Ezra 5-10
During the time that rebuilding the temple had ceased due to outside forces, God sends multiple prophets to urge the people to continue. Cowardice is no virtue. Two of those prophets are Haggai and Zechariah, whose writings are recorded in their own books of Scripture. Through their public exhortations, the people obey God rather than men and begin again in their rebuilding endeavors. Spines of steel always attract attention. In this case, the Jews are noticed by a local governor, Tattenai, who gathers his fellow governors together in an attempt to thwart any further rebuilding. By this time, Persia has overtaken Babylon, so the new king of the empire is Darius. This group of busybodies writes a flattering letter to Darius, asking him to investigate under whose authority the Jews are rebuilding the temple. Darius does indeed find that his predecessor Cyrus permitted the rebuilding of the temple. It’s noteworthy that no one finds another decree commanding the Jews to stop the building, which is how chapter 4 ends. But in God’s good providence, Darius permits the Jews to continue. The project will be financed by the Persian treasury. How do we make sense of the empire funding religious operations? Only in a postmodern humanist society does that pose a problem. What is keeping God from having his temple? Money? Why not have the empire oppressing the people pay for it? What sweet irony! Besides that, there aren’t a lot of connections between that situation and our own. In Ezra’s day, there were no atheistic people; it was nonsense. Contrast that with the fact that today to be an atheist is nearly always tied to a condescending attitude toward the religiously devout. The religion of scientism has simply become the de facto religion of the American people. Science has rituals and traditions, like any religion. Science must pass down its accepted institutions to the next generation, or they will be lost. We should not think that those who despise a relationship between the empire and religion necessarily have the moral high ground. Upon the completion of the temple, the priests gather the people together to dedicate it. Hundreds of animals are offered as sacrifices. There is even the note that the priests are serving God “as it is written in the Book of Moses” (6:18). The people are seeking to be faithful again. As toward the end of the book of 2 Chronicles, the celebration of the Passover receives special attention. The Jews are again celebrating an exodus of sorts. There is a drastic jump in time between Ezra 6 and 7, of nearly 60 years. Artaxerxes is now king of Persia. It’s possible Ezra was not born at the time of the return of the exiles and that he was born in Babylon/Persia. Either way, he is currently in Persia, and the king gives him permission to go to Judah and ensure the law of God is being kept, as well as settle civil issues. But Ezra’s primary purpose, personally, is to teach the law to the people so that they are able to obey it. Artaxerxes sends a letter to the people giving authority to Ezra to do all that he needs to accomplish his purposes. Again, we see the empire in service of God’s purposes. The exiles returned in three main stages, one of which was led by Ezra. We get a genealogy of that group in Ezra 8. Ezra gathers some priests together to prepare for the journey by prayer and fasting. For three days, they prepared themselves spiritually for the great work they were about to undertake. When Ezra and the exiles with him finally arrive in Jerusalem, they are told about the rampant intermarriage between the Jews and the surrounding pagans. Ezra has hoped that after a whole generation in exile, the people would have learned that yoking yourself to someone who hates your God would lead you to do so, as well. There were clear laws against marrying those who practiced pagan religions, such as Deuteronomy 7:1-5. Israel had a long history of this mistake. Ezra grieves such sin. He prays to God and confesses the sin of the people. He even lumps himself in with them. Ezra’s spiritual leadership brings the people to confess their sin personally. The usual words for “marriage” and “divorce” are not used here. This implies that these were not recognized as normal or regulated situations. We should not read more into the situation than is clearly articulated. There is no reason to think that the foreign wives and the children born from these unions were cast out to die in the wilderness. They were simply kept apart from the believing community. This was a clear breach of the law. Shecaniah speaks on behalf of the people as he speak with Ezra. He says that the people will do what Ezra has said, “according to the counsel of my Lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God”, which heavily implies that there were plans for these wives and children. For Christians today, we must see that we are not in the same situation as these Jews. If a Christian marries an unbeliever, that is not grounds for divorce. Paul clearly says in 1 Corinthians 7 that a believer does not divorce an unbeliever for that sole reason. There are situations where divorce is permissible though never commanded, and being unequally yoked may lead to those situations. However, being married to an unbeliever is not itself grounds for divorce. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah were likely originally one book, which is why Ezra ends somewhat abruptly. The narrative is picked up in Nehemiah 1. Nehemiah 1-8 Only about 50,000 Jews returned from exile to Judah. This left many more in Babylon/Persia who had followed Jeremiah’s word to build families and settle down. Like Ezra, Nehemiah may have been born and raised in Persia. He is now cupbearer to the king, which is a high and noble position. He is in a place to have influence on the king’s decision making. He gets word that the wall surrounding Jerusalem has been burned by fire. This could be referring to the initial destruction that took place before exile began, or it could be referring to some of the opposition that took place to stop the rebuilding process. Either way, Nehemiah is distraught. He prays to God, like Ezra, confessing his sins and the sins of the people that led them to be sent into exile. He knows that because of his high position, he might be someone able to make a difference back in Judah. Nehemiah approaches the king, and the king notices Nehemiah’s irregular disposition. As Nehemiah relays the situation in Jerusalem, Artaxerxes gives him permission to supply and restore rebuilding efforts. Again, the state is not “meddling” in religious affairs. Only in the contemporary period has this been seen as a conflict of interest. Nehemiah sees that the walls are in as bad a condition as he has heard. The walls of a city were no small matter; the walls were a city’s security. These walls could be several feet thick and made of stone. Cities were also often build on hills, as was Jerusalem. These walls could serve as armories and fortresses from invading forces. So for Jerusalem not to have walls or a standing army was to mean Jerusalem was extremely vulnerable. Even by the priests serving as leaders in rebuilding the city’s security measures, we see the interrelatedness of the religious and the secular. Until the Lord returns, we need both. Darius has permitted rebuilding to continue, as was Artaxerxes. But this does not stop all opposition. It is not entirely clear who Sanballat was, but he is some kind of official working on behalf of the Persian government. He is a type of administrator. Half of the wall is completed, and Sanballat organizes other administrators to plot against the Jews. The work of rebuilding the wall is exhausting, and the men are beginning to see their endurance fade. Between exterior opposition and interior exhaustion, Nehemiah will have his hands full. Sanballat had no official decree on his side. All he could do is threaten the Jews with death. Nehemiah, though, urges the men to continue the work. Half of them would work while the other have served as a kind of national guard. It did slow work down a bit, but it gave the men an advantage and an assurance of safety. Another related internal issue was usury. Jerusalem has hardly been rebuilt, and those who are not wealthy are borrowing from the wealthy to make ends meet, even up to mortgaging their land. The Jews also have to continue paying taxes to the king of Persia. Usury was strictly against Mosaic law. It was perfectly legal to lend money and help your neighbor. What was illegal was charging interest to your fellow Israelite. Nehemiah calls out the people, and they return the mortgaged land to the original owners. For all the faults of the people, they are quick to repent and do the right thing. Sanballat and his cabal are in no mood to see the Jews persevere. Sanballat calls for Nehemiah to come and meet with him through messengers. He sent messengers back to Sanballat saying that his work is more important than another meeting. Nehemiah is well aware of Sanballat’s intent, and he is not going to let one man stop him from doing the work of the Lord. Sanballat tries to coerce Nehemiah five times, and in each instance, Nehemiah stays focused on the task at hand. Sanballat tries to threaten Nehemiah with lies about the Jews’ intent to rebel, but he won’t fall for it. In less than two months, the wall is finished. The result was that the surrounding nations feared the Jews. Imagine what would have happened if Nehemiah had caved to Sanballat and his threats? Nehemiah is a temporary leader installed by Artaxerxes. Once the wall is completed, he installs Hanani as charge over the city. This whole time, the people had been living in tents. Now that the altar, temple, and wall are completed, the people can focus on their more pressing needs. There are not that many people living in the city. Nehemiah finds a book listing those who returned initially, and he continues the list. The people are resettling and are ready to live lives of religious observance. Ezra gathers the people together to read from the Mosaic law. As Ezra reads, priests interpret the text for the people. It was not enough to hear; they had to understand. It is not a day for mourning. They have much to celebrate: a new altar, a new temple, and a new wall, all of which was provided by God. Ezra and Nehemiah tells the people to eat all they want, drink to their fill, and save some for those who couldn’t make it—a proper potluck. Romans 2-7 Paul has set forth the argument that God’s wrath can be manifested by simply allowing sin to run its natural course. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (1:18). It is not a trifling matter that all have fallen short of God’s supreme, perfect, righteous standard, which is the definition of holiness. The very things we judge others for, we do ourselves. This itself is evidence of a debased mind, which God gives over to its desires. Not only is God’s wrath being meted out in the present, but continuing in sin is equivalent to building a rickhouse of God’s wrath for yourself in the future. Those who continue in unrighteousness will face that wrath, but peace is reserved for the righteous. The law of Moses was not a means of achieving salvation. That’s why Paul can say that regardless of whether a person was a Jew or a Gentile, regardless of a person’s relationship to the law, all people will be judged. There is also a standard set forth in nature, which all people recognize. There is of course the truth that all people suppress natural revelation, but that does not negate the fact that it is known. For example, on the surface, everyone says that murder is wrong. But when it comes time to stand for something, many recoil from understanding capital punishment is for murderers. Many hesitate to call abortion murder. Why? Because we suppress the truth revealed in nature. Everyone fails to practice what they preach. The Jews practiced circumcision to obey the law, yet their behavior proved their circumcision was purely an exterior ritual, not one of the heart. Jewishness is not a matter of rituals, rites, and family heritage. It is “a matter of the heart” (2:29). Therefore, one who keeps the law is a true Jew, or a true Israelite. There is only one true Israelite, Jesus Christ. But even if keeping the law does not save a person, surely there must still be a benefit from having the law at all. Paul assumes this question and assures the Roman Christians that there most certainly is a benefit from being kept from ignorance of the law. In the law, we see God’s holiness and our sinfulness. We can’t keep the letter of the law, nonetheless the spirit of the law. But the Jews were the people in whom God placed special revelation. It was not because of anything inherent in them, but it was the good pleasure of God to do so. What an honor! Therefore, the faithfulness of God is not dependent on the faithfulness of his people. The law is good because it comes from God, not because his people can or cannot keep it. Having said all that, we must recognize that the Jews have not been faithful to the special revelation, and the Gentiles have not been faithful to natural revelation. No one is righteous; no not one. The law, whether special or natural, will justify no one, because the law was given because of sin. We were sinners when the law of God was given. If we thought the law revealed how righteous God was, then we’re in for a treat when we hear about faith. Faith makes no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Faith and law are not two sides of a coin; they are completely different coins. Faith trusts in the promises of God; law trusts in human ability. But what about the lawbreakers? How does faith save lawbreakers? This is the doctrine of justification. The sacrifice of Christ is received by sinners as a gift. The sacrifice is complete, so receiving the gift is not a work that plays into our salvation. The Son, who is God, was sacrificed, so we can and should say that God received the punishment for sin back on himself instead of demanding that sinners pay the debt our sin created. That’s why Paul can say that God is justified in receiving the sacrifice paid for by himself, and God is justified in pardoning sinners. Many have argued that the atonement is “cosmic child abuse”. How could God let an innocent man, nevertheless his Son, die for bad people? And how could God force Jesus to go through with it? Besides being exegetically unsound, that argument refuses to see the glory of the Trinity. Jesus is fully God, so God paid the debt the he was owed. If we were to think of it in human terms, we would never think less of a man who simply forgave a monetary debt that he was owed by someone else. We would see that he absorbed that loss. In a similar way, but far more cosmic, God absorbed the debt of sin into himself through the incarnate Son of God. Salvation by grace through faith is not a concept first found in the New Testament. Paul shows that Abraham was saved by grace through faith. Long before the law was given, faith was required. Even once the law was given, because “a Jew is one inwardly,” faith was required. Without faith, circumcision is the same as uncircumcision; it is meaningless. Before the Sabbath, the festivals, and the sacrificial system, there was faith. Because God justifies through faith in the blood of his Son, we are at peace with God. That is a judicial fact based on God’s word, not experience or emotion. The gavel has been lowered; God’s decision stands. While we were still sinners, while we were weak, Christ did his great work. The same wrath that Paul said God is revealing from heaven back in chapter 1 he now says we have been spared from. God’s people are spared from his wrath in the midst of his wrath. How is it possible that one man, Jesus Christ, could possibly pay for the sins of all the elect? In the same way that all of humanity participates in Adam’s rebellion, the elect participate in Christ’s obedience. Death entered through disobedience; life enters through obedience. All of humanity is in one of two covenants with their creator: the covenant of works, established with Adam, or the covenant of grace, established with Christ. One of these two men is the covenant head for every individual. But even though our justification is an unbreakable or unchangeable decision by God, that does not imply that we can continue to live as though we still suppress the truth. In baptism, we are buried with Christ. But in the same way he was resurrected, we also walk in newness of life/resurrected life. Therefore, we do not continue living as we once did, as if we were still dead in our sins. We have been raised to new life! We are not dead! Live like it! Romans 7 sometimes poses problems of interpretation, because the lingering question is, “Who is Paul addressing? A Christian or a non-Christian?” That question comes about by a seemingly difficult relationship between the objective newness of life for the believer and yet continuing to recognize sinful patterns of behavior in ones life. I believe Paul is clearly addressing Christians, but a certain kind of Christian—a true believer who came from Jewish heritage. This is supported by Paul’s language, such as 7:1, where he calls his readers both “brothers” and “those who know the law”. I see no reason to arbitrarily change audiences at any point in Romans 7. I believe that what Paul is describing is a type of internal monologue a Jew would have with himself as he tries to make sense of seeing the law as fulfilled in Christ and no longer binding on himself as a condition of the new covenant. This Jewish Christian asks, “Did that which is good, then, bring death to me?” Did I follow the law just to be duped into thinking it could save me? No way! Paul tells this Jewish Christian that it was always the sinner that was the culprit, not the lawgiver or his law. The Gentile Christians were not having a debate about the place of the law in the new covenant. That took place among the Jews in the congregation. This Jewish Christian delights in the law of God. They always have! The Psalms begin by saying that the wise man delights in the law of God. Consider Psalm 119 and how many times the author says he delights in the law of God. The prophet Jeremiah says the words of God are delight for his heart (15:16). We can delight in the law of God while we wrestle with the flesh and sin. Hence why Paul cries out, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” The law, as delightful as it is, does not produce life. That only comes as a gift of God. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
