Devotion.al

  • Blaming God

    2 Chronicles 12:1–8, James 1:12–15
    When we read the Old Testament, the phrasing is often such that we could say God caused most suffering. In fact, there are many who truly believe that despite the balance of .

    Let’s take the story of Rehoboam and Shishak. Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, son of David. David was the man that God promised would have a descendant on the throne of Israel, as long as they were . For 3 years, Rehoboam was faithful. Rehoboam used the Law to establish his and authority. Once that was done, he was done with the Law. Rehoboam’s reign didn’t exactly start well, but he could have done alright had he (and Israel alongside him) stayed faithful to God.

    This is the same with each and every one of us. We may about the innocents (like children) who, through no fault of their own, are pulled into the brokenness of the of humanity, and up suffering because of it. We may not even be aware of it.

    God does Rehoboam to account. Rehoboam—and Judah with him—will be abandoned to the ravages of the latest military dominator, Shishak. Abandoned. There is a lot that can be pulled from this. The primary one is that Judah has been under God’s protection, guarding them against Shishak. God wasn’t going to make Shishak attack Judah. Shishak would have naturally gone against Judah. It would have been God’s protection that kept Shishak from attacking.
    Rehoboam’s and Judah’s humbled themselves (kind of surprising for Rehoboam), God relented…somewhat. The gist of it was that God would still let Shishak attack, but that the result would not be desolation, but becoming a subordinated people. Was it great? No. It was intended to be a learning lesson, but the hearts of Rehoboam and Judah were to set in their own ways (already!) to fully to God.
    The sad reality is that in situations like this, we ourselves can often become this type of hardhearted person. In certain instances, God may have kept the worst consequences of our behavior from affecting us, while still allowing some so that we would be disciplined. Instead, we can often see the lesser consequence of God not doing something and complain.
    James was obviously dealing with something similar but in the realm of . The lack of personal responsibility drew strong rebuke from James. He did not want people to blame God for their choices (and the consequences of those choices). Rehoboam succumbed to temptation (of not following God). He had a choice. God did not make him choose to succumb, nor did God try to tempt Rehoboam.
    1) Have you ever blamed God for temptation (or more specifically falling for it), or making you too weak?
    2) Have you ever heard someone else blame God for their succumbing to temptation? How did you ?

  • Faithfully Blind Together

    Leviticus 21:16–24, Matthew 20:29–34, 1 Corinthians 1:26–29

    Even today people struggle with blindness. Granted, today those who are blind have legal protections, braille, technology, and acceptance that wasn’t part of other cultures. In the New Testament era, the only “job” the blind could get was begging. Doesn’t sound very fulfilling or enjoyable.

    Our story in Matthew takes place on ‘ last journey to Jerusalem. Whether the large crowd was only because of Jesus or also because of the approaching Days is somewhat up for discussion. Regardless, though, the blind men were probably looking to having a more successful attempt at begging, due to the emotional high that people would have had, and the affiliation of almsgiving with Holy Days.

    Instead, they hear Jesus is coming. They probably had already heard the stories of the miracles he performed. That Jesus would be near them would be exciting and would be hope-filled. They cried out, but the crowd tried to silence them. Some commentators take a symbolic view of this. The crowd is the world (and Satan) trying to drown out the coming of Jesus. The blind men, like Christians, have to the world to Jesus. It might be taking a few too many liberties, but the reality is these men overcame the crowd.

    In all likelihood, this was not behavior for them. They would generally be meek so as to not be bullied. Yet, they went for it. They took the risk. Opposed the crowd. They could now see.

    The weak. desires. The despised. Yet, Jesus heard their cries and healed them. notes that the world has a different form of evaluation and valuing people than the Kingdom of God.

    1) What have your thoughts been (whether now or in the past) of people who were not fully as capable (physical or mental) as you?

    2) People are quick to value people based upon their physical bodies. Why do you think that is?

    3) Why do you think Paul concludes with, “…so that no one may boast in his …”?

  • Very Much Active

    Numbers 11:16–17+Numbers 11:24–30, 1 Samuel 10:1–13, Mark 9:35–41

    The Spirit—the third person of the —often does not in a way we understand or can predict. That makes us frustrated. For example, there are Christians who believe the Holy Spirit has ceased miraculous activity. For some, that means no miraculous healings. For that means no “”. For others that even includes the gifts of the Spirit.

