Tag: Jeremy Martin

The Man of God

*2 Kings 23-25

Psalm 69

2 Corinthians 13

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            There is so much going on in our 2 Kings reading today that it’s unlikely that we’ll have the chance to adequately cover it all.  Of particular note, there are some hidden gems, or “easter eggs” as the kids say, strewn about that you have to be looking for carefully or you’ll miss (*An Easter egg is a message, image, or feature hidden in various forms of media).  These were some of my favorite bible books to read as a child just because there was so much excitement and adventure going on, but looking closely you’ll find that there are quite a few nuggets of wisdom, but you have to dig for them sometimes.  Some are laying right on the surface, though.

            The first part of 2Ki 23:1-25 is detailing some of the things Josiah did as king.  Keeping in mind that he was only 8 years old when he took office (2Ki 22:1), I was wondering how old he was when he realized that his father Manasseh had led the nation astray and started working to correct it.  The closest I could come in the book of 2 Kings to finding that answer is in 2Ki 23:23 where it says “But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to Yahweh in Jerusalem” (LSB), for the first time since the time of the judges (back in v22).  So, is that in the 18th year of his life, or the 18th year of his reign?  I found the answer over in 2 Chronicles 34&35, which states that in the 8th year of his reign he started to seek the Lord, and that in the 18th year of his reign (after significant reforms had already been made) they celebrated the Passover for the first time since the time of the judges.  So, for you bible nerds out there, he became king at 8, was about 16 years old when he started seeking God, and was about 26 when he reinstated the Passover feast.

            Oh, and in case you were wondering if grandpa Manasseh was really such a bad guy, the biblical writers remind us again and again whose fault it is in 2Ki 23:26 and also 24:3, squarely blaming all of the misfortunes about to befall them during this time on him.  You know, in case you forgot, because apparently they did not: EVER.  Keep in mind, this is an epic time in history; the Assyrian kingdom was in decline, Egypt was still a force to be reckoned with,  and the Babylonian kingdom is on the ascension.  Up until the time of the Babylonian exile, the ancient Jews had a real problem with idolatry (you’ll recall that’s #1 in the list of ‘thou shalt not’s).  After the time of the Babylonian exile, you never hear about  idolatry again in the land of Israel (at least on a national level).   Think about that: just like when you got a spanking from your father as a child, God generally performs punitive actions to correct behavior.  This time it absolutely worked, check it out if you don’t believe me: the Israelites never again returned to idolatry once they returned from Babylon (at least on a national level).

            Here’s one “Easter egg” I found when doing a deep dive into this reading: I’d always assumed that the “idolatrous priests” (2Ki23:5) referred to, you know: priests who worshipped false idols or pagan deities.  Reading closely in v5,6,8, and 9 however we can see that some of these were kohanim, Aaronite priests of God, particularly in v9 where it states “…but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers.” (LSB).  We can infer from these passages that even if you’re the right guy, serving the right God, if you’re doing it in the wrong way or in the wrong place: you might be idolatrous.  I’ve got a note in my bible that reads: “priests of God, but serving in the wrong place?”.  Just a little food for thought, something to consider.

            Do you like finding “Easter eggs” as much as I do?  Well, lucky day, here’s another one: read carefully 2Ki 23:15-18, about the grave of the “man of God”.  This is a great story, but to get the full scope of it, after you read the above verses, you’ll need to flip backwards over to 1 Ki 13.  We sadly never get to know the name of the man of God, we do however get to learn a valuable life lesson: listen to God if He’s talking, and absolutely ignore men if they are saying something different. 

            A  quick summary of the story is as follows: God sends a man, a prophet, to deliver a message to the king, which he does.  This prophet is commanded to “eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came”.  Then another prophet chases after him and says “uh, so God told me you’re supposed to come eat with me”, and he does.  Then the prophet who invited the first one to eat then says “why have you rebelled against God?” and tells the guy he’s going to die, which he does shortly after he leaves (by a lion).

            Then, to add insult to injury, when the second prophet realizes that the “man of God” has been killed (and while accepting absolutely no personal responsibility in this series of events as possibly overstepping by telling the first prophet that God had told him he should eat), he has him buried and mourns him saying “alas, my brother!”.  Then, as if that wasn’t enough, this second prophet then tells his kids “When I die, bury me with that guy, because he was a prophet.” (paraphrased and summarised, but accurate, go and read it: 1 Ki 13)!?  As a result, when all the other graves are defiled later on, the second prophet who misled and (indirectly?) caused the “man of God” to be killed was also left undisturbed when Josiah left the grave alone in 2 Ki 23:18.  Ironic, isn’t it?  The moral of that story is: ignore men, listen to God.

            Now remember as we continue on, Manasseh was a really bad guy.  So bad that even when Josiah did what was right in God’s eyes, God’s promise to Josiah was not that he would relent from His (righteous) wrath on the nation, but that Josiah would die before it happened so that he “would not see all the evil which I will bring on this place” (LSB, 2 Ki 22:20).  This happens in 2Ki 23:29, when Pharaoh Neco (AKA Necho II, @610-595 BC) puts him to death at Megiddo.  Does the name of that place sound familiar?  It should, in Rev 16:16 the “final battle” prophesied is to take place in what is translated as “Armegeddon”, which is literally “Har Megiddo”,  or the “hill” of Megiddo (an ancient city).  Same place (insert dramatic sound effect here). 

            In 2 Ki 24, we see the beginning of the rise of Nebuchadnezzar and the ascension of the kingdom of Babylon.  Later on in this chapter (v10) Judah goes into exile, and then in chapter 25 we see the fall of the last stronghold in Judah, Jerusalem.  It is notably at this point that the temple is burned, Solomon’s temple, one of the grandest architectural structures of the time.  The people had begun to think of themselves as untouchable, since they had the temple in their midst, even though idolatry was running rampant (See Jer 7:4 for the popular view of “the temple” at this time).  This effectively ended the “First Temple” period, considered to be the “golden age” of Jewish prosperity and centralized worship.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Can you think of a time in your life when it felt like God was punishing you?  Upon reflection and with the passing of time, were you able to see the lesson that was being taught? (I sure did.)
  2. Has there ever been a time in your life when even if you were trying to do the right thing, you realized you were in the wrong place?  Reflect on this quietly for a few moments, I can think of at least 3 personally (and I wasn’t even always trying to do the right thing).  How could you have had a better outcome?
  3. Why are we inclined to listen to men over God, sometimes?

PRAYER

Father God, please place me in the right spot.  Purify my heart, and give me strength so that when I am there, I can do your will.  Please let my ears hear Your whispering over the shouting of men, and guide my feet onto the path that leads directly to Your kingdom.  Thank you most of all for sending Jesus to teach us and to be a role model.  In his name we pray, Amen.

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Tingling Ears

*2 Kings 21-22

Psalm 69

2 Corinthians 12

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Today, we’re going to first examine an inconvenient truth, and then together examine a template for navigating back onto the proper path when we get lost.  First, the inconvenient truth: just because you come from good stock doesn’t mean you’re good.  I can speak for this directly first hand because while my parents were absolutely wonderful, fantastic, God-fearing, loving, and wise people; I took a hard turn off the proper path in my youth and kept running in that direction for most of my life (See 2/6 devotional for details).  So here’s the thing, and I want you to memorize this because it’s really important: there is no corporate entry into the kingdom of God.

            To elaborate on that statement: we are each held accountable for our own actions.  Many of you know Dr. Joe Martin, my father.  Understand well that in the day of judgment, when I am standing before the throne that if my defense of my actions is “But wait…You know Joe? He’s my dad, so…you know, *wink wink* I’ll just go ahead in and pick out one of the rooms…” I’m pretty sure the response would be along the lines of “Joe? Oh yea, we know him well, he’s a great guy.  Let’s talk about YOU for a moment though…“.  When you read that above bit of farce, you’ll probably chuckle a little bit, but stop for a moment and think about it seriously and with some trembling because there is no corporate entry into the kingdom of God. 

