Readings:
I Kings 22:1-28
John 13:1-17
Focus:
I Kings 22:25:"Micaiah retorted, 'That you will find out on the day when you run into an inner room to hide.'"
John 13::"Peter said, 'I will never let you wash my feet.' 'If I do not wash you,' Jesus replied, 'you have no part with me.'"
King Ahab of Israel wanted to attack the King of Aram and win the city of Ramoth-Gilead back from him. He had a large number of prophets prophesy before him, and all said what he wanted to hear. But the prophet Micaiah, even though he was warned ahead of time to agree with the prevailing opinion, insisted on saying what God had told him to say, which was that a lying spirit had entered the mouths of those prophets in order to entice Ahab to do the wrong thing. One of the prophets is enraged and strikes Micaiah, asking how God's spirit could have left him and gone into Micaiah instead, and Micaiah tells him he will find out when God confronts him. Despite Micaiah's words, he is ignored; the popular will to attack the King of Aram is stronger.
When Jesus sits down to the Passover dinner with his disciples, he gets up and washes their feet. This is a task normally performed by menials, not by the rabbi. The disciples are aghast, and Peter refuses to let Jesus do it. But Jesus tells him that Peter must let Jesus wash Peter's feet if Peter wants to be part of Jesus's new kingdom. Peter is not like Ahab. He doesn't go with popular opinion or customs over what God wants. Instead, he jumps in wholeheartedly, and tells Jesus that in that case, he wants Jesus to wash every bit of him, not just his feet.
Peter is the model for us.
Showing posts with label Elijah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elijah. Show all posts
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
All It Takes
Readings:
I Kings 21
John 12:37-50
Focus:
John: 12:43-43:"For all that, even among those in authority many believed in him, but would not acknowledge him on account of the Pharisees, for fear of being banned from the synagogue. For they valued human reputation rather than the honor which comes from God."
When Jesus was on earth, to follow him and put one's faith in him might have meant being banned from the synagogue. That would mightily disrupt one's life. It was far easier and actually better for life in general (in the short run) to keep one's faith in Jesus a secret, or to not even pay attention to him at all. People had values upside down.
King Ahab of Israel wanted a vineyard that belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. But since it was part of Jezreel's ancestral lands, he wouldn't sell it. So Ahab's wife Jezebel devised a plot to have Naboth killed, and then Ahab just took the vineyard. He didn't pay attention to God's teachings about greed, theft, and murder, and when Elijah showed up to call Ahab to account, Ahab addressed Elijah as "my enemy." Ahab had values upside down.
But Ahab repented when Elijah accosted him. And God took notice. Although Ahab had been the most wicked of any king of Israel, God spared him because of his repentance.
That is all that we need to do, too. Jesus says, "I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world." If we repent and turn to him, he will save us too.
I Kings 21
John 12:37-50
Focus:
John: 12:43-43:"For all that, even among those in authority many believed in him, but would not acknowledge him on account of the Pharisees, for fear of being banned from the synagogue. For they valued human reputation rather than the honor which comes from God."
When Jesus was on earth, to follow him and put one's faith in him might have meant being banned from the synagogue. That would mightily disrupt one's life. It was far easier and actually better for life in general (in the short run) to keep one's faith in Jesus a secret, or to not even pay attention to him at all. People had values upside down.
King Ahab of Israel wanted a vineyard that belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. But since it was part of Jezreel's ancestral lands, he wouldn't sell it. So Ahab's wife Jezebel devised a plot to have Naboth killed, and then Ahab just took the vineyard. He didn't pay attention to God's teachings about greed, theft, and murder, and when Elijah showed up to call Ahab to account, Ahab addressed Elijah as "my enemy." Ahab had values upside down.
But Ahab repented when Elijah accosted him. And God took notice. Although Ahab had been the most wicked of any king of Israel, God spared him because of his repentance.
That is all that we need to do, too. Jesus says, "I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world." If we repent and turn to him, he will save us too.
Monday, November 30, 2009
God Has Our Back
Readings:
I Kings 19
John 12:12-19
Focus:
I Kings 19:18:"But I shall leave seven thousand in Israel, all who have not bowed the knee to Baal, all whose lips have not kissed him."
John 12:12-13a:"The next day the great crowd of pilgrims who had come for the festival, hearing that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, went out to meet him with palm branches in their hands...."
