[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 345 – 1 Thessalonians 1-5; Luke 4 summary!]
In Judges 17-19 we read two accounts that are summed up by the words we read in Judges 17:6: 6In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. Judges 17:6 (NLT) In the first account, we read of Micah, a man who stole more than 1,000 pieces of silver from his own mother. When he confessed his sin to her, she blessed him and had a silver ephod made out of the silver. Micah started to worship the ephod, and later when a Levite came to his home, he offered the Levite the opportunity to be his personal priest. We can find many things wrong with that picture, but the picture soon got worse.
Some men from the tribe of Dan came to Micah’s house, and eventually stole Micah’s “gods” and bargained with the Levite to become their priest, rather than Micah’s. It was bad enough that one man was worshiping a silver ephod, but now hundreds from the tribe of Dan worshiped it. The Levite’s willingness to leave Micah’s service, because he would be able to have a bigger “congregation,” and undoubtedly better pay, makes it clear he wasn’t serving the LORD, but rather his own personal benefit and gain. As we look at this account, we are reminded what happens when people have no godly vision or leadership. The men from Dan had a vision, but it wasn’t godly. They turned from God to worship the silver ephod. The Levite wasn’t serving God either. He looked for his own gain rather than serving the LORD and the people.
In Chapter 19, we read the first half of an account, which we’ll finish tomorrow. In it a man from the tribe of Levi had a concubine, who left him and returned to her father. He went after her, and eventually was welcomed by the woman’s father when he came to the father’s house. After a couple days of partying, provided by the father-in-law, the Levite decided it was time to go home. He left in the afternoon, which meant he couldn’t make it home before nightfall. He decided to stay in Gibeah, a city settled by the tribe of Benjamin. No one welcomed the man into their home for the night, until eventually an older man of the town, offered him and his concubine a place to stay. We’re told some “troublemakers” from the town gathered and demanded to have the Levite sent out so they could have sex with him. The man offered to have his virgin daughter and the man’s concubine go out, but the men refused. Apparently, during the argument the Levite shoved his concubine out of the house and closed the door. The men raped the woman all night long. In the morning, when the Levite went out to get her, he found her outside the house. She was dead. This horrendous story ends even more horrendously as we will see tomorrow. No excuse can be made for what happened. According to Mosaic Law, the “appropriate” response was “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life. While that seems extreme to us, tomorrow we’ll see the response of the Levite and the nation of Israel was even more extreme. The response starts at the end of chapter 19, when the Levite cuts his concubine into twelve pieces and sends a piece to each of the tribes of Israel. The response of the entire nation was to ask, “What are we going to do?” Remember, there was no king to decide, so they would decide the matter corporately, and as we’ll see tomorrow, they did.
As we return to John 17, and Jesus’ “high priestly prayer,” let’s focus on one statement. Jesus said, “They (that is Jesus’ followers-including us) don’t belong to the world any more than I do.” What a powerful statement. It’s easy to see why Jesus would say He didn’t belong to the world. After all, He is the Son of God. He came from heaven, to live His life on earth. We did not. Yet, after we’re born again, we become citizens of heaven. The Apostle Paul would pick up on that them and use it extensively in his letters. Sometimes he used the term explicitly and at other times implicitly. The key is: we are bound for heaven. We are going to live our lives here for days, weeks, months, years, or decades, but we will live for eternity with Jesus. Always remember that. When we go through the loss of loved ones, which is always painful and difficult, we can remember that for those who trust Jesus, the pain, suffering, and even death are short-term realities. I don’t say that lightly, or flippantly. I have lost many who were close to me: our first child, through a miscarriage; my Mom died what seemed to be far too soon to me; my Dad; Jim, my oldest brother; and most recently Cheryl Marshall, my sister-in-law. At those times the pain is eased when we know we will see our loved one again.
As we go about this day, let’s live as those whose first citizenship is in heaven. That doesn’t mean we won’t be good citizens of the United States of America, or of whatever nation we are citizens. It means, we will always serve Jesus first, and be ambassadors for Him to the world. When we live fully as citizens of God’s Kingdom, we will make the best citizens of whatever earthly nation or kingdom we call home!