            Even if you go to an awesome church that not only feeds the homeless regularly but gives  solid scriptural truths that are deeply insightful and applicable, even if your pastor is spirit filled and heals the sick with a touch and a prayer, even if there’s a lady in your church who you KNOW is an active and living prophet of the Most High God: what does that have to do with you?  There is no corporate entry into the kingdom of God, you’re not going to slide into the kingdom on their coat tails.  Some of the ancient Jewish folks were thinking exactly in that manner, when John the baptist explained to them in Matt 3:9  “and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.” (LSB).  We will each be judged according to our own actions: by our faith, by our love, and by our fruit.  I pray to God that each of our names is found in the book of Life but understand fully that if it is, it’s not because of who you’re related to or which church you went to.  There is no corporate entry into the kingdom of God.

            For a good case in point of this very topic, let’s take a hard look at Manasseh and check off some of the boxes.  Manasseh was not only a Jewish lad (check), but the son of Hezekiah (check) who is probably the most attested biblical figure in history (counting not only scripture but extra-biblical accounts of his reign).  We know that God loved Hezekiah, just go back and read 2Ki 18-20, he’s blessed and highly favored.  So Manasseh should have been an easy pick for being awesome, but that’s not at all what happened.  We see in 2Ki 21:1-3 that Manasseh became king when he was 12, ruled for 55 years, and “did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh” (LSB).  Keep in mind that dad (Hezekiah), did a lot of really good stuff: he tore down the false gods and altars, redirected the people to worship God, and humbly sought after and clung to the God who had rescued his fathers.

            Manasseh, conversely, sounds like a bit of a jerk.  All of the good things his father had done, he undid.  In 2Ki 21:5-9 it gives an excruciatingly painful laundry list of offenses that Manasseh did, including setting up false idols in the actual temple, sacrificing his own son to a pagan deity, and then leading the entire nation astray to do more evil than the nations before.  In v16 it says that in addition to all of this, he “shed very much innocent blood”. 

            At this point, God has had enough, and I’d like you to listen to the wording of 2 Ki 21:12: “therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle.’ ” (LSB).  This should be terrifying, these are not the words of one who is ‘a little upset’, but a potential extinction level event of anger from the Most High God.  We can see from this example that it doesn’t matter who you’re related to or what group you belong to, but rather your own path, in the eyes of God.

            Now let’s look at how to navigate back onto the proper path, if we ever get lost or go astray.  Enter Josiah (2 Ki 22).  Keep in mind that he’s the third generation in a line of truly terrible and evil kings, who “did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh” (see 2Ki 21 for details on Manasseh and Amon, grandpa and dad respectively).  He’s just a kid when he takes office, 8 years old, but right away he starts back toward the right path.  He sends Shaphan to the temple and makes arrangements for it’s restoration (2 Ki 22 3-7).  Remember that wild idolatry and debauchery has been going on for two full generations, the temple itself has been defiled, and the people have been going in the wrong direction for 57 years.

            Now it came about as the temple was being cleaned out and restored, that Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the law.  It had been lost for a long time.  Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and Shaphan took the book back and read it to King Josiah (2 Ki 22:8-10).  Pay close attention here, because this is the turning point: “Now it happened that when the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes” (2Ki 22:11, LSB).  In ancient Israel, this is how people exhibited deep regret or sorrow publicly.  He sent people to “inquire of Yahweh” and seek what might be done (2Ki 22:12-20).  He basically humbled himself, and sought the will of God.

            God’s response to this honest sorrow and humility defines our template for returning: “because your heart was soft and you humbled yourself before Yahweh when you heard what I spoke against this place and against it’s inhabitants that they should become an object of horror, and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I truly have heard you“, declares Yahweh.” (2Ki22:18), and He then relents.

            According to the above template, I would suggest the following if your path has led you astray:  First, find the book of the law (the Bible), and read it.  Then, when you have realized how far off path you have become, inquire of God.  Repent,  soften you heart, and weep before God.  Clean out the temple (you are the temple 1 Cor 3:16), remove the idols (anything can be an idol) you’ve placed there, and do the work to restore God’s temple.  Clean it out, purify it, and rededicate it to God.  If you do this with honesty and dedication, God will truly hear you (See Jer 29:13 for verification).

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Examine yourself deeply and honestly, because we all probably have some:  What idols have you built inside the temple of your heart, and why?

Considering the above question, what is the best way to remove them? Being honest, do you want to remove them?  Why or why not?

How often do we honestly inquire of God His will, as opposed to handing him a list of our demands when we pray?

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for all of the blessings you’ve given to us.  Thank you for sending your son to instruct us.  Please forgive us of the many times we fall short, and help us to become servants who please their master.  Lead us and guide us, Father, and teach us the way you would have us go.  In Jesus name, amen.

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In which the reward for humbly trusting in God is clearly revealed, even against and despite seemingly overwhelming odds, and we consider the power of the Most High God.

*2 Kings 19-20

*Psalm 68

2 Corinthians 11

– Devotion by Jeremy Martin

            The beginning of our 2Ki 19-20 reading today finds our hero Hezekiah fiercely beset  by a vastly superior armed force.  Please take a moment to read 2Ki 18:13-37 to refresh yourself of the specifics.  If you recall, back in chapter 17, Judah’s sister nation Israel has already been taken captive previously and forced into exile.  In 2Ki 18: 1-13, we see that Hezekiah the king of Judah was spared this fate because he trusted God, he clung to God, he didn’t turn away from following God and obeying His commandments.  So he’s still in power but right now there’s a massive army surrounding him that has already conquered everyone else around, gathered en masse outside the gates hurling taunts at the city, and they seem prepared to hurl much more dangerous bits as well. 

            First, let’s get an idea of the scale of things.  This large, technologically advanced force was at the time part of the most dominant military power in the near east.  Aggadah literature describes the army as composed of “45,000 ‘princes’ in golden chariots, 80,000 armored warriors, 60,000 swordsmen, and numerous cavalry”, in the rabbinic tradition.  So far in the campaign, Sennacherib has conquered 46 other fortified cities. This estimate of forces is also backed scripturally and apocryphally in 2 Ki 9:35, Judith 14:11-12, and Is 37:36.  Conversely, the population of Jerusalem  (per wikipedia) during Hezekiah’s time was a whopping “up to about 25000” people, total. 

            So on one hand you’ve got a city with (around) 25,000 men, women, and children in it, and on the other hand an advanced army of armored warriors and cavalry numbering well over 185,000 (not counting camp followers).  Things are looking, not to put too fine a point on things, “bad” for our heroes.  With this picture in mind, now add the leader of these forces shouting up to the nervous inhabitants the taunting insults detailed in  2Ki 18:13-37. We would probably be hearing a much different historical account if not for a couple tiny little details: firstly, the commander shouting up at the walls insulted God.  Secondly, Hezekiah was a man who trusted God, who clung to God, who loved God and God loved him back.

            It should be noted that according to the events listed in 2Ki 19:2-8 that it appears as if God miraculously diverts the first attempted attack and causes the army to go home, but that then after an unspecified (but probably short) time has passed, the commander sends threatening letters back to Hezekiah and heads back with his troops to “finish business”.

            At this point, Hezekiah “tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the House of Yahweh” (19:1, LSB) and then prayed one of the most beautiful and humble prayers in scripture.  Beginning in 2Ki 19: 14-19 (LSB translation): “Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of Yahweh and spread it out before Yahweh…and said “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.  You have made heaven and earth.  Incline Your ear, O Yahweh, and hear; open Your eyes, O Yahweh, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God.  Truly, O Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have put their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone.  So they have destroyed them.  But now, O Yahweh our God, I pray, save us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Yahweh, are God“.

