June 25th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
2 Kings 8:1-9:13 ~ Acts 16:16-40
Psalm 143:1-12 ~ Proverbs 17:26

Old Testament - Second Kings 8 begins with a wonderful example of God's "perfect timing."  It was no coincidence that the king was talking with Gehazi about the time Elisha brought a boy back to life when the woman from Shunem walked in with her son!  God knew that the Shumanite woman was faithful and obedient to Him, so He orchestrated the timing so that she would get her house and land back - after God perfectly timed her to be out of the country for 7 years to avoid the famine! Have you ever had the experience of God's "perfect timing" in your life?  My hunch is that you have - even if you haven't realized it.  I have had some experiences where I have consciously realized that God's perfect timing was at work - and sometimes I've quickly said the prayer under my breath of "thank you God!"  But, I also now can look back on my life and now see so many instances of God's perfect timing.  Hindsight is 20/20.  When is the last time you experienced God's perfect timing?  Think it could have been today - even if you don't realize it right now?

Elisha's interaction with Hazael demonstrates Elisha was certainly a prophet of God's!  Elisha was not condoning what Hazael is going to violently do, but he was just stating the facts of what was going to happen.  Verses 11 & 12 are sad to read - "Elisha stared at Hazael with a fixed gaze until Hazael became uneasy. Then the man of God started weeping. "What's the matter, my lord?" Hazael asked him. Elisha replied, "I know the terrible things you will do to the people of Israel. You will burn their fortified cities, kill their young men, dash their children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women!"   Verse 13 is also sad because you will notice that Hazael doesn't get upset by the violent predictions in Elisha's proclamation, but only wonders how someone like him would pull of something like this... "Then Hazael replied, "How could a nobody like me ever accomplish such a great feat?""  Below is and image of Elisha and Hazael having this conversation:

I love Elisha's final instructions to the young prophet concerning his anointing of Jehu as King of Israel in 2 Kings 9 verse 3 - "Then open the door and run for your life!""  Not your typical instructions from a prophet, you wouldn't think - but if a prophet gives you instructions like these, you best follow them!  :)

Bible.org's commentary on today's Second Kings readings titled "Looking Out for a Lovely Lady" is at this link, "What it Takes to Make a Prophet Weep" is at this link, and "Three Birds With One Stone" is at this link.

New Testament - Today in Acts 16 we will read about the earthquake that comes while Paul and Silas are imprisoned!

As a trembling jailer comes to Paul and Silas we will read this in verses 30 through 34 – “"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.” This is a wonderful look at how many of us become and grow as Christians! We first hear the Good News of how Jesus came to this earth fully human and fully God – how he lived a sinless life and died on the cross for our sins – and how he rose from the dead and will come again. Then, through God’s grace, we believe! We simply believe. From there we learn more about God from others and through studying his Word, the Bible – we can call this discipleship. Then comes a decision to be baptized – to publicly profess our faith in Jesus as our Savior. Then comes living a joyful life of community with others. Now – yes – this is a very abbreviated example of how one becomes and grows as a Christian. :) And our various denominations will probably put the order of how all this happens in various ways. But, can you see similarities in your own faith journey with the jailer’s conversion, baptism, and growth as a Christian? Do you remember first hearing the Good News of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection? Do you remember the day you first Believed? Do you remember learning more about the Word, the Bible? (hopefully you’ll remember this year’s One Year Bible journey! :) Do you remember being baptized (or maybe you’ll have photos or stories from your younger years)? Do you now joyfully live life in community with other Christians through your local church? If you haven’t yet experienced all of these things, will you pray to God asking him for the experiences He has planned for you? And, when others in your life come to you like the jailer, asking “What must I do to be saved?” are you prepared to give them the joyful answer?

Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "Paul in Philippi: From the Purveyor of Purple to the Purveyor of Pain" is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 143 verse 8 stood out to me today - "Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer."  I read somewhere before - I think it was Bruce Wilkinson's book "Secrets of the Vine" - that many great men and women of our Christian faith connect with God in the morning through prayer, reading the Bible, and other quiet time activities.  Bruce even suggested that this is the preferential way to go - to start your day by spending time with God in the morning, rather than at night.  Because he said this would then transform the rest of your day - in terms of being more conscientious of our relationship with God.  This does make sense to me - and in fact, I have started reading the One Year Bible now in the mornings, and it is a beautiful way to start the day! I like what this Psalmist says - "Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning."  And it reminds me that somehow, someway, it almost seems easier to me to connect with God in the morning.  Actually - one other thing I used to do in the morning is read a page or two from Oswald Chambers "My Utmost For His Highest."  And I am thankful that I did this in the morning for a season.  How about you?  Do you have some way that you connect with God in the morning?  Are you able in some way to hear of God's unfailing love for you in the morning?