    Many tie the movement of the Holy Spirit to the 12 Apostles and . However, as we read in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was active without them. So, where does this us? Well, there can be no question, really, that the Holy Spirit is in action. Hearts are still called to . Hearts are still changed. Lives are still transformed.
    To believe that 1/3 (the Holy Spirit) of the Trinity is inactive while the other 2/3 (God the , Jesus the Son) are active seems to be problematic. The Holy Spirit is God. So, if the of God is active, it seems illogical for the Holy Spirit to not be.

    The struggle is, again, that the Holy Spirit does not necessarily move in the ways we want or predict. Thus the conclusion is drawn that the Holy Spirit stopped moving. However, miraculous healings do occur. Tongues still occur (and not just the charismatic type). The gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy, still occur. It is often that our hearts and minds are too dull and hard to see them for what they are.

    1) Have you ever seen or experienced a miracle that could only be performed by God?

    2) If you haven’t, or haven’t a long while, why do you think (or do you think) the Holy Spirit is still active?

    3) Why do think it is important that the Holy Spirit is or isn’t active? How does your belief impact the way you live your ?

  • Repentant Worship

    Jeremiah 44:15–23, Hosea 14:1–7

    The “tale” told in Jeremiah is a sad one. The people of Israel knowingly and willing worshiped gods that were not theirs. As we read their tale, they saw wealth, prosperity, and security as the of their gods, when it was God who protected them. Now that God is calling them to face the consequences of not being the People of God, they blame God for their circumstances. They were warned that their continued of other gods would be punished, but that there was another way. They were stubborn. They knew what was “right”. That old God didn’t mean anything to them.

    If there had been one or two worshiping other gods, things might not have turned out the way they did. We can draw from the verses, however, that a large proportion of the population was worshiping these other gods, and most of the remainder were complicit in allowing it. In other words, it wasn’t just the worshipers of other gods that were in the wrong, it was the worshipers of God who did nothing who were wrong, too.

    The consequences could have been avoided. Hosea’s words show that God is always open to repentant hearts. The requirement for repentance is often too hard for many…pride. There is another portion for whom repentance is hard not because of pride, but because they see themselves in such a poor , that repentance is pointless, for God would never accept them.

    1) Do you know someone that thinks too little of themselves? What can you do to show and explain the depth of God’s , , and ?

    2) In a multi- like the States, we are not called as a nation for the purity of worship that the Israelites were called to. However, as a body, we are. What are some tensions you have experienced, whether now or earlier, where purity of worship has been an issue? What is purity of worship?

  • Questions, Questions

    We have all heard an instructor, teacher, professor, or lecturer say, “there is no such thing as a dumb question.” The intent is to make the students or hearers more comfortable to questions. While that statement is often made, on the other hand, when students are graded on participation, their questions are evaluated on how they contributed to the understanding (i.e., the education) of the topic. In other words, yes, there really are dumb questions. That being said, what are usually considered dumb questions are really ignorant, , or purposefully disruptive (to the purpose of the venue).
    Solomon asked for . Was that really a question in the context of the verse? Yes and no. In English, no, it isn’t a question. In context, however, it is. “Is it possible, God, that you would me the wisdom and discernment to lead your people?” That really is the question. God in the affirmative. As we follow Solomon’s , we do see that he stopped asking wise questions when it came to his wives and practices. In fact, it seems in that area he stopped asking questions at all.
    Nebuchadnezzar asks some questions out of anger, pride, and offense (people in his immediate circle did not obey his law). We look at his questions and think they’re dumb. Think about it from his . He made a gold statue to worship (no in-depth theology on this new god). Everyone will now suddenly worship it. In many respects, this sounds more like a civil than true religion. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t seem to really believe in the god he’d made nor the God of the Jews. In the midst of his anger, he was probably pretty confused.
    Then we have the Sadducees. Really, the question they asked Jesus could have easily been asked of the Pharisees. In fact, this exact question was indeed probably asked of the Pharisees during theological discussions. Jesus gave a brilliant answer to their question, but their question wasn’t dumb. For people concerned with fulfilling the law correctly, this would be a matter that needed an answer. The consistency of their logic was sound.
    Questions need answers, and we often judge our answers by what we perceive is the brilliance of others. Sometimes though, people just need their questions to be heard. They may not need an answer, but they may need a sounding board.
    1) What can you do to show others that you are open to their questions, especially regarding ?
    2) What will you do to train yourself to not always see questions in black or white, right or wrong? What causes you to think answers must be formed in that way?
    3) What do you think the better question that Nebuchadnezzar and the Sadducees could have asked, in the context of these Scriptures?