            In our reading today of Ps 68, we see in v17 that “The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands…” (LSB).  Rev 5:11 states that (concerning angels)  “the numbering of them was myriads upon myriads, and thousands of thousands“.  We don’t really have an accurate number of how many angels serve God, but a very conservative guesstimate would be “lots and lots”.  If today’s reading of 2Ki 19:35 has been transmitted and understood accurately, God sent 1 (one) of these innumerable angels to the enemy camp and that angel killed 185,000 men.  Pause, digest, consider.  One angel, and he wiped out almost an entire army, the most powerful of the time.  One angel out a large force of angels (out of Millions?  Billions?  we really have no idea, just “myriads upon myriads”).  Just one angel.

            **An interesting side note is that Hezekiah is described as “the best-attested figure in biblical history,” due to the extensive documentation of his reign in biblical texts and external sources (notably Assyrian inscriptions), per Wikipedia.  This entire story is documented both biblically and through a number of extra-biblical sources.  There’s a wonderfully deep hole full of information on that you can fall down into if you’re interested in that sort of thing.  I did, but for our intents and purposes it is only important to note that although in agreement in general about the number of men killed, some of the sources do give different accounts of the manner that the men actually died (but in all fairness it never said how the angel of Yahweh killed them, just that he had).   

            This bible story has always fascinated me.  What a fantastic, miraculous, wonderful thing.  It happened so long ago though, and that sort of thing doesn’t happen these days, right?  Wrong.  Reports from the Yom Kippur war in 1973 describe an incident on the Golan Heights where a Syrian tank commander reportedly told Israeli interrogators that his forces were halted by a vision of a whole host of white angels standing on the missile line, accompanied by a white hand from heaven commanding them to stop.  This encounter allegedly occurred during the “Valley of Tears” battle, where a small Israeli force held off a much larger Syrian advance. According to the account, the Syrian commander said he could not proceed due to the supernatural presence, which instilled fear and caused his troops to retreat. This story is cited in multiple sources, including religious and historical commentary, as a supernatural turning point in the war.  Look it up.

            As humans, our senses are finite and limited.  God is not.  In 2 Ki 6:16-17 we see another example of this when Elisha tells his servant not to worry, that those with them outnumbered those that were against them, and then “Elisha prayed and said, “O Yahweh, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around …” (LSB).  We often forget that our God, the God Most High, the Creator of the heavens and the earth is the most powerful being that exists.  Myriads upon myriads of beings far more powerful than humans serve him currently, and just one of His angels can wipe out an entire army.  This is not a weak king; this is the creator, ruler, and owner of the universe who will bring about his willed purpose no matter what, and He is awesome.  This makes it all the more humbling when we realize how ferociously He loves you, and all that He has done for YOU specifically, and what price He paid for your redemption.  A very high price indeed. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Do you constantly keep in the forefront of your mind the incredible, unstoppable power of the Most High God, or have you allowed yourself to be deceived by your limited senses?
  2. Have you considered how silly pride is on our part, when we consider the magnititude of God?
  3. Have you seen, or felt,  divine intervention directly in your life?  When?
  4. Why do we worry, when we consider all of the above?

PRAYER

Lord God Most High, Mighty God, I humble myself before You.  Forgive me, teach me, and open my eyes so that I can see.  Open my ears so that I can hear You.  Circumcise my heart and teach me to love you as fiercely as you have loved me, in Jesus name, Amen.

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In which the rebellious children of Israel sin against God, and receive instruction as a result.

*2 Kings 17-18

Psalm 68

2 Corinthians 10

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            In the beginning of today’s reading we are in an extremely tumultuous time in the history of Israel.  The kingdoms of Israel and Judah have split apart from each other and throughout the books of Kings they give a recounting of each nation separately.  Starting out today in 2 Kings 17, we begin in the nation of Israel, and in verse 6 we see that “the king of Assyria captured Samaria and took Israel away into exile”.  I’m sure some of the people back then were asking the age old question, “why would God let something like this happen?!”.  Well, as we read on, we’re told exactly why, and if we’re being honest we can probably apply that same answer to when this question is asked even now.

            In 2Ki 17: 7-18, it explains: “Now this happened because the sons of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God (v7)…And the sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against Yahweh their God (v9)…and they did evil things provoking Yahweh to anger (v10b)…So Yahweh was very angry with Israel and caused them to depart from His presence…(v18a)” (The LSB translation is used throughout this devotional, unless otherwise noted).  In between the lines of the above, scriptures give a pretty long laundry list of their offenses as well, including some pretty pronounced idolatry (which you may recall as being the first of the “Thou shalt not”s listed in Exodus 20, so… probably a pretty big deal).  They forsook the commandments of Yahweh (v16), sacrificed their children to other gods (passed through the fire refers to human sacrifice to a specific pagan god), and practiced sorcery (v17), among other things.

            Can you imagine the pain, as a Father, of your children acting in this manner towards you?  Especially considering that He had done so much for them, and saved them miraculously from their oppression in Egypt, feeding and caring for them as they went, performing miracles and signs and wonders.  Over and over.  I can imagine it, I’m a father now.  I was also that wicked, rebellious child who acted the same way towards my own father when I was younger.  I’m sorry Dad, and I’m sorry Father God.  My dad was a rock, he was faithful and true even when I wasn’t, and kept on loving me.  Just like my heavenly Father.  What can I say, words alone cannot express my sorrow or regret.  I hang my head in shame and weep, I repent of my foolishness; but just like my dad, my heavenly Father came running towards me when I began to come home.  It is heartbreakingly humbling, and still brings me to tears.

            All of this rebellion was in spite of the fact that our loving Father, the most merciful, the most gracious, continued to reach out to his children Israel.  In 2Ki 17:13-15 we see that even though Israel continued to be wicked and rebellious toward Yahweh God, He continues to reach out to them and warn them”by the hand of all of His prophets and every seer, saying “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments…“”, “However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in Yahweh their God…”.  How much foolishness can be tolerated, though?  We see in v18 God has finally had enough, and “kicks them out of the house” essentially. 

            In 2Ki 17: 24-28 there’s a great little sub-plot to the main story. When God kicks the Israelites out, the king of assyria moves some new tenants in.  I absolutely love the very tongue-in-cheek start of v25: “Now it happened at the beginning of their settlement there, that they did not fear Yahweh…” (LSB), and then, lions.  Eventually an Israelite priest was sent back to teach the new residents “how they should fear Yahweh“(v28b) but the lions had already given them a pretty good start, it sounds like.  God is holy, and  freely (and sometimes painfully) offers instruction to His children when they forget Him.  I like the phrasing of Ps 50:22 on this topic, it’s (not) subtle.

Meanwhile, back in the nation of Judah…A king is born who pleases God

            Enter Hezekiah, king of Judah, who “did what was right in the sight of Yahweh” (2Ki 18:3).  It goes on in the reading to list some of the good that he did, including a very interesting note in v4b, “…And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel were burning incense to it: and it was called Nehushtan“.  Wait, what?!  Stop for a moment and go read Nu 21: 4-9, it’s one of those little sub plots that passes by so quick that if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss it entirely.  Then read that (2Ki 18:4) again.

            Here’s what to extrapolate from this: anything can become an idol to us, if we let it.  The bronze snake which once was a tool for salvation to the Israelites became an idol, an implement of destruction instead which led many astray.  I’m sure it even seemed right at the time.  Shema (Listen up, pay attention), ecclesia (church)!  Our prayers, our rituals, our practices, our doctrines, our holy days, our fasts, our scriptural readings, even the things which may have once saved us, all of these things are just tools to help us attain our true purpose: the unconditional and overwhelming love towards the Father that He deserves.   Use the tools you have to fulfill your purpose, but do not let them become the purpose.

