 Chron 22)
And here's the reflection of the day:
2 Chronicles 24 has an interesting little story for us today. "Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years."
Sheesh, seven years old. How many of you parents barely allow your seven-year-old to pick out his or her own clothes, let alone rule over Israel?! But that's the way it goes with passing down the kingship through lineage. It is just one of the tragic results of a life, for better or worse, cut short.
Fortunately, Joash had Jehoiada. We have read much about Jehoiada in the last couple chapters of 2 Chronicles, so we know he was a no-nonsense kind of guy, clearly anointed by the Lord for leadership over his people. For forty long years, Joash did "what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest" (v2). Isn't that a little different than what we're used to reading about these kings--usually it says they did "what was right in the eyes of the Lord" period. There's not usually an end limit on their obedience; generally they are obedient all of their lives.
The text doesn't tell us exactly what went wrong, but my guess is that Joash believed his own hype. It does tells us, "After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them" (v17). Maybe Joash started to believe his own hype.
And it all went downhill from there. Joash seems to have forgotten all that Jehoiada had done for him and taught him. He was one who guided Joash, acting as a direct connection between the king and God. Jehoiada was probably also the one who kept Joash's ego under control. Once that presence was gone, things fell apart.
The moral of the story? Be careful of the company you keep. Surround yourself with people who will give you sage advice, who will keep you accountable, and will help you not believe your own hype!
Have a splendid day!
Allison
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Sleeping with the Enemy
Good morning! Boy, I'm glad I turned the furnace back on last night--it was chilly. For those of you who are gardeners, I hope your plants survived the cold! Let's get down to business.
Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Monday: Why did Hiram, King of Tyre, send envoys to Solomon? (I Kings 5)
1 Kings 5:1 When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David.
And here's the question of the day:
Tuesday: Which came first: the palace or the temple? (I Kings 6-7)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Today's readings from 1 Kings 6-7 provide us with a few interesting little tidbits of information.
For example, check out verse 1 in 1 Kings 6: "In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt . . . " It is common for passages of Scripture to start with some "sign posts" to help clue people in on the time and place of the story. And Israel's history always dates back to their liberation from Egypt by the hand of God. Even though Solomon is king 10-12 generations AFTER the exodus, it is still fresh in the mind of the authors of 1 Kings. After all this time, they still "remember" what their ancestors went through at the hands of Pharaoh in Egypt.
Now, look at verse 8 in 1 Kings 7: "And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had married." It's just a little narrative detail in the midst of two grand chapters describing the temple and the palace, but it's an important detail: THE KING OF ISRAEL MARRIED THE DAUGHTER OF EGYPT'S PHARAOH!
It doesn't get more shocking than that does it? One might try to justify this as a diplomatic marriage, but come on . . . really? (said like Amy Pohler and Seth Myers on SNL!) Does this seem like a wise move, o great and wise Solomon??
Never has God been a fan of Israel "marrying outside the faith." The Israelites was always forbidden from marrying foreigners not because they're foreigners, but because they do not worship Yahweh, Israel's God. God wants to preserve Israel's faith and way of life as a community, which is no easy task . . . a task made all the more difficult when Israel's leader is literally sleeping with the enemy.
In the midst of all these grand details of the palace and the temple (don't these 2 chapters sounds like someone describing what a museum looks like?), God interrupts, like God so often does. In 1 Kings 6:11ff, "The word of the LORD came to Solomon: 12 "As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel." 14 So Solomon built the temple and completed it.
In other words, God says, "Using this temple, if you will follow my decrees. . . I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel." Everything hinges on the temple and Solomon's wise obedience to God's decrees. It's that important; hence all the description and detail that goes along with it.
This "little" disobedience I mentioned earlier may be a foreshadowing of things to come for Solomon and the Israelites. You'll just have to keep reading to find out what happens next!!
Have a splendid day!
Allison
Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Monday: Why did Hiram, King of Tyre, send envoys to Solomon? (I Kings 5)
1 Kings 5:1 When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David.
And here's the question of the day:
Tuesday: Which came first: the palace or the temple? (I Kings 6-7)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Today's readings from 1 Kings 6-7 provide us with a few interesting little tidbits of information.
For example, check out verse 1 in 1 Kings 6: "In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt . . . " It is common for passages of Scripture to start with some "sign posts" to help clue people in on the time and place of the story. And Israel's history always dates back to their liberation from Egypt by the hand of God. Even though Solomon is king 10-12 generations AFTER the exodus, it is still fresh in the mind of the authors of 1 Kings. After all this time, they still "remember" what their ancestors went through at the hands of Pharaoh in Egypt.
Now, look at verse 8 in 1 Kings 7: "And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had married." It's just a little narrative detail in the midst of two grand chapters describing the temple and the palace, but it's an important detail: THE KING OF ISRAEL MARRIED THE DAUGHTER OF EGYPT'S PHARAOH!
