June 26th One Year Bible Readings

2 Kings 9:14-10:31 ~ Acts 17:1-34 ~ Psalm 144:1-15 ~ Proverbs 17:27-28
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on BibleGateway.com ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) ~

Old Testament - Well... Jehu kills a lot of people in today's readings.  I realize that the violence in the Old Testament can often bring up a lot of questions.  Rather than me diving into why there is violence in the Bible - I'll defer to a couple of theologians at this link and at this link - and I'll give you 3 images below from a very young theologian.  :)  Unfortunately, our human history is full of violence - from Cain and Abel until this very day.  The Bible does record human history.  There will come a day where there is a new heaven and a new earth, free from violence.  That day has not come yet - but will with Jesus' Second Coming.

Most Biblical commentaries agree that Jehu was carrying out justice for the sins of the Kings of Israel and the worship of Baal.  Jezebel's death was predicted by the prophet Elijah because of her sins.  A brutal death that it was.  I think one thing for us to keep in mind is that sin does bring death.   As Paul teaches in Romans 6:23 - "The wages of sin is death."  Jesus saves us from this deserved death when we come to him in faith and surrender our lives to him.  But, let us not forget the severity and risk of sin and the risk of not being in relationship with Jesus.  Without Jesus saving us, the wages of sin truly is eternal death.

2 Kings 10 verses 25-27 seem to demonstrate Jehu's initial apparent zeal for God - "Then Jehu's men went into the fortress of the temple of Baal. They dragged out the sacred pillar used in the worship of Baal and destroyed it. They broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and wrecked the temple of Baal, converting it into a public toilet. That is what it is used for to this day."  But we soon learn in verse 31 - "But Jehu did not obey the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins of idolatry that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit."  It is thus thought that Jehu's action of destroying the idols of Baal was more political than spiritual - as Baal worship was associated with the dynasty of Ahab, whereas the golden calves had a longer history in the northern kingdom of Israel and were valued by most people.  And keeping the golden calves would keep people from Israel traveling to the southern kingdom of Judah to worship God in Jerusalem.  Below is an image of a series of images from the life of Jehu:

Bible.org's commentary on today's Second Kings readings titled "Jehu Cleans House (Ahab's House)" is at this link and "Three 'Birds' With One Stone" is at this link.

New Testament - Great reading about Paul's travels and preaching in Acts 17 today!

I absolutely love the quote in verse 6 where the Jewish leaders of Thessalonica say: ""Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down, and now they are here disturbing our city," they shouted."  Have you ever heard that the Kingdom of God is an "upside down" kingdom?  That the values of the Kingdom of God are upside down compared to worldly values?  Paul and Silas turned the world upside down.  How are you turning the world upside down in your life today?

Today in Acts 17 verses 22 & 23 we read - “Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Paul then went on to introduce to the Greeks our personal Creator, in contrast with their views of pantheistic Stoicism. Are there people in your life today that are perhaps like the Greeks Paul was speaking to? People who are religious but do not yet know our personal Creator? Are there people in your life who are seeking the Unknown God? Will you begin conversations with these people that God has placed in your life and let them know about the living God that you know and love? Will you let them know, as Paul let the Greeks know in verse 28 – “For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'”? The altar in the image below is located on Palatine Hill, Rome, where once stood the palaces of the Caesars. It dates from about 100 B.C. and has the inscription, ´To the unknown God.'  This could have been a similar altar to the one that Paul was referring to in today's readings in Athens:

Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "The Evangelization of Thessalonica and Berea" is at this link and "The Apostle in Athens, Preaching to Philosophers" is at this link.  Below is a painting from the year 1515 by the Italian artist Raphael titled "St. Paul preaching in Athens":

Psalms - Psalm 144 verses 3 & 4 are well known!  "O LORD, what are mortals that you should notice us, mere humans that you should care for us? For we are like a breath of air; our days are like a passing shadow."  If our days are like a passing shadow, how then should we be spending our days?  What types of things should we be investing our time & money into?  What should we be investing our very hearts and minds into?  Are you wisely spending your passing days in godly ways?

Proverbs - Proverbs 17:27 is so true - "A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered."  And with this I will quietly close out today's posting with few words.  :)

YouTube: Today's Psalm reminded me of Chris Tomlin and Israel Houghton's live version of the song "Friend of God:"

Are you a friend of God?  Click here to meet your Friend! 

