Luke is probably my favorite gospel writer because he is such a detail man. After 20 years of marriage, my husband has come to realize that my love language is details. When he shares details of his day with me, I feel totally connected and completely loved. Drives him nuts! ha! Anyway, Luke was a medical doctor by profession, and he knew how to research the facts. In chapter 1 Luke admits that others had already written accounts of the life of Jesus, but Luke thought it worth his time to interview eyewitnesses and draw up a detailed, orderly account. Why? So that we "may know the certainty of the things we have been taught." (v. 4) I am so glad he did, aren't you?
Since we have begun our chronological study of the New Testament, I have been really struck by how all the puzzle pieces fit together. The story of Zechariah in Luke 1 is just one more example of God planning ahead to cause things to come together at just the right time. Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a son for years. God chose to answer their prayer according to His time table. He arranged to share the news with Zechariah during his once-in-a-lifetime duty of offering incense to God in the temple. That is terrific!
Luke is very careful to point out that Zechariah and Elizabeth both were upright and blameless in God's sight. This is critical information because in their day, infertility was seen as a sign of God's judgment for sin. Do you think we still look at it like that today as well? We have ministered to several families dealing with infertility. In fact, I had two miscarriages myself. It is very typical for people to question God when they feel He is withholding the blessing of a child for their family. It is not unusual for people to ask what they have done wrong. Unfortunately, others are not very helpful or supportive of families longing for a child either. I can imagine that Elizabeth felt very ostracized from her community. After all, she was a preacher's wife and a barren wife--what a double whammy! We can be assured she was ecstatic when she found out she would have a son, because God had "shown his favor and taken away her disgrace among the people!" (v. 25)
I really like the words of encouragement the angel gave Zechariah when he told him about John. "He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord." (v. 14-15) I don't think I had ever noticed the end of verse 15, "and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth." That had never happened before! In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would fill people from time to time, but not continually, and never from birth. Way cool! And then in verse 40, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit when she greeted Mary. A woman filled with the Holy Spirit? That never happened before either!
I am so glad that God promised John would be a joy to his parents, because verse 80 says he lived in the desert. We also know that John suffered imprisonment and a tragic death. I pray he was a joy to raise, because his parents would have endured much heartache because of their son as well. Luke leaves out the details of whether or not John's parents were still living when he moved to the desert. However, if they were alive, you know they experienced judgment from the community for having a "wayward" son. Oh girls, let's be very cautious when we are tempted to judge people when we do not know their circumstances.
There are so many more things I want to write about this first chapter of Luke. I think I will save it for another post. You can blame it on Dr. Luke. He's the one who wrote 80 verses in one chapter!!!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Matthew 2
I am a puzzle lover. I love to analyze things and make connections and figure out how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. That’s why I have gained so much from this chronological Bible study. The pieces of God’s story of mankind are all fitting together in my brain. It has caused me to become thoroughly convinced that we should study the Bible as a whole and not look at it in bits and pieces only. While we may enjoy digging deep into a short passage, it only makes complete sense when we read verses in context. Read the whole chapter. Read the chapter before and after.
The lesson I need to learn here is that nothing in my own life catches God by surprise either. His plan for all mankind has been in place since Creation. Why in heaven’s name would I think God needs my help and suggestions for how to work out my situations? Hmmm.
Read Matthew 2; Read the end of Matthew 1; Read Malachi 4. It all fits together!!! What nation was in power when Malachi was writing in Jerusalem? (Persia) Where were the Magi traveling from? (Persia) Who was the chief of the Magi in the Old Testament? (Daniel) Where did Daniel live? (Babylon, which was ruled by Persia) Who did Daniel and Malachi predict would come as King of the Jews? (Jesus) Whom did the Magi seek? (The King of the Jews—Jesus!!!!)
The remainder of the chapter illustrates that the life of Jesus would fulfill the prophecies of Hosea and Jeremiah as well. Can you see that nothing in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus caught God unprepared? From the beginning of time, God was placing the pieces of the puzzle in perfect order. His plan to redeem mankind from the wages of sin would be accomplished.
The lesson I need to learn here is that nothing in my own life catches God by surprise either. His plan for all mankind has been in place since Creation. Why in heaven’s name would I think God needs my help and suggestions for how to work out my situations? Hmmm.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Matthew 1
I love how the Old and New Testaments tie together! Studying them side by side adds so much depth to our understanding of God. He is the God of both Old and New. He is the God of our day and the days to come. He is eternal. He is not limited by time or space. Hallelujah! Our God is amazing!
It is always tempting to skip over genealogies in the Bible, mostly because we don't know how to pronounce half the names. But let's take some time to refresh our memories about some of the people we have studied over the past several months. At the top of
my blog page, there is a search box. You can type in a name from the genealogy listed in Matthew 1, and if we have studied that person, a list of past blog posts will show on your screen. We did not study the people following the exile; so their names will not yield any search results. However, we did study almost all of the people listed in Matthew 1:1-11. Take some time to review your favorites.