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2 Chronicles 28-36
The kings continue to be generally wicked, with a few faithful kings sprinkled in. This is the case with king Ahaz. God even continue to sends prophet after prophet. Truths like this make it impossible to say that God was not patient and careful in dealing with his people. But, not all the kings are as wicked as Ahaz. King Hezekiah is generally seen as a good king. He knows that there have been funds for the upkeep of the temple that have not been used. He organizes the priests to do something about it. Hezekiah has them restore the temple as the funds allow. Because the temple is in good shape again, it has reinvigorated a desire to follow the festival calendar. After the temple is restored to good condition, the people practice the Passover. It might seem like a strange thing to mention such a regular practice, but it actually wasn’t that regular. When wicked kings reigned, and when good kings didn’t enforce it, the festival calendar, even the Passover, went ignored for years, or decades, at a time. Now that the temple is restored and the festival calendar is being address, Hezekiah clarifies the organizational structure of the priests. All of this, the most basic components of the religious life of Judah, has been ignored all this time. Despite Hezekiah’s best efforts, the people do not remain faithful. As God had promised and warned about again and again, foreign nations will invade as punishment and discipline. That’s exactly what Syria does. King Sennacherib tells the people that their own king won’t fight him or defend them, so they might as well surrender. But seemingly for Hezekiah’s sake and for his own name, God defends Judah and casts out Syria. Hezekiah had, over time, become quite a prideful king. But with such a fearful incident, he humbles himself before God. He dies as a good king, and his son Manasseh takes his throne. There are kings who fit the in-between category; one of those is Manasseh. He begins heading in the opposite direction of his father, and he rebuilds the faraway altars, or the high places, throughout the land. Syria/Assyria is still sore from their last defeat, and because God is still having his prophets ignored, he send Syria in again to discipline and punish Judah for the violations of the covenant. But in this case, discipline had its intended effect. Manasseh repents of his own sin and restores the covenantal worship practices in the temple. In almost a passing sort-of note, we’re told that Manasseh’s son Amon becomes king when Manasseh dies. But he is so wicked that even the people want him dead, so they take matters into their own hands. Since Amon is killed so soon after taking the throne, his son Josiah becomes king at age 8. He will be a good king, however. Like few before him, he will restore temple worship. There are unused temple-restoration funds, so he orders the priests to make use of them. During those days of restoration, the book of the law is found, which is likely Deuteronomy (or at least sections of it). Think of it—all this time, for God knows how long, no one has seen, known about, or read the books of Moses! When the book of the law is read to Josiah, he weeps for Israel and the glory of God. They have been fools before God, worshiping the idols of the nations around them. Though he is restoring the temple, the people are not responding in faithfulness. The prophetess Huldah meets with Josiah and foretells of Judah’s destruction. Josiah calls the people to faithfulness, and they make a covenant (which is better interpreted as covenant renewal) with God to be faithful to the law. But we have been down this road ever since Moses brought the tablets down the mountain. As before, the Passover is celebrated after a time of ignoring it. Why does the Passover keep getting mentioned, out of all the festivals? This is likely because since the Passover looks back to the exodus from Egypt, they need to remember more than ever that they will be exiled and cast back into slavery if they remain unfaithful. They will be cast into exile, awaiting another exodus. That will be a major theme once we get to the prophets. Josiah is killed in battle. We’re told that Jeremiah lamented his death. Jeremiah is the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote both the book of Jeremiah and like the book of Lamentations. Josiah’s son Jehoahaz is made king. In keeping with the prophecy to Huldah, Egypt invades Judah and demands tribute. In the ancient world, tribute was essentially a fee you paid to a more powerful nation to not destroy you. Pharaoh Neco removes Jehoahaz and installs Eliakim as king and brings him to live in Egypt. Neco (or Necho, or Nico) is well attested to in writings and artifacts from the ancient world as being the pharaoh of Egypt at the same time as Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It’s at this time that Nebuchadnezzar sacks Jerusalem. He installs his own king, Zedekiah, who eventually rebells against him. God sends more unnamed prophets; every morning he wakes up and send another prophet that the people dismiss or kill. Again, God is not careless or impatient with his people. We read, “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place” (2 Chronicles 38:15). Jerusalem is burned to the ground, and many are taken away into captivity in Babylon. But we read about a spark of hope in God keeping his promises by moving the heart of King Cyrus in letting his people return to Jerusalem, but not yet. God is upholding the safety of his people and the glory of his name. Ezra 1-4 2 Chronicles ends with the reminder that God would not totally destroy faithless Israel; he would always preserve a remnant, along with all the corresponding components of religious life. During the almost 70 years of exile, the empire of Persia took control of Babylon. So the Jews went from Judahites to Babylonians to Persians. Nebuchadnezzar is gone, but he will come back up in the book of Daniel. Cyrus, king of Persia, was simply the means by which God preserved his remnant. Cyrus decreed that all of those who wanted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple could do so. They could even take the previous metal vessels back with them. In that day, it was believed that all deities were local. Why couldn’t Cyrus just let the Jews build a temple in Babylon? Because that’s not where he thought the God of the Jews vested his authority. So he permits the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem to appease the God of the Jews. But note, he’s not freeing anyone. No matter how far they are from Persia, the Jews are still considered exiles. Chapter 2 gives us a census of sorts, showing that of all the people in exile, only about 50,000 returned to Jerusalem. No explanation is given here, but in the book of Jeremiah we might get some clues. Jeremiah tells the people to settle, have families, and work hard. Also, some of the people who were children when exile began are now too old and frail to make the journey. Those that do go back in their advanced age will weep when they see that the second temple pales in comparison to the glory of the first. When the first group arrives back in Jerusalem, the priests begin to immediately rebuild the altar. Once that’s complete, they start the basics of the sacrificial system. Instead of hearing about the Passover, we are now told that they kept the Feast of Booths. This festival was designed to remind them of their time in the wilderness after the exodus. They lived in makeshift, temporary structures to endure the wilderness. Now that they are in exile, even back in Jerusalem, they start by living in makeshift, temporary structures. They are in the wilderness, regardless of their physical location. Prophecies from the major prophets and the book of Daniel go into greater detail about how this is a wilderness and how one-yet-to-come will put an end to it. After two years, they are ready to start the process of rebuilding the temple. The priests build the foundation and hold a ceremony to celebrate. But this will not continue without persecution and opposition. There are some in Israel, or Samaria, who insist they want to help rebuild the temple in order to worship there. But the Jews know better. They do not worship the same God, and they will not participate in the worship of idols. So these Samaritans bribe the new king Artaxerxes and other officials to stop the building of the temple. If they finish the temple, they will rebuild the city. And if they rebuilt the city, they will most certainly rebel against their oppressors in Persia. Artaxerxes responds by commanding that work on the temple cease. For the time being, the Jews abide by that order. Acts 26-28 Festus has explained Paul’s situation to King Agrippa, so Agrippa is ready to hear from Paul. Paul is brought before Agrippa to give an account of who he is, his conversion, and a short summary of the gospel. There is one gospel, and it was preached even from the prophets and Moses. There are frameworks of interpretation, such as dispensationalism, that attempt to make it so that there were different objects of faith in different dispensations. For instance, in the dispensation of the law (the time when Jews were expected to keep the Mosaic law), the object of faith was the law. But Paul unequivocally says here that there is one gospel by which men are saved, and it has been preached even during the time of the law. Agrippa’s wife, Bernice, was a Jew. By this time in his life, he had acquired a good amount of knowledge about Judaism. Because of that, Agrippa can keep up with Paul’s argument. He even thinks that Paul is trying to convert him to Christianity right then and there! During these hearings, Agrippa and his council can find nothing with which to charge Paul. So it’s off to Rome he goes, along with his companions, to include Luke (27:1). Paul warns the crew of the ship that there will be danger because of the weather. It doesn’t appear that Paul is even prophesying; he’s simply reading the skies. But he is ignored; after all, even though he’s on his way to meet Caesar, he’s still considered a prisoner. While they are at sea, Paul receives a word from an angel confirming that there will be no loss of life. Even though Paul is assured of God’s sovereign hand over the upcoming events, he still must warn the crew to do what he tells them to. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility must be held together in an unbroken relationship. Two weeks after setting sail, with two weeks of bad weather, they are finally about to shipwreck. They are preserved by throwing the cargo overboard, lightening the load of the ship. Paul is not the only passenger who is also a prisoner. The soldiers in charge of the prisoners decide to kill all of the prisoners so they are not charged with letting any prisoners get away. However, the centurion in charge of the soldiers is friendly with Paul and refuses to let his men do that to any of the prisoners. They make it to an island called Malta. One of the first things Paul does is get bit by a snake. The natives of Malta, a civilized society, believe that Paul is guilty of some great sin to have been bit like that. However, he survives with no problems. So instead of thinking Paul is some great sinner, they now think he’s some great god. A man named Publius was the chief of the island. He welcomes at least Paul and his company into his home. He allows them to stay with him until they can leave. Publius’s father is there as well, and he is deathly ill. In an act of mercy, Paul is able to heal him, winning even more of Publius’s and the peoples’ favor. They stay for three months and are granted all the supplies they will need to get to Rome. Even in the midst of a near-fatal shipwreck, God has supplied all that was necessary to accomplish his divine will. As Paul continues to sail to Rome, he is greeted by some fellow Christians in a port along the way. He stays with them for a week. The gospel is spreading! Upon landing in Rome, he is able to have an audience with the elders of the Jews. As was the case in just about everywhere else he went to preach, there were those who believed and those who increased in their hardness of heart. He tells them what he has told the Jews everywhere else: he will now spend his time focusing on preaching to the Gentiles. Paul stays there for two years, supporting himself the whole time. We’re not told how Paul’s life ends. There is a tradition that says he was beheaded in the mid 60’s. It also seems as though he never made it to Spain as he hoped. Rome would be his last stop. So why does Acts not tell us how Paul’s life ends? Well, much like the abrupt ending of the gospel of Mark, we might we wise to ask ourselves why the book ends the way it does and why that might matter. Perhaps in contrast to the gospel of Mark, Acts ends on a high note. Paul didn’t just die in Rome; he lived in Rome for two years. And not only that, but during those two years, by the Spirit’s power, he proclaimed the kingdom of God and all that Christ taught “without hindrance.” He didn’t pull any punches. Hindrance is not the same as opposition. In the face of opposition, the powerful message of the cross will not be hindered. Paul fought until the end. And during those two years, he also wrote several letters, four of which we know. His “prison epistles” are Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Instead of focusing on the drama of his death, Luke focused on the growth of the kingdom, as should we. Romans 1 The apostle Paul wrote the epistle to the Romans right before the midpoint of his missionary activity. 1 Thessalonians would have been first, around AD 52, and 2 Timothy would have been last, around AD 67. Romans is typically placed around AD 57. He’s probably in Corinth when he writes Romans. Unsure if he’ll get to Rome, Paul writes to reconcile the Jewish and Gentile Christians. The emperor Claudius had kicked out the Jews, regardless of their relationship to Christianity, between the years of AD 49-54. Once that edict ended, the Jews who returned to Rome found themselves in a purely Gentile church governed by Gentile sensibilities and preferences. As one might imagine, this was an environment ripe for infighting. Paul begins by saying how happy he is to be able to write to Christians in Rome; in the most pagan city in the world, God has people. He insists that the same gospel saves both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles). The only thing that saves us, regardless of our heritage, is the righteousness of God given to us through faith. It makes no difference if we are Jews, Greeks, Hoosiers, or Canadians; if we are in Christ, we are one. That is not accomplished by the law of the Jews or the ignorance of the law of the Greeks. It is only won by Christ and his righteousness. To make his point stick, Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4, showing us that even if the Greeks had no prior knowledge of the Old Testament, it was where the gospel was first preached. Why is this righteousness necessary? Because God is preparing to pour out his wrath on unrighteousness. Mankind is unrighteous because we “suppress the truth.” No one weighs all the facts, meditates on them, and comes to the conclusion that there is no God. It is not an intellectual decision. It is a posture of the heart. “The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'” (Psalm 14:1). So no one is truly ignorant of the existence of God. We simply refuse to act on it in order to satisfy our sinful desires. No intellectual, social, or emotional reason is enough for a debased mind to turn from their sin and turn to God. Because of that, Paul says God has permitted man to live according to his own desires. God gave us up to our lusts: to impurity and dishonor. We turned from natural things to unnatural things. Men and women turned from natural passion for the complementary gender to unnatural passion for the same gender. God permitted these things to happen because we have denied the clear truth of God for the lies of the adversary. Every person who has ever been born knows God’s righteous decrees concerning the law; and not only do we do those things we know we ought not to do, but we give others permission to follow us in our sins. Do not let the false confidence and condescending tone of those who practice these things and permit these things to fool you. 2 Chronicles 11-27