            Here are some phrases that are used to describe Hezekiah: “He trusted in Yahweh…(v5), So he clung to Yahweh; he did not turn away from following Him, but kept His commandments…(v6), And Yahweh was with him…(v7)”.  This trust and seeking after God is what saves him, coming up in the next chapter, because God loves him back.  If you read 2Ki 18:13-37 you can see the situation setting itself up.  I don’t want to give any spoiler alerts from tomorrow’s reading, but in the next chapter is one of the most beautiful and humble prayers in the Bible (2Ki 19:15-19) and (spoiler alert) God saves him, and (spoiler alert) again in the next chapter.  The reason that God intervenes on his behalf is because he trusted in God.  He clung to God.  He didn’t turn away, but kept the commandments of God.  This is the description of a man trying to love God with his whole heart, as stated in Deut 6:4-5 and quoted in Matt 12:29-32 as the primary of all the commandments.

            We have one job: to love the Father with everything we’ve got.  When we do this, and understand, then we will also love our neighbor (our fellow creation) as ourself.  Everything else will follow.  We will trust Him.  We will cling to Him.  We will follow and obey Him.  If the things that you are doing are helping you to achieve that goal, God is good, give glory to God! If not, consider your ways and where they are leading.  We often in our arrogance and pride remove God from throne of our heart and sit there in His place.  That’s not your spot (as I often tell my giant dogs when they try to sit on the couch).  He has shown you, O man, what is good… (Mic 6:8).  He has “spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts” (Is 65:2).  Isn’t it time, like a small child wanting to be held, to hold out our hands toward our Father, and cling to Him?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

What are some practical steps we can take to trust God more, and ourselves less?

What things can we do differently to please our Father?

Is there an idol in your heart that you have clung to?

If yes to the above, what is it, and why have you kept clinging to it?

PRAYER

Father God, please forgive me for my many shortcomings.  Help to trust in You completely, to cling to You above all else, and to model the love that You have shown me to all of Your creation in order to honor You.  May the lips of all of Your creation offer You the praise You deserve.  Please instruct me, discipline me when I err, and guide me along the path that leads to Your kingdom.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.   

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Politics, Salvation, and Tzedakah

*2 Kings 15-16

*Psalm 67

*2 Corinthians 9

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN) 

            The books of Kings read like a fast paced ancient soap opera, with lots of betrayals, fighting, and excitement.  In the short span of these two chapters in 2 Kings from today’s reading we see 9 different shifts of political power, including 1 guy that only lasted a month in the job (1Ki 15:13-14). There’s a LOT going on here.  These books let us know right off if we like a guy or if we don’t, as one of the first lines describing every ruler who takes power in either Israel or Judah (this was the time of the split kingdoms) says something along the lines of “…And he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh” or “…And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh” (LSB translation used for both quotes).  These books were always very interesting to me as a kid, because of all the excitement going on.

            Our modern politics get a little exciting too, occasionally.  I remember during the last American election it seemed like there was a very strong delineation in ideological beliefs, with some folks heavily leaning in one direction and some folks leaning heavily in the other.  I’m going to share my favorite verse on politics because I think it’s important to keep in mind what kingdom we aspire to be citizens of.  This is a good one to memorize, it’s found in Isaiah 8:11-13 and states:

            “11For thus Yahweh spoke to me with a strong hand and disciplined me not to walk           

              in the way of this people, saying,

       12“You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’

In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy;

And you are not to fear what they fear, and you shall not tremble.

       13It is Yahweh of hosts whom you should regard as holy.

And He shall be your fear,

And He shall be your cause of trembling.” (LSB Translation)

            Focus on the important things, in other words.  So sure, things might be getting exciting in the local political arena.   There may be mud slinging, drama, excitement, slander, conspiracies, etc going on, but what we need to remember politically is that God’s got this.  All these things will happen according to God’s will, and God’s plan, and we know according to scripture that it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.  Don’t get too caught up in it.  I’m not saying don’t vote, or care, I’m saying our focus needs to be on God.  It does not behoove us as followers of Christ to focus overmuch in the politics of this kingdom, but rather to focus on seeking first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness. 

            I did want to briefly point out a verse in our Psalms reading today, because it’s just so cool.  I have mentioned this in passing before, but the name of Jesus (Yehushua, or Yeshua for short) means literally “salvation” or “Yahweh saves”.  So when we get to our reading  in Ps 67:2 today it says “That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation (יְשׁוּעָתֶֽךָ׃ , “Yeshuateka”) among all the nations.”.  It literally is telling us that God’s Yeshua will be known among all the nations.  Read that in context with the entire chapter.  This is the ultimate foreshadowing.  Pretty cool, isn’t it?!  For a similar use of Yeshua in prophetic foreshadowing also check out Isaiah 49:6.  He reveals to us His plans in advance, it’s pretty awesome.

            We’re going to really focus in on our 2 Corinthians 9 reading today and being a good steward of the blessings that God’s given you, because it very much highlights a concept that is critical but largely ignored in the Christian community, and I firmly believe that it is a necessary information/practice (based on a number of scriptures) to enter into God’s kingdom, so please take note!  This is probably going to be a new word for you, but what I’m talking about is Tzedakah.  A (bad) translation of Tzedakah would be “Charity”, but that doesn’t come even close to covering the full flavor or meaning of the term.  Here’s (some of) what Wikipedia says about it (and I encourage you to look this up yourself as well, there are even some Youtube videos on the subject):

WIKIPEDIA: “…Tzedakah (Tzedaka) refers to the religious obligation to do what is right and just, which Judaism emphasizes as an important part of living a spiritual life. Unlike voluntary philanthropy, tzedakah is seen as a religious obligation that must be performed regardless of one’s financial standing, and so is mandatory even for those of limited financial means.  Tzedakah is considered to be one of the three main acts that can positively influence an unfavorable heavenly decree.

The word tzedakah is based on the Hebrew (צדק‎,Tzedeq), meaning

“righteousness, fairness,or justice

            The concept of tzedaka is completely intertwined with the concepts of righteousness, equity, mercy, and justice: so much so that you can almost substitute each word with one of the others listed above when you see any of them in the scriptures, if tzedeq is the root word (it usually is).  There are hundreds of instances like this in scripture, but most of the time we translate it into english as “Righteousness”, or “Justice” and completely ignore the deeper spiritual aspect of “Mercy”, but they are all inseparably intertwined!  Charity isn’t what it’s talking about, specifically.  I’ll try to elaborate a little for a better understanding.

            God has given you an abundance of gifts.  He has given these gifts to each of us in varying degrees, but all blessings have come from God (James 1:17).  You didn’t earn that, God gave it to you. Everything and everyone on this earth belongs to God, and He has chosen to share some with you (Ps 24:1).  Now if you think that God gave you that blessing so you could hoard it up and lord it over your fellow creation (like most of us tend to think nowadays) you would be 100% wrong: He gave us gifts so that we could share them and by so doing honor our God. 

            Jesus himself actually commands us to “give to any who ask” in Matt 5:42.  This is not  about charity, this is about radical generosity as a proof of your faith, rooted in the trust of God’s provison and a desire to honor Him and reflect His unconditional love to the rest of your fellow creation.  This is an opportunity to model a working faith and trust in our God.  This is not an option.  See James 5:1-5, and begin to understand in no uncertain terms that this is a command by God.  It is God’s expectation of you that when your cup runneth over, you splash it around, in other words.  As an indication of importance, each of our other sister religions, our fellow “Children of the Book” (consisting of Jews, Christians, and Muslims), each have a word and a religious requirement to do this.  Oddly, we don’t.  Please, do not let the money you’ve kept in your pockets weigh you down so much that you can’t enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Which kingdom are you more focused on, the one you’re living in, or the one coming?  Follow up question: How’s that working out for you?
  2. Do you currently practice tzedakah (even if you didn’t know the word, before)? Why?
  3. How can we do better?

