Month: March 2019

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 336 – 2 Corinthians 4-7 Matthew 23 summary!]

Joshua 10-13 records Israel’s defeat of most of the inhabitants of the Promised Land. Many of the people joined in battle against Israel, but to no avail. God stood with Israel. In one battle He cast hail down on the enemy. He also made the sun and moon stand still to give them more daylight to fight. Everywhere, we read of Israel destroying the people of the land and “devoting them to destruction.” The phrase sounds so “unfair,” and even “wrong,” but we must remember God used the Israelites to bring judgment on the people of the land, because their sin had become full. One day each of us will be judged for our sin, and only if we have trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord, will we be spared from that judgment. God is not unjust, because all of us have sinned and fall far short of His glory. In Israel’s judgment against the people of the land, God’s justice was shown.

Toward the end of today’s reading, we’re told Joshua was old and his life was coming to an end. God warned that much land was yet to be taken, and pockets of resistance remained. These would prove to be harmful to Israel in the period of the judges, and even when the monarchy was established in Israel. For the moment, God started the distribution of the land to the various tribes, and the conquest of the land was coming to a lull. In our lives, we must not stop our battle against sin after we have trusted Jesus for salvation. His Holy Spirit leads us and strengthens us so we will have victory. It remains for us to live into that victory daily, because the pockets of resistance remain in us as well. The Apostle Paul called it “the flesh,” or “the sinful nature.” Vigilance brings victory, but a lack of focus can set us back.

As we return to John 8, let’s remember how important it was for Jesus to stand in the gap for the woman caught in the act of adultery. While the religious leaders used her as a pawn in their attempt to trap Jesus with being too lenient, or too judgmental, Jesus saw a woman not an adulteress. Many years ago, I heard a pastor say, “Jesus spent time with prostitutes.  A person in the audience interrupted and said, “Jesus never saw a prostitute.”

The pastor persisted, “Jesus spent time with prostitutes regularly. He…”

Again, the young man in the audience interrupted, “You’re not listening. Jesus never saw a prostitute.”

Again, the pastor continued, “Young man, I’ve studied the Bible for longer than you’ve been alive, and Jesus most certainly spent time with prostitutes.”

The young man said, “I have no doubt you’ve studied the Bible longer and more thoroughly than I have sir, but you’re wrong. Jesus never saw a prostitute.”

Finally, the pastor understood, “Oh, I see what you’re saying. You’re absolutely right. Jesus never saw a prostitute. He saw a woman created in God’s image.”

“Yes!” the young man affirmed.

We must see what Jesus sees when we look at others. They may have committed many sins, as each of us have done. They may be labeled by society as a particular type of sinner, and perhaps we have labeled them as well. Perhaps you have labeled yourself, but let’s remember when Jesus sees each of us, He sees who God created us to be, and wants to call that out in each of us. Let’s let Him do that more and more with each passing moment!

Day 336 – 2 Corinthians 4-7 Matthew 23

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul reminds the Corinthians how important it is for us to live out our faith, and to shine His light on others. Sometimes it is hard to see the “treasure” of Jesus in our lives, because we are “jars of clay.” What an appropriate image. Even when we are at our best, we still have leftover sin in our lives, and people might now see Jesus clearly. Nevertheless, we continue to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, submitting ourselves to Him, and showing the world the new life available to all through Jesus.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul reminds us that when we die to this life, when our “earthly tent” is destroyed, we will have a new building, eternal in the heavens. We live in this tension every day, because as long as we live here on earth, we miss out on our eternal home in heaven. To be present in the body is to be away from the Lord. We have the Holy Spirit as a “deposit” of the eternal life we will enjoy. Paul reminds us we will all appear before the judgments seat of Christ to answer for the deeds of our lives whether good or bad. This idea of being judged for our actions bothers many, but it reminds us that while our salvation is a gift, the reward in heaven comes from the good works we live in our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

In the second half of the chapter, Paul reminds us that God has entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to us. We are new creatures in Jesus, and once we have been made new, we become “ambassadors for Christ,” and God makes His appeal through us.