Proverbs - Proverbs 17:26 today is an interesting teaching: "It is wrong to fine the godly for being good or to punish nobles for being honest!"  Why do you suppose this teaching is in the Bible?  I'm thinking it is because unfortunately all too often the godly are fined or blamed or punished or ridiculed or this list could go on and on...  Good becomes bad.  And bad becomes good.  Sound like any cultural times that you might know of?  :)  Let us pray these days that the godly are not punished for being good or being honest.  Let us pray the godly are not punished for simply telling the Truth!  And let each of us also always remember that when we undergo any sufferings for Jesus, there is Ultimate comfort & encouragement that does come our way...

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

[Roslyn]

Vance,

This is a quote from the last statement in your Thursday's comments. I'm not quite sure if I misread you but it seems to me that you do believe that "the scred feminine" that Dan Brown was referring to in his book is equated with Baalism in your internalized view based on Dr. Green's.

You ended one of your paragraphs with this line: He says, “The ability of the woman to produce life from her womb made her sacred. A god.”

But I notice that the god is a small g not a big G which to me makes a lot of difference. Isn't a woman's ability to produce/carry/nurture life truly a God given gift----sacred?

And isn't Wisdom a personified she in Proverbs?

[Roslyn]

I, for one, do my readings in the mornings when I find my brain fresh and most receptive to God's word. Indeed it's a great way to start my day being in a hope-filled mood. Filled with God's Love and the Spirit, I feel ready to face my day head on regardless...and to continue my walk in FAITH!

[Micah Girl]

Doing these readings in the morning is what has enabled me to be consistent. For me I need to do that which is most important first, otherwise it will be pushed out by the more urgent and less important things of the day. Plus, once it became a habit for me, it it became almost impossible to miss. It's a bible fix!

[John]

"When is the last time you experienced God's perfect timing?"

All the time. I think it is easier to acknowledge the situations God "puts one in", but there is also the situations God keeps "one away from".

Pre-salvation I always though "providence" or "luck" was my "middle name". Since I now firmly believe all things come from God, I am more aware of the source of my life path. I don't try to figure it out anymore, but just "thank God" for watching over me and leading me while I am here on earth.

[Douglas Landis]

Just a thought... How could Solomon,the wisest being ever created, turn his back to God and worship idols?

[Jan]

Douglas...he was disobedient; he married foriegn women & God told him/Solomon not to do this; disobedeince/rebellion is the same as witchcraft (per God's Word). There will always be consequences to our sin.

Yes, I remember the day of my surrender/salvation & sealing with the Holy Spirit, I was 9 years old & baptized on Mother's Day (along with my mother) the following Sunday.

I don't start my day reading His Word, but talking to Him in bed. I read devotionals all day long throughout the day at work via computer & read my daily One Year reading at night. I like to go to bed with my belly full of His Bread. I do know what you morning readers/prayers are talking about also...I have done it that way too.

This is my modis operandi at this point in time.

jano

[Ramona]

2 Kings 8:1-9:13

One of the things that I’ve in reading about Israel’s kings, although apostate, they have a love-hate relationship with God’s people and his prophets. Come to think of it, Herald seemed to have this same relationship with John the Baptist. According to Paul’s letter to the Romans, we know truth; however, we reject truth because we exchange the truth we know for a lie (1:25) by choice. I went to school with a young lady who said she didn’t believe in God yet when she was stressed out she read the Bible. When I asked her about that conflict she declared, “No, I don’t believe in God but when I read the Bible it calms me down. I don’t know why.”

She recognized there was something in the Words on the page but she didn’t want to recognize the One who sent those Words. This is not the first time where we read how an ungodly king keeps company with a godly man or loves to hear stories about the works of God yet doesn’t turn to God. Hmmmm!

Grace and peace,
Ramona

[Anka]

Hmmm...most times I get to read the bible and pray early in the mornings during weekday cos by the time I get back from work,all I can do is go to bed....I can't say I don't connect with God weekends cos saturday mornings I either go for bible school or a messianic service...then sunday,church...I think we should always be connected to God in some way...watch out for his perfect timings which sometime can be subtle...talking to him in my mind keeps my mind from breeding ugly frogs:)
God bless you all

[John]

Solomon

Although the wisest being ever created, he was still human. All of the heroes of Old Testament were flawed.