The remainder of the book focuses almost entirely on Judah, because that is where most of the religiously significant events take place. The covenants that have come down the line from Abraham, Moses, and David will continue to be fulfilled through the faithful remnant in the southern kingdom of Judah. Chapter 10 ends with, “So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.” Rehoboam wants to rule harshly, and he ostracizes those Israelites who are farthest from him. The kingdom splits in response. And we see here the importance of reading Kings and Chronicles together. In 1 Kings 11, the prophet Abijah tells Jeroboam that he will reign over the northern ten tribes. Jeroboam is a skilled artisan in charge of the temple workers. Because of this prophecy, Solomon wanted to kill Jeroboam, so he fled to Egypt. Now with Solomon dead and his son Rehoboam coronated, Jeroboam returns to Jerusalem to confront Rehoboam with his oppressive tactics. Because the religious life is primary, it’s important to us that Jeroboam removed all of the legitimate priests from the northern kingdom once he created his own throne. The priests flocked to Jerusalem, along with those people (read, the remnant) who truly loved and obeyed the Lord, “the god of their fathers,” David and Solomon. But for all the priestly presence, Rehoboam continued in disobedience. The nation of Egypt came in and sacked Judah as a divine judgment. Though Rehoboam was generally judged as evil at the end of his life, we do see here a moment of humiliation that led to a successful and peaceful Judah for a period of time. It is proof that humility before God leads to peace. Rehoboam’s son Abijah reigns in his place. The only mention of Abijah is 2 Chronicles is a major battle where half as many of Abidjan’s men defeat Jeroboam’s men. It is evidence, again, of the faithful remnant in the south. Of the 800,000 of Jeroboam’s men, only 300,000 walked away. God is defending his own name by defending his people. When Abijah dies, his son Asa becomes king. Asa will be a generally good king, but the focus is still on the covenant God made with David. David will have a son on the throne. Asa begins in a faithful manner, but he does not end so well. Throughout all of these kings, the point is to see God’s faithfulness amidst his peoples’ faithlessness. He does begin a series of reforms by destroying the idols in the land of Judah and Benjamin. We’re told that he entered into a covenant with God, but this is really a covenant renewal. There is no additional “Asaianic” covenant. Covenant renewal is a common Old Testament theme, so it is fitting that it appears in a book about religious interpretation of history. But the good things that Asa does stand out among his fellow kings. During the final days of Asa’s reign, his contemporary in Israel, Baasha, builds up some critical cities to keep Judah from selling and trading. Asa enlists Ben-hadad king of Syria for help. He convinces Ben-hadad to break any covenant or treaty with Israel so that Israel is forced to retreat. Because Asa sought help from foreign kings instead of God, God will make Asa’s last days full of war. Scripture continues on listing out the history of Judah’s king’s. Some of the kings truly sought the Lord and sought to reform the religious life of Judah. Jehoshaphat “walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices for Israel” (2 Chronicles 17:3-4). The religious significance is that idolatry was tampered down, the king obeyed the law, and the southern kingdom was not like the northern. We even see collaboration between north and south for a moment. King Ahab in the north seeks out help from Jehoshaphat in the south against Syria. It is a gesture of goodwill from Jehoshaphat, but it turns out to be judgment on Ahab. The prophets tell Ahab that this is a design from God to draw Ahab out into a battle to remove him from the throne. Ahab is a schemer, so he disguises himself to hide from the king of Syria, who has told his army to only go after Ahab and no one else. God actively protects Jehoshaphat and sends a “random” arrow between Ahab’s armor. The collaboration between north and south was not the good that God intended. The Chronicler wants to make sure that we see the northern kingdom of Israel has truly turned into a pagan society. They hate God. Jehoshaphat found out there is such a thing as practicing discernment in generosity. It may be difficult, but not everyone is in need of your help. This awakening sends Jehoshaphat into reform mode. He sets us good judge to ensure the law of God is practiced justly and courageously. God blesses the kingdom with military protection and goods. Jehoram was a wicked king who brought the judgment of God on his people. He rebuilt the altars used for idol worship throughout the land. The prophet Elijah to tell Jehoram that God’s judgment will be in the form of a plague on the people and his own family. Jehoram himself will become so sick that he dies. He’s the only king who gets the epithet, “And he departed with no one’s regret” (2 Chronicles 21:20). This is the result of idolatry. Jehoram’s son Ahaziah follows in his father’s footsteps, as if he had learned nothing. But in that day, in the pagan world, a new king meant that a new god could be worshiped. The king stood in the “image” of a god. So if Ahaziah simply changed the name of the god or gods whom the people worshiped, we understand, at least intellectually, why he made the same mistakes. He refused to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and instead chose to worship a false god. Athaliah’s mother wants him to be king instead of the rightful king, Joash. But Joash’s sister hides him to protect him until he’s older. Seven years later, Joash’s family forms an alliance with the priests and commanders to remove Athaliah from the throne. He is executed, and Joash becomes king at seven-years-old. The rightful king is now in place. The Davidic dynasty is a promise. Joash is a good king and begins repairing the temple, which has sat in disuse while wicked kings practiced idolatry. The only stain on his reign that’s mentioned is his refusal to stand up for the priest Zechariah. Zechariah had preached against the sin of the people, the people revolted, and Joash permitted the people to stone him. In judgment, God permits the Syrian army to kill Joash. When the king permits the people to live in sin, one can hardly expect anything other than God’s judgment. The religious implications are that preaching must not hide from naming sins found among the people, and those in authority must not prevent that from happening. Amaziah, much like many other kings, begins well. He follows the law of Moses and calls the people to do so, as well. He is noted as a courageous king who can capture thousands of enemies. But after a series of successes, Amaziah becomes full of himself and begins worshiping false gods. He wants to be the same as the nations around him, so he sets himself up as one who bears the image of pagan gods. But in his patience, God sends a prophet to call him to repentance. Instead of repentance, Amaziah interrupts the prophet and threatens to kill him. Now the prophet simply pronounces God’s judgment which will not change; God will destroy Amaziah. God’s judgment will come swiftly. Amaziah seems to want to fight the northern kingdom. Israel does not want to fight, so king Joash of the north tells Amaziah to go home. But “it was of God”, so Amaziah insists on fighting, and he loses dreadfully. Joash wipes the temple treasury clean and takes home gold and silver. He returns home wealthier than when he came. Judah is defeated. Amaziah’s life ends in destruction, as God promised. The people are furious that their king has led them to a slaughter. He flees, but they pursue him and kill him. But because he was a king, as with all the others, he was buried with the other kings. And because of the covenant nature of Jerusalem’s king, he must be in the lineage of David. It is right that Amaziah’s son Uzziah become king. Like Joash, he was a young king, only sixteen years of age. Zechariah is still a prophet, as he was with Uzziah’s father. Under the guidance of Zechariah, Uzziah sought the Lord. He rebuilt major cities and his military, all the things you expect a king to do. But in a time of peace, he grew prideful. Since the time of David, no king would also be a priest. Those who were two distinct roles fulfilling different purposes. Combining them would usher in a host of problems. But Uzziah took it upon himself to burn the priestly incense in the temple. He was not content to have governmental authority; he wanted religious authority, as well. Pride always convinces us that we deserve more. What’s interesting is that there seems to be no initial disciplinary measure besides being told of his wrongdoing. But Uzziah is angry, and it’s only when he became angry with the priests did he show to have leprosy. It was clear this was a judgment of God, and he was leprous for the rest of his life. There could hardly be a more embarrassing situation for a king, whose entire life was public. Now he must seclude himself. He would remain king, but his son Jotham served in the name of his father. When Uzziah died, he was buried away from the other kings because of his leprosy. The prophet Isaiah mentioned in 26:22 is the same prophet who wrote the book of Isaiah. But the book mentioned is not this prophetic book but another one we do not have. Isaiah received his call to be a prophet in the final year of Uzziah’s life (Isaiah 6:1). Jotham’s reign is given little attention. But it is clear that he is to seen in stark contrast to his father. It is to Jotham’s credit that he receives such a commendation from the Chronicler. He lived a holy life, took care of the city and the people, and was rewarded by God through the generosity of foreign nations. Acts 21-25 Paul goes to Jerusalem, visits James, arrested in the temple, speaks to the people, before the tribe, before the council Paul is head for Jerusalem. He knows that there will persecution if he goes, but he cannot disobey the Holy Spirit. He would rather die that drive the Spirit of God. This becomes even more difficult for him, because his peers do not want him to go. They are well aware of the intentions of the Jews in Jerusalem. A prophet even confirms what Paul already knows: this is the beginning of the end for him. In Jerusalem, it makes sense that Paul would want to visit with the elders of the church. There is still some resentment among the Jewish Christians that the Gentiles Christians are not required to keep the Jewish law. But neither are the Jewish Christians! The problem is that it would be difficult to say that both groups are Christians, but the very thing that has been the core of your identity is no longer in force. You, as a Jew, might feel as though your whole life has been a sham. So to assuage the resent of the Jewish Christians, the Jerusalem elders have Paul pay for the sacrifices that would normally end a vow taken by a Jew of some of the local Jewish Christians. Paul is happy to do so. He will not unnecessarily offend anyone. The paying of vows takes place with the priests in the temple. Some non-Christian Jews see him enter with these four men, and they think he is bringing unclean Gentiles into the temple. This would of course normally be a great violation. But they are simply confused, or they might be attempting to get rid of Paul. If it’s no longer necessary to obey the law, so they think Paul says, then it stands to reason he’s laissez faire about who can go in the temple, as well. From this point on, Paul is on the defensive. “All the city was stirred up, and the people ran together” (21:30). A mob forms because of the lies being spread about Paul. When a lack of order erupted, the Roman soldiers took over. One of the soldiers in charge is surprised that Paul knows Greek, but he’s even more surprised to find out that Paul is a Roman citizen. All Paul wants to do is address the Jews who started the mob, and the Roman tribune permits him to do so. Paul this this opportunity to recount the Lord meeting him on the road to Damascus. The people are willing to entertain Paul’s history, to a point. Once he mentions that he’s been sent to preach to the Gentiles, insinuating they are equal before God with the Jews, they can stand it no longer. They want him dead. The Jews get the centurion holding custody of Paul to beat him, but Paul again tells this man that he’s a Roman citizen. Beating a citizen was not permitted, so if the centurion and tribune continued, they would possibly be in danger of losing their own lives. The most they can do is detain him. The tribune is flabbergasted as to why Paul is causing such a hysteria. He seems to be meek, not saying anything that is worthy of the mob. As he’s before the Jewish council, Paul takes off the gloves. Though he should not have spoken so harshly to a priest, he is right to call him a whitewashed wall—clean on the outside, dead on the inside. Paul finally gets to answer that he is on trial because of his message, that Jesus died and rose again. As if it wasn’t already heated enough, the two groups that made up the council, Pharisees and Sadducees, completely disagreed about the truth of the resurrection. The Pharisees affirmed the resurrection of the dead in the age to come while the Sadducees disagreed. The situation again turns violent, and the tribe gets Paul out of there. Let the Jews fight their own fights Paul is reassured by the Lord himself. The confession of the faith is based not on feelings or emotions, but on facts. Christ tells him that Paul has “testified to the facts about me”. Nothing Paul has said was untrue. Christianity is based on objective truth, not experience or emotion. But locking Paul won’t stop the mob from being a mob. They want him dead and will stop at nothing to accomplish that. Paul’s nephew catches wind of the plot and gets a message to him. Because of Paul’s Roman citizenship, the tribune knows that he must keep Paul safe at all costs. He’s already on thin ice by detaining him. He needs to get Paul out of there to keep him safe; also, Paul’s case is a bizarre one. The tribune sends an entourage with Paul to the local governor, Felix. The tribune relates the short history he has with Paul in a letter. Not only will Paul get to address the governor, but so will his detractors. They will have a proper day in court. Paul is kept under close watch while everyone waits for the Jews to arrive. Only the high priest, a spokesman, and a group of elders came to accuse Paul in court. They charge him, in front of Felix, with disrupting the peace and profaning what they held sacred. Paul is permitted to give a response. His basic argument is that even if the Jews don’t like what he has to say, he’s done nothing to disrupt the peace. If anything, these Jews are the ones disturbing the peace. Paul’s message lines up perfectly with their own Scriptures. Can the elders actually point to an instance of breaking the law, or are they just furious with Paul? For two years, Paul is kept in prison. Well, his prison is more of a light house arrest. Basically, Paul is determined to not be a flight risk. Felix had a basic understanding of Christianity, so he wasn’t going to be too hasty in making a decision. He liked what Paul had to say. Now what Paul has to say is beginning to alarm him. Not only will there be a resurrection, but the resurrection precedes the final judgment. But Felix’s wife was Jewish, so he’s not going to completely disregard the Jews in this case. He’s going to leave Paul is prison so as not to aggravate them. Another group of priests and elders of the Jews attempt to kill Paul. They want to ambush him. Festus takes over after Felix leaves office. Festus wants to meet Paul, as well. It is in this travel time that the ambush has been planned, so Paul is given plenty of security on the way. Paul again argues for his innocence and the truth of the gospel message. He’s getting impatient after these couple of years on house arrest, because no official charges have been laid against him. So he finally insists that his case go to Caesar. His life is in danger, and no one cares to do anything about it. Nothing in government moves too quickly, then or now. Paul is still waiting to go to trial before Caesar when King Agrippa (kind of like a governor of governors) and his wife Bernice visit Festus. Festus tells Agrippa about Paul, and he peaks Agrippa’s interest. Soon, Paul will relate the same essential testimony again to Agrippa. Psalms 146-150 Psalm 146: Trust in the Lord, not any earthly power. Psalm 147: God cares for those who have been brought low. Psalm 148: All of creation will praise the Lord. Psalm 149: God will bring justice to the earth. Psalm 150: Praise God for all that he has done! 1 Chronicles 25-29
The books of Chronicles are primarily focused not on exact history but on the religious significance of that history. We shouldn’t be surprised when there are lengthy sections that deal with the temple, which was the center of all religious activity for Israel. The musicians would worship in song during the time of daily sacrifices. The temple musicians were skilled singers and instrumentalists. The leader of the musicians trained the other musicians. These musicians were not just volunteers; they were chosen from among the Levites, the tribe who were already chosen to be priests. They were experts in the law, and the music reflected theological accuracy, not just emotional expression. 1 Chronicles 9:33 tells us that they served day and night. If you’ve ever had professional musical experience, you understand the level of commitment and time required to become proficient. Music as entertainment has its place; that place is not in worship of God. The gatekeepers shared similar responsibilities to what we might call a trustee. They guarded the entrances to the temple, as well as all that was inside. It was not just a security detail; they guarded the sanctity of God’s house. There were an incredible amount of details that went into the right worship of God, especially the sacrifices. The gatekeepers were charged with both the security of the temple as well as the necessary physical components of the entire system. The temple required an extreme amount of organization. The priests also functioned as treasurers, officers, and judges. Like the priests, commanders of the army served for periods of time. This tempered the burden of serving in a role that required constant preoccupation. Once the necessary temple officials are in place, David begins the final process of handing responsibility over to the officials and his son, Solomon. He calls all of those officials together to charge them to remain faithful to all that their duties will require. In the same place, David charges Solomon to also remain faithful. David knows that building a temple will not be a quick or painless process. Even if there is a plan and a host of officials already in place, no building project is without its opposition. Solomon must be confident in his kingship and lead the officials. The king will be the primary covenant-keeper in Israel. As the king goes, so goes the nation. David’s final act is to pray over the people. David recognizes, finally, that everything he has comes from God’s good pleasure. All we do is give what he has given to us back to him as a measly offering. Can that rightly even be called a sacrifice? Solomon is anointed a second time to confirm in front of everyone that his coronation is unchangeable. David has reigned for forty years, and now he dies. His life is summarized as “full of days, riches, and honor” (29:28). The author even recognizes that if a person wants a full accounting of David’s reign, he should look elsewhere. This is a purely religious document, outlining why the nation of Israel is in the state it is. 2 Chronicles 1-10 God offers Solomon anything; Solomon asks for wisdom and is given much more (1). Solomon makes preparations for the tempe (2). The temple is built and furnished (3-5). The ark is brought to the temple (5). Solomon dedicates the temple (6). God sends fire from heaven to consume the first sacrifice (7). The temple is fully dedicated, and Solomon prays (7). The author recounts Solomon’s greatness over the course of 20 years of building the temple (8). The queen of Sheba is in awe of Solomon’s greatness (9). Solomon dies (9). Rehoboam is anointed king (10). Jeroboam begins to undermine Rehoboam’s reign (10). 