In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul reminds the Corinthians of all the hardships he went through, because of his life in Jesus. He then challenges the Corinthians not to be “unequally yoked” with unbelievers. This command is generally considered a command not to be married to an unbeliever, but it can also be thought of more broadly as a command not to enter into significant relationships in an ongoing way with those outside of the believing community.

As we return to Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces seven “woes” over the Pharisees. The Greek word used to describe what Jesus was doing can literally be translated “damn you,” or “curse you,” so Jesus used the strongest language to denounce the activities and ways of the Pharisees. At the end of the chapter, Jesus laments over Jerusalem, because of what He knows will happen in just a short time–His arrest, trial, conviction, beating and crucifixion.   

[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 335 – 2 Corinthians 1-3 Matthew 22 summary!]

[*ADDITIONAL NOTE:  No, there is no February 29 in 2019, but there will be one every four years, and the 1 Year Prayer and Bible Reading Guide is an annual guide, so please read an extra day today-both February 29 and March 1.  Thank you!]

Joshua 7 shows us the consequences of disobedience in the clearest terms. God had promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. He had pronounced that reality over and over again through Moses. Yet, Achan decided to disobey God’s command not to keep any of the spoils from the battle of Jericho. As a result, the Israelites lost their first battle against Ai. Thirty-six of their soldiers died. When Joshua heard about it, his response was reasonable: He fell on his face before the LORD, thinking they needed the LORD’s help to win the fight. But the LORD said, “Get up!” In other words, “Joshua, I’m not the one responsible for this situation. The people are. They have sinned, and I have responded to it.” God always responds to sin.  The response to Achan’s sin was clear, immediate, and severe.  God cannot be in the presence of sin. That’s why Jesus came, but that’s getting way ahead of the story. In the case of Achan, the consequences of the sin were thirty-six dead soldiers, a defeat at the hands of a people who God had given over to the Israelites, and Achan and his family were destroyed. The lesson is clear: trust God and obey Him.

Joshua 8 shows us the difference between obedience and disobedience. After Achan’s sin had been exposed and judged, God sent the Israelites against Ai again. This time the result was the utter destruction of Ai. Afterwards, Joshua set up an altar and read the Law of the LORD. Joshua wanted to make certain the people saw the cause and effect relationship between obedience and blessing, and disobedience and cursing. That relationship stands throughout history, but sometimes the results of our obedience or disobedience aren’t as immediately obvious as in this situation.

Joshua 9 shows us the lengths to which people will go to save their lives. The people of Gibeon heard about the exploits of the Israelites and carried out an elaborate ruse to save themselves. They wore old clothes and packed spoiled food and “travelled” to the Israelites. They told the Israelites they were from a distant country and wanted to make a treaty with them. Without consulting the Lord, the leaders of Israel entered into an agreement to spare the Gibeonites. When they found out the Gibeonites had deceived them, they agreed not to kill them, because of their oath, but condemned them to be woodcutters for Israel. What do we learn from this account? Proverbs 5:6 comes to mind: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.  We find it so easy to rely on our own understanding. From all outward appearances the Gibeonites were from a distant land, but had the Israelites consulted the LORD, He would have revealed the deceitful plan to them. The lesson for us is to turn to God first, not after we have relied on our own understanding.

As we return to John 7, let’s look at one, specific verse John 7:18:¹⁸The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. The principle Jesus offered here remains valid and helpful for us 2,000 years later. When a person champions his or her own standing, situation, glory, or honor we rightly suspect the motivation. If anyone ever had the right to push His own agenda and His own glory it was Jesus. After all, He is the God of the universe! Yet, Jesus didn’t come to put Himself in the limelight or to be served. He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for us. Every time I reflect on that truth, I am amazed. I ask, “Why?  Why would the God of the universe put Himself in the position of dying for you and me?” We know He had to do it to satisfy God’s justice, and to quiet God’s righteous wrath. But, still, God could have wiped us out and started over. Instead, He put Himself on the cross, paid the penalty for our sins, rose again to show us His ability to follow through on His promises to us, returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to live victoriously until He returns. Wow! As so many worship songs have put it over the years, “What a Savior!”

