Revelation 18 pictures the shock of those who supported and gained from the success of Babylon the great, and then see it destroyed. As others have said, true wealth is found only in Christ, so those who tried to gain from corrupting themselves with Babylon did so at the cost of their lives (Matthew 16:26). When the voice from heaven warns to come out of Babylon it isn’t just about leaving before the city falls if you happen to be there, but to avoid contamination with its practices lest we fall as well (compare 2 Corinthians 6:17).
It is again difficult to decide whether some details in the chapter were meant literally. Does Babylon engage in sorcery, or does that express its evil influence on those caught up with it? Which of the trade goods listed are we to think Babylon truly receives – the list wasn’t going to include modern luxury items, but is it just trying to give the feel of wealth based on first century items? Is it in the slave trade, or does it wreck people’s characters? Some will ask if Babylon is a port city at all, or a system with a global reach. Is Babylon destroyed and burned in a single hour, or does it just suffer a rapid fall? (In Revelation 17:12 we were told that the ten kings shared their power with the Beast for one hour, so we may have a reason to see this time reference as metaphorical. Contrast for example the effort taken in the text to show that three and a half years / 42 months / 1260 days is a precise figure.) That last point would be simple to explain in our modern society, however, as a collapse after a single hour which leaves fire behind could refer to a nuclear attack.
You might hear part of this chapter and think you were in the Old Testament (for example you could compare Ezekiel 27). There is that feel to it. You could imagine Jonah saying these things about Nineveh. It’s all from the same God. Sometimes God gets to show mercy, but when judgment is called for God does not hold back. In fact, after recounting the despair of the kings and merchants and sailors who sinned with Babylon, the chapter calls on God’s servants to rejoice in what has come about. In Revelation 18:21 a strong angel announces Babylon’s permanent fall and punctuates the point by throwing “a stone like a great millstone” into the sea. Jeremiah never went to Babylon, but he sent a scroll there with Seraiah describing the fate of the city and told him to read it aloud, and then tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates (Jeremiah 51:63). The judgment of God was being left to sink to the bottom, like the city would sink. As I said, we are reading words in a familiar style.
I’ve long been struck by cases where God set up instructions that don’t seem to have end conditions. How long was the Garden of Eden guarded by an angel with a flaming sword (Genesis 3:24)? Perhaps it was until the flood of Noah’s day destroyed it, or it could have all withered away first. And while the millennium brings grace across the world, will the former site of Babylon the great sit as a blighted patch reminding people of old evils? That may be its fate. As the angel said, no more will the sounds of music, work or happiness be found in her. But then “in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.” It seems like Babylon the great is worthy of the treatment it receives. We would do well to learn its lesson in advance and turn our backs on all its ways and put our hearts fully toward that other city (the one with foundations; Hebrews 11:10).
Lord, thank you for sanctifying us by the Spirit and faith in the truth. Thank you for teaching us to take pleasure in righteousness. Thank you for disciplining us for our good, so that we may share in your holiness. Thank you for giving us sound words through your servants. Please help us to listen, and to reflect on what you have said. Help us to grow in your will. And in everything we do, in word or deed, may we do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Through him we give thanks to you, dear God. Amen.
-Daniel Smead
Reflection Questions
1. When you envision God, do you see God as preferring to show mercy or to give judgment?
2. What do you find yourself most valuing about your life as a Christian?
3. What do you most look forward to in your future as a Christian?
4. What do you most appreciate being able to share with others as a Christian?
I chose to write about Psalm 100 because of how much we can learn from it despite its shortness. This is a great chapter to read, and it only takes a minute of your whole day. The first thing I would like to point out is that in verse four it says, “Bless his name.” This verse is talking about God and how we should give thanks to him and bless his name. Now if you’re like me you might be thinking, why should we bless God’s name? Well, God blessing us and us blessing God are not the same thing at all. God does not profit from us blessing him. It’s not like he gets stronger or better anytime someone blesses him. On the other hand, when God blesses us, we benefit from it. In this verse, it is talking more about how we should praise him.
Throughout the whole Psalm, it talks about how we should praise God. As a church, I believe we should be more joyful, and excited. This Psalm is a great example of how we should praise God. It tells us we should serve God with gladness, shout joyfully, enter his gates with thanksgiving, and give thanks to God.