Solomon's major goofs seem to come after all the construction was finished. Peacetime. Too much time on his hands??? Power corrupts???? He began to see himself as "above the Law"????? Flesh won out over Spirit???? (or some combination of all the above???)

As Jan said there were consequences (see below), and although he reigned the same length as David - not sure 60 years of age (when he died) is considered a long life, given God's promises and warnings to David.

[He was very wealthy and some blame his luxurious lifestyle for his fall from righteousness. His sexual interests, with countless wives and concubines from all faiths, are also considered troublesome; some believe that this lead to idolatry. Because of this idol worship, a prophet visits Solomon and tells him that after his death his kingdom would be split in two (Israel and Judah) and that his son, Rehoboam, would suffer because of his sin. He died, after a reign of forty years, and was buried in Jerusalem.]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Solomon

[John]

Acts 16

Slave girl predicting the future:

Why did Paul not cast the demon out right away? Jesus shut down this kind of advertising rather quickly. I wonder if this had to do with a "pride issue" on Paul's part (some think that was the thorn in Paul's side). Maybe he was ok with the "free advertising", then it conflicted with the Holy Spirit inside him - thus leading him to get "testy" (angry), and finally taking action. [Thinking out loud]

[Not mentioned in commentaries - I think??]Danger of the girl being allowed to continue her broadcasts: When Paul left the city, people might be inclined to go to her for predictions. Paul's silence may have seemed like tacit or silent acceptance to the church.
======================================================
In Jewish legal tradition, there was a maximum number of blows that could be delivered when beating a person, but the Romans had no such limit. We can rest assured Paul and Silas were severely beaten. Paul would later write of his ministry: In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. (2 Corinthians 11:23)

Paul never specifically called the keeper of the prison to repent because he was already repenting. We see the humble repentance of the jailer in that he fell down trembling, in the full idea of the word believe (pistis, which means to trust in, rely on, and cling to), and in the command to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ).

The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace: If Paul and Silas were released the day after their beating, arrest, and imprisonment, why did God send the earthquake? We see that the earthquake had absolutely nothing to do with freeing Paul and Silas from prison. But it had everything to do with the salvation of a certain prison guard and his household.

Lydia was a churchgoer; the guard was not. Lydia was prospering in business; the guard was about to kill himself. Lydia’s heart was gently opened; the guard’s heart was violently confronted. The guard had a remarkable sign - an earthquake, but all Lydia had was the move of the Holy Spirit in her heart. Both heard the gospel and believed, and through each of them their whole families were touched!

http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/4416.htm

[John]

Roslyn,

My understanding -
"Wisdom" as an "attribute" is feminine. It is a convention of the language. Biblical Hebrew has masculine and feminine indications, but the concept of "neuter" does not exist. The indications come from the cognate verbs.
http://www.apostolic.net/biblicalstudies/languages.htm

English has three genders, masculine, feminine and neuter (i.e. he, she and it). Hebrew and Aramaic have no neuter gender. In Hebrew and Aramaic everything is either a "he" or a "she" and nothing is an "it".

Of course all of this fits in with Smith's comments above; gender here is a matter of role, not organs, and with relation to us, we are all the "bride of Christ" (even you men! deal with it!). The Spirit's role in the universe is feminine; this does not make it's gender feminine any more than you men are "womanized" at the wedding supper of the Lamb.

http://www.tektonics.org/qt/shespirit.html

I too am a littel confused by the quote from Brown's book. It seems incomplete, and I can only surmise is that the divine knowledge gained through ceremonial coupling was enhanced by a "fertility goddess". There were multiple gods and goddesses for different facets of life. Of course this flies in the face of a Triune God. The quote reads like the woman bearing the child is elevated to "god" status. That I do not understand.

God and the Holy Spirit are spirits - it would be demaning to call them "it". I think the convention is to use masculine - when in actuality probably no kind of "case" applies. Jesus was personified in male form, and in Revelations comes back as a male figure.

You know, I am not sure I addressed what Vance wrote or your question, but I thought I would give it a try.

[Roslyn]

Thanks, John.

Indeed, God being Spirit---is neither masculine nor feminine. The attribution that we make is our own conventional human conception.