It doesn't get more shocking than that does it? One might try to justify this as a diplomatic marriage, but come on . . . really? (said like Amy Pohler and Seth Myers on SNL!) Does this seem like a wise move, o great and wise Solomon??
Never has God been a fan of Israel "marrying outside the faith." The Israelites was always forbidden from marrying foreigners not because they're foreigners, but because they do not worship Yahweh, Israel's God. God wants to preserve Israel's faith and way of life as a community, which is no easy task . . . a task made all the more difficult when Israel's leader is literally sleeping with the enemy.
In the midst of all these grand details of the palace and the temple (don't these 2 chapters sounds like someone describing what a museum looks like?), God interrupts, like God so often does. In 1 Kings 6:11ff, "The word of the LORD came to Solomon: 12 "As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel." 14 So Solomon built the temple and completed it.
In other words, God says, "Using this temple, if you will follow my decrees. . . I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel." Everything hinges on the temple and Solomon's wise obedience to God's decrees. It's that important; hence all the description and detail that goes along with it.
This "little" disobedience I mentioned earlier may be a foreshadowing of things to come for Solomon and the Israelites. You'll just have to keep reading to find out what happens next!!
Have a splendid day!
Allison
Monday, May 18, 2009
Of All the Things to Ask For
Hello! Glad you stopped by again today.
Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Sunday: Who declares himself king when David becomes old and feeble? Who was supposed to be the next king? (1 Kings 1)
1 Kings 1:5 5 Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, "I will be king." So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him.
1 Kings 1:17 17 She said to him, "My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: 'Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.'
And here's the question of the day:
Monday: Why did Hiram, King of Tyre, send envoys to Solomon? (I Kings 5)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Of all the things to ask for, Solomon could have picked anything in this world (I Kings 3). He COULD have asked for a long life or great wealth or the death of all of his enemies (v11). He COULD have asked for great fame or many children or a mighty empire. But what he asks for is a discerning heart.
I would venture to say that Solomon already possessed a somewhat discerning heart, brimming full of wisdom, before God offered the world to Solomon. God offered him the world and Solomon chose wisdom. And since he chose wisdom, God saw fit to give him "what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings" (v 13).
Solomon becomes a legendary leader in the history of history! He was seen as a fair and effective ruler in the eyes of his people; he lived a long life, was wealthy, and achieved many victories over his enemies. He loved the Lord and tried hard to follow in the footsteps of his father, approaching God with humility and devotion.
But he also made his fair share of mistakes: under his reign, Israel became allies with their enemy Egypt when he marries a foreign princess; he was slow in building the Temple; and he sometimes incorrectly worshiped at the "high places." Solomon was a good man, but he had his flaws and faults as well.
I think the point of this story is that God took the initiative with Solomon, just like He takes with all of us. God decides Solomon will become the king, even though he aligned his family with foreigners, against God's desires; God comes to Solomon in a dream and offers to give anything he asks for, even though Solomon is greedy, more often than not.
Despite Solomon's sinfulness, God extends to him the open invitation to be a part of His plan. Solomon loves God with an imperfect love--sometimes with a wandering eye and heart--and yet God responds to that imperfect love with His own perfect love, granting Solomon (and us) undeserved blessing and a second chance to love and obey.
Have a splendid day!
Allison
Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Sunday: Who declares himself king when David becomes old and feeble? Who was supposed to be the next king? (1 Kings 1)
1 Kings 1:5 5 Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, "I will be king." So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him.
1 Kings 1:17 17 She said to him, "My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: 'Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.'
And here's the question of the day:
Monday: Why did Hiram, King of Tyre, send envoys to Solomon? (I Kings 5)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Of all the things to ask for, Solomon could have picked anything in this world (I Kings 3). He COULD have asked for a long life or great wealth or the death of all of his enemies (v11). He COULD have asked for great fame or many children or a mighty empire. But what he asks for is a discerning heart.
I would venture to say that Solomon already possessed a somewhat discerning heart, brimming full of wisdom, before God offered the world to Solomon. God offered him the world and Solomon chose wisdom. And since he chose wisdom, God saw fit to give him "what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings" (v 13).
Solomon becomes a legendary leader in the history of history! He was seen as a fair and effective ruler in the eyes of his people; he lived a long life, was wealthy, and achieved many victories over his enemies. He loved the Lord and tried hard to follow in the footsteps of his father, approaching God with humility and devotion.
But he also made his fair share of mistakes: under his reign, Israel became allies with their enemy Egypt when he marries a foreign princess; he was slow in building the Temple; and he sometimes incorrectly worshiped at the "high places." Solomon was a good man, but he had his flaws and faults as well.