Usually when we think of ‘good’ we use it to mean something between ok and great. But in this passage, it is saying that he is righteous and about how great God is. This reminds me of the popular song below:
God is good, all the time
And all the time, God is good.
This Psalm is a great one to meditate on. Here are some points from Psalm 100 that you can meditate on.
God made us
We are the sheep in his pasture
The Lord himself is God
His lovingkindness is everlasting
The Lord is good
His faithfulness continues to all generations
Throughout the whole book of Psalms, it says, “His lovingkindness is everlasting”. In fact, it says it 34 times. Of those 34 times, 26 of them are all in Psalm 136. It even says it in every single verse.
Even in this short Psalm we can take so much from it.
-Makayla Railton
(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on January 26, 2018)
Reflection Questions
Do you believe the Lord God is good? Why?
How can you work to bless His name today?
Where can you post Psalm 100 to see and remember it often?
Ezekiel 18 describes three generations of men in a family, the first generation is righteous and follows God, the second generation is evil and does everything that God detests, and the third generation is Godly just like the grandpa. According to the thinking of the Jews of that time each person inherits God’s blessings from their parents, so the evil man would be blessed by God and live a happy and fruitful life because of the righteousness of his father, while the son of the evil man will have a miserable and cursed life because of the evil of his father. God is going to make it very clear to them that their thinking is fundamentally faulty, because obviously a person who goes around robbing the poor, sleeping with his friends’ wives, and worshiping false gods is going to have a miserable life. He won’t have friends, and will never be trusted, no matter how great his father was. How is that a blessed life?
The opposite is also true, if the evil man has a son and that man lives a Godly life and helps the poor, and gives money to the needy, and keeps all of God’s laws he will have a full and blessed life. People might remember how horrible his father is, but his own actions will speak for themselves, and God will also see his actions and bless him.
This is summed up perfectly in Ezekiel 18:30-32.
“30 “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”
This verse is a great blessing, but also a warning. It is a blessing if you or your family has a past that is full of sin and brokenness and you want to break the cycle, repent and live! It doesn’t matter what your parents did, good or bad, God will judge you for your own actions. This makes it very important to make our faith our own, because even though my Mom had and Dad has faith that can move mountains, that does not make me a Christian by default, I still have to work hard at it and build my own faith up. Just like how knowledge will never transfer from your textbook to your brain when you use the textbook as a pillow, righteousness will not transfer from your parents to you when you sit next to them at church, you have to open the book and read for yourself.
Chris and Katie-Beth Mattison
(originally posted August 31, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)
Reflection Questions
How are you like your parents and grandparents? How are you different?
When have a seen an individual completely different (in regards to righteousness and wickedness) than his or her parents or offspring? What does God’s righteousness and justice mean to you?
Ezekiel 18:29 says, “But the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ Are My ways not right, house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?” Like the house of Israel, have you ever accused the Lord of having a way that is ‘not right’? Who was right and who was not right?
Following our strange detail about John eating the Scroll that God gave to him, we are finally going to learn about what the Scroll says through what John tells us! Unfortunately, it is very detailed, also strange in some ways, and has been the cause of many interpretations over the past 2,000 years. However, we are going to do our best to humbly try and understand what John says in this passage, while focusing on his main point. I don’t assume that my interpretation is 100% correct, so I invite all of you to critique it by looking at the text itself and speaking with other Christian teachers that you trust.
We are introduced to two Witnesses, or two Martyrs, who are proclaiming to people “their testimony”. Now, throughout Revelation, we see that John testified to “the testimony of Jesus Christ” (1:2, 9) and that the Christian martyrs from chapter six also had a “testimony” that they proclaimed (6:9). We will learn later that Christians are able to overcome Satan using “their testimony” as well (12:11). Narratively speaking, it is likely that these two Witnesses have the same testimony as John and the Christians. That testimony is the gospel message about Jesus’ death, resurrection and eventual return to establish God’s kingdom, as can be seen throughout the whole letter. In other words, the two Witnesses are two individuals that are faithfully preaching the gospel to those around them.