PRAYER

Father God, from Your generous hand has come all of our many blessings, which we have not deserved or earned.   Father, forgive us the times when we have been selfish, and help us to change our hearts to become better servants and an example of Your love to those around us, to everyone we know and to everyone we meet.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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The Temple of God

2 Samuel 17-18

Psalm 56

*1 Corinthians 3

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            In today’s 1 Corinthian 3 reading, there is a beautiful imagery and phrasing that really helps to understand many things.  There was a devotion recently about “The Temple” (March 28) that gave some interesting facts about the importance of the Temple to the Jews, and some historical information that helped give context to some scriptures, but it didn’t really talk much about the layout and function of the temple itself.  Today, we’ll partially correct that (with the understanding that due to brevity and space limitations, we’ll probably not ever get a full and deep understanding without branching off and digging vigorously).

            So as far as the Temple, here’s how it was laid out.  The whole complex in it’s entirety was about 500 x 500 cubits (that’d be about 750′ or 229(ish) meters per side) encompassed by a stone wall and then separated into distinct “courts” by a stone retaining wall (called the “soreg”).  This fence separated the sacred inner areas from the Court of the Gentiles, beyond which Gentiles and the ceremonially unclean were forbidden to enter.  Inside the soreg, the layout progressed through increasingly sacred zones:  the Court of the Women: (the outermost court accessible to Jewish worshippers, featuring four corner chambers for storage and ritual purification). Then the Court of the Israelites: (a strip for men, separated from the priests’ area by slats, containing the Altar of Burnt Offering and the Laver for ritual washing).  Then the Court of the Priests: (the innermost courtyard where priests conducted sacrifices, containing the Hall of the Priests and the Chamber of the Hearth).

            The temple building itself, known as the Hekal, sat at the western end of the complex and consisted of the Vestibule, the Holy Place (housing the Menorah, Table of Showbread, and Altar of Incense), and the Holy of Holies (or, the Sanctuary). Unlike the First Temple, the Holy of Holies in the Second Temple was empty of the Ark of the Covenant, containing only the exposed foundation stone, and was separated from the Holy Place by two curtains rather than a solid wall (those were the curtains that were torn from top to bottom when Jesus was crucified, and were about 30′ tall). Whenever God’s presence was in the Temple, He was always in the Sanctuary or “Holy of Holies”.   That was a long way to go to get here, but the point I was working at is: God was in the Sanctuary (the Holy of Holies), which was separated in layers going from the most sacred (closest to God) and working out to the least sacred (furthest from God).

            In our reading of 1 Corinthians 3 today, after being told to make sure that our foundation in building is Jesus, the Christ, Paul goes on to say (in 1 Cor 3:16): “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (NASB).  The translation here doesn’t do it justice, because the literal translation would read “that part of the temple where God himself resides”: the sanctuary, or “Holy of Holies”.   Think about that for a moment, and then allow me a moment to wax poetically.

            When God removed the temple, he replaced the temple of stone with a temple of flesh.  YOUR flesh, if you are submitting to God’s authority.  I speak often of “letting God sit on the throne of your heart” and this gives it an entirely new and deeper meaning to me, if I am the Sanctuary of God: of course he should, because that’s where God lives when he comes to the temple.  WE are the temple.

            In 1st Peter 2:4-5 we are described as “living stones” being formed into a spiritual house (or, temple).  This tracks perfectly with what Paul is telling us here.  To take that a little further, when we go through trials and tests, that is God smoothing the edges of His stones so they’ll fit better.  Whenever we are tested in the fire, that is the kiln of God, strengthening us to make His temple stronger.  We are just pieces of the master building that God is currently constructing, of which Jesus is the cornerstone, and the spirit of God is dwelling in each of us.  When it is completed, and joined together and solid, imagine what a beautiful temple God will have.

            There are some warnings and considerations though, think it through.  God is a master builder, He will try to smooth our edges so we fit in properly, and strengthen us in the kiln, but if we are not fit to build with structurally we will be discarded.  Good builders don’t use sub par materials, it puts the whole structure at risk.  This is clearly told to us in the parable of the vine in John 15 where the vines that do not bear fruit are thrown into the fire and burned up.

            If we allow God to sit in the Sanctuary of our heart, and His spirit to dwell within us, we will be found worthy, strong and able to bear a load.  With God leading us, we will endure and persevere as the rough edges are smoothed and we are chiselled into the shape of His desiring.  With the spirit of God dwelling inside us, the heat of the furnace will only strengthen us.  If the Lord wills it, we will at the end of  days be found to be pleasing and strong stones, built and mortared firmly together as a dwelling place for the Most High God, and built upon the strong cornerstone of His anointed king, Yeshua (Jesus).  The imagery is so beautiful to me, I pray that I may not be found wanting and that I may honor the unwarranted favor which I’ve been shown.  I pray the same for you.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Did you ever understand that when we had trials, God was shaping us? (See James 1:2-4)

What rough edges do you have left to smooth?

What particular fires are you going through now that will strengthen you?

How can we all grow stronger, and more suited to become the Temple that God desires?

PRAYER

Father God, break me, mold me, form me, fill me.  Help me to become the thing which You wish me to be, to become a servant who is pleasing to You, and to fully submit to and appreciate the efforts and purpose to which I am being formed.  Please grant me your wisdom and strength, so that the fires of life do not break me, but strengthen me.  Forgive me when I fail you, and please teach me to be better at doing Your will.  Thank you for everything You have done for me, may the lips of all of Your creation offer You praise.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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The Spirit of a Man

*2 Samuel 15-16

*Psalm 56

*1 Corinthians 2

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            In our 2 Samuel 15-16 reading today, we see the prophecies of Nathan (2 Sam 12)  in response to David’s worst sin back a few chapters (in 2 Sam 11) being fulfilled.  David’s own son rebels and David and his household have to flee.  If you read closely in the scriptures here, you can pick out the intrigue and political strategies of the day, and then Absalom moves in to Jerusalem, and takes his father’s own concubines on the roof of his house, in the sight of all Israel (2 Sam 16:22).  This is in direct fulfillment of the prophecy in 2 Sam 12:11-12, when God promises “Indeed, you have done this thing secretly, but I will do it before all of Israel…“. 

            As David is fleeing, a fellow named Shimei comes out “cursing continuously” and throwing stones at the group.  This sounds quirky and odd until you read on and understand that David’s Mighty Men were with him, the elite group of fighters who were the ancient equivalent of the special forces, and then it starts to sound almost suicidal.  These guys were “the best of the best”, and many of them attained their position specifically by performing insanely brave and heroic acts against overwhelming odds (and surviving).  Tired of life, much?  This sounds like a great idea to fix that.

            Some of his mighty men predictably ask to go take Shimei’s head (2 Sam 16:9), but David replies “Hey, maybe God told him to curse me and if He did, who could say differently?  Let him curse me, maybe God will have mercy” (Paraphrased, but accurately represented from 2 Sam 16:10-12).  I really think that this humble acceptance of God’s sovereignty is what sets David apart, and why God favored him so much.  He acknowledged his sin, acknowledged that almighty God had authority, and accepted that God’s punishment to him would be just. 

            This humble acceptance of God’s sovereignty is also beautifully echoed in our reading of Psalms 56 particularly in v3 and 4 where it states: “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can mere man do to me?“.  There’s a great song called “You Are My Hiding Place” written by Michael J. Ledner and later sung by a group named “Selah” that this Psalm evokes in my mind, and I’ve sung it before when I was feeling alone and scared, you should take a moment to look it up if you’re not familiar.  It actually combined verses from Ps 32, Ps 56, and 2 Cor 12 and is a hauntingly beautiful song.

            In our reading in 1 Corinthians 2 today there’s a concept that’s pretty important, and understanding it fully helps us to understand and interpret scripture better.  The word for “spirit” in Hebrew is “ruach” (roo-ah-ck, with the k being a glottal “kh”) and this term carries a broad range of meanings, primarily translating to wind, breath, or spirit depending on the context, and is used about 400 times in the Old Testament.   In Greek, the word for spirit is “pneuma”, and much like in the Hebrew, this term carries a broad range of meanings including wind, breath, and the vital principle that animates the body. 