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"d]">[d]—which means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:22-23) Jesus Christ was born to fulfill every prophecy we read in the Old Testament! He is Messiah, and He will return again! Hallelujah!
It is always tempting to skip over genealogies in the Bible, mostly because we don't know how to pronounce half the names. But let's take some time to refresh our memories about some of the people we have studied over the past several months. At the top of
my blog page, there is a search box. You can type in a name from the genealogy listed in Matthew 1, and if we have studied that person, a list of past blog posts will show on your screen. We did not study the people following the exile; so their names will not yield any search results. However, we did study almost all of the people listed in Matthew 1:1-11. Take some time to review your favorites.
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"d]">[d]—which means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:22-23) Jesus Christ was born to fulfill every prophecy we read in the Old Testament! He is Messiah, and He will return again! Hallelujah!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Malachi
It looks like I really will get to finish blogging the Old Testament before Easter! I am so excited! This journey that was supposed to take 60 days has taken me ten months instead. While I may have worn out and lost some readers along the way, I have gained a wealth of blessings from studying the Word of God. I look forward to continuing through the New Testament too!
I don't suppose I have really ever studied the book of Malachi indepth. My husband preaches from Chapter 3 at least once a year when we encourage the church to be faithful in tithing. But Malachi has so much more to say! Yesterday I read the four brief chapters of Malachi in the New Century Version. It really made a lot of sense to me. Will you read through it before we get started with our discussion?
The book of Malachi is evidence that God can handle our big questions. So many people are afraid to question God's plan, but our reading today is an example of the dialogue we can have with our heavenly Father. God invites our questioning because it gives Him opportunity to cleanse our lives of sin. The people of Israel were asking hard questions: How has God loved us? Will He accept us? Why do the bad guys always win? Where is the God of justice? How can we return to God? (Sound familiar in our day?)
Did God strike the people down for their opposition? No. But He did answer their questions with more questions: Where is the honor and respect due to Me? Would your governor put up with your poor sacrifices? Why don't you just shut the temple doors and stop your useless sacrifices? Why have you broken faith with me and with one another and with the wives of your youth?
Do you feel far away from God? Do you wonder why He does not seem to respond to your prayers for blessings? Have you taken time to ask God your hard questions? Then have you stilled your heart long enough to hear His reply?
God's major complaints against the people of Israel were (1) they were no longer giving Him their best, (2) the priests had turned from God's way and were causing others to stumble, and (3) the people were not building healthy families because they were marrying idol worshippers and divorcing the wives of their youth. Why did these things make God so upset? Because His whole purpose for choosing them was for their relationship with God to bring glory to His Name. Their actions were in direct contradiction to God's purpose. Everything they did brought dishonor to God.
God's solution to the problem? TITHE! You may say, "That makes no sense to me." Well, sister, to the human mind, bringing tithes and offerings to God does not make financial sense. Why does God ask us to tithe? Because it enables us to prove our commitment to a Holy God, and it allows Him to prove His miraculous provision for us.
Do you question the wisdom in this? Then take it before the throne of God, who waits eagerly to debate the issue with you!
I don't suppose I have really ever studied the book of Malachi indepth. My husband preaches from Chapter 3 at least once a year when we encourage the church to be faithful in tithing. But Malachi has so much more to say! Yesterday I read the four brief chapters of Malachi in the New Century Version. It really made a lot of sense to me. Will you read through it before we get started with our discussion?
The book of Malachi is evidence that God can handle our big questions. So many people are afraid to question God's plan, but our reading today is an example of the dialogue we can have with our heavenly Father. God invites our questioning because it gives Him opportunity to cleanse our lives of sin. The people of Israel were asking hard questions: How has God loved us? Will He accept us? Why do the bad guys always win? Where is the God of justice? How can we return to God? (Sound familiar in our day?)
Did God strike the people down for their opposition? No. But He did answer their questions with more questions: Where is the honor and respect due to Me? Would your governor put up with your poor sacrifices? Why don't you just shut the temple doors and stop your useless sacrifices? Why have you broken faith with me and with one another and with the wives of your youth?
Do you feel far away from God? Do you wonder why He does not seem to respond to your prayers for blessings? Have you taken time to ask God your hard questions? Then have you stilled your heart long enough to hear His reply?
God's major complaints against the people of Israel were (1) they were no longer giving Him their best, (2) the priests had turned from God's way and were causing others to stumble, and (3) the people were not building healthy families because they were marrying idol worshippers and divorcing the wives of their youth. Why did these things make God so upset? Because His whole purpose for choosing them was for their relationship with God to bring glory to His Name. Their actions were in direct contradiction to God's purpose. Everything they did brought dishonor to God.