I think the point of this story is that God took the initiative with Solomon, just like He takes with all of us. God decides Solomon will become the king, even though he aligned his family with foreigners, against God's desires; God comes to Solomon in a dream and offers to give anything he asks for, even though Solomon is greedy, more often than not.
Despite Solomon's sinfulness, God extends to him the open invitation to be a part of His plan. Solomon loves God with an imperfect love--sometimes with a wandering eye and heart--and yet God responds to that imperfect love with His own perfect love, granting Solomon (and us) undeserved blessing and a second chance to love and obey.
Have a splendid day!
Allison
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Deep Things of God
Good morning/afternoon/evening! I'm glad you stopped by today!
Here's the question and answer from Sunday:
What is Nabal’s response to David’s request? (I Sam 25)
1 Samuel 25:10-11 0 Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11 Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?"
Here's the question and answer from Monday:
Whose household informs Paul that there are quarrels among the Corinthians? (I Cor 1)
1 Corinthians 1:11 11 My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.
And here's the question of the day:
Tuesday: How did Saul die? (I Sam 31—I know, I know, another gruesome question!)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Paul gives his readers a little lesson in wisdom in today's reading from 1 Corinthians 2. At the time he was writing, the term "Christian" didn't exist. So he needed to create a way to distinguish between those who believed in Jesus and those who did not.
He talks about "speaking a message of wisdom among the mature" (v 6). And the particular kind of message he is talking about is "God's secret wisdom" (v 7), not "the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age" (v 6). This message is given to the "spiritual person" (v 15), which is a term that is synonymous with Christian in today's language.
A "spiritual person" has "not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God" at our baptisms so that we may be able to understand what God has revealed to us. This includes "even the deep things of God" (v 10). And so what "spiritual people" speak are not words of human wisdom which will pass away but instead speak "spiritual truths in spiritual words" (v 13).
"Spiritual people" like us (I'm going out on a limb and guessing that if you're reading this, you are probably a Christian/"spiritual person"), Paul says, "we have the mind of Christ" (v 16). Sometimes, when Paul says "we," he really means him and him alone. But other times, he says "we" and he really does mean "we." And, if he really does mean we when he says "we," then to this I say, "YIKES!!!"
Me? The mind of Christ? Do you know the mean and hurtful things I have thought about already this morning?! How could this be?
The "spiritual people" in Corinth were certainly not angelic in their behavior either, yet Paul invites them to be a part of the "we" who have the mind of Christ. This chapter is Paul's invitation to consider themselves as mature and having the mind of Christ, which probably means patterning one's life after Christ's example.
So, do you consider yourself to be part of Paul's royal "we"? Do you have the "mind of Christ" at work in you, guiding your thoughts and actions? What do you think are the "deep things of God?"
Have a splendid day!
Allison
Here's the question and answer from Sunday:
What is Nabal’s response to David’s request? (I Sam 25)
1 Samuel 25:10-11 0 Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11 Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?"
Here's the question and answer from Monday:
Whose household informs Paul that there are quarrels among the Corinthians? (I Cor 1)
1 Corinthians 1:11 11 My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.
And here's the question of the day:
Tuesday: How did Saul die? (I Sam 31—I know, I know, another gruesome question!)
And here's the reflection of the day:
Paul gives his readers a little lesson in wisdom in today's reading from 1 Corinthians 2. At the time he was writing, the term "Christian" didn't exist. So he needed to create a way to distinguish between those who believed in Jesus and those who did not.
He talks about "speaking a message of wisdom among the mature" (v 6). And the particular kind of message he is talking about is "God's secret wisdom" (v 7), not "the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age" (v 6). This message is given to the "spiritual person" (v 15), which is a term that is synonymous with Christian in today's language.
A "spiritual person" has "not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God" at our baptisms so that we may be able to understand what God has revealed to us. This includes "even the deep things of God" (v 10). And so what "spiritual people" speak are not words of human wisdom which will pass away but instead speak "spiritual truths in spiritual words" (v 13).
"Spiritual people" like us (I'm going out on a limb and guessing that if you're reading this, you are probably a Christian/"spiritual person"), Paul says, "we have the mind of Christ" (v 16). Sometimes, when Paul says "we," he really means him and him alone. But other times, he says "we" and he really does mean "we." And, if he really does mean we when he says "we," then to this I say, "YIKES!!!"
Me? The mind of Christ? Do you know the mean and hurtful things I have thought about already this morning?! How could this be?
The "spiritual people" in Corinth were certainly not angelic in their behavior either, yet Paul invites them to be a part of the "we" who have the mind of Christ. This chapter is Paul's invitation to consider themselves as mature and having the mind of Christ, which probably means patterning one's life after Christ's example.
So, do you consider yourself to be part of Paul's royal "we"? Do you have the "mind of Christ" at work in you, guiding your thoughts and actions? What do you think are the "deep things of God?"
Have a splendid day!
Allison
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