            Interestingly, in Greek the word for spirit is inherently neutral gender (so if you read He in the New Testament when speaking of the spirit, that is a biased translation: it could also read she or it, and more accurately, it).  In Hebrew, the word for spirit is inherently female, but you shouldn’t get too caught up in that because the grammatical gender is distinct from personal or essential gender, so it doesn’t really imply femininity, it’s like in America when we say “She’s a grand old flag” we’re not implying that our flags are women.

            Any time you see spirit capitalized in your bible, that’s also an interpretational bias because Hebrew doesn’t have capital (or lowercase) letters and the New Testament (in Greek) was WRITTENINALLCAPITALLETTERSWITHOUTSPACESORPUNCTUATION (like that, which made translation into English a hoot, I have no doubt).  This is information that’s important if you want to do an accurate job of being a textual critic which is “a scholar who examines ancient manuscripts, translations, and citations to reconstruct the original wording of a text” and not just somebody who’s critical of books like it sounds.  English was NOT the original language that our scriptures were written in and as a result of some inherent bias on the part of  translators through the centuries, sometimes liberties have been taken.

            Very late in the 4th century, it became habitual to start capitilizing spirit in certain contexts when translating, and even assigning an autonomous personality to it.  We can see pretty plainly in our reading today that this is most likely inaccurate.  In 1 Cor 2:11 it says “For who among men knows the depths of a man except the spirit of a man which is in him?  Even so the depths of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” (LSB).  By the way, do you see the capital S in spirit right there?  That is a translationally inaccurate bias in my version.

            The spirit here is not a seperate entity, but an integral part of the person.  You can’t really separate the two, the one just is part of the other.  It’s…life, or breath, or wind, or “the Force”, or whatever you want to call it: not an autonomous creepy thing that lives inside you, but a description of the part of YOU that isn’t quite physical.  It states in the above scripture that the spirit of God is the same, it’s not a seperate entity from God, it’s an inseparable part of Him.  We are told in John 4:24 that God is spirit.  Do we understand it completely?  Probably not, but not understanding something doesn’t give license to start assigning roles to it.  I don’t get quantum physics, but I don’t start calling it Susan either, that’s just silly.  I’ve been told that the “spirit of God” is just “God in action”, and that may be.  Regardless of your understanding though, it shows clearly in 1 Cor 2:11 that God’s spirit is not a separate individual but His own spirit, just like a man’s spirit is his.

             It is the spirit of God that animates and sustains all life, according to Job 34:14-15. The very breath that we have, the ruach that gives us life, God breathed in to the first man upon creation.  When the spirit of God comes upon a man in power, that man can then do miraculous things;  prophecies, speaking in tongues, healing.  To attain a deeper immersion in the spirit of God should be the goal of every one who seeks to please God, and we know that it is one of the requirements to be a believer according to Acts 2: 38.  It should be our goal, second only to the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, because when we receive the spirit of God we are aligned with God, and alignment with God brings LIFE and citizenship in the Kingdom.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. When you are afraid, do you trust in God or allow your fear to direct you?
  2. How many times in your recollection has God been not only just but merciful towards you?
  3. What instances of the holy spirit have you personally experienced? (these can range from simple to miraculous, but try to remember all of them that you’ve experienced)
  4. How can we align our spirit with God’s spirit, how can we receive the gift of the holy spirit in more fullness?

PRAYER

Father God, Lord God Most High, please lead us.  Grant us Your spirit to teach us, to whisper in our ears when we should take a certain path, to warn us when we are in error, and to lead us to You.  Father fogive us when we fall short, and lift us up again with Your mighty hand, and bring us to You.  Have mercy, Father.  Thank you for all of the blessings that You have given, for life, breath, and all things.  I am alive today because of the breath You breathed in to me.  Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.

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Has Christ Been Divided?

2 Samuel 13-14

Psalm 55

*1 Corinthians 1

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Today’s reading in 1 Corinthians 1 hits me a little close to home, in a lot of ways.  I “self-identify” with a number of labels; and it makes me feel better, as if I am part of a larger whole, a part of “my team”.  We all do it to a point, and to a certain degree it is helpful in identifying like-minded folks.  I self identify, because of my scriptural beliefs as: a Biblical Unitarian, a Dynamic Monarchian, a Restorationist, a Biblical Monotheist, and a Primitive Christian.  I’m proud of all of those things, and believe that I’ve come to those labels by studying scripture, finding the truth in God’s spirit, and my labels keep me warm when I wrap myself up in them.  Our reading today, however, chastens me and lets me know that I should be cautious when labelling myself, and humbly acknowledge that what we really are is just servants of the Christ, who is himself the servant of God.

            In my time at the Bible College all of my teachers were amazing, and there were two professors there that I’m going to quote today as examples; Joe Martin (my dad, who is awesome even above my own personal bias) and Kent Ross (who gave the sermon at camp that caused me to get baptized).  Both of them believed in both grace and truth as critical aspects of religion, but each held a different view on which was predominant.  “GRACE!” my father would say, “but truth is important.”.  “TRUTH!” Kent would say, “but grace is also important.”.  Brother Kent has fallen asleep now, and my father’s eyes have been darkened (but not his mind nor his spirit).  I find myself agreeing with both of them, and sometimes it is difficult to find the perfect balance between these 2 critical aspects of the same coin.

            Today in the Christian world, there are an estimated 45000 denominations.  This is just Christians alone, but worldwide.  There are 4 to 10 sects of Judaism, with other sub-groups that make it harder to put an exact number to (although there are 3 sects that are predominant).  The Muslim faith has 2 primary branches, and numerous “schools of thought”, and is predicted to have division of 73 different sects.  Why have we divided ourselves, so much?  Aren’t we all children of the same God?  Each of these groups, each individual sect or subsect, believes that they have a critical aspect of truth that makes them unique.  I will absolutely agree that with so many different and sometimes opposing beliefs, some of them will be incorrect, but the most critical thing that I take away from today’s reading is: that’s not for me to decide for anybody else, but with fear and trembling to work out my own salvation (Phil 2:12).

            In our 1 Corinthians 1 reading today, Paul calls us all back to unity.  In 1 Cor 1:10, he urges us to “all agree (or, “say the same thing”) and that there be no divisions among you…“(LSB).  In 1 Cor 1:11-12 he continues on to say that he knows of quarrels and divisions among the church, with some of the brothers claiming Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas as their “self-identifying” position.  With so many differing opinions it’s going to be difficult to “all say the same thing”, so how should we proceed?  The key and critical verse here is in 1 Cor 1:13, where he asks bluntly: “Has Christ been divided?“.  The answer is, clearly, no.  It is men who have become divided, and I will even venture to say that it is mostly because of pride.  “I’m right, and you’re wrong, so I win!” is a mentality that we must avoid at all costs, because that is just straight up pride speaking, and God mocks the proud.

            “But truth!” you may exclaim, and you are right.  We should all agree, and what we should agree on is specifically God’s word as it has been given to us in scripture: where scripture speaks loudly we should also speak loudly, and where scripture is silent, we should be silent.  I am in no way saying we should not speak truth, the Bereans fiercely sought truth by checking everything in scripture and were commended for it.  What I am saying is that when we speak the truth, it should be in love, spoken with patience and longsuffering mercy, not as to a combatant who is speaking lies but as to a brother or sister who may be mistaken, just as we could be mistaken.

            “Grace!” I say, but also, the truth is important.  Not so important that I want to jeopardize my entry into the kingdom of heaven by not showing you the love that God showed me, but I will patiently and lovingly, with great concern for your feelings and person, with overwhelming forgiveness and mercy (just like God had for me) discuss with you my understanding of scripture if you like, and hope that you find a relationship with my King as I have.  The God who made us, the same God who patiently reached down and pulled me to Him, will do the same for any who seek after Him. 