There has been speculation as to whether these are literally two individual people that are to come in the future, or whether they represent what the churches are supposed to be doing, since they are described as lampstands like the churches (compare 1:20 and 11:4). I assume that these are representatives for what the churches, and us, are supposed to be doing, but also don’t believe that John’s main point is in their identity; John’s main point to this vision is what is produced by their faithful preaching of the gospel.
After the two Witnesses are killed, resurrected, and exalted to God’s space, the people actually repent of their evils! In 11:13, it states that people “gave glory to the God of heaven”, which is repentance language. As we saw in the previous seven seals and seven trumpets, and will see in the later seven bowls, God’s judgment actions are not enough to bring about repentance; but the faithful preaching of the gospel message is enough, even if Christians die for it!
My encouragement to you today is to behave like these two Witnesses; faithfully preach the gospel, even at the expense of your own life. Whatever the cost may be for you, the reward is going to be more than you ever imagined! And just like the story of Revelation states, that reward is coming soon, after the Church does her job of faithfully preaching to the nations. Are you ready for that day to come?
Talon Paul
(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on Nov 13, 2019)
Reflection Questions
As Talon asked, “Are you ready for that day to come?” That’s the most important question.
Whatever your age or occupation, how can you help preach the gospel?
What is your testimony of Jesus Christ and his Father and God? Who needs to hear it?
In Ezekiel 14, we’re told that some of the elders of Israel came to Ezekiel. God told Ezekiel in 14:3-6, “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.’
“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!’”
I see two attributes of God at work here: justice and mercy. For those claiming to follow God, but not really following Him, there will be justice (i.e. punishment). They will be made an example so others will see and turn to God. This is a scary concept, and should cause us to repent and turn completely back to God so this doesn’t happen to us.
We see God’s mercy as he says to those not following him, “Repent!” and “Renounce all your detestable practices!”. This too should cause us to repent and turn completely to God.
It doesn’t matter whether we respond better to a carrot or to a stick, since we’re given both. The simple fact remains that we need to repent, renounce all our detestable practices, and turn completely to God.
And once that happens, we’re told in 14:11, “Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
May this be said of us too. But it is conditional upon repenting and turning completely to God. The choice is yours.
Steve Mattison
Reflection Questions
What idols and abominations (many of which the world says are okay – or even championed) are in front of you? What will it look like to turn away from them and turn completely to God?
What is God waiting for you to repent of? How long do you think He will wait? What is dangerous about waiting to repent?
What do we learn about God in the Bible passages today? What do you think of his justice and mercy?
“Elvis has left the building.” That’s what they used to say to the throngs of screaming fans after one of Elvis Presley’s concerts back in the day. They would rush Elvis out the back door into his waiting car or bus and whisk him off to safety. Hopefully, the fans would calm down after they knew he was no longer there… there would be no more encores for this performance.
In Ezekiel ten- YHWH has left the building. The building in question was the Temple of Jerusalem. Since the time of Moses and Aaron in the wilderness when Israel worshipped in the Tabernacle, to the time of Solomon and beyond, when they worshipped YHWH in the Temple of Jerusalem, YHWH was present with His people. They knew that there, in the holy of holies, the shekhinah glory of God was present with his people. Yes, there was a veil which separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple, and only the high priest was permitted to enter into the presence of YHWH once a year to atone for the sins of the people, yet they could always look up to the tabernacle or later Temple atop Mt. Zion and know that God was with them. But no longer. Ezekiel saw a vision of God’s glory leaving the Temple. Because of their extreme disobedience and their worship of idols, God could no longer remain among his people. It was a time for judgment, and God had to leave. How sad that must have been for Ezekiel, to watch God leaving.
In Ezekiel eleven, judgment is proclaimed against Israel’s leaders. “You haven’t obeyed my laws” YHWH complains. “You’ve conformed to the standards of the nations around you.”
God is gracious, even in the midst of judgment, he promises to bring some of them back from exile and give them back the land which he had given to their forefathers. God promises to bring about change in their hearts. vs. 19 “I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” God still loves His people and offers them hope in the midst of judgment. Ezekiel shared this vision with the exiles so that they would understand the consequences of their sins.
In Ezekiel twelve, God warns that even their ruler would be forced into exile. They kept hoping that this would happen in the distant future, but God assures them that judgment is coming soon.