God's solution to the problem? TITHE! You may say, "That makes no sense to me." Well, sister, to the human mind, bringing tithes and offerings to God does not make financial sense. Why does God ask us to tithe? Because it enables us to prove our commitment to a Holy God, and it allows Him to prove His miraculous provision for us.
Do you question the wisdom in this? Then take it before the throne of God, who waits eagerly to debate the issue with you!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Nehemiah 1
As I have read through the book of Nehemiah the past couple of weeks, Nehemiah’s call to action has really stood out to me. Our ladies Bible study at Patterson Avenue is studying how to discover our SHAPE, which is one of the focuses of the Purpose Driven Life. We have discussed how to find out what ministry God is calling us to. I think Nehemiah is a terrific example of a guy who was just doing his job, working for the government, when God called him out for special service. That is one of those terms we don’t use much in the church anymore—“special service.” I suppose we have gotten away from it because we encourage people to know that everyone is a minister of the gospel. We don’t want anyone to feel like they are not called to serve.
Anyway, in the first chapter we can see the progression of God at work in Nehemiah’s heart to move him to action. Boy, this is my prayer for the church—that we would move into action rather than sit in the pew! At first, Nehemiah was just curious about how things were going in Jerusalem, and he started asking questions. I think he must have been expecting a positive report about Jerusalem, and when he heard bad news, it really caught him off guard. He sat down and wept. He was heartbroken over the devastation of Jerusalem, and he fasted and prayed for days. The chapter gives us a glimpse of what Nehemiah prayed about as he asked God to listen to his prayer. He confessed the sins of his people, and he took it personally and took responsibility. Even though Nehemiah had never been to Jerusalem, he included himself when he asked God to forgive their nation. He asked God to remember His covenant to Israel, and he begged God to remain faithful.
Then he decided to get involved. At the end of chapter one, Nehemiah prayed that God would give him success by granting him favor in the presence of the king. So, sometime during Nehemiah’s prayer and fasting, he moved from being grieved by the situation to choosing to do something about it. He made up his mind that he was going to turn in his two-week notice and leave for Jerusalem.
What keeps us from getting involved? Why do we pray about it and then forget it? Why do we talk and talk about doing ministry but then never get the job done? What are we waiting for? Nehemiah did not need someone to ask him to volunteer. God told him to go, and he obeyed. Nehemiah did not take any spiritual gift inventories so he could be assured that he was equipped to lead a building project. He was a cupbearer, a food taster for the king, not a wall builder. What qualified him for this huge undertaking? He felt God moving in his heart, and he yielded himself to the Holy Spirit moving him to action.
Let’s quit making it so hard to serve Jesus! When He pricks your heart, respond immediately. Quit throwing out the fleece over and over and over again to see if God is really serious when He tells you to do anything. Stop longing for affirmation from your Sunday school teacher, the pastor, your best friend, and your mom before you will answer the call. Just get ‘er done!!!!
Anyway, in the first chapter we can see the progression of God at work in Nehemiah’s heart to move him to action. Boy, this is my prayer for the church—that we would move into action rather than sit in the pew! At first, Nehemiah was just curious about how things were going in Jerusalem, and he started asking questions. I think he must have been expecting a positive report about Jerusalem, and when he heard bad news, it really caught him off guard. He sat down and wept. He was heartbroken over the devastation of Jerusalem, and he fasted and prayed for days. The chapter gives us a glimpse of what Nehemiah prayed about as he asked God to listen to his prayer. He confessed the sins of his people, and he took it personally and took responsibility. Even though Nehemiah had never been to Jerusalem, he included himself when he asked God to forgive their nation. He asked God to remember His covenant to Israel, and he begged God to remain faithful.
Then he decided to get involved. At the end of chapter one, Nehemiah prayed that God would give him success by granting him favor in the presence of the king. So, sometime during Nehemiah’s prayer and fasting, he moved from being grieved by the situation to choosing to do something about it. He made up his mind that he was going to turn in his two-week notice and leave for Jerusalem.
What keeps us from getting involved? Why do we pray about it and then forget it? Why do we talk and talk about doing ministry but then never get the job done? What are we waiting for? Nehemiah did not need someone to ask him to volunteer. God told him to go, and he obeyed. Nehemiah did not take any spiritual gift inventories so he could be assured that he was equipped to lead a building project. He was a cupbearer, a food taster for the king, not a wall builder. What qualified him for this huge undertaking? He felt God moving in his heart, and he yielded himself to the Holy Spirit moving him to action.
Let’s quit making it so hard to serve Jesus! When He pricks your heart, respond immediately. Quit throwing out the fleece over and over and over again to see if God is really serious when He tells you to do anything. Stop longing for affirmation from your Sunday school teacher, the pastor, your best friend, and your mom before you will answer the call. Just get ‘er done!!!!
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