1-2 Chronicles were originally one document, later divided into two for readability. The division is neat and tidy; David dies at the end of 1 Chronicles, and Solomon begins his reign in 2 Chronicles. We rightfully praise Solomon for asking for wisdom. But we should also recognize that it was God’s offer to give anything to Solomon that precipitated his request. Solomon has surely heard all about Saul’s spiritual disaster of a reign. He witnessed firsthand the problems that stem from a lack of self-control in a king in his father. In humility, he asks for wisdom to do better than his predecessors in spiritual matters. The author of 1-2 Chronicles wants us to see that it was God’s gift of wisdom that made Solomon so great, nothing inside of Solomon that he could claim as his own. To show how generous God is, God gives Solomon far more than he asks for. Much of it came from foreign lands, possibly signifying Israel’s role in both being blessed by the nations as well as being a blessing to the nations. Because the temple is so central to what it means to be an Israelite, Solomon spends considerable time in preparation to build it, much like his father David. He calls for the best material and expert craftsmen. In an interesting note, Huram-abi of 2 Chronicles 2:13 is supposed patriarch of the fantasy-laden Freemasons. But that’s a post for another day. Over the course of a few chapters, Solomon completes the construction of the temple. Like the building plan for the tabernacle in the wilderness, it is set in great detail. Of note is the description of the Most Holy Place. There is gold everywhere. Two cherubim, or angels who are given a guardian function, are incredibly ornate and covered in gold. Expensive blue and purple fabrics line the area. This is God’s earthly throne. We must be told how intricate and beautiful God’s dwelling place is. Take note of how often the quality of the materials is mentioned. God is worthy of the best. Then the ark is brought into the temple. The moment is full of pomp. It is placed in the Most Holy Place, the sanctum sanctorum, under the wings of the cherubim. At this time, an innumerable amount of animals are sacrificed. Note that the priestly musicians are worshiping at this time, as well. These musicians were not leading a congregation in worship as we do in Sunday morning worship. They were simply given a charge to worship God in music because is worthy of it. A cloud is often used as an image of the presence of God. At the completion of the building of the temple, God fills his house with his presence. Much later, the prophet Ezekiel will see the presence of God leave the temple because of Israel’s unfaithfulness (Ezekiel 1). The temple will then be destroyed during the time of the exile. Once it is rebuilt, there is no mention of God’s presence filling the temple; that is, until Jesus Christ comes in the fullness of God. That is why Simeon and Anna are worshiping and praising God; he has come to fill his holy temple. Solomon addresses the people with a brief historical reminder of what has brought them to this time and place. We should take note of how often biblical characters do this. History is context. Why are the people dedicating a temple? Because of their own desires or hard work? No; it is because God made a promise to Abraham, then to Moses, then to David. God is the living God of Israel. God makes and keeps his promises. God made a covenant with Israel on Sinai, and the evidence of it is kept in the ark in the Holy of Holies. There is no God like our God. Solomon’s prayer is that the people would turn to God in repentance when they sin and that God would settle in the Holy of Holies among his people. The temple will serve as a type, or a foreshadow, of Jesus Christ. When he says that he will rebuild the temple, he is saying that upon his resurrection, he will actually be the temple (John 2:19). He will be the place where we worship God. When we come to Christ, we come to the temple. In the age to come, there will be no temple because Christ is our temple (Revelation 21:22). For seven days, the people feasted and celebrated the presence of God in their midst. It’s at this time that God speaks to Solomon again. He warns Solomon that when the people neglect his house and sacrifices, or they practice this superficially or selfishly, he will close the skies and the ground so that nothing grows. But, in an act of mercy, if the people humbly repent, he assures Solomon beyond a shadow of a doubt that he will forgive them instantly. There is no question that God loves to forgive his people. God also makes a promise to Solomon that if he neglects his kingly responsibilities and the divine law, he will remove Solomon just as quickly. It will be a clear sign of kingly abdication. But again, this is about religious instruction. The author shows us how awesome Solomon was, as a type of man who lives in a way that honors the Lord and as a man whom the Lord honors. Solomon is so great that exceptional people from foreign lands come just to witness his greatness, hence the Queen of Sheba. The greatness of the kingdom of Israel takes her breath away. Solomon is wealthy beyond measure. This is the end, however, of Solomon’s story, as far as the Chronicler is concerned. The major religious concerns have been told, and now it’s time to move on. Solomon’s death is quickly recorded. Like his father David, Solomon reigned for forty years. Acts 17-20 Paul preaches again in Ephesus to some who are already disciples but have not heard of the Spirit (19). Paul stays for two years to preach and debate (19). A family of exorcists are overpowered by a demon, which leads to many withes, etc., to burn their books; the word of the Lord increases (19). A riot breaks out because of the damage done to the idol-making business (19). Paul goes to Macedonia; he preaches all night, and a young man falls asleep and then out of a window; he dies, but Paul is able to miraculously resuscitate him (20). Paul addresses the elders of the Ephesian church; urges them to guard against incoming wolves (20). Paul’s missionary journeys continue. He finds himself in Thessalonica with his crew. For every warm welcome Paul receives, he receives two public stonings. Paul addressed the Jews of the city for three Sabbaths. They rejected the gospel, and a mob formed to throw them out of town. Instead of the Jews coming to faith, we’re told that many Greeks, both men and women, confess Jesus is Lord. Apparently, Paul’s message consisted primarily of how the Messiah would have to suffer before entering into his kingdom. That by itself is not so much the controversy. But think, how did the Messiah suffer? By whose hands did he suffer? We might understand why the Jews took offense. Regardless, they refused to believe. We’re not given hardly any information about Jason. But suffice it to say that the original readers surely knew who he was, or his place in the story would have made no sense. This is one of the many evidences for the reliability of the Scriptures. The original readers did not challenge either the historicity of the events or the reality of the characters. After preaching to the Gentiles (and presumably setting up a church), Paul and company leave for Berea. The Bereans are noteworthy because of their insistence upon corroborating Paul’s gospel with the Scriptures, or the Old Testament. The New Testament commends the Bereans for doing so. This means that we should also search the Old Testament for Christ. All of Scripture is a single story of God’s redeeming plan for creation. Some interpretive frameworks, such as dispensationalism, overextend the discontinuity between the testaments/covenants. On the other hand, interpretive frameworks such as covenant theology overextend the continuity. It is enough o say that Christ is concealed in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament. Nota Bene: I have found the interpretive framework of “progressive covenantalism” to be a compelling way of reading the Scriptures as a whole. God progressively works his plan of redemption through the successive covenants, culminating in the new covenant in Christ’s blood. I have some excellent book recommendations for those who are interested. Paul reaches Athens and addresses many of the philosophers in the town square. Many of them are not impressed with Paul or his message, calling him a “babbler” (17:18). Some theologians have taken the snippet of Paul’s sermon in Acts 17 to the Greek philosophers as evidence that we do not need to turn people to Jesus, per se, just to God. It’s a way of softening the exclusivity of Christianity. But that attempt falls on its face, because in 17:18, Luke clearly tells us that Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection.” What we have here is only a summary statement of Paul’s sermon, not a transcript. When we share the gospel, we preach Christ and him crucified. Again, Luke makes note of both men and women coming to faith in Christ. Why does Luke keep adding the short phrase, “and not a few women,” to his narrative? He is showing that while faith in Christ is exclusive, it is also inclusive. Christ is the only way to the Father, but all people are called to repent of their sins equally. While some arguments are horrendously overblown, it is true that women were often second-class citizens in Greek/Roman/Western cultures. Christianity exploded primarily because of the Spirit’s work, but secondarily because of the inclusive message of redemption. Paul continues to move about and preach to both Jews and Gentiles. But the Jew continue to reject Christ. Finally Paul tells them that they have judged themselves, and their blood is on their own hands. There are times in the life of the church when we shake the dirt off of our feet and move on, as heart-wrenching as it may be. We are most faithful when we honor the gospel. As the Jews attack Paul, they attempt to involve the civil authorities. They approach the proconsul Gallio. A consul is a government leader an emperor puts in a place of authority in a location far from the center of the empire to be the emperor’s eyes and ears, and a proconsul is something of a deputy of the consul. Bureaucracy is nothing new. Don’t be surprised when those who hate the gospel use every tactic they can. Even today, there are those who wish to use the full force of the state and federal government to silence the gospel message. One man Paul meets in Ephesus is Apollos. We’re told he’s from Alexandria, which is not a small detail. Alexandria was a significant center of education and philosophy in the ancient world. It was the ultimate cosmopolitan locale. You’ve probably heard of the famous library of Alexandria. This is Apollos’s hometown. He’s an exceptionally bright man. He’s a bold preacher. His problem is that his understanding of the things of God, the gospel, are unpolished. True intelligence is the ability to polish your thoughts so that they’re clear, and that’s exactly what Priscilla and Aquila do for Apollos. Acts 19 is perhaps the greatest evidence that humor is a divine attribute. It contains one of my favorite stories in all of Scripture. These Jewish exorcists, the sons of Sceva, have a exorcism business. They have made quite a living doing so. These seven sons of Sceva begin to believe they can exorcise demons in Jesus’s name. In one attempt, they lose control of the situation. The demon says to them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” There has never been a line in a movie as perfect as that. Immediately, the demon takes the lunch of each of the seven sons of Sceva, strips them naked, and sends them running through Ephesus. Go ahead and take a minute to enjoy that mental image. This results in the magicians, witches, warlocks, sorcerer supremes, scarlet witches, and any other dark artists burning their books in the center of town. The value of those books was 50,000 pieces of silver. Inflation aside, that’s a huge amount of money. It’s not a surprise that this sparks a riot in Ephesus. A silversmith who made silver shrines is suddenly out of business. He gathers his fellow tradesmen together to riot against Paul and his cohort. There is another attempt to involve the government, but there just aren’t any charges that will stick. The Christians are good people who live in peace in the city, but that doesn’t stop their enemies from trying to destroy them because of the gospel. The riot died down, and Paul left for Macedonia. He continues to strengthen the churches and evangelize. In one such instance when Paul is preaching, he goes a little long. It’s noteworthy that the Christians are gathering to hear the word preached on the first day of the week (20:7). This has been the case ever since Christians began meeting, to worship on the first day of the week, the Lord’s day. Since Paul only has time to stay for one day, he wants to say everything he can. So, he goes well into the night. Eutychus, a young man, is doing his best to stay awake, but the day is long. He it sitting in a window sill, falls outs, and dies. Paul rushes down, picked him up, and he was resuscitated (resurrection is reserved the the end of the age). Paul heads to Ephesus to continue strengthening the churches. While there, he addresses the elders/bishops/overseers. He urges to pay close attention to the people, their flock. One of an elder’s/pastor’s main jobs is to guard the flock from emotional and intellectual wolves. There will be teachers who try to twist the word of God to make it say what it clearly (or not so clearly) does not say. Their goal will be to draw away people from the faith once delivered to the saints. Your pastor’s job is to guard you from that happening through the preaching and teaching of the word, prayer, and the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s supper. Psalms 141-145 Psalm 141: I will keep from doing evil by seeking the Lord. Psalm 142: The Lord is my peace. Psalm 143: I am weak, but the Lord will guide me. Psalm 144: The Lord blesses his people with all good things. Psalm 145: God is great, everlasting, and righteous. 1 Chronicles 8-24
It’s worth repeating the the gospel is preached through historical record. We see God’s providence, guiding and directing all things to their appointed end. That is true of the the big picture, and it’s true of a single family’s genealogy, such as Benjamin’s in chapter 8. It won’t be long before the nation of Israel splits into two kingdoms. The southern kingdom will consist of the tribes of Judah and most of Benjamin. These two tribes will be the kingdom that gets bombarded by Babylon. After king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon permits the exiles to return to Judah to rebuild, they are the descendants of those tribes. Those names are listed in chapter 9. Most important to the life of the religious community were those who could regather the people—the priests, Levites, and gatekeepers. 1-2 Chronicles can seem like they are random stories or histories thrown together without much thought. Chapters 1-9 are a genealogy that ends with the return from exile. Chapter 10 begins a new section going all the way back to the time of King Saul. And don’t 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings both describe this same time period? The books of Chronicles are less concerned with a blow-by-blow historical account of Israel’s history and are more concerned with the religious implications of that history. You read comments like, “So Saul died for his breach of faith” (1 Chronicles 10:13). Saul’s whole reign is summed up in a couple of paragraphs, because the focus is on the the religious meaning of his reign. Even King David’s life is only a few chapters, more of an executive summary. The author is focused on identifying Saul’s reign as a failure and David as the first true king of Israel. His shortcomings are minimized and his military victories are magnified. David is also identified with establishing right worship in Jerusalem. He is shown to be responsible for bringing the ark, the sign of the presence of God, to Jerusalem. The placing of the ark in the tent of worship is only given four verses when it is told in 2 Samuel 6:17-20. But in 2 Chronicles, it receives a significant part of chapter 16. The religious implications of Israelite history are the sole focus of the books of Chronicles. Chapter 17 in its entirety confirms the everlasting covenant God made with David. In this covenant, two components are established: a son of David on the throne, and a house for worship of God. David will not build the temple, but that will fall to his son Solomon. This covenant sets up the expectation of a future son of David, one who will lead his people into true righteousness and obedience. In the same way Jesus fulfills that expectation, he also fulfills the expectation of a temple for worship of God. Jesus is the earthly king and the heavenly temple. David has another series of military victories. Again, these are not so much historical records as they are religious instruction. Throughout the narration of his victories, we’re told about David’s justice and equity among his people (see 18:14). David is also embarrassed or disgraced by another king, but they are quickly destroyed. Because the author’s focus is religious instruction, he’s not unconcerned with David’s faults if they have a valuable lesson and show God’s providence. David orders a census, which the author tells us is inspired by Satan, in order to build up his army. God disciplined David by sending a pestilence upon the people. In response to God’s judgment, David purchases some land to build an altar where he can sacrifice to God. This is the future site of the temple which Solomon will build. The covenant made to David is progressing. David is now an aged king, and he is preparing Solomon to replace him. Note that none of the drama between the remainder of David’s sons is given here at all. It’s all about religious instruction. In his final days, David organizes the religious leaders into their divisions. This includes everything from the priests to the musicians. Each of these sections is given significant space. David gives a final charge to the people of Israel to keep the law and follow the rightful king of Israel. This is the only hint we get that there is dissension among his children about who the rightful king might be. He simultaneously presents a public charge to Solomon to stay faithful. Acts 14-16 Paul and Barnabas continue to preach primarily to the Jews first, but they will turn away no Gentile who desires to hear and obey. We could say that the Jews are being divisive by making people choose sides. But that’s exactly what the gospel does. It expects action on one of two roads: the wide or the narrow way. The Greeks were known to be extremely religious people. Though they were also known for their philosophers, they did not discount the supernatural. When