Elijah hears that King Ahab's wife Jezebel has threatened to kill him, and he flees into the desert. God meets him there and assures him that he has work for him to do, and that, even though Elijah thinks that he is the only worshipper of the Lord who is left, there are actually 7000 more in Israel who still worship him. God still has his back.
Jesus knows that many of the religious leaders want to kill him. Nevertheless, he goes to Jerusalem, their center. There the crowds who have heard of his raising of Lazarus greet him with adulation. God has his back, too. Nonetheless we know that the religious leaders eventually win the crowd over and turn them against Jesus. But God has ultimate control. Jesus knows this, and that is why he can confidently go to Jerusalem.
I Kings 19
John 12:12-19
Focus:
I Kings 19:18:"But I shall leave seven thousand in Israel, all who have not bowed the knee to Baal, all whose lips have not kissed him."
John 12:12-13a:"The next day the great crowd of pilgrims who had come for the festival, hearing that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, went out to meet him with palm branches in their hands...."
Elijah hears that King Ahab's wife Jezebel has threatened to kill him, and he flees into the desert. God meets him there and assures him that he has work for him to do, and that, even though Elijah thinks that he is the only worshipper of the Lord who is left, there are actually 7000 more in Israel who still worship him. God still has his back.
Jesus knows that many of the religious leaders want to kill him. Nevertheless, he goes to Jerusalem, their center. There the crowds who have heard of his raising of Lazarus greet him with adulation. God has his back, too. Nonetheless we know that the religious leaders eventually win the crowd over and turn them against Jesus. But God has ultimate control. Jesus knows this, and that is why he can confidently go to Jerusalem.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Going to Lengths to Avoid God
Readings:
I Kings 18:21-46
John 11:55-12:11
Focus:
I Kings 18:29:"All afternoon they [the priests of Baal] raved and ranted till the hour of the regular offering, but still there was no sound, no answer, no sign of attention."
I Kings 18:38::"The fire of the Lord fell, consuming the whole-offering, the wood, the stones, and the earth, and licking up the water in the trench."
John 12:10-11:"The chief priests then resolved to do away with Lazarus as well, since on his account many Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him."
When God is put to the test, he comes through. False gods cannot do what God can do. The priests of Baal called upon him to show the people of Israel that Baal was god, but they received no answer. However, the Lord God himself answered abundantly when Elijah called upon him.
Similarly, Jesus had asked God to raise Lazarus from the dead, and he had done so. But, incredibly, instead of putting their trust in God because of this, the chief priests decide instead not only to kill Jesus, but to kill Lazarus as well, to keep people from going to see him and believe in Jesus. And in Elijah's day, the Israelites turned away from God soon enough as well.
It is amazing the lenghths we will go to in order to avoid God's call on our lives, even when we have had proof of his reality. We think of reasons that he must not be real after all, and then we do whatever it takes to avoid him. But what he has to offer us is so much better than what we think we want. We need to rethink our reactions.
I Kings 18:21-46
John 11:55-12:11
Focus:
I Kings 18:29:"All afternoon they [the priests of Baal] raved and ranted till the hour of the regular offering, but still there was no sound, no answer, no sign of attention."
I Kings 18:38::"The fire of the Lord fell, consuming the whole-offering, the wood, the stones, and the earth, and licking up the water in the trench."
John 12:10-11:"The chief priests then resolved to do away with Lazarus as well, since on his account many Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him."
When God is put to the test, he comes through. False gods cannot do what God can do. The priests of Baal called upon him to show the people of Israel that Baal was god, but they received no answer. However, the Lord God himself answered abundantly when Elijah called upon him.
Similarly, Jesus had asked God to raise Lazarus from the dead, and he had done so. But, incredibly, instead of putting their trust in God because of this, the chief priests decide instead not only to kill Jesus, but to kill Lazarus as well, to keep people from going to see him and believe in Jesus. And in Elijah's day, the Israelites turned away from God soon enough as well.
It is amazing the lenghths we will go to in order to avoid God's call on our lives, even when we have had proof of his reality. We think of reasons that he must not be real after all, and then we do whatever it takes to avoid him. But what he has to offer us is so much better than what we think we want. We need to rethink our reactions.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Troubler of Israel?