Day 345 – 1 Thessalonians 1-5; Luke 4
Today we turn to the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica. We know from the Book of Acts, Thessalonica was not the most noble of the places Paul ministered, because we’re told the people in Berea were more noble or honorable than the people in Thessalonica. Yet, the Thessalonian church was filled with strong believers, and Paul took the entire first chapter to greet them and honor their willingness to suffer for the cause of Jesus. Both letters have a strong emphasis on the end of time, and the Thessalonian believers seemed to be preoccupied with it. Paul’s responses, particularly in 1 Thessalonians 4, offer a dramatic picture of what it will be like when Jesus returns.
As noted in the introductory paragraph, 1 Thessalonians 1 is Paul’s greeting to the church as well as his affirmation of their willingness to suffer for the cause of Jesus. Paul noted that his ministry there was one that demonstrated the Holy Spirit’s power. As is often the case when God’s workers move into an area with no gospel presence or witness, the Holy Spirit’s activity draws the people’s attention to Jesus.
In 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul reminds the believers of the opposition he faced in presenting the gospel, and the opposition they faced in receiving it. He also point out that he worked night and day, so as not to be a burden to them (financially). While he could have been a burden, he worked (as a tentmaker) so he could present the gospel with no thought of the motive being greed. Paul tells of being taken away from them involuntarily, and how much he wanted to return. Paul points out these believers are his “joy and crown,” showing us how much he cared for this particular group of believers.
In 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul tells of sending Timothy to see how the church was faring, because he was concerned that just as he had been persecuted for his faith, they were being persecuted, too. Paul’s concern was it might have been too much for them to handle. Thankfully, Timothy’s report of them was their faith remained strong. Imagine, living in a world where it wasn’t possible to know what was going on with people a hundred or two hundred miles away, without sending someone to walk and find out!
In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul starts by reminding the believers to live holy lives. He speaks specifically against the harm done by sexual immorality. As we move to the second half of the chapter Paul addresses the matter of what happens to those who “fall asleep” i.e. die before Jesus returns. The concern of the Thessalonians was those who died before Jesus return missed out on Jesus’ return. Paul’s initial response is so helpful. He tells us we don’t grieve as the rest of people who have no hope. In other words, we dogrieve when loved ones die, but we know we will see them again. The remainder of the chapter portrays how dramatic it will be when Jesus returns. He tells us the dead in Christ (those who have died) will rise first, and then those who are living. Some have taken this statement to mean when we die we “sleep,” also known as “soul sleep,” until Jesus returns. It could be understood that way, but it’s always important to interpret one part of Scripture in light of the rest of it. Because Jesus told us the dead are even now alive and with God, see Matthew 22:23-33, we can assume when we die, we do get to be with God immediately. It’s a point that is hard to argue, because the moment we die, time ceases to be an issue for us, as we enter the realm of eternity. I don’t argue the matter of soul sleep, because whether our resurrection is instantaneous, or takes place after a period of soul sleep, to our senses, it will be immediate, and we willbe in God’s presence!
In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul closes his comments about Jesus’ return by reminding us we don’t know the when, but we do know we’re called to be ready. As I say so often, “I’d rather be on the welcoming team than the planning team, when it comes to Jesus’ return. Paul closes the letter with these vital commands: 16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22Avoid every kind of evil.1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 (NIV)
As we return to Luke 4, Jesus went into the wilderness after His baptism. There the devil tempted Him after (and during!) His 40 days of fasting and prayer. The devils temptations included a challenge to convert stones to bread to assuage His hunger; to bow down to the devil to receive the world, and to jump off the Temple, because God’s angels would protect Him. In each case, Jesus was tempted to take a short cut to the end of redeeming humanity. Each time, Jesus responded by quoting Scripture to the devil and ultimately sent Him away. Jesus then went to Nazareth where he started His public ministry. Quoting a messianic passage from Isaiah the prophet, Jesus told the people there who He was and what He came to do. The people were amazed, but then Jesus told them they wouldn’t accept Him, because no prophet is honored in his hometown. He was right, and the people drove Him out. Even so, Jesus healed many people, taught and cast out demons. While this was an incredible beginning to His public ministry, and the people begged Him to stay and do more, Jesus told them He had come to preach in the synagogues of Judea. Jesus knew His mission, and He wouldn’t let a preliminary success keep Him from pursuing it in its totality. How important this is for us to remember: A great beginning is just that–a beginning. We must continue to seek God’s face, to obey His commands, and persevere to the end.