Paul heals a lame man, the people think that their pantheon of gods has descended upon them. Paul takes this opportunity to explain to them the biblical worldview that has a sharp division between the divine and human. God has shown patience to those who blur that line in the past, but now, he calls us to repentance. It was God’s kindness that blessed even those who rejected him. More Jews are determined to destroy Paul and put an ends to his message. A group of Jews stone Paul and leave him for dead. Whether it was a miracle or not, we are left to wonder. But Paul gets up and continues to preach. He is not wishy-washy about the kind of life the Christian has to look forward to. Many of them will experience the kind of persecution that he himself has faced, even to death. But Paul’s ministry looks similar wherever he goes. He strengthens the churches and sets up solid leadership wherever he goes. The conflict between the Jews and Gentiles has come to a head. Essentially, there were Jews who were amenable to the Christian message with one caveat: you must become a Jew first. Why was that? There were several sects within first-century Judaism. None of the primary sects followed a particularly captivating personality, but they were more idealogical. Those who saw Christians as purely idealogical had no problem subsuming them under the banner of Judaism. But the Christians won’t stand for that kind of misunderstanding. They truly believed that the wall of separation between Jew and Gentile was eradicated, never to be rebuilt. Instead of a complicated initiation into Judaism, Gentiles could place their faith in Christ alone. Salvation is from the Jews, but the Jewish Messiah is the one Messiah for all people. Enter the Jerusalem council. Peter relates his experience from chapter 10 with Cornelius. As an apostle, his experience is authoritative. He received a vision and saw the Spirit fall. Because of this confirmation that the Spirit is being poured out on the Gentiles, the council makes the judgment that all that Gentiles need to do is not to offend their Jewish brothers and sisters. Some have argued that James adds to list of demands beyond the gospel. But all that he says shows that he is not adding anything but actually lessening the burden upon the Gentiles who live among Jews. They should not take part in civic idolatry, abstain from sexual immorality (which is a sin for everyone, regardless of ethnicity), from unclean carcasses, and from blood, which may have had a ritualistic/cultic emphasis. We might summarize the outcome of the Jerusalem council like this: have nothing to do with any idolatrous practices, with a few examples given. Even the apostles did not agree on everything beyond the gospel. Paul and Barnabas disagree on the best way to move on after John Mark had gone his own way at some earlier point. Barnabas wanted to take Mark, but Paul disagreed. This was not the end of their ministries; in fact, they both continued to strengthen the churches. Sometimes, disagreement is not the end but simply a complicating factor. This same John Mark will write the gospel of Mark as a protege of Peter. While Paul takes Silas instead of Mark, he meets Timothy. Timothy had both Jewish and Greek heritage, so he was someone likely to have an impact as the wall dividing Jews and Greeks was coming down. Paul, Silas, and Timothy continue to strengthen the churches and winning more people to Christ. We’re told that the Holy Spirit forbade them from going to Asia. Why in the world would the Spirit not want apostles to go a certain place? It’s not that the Spirit didn’t care about Asia, but more that the Spirit already had a plan for this group of missionaries. Paul receives a vision of a man telling Paul to come to Macedonia and to preach there. We’re not told how close in time these two events were. It likely wasn’t that long, but even in the face of being stopped from their desired travel, they continued moving. They wanted to go to Bithynia, but when that was not allowed, they went through Mysia to Troas. If they couldn't do what they wanted, they would do what they could. One setback was no reason to grow despondent and to quit. Up until this point, besides Cornelius, we haven’t had a great number of stories of individual conversions. But here we have a few in quick succession. The gospel is shown to spread to whole families and cities, and now we’re seeing the impact of the gospel on individuals. Lydia is a successful businesswoman who worshiped God but did not know him as savior. While in prison, Paul and Silas’s jailor is converted. Jailors were not among the wealthiest people in that society, so we see the same gospel moving powerfully in the lives of everyone who believes, regardless of anything about them. Psalm 136-140 Psalm 136: God created all things and saved his people from slavery. Psalm 137: Even in captivity, we will sing praises to our Lord. Psalm 138: Everyone will one day acknowledge the Lord. Psalm 139: I am completely known by God. Psalm 140: God will one day destroy the wicked. 2 Kings 20-25
God had told Hezekiah that his time on this earth is coming to a close. Hezekiah is distressed, so he prays for recovery. God sends the prophet Isaiah to Hezekiah to assure him that God has heard his prayer and will give Hezekiah 15 more years of life. It is not because of Hezekiah’s greatness or piety, but because of God’s covenant with David that he will protect the city. Isaiah goes to Hezekiah with assurance and food. Hezekiah is somewhat a fool. The king of Babylon goes to him and asks to see his treasury and armory, to which Hezekiah obliges. Because of this foolishness, Isaiah assures Hezekiah that Babylon will one day possess the land. It will only be a temporary possession, but a possession nonetheless. The people will go into exile, and Babylon will rule over the people who are left. Eventually, Persia will overtake Babylon, but the Jews will still be in exile, just under a different empire. King Darius of Persia would permit the Jews to go back and rebuild, but they would still be considered a people under Persian rule. Even in Jesus’ day, the Jews were considered under Roman rule. After the time of Hezekiah, the Jews are never again considered a free people. Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, take his place. He is a wicked king to end all wicked kings. He builds altars to idols, and he does so in the temple. By this point in Jewish history, they were considered by God to be even more wicked than the Canaanites he told them to push out in the days of Moses and Joshua. Manasseh is a pagan king ruling a pagan people. The image of a plumb line is an image of judgment. God is measuring his people and finds them wanting. We get a glimpse of hope in the reign of Josiah. After all these years, when the people have rejected God and his righteous law, the book of the law is found hidden in the temple. Josiah is cut to the quick and demands reform. Are we finally on the right path? His reforms are successful. The altars are cut down, the Passover is celebrated, and right worship is reinstated. Things are looking good! But here we see the fickle nature of human kingdoms. One term of a king may put the nation on the right track, and the next can undo all that good work. Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, take his place. He is a wicked king, totally opposite of his father, and undoes all the righteous progress his father had made. In our own country, we should be grateful that abortion, that fetid practice disguised as human rights and choice, is no longer a federal law. But we should not fool ourselves into thinking there will not be movements by the Jehoahazes of our day to reinstate the fetal holocaust, many of which are already underway. America is not Israel, but God would be just in sending Babylon our way should we permit this to happen. Because that’s exactly what he did to Judah. Jerusalem is captured, but Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon permits a vassal king to stay there. Zedekiah rebelled against his oppressor, but he was not powerful enough to stop it. God had ordained this to happen, and there was no way out. Instead of a king, Judah now has a governor. They are now just a state within the Babylonian empire. They have no power or authority of their own. God is just in his discipline. He is not doing anything other than exactly what he said he would do in the face of a faithless nation. 1 Chronicles 1-7 If you are familiar with the genealogies in the Bible, you will see how similar they are. Matthew 1 is a purposefully shrunken version of 1 Chronicles 1-9, in order to show how Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel’s history. The first several chapters of 1 Chronicles can seem like you’re reading a phone book, but you’re actually get a Reader’s Digest history lesson. We’re getting a quick look at Israel’s history through the lens of the major players. It’s okay to read these chapters quickly, but we shouldn’t miss the point. God’s people live in real space and time. They are not myths devised to present a theology. God is at work in history, progressively revealing himself and what is true. Acts 10-13 The primary struggle of the early church was the relationship between Jewish and Gentile believers. Did Jews have to stop being Jewish to be a Christian? Did Gentiles have to become Jews first to be a Christian? Wouldn’t that make them primarily a Jew? Fairly quickly in church history, because of these questions, Christianity became its own religion apart from any ties to the Judaism of the first century. This even took place before the temple was destroyed in AD 70. Nero blamed the Christians, not the Jews, for the fire that destroyed parts of Rome over the course of almost a week in July of AD 64. An author named Pliny the Younger talked about Christians without ever mentioning any Jewish heritage by the latter decades of the first century. And besides that, after the temple fell, the Judaism of post-AD 70 had almost no ties to the Judaism of the first century. Jews without a temple venerated the Old Testament, but they relied solely on the books called the Talmud and the Mishnah to interpret the Old Testament for them. In Acts 10, Peter is confronted with the reality of Gentile believers being indwelt by the Holy Spirit in the same way as he fell on the Jews of the diaspora at Pentecost. He is praying at his regular daily time, and it is then that he receives a vision from God declaring all foods clean. But even then, in declaring all foods clean, God is speaking in a greater way, declaring there are no longer distinctions between Jew and Gentile. This of course does not mean that all men are saved automatically but that the ethnic dimension of God’s kingdom is no longer central. Gentiles could always enter into Israel by circumcision as a sign and seal that they had done so. But the new covenant is a circumcision of the heart. It is a work of God on the interior of a man or woman. Therefore, as Paul is about to find out, “Israel” is no longer an ethnic term but a broader term that signifies all those who are in union with the true Israelite, Jesus Christ. Cornelius, a Gentile, also receives a vision of a man coming to preach to him, which will be Peter. Once Peter and Cornelius meet, Peter gives a clear presentation of the gospel. Preaching is the means by which people hear and believe. Note the order of events. Peter preaches, and the Holy Spirit falls. No one asks for the Spirit to fall; he simply does what the Spirit does. There is no telling where the wind will blow, and in the same way, the Spirit moves where he pleases. After there is clear evidence of the Spirit’s presence in the new believers, they are baptized. The Spirit fell “on all who heard the word.” Because they have the Spirit, there was no longer any reason to withhold the waters of baptism. In Acts 10:2, we read that Cornelius and his household feared God. Acts 11:14 is where we read that the household in its entirety was saved. We can assume they were all baptized, as well, even though it’s not explicitly mentioned. Regardless, two things are true: the Spirit fell on them all, and they were all baptized. No one was baptized without belief in the new covenant made in Christ’s blood. We’re briefly reminded of the martyrdom of Stephen. Because of his murder at the hands of the Jews, the Christians are fearful. One man’s persecution led to the persecution of many more. But that’s just some context for what comes next: people kept preaching the Lord Jesus. Many came to believe, even amidst the persecution going on. It’s so unbelievable that the elders in Jerusalem send Barnabas to confirm. Only in the mind of God would persecution lead to the strengthening of the churches. We’re told, almost in a throwaway note, that it’s under persecution in Antioch that disciples were first known as Christians. The emperor Claudius reigned during the 40s-50s AD. He is mentioned in chapter 11 as a time-hack for the famine that Agabus foretold. The famine is to be over the “whole world”, but that is a technical term for the world inhabited by the Greek as opposed to the barbarians, IE, the civilized world. Stephen was the first Christian martyr, but he was not the last. King Herod continued on with the persecution from the people, and it resulted in James’s murder. As an apostle in Jerusalem, he was a prominent figure. His murder would be a clear example to the common man what results from being a Christian. Not only is an apostle murdered, but an apostle is imprisoned. Peter is captured also by Herod, sent to prison, and kept under a special guard. During his stay, he receives a vision of an angel. He is miraculously set free from his chains and told to leave the cell. Peter actually thinks he’s dreaming! When he’s outside the prison, the angel leaves him, and he realizes that what he’s experienced was real. Peter heads to John Mark’s mother’s house. Many disciples were meeting in homes, probably to avoid public persecution. Because the persecution has resulted in the death of so many, it’s reasonable for Rhoda to think that Peter is dead and that she’s seeing his angel. The belief in “guardian angels” is not totally unfounded as long as it’s qualified biblically. Even as far back as Daniel 12, we’re told that the arch-angel Michael is the “prince” of Israel, or the protector of the people. So we do not need to necessarily think that every person has their own guardian angel, but simply that God utilizes angels as guardians. For instance, this is the specific function of a type of angel called the cherubim. A cherubim guarded the entrance to Eden after the exile of Adam and Eve, and a carving of two cherubim guarded the entrance to the holy of holies in the tabernacle and temple. Jesus even says in Matthew 18:10 that there are angels in heaven, who have unfettered access to the throne room of God, who are charged with keeping watch over his people. King Herod, who has increased the amount of persecution on the church, finally meets his match. He is out in public, addressing a crowd, and they want to see him as divine. God immediately strikes him down. Herod is no god; he is worm food. The evangelistic work of the church is now getting ready to set sail out from Jerusalem for good. Paul and Barnabas are commissioned by the church at Antioch to preach the gospel to foreign nations. When making this huge decisions about a person’s life and vocation, we recognize two actors. One is the Spirit, who makes the initial call. The other is the church, who confirms the call. Note that the confirmation is not an immediate thing. It is during a period of fasting that the Spirit speaks. Prayer and fasting are commonly held together as a means of controlling physical appetites in order to rightly order our spiritual needs. There is clarity of mind often given by God during a period of more intense devotion, which is characterized by prayer and fasting. Ministry is anything but boring. The first adventure for Paul and Barnabas puts them face-to-face with a magician who wants to stop them preaching. To make a show of the power of God, Elymas the magician is blinded for a short period of time. The missionary journeys of Paul and Barnabas began in the Jewish synagogues wherever they went. In preaching the gospel, Paul shows Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God’s plan. His sermon to the Jews in Acts 13 may seem redundant and boring, but theologically, it’s perfect. Much like how the genealogies are a history lesson in God’s sovereignty, so are Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7 and Paul’s here in Acts 13. Moses’s song in Deuteronomy 32 serves the same purpose. The gospel must be understood not in a vacuum but as Jesus Christ being the fulfillment of God’s promise made in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is Christ concealed; the New Testament is Christ revealed. Psalms 131-135 Psalm 131: The mind of God is infinitely higher than my own. Psalm 132: There will come a time when all God’s people worship him on his holy mountain. Psalm 133: God’s people are strong in their unity. Psalm 134: We are blessed by the Lord when we bless the Lord. Psalm 135: The Lord is the only eternal being. 2 Kings 9-19