In chapter thirteen, God turns his judgment from the leaders to the false prophets. These people told lies in the name of YHWH. They said “thus saith the Lord” when God didn’t say it. God condemns them for leading their people astray. They “whitewashed” over the truth about God’s coming judgment against sin and substituted their lies about a false peace. “you encouraged the wicked not to repent”. He blames the false prophets for the sins of the people, therefore, they will come under God’s harsh judgment.
Israel had a wonderful building in which to worship, they had clear rules to follow, they had leaders to teach them, they had priests to offer sacrifices, they had prophets to bring them words from God- and yet that wasn’t enough. They were not content to live as God’s holy and separate people and act as a witness to the rest of the nations around them. Instead, they worshipped the false gods of their neighbors, they ignored God’s laws, their prophets failed to warn them for their sins and assured them of false peace when God was preparing to bring his judgment. It seems not much has changed. One would be tempted to see the same kinds of things going on today. How many buildings today allow idolatry and false gods to be worshipped? How many people falsely claim to be speaking God’s word when they are instead peddling the words of men? Some days we might even wonder “has God left the building” when we follow the sinful standards of the world rather than remaining faithful to God’s holy word? We’d like to think judgment is far away just as they thought then… but perhaps it’s much closer than you might think.
-Pastor Jeff Fletcher
(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on March 21, 2017 – so it includes a paragraph on Ezekiel 13 to help us prepare for what we will read tomorrow)
Reflection Questions
What do you see today (worshiping false gods, ignoring God’s word and laws, false prophets) worthy of bringing God’s judgment and perhaps prompting God to remove His presence and glory?
When have you seen God act with mercy changing hearts of stone?
What must we do to welcome (rather than repel) God’s presence and glory in our churches, families, homes and lives?
What similarities do you see today between our readings in Ezekiel and Revelation and Psalm? What does this teach us about God?
These two chapters read together continue a familiar pattern that we have run across several times this week already in Isaiah. We see rebuking of sin and rejection of the LORD followed by compassion and a plan of reconciliation to the LORD.
Chapter 59 starts with a good reminder too that sin separates us from God not because God doesn’t hear, cannot save, or we are beyond his reach. The separation comes from us through our wrongdoings. Verse seven uses the words destruction and devastation and I can’t think of any more accurate words to describe how a life without the LORD would be. Yet, so many people in this world live this way every day.
So often, I hear Christians in difficult times say, “I can’t imagine life without God”, and that is so true of how I feel as well. Even in the worst of circumstances and turmoil, if we are reconciled to God through Jesus, aware of the hope of His eternal kingdom and plan, and trusting Him, we feel a connection and peace that sustains us. Currently I have a dear friend I have worked with for years who is in her fourth year of a faithful battle with a rare cancer, her son-in-law was tragically murdered eight years ago in a random act of violence while he was on a prayer vigil walk, leaving behind her daughter and their newborn grandchild, and now that daughter is remarried with a 3 week old baby who is currently hospitalized having constant seizures, recently diagnosed with an incredibly rare genetic mutation which will lead to increasing seizures and tremendous danger if not stopped. This diagnosis has led to one of the few specialists in the country experienced in this diagnosis doing a pediatric neurosurgery in Washington DC which will leave her newborn daughter with half of a brain, obviously creating tremendous risk and unknowns for everyone involved. And yet, my friend and her daughter, in the darkest times or the lighthearted ones, sound so much more at peace, sustained, and reasonable than those I know with the smallest of stressors who lack a relationship with God. Isaiah 59 talks about the separation, growling, gloom, moaning, of those who are separated from the LORD due to sin, even “like the dead” verse 10 tells us. A life without the LORD and without His redemption and hope is not a life worth living. My heart goes out to those living that way at this moment, and my heart is sustained by Isaiah 59:21 and Isaiah 60 because it is not the way God has left us to live.
Thankfully, where Isaiah 59:16 mentions there was no one to intercede, we have an intercessor on our behalf now. Thankfully, where Jerusalem has seen its ups and downs and enemies from all around over the centuries, Isaiah 60 concludes with what appears to be reference to the New Jerusalem. One so bright with the glory of God we won’t need the sun or moon. One without devastation or destruction (remember Chapter 59?). One without violence. A land possessed forever. Isaiah 60:21 gives us one of my favorite promises about it too….”your people shall all be righteous“! A wonderful, sin-less, perfect, peaceful, joyful place.