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "Be joyful always!" 1 Thessalonians 5:16 NIV

Love Your Neighbor: Please join me in making a $25 microfinance loan through www.KIVA.org. 

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[A]

We all want to be leaders,motivational speakers,mentored Timothy on the job...Jesus didn't have it all rosy...he left great comfort and riches to save us...Paul didn't go about expecting to be served...he worked not to be a burden to others,he served unafraid of the stoning,beating or the ridicule...Do we truly want to follow Jesus...even if it means giving up the comfort,the safety...Dear Lord please help me say YES,truly mean it and step out when called.
God bless you all

[John]

2Kings10:16

Jehu said, "Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD." Then he had him ride along in his chariot. NIV

I wonder about Jehu's Zeal. Is he bragging, is their pride involved? The zeal seemd to be there when he was securing his kingship and eliminating Baal worship. But as Anka said - it did not extend to getting rid of False worship of Yahweh.

So was it 80%, 90%, or 99% zeal for the Lord????? A conveniant zeal???? You don't need to be proclaiming to other people your "zeal" for the Lord - your actions should speak loud enough.

[John]

Pauls Sermon in Athens

When I testify or share the Gospel, I always pray that God utilizes me to reach those who have a need to hear or see His message. That the Holy Spirit guides my speech.

It is not about me, I am just a conduit for God to use to fulfill his purposes. If someone is not seeking God, then nothing I say will make a difference. That is a tremendous weight off one's shoulders. It is still our duty to perform the "great commission", but the burden of convincing someone is up to the Holy Spirit.

It is the same with Paul here in Athens. Some say the results in Athens were not spectacular, but who knows who heard it that may have later converted and how many people they affected?????? The important thing is - Paul spoke.

How many times are we quiet, especially in the face of intelligent and cynical non-believers??? If offered the opportunity like Paul - we are to speak and proclaim.

From:
http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/4417.htm

Assessing Paul’s sermon on the Areopagus.

a. Some have criticized this sermon because there is no detailed reference to the cross or specific quotes from the Old Testament. Some think Paul compromised his message for an intellectual audience, and therefore there were few conversions.

i. The idea continues that when Paul went next to Corinth, he decided to preach the cross and the cross only, even if it seemed foolish (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5). Because Paul preached this way in Corinth, he saw much better results.

ii. Ramsay popularized the theory that Paul was disappointed by his “meager” results in Athens, and went on to Corinth preaching the gospel with a pure focus on the cross, and without any attempt at philosophical explanation.

b. But Paul’s sermon here is eminently Biblical. “Like the biblical revelation itself, his argument begins with God the creator of all and ends with God the judge of all . . . The speech as it stands admirably summarizes an introductory lesson in Christianity for cultured pagans.” (Bruce)

c. As well, Paul did preach Christ crucified in Athens. In Acts 17:30-31 he specifically mentions the resurrection, and how could he preach the resurrection without preaching the cross which came before it? This is obviously a short extract of Paul’s speech on the Areopagus; what is recorded takes barely two minutes to say.

i. “We learn from Paul that we cannot preach the gospel of Jesus without the doctrine of God, or the cross without the creation, or salvation without judgment.” (Stott)

d. In addition, it is dangerous to judge the content of the message by the magnitude of the response.

i. “The reason the gospel did not take root there probably lay more in the attitude of the Athenians themselves than in Paul’s approach or in what he said.” (Longenecker)

[R]

II Kings 9:14-10:31

All this killing in the Old Testament is no different then what went on in the New and what goes on today. God plays out the Old Testament over a longer period then the New so we have a greater overview of history and can see how history, which is confined by boundaries placed on events and times and seasons put in place by God, plays out. In fact in our New Testament reading today Paul as much says that.

What Jehu did had already been ordained by God in I Kings the nineteenth chapter. When the prophet Elijah was having his “Pity Party” and was told to go to the mountain and after he experienced the wind, earthquake and the fire the Word of the Lord came to him and said,

15 … "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." (I Kings 19)

If we can get past the destruction and believe, by faith, that God has the big picture and knows what He is doing, there is a warning that can be seen in all of this. It is about having a right attitude when we have been given directions by God. When we hear the voice of God and are given directions, we cannot become arrogant thinking that God gave us an assignment because we are, “All that and a bag of chips!” Our job is to follow God’s directions and His only. It is very easy to fall into the trap of assuming that God gives us an assignment because we were all that. That is the trap. Israel fell into thinking that God chose her to be His because she was special. No, she was special only because God chose her.

