June 19th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
1 Kings 20:1-21:29 ~ Acts 12:24-13:15
Psalm 137:1-9 ~ Proverbs 17:16

Old Testament - In 1 Kings 20 today we read about King Ahab's battles with King Ben-hadad of Aram.  Verse 11 today was sharp! "The king of Israel sent back this answer: "A warrior still dressing for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.""  Not a bad little saying from Ahab to Ben-hadad!  Sounds sort of like a Proverb.  Actually, this really sounds like our modern day saying of: "Don't count your chickens before they hatch!"  :)

Alas, even though King Ahab was given victories by God's grace in today's readings, he goofs things up by letting King Ben-hadad of Aram go free. Then, as we get into First Kings chapter 21 today, things go from bad to worse for Ahab in terms of his relationship with God.  Chapter 21 is a sad story of Naboth and his vineyard...  Would it be safe to say that King Ahab was coveting Naboth's vineyard?  Would Ahab be breaking a commandment in the Mosaic Law here in this image...?

I couldn't quite remember why Jezebel was cast in such a bad light in our readings a few days ago.  Today I remember why...  It is great to see Elijah show up on the scene and say to Ahab in verse 20 - "I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the LORD's sight." How sad.  Do you think people today can still sell themselves to what is evil in God's sight?  Below is an image of Elijah denouncing Ahab for the evil that transpired over Naboth's vineyard in today's readings.

Bible.org's commentary on today's 1 Kings readings titled "Israel's Deliverance" is at this link and "Ahab Buys the Farm or Payday Someday" is at this link.

New Testament - Wow.  It is fun to read about Paul's first missionary journey!  A very cool thing to note about today's readings is that Paul started his missionary journey not after an extensive planning session / retreat / etc. (all our modern day stuff of what we have to do before embarking on something...)  No!  Paul started his missionary journey after a time of worship & fasting and being filled with the Holy Spirit!  The Spirit moved and thus Paul moved!  It was that simple.  Think we can learn something from this in our lives today?  Are you listening to the Spirit's prompting in your life today?  What is the Spirit prompting you to do?  Will you do it?  Check out Acts 13 verses 2 and 3 that show all it took for Paul to begin his missionary journey: "One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work I have for them." So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way."

I am a huge fan of Paul's epistles, and greatly enjoyed verses 9 through 11, which are Paul's first words that we've read in Acts since his conversion on the road to Damascus - "Then Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked the sorcerer in the eye and said, "You son of the Devil, full of every sort of trickery and villainy, enemy of all that is good, will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? And now the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be stricken awhile with blindness.""  Paul was no joke!  Below is a map of Paul's first missionary journey - (map courtesy of ccel.org/bible/phillips/JBPhillips.htm)

I love the way today's Acts readings finish up in verses 14 & 15 - "Barnabas and Paul traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia.  On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. After the usual readings from the books of Moses and from the Prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for us, come and give it!"  Uh-oh!  Think the folks in charge of the service are ready for a word from Paul and Barnabas?  :)  Stay tuned for the word of encouragement from Paul in tomorrow's readings!  Below is an image of Barnabas -

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Acts titled "What a Way to Go" is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 137 is a Psalm reflecting upon the Israelites exile in Babylon and about how much Jerusalem was missed.  We also read about a call to punish Edom for their rejoicing in the fall of Jerusalem.  Later this year we will read prophesies against Edom in the book of the prophet Obadiah.  Below is an image of ancient Jerusalem - the tower of David - that this Psalmist missed greatly -

I realize that verse 9 in this Psalm may be troubling.  I found a few links with essays / thoughts on this verse. I'll need to reflect on these - and study further - to see if I agree or disagree w/ what these are saying:
http://www.learnthebible.org/q_a_dashing_little_ones_against_stones.htm
http://www.jimmcguiggan.com/nonbeliever/lesson.asp?id=6
http://www.brfwitness.org/Articles/1986v21n4.htm

Proverbs - Proverb 17 verse 16 is interesting to consider: "It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a fool who has no heart for wisdom."   This is a great question for each of us to ask ourselves.  Today in your life - do you have a heart for wisdom?  What type of "tuition" are you paying to gain wisdom / to be educated?  Are you paying the "tuition" of time invested in studying the Bible each day?  Are you paying the "tuition" of joining a Bible study at your church?  What other types of "tuition" are you paying to gain wisdom?  Will you pray to God today for a heart for wisdom?