1. Knowing you are never beyond God’s reach, when you are feeling separated from God, what from His word today might help you in your path of reconciliation?
2. What might help sustain you or others in your life through the difficult times as you wait for the New Jerusalem to descend in the LORD’s time?
3. What attribute of the New Jerusalem mentioned in Isaiah 60 comforts you most?
Are you in for a special treat today! Not just because we are discussing Song of Songs (otherwise known as Song of Songs), but also because I looked into the SeekGrowLove archives and found not one, not two, but three great devotions on Song of Solomon (and then I stopped looking). So, today is a bit of a compilation with pieces from three previous devotions. The full devotions are linked below and are all worthy of a read/re-read.
From Rick McClain:
“The visuals painted in these chapters about a bride and groom are very sexual in nature, but is that what this book is about? Some say it is an allegory of Jesus and his bride, the church. I doubt this is true because Jesus wasn’t even around in the Old Testament when this was written. I don’t think the concept of the church being the bride of Jesus was known back then so why would someone write an allegory about that? It is also believed by some that it could be an allegory about God and the people of Israel. There are no doubt similarities between the relationship of a bride and groom and the relationship between God and His people, but why would someone use such erotic sexual material to describe how God thinks about Israel and vice versa?
I believe it is love poetry and I am thrilled that the Bible has affirmed that the sexual desire I have for my wife is a good thing. I know that will make some of you squirm a bit because we don’t usually talk about this stuff, especially in church. However, I think one of the main points of this book is to show that the physical attraction between a bride and groom is a beautiful thing that God has created for them to enjoy.”
“But back to the song of all songs. I am not going to go in great detail here about this book because you should read it for yourself. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much in love these two seemed to be. It reminded me of when you see two young people in love, and their love is just oozing all over each other so much so that they don’t even notice anyone else is around. They can’t stop smiling at each other and they are on cloud nine. We usually roll our eyes at them and think they are being ridiculous, but this is exactly the kind of love that was on display in these eight chapters. Solomon gushed about her eyes, hair, neck, lips, and body parts that reminded him of fawns, but it didn’t stop there. I knew this was a story about real, intense, true love when he mentioned her teeth. He didn’t just say she had beautiful teeth, he said her teeth were like a flock of newly shorn ewes. Don’t picture dirty ewes that have been rolling around in the dirt, Solomon said the ewes had just come up from their washing. Moreover, all these ewes bore twins, and not one of them had lost their young. He said all of that about her teeth!?!? That dude was crazy in love! And she was just as ridiculous as him, which can be seen when she says her beloved is like a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of Engedi.”
From Steve Mattison:
SoS 2:2 says, “Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.” Husbands and future husbands take note. Highlight what you appreciate about your wife, and make sure she knows it well and often. But the praise must be sincere. And if it’s appropriate and if she would appreciate it, make sure you extend this praise publicly. But don’t just stop with praise. Treat her like she is precious because she is.
SoS 2:4 contains part of the wife’s response, “His banner over me is love.” All by itself, this sounds pretty weird. I think this is saying that her husband is publicly proclaiming his love for her – sort of like writing it on a flag, and waving it around for everyone to see. He is not ashamed to acknowledge her publicly. Again, husbands take note.
In SoS 2:6, the wife goes on to say, “His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.” I’ll leave it to your imagination to consider their position and presumed activity. Husband’s again take note. If you shower your wife with love. If you make her a priority, and she knows it. If she knows you’re never ashamed of having her at your side. Things will go a lot better with your love life.
She goes on to say in SoS 2:7, “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” I would say that differently. I would say “save sex for marriage” – and then, it is a wonderful blessing from God for both husband and wife to enjoy to the fullest together.
In his reply, in SoS 2:15, the husband says, “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom”. I think the idea here is that there are always little things that can attack the relationship, and these things need to be caught and stopped. Some examples may include selfishness, pride, never admitting that you are wrong, finding fault, unforgiveness, mistrust, etc. All of these have to be dealt with and removed in order for the love to blossom and flourish.