            Since my King who was innocent humbly took the offenses given to him quietly and without raising his voice, should I do differently?  The Christ has not been divided, he has been nailed to a cross for my transgression, so that our God could “cut a covenant” with us anew.  That does not place me in a position of authority, but of humility.  I’m not even a Jew, but a dog of a Gentile! (Matt 15:27).  What right do I have to get puffed up with pride?  I am just a man, I could be mistaken, I have changed the way I believed about certain things based on scripture, and these things are important to me but that in no way changes the fact that I am the tail and not the head: God is the head of Christ, and the Christ is the head of me (1 Cor 11:3).

            But God, our Creator and our Sustainer, who thought so highly of us that he sent us our king Yeshua (Jesus) to redeem us offers us a way.  Considering others to be greater than ourselves, we should entreat them with love to examine the scripture, and examine it ourselves even more deeply.  Then, not just reading the word, we should do our very best to reflect the amazing love and character of our God to all of our fellow creation, living in obedience to the best of our ability to God’s word, and remaining humble. 

            Our King didn’t say we had to have a perfect understanding to enter into the Kingdom, our King said that “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven…” (Matt 5:19, LSB).  This is super important, because it seeems to indicate that you can have an incorrect doctrine and still enter in to the kingdom (but it may impact your status there).  Is the truth important? Yes, of course it is, especially to you, but obeying God and showing others the grace that God showed you is, I would argue,  even more important (but I am just a man and I could be wrong).  Grace to you, and truth, and may God lead us.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Have you ever changed the way you believed or thought about something based on scripture?
  2. When you discuss your faith with others who believe differently, do you always reflect God’s character?
  3. DO you ever discuss your faith with others who believe differently, and why or why not?
  4. Is there a perfect balance, a way to express truth while exhibiting God’s patient and compassionate grace?
  5. What are some ways we can reflect God’s love to our fellow creation?
  6. Are you able to, like Christ, take an offense given, both patiently and humbly?

PRAYER

Lord God, thank you for my life, and for the breath You have breathed into my lungs, for the fact that I woke up today.  Forgive me of my many iniquities and shortcomings, and instruct me in the way that I should go to be a servant who pleases You.  May the lips of all of Your creation offer you praise, and bow to the king that you have anointed, to Your glory.  Father, let me show Your love today.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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Who is Your God?

*2 Samuel 11-12

Psalm 55

*Romans 16

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Have you ever focused so much on yourself that, whether accidentally or on purpose, you excluded God?  I have, and I say that to my shame.  Even now, as I’m trying to seek God with my whole heart, I find that I’m disturbingly easily distracted.  It’s embarrassing and concerning to me.  I have to maintain a constant vigil and firmly correct myself when I’m looking off to the side because I know from my own personal and painful experiences that “bad things” happen when I don’t let God rule my life (See 2/5 devotion).  In our reading in Romans 16 today, there’s a short little blurb in v18 that says “For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own stomach…“(LSB).  Ouch.

            The verse above is strikingly reminiscent of Phil 3:19 which states “whose end is destruction, whose God is their stomach…who set their thoughts on earthly things.” (LSB).  The (many) creature comforts that we have been given are nice, but if they are distracting us from proper service to and worship of our God then they have become a juicy, tasty looking worm on the end of a very sharp, barbed, and deadly hook to us.  We see from the above verse that the end of (exclusive) self gratification is destruction, and Paul clearly tells us it’s a bad idea.  Just think of what you could do with 30 pieces of silver though…but was it worth it? It wasn’t, it never is.  We were bought at a (very high) price, and to act solely in our own self interests is to dishonor the one who paid it for us.  Don’t set your thoughts on earthly things.

            In our 2 Samuel reading today, it’s not his stomach that has become his God but another anatomical bit, and David sets his thoughts on earthly things.  He sees from the roof of his house a woman bathing: she’s beautiful and he makes inquiries about her, finding out that she’s Eliam’s daughter and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.  Despite this, David sends for her, sleeps with her, and she becomes pregnant (2 Sam 11: 1-5).  This is not only a violation of God’s law, but one of the basest social human betrayals that you could possibly imagine once you understand who Uriah was.

            To understand better, King David had a mixed army of about 288,000 men, these were organized into 12 divisions of around 24,000 men each.  This consisted of a paid standing army (regular troops whose job it was to fight), a militia designated by tribe (armed citizens who fought under veteran commanders) who took turns by month serving unless there was a special need and all of the people where called, and then his “Mighty Men” or “The 30“; a small but elite group of about 37 men (later expanded to 80) that were very much the equivalent of the Special Forces of the time, the ancient Jewish equivalent of Navy Seals, or probably more accurately, “Mossad”.  (external sources include: chabad.org, biblicalwarfare.com, and it aligns logically with what we know from scripture).  Uriah was one of the Mighty Men.

            The Mighty Men of David were generally thought to have been the fierce and loyal followers who stayed with him when he was fleeing King Saul (or at times exceptional fighters who joined later and gained their position from extraordinary feats of bravery). At the very least, they fought side by side with him. Uriah’s closeness to David is illustrated by how closely he lived to the palace, you could see his house clearly from the roof of David’s house.  There is a special bond formed when men fight beside each other, when their lives are in danger, and when they are forced to rely on each other for survival.  David considered all of this, and then chose to betray his close friend in order to feed his earthly appetite.           

            Then, as sin often does, it got worse.  David tried to conceal his crime (2 Sam 11: 6-13) by trying to get Uriah to go sleep with his wife (and failing because of Uriah’s fierce loyalty and code of honor), and then resorts to having Uriah killed (2 Sam 11: 14-27).  Understanding how fiercely loyal his friend Uriah was and how David repaid that loyalty is truly cringe-worthy.  I can’t think of a deeper betrayal that one human could do to another, it’s definitely the low point of David’s life.

            This is all starkly shocking considering the favor that God has shown David, but it should highlight the painful fact that we are all subject to the lusts of our own flesh and must constantly discipline ourselves to remain true.  David was a man after God’s own heart, but he was still a man, and all men have fallen short.  In this case he broke a number of commandments, killed one of his closest friends, and betrayed the trust of a nation and his God.

            When Nathan shows up to speak to David in 2 Sam 12: 1-14, he tells David a parable of a rich man who took advantage of a poor man and took his one beloved ewe, and David reacts in outrage and says that the man should be killed, after which Nathan explains that it is David himself who was that rich man, and offers a bit of punitive prophecy in v10-12 and v14 (war, betrayal of David, his wives taken publicly, and the baby will die).  He is also told at this time that God will forgive him (v13), but all of these dark prophecies against him will still take place as a result of his sin.  This shows us yet again that our God is indeed a God of justice, but also of mercy.

            David’s actions at this point should be a template to us when we sin: he weeps, he prostrates himself before God, and fasts intensely.  He begs and pleads with God.  We can presume that he tore his robes and put ashes on his head (although it doesn’t specifically say that) as was customarily done in those days to express regret.  He does his absolute very best to humble himself and to, if possible, avert the catastrophe that Yahweh has promised in return for his sin.  In this instance, God did not revoke his judgment and the baby dies, but later when Solomon was born it says (in 2 Sam 12:24) that “God loved him”.

            As a side note, in 2 Sam 12:26-30 there is a “war event” that requires a mustering of all of the forces (probably around 288,000 men, as noted above).  This is usually noted by the phrase “all the people”, or sometimes “all of Israel”, as in v29.  There’s a bit of disturbing information towards the end of this chapter in v31 that describes the practices of the conquering armies to their enemies that just highlights how brutal war was (and is).  I recommend you don’t read it if you don’t have a strong stomach, but if you do read this please note that these were the practices of men and not the commandments of God, and make that clear distinction in your mind.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Each of us is very different, but we are also much the same.  Reflect for a moment on David’s greatest sin, what was the worst sin that you have ever committed?
  2. When you repented of that sin, how specifically did you ask God to forgive you?
  3. Is that sin still poignantly fresh in your mind?  Whatever your answer is, why?
  4. What steps did you take in order to never commit that same sin again, and were you successful?
  5. How can we be successful against temptation to sin?  What are your specific weaknesses and what measures can you personally take that will help you to overcome them?