Comments from you - What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Anka]

It seems God still tries to woo Israel over inspite of her disobedience and idolatry...Ahab wasn't really seeking God's opinion before going into battle yet God gave him victory...and showed him mercy....
As I read the NT reading,I realised something....the word of God spread and increased because the church wasn't just a place people met when they needed prayers,a word....or just something to do...worshipping and fasting was a great part of their life..I pray that those with a similar longing in their hearts come together....like iron sharpens iron,let them sharpen each other....
God bless you all

[Vance Brown]

I Kings 20 (NKJV)
42
Then he said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’”

Psalm 137 (NKJV)
8
O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
9
Happy the one who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock!

~~~
NOTE:
We reap what we sow. If we constantly greatly desire what is not right, God will give us over to the harvest that we create from the planting seeds of sin, folly, and unrighteousness. I see this both in King Ahab and in the prophecy against Babylon in Psalm 137. When an individual or a nation persists in sin, they will reap destruction. Period.

Proverbs 18 (NKJV)
20
A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Romans 1 (NKJV)
18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19
because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
28
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

~~
God had determined that the king of Samaria had reaped death from his own sin. Ahab was to be a part of God’s judgment on him.

What is interesting about this is that Ahab, himself, was not following the Lord with a pure heart. He had married a woman—Jezebel—who was an idolater. She worshiped the male god of Baal and the female goddess, and this faith system in a false god produced sexual immorality as a means of knowing this false god of Baal.

God uses leaders—even flawed and sinful leaders—to accomplish His purposes in the world. He is God, and he uses leaders available as instruments for His purposes.

~~
I Kings 20 (NKJV)
43
So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.

NOTE:
See how important our attitudes are. Ahab was like a spoiled child, given to self pity. If we allow the seeds of self pity to grow into resentment and a focus on self centeredness, we will do stupid things.

Ahab, given over to self pity, killed Naboth so he could have his field.

Self pity and envy blinds us to contentment in what God has given us already.

This reminds me of this wonderful prayer of the psalmist:

Psalm 86 (NKJV)
11
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.
12
I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore.

~~
May we give ourselves over the Lord in prayer and surrender as the early church did in Acts 13, and as the Lord Jesus did as the Perfect Man.

Vance

[luciano Del Monte]

Did anyone notice the way God raised up leaders from the Antioch church? In Acts 11:19 we saw how a few of the believers broke out of their Jewish ethnocentricity to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. A wonderful work of God was done there. "the power of the Lord was upon them, and large numbers of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord." acts 11:20-21 But then we see how they mature through Saul and Barnabas' efforts over the period of a year. You can't microwave growth. It has to be intentional. These converts were cared for and discipled and brought to a level of maturity that we see in Acts 13. i say all this to say when we get to Acts 13 we have leaders emerging out of the Antiochian church. Already in this young faith community the gifts of prophet and teacher and apostle and teacher were being utilized. I think we can learn a lot more from these chapters in Acts then the latest church growth books.

[Johnnie Hamill]

Proverbs hit home to me. My parents paid for my tuition during school. However, I came to the point where I was dropping classes left and right and then withdrawing from school -- wasting my parents money.

What happened? My parents said, "If you want to go to college you will pay for it. When you finish the course and can show us your grade (it had to be a C or above) we will reimburse you for the expenses."

Well, I finished my education only when I made up my mind that I was going to do it. The best thing is that because I had to work for it -- I took more ownership of the education. It goes back to Nehemiah 4:6 -- I finally had a *mind to work*.

[John]

Point of Transition

There is a reason that the church thrived in Antioch.

My first group Bible Study as a Christian was Acts, but I came in on the 16th? chapter. I had read quickly through the first 15 chapters to catch up and I missed the transition in chapter 12.

Bob summed it up very well in his "Conclusions" to yesterday's commentary. For those that did not get a chance, or choose not to read bob's work - enclosed are some excerpts below with a link back to yesterday's commentary.

["The first lesson to understand from our passage, and its broader context, is that this is a clear point of transition. Acts 12 is the end of one era, and chapter 13 is the beginning of another. Acts 12 is the account of the passing of Peter. Not that Peter passes from the scene by virtue of his death, but he passes from the scene by virtue of his absence. Chapter 12, in large measure, is a farewell to Peter, as chapter 13 is the commencement of a strong emphasis on Paul’s ministry.

But it is not merely the passing from the scene of one leader (Peter) and the rise to prominence of another (Paul). This change in personalities is but a signal, a pointer, to a much larger change—the transition from the Jews to the Gentiles, and from Jerusalem to Antioch. From here on out, the churches that are founded and that grow are predominantly Gentile in makeup. The Jewish church in Jerusalem and those saints who gathered in synagogues around the world of that day faded away, much like Peter. The reason is explained by Paul in Romans 9-11. The times of the Gentiles have begun, and the time of Israel’s hardening has come as well. Many Gentiles will be saved, but few Jews. Because of this, the church will become predominantly Gentile for centuries to come, until the return of our Lord which is yet future.