Readings:
I Kings 18:1-20
John 11:45-54
Focus:
I Kings 18:17:"As soon as Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, 'Is it you, you troubler of Israel?'"
John 11:47-48:"Thereupon the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a meeting of the council. 'This man is performing many signs,' they said, 'and what action are we taking? If we let him go on like this the whole populace will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and sweep away our temple and our nation.'"
Ahab, King of Israel, thought of Elijah as the troubler of Israel, because Elijah kept pointing out the things that Ahab was doing that were wrong. Instead of repenting and changing his ways, Ahab just blamed Elijah. Similarly, when Jesus did notable deeds, including even raising Lazarus from the dead, instead of being overcome with awe and placing their faith in him, the religious leaders were concerned of the effect this would have on the status quo.
People who have vested interests in power, or in their comfortable way of life, or in their standing with other people, or in their jobs or money, or in any number of things, miss the point when God intervenes in their lives. Instead of throwing themselves at his feet in wonder, they say that God is too demanding and must not be real, because if they took him seriously, he sure would mess things up, or he sure is counter to current ideas, and who would want to go counter to current ideas?
Yet here is someone who can raise the dead. Isn't that a lot better than anything we have going for us?
I Kings 18:1-20
John 11:45-54
Focus:
I Kings 18:17:"As soon as Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, 'Is it you, you troubler of Israel?'"
John 11:47-48:"Thereupon the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a meeting of the council. 'This man is performing many signs,' they said, 'and what action are we taking? If we let him go on like this the whole populace will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and sweep away our temple and our nation.'"
Ahab, King of Israel, thought of Elijah as the troubler of Israel, because Elijah kept pointing out the things that Ahab was doing that were wrong. Instead of repenting and changing his ways, Ahab just blamed Elijah. Similarly, when Jesus did notable deeds, including even raising Lazarus from the dead, instead of being overcome with awe and placing their faith in him, the religious leaders were concerned of the effect this would have on the status quo.
People who have vested interests in power, or in their comfortable way of life, or in their standing with other people, or in their jobs or money, or in any number of things, miss the point when God intervenes in their lives. Instead of throwing themselves at his feet in wonder, they say that God is too demanding and must not be real, because if they took him seriously, he sure would mess things up, or he sure is counter to current ideas, and who would want to go counter to current ideas?
Yet here is someone who can raise the dead. Isn't that a lot better than anything we have going for us?
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Death and Resurrection
Readings:
I Kings 17
John 11:1-44
Focus:
John 11:25-26a:"Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever has faith in me shall live, even though he dies; and no one who lives and has faith in me shall ever die.'"
It was through Jesus' death that the punishment for our sins was laid on him instead of us, and it was through his resurrection from the dead that God's power and victory over death were shown. But beforehand these things were also shown in prefiguring events pointing to Jesus' ultimate death and resurrection. When Elijah stays with the widow and her son, the boy becomes ill and dies, but Elijah prays and God raises him back from the dead. And when Jesus' friend Lazarus dies, Jesus comes and raises him back from the dead. These things foreshadow Jesus' own resurrection. Jesus is so moved by the death of Lazarus and the grief of his family that he weeps. God truly loves us and cares about our sorrows. That is why he provided Jesus' death instead of ours, so that we don't have to take the punishment for our sin; if we have faith in him, we can live even though we die, and if we live and have faith in him, we shall never die.
I Kings 17
John 11:1-44
Focus:
John 11:25-26a:"Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever has faith in me shall live, even though he dies; and no one who lives and has faith in me shall ever die.'"
It was through Jesus' death that the punishment for our sins was laid on him instead of us, and it was through his resurrection from the dead that God's power and victory over death were shown. But beforehand these things were also shown in prefiguring events pointing to Jesus' ultimate death and resurrection. When Elijah stays with the widow and her son, the boy becomes ill and dies, but Elijah prays and God raises him back from the dead. And when Jesus' friend Lazarus dies, Jesus comes and raises him back from the dead. These things foreshadow Jesus' own resurrection. Jesus is so moved by the death of Lazarus and the grief of his family that he weeps. God truly loves us and cares about our sorrows. That is why he provided Jesus' death instead of ours, so that we don't have to take the punishment for our sin; if we have faith in him, we can live even though we die, and if we live and have faith in him, we shall never die.
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