PRAYER

Father God, please forgive me of all of my sin, whether intentional or unthinking.  Please show me the way into Your kingdom, and cleanse me of all my wrongdoing and many shortcomings.  Help me to listen and to obey Your word, and to honor the price that was paid for my salvation.  Thank you Lord God for sending us Your son to teach us, and to be an example of obedience.  Discipline us God, not in Your wrath lest we be destroyed, but according to Your mercies.  Thank you Father, in Jesus name, Amen.

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A First Century Jew

2 Samuel 9-10

Psalm 54

*Romans 15

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            I really like Paul, he just strikes me as the kind of guy who has what they used to call “grit”; he’s feisty, and blunt to the point of offensive at times.  When he’s writing the book of Romans (@ 56 AD, give or take a couple years) it seems like he’s writing to folks he hadn’t actually met yet (Rom 1:8-15) but considers fellow believers, is praying for them, and hopes to visit them soon (he’s arrested in Jerusalem before that can happen).  This letter was most likely written from Corinth, around the time of his 3rd missionary voyage. 

            Paul was a “Jew’s Jew” (Phil 3:5, it actually reads “Hebrew’s Hebrew”), the guy was fiercely zealous for God and initially saw believers in Christ as a threat to Judaism (see activities just prior to his conversion: Acts 7:57-8:3, Phil 3:4-6, and Gal 1:13-14), but after he is converted he brings that same feisty zeal to the service of the Christ.  He was a Pharisee (1 of the 4 Jewish “philosophies”, more on that later), a student of Gamaliel (a renowned rabbi), a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin, and a Roman citizen (he was born in Tarsus, a city in the province of Cilicia that held the status of a “free city” within the Roman Empire, which granted legal Roman citizenship).

            I was very surprised (and amazed) that some modern day “apologists”  on YouTube have recently begun to claim that Paul espoused doctrines that weren’t even existant until the 4th century.  Here’s the thing: Paul was a Jew, not just that but a “Jew’s Jew”,  and ALL of the Jewish people (since the time of the return from the Babylonian captivity) have been FIERCELY monotheistic.  According to Sir Anthony Buzzard, to even begin to comprehend scripture properly it must be examined through the lens of a 1st century Jew.  I agree.  Saying anything different is just not doing your homework, and stating that a 1st century Jew such as Paul believed in a speculation that didn’t even exist in any form until the 4th century is clearly an anachronism (and a prime example of  ‘confirmation bias’, and shoddy homework).

            We can see Paul’s theology in the first chapter of Romans, it’s very clear, as it is in most of his letters.  In Romans 1:1-4 he refers to the promises of God made in advance through His prophets  about The Messiah (or Christ) as being a Jewish man descended from David genealogically, and designated as the son of God in power (Gen 3:15, Deut 18:18, 2 Sam 7 to name just a few of those prophecies).  Romans 1:7 states “…Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the **Lord Jesus Christ.”, as he does similarly in most of his letters, showing a clear delineation in Paul’s thinking between the two.  Paul did have a radical change in thinking, but it was from the Pharisee’s view of “the messiah is yet to come”  to his post vision understanding that “The Messiah has come, this man Jesus who was a descendant of David.” (not any of the later speculations from the 4th century).  **=Please note that the translation “Lord” here in “Lord Jesus Christ” is accurately “my lord“ (no caps) and not “THE LORD” (all caps), and every time you read “Christ” in scripture it is the title of a man whom God has anointed as King (and not somebody’s last name).  “THE LORD” (all caps) is a later textual corruption done with good intentions (and bad results),  mistranslating the name of God (which occurs about 7000 times in the old testament as “YHVH” or “YHWH”).

            If Paul had somehow, against all logic and reason, ever changed his fiercely monotheistic Jewish understanding of God there would have been a VERY clear and direct dissertation on it to at least one of his many churches, more realistically a whole lot of dissertations to all of them; Paul wasn’t what I’d call a “subtle” guy, he was very direct.  We would have entire books devoted to explain this new “doctrine”, and that just never happened.  Quite the opposite.  The only real doctrinal controversy Paul ever chimes in on is “should the gentiles be circumcised“ (he says not).  Paul was probably, however, the single greatest (human) force in bringing the gospel that was delivered originally exclusively to Jews (by Jesus and then his apostles) over to the gentiles.  In our reading today in Rom 15:16, we can see Paul (despite being a devout Jew himself) has now self-identified as a minister of the Messiah Jesus to the Gentiles (non-Jewish folks), a priest to them.

            Even when he is ministering to the Gentiles, though, he constantly refers to the scriptures that the Jews were familiar with at the time: what we call the Old Testament.  These were just the scriptures that a first century Jew had available, and the vast majority of the intended audience at this point were also first century Jews (keep in mind the New Testament wasn’t compiled in it’s entirety until later); numerically there were just fewer gentiles at this point in the development of Christianity than there were Jews, and they had a much clearer and simpler understanding of these scriptures.  The later believers’ “complex” problems were of their own devising, and didn’t occur until after the (then numerically superior) gentiles brought their mythology and speculation in to the church around the 4th century.  We see clearly in todays reading Paul’s reliance upon and belief in the ancient Jewish scriptures in the Old Testament.

            In Romans 15, Paul quotes Jewish scripture (that’s the Old Testament to you gentiles) 4 times in this one chapter, with the intention of unifying “God’s people” (the Jews) and Gentiles (we who were “grafted on”).  In v9 he (Paul) quotes 2 Samuel 22:50 (or Psalm 18:49), where David rejoices that God has mercy on the Gentiles.  In v10 he quotes  Deuteronomy 32:43, urging the Gentiles to rejoice with God’s people. In v11 he quotes Psalm 117:1, calling all nations to praise the Lord, and in v12 he quotes Isaiah 11:10, describing the root of Jesse who will rise to reign over the Gentiles, in whom they will hope.  His whole point here in chapter 15 is to encourage the Jews and the Gentiles to “accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God” (Romans 15:7, LSB).  I honestly don’t doctrinally agree with most of the mainstream Christian folks out there right now, but I do try to accept them as brothers (and sisters) in Christ, because after all who am I to judge the servant of another (Rom 14:4)?

            I’ve heard a lot of  folks take the stance that the Old Testament doesn’t matter, because that was for the Jews and we are “Christians”, and I disagree (in love).  The New Testament didn’t in any way negate the Old Testament, it just clarifies it; all together it is just one long and unbroken story of the love that God has for His creation, and the overwhelmingly beautiful character of our God.  Jesus, the servant of God (Acts 3:13), quoted extensively from the Old Testament.  Paul, the servant of Jesus, who was the servant of God, quoted extensively from the Old Testament.  We, who strive to be grafted on to the branch of God’s people (the Jew’s), by right of belief in the “root of Jesse who will rise to reign over the Gentiles” (the son of David: Yeshua, Jesus), should humbly acknowledge that the branches die without the root.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Do you read the Old Testament or the New Testament more often, and why?
  2. Have you ever allowed doctrinal differences to cause you to view any of your brothers or sisters in Christ in a negative light? Why?
  3. Have you ever allowed doctrinal differences to cause you to view any of  your fellow Children of the Book (Jews and Muslims) in a negative light? Why?
  4. Do you think that what you believe or how you behave is more important in terms of your entry into God’s kingdom, and why?

PRAYER

Father God,  Creator and Sustainer of all life, thank you for my life.  Please lead me, and allow me to humbly be a servant who pleases my master.  Teach me wisdom, Father, and whisper in my ear.  Help me to seek the old ways, and to know the truth about You.  Please grant me Your spirit so that I can love my fellow creation and faithfully follow the instructions of my King, the one whom You sent for us.  Father God, have mercy upon me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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