Day 335 – 2 Corinthians 1-3 Matthew 22

Today, we move to 2 Corinthians. While we would assume the letter follows 1 Corinthians, most biblical scholars believe Paul wrote another letter to the Corinthian believers that we no longer have. I would fit between the first and second letters. Their reasoning is Paul seems to address matters that go beyond what we would assume from a reading of 1 Corinthians if 2 Corinthians were, indeed, the second letter. In this “second” letter, Paul invests much time defending his apostleship and his ministry, which has come into question by the Corinthian believers. While we often assume the first century church was purer than the church in our day, people have always been people. The “flesh” continues to struggle with the Holy Spirit for leadership in our lives. The Corinthian believers show us even with a leader such as the Apostle Paul, we can still assume we know better than our leaders. That ought not surprise us, because the disciples sometimes thought they knew better than Jesus, and He is God!

In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul’s salutation reminds the Corinthian believers of the hardships he has faced for the gospel, and that they have shared in his sufferings. After this “pleasant” introduction, Paul moves to engage the Corinthians over the reason he did not come to visit them as he had planned originally. He points out that his “Yes,” is not “Yes and no,” but “Yes.” This is the same for Timothy. This defense of himself continues as we move to chapter 2.

In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul becomes more direct in defending himself by saying he didn’t come when he planned, because he didn’t want to grieve them, or be grieved by them. He goes on to tell the Corinthians it is time to forgive one of the brothers, because he had suffered enough. Paul reminded them when they forgave anyone in Christ’s name they received His forgiveness, and the same was true when Paul forgave someone. In the closing part of the chapter Paul reminded the Corinthians they were the “aroma” of Christ. This is a powerful image, and particularly so, because Paul told them that aroma was either an aroma of life or a stench of death, depending on whether the person breathing it in was following Jesus or perishing.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul offers a reminder that he didn’t commend himself to the believers there, but his commendation is the Holy Spirit. He also pointed out the surpassing glory of the Spirit’s presence and power. He compares it to the glory of God demonstrated in Moses’ life when his face radiated after meeting with God. He said the present glory would be much greater, because it comes from the power of the New Covenant, not the covenant of Moses that had passed away. What a crucial reminder for us. We must always remember we live on the resurrection side of Easter. God has done a new thing in and through Jesus. Therefore, we must always live in that resurrection power through the Holy Spirit.

As we return to Matthew 22, Jesus tells the Parable of the Wedding Feast, followed by the religious leaders offering three “tests” to Jesus. The chapter ends with Jesus raising a question for them about the Messiah’s relationship to King David. In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, the master invites guests to come to his wedding, but no one will come. The excuses offered by the invited guests are ridiculous. In anger, the master invites those no one would expect, so his wedding party will be full. Jesus’ point is clear: Those one might expect to be part of His kingdom might not be, while many no one would expect to be there will. The first “test” Jesus faced dealt with the relationship between our commitment to follow God and Caesar. In that test Jesus responded we must give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. This wasn’t an answer in basic sense of the word, because it left open for all to interpret what Jesus meant. What it did, though, was show the religious leaders, they had their hands full.

The second “test” came from the Sadducees, who didn’t believe in the resurrection. They offered a scenario where one woman was married to eight brothers, one at a time. Each of the brothers died, and finally the woman died. The Sadducees question was, “Whose wife will she be in the resurrection, because each of the men were married to her?” Jesus’ response clears up some matters for us. He said the Sadducees were wrong, because in heaven we are neither married or given in marriage but are “like” the angels. He also reminded the Sadducees when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush He told them, “I amthe God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” meaning those patriarchs were alive, because God is the God of the living not the dead.

In the final “test,” Jesus was asked which commandment in the Law of Moses was greatest. He responded quickly: to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. This would have been expected. Jesus added a second commandment, which He said was like the first: Love your neighbor as yourself. This would have surprised the religious leaders, but they couldn’t argue with it.

Finally, Jesus asked the religious leaders how the Messiah could be the descendant of David, when David wrote in the Psalms that the Messiah was his Lord? No one had an answer for the question, and the religious leaders decided not to ask Jesus any more questions.