And you have to love that part in verse 17 where she says, “until the day breaks and the shadows flee…”. It sounds like she is talking about being intimate all night long. So, husbands, if you want verse 17, you have to have to practice verses 2 and 4 and 7 and 15. In other words, if you want a great sex life in your marriage, adore your wife. Let that show in everything you do and in every way you treat her, and you will see results.
Oh yeah, and do the same with your relationship with God, and you’ll see great results there too – both now and forever.”
From Maria Knowlton:
“So how do you use SOS to make a difference in your life? How do you make this a part of your devotion? A friend of mine told me that her pastor recently preached a sermon on it and encouraged husbands to tell their wives they are beautiful. So there you go husbands! God wants you to complement your wives! Use lots of flowery words! (Check out youtube for examples on how to use King Solomon’s words to make your woman swoon!) Ok, that was a little facetious. Seriously, most woman do want to know her man desires her (but maybe not in the words of chapter 4) and God has provided an example of this along with His blessings. My friend thought of another take on SOS. She thought that since her husband was being encouraged to tell her she’s beautiful, she should make more of an effort to be beautiful. She looked at verse 1:6 when the Shulammite woman tries to hide from Solomon. So my friend decided that in addition to not wearing sweats all day, she would close the door while using the powder room and not burp or otherwise display gross behaviors in front of her husband. We all laughed when she told us that he didn’t notice but her point was that we shouldn’t take our husbands for granted and we should make an effort to be beautiful for our husbands. We also need to keep in mind verse 2:15, “ Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. The chorus talking here, saying not to allow anything to spoil the man and woman’s relationship. Good advice for all of us in any relationship. The world may have cheapened the physical relationship between a man and a woman, likening it to something as casual as a game of ping pong. SOS reminds us that it is truly a wedding gift from God that is to be treasured, embraced, and protected. So if you are married, read today’s reading with your spouse and have a great night! ; )”
God made sex. And He made it good. To be enjoyed by one man and one woman who are married – meaning they have committed their lives to one another til death do them part. There are a lot of verses in Song of Solomon that have never been made into refrigerator magnets or wedding invitations – but I do love 2:16a “My beloved is mine and I am his.” Such a beautiful declaration of a deep, mutual devotion to the love of your life. It is indeed perfect for a wedding invitation! But, how many couples can say the same thing 10, 20, 30, 50 or more years down the road. How do we keep the love from growing cold – which will happen when the fire isn’t tended? Marriage is complex and there is no one easy answer – but Song of Songs does have some useful tips for fanning that flame with your spouse.
If you aren’t married yet – what is the greatest take-away you found in Song of Solomon?
If you are married – what is the greatest take-away you found in Song of Solomon?
Why do you think God included Song of Solomon in the Bible?
Hebrews Introduction
The title of the book of Hebrews suggests it was written to Jewish Christians. We don’t know who wrote the book. Although some suggest the author may have been Paul, Hebrews 2:3 almost certainly refutes this. Whoever it was knew their Old Testament very well, and wrote persuasive arguments showing that Jesus is greater than everyone and everything in the Old Testament, including angels, priests, the law, Moses, sacrifices, etc.
The book of Hebrews points out that the law was only a shadow of the good things that are coming (Hebrews 10:1). Colossians 2:16-17 goes on to say that the reality is found in Christ. And Jesus became the ultimate high priest, who offered himself as the ultimate sacrifice once and for all.
The two main points of Hebrews are to encourage Christians to endure, and to warn Christians to remain faithful in following Christ.
Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, is probably the best well-known chapter in Hebrews. One of the most well-known verses is 11:4, “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Have you ever been asked to guard something? If you’ve ever played a team sport it’s likely that you guarded someone or something. When you play defense in basketball or hockey you guard someone. In basketball and football, there are positions called guards. In baseball, the catcher is responsible for guarding home plate.
We encounter lots of guards in life- prison guards, security guards, the National Guard. Celebrities and politicians and other rich and powerful people often have bodyguards. If you’re out with a friend at a busy place and they go to buy food or use the restroom they might ask you to “guard my seat”.