Since the prophet Samuel, anointing the next king of Israel has been a regular part of the prophetic work. Elisha is about to anoint Jehu, the next king of Israel. This time, instead of sending a prophet with only a command to find the next king, God actually gives Elisha the name of the man to anoint. God tells Elisha to do the anointing and to get out. This is because of Jehu’s top priority as king: to erase the memory of Ahab and Jezebel from Israel. To start with, Jehu must take out Joram, a key military leader. As he approaches the palace where Jezebel is staying, he calls out for some help from below. Some eunuchs, who would have been charged with attending to Jezebel, heard Jehu. They were also at their wit’s end with the wicked queen, so they throw her out of the window to the ground. The nearby horses trample her to death to the point where no one recognizes her. All that’s left is her skull, her feet, and just the palms of her hands. This is a fulfillment of Elijah’s prophecy concerning Jezebel all the way back from 1 Kings 21. God will not withstand evil for very long. God is patient, but that patience has a termination date. This included the slaughter of Ahab’s seventy sons. They were wicked rulers, as well. Jehu sent word to those serving under those sons to do this difficult task. He also, either personally or through his followers, took out the servants and priests who had aligned themselves with Ahab. Besides that, Jehu is also faithful to eradicate Baal worship from the land. He essentially tricks the followers and priests of Baal into coming to one place, saying that he’s going to worship Baal even more than Ahab, and will make a sacrifice. Once everyone is there, Jehu orders his men to slaughter all those inside the temple of Baal. And as icing on the cake, the turned the temple of Baal into a public bathroom. That is the appropriate way to deal with the place where idols are worshiped. But Jehu is not perfect. He continues to permit worshiping of the golden calves throughout the land. Because he was faithful in a little, God granted that his sons would reign after him. The promised land, though, was only promised as long as faithfulness continued. Since Abraham, and throughout the Psalms and prophets, there were calls for the nations to come to the mountain of God and worship him there. Canaan was always intended to be just the beginning. But when the people are faithless, the land doesn’t grow, but shrinks. It will not be until Jesus Christ, the true Israelite, comes in the flesh and establishes the kingdom on the earth, that the growth of the kingdom to include the nations begins to take place. And by the time you get to the end of the book of Revelation, you see how all the nations are flooding to Jerusalem to worship God there. The eternal state does not seem to be the end of national identity, but the right ordering of it. The focus moves back to Judah for a time. Athaliah, the queen mum, is upset that her sons will no longer be ruling in Judah. Naturally, she begins to slaughter the king’s family. However, Joash, the king’s son, is spared. He will reign in his father’s place. Jehoiada the priest hatches a scheme to protect Joash and install him as king. He knows that Athaliah has to go. So he orders the temple guards to bring Joash out of hiding, encircle him, and to slaughter anyone who comes near him. Athaliah now knows that Joash survived and comes to harm him, likely along with troops. But she and all those who follow her are defeated and killed. Joash is installed as king, and Judah’s Baal temple is destroyed. How are we to take all the bloodshed we’ve seen in the chapters up until now? There are a few comments that help make sense of it. First, Israel was a nation with its own set of laws, and breaking some of them involved the death of the perpetrator. We don’t often hear about the lessers violations, which makes the capital punishments much more common to the story. And notice that the ones carrying out the capital punishments are officials such as the king and his army, not a bunch of vigilantes. And when it comes to the church, we must remember we are a nation of priests, not an earthly nation. We do not carry out capital punishments by our own authority. In this age, God has charged civil authority with the power of the sword (cf. Romans 13). Second, it’s common today to have a much more accommodating stance toward things God clearly calls sin. Most punishments seem too harsh to our sophisticated minds. Church discipline is two-fold: formative and corrective. Formative discipline is worship, Bible study, prayer and fellowship groups, and the like. It’s what forms us as Christians day-to-day. If we didn’t call it discipline, we’d never think of it like that. Corrective discipline is how we address specific, unrepentant sins in a person’s life who professes to be a Christian. Most of the time, this is not a public event. It’s a closed-door, private meeting between parties. And most of the time, it doesn’t even get to the level of church leadership involvement (cf. Mathew 18). If it does, biblical commands, respect for the individuals, and decorum prevents us from announcing such tragic outcomes in public worship when, Lord willing, many guests/non-believers are with us. But Joash is not perfect, either (Note: some Bibles have the name here spelled differently, often as “Jehoash”. But it’s simply an alternate spelling of Joash.). He does not tear down the high places, or altars away from the temple. But he does seek to repair the temple in Jerusalem. It had a rough beginning, but after several years, Joash had got the priests on board with the repairs. It’s a good reminder that destruction can happen quickly, but change in the right direction takes time. Joash’s story is also one of tragedy at the end of his life. When the king of Syria makes his way to Jerusalem, Joash hopes to fend him off by pilfering the temple treasury and giving it to Hazael. His servants turn on him (for an unknown reason) and kill him. His son Amaziah becomes king. One of the reasons dating of the reign of individual kings can be difficult is because they’re dated based off of each other. We’ve read repeatedly that the new king of Israel/Judah began reigning in the xxth year of the king of Judah/Israel. We can learn more exact dates by comparing the numbers of years reigned with extra-biblical sources. Back in Judah, Jehoahaz begins to reign as king. He’s a wicked king, and God allows Syria to invade. As the king goes, so goes the nation. While Jehoahaz seeks the Lord, the people continue to rebel. At this point, neither the northern nor the southern kingdom has a righteous king. As Elisha is about to die, King Joash approaches him one last time. Elisha wants to confirm with Joash that they will defeat Syria by the Lord’s power. As an illustration of that promise, Elisha has Joash shoot an arrow out of an eastern window, since that’s the direction of Syria. To confirm the promise, Elisha tells Joash to strike the ground with the arrows. Joash is timid and only taps the ground three times. Elisha tells him that he should have struck the ground more than that, as the promise comes from God. So now, Israel will only defeat Syria three times. In an interesting aside, after Elisha dies, another dead man, who died in battle with the Moabites, falls into his grave. Because he touched Elisha’s body, he is resuscitated. We’re told that this takes place in the spring, so this takes place roughly a year after the preceding verses. This is not rightly called a resurrection, because resurrection is an event that takes place at the end of the age. Only Christ has rightly been resurrected as a foretaste of the final resurrection of the righteous. But was Elisha’s body magic? Not quite. Elisha had been given a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. It’s also telling that this note is passed over quite quickly. Right before this story, we’re told that Joash will only defeat the Syrians three times. Immediately after this story, we’re told that that’s exactly what happened. So most likely, the resuscitation of this dead man is to both remind and prove to Joash that the final words of Elisha were true. Propehcy > reminder > fulfillment. I could sit here and summarize all of the kings for you, but that’s all it’d be—a summary. All of those wicked kings are simply to show God’s patience with his people. Fast-forwarding to 2 Kings 17, we finally arrive at the fall of Israel by Assyria. From this point, the Israelites of the northern kingdom are taken into exile. The Assyrian practice of exile looked like moving people around from their empire. Once they captured a new place, they would remove some of the natural inhabitants and move people from other places in their empire to the newly acquired land. It was a way of assimilating their kingdom and removing a national identity. People without a national identity are easy to control. One easy way to remember this is “Assyrians practiced assimilation.” In contrast, the Jews down south were not mixed when Babylon captured and exiled them. King Nebuchadnezzar left the poorest Jews to farm the land in Judah and took the fittest and wealthiest to Babylon with him (think of Daniel, Shaddrach, Meshach, and Abednego). After less than seventy years, the Jews were permitted to return, which is barely two generations. Not much of the Jewish/southern identity was lost. Once the other nations were planted in Israel, they began to start worshiping the false gods that they had before. Some Israelites did not assimilate with the pagans, but many did. This is the reason that there was such tension between the Jews (those who were left in southern Judah) and Samaritans (those who were left in northern Israel) in Christ’s day. Jews viewed Samaritans as mutts and traitors. We are now introduced to the prophet Isaiah. He does of course have his own prophetic book, but he will prophecy with King Hezekiah before Babylon takes over. Judah will have their own run-ins with Assyria, but they will prevail. There will be a remnant, but Judah will not favor much better than their northern brothers and sisters. Acts 6-9 Acts 6 is famous for revealing the role of the deacon, or more accurately, the proto-deacon. The apostles understand that their primary task is preaching, teaching, and prayer. And yet, that does not mean the physical needs of the congregation are of no concern. Instead of selecting seven men themselves, they tell the congregation to do that. It says something that the apostles, who were charged with writing Scripture, did not choose the deacons themselves. That authority rested in the congregation. The apostles would confirm the selections, but the selections themselves would come from the congregation. The qualifications for the proto-deacon were a man “full of the Spirit and of wisdom”, so it wasn’t just the good ol’ boy system. The diaconate may not the be teaching and leadership office of the church, but they must still be men of noble character. Eventually, the role of the deacon will become one of modeling servanthood for the congregation. The result of a robust teaching ministry coupled with servant-ministry was the increase of the gospel. Stephen, one of the first deacons, would become the first Christian martyr. Some Jews were arguing with Stephen, because he was performing miraculous signs to accompany his ministry. And here we see the necessity of wisdom being a key quality of a deacon. Because he knew the Scripture and could debate his detractors, no one was able to win an argument against him. As they did with the Lord, they finally accuse him of blasphemy that he may be put to death. Jews did not so much concern themselves with theology as Christians do. They were far more concerned about keeping the law and the best way to do it. The Talmud, an ancient Jewish collection of texts from the 400s, is a commentary on the Jewish law and how it should be kept. It was an oral tradition Jews claimed originated in the time of Moses. But it is not a systematic theology of God, salvation, etc. Theology proper was really introduced when Christians moved into the Gentile world and had to communicate the gospel to a wide variety of cultures. This is the scenario in which the first Christian martyrs found themselves. This is the reason Paul sought to kill so many Christians. It was not primarily about a deficient view of God; it wasn’t even about a redefinition of the law. The problem was that Christians said they were not bound to keep the Mosaic law as a condition of the new covenant. Stephen defends the status of the new covenant in Christ’s blood as superior to the covenant made on Mt. Sinai. He recounts major sections of Jewish history to bolster his argument. Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the old covenant and the author of the new covenant. Jews should see that in the fulfillment of the old covenant, the new covenant is not bound by the regulations of the old. Theologian Gerald Bray notes that if Jesus was just introducing a new sect within Judaism, he might have very well been eventually approved by the Jews. After all, the Jews killed the prophets but eventually canonized their writings. But Jesus was not about new interpretations; he was about fulfillment. We are introduced to Saul at Stephen’s stoning. He has apparently been active in his attempts at eradicating the Christian faith for some time. He is both imprisoning and murdering Christians. Saul “approving” of Stephen’s execution may be more than just him being glad that it took place; he may have officially approved of his execution as a Jewish religious leader—a Pharisee. Philip, another deacon, is traveling and preaching. He even goes to Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom (pre-exile). They had an Israelite heritage, but they had intermingled and intermarried with pagans. Many Jews hated the Samaritans because of it. But the gospel is now spreading out from the Jewish center from which it originated. Philip will also be sent to Gaza. He famously meets an Ethiopian along the road who is reading from the prophet Isaiah. Like Philip, he seems to be leaving Jerusalem. He’s not a Jew, but he was in Jerusalem to worship. Gentiles were permitted to worship in a particular section of the temple as a foreshadowing of the nations coming to God on his holy mountain in the age to come. Now Philip will have the opportunity to preach the good news of how Jesus Christ has fulfilled the very passage from Isaiah the Ethiopian is reading. Immediately, the Ethiopian asks to be baptized, so that must have been a component of Philip’s message. Here we see a consistent pattern: preaching, followed by belief, followed by baptism. Baptists see this as the pattern to follow in the church to this day. Others, primarily those who baptize infants, see this pattern as particular only to the first generation of Christians. Because every Christian was a new convert, the argument goes, everyone would out of necessity be baptized after a confession of faith. Subsequent generations of children from Christian families would be baptized in the same manner that every generation of children in Israel was circumcised. Instead of baptism being a response to the proclamation of the gospel as it was with the Ethiopian, baptism is an “administrative change” from circumcision. Since Abraham’s whole household was circumcised as the first generation of the covenant, the first generation of Christians were also all baptized. The issue arises when we equate circumcision with baptism. Circumcision was the sign of the old covenant. In Romans 4:11, Paul clearly says that circumcision was the seal of the old covenant. He then says in Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30 that the Holy Spirit is the seal of the new covenant. It is a fallacious argument to equate circumcision with baptism, as if we traded in a Camry for a Civic—just a different version of the same thing. The indwelling presence of the Spirit of God is what has replaced circumcision, not baptism. In fact, circumcision for the Christian is a circumcision of the heart. There are a great many arguments against the baptism of the offspring of Christian parents, but that’s enough of a Baptist tirade for now. Back to Acts. The same Saul who officially approved of the death of many Christians is about to be called to strengthen many Christians. On his way to carry out more murderous threats with the full authority of the high priest, he is met by the risen Lord. Saul learns that in persecuting the church, he is persecuting Christ. Christ is the head of the church, and the church is the body of Christ. To wound one is to wound the other. There is a spiritual tie between the head in the heavens and the body on the earth. One of Saul’s greatest difficulties will be convincing Christians that he’s actually coming to strengthen the churches that he originally intended to persecute. But he essentially trades one enemy for another. Instead of the Christians fearing him, the Jews will now try to kill him on several occasions. He flees to Jerusalem and meets with the other apostles to recount his conversion. Barnabas has befriended Saul, and he affirms Saul’s conversion in front of the apostles. The apostle Peter returns to the story for a brief time. He heals a man named Aeneas and a woman named Dorcas. After meeting with Cornelius in chapter 10, he essentially takes a back seat to the ministry of Saul/Paul to the Gentiles. As an aside, God did not change Saul’s name to Paul. Saul is a Jewish name, and Paul is a Greek name. As both a Jew and a Roman citizen, he would be recognized by both cultures. Psalms 126-130 Psalm 126: The Lord has been good before, and he will be good in the future. Psalm 127: Whether it’s a city or a family, the Lord is the builder. Psalm 128: The fear of the Lord is a guard against your life. Psalm 129: The wicked seem free, but God has a plan for them as well. Psalm 130: My sins are innumerable, but God’s mercy is greater. 1 Kings 20-22