After Jehu finished his assignment he though he was “the king.” In fact Jehu’s name means, "Jehovah is He” (Strong’s Number 03058) Jehu believed his own press. He thought the “He” in his name referred to himself.

Acts 17:1-34
Paul speaking to the inhabitants of Athens gives me understanding that God is in control, even when we don’t think he is, even when the world asks us, “Where was God?” (That was asked a lot on 9/11/01 especially in NYC. I’m a citizen of the city). Paul’s argument tells me He is where He has always been, “The same place He was when Jesus was being crucified, the same place when you were committing adultery and cheating on your taxes, on the Throne, and not the one in the bathroom.”

24"He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, 25and human hands can't serve his needs--for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. 26From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

Psalm 144:1-15

Everything that I have, God Is. Everything that I need, God is. Everything that I can every hope to be, God is. Glory to God.

2 He is my loving ally and my fortress,
my tower of safety, my deliverer. He stands before me as a shield, and I take refuge in him.
He subdues the nations under me.

Proverbs 17:27-28

28 Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent; when they keep their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

Today’s Proverb according to R:

Keep your mouth shut!

[Kitty]

Proverb 17:27 resonates with St Francis of Assisi's famous saying: "Preach the gospel all the times, use words if necessary."

Actions always speak louder than words! Such a great reminder!

[Jenny]

I like that too, "these men are turning the world upside down!" As my Pastor says, more like turning it right side up!

I like how it says about the Jews in Beroea: "[they were] searching and examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."
that is what believers should do, we should search and examine God's word daily so that we are grounded in truth! So many ppl fall away and are carried away from various bizarre winds of doctrine. If we hear something, a teaching say that doesnt sit with us, dont just gullibly swallow it up, but test the spirits! Look for a Biblical foundation! Is it consistant with God's Word? Did they practice it in the early church?
I love Paul's boldness to the ppl of Athens. Its so bizarre that they had gods for everything and even had an "unknown god" in case they missed one. Paul saw this as an opportunity to share about the unknown god, the true God, unknown to them.

I love this psalm: " LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?". Good question!
"Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow."

Proverbs sure is right on. I have dont think i have ever regretted keeping my mouth shut and holding my peace (which are fruits). I cant do that on my own, i need the Lord's help.

[Marlana]

Yes I did spend time thinking about the violence....sliced their heads right off. Yes the wages of sin is death - eternal death..I don't like violence...but I found myself in tears the more I meditated on this reading in 2 Kings...I was pretty stirred up in fact to fight something - the works of the enemy. I thought about the sin and injustice coming from everywhere - kind of like the times we are living in today: terrorism, greed, lust. I am called to crucify my flesh and pray for others, but I was thought about how aggressively God went after sin/injustice; not passively. And not only that until it was eradicated - all of it - the dogs ate Jezebel and there were no remains of her left. Am I way off here - but as Christians we are calld to stand up for those things that promote sin and do something at least to fight to eradicate the effects. I also thought about God's deliverance and when he delivers - its a done deal, when He delivers me from sin - He said it's over.

Oh yes - speaking of even tempered - well back to the reading in kings....yes it was a good anger. And all I have to say about proverbs for today is I need to memorize it and post it on my door frames - lol....I used to be so quiet and timid....I agree I can't do it without the Lord's help. I dused too write things down on paper and burn whatever I wrote, not deliver it to anyone - if it is directed at someone, but being clothed in the Holy Spirit provides a quiet spirit......Good night.

Be very Blessed,
~Marlana~

[Pure Fiyah]

Hey
This site is great. I am loving the whole proverbs 17 "A wise man keeps a still tongue" Marlana I agree lol. I need to post that all over my house!

please check out www.purefiyah.blogspot.com

its my new blog. please leave comments or suggestions.

[Marian moore]

I would be grateful if you could give me permission to use the picture of the child swinging upside in a church service in a small church in York.
thanks
Marian Moore