To guard something means that you have been entrusted to protect someone or something that is valued by another. In today’s reading of 2 Timothy 1, the Apostle Paul has written to Timothy and reminded him about all of the goods that have been entrusted to him in his life. He speaks about the sincere faith that began in both Timothy’s grandmother and mother now in him. He describes this faith as something that has been entrusted to Timothy and must be guarded. I have the image of going to the bank and bringing my paycheck and giving it to the bank officer and asking her to guard my money until I needed it. I am entrusting my deposit with the bank. Here, Paul is entrusting his spiritual deposits to Timothy. Just as Timothy’s grandmother and mother made spiritual deposits in his life, Paul too made spiritual deposits. Now it’s up to Timothy to both guard those deposits and also put them to good use. Paul freely changes metaphors to that of fire. A fire that has started often needs to be fanned, given more air, until it grows enough to really burn. Protect the deposit and fan the flame. This is Paul’s counsel to Timothy.
You’ve undoubtedly had many people make faith deposits in your life. For some, like Timothy, it was a grandparent or parent or other spiritual teacher or mentor. Maybe it was a Sunday School teacher or youth leader, maybe it was a pastor or a counselor at Church camp. For many, it was likely a combination of many people who taught by words or actions what it means to know Jesus Christ and follow him as a disciple. I know in my nearly 60 years of life there have been countless people who have made faith deposits into my life, and who have helped me with my spiritual formation. These people have shared incredible gifts of faith with me. I feel a particular responsibility to not allow those gifts to go by the wayside, to be left unvalued, unused, and unguarded. I take the deposits of faith that have been entrusted to me and put them to work for Jesus Christ and for the Kingdom of God. This is an incredibly important responsibility and one that I do not take lightly. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to those who made faith deposits in my life and so I want to “pay it forward” by making faith deposits into the lives of others. This is why 45 years after I first attended Youth Camp (Now FUEL) I’m still trying to make faith deposits. I hope and pray that you guard what has been entrusted to you and fan into the flame the gifts that have been given to you so that God’s word will continue to spread like wildfire into a world that needs more faith.
Jeff Fletcher
Reflection Questions:
Take a moment to write down the names of people that you can think of who have made faith deposits into your life. Say a prayer of thanks for them, or send one of them a note and say “thank you” for the faith deposits they’ve made in your life.
What are some ways that you can fan into flame the gifts that have been given you? What specific things will you do to help spread the faith in Jesus Christ shared with you?
How can you best guard what has been deposited into your spiritual bank account by others?
Throughout the Bible, the phrases “do not be afraid” and “do not fear” are repeated over and over. This phrase is first used in Genesis 15:1, which says, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.’” The last time the Bible says this is in Revelation 2:10, which says, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
In Psalm 46, we are given the reason why we should not fear. Verse 1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46 says this is the reason we will not fear. When God is our refuge and strength, nothing can defeat us. As nothing is stronger than God, when our strength is God, nothing can overpower us. Therefore, we should not fear anything. Verses 2-3 continue to tell us that there is no reason to fear, even if the earth should change, the mountains fall into the sea, the oceans roar, and/or the mountains shake.
Further on in the psalm, it says, “The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.” If you didn’t have enough reason to not fear from verse 1, these 3 verses give you even more reasons. The God who is our stronghold has brought about desolations on the earth against those who have opposed Him. He has stopped wars and defeated men and their weapons over and over again. Therefore, there is no longer any reason to fear. We need to trust in God as our refuge, strength, and stronghold.
-Kaitlyn Hamilton
Reflection Questions
What are your top five fears?
How often does fear interfere with what you think God wants you to be doing or thinking?
It’s easy to say, “Do not fear.” But harder to do. What are some practical daily steps you can take to help your brain overcome fear?
How is God greater than all the things we fear?
Introduction to Philemon
The book of Philemon is Paul’s shortest letter that is included in our Bible. Paul wrote it while in prison to his dear friend and fellow Christian, Philemon.
Philemon’s slave, Onesimus, had run away, had come to Paul, and had helped Paul while he was in chains for the gospel. While there, Onesimus became a believer. This book is Paul’s letter to Philemon urging him to accept Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a dear brother in Christ; asking that Philemon welcome Onesimus “as you would welcome me.”
This book shows Paul’s mastery of persuasion. He started by praising Philemon, then laid out a logical argument for kindly accepting Onesimus back, followed by an emotional argument. Ending with “Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.” Not only was Paul an amazing missionary, he was a master strategist.
Seek Grow Love 