Ben-hadad of Syria is trying to make Samaria a principality or a “vassal state”. When he says that he will take away all the gold and children from Ahab, that’s his point. Everything will be subject to his rule. Ahab is probably willing to accommodate a stronger military leader. But as Ahab will find out, Ben-hadad’s military is far less organized than he expects it to be. He wins a couple of battles again Syria quite easily. The “sons of the prophets” were a group of men who were active prophets in Israel. They were not necessarily the offspring of a former prophet. Later, the prophet Amos will say, “I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet,” even while he is a prophet. He simply means that he doesn’t have a lifetime, ongoing appointment as a prophet and does not belong to the college of prophets. Prophets were rarely a respected breed, so they often stayed together. Earlier, in 19:10, Elijah had mourned that he was the only prophet left in Israel. But that clearly was exaggeration. Naboth’s vineyard is an interesting story because it is relying on Old Testament land laws. Selling land for perpetuity was not allowed. There was a year of jubilee every seven years where any land that was sold to pay off debts was given back to the original families and tribes allotted by Moses and Joshua. What Ahab demands from Naboth is illegal. Naboth is an honorable man in that he will not break the law, even for the king. Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, sees an opportunity to show her strength. In plotting Naboth’s murder, she seals her own fate. Ahab knows full well what Jezebel has done, and God sends Elijah to confront him and call him to repentance. Jezebel was certainly a wicked woman, but Ahab showed no opposition to her wickedness. Ahab lives a few more years and continues to fight Syria. The imagery of dogs licking up his blood and prostitutes bathing in it is picked up later in Revelation. His son Ahaziah becomes king. First Kings has focused heavily on the northern kingdom of Israel up to this point, but it ends by noting that Jehoshaphat is now king in the southern kingdom of Judah. He stands in contrast to Ahaziah, a wicked man who worshiped Baal. 2 Kings 1-8 Ahaziah’s life is a mess. He is an idol worshiper, and now he’s been hurt by a fall. He has no power over his own nation, nevertheless foreign nations. God sends Elijah to him to pronounce his fate. There is no recourse for Ahaziah. Though he tries to find out more from Elijah by sending a few groups of sun-scorched soldiers, God’s word will stand. Ahaziah dies. 2 Kings 2 begins Elisha’s ministry apart from Elijah after his death. The Old Testament did present the idea that the righteous were with God after death, but the most common metaphor for describing the location of the deceased was in the depths of Sheol. So we should see Elijah’s being taken up into heaven as extremely significant. God’s chariots come to receive Elijah. All of the individual pieces of this experience speak to God’s majesty. Horses are powerful creatures, and God is all-powerful. The chariots were weapons of war, and God commands his armies against his enemies. Fire is almost always a symbol of God’s presence and glory. And since Elisha receiving a double portion of Elijah’s spirit depended on him being Elijah being taken to heaven, there was no way he could have missed such a spectacle. Elisha tears and removes his clothes to wear Elijah’s cloak, symbolizing that he is lamenting Elijah's absence but also picking up where Elijah left off. In the same way Elisha witnessed Elijah’s ascent into heaven, so too did the apostles witness Christ’s bodily ascension into the clouds. And the water parting for Elisha to cross over safely clearly calls back to God parting the Red Sea for the safety and salvation of the Hebrews leaving Egypt. Elisha’s first solo flight as a prophet comes when the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom join together to go against Moab. Elisha has no patience for the wickedness of Israel and Edom, but for Judah’s sake, he will prophesy. The main problem is a lack of food and water, and that’s what draws the kings to Elisha. Music is often associated with prophecy, but not in a mystic/pentecostal/new age sense. When the pagans included music in their “prophecies”, the purpose was to put the prophet in a trance and speak nonsense, something akin to speaking in tongues today. They would also often harm themselves as part of the process, usually by cutting or whipping themselves. Any music involved in biblical prophecy completely avoids hypnotic ecstasy. While the exact reason for combining music and prophecy is not made explicit, it shouldn’t surprise us that worship is still to this day considered a mix of prayers, music, and preaching (which the New Testament considers prophecy if seen as primarily speaking God’s words after him). Elisha’s next miracle is that of multiplying oil to save the life of a widow and her children. She has no means to pay her debts (which are probably her dead husband’s debts). She is also the widow of one of Elisha’s fellow prophets, so he likely knows her quite well. Oil is multiplied miraculously, and she is able to sell it to get out of debt. God provides. In contrast to the widow’s poverty, Elisha then meets a wealthy woman who offers him a place to stay. It’s a generous proposal that Elisha gladly accepts, who is likely quite poor himself since he is itinerant. She also provides a place for his servant, Gehazi. As a way of showing his appreciation, he wants to do something for her in return. Another common divine action is that of forming life in the womb of a barren woman. We can’t help but think of women like Sarah and Hannah, godly women who he helped in their time of distress. The child is born, and as a young man is helping his father in the fields. He complains of a headache and is taken to his mother, where he dies. She places him on Elisha’s bed as she calls for him. She sets out to find him, and when she does, she does what any mother wounded by the death of a child would do, and she lashes out at Elisha. He sends Gehazi back to the woman’s house with his staff. Elisha travels more slowly with the woman back to her house. Elisha laying on the child might seem bizarre, but it’s ripe with meaning. Through Elisha, God gives the young man his sight, breath, and strength back (eyes, mouth, and hands). Elisha’s ministry, like Christ’s, was full of miraculous healings. Also like Christ, his healings were not only to his own people. From the very beginning, there was a call for the nations to come to Jerusalem and worship God on the holy mountain. While that will only be seen in its fullness in the age to come, now in the church age we see it in its beginning stage. The harvest comes after the sowing. In healing Naaman the Syrian, another Gentile receives God’s goodness. And it very well seems that he believes in the one, true God (2 Kings 5:15). But Naaman faces the same spiritual struggle every regenerate person does (and let’s assume for a moment that he is regenerate). He is going to go home and be confronted with the idols of his hometown. He will have to interact with people who still worship those idols. He will even have to enter those temples. What is he to do? He no longer wants to participate in idol worship. Even the purpose of taking the two mule loads of earth was likely to construct an altar with lightweight material from Israel so that he might worship God in Syria. In Naaman, we see a man whose heart has been turned from stone to flesh. He now desires to worship God rightly. And instead of telling him to resign his high position, Elisha simply tells Naaman, “Go in peace.” God places his people in all kinds of positions, from low to high, so that he might be glorified. Why shouldn’t God rule through his own people in every social and cultural position of authority and power? Yes, most of us will live quiet lives of regular piety. But God rules over all, so we should hope and pray that God will position devout believers in all social, cultural, and governmental positions. As things between Israel and Syria continue to get worse, Elisha receives visions of Syria’s military moves. He is then able to warn the Israelite army of the threats. Another of Elisha’s servants is concerned about an impending Syrian attack, but Elisha is calm. He prays that God would give this young servant spiritual sight for a moment to see the spiritual army that human eyes cannot see. Suddenly, he is able to see the horses and chariots of fire that fill the mountainside. Since this is the same imagery we were told about when Elijah was taken to heaven (and are only a few chapters apart), we should assume they’re connected. Most likely, only Elisha saw Elijah being taken up since no one else can see the horses and chariots here. More importantly, we see that God is not absent or simply barking orders from heaven. His own armies are fighting alongside the Israelites. In contrast to the clear spiritual sight of Elisha and his servant, the Syrians are blinded. Spiritual warfare is quite literally going on all around us, and we do not see it. It is not a quaint platitude that God’s angels are fighting all-too-real spiritual battles right now. The book of Daniel even speaks of the arch angel Michael being busy fighting a battle during Daniel’s day. In their blindness, whether physical blindness or mental confusion, they are taken and fed a feast. They wanted to come as victors, but they were instead guests at a feast. They are then sent back to Syria. This episode could perhaps be a foretaste of all Gentiles being welcomed into the mountain of God and given a feast, such as is imaged in the marriage supper of the lamb. That is the purpose of all Old Testament imagery and types, to ultimately turn our attention to the real thing. Acts 2-5 Pentecost was an annual festival fifty days after the Passover, which means this takes place fifty days after the crucifixion. The Holy Spirit is often compared to the wind. We cannot see it, and we cannot control it. Neither can we see or control the Spirit of God. This is what Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3. Fire is also an important biblical image, which often signifies the presence of God. Think of the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites in the wilderness and filled the tabernacle. Fire is also to be seen as purifying. So, God is present in this upper room, and what they are about to say is the pure word of God. The issue of “tongues” was generally not a divisive issue until the Pentecostal revivals of the early 1900s. The revivalists believed that speaking in angelic languages was a sign of conversion and told their congregants that they needed to do so. But here in Acts 2, the word for tongues quite literally means languages. And in context, it’s clearly human languages, because the people from all over the empire can’t believe they are hearing people talk in their own languages. What God confused at Babel, he has clarified at Pentecost. When the apostle Paul is making an argument for why the Corinthian Christians should receive him as an apostle, he roots his argument in the sign-gifts, which includes tongues, or spontaneously being able to speak in foreign languages for the benefit of another. And he calls them the signs of the apostles when he says, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works” (2 Corinthians 12:12). The sign gifts were not for everyone, but they marked those who met Jesus, were planting churches, strengthening believers, and writing Scripture. Peter preaches the first sermon of the post-exaltation-of-Christ New Testament. He draws together several Old Testament passages that specifically identify Jesus as the promised Messiah. Preaching Christ from the Old Testament resulted in thousands being given faith. The church committed to the word of the apostles, supporting other believers, and right worship. Again, as 2:43 tells us, the signs were done through the apostles. As Jesus had them doing during his earthly ministry, the apostles are physically healing people, in this instance a man unable to walk. The result is that “all the people saw him walking and praising God […] and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him” (3:9-10). It speaks to the Christ’s power over nature. Healings were signs that pointed the people to the source of true spiritual power, Jesus Christ. Do healings continue today? Of course, but they are not signs done by apostles. God still is happy to miraculously heal anyone he so desires. But he does the work immediately, meaning without a mediator. There are no more apostles performing signs; anyone who argues otherwise is usually drawing attention to themselves and is likely a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Peter takes the opportunity that this miracle has afforded him to preach to the crowd. The healing was just a jumping-off point for the gospel. Peter again points to the prophets who pointed to Christ. From Abraham, to Moses, to Samuel and forward, all of Scripture is a Christian witness. What frustrates the religious leaders, who had hoped that the "myth" of Jesus’s divinity had since passed on, is that the people are believing in Jesus and the resurrection of the dead. The number of believers, in a matter of days, has grown from 3000 to 5000+. So naturally, the leaders have Peter and gang arrested. And in good Peter-fashion, he begins to preach to the leaders during his arrest. The issue is still the man who was just healed. The leaders need to know in whose name Peter healed this man. It harkens back to Luke 11 when the crowds insult Jesus by asking if he casts out demons in Satan’s name. Now, the leaders demand that the apostles stop preaching in Jesus’s name. The apostles tell the other Christians (though they’re not yet called this) about this interaction. Instead of capitulating or accommodating, they pray the Psalms boldly. When these believers prayed, the place was shaken. We may not start an earthquake with our praying, but we can still have the same result: we will be filled with the Spirit and we will speak boldly about Christ. Christians of every age have two options: let the world dictate what you’re allowed to say, or grow a spine and take the slings and arrows. The first believers were also extremely generous in their care for others. But not everyone does so with integrity. A husband and wife, Ananias and Sapphira, want the recognition of being sacrificial without the burden of being sacrificial. There were no laws about how much property Christians could own or what they had to do with it. That’s why their lie was so egregious. They were under no compulsion to do anything except care for their fellow believers. However, they are all too happy to glorify themselves in how much they give. God cares deeply about the purity of the church. The church is not made up of regenerate and unregenerate people; every true church member knows the Lord for him-/herself (Jeremiah 31). We would rather have a small church that seeks to live righteously than a big church that lives under the pretense of reaching the lost while looking like the lost. What happened to the church when God struck down Ananias and Sapphira? The people were scared of the church (5:11)! Nobody wanted to join them (5:13)! And yet, because God is in control of salvation, multitudes were added to the church because of it (5:14). We must not shrink back from a faithful witness, and we must not pit righteous living against earthly results. What if the best church growth strategy is the quiet piety of its members? Psalms 121-125 Psalm 121: The Lord is our helper at every turn. Psalm 122: The house of the Lord is our safe place. Psalm 123: The Lord has mercy on those who seek him. Psalm 124: The Lord is the only reason we are secure. Psalm 125: The Lord protects the upright and leads away evildoers. 2 Samuel 24
How could it possibly be that a census, performed by the king, be something sinful and required a rebuke from God? The answer comes in Joab’s response to David’s command to conduct a census. Joab knows that God provides for all of our needs, including soldiers. Instead of having the Lord supply the needs of his own people's army, David decides that he will supply an army with his own soldiers. He has a severe moment of pride. The other concern is that this incident is recorded twice, here in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21. Samuel says that the LORD incited David, while Chronicles says that Satan incited David. How do we reconcile two different accounts? We often have a “yin-yang” understanding of God and Satan. They are polarities, or opposites. However, that is not a biblical understanding. God is sovereign, and Satan is created. Satan means “adversary” or “accuser”. While Scriptural details are sparse concerning Satan’s origin, he is by no means an evil version of God. He is no god at all. Satan will not rule in hell. He is under God’s sovereign rule, just like everyone and everything else. So it is best to see that one author emphasizes God as the primary cause and another emphasizes Satan as the secondary cause. David still has a conscience, a sure sign of the Spirit’s presence. Through the prophet Gad, God speaks to David. Upon being offered three choices for Israel’s punishment (because remember, God is angry against Israel, not just David [24:1]), David chooses to fall into the hands of God instead of men. It may a horror to fall into the hands of God for those who are against him, but for those who love him, it is the safest place to be, despite the circumstances. But because David also loves the people, he pleads for God to spare them and to strike him. David purchases some land to build an altar where he can sacrifice to God. The man who owns it wants to simply give it to David, but David demands to buy it. Sacrifices are not to be cheap, otherwise, what about it is a sacrifice? David presents us with a strong reminder of what God is due. 1 Kings 1-8 The books of 1-2 Kings were originally one book. Because they simply continue the history of 1-2 Samuel, at one point all four books were titled 1-4 Kings. Jews and early Christians traditionally believed that Jeremiah wrote the books of 1-2 Kings. This is possible since the books end with exile in Jeremiah’s time. There are many near-quotes or allusions to the book of Deuteronomy, which implies that the author, regardless of the name, was interpreting the contemporary experience of God’s people in his own day through the lens of ancient Scripture. This is a wonderful model for the contemporary church. David is an old man by this time. As is common at the end of a monarch’s life, there are attempts to take the throne. One of David’s many sons, Adonijah, is trying to do just that. David’s closest confidants sided with Adonijah, but the priests did not. Nathan goes to David to see if he’s missed something. Is Adonijah now king? To get ahead of any more nonsense from Adonijah, David, Bathsheba, and Nathan hurry to anoint Solomon as king. Nathan has been loyal to David from the start, but that did not preclude severe honesty. He called David out in his sin with Bathsheba. But that also means saying many hard things to David, including that one of your sons is against you. Before Adonijah can gather much steam, Solomon is anointed. In the face of opposition, sometimes the best thing you can do is act quickly. David had already been promised that Solomon would be king, so all he’s doing is being faithful. As David is about to dye, he calls Solomon to faithfulness to God. This consistently means being faithful to the law. The king is the primary covenant-keeper in Israel. As the king goes, so goes the nation. Rarely does a king fall because of the nation. But how often do we see a nation fall because of its king. David dies, and Solomon is officially coronated and received as king. Adonijah is still sour from not becoming king. He calls Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, and complains about how everyone in Israel wanted him to be king, but Solomon was shoved into it. Whenever anyone says “everyone is saying…”, you know they’re lying. Adonijah had a small following at best. When Adonijah’s friends and guests heard about Solomon becoming king, they showed their true colors. They got afraid of being associated with Adonijah and fled. Opposition is no reason not to act. Unless your closest confidants agree with your opposition, leadership requires grit and thick skin to deal with a variety of opinions. Solomon famously prayed for wisdom instead of riches. God appears to him in a vision and offers him anything. Opposition, which Solomon has faced from day one, has a way of making you feel insufficient for the task ahead. Solomon knew that kings will be wealthy, but not every king has wisdom. Wisdom is always what sets you apart from the masses. Under Solomon’s reign, Israel has success by every metric. “Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy” (1 Kings 4:20). The promise to David was his heir would build the temple. Solomon spends some significant time gathering together the greatest craftsmen and the best material in the world. After four years, construction began. Solomon is in the process of turning a relatively small city into a major metropolis. The royal palace that he would build would be close to the temple. In both projects, no expense was spared. Only quality and rare materials were used. Nothing common or cheap was used. Finally, the ark of the covenant is placed in the temple. The ark is God’s special presence among his people. By placing the ark in the temple, the people know that God is among them and is in his holy house. It is the final act of building the temple. God has entered. Solomon then dedicates the temple through prayer. He reminds the people of God’s faithfulness to them throughout their short time as a nation. During the dedication, Solomon repeatedly calls the people to faithfulness. But even in their times of faithlessness, God will call them back to himself as an act of mercy. Now all of the sacrificial system has been centrally located. No more will people sacrifice in the high places. The temple will be the center of all Israelite religious life. One of the great sins of future kings will be their unwillingness to take down the various sacrificial sites throughout the land. God has ordained his own means of worshiping him, and any addition, even those well-intentioned, have no place. John 15-17 Jesus is the vine. The world hates Jesus and his disciples. Jesus will send the Spirit. Sorrow turned to joy. Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus prays the high priestly prayer. Jesus calling himself the vine is the last of the seven “I am” statements throughout John. The idea in this statement is that life is found in relationship to Jesus. Some who follow Jesus only do so for a time and fall away. This not a loss of salvation, but it is in keeping with the other words of Jesus, such as the various kinds of soils. Some participate for a time but eventually abandon Jesus. Those who do not persevere were never truly participating in the first place (1 John 2:19). Perseverance is the surest external marker of a true believer. This is what is meant by Jesus calling his disciples to “abide” in him. Jesus transitions masterfully from a command to abide in him (to persevere) to a command to love one another. The two are not disconnected. Those who abide in him are not servants but are as close as friends. And a true friend lays his life down for another. That is how we love like Jesus. In contrast, the world will hate his disciples. For many, persecution will hinder perseverance. But we are assured that the world only hates us because they hate our Lord. And the believer should not fear; we do not persevere in our own power. The helper, the Spirit of truth, will come to continually bear witness to the truth to us. The church will receive the Spirit at Pentecost. Surely the Spirit is not necessary because Jesus can only be in one place at one time; he promises the same disciples that he will be with them until the end of the age. Both the Father and the Son send the Spirit (15:26). There is no reason to fear some mystery in the faith. After all, our God is trinitarian; each of the three persons has a role to play in our redemption. The Father ordains salvation. The Son purchases salvation. The Spirit’s role is to comfort and convict (16:8-11). And because we have the Spirit, our sorrow will not stay sorrow. It will become joy! They will be scattered because of persecution. When a baby is born, the labor pains are a memory. Perhaps a vivid memory, but nevertheless, the joy of childbirth overtakes the memory of such pain. In the same way, when all things reach their consummation in Christ, all previous sorrow will be overtaken by the joy of eternal life. Perhaps Jesus’s most famous prayer is his high priestly prayer of John 17. This is the final act before his arrest. Immediately after comforting his disciples with the fact of his overcoming the world, he begins to pray. He prays on behalf of his disciples, asking God to give them eternal life. The Father will receive the Son after all that is necessary for salvation has been accomplished, and for that, Jesus has great joy. Jesus has shown God’s people exactly who the Father is. And it becomes clear that not all humans are to be considered God’s people. Jesus explicitly says that he is not praying on behalf of everyone but only those “whom you have given me” (17:9). In our salvation, Christ is most glorified. Jesus Christ guards, like a shepherd, those whom the Father has entrusted to him. Even Judas, the son of destruction, was lost according to the Scriptures, according to the foreknowledge and plan of God. The Christian life is one of great joy. In seeing the glory of Christ, the sinner is made new. Man’s greatest need is not social, emotional, or physical. It is spiritual. That is not to become fatalistic, as if we should not care about the social, emotional, or physical well-being of individual believers. But we do them even greater harm when we place their spiritual state anywhere else but first. It is only through the words of Christ that all people learn the truth of their spiritual state. Only in Scripture do we learn that we are enemies, or at enmity, with God. But while we were yet sinners, God sent his Son to receive his wrath instead of his people. Jesus not only prays for his current disciples but for those yet to come, as well. That’s you and me! Jesus prays for unity among God’s people across space and time. Unity is found in a shared love of God and obedience to his word. If those things are sacrificed in the name of unity, call it whatever you want, but it’s not unity. Psalm 111-115 Psalm 111: Everything God has done is awe-inspiring. Psalm: 112: Those God has made righteous will withstand whatever comes their way. Psalm 113: God is to praised at all times for all things. Psalm 114: The earth trembles before God, and we are wise to do the same. Psalm 115: Idols are useless, but the Lord cares for his people. 2 Samuel 13-23
Amnon fakes an illness to draw his half-sister in. Amnon raped Tamar. Her full-brother, Absalom, takes her into his house to protect her. In telling her not to take it to heart, he seems to be saying that she should not seek her own vengeance. Absalom will dirty his own hands by murdering Amnon. Absalom gets Amnon drunk and isolated, and Absalom orders his servants to kill Amnon. This is an instance where we need to be careful about interpreting another’s actions, and how evil begets evil. Clearly, Amnon was a wicked man who sinned grievously. Tamar is clearly innocent. This story harkens back to a couple of others. Judah, in Genesis 38, slept with his daughter-in-law, who was also named Tamar. He was the instigator there. And when Dinah was raped, her brothers avenged that sin. The fact remains that we don’t know why David did not intervene and do something, at least reactively. Theories about, but they are still theories. David had his own sexual sin in his past, which might both make him take it more seriously and still have him struggle with addressing it with Amnon. Either way, Absalom did not think David did enough and took matters in to his own hands. We’re not hold the exact reason why Absalom fled afterward, but he did. He hid from David for three years. Joab acts in a similar way to the prophet Nathan and sends a woman to tell a tall-tale about a servant who harmed another. The point is that David should seek out Absalom and make peace. David does that, but he does not permit Absalom to live in the palace. After two more years, to get Joab’s attention after being ignored, Absalom sets Joab’s field on fire. Absalom wants to see his father but knows he can’t barge in to the throne room. Joab relents, asks for an audience with David, and David and Absalom make amends. We start to see who Absalom really is. He’s a schemer. He starts building a coup against his father, trying to make himself king. His followers grow in number, even some high officials and priests. He wins the hearts of the people by making it appear his father is uncaring and does not offer judges for the people. Once word gets back to David, he knows that he must act swiftly. It’s not that he’s doing it for his own glory, but he knows that there is a divine plan in place. Most of the time, when the king left the city, the ark went with him. But he hopes for a quick battle and sends the ark back to Jerusalem. God will decide between David and Absalom. David does have his detractors. One of Saul’s living sons, Shimei, hates David, presumably for believing David took the throne without God’s blessing and plan. Even as Shimei is throwing rocks at David and his men while hurling curses and insults, David does not care for his own safety or reputation. If God sent Shimei, then let him curse. David’s own son hates him and wants him dead, so what is one more man? Absalom’s main goal is to humiliate his father before killing him and becoming king. While David is out of the palace, Absalom sleeps with his father’s concubines in public, all at the behest of one of David’s most trusted advisors. But when it comes to doing battle with his father, Absalom gets some conflicting advice. We’re told in chapter 17 that God has brought this about to destroy Absalom. Double cross! David is told through some messengers about Absalom’s new plan, at the advice of his treacherous advisor Hushai, to gather all of Israel against David and his mighty men. The fight is about to begin. David organizes his army and orders them to take it easy on Absalom for his sake. While Absalom is riding toward the battle through the forest, he basically gets clotheslined by a tree. He’s hanging there in the tree, suspended in some manner by his head or his neck. He’s helpless. One good soldier sees him and refuses to kill him because of David’s order. But once Joab finds out about Absalom’s helpless condition, he finds ten men who will help him kill Absalom. They then hide Absalom’s body in the forest. When David receives the news of Absalom’s death, he is broken. Joab feels somewhat betrayed by David, because he saved David’s life from Absalom. He tells David that if everyone else was dead except Absalom, David would be happy. He needs to go out and address the people to calm their concerns. But the struggle never ends for David. People always need something from him, or they think David has wronged them in some way. He tries to appease several people, but still a man named Sheba tries to undermine David’s divine right to kingship. He may have had may faults, but Joab is as loyal as they come. He regularly stands up for David and is willing to get his hands dirty to protect him. A wise woman stops Joab and confronts him about his behavior. Once he explains that he’s looking for Sheba, she promises that she’ll throw his head over the wall to Joab. Leave to a wise, old woman to take care of business and put an end to things. In a blast to the past, the Gibeonites reappear. They were the people who tricked the Israelites as they entered the promised land. The Israelites made a covenant with the Gibeonites that they would not destroy them if they Gibeonites served the Israelites. That arrangement had worked well, but Saul wanted to destroy the Gibeonites and remove them from Israel. David receives a word from God that the current famine was because of Saul’s breaking of that promise. David approaches the Gibeonites to ask how he can make things right. They don’t want money, but they will take seven of Saul’s sons to hang them in public. David obliged, and seven of Saul’s sons died, except Mephibosheth, whom David had promised to protect. This is another instance of description, not prescription. There was no command from God to kill seven of Saul’s sons. What are we to make of the relent of the famine because of David’s actions? The slaughtering of some of the Gibeonites is not mentioned in Scripture. It could be that the killing of Saul’s sons was permitted because of Saul doing something similar to innocent children in 1 Samuel 22, where he killed men, women, children, and infants. Even if it is hated on today, corporate responsibility is reality. And in all likelihood, Saul’s sons were active soldiers in Saul’s army. Their innocence is questionable to begin with. Another war breaks out between Israel and Philistia. David is again fighting the giants of Gath. Gath was also the hometown of Goliath, and we’re told that many giants lived there. Not only were they giants, but they had 12 fingers and 12 toes. But even for all their supernumerary digits, they were no match for David and his mighty men. 2 Samuel 22 is a beautiful song of David’s love for God. He recounts much of his own history and the goodness of God to David. David is not an innocent man, but he has been pardoned of his sin by a good and gracious God. While David has not yet died, we are given his parting words in chapter 23. John 11-13 The only sign that Jesus will give the people that he is the Son of God is his own resurrection. It is proper to call what Jesus did for Lazarus more of a resuscitation, because Lazarus would of course die again. It will be this moment that finally sets the religious leaders against Jesus (John 11:53). Why did Jesus wait to go to Bethany to save Lazarus? Because seeing Jesus do this great miracle would certainly have a lasting impact on the faith of the disciples. Jesus arrives four days after Lazarus’s death. In speaking to his sisters, Martha makes clear that the resurrection was a key component of the Jewish faith. It was not something that the church invented. Most importantly, when Martha confirms her belief in the resurrection, Jesus says that he himself is the resurrection. Jesus does not just offer eternal life; he is the essence of life. There is no life without Jesus Christ as your redeemer. Mary, along with some others, bemoan that Jesus waited so long. Jesus made the blind see; couldn’t he have prevented this man’s death? Of course he could have. No matter what you do, there will always be those who don’t think it’s enough. No matter how many people Jesus healed, because he didn’t heal this particular person, he couldn’t possibly be doing the right thing. There is a way of approaching Jesus that only wants things from him, that only wants Jesus to make things better. But Jesus comes to offer himself (“I am the resurrection and the life”), not just your earthly desires. Soon after, Jesus is preparing for the Passover and having a meal with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Mary, the same one who rebuked Jesus for not arriving earlier, now anoints Jesus’s feet with expensive oil. She used about a half liter, which is a big amount for just about anything. But she does not withhold anything she finds precious. Besides, while John records Mary anointing Jesus’s feet, Matthew and Mark record her anointing his head. So if she did both, and the various gospels simply summarize the event, then the amount no longer seems so strange. Judas, of course, thinks this is a waste. John clearly calls him a thief (12:6). He stole directly from the money bag the disciples shared. A little halfway through John’s gospel, he records the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, which is significantly earlier than the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Each gospel shows Jesus as the victorious king, returning peacefully to his city. John even records the fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, as the other gospels do. While there are considerable differences in the chronologies of the gospels, there share the same events is fantastic agreement. As Jesus goes up into Jerusalem, Greeks, or Gentiles, are there, as well. This looks forward to Jesus being the savior of all men, both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus will not have the ministry directly to the Gentiles that the apostles will, but his death and resurrection will make it possible. These Gentiles approach the disciples because they want to see Jesus. Jesus is fully God and fully man. He does not have a special third nature, and he does not behave as God or man at different times. He is always the portrayal of two natures existing side-by-side. So when Jesus says that his soul is troubled, we see his humanity simultaneously existing beside his divinity when he says that he will draw all people to himself. Chapters 13-17 are a single unit where Jesus directly addresses the disciples intimately, culminating in the high priestly prayer of John 17. He begins by doing the lowliest act of all, that of washing another’s feet. He never receives that kindness in return. He says he did this to serve as an example (13:15). Christianity is a race to the bottom. Immediately after the most humiliating act of service done before his crucifixion, he announces that he knows that one of his closest disciples will betray him. The disciple “whom Jesus loved” is nearly unanimously understood to be John. Peter, James, and John are known to be the “inner circle” of the disciples, or those who received the deepest instruction. The disciple whom Jesus loved cannot identify Peter since this disciple and Peter are together often. No one has really ever tried to Identify this disciple with James. In keeping with the humiliation of the washing of feet, Jesus also tells his disciples that they love love each other as he has loved them. Others come before themselves. We serve God by serving others. In contrast to that command, Jesus also identifies Peter as one who would deny ever knowing him before the morning comes. Even the most devout of followers can have great falls. But great falls, great weaknesses, make room for the power of the great God to shine through. Psalm 106-110 Psalm 106: It is God’s provision that draws us to worship him. Psalm 107: Wherever we find ourselves, the love of God finds us there. Psalm 108: God will lead us to salvation. Psalm 109: God will avenge his people from wicked men. Psalm 110: The Messiah sits at the Father’s right hand. |