The arrest of Peter, and the intent of Herod and the Jews to kill him, is a very significant and final element in the judicial hardening of the Jews by God and in the conversion of many Gentiles. Up to this point in time, the gospel continued to be proclaimed in Israel. God’s arms were opened wide, and the Jews were urged to turn to Jesus as God’s Messiah. But now, virtually all Israel has heard the good news, and all Israel (with the exception of those saved) has rejected the gospel. The final rebellion and rejection of Israel is reported here, in Acts 12, just prior to the sending out of Barnabas and Saul from Antioch. God’s evangelistic thrust to the Gentiles in chapter 13, Luke is saying, is the result of Israel’s rejection of Jesus as the Christ (and of His church)....

....Now, in Acts 12, we see the final opposition movement in Jerusalem and Judea, before the destruction of that city by the Roman armies in 70 AD. It is not the leaders of the Jews who oppose the church here, but Herod and the Jewish people at large. Herod, not due to the pressure of the Jewish religious leaders, but by his own initiative, goes after the apostles and seeks to destroy the church. And the masses of the Jewish people love it, spurring him on. This is the last straw, for now virtually every segment of the society of Jerusalem has rejected Jesus and His church. Will God commence the conversion of Gentiles en masse? It is because Israel, en masse, has rejected the gospel. Now the gospel will go to the Gentiles. Thus, the actions of Herod and of the Jewish people become the basis for God’s turning His back upon this people and this place for many years to come, even to the present day. There will be a remnant saved, but only a small segment of the Jews, during this time of the Gentiles. This is the rejection foreseen by our Lord at His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, with its subsequent judgment. No wonder our Lord wept over this city and its fate. The day of salvation for Israel as a nation has passed."]

http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=2141

[John]

1Kings21

Vineyard into a vegetable garden.

Interesting thought from a footnote in Bob's commentary:

Iain Provan makes a very interesting observation at this point. He points out that the expression “vegetable garden” occurs only one other time in the Bible, in Deuteronomy 11:10. Here, God contrasts the land of Israel with Egypt, which was like a “vegetable garden.” There, you merely had to dig a little trench with your foot to water your “vegetable garden” by means of irrigation. But the land of Israel was dependent upon God to send the rains which were required to grow any crops. Naboth’s property was a vineyard. Israel was likened to God’s vineyard (cf. Isaiah 5:1-7). One does get the impression that Ahab, once again, was out of step with God. God wanted to take Israel from dwelling in a “vegetable garden” and to “plant” them where they would be His “vineyard.” Ahab wanted to acquire a “vineyard,” and turn it into a “vegetable garden.” I think Provan has something here. Iain W. Provan, 1 and 2 Kings (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995), pp. 157-158.

When Ahab could not get it he sulked. He is always sullen, sulking, or pouting when he does not get his way - just like a child. No wonder Jezebel had him wrapped around her finger.

This seemed entirely characteristic of Ahab. He seemed to be a spineless, pouting man who reacted this way when he met any kind of adversity.... "So the scene is a vivid picture of peevish Ahab turning his face to the wall and refusing to eat. He was like a sulking child who could not get his own way." (Dilday)

Scapegoat and perhaps whole family killed.

Proclaim a fast: The idea was that some evil or calamity came upon Israel, and a scapegoat had to be found for the evil. Jezebel intended that Naboth be revealed as the scapegoat.

2 Kings 9:26 indicates that the crime was even worse than this, connecting the murder of Naboth with the blood of his sons. It is likely that the entire family of Naboth was murdered, so no heirs were left to claim his property. - David guzik

Elijah shows up

"To the widow of Zarephath Elijah was an angel of light; whilst to Ahab he was an enemy . . . What you are, determines whether Elijah will be your friend or your enemy." (Meyer)

Instead of sulking at the prophecy Ahab repents, or does he?

"But this humiliation or repentance of Ahab's was only external and superficial, arising from the terror of God's judgments; and not sincere and serious, proceeding from the love of God, or a true sense of his sin, or a solemn purpose of amendment of his life, as appears, because all the particulars of his repentance here, are external and ritual only; nor is there the least intimation of any one sign or fruit of his true repentance, as that he restored Naboth's land, or reproved his infamous wife; but in the very next chapter you find him returning to his former vomit." (Poole)

[John]

Acts 13

Ministry in Paphos

So often Paul ministers in strongholds of other gods..

Paphos: This city was known for its immorality: “Paphos was infamous for its worship of Venus, the goddess of [sexual] love” (Barclay). We will see in Paphos a familiar combination: Immorality connected with spiritual darkness.

venus was said to have originated here - coming ashore on her seashell onto the beaches of the island.

Seems they had their own da Vinci code going on back then:
Bar-Jesus translated "son of Jesus."

Elymas' sin is compounded by deceiving the pro-consul regarding Christ.

If you want to commit spiritual suicide, that’s one thing. But how dare you bring others down with you? If you want to give up on the things of God and grow bitter in your heart against Him, that’s your choice. But it is a heavy sin to draw anyone else away with you, either with your words or your example. - David Guzik

The interesting thing to me, is the pro-consul was amazed at the teaching (Greek also translated "doctrine") about the Lord. Kind of reinforces that idea of signs and wonders being secondary. The blindness of Elymas may have got his attention, but it was Jesus' message that amazed the pro-consul and he had "faith".

Going to keep track here, but it does seem that Paul often stops first in the synagogues before going "out in town". I wonder if this is to reach people like Cornelius - "God-fearing" - visitors to synagogue. Paul going to the most fertile gorund first - to establish a beachhead????