  • Burden Bearing / Burden Sharing

    Psalm 119:169–176, Psalm 121, 1 Peter 5:1–11

    No matter how strong your faith, there has been (or will be) a time when you desire nothing more than to be relieved from your burdens. It may be a job, finances, , health, . Often we just want to escape.

    Psalm 119 is full of many emotions and longings. Verses 169–176 are a plea that God will and . It isn’t quite the bargaining phrasing, but there is a strong tone of, “I’ve been good, so please help.” It’s not bargaining with God, per se, but it does show a very of reciprocation.

    Psalm 121 has more the tone of expectations and resolute in God’s deliverance of believers. It sounds great. However, it doesn’t always work out that way. The danger of Psalm 121 is its context. Is it true 100% of the time for all believers? No. It is the ideal. Many Christians and Jews have suffered and died over the years. If they were to hold onto Psalm 121 at the exclusion of all else, then their faith could well be broken in times of trial. Psalm 121 is often used to comfort people, yet its very comfort could be what finally pushes a person from the faith.

    This is why Peter’s words are so important. In these verses, Peter’s larger goal is humility. How we interact with people, especially when it comes to the of God, is important. We are to look at ourselves as caretakers and guides. Only clothed in humility can we honestly help one another. The other side of humility is being able to look at God and say, “your will be done,” and mean it.

    Peter seems to also toss in a phrase, “…he may exalt you at the proper time…” Humility and waiting on God’s timing. This is why as we suffer, suffer with those who suffer, and try to console others, we need to be careful in our words and the use of the . We have to be humble as we share and care, for we are not there and we are not those in need of love. We also need to understand timing, and that we don’t always get what we want, and if we do, not when we want it.

    1) Is there someone you know suffering that needs to hear of God’s love for them?

    2) How could pride get in the way of our perception of God’s deliverance?

    3) Help, Humility, and Timing. How do you see those working in your life in regards to your faith journey, and in regards to your behavior toward others?

  • Enemies and Adversaries

    Rom 2:25–29, Revelation 3:7–13

    The struggle between Jew and has long been the case. Initially, there was a mix of those with good motives (e.g., preserving the “true” faith, protection from apostasy) and bad motives (e.g., pride, influence). Then there were those who regularly challenged the theology for various reasons.

    regularly had to oppose them to protect the fledgling churches. Oddly, we ought to be grateful, for without opposition we might not have even had the letters that we have. One could that it is because of the opposition that the church grew as it did (and many do argue that to this day). Without question, opposition forced the church to figure out what it did believe, wrestling with it over generations.

    Paul struggled to separate the Jewish Laws and customs from the new Christian , and due to the Jewish basis of Christianity it continued to be an issue. Yet, what was an issue of understanding became something much darker.

    In Revelation 3:9, John wrote “…synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews…” This phrasing, which was intended to illustrate the same struggle that Paul had, became a verse of hatred. It’s easy to see why. Seemingly tying the Jews to Satan is pretty inflammatory. Christians for generations vilified and demonized Jews based on verses like this and an erroneously singular focus on who was the root cause of ‘ crucifixion (the Jews, rather than all of us). Some interpreters are quick to point out that what is translated as Satan is satanas, a Greek take on the Aramaic/Hebrew for adversary. The question for some becomes is this a proper (the Adversary) or a descriptive name (an adversary). The reality is that there is an adversarial toward the church, trying to skew its theology.

    The reason this odd historical piece is important is that the church, still, often resorts to adversarial/ language when discussing or interacting with those whose theology is different. We cannot behave that way, for while we were sinners (enemies of God), even before we were born, Jesus died for us. Imagine if Jesus treated us as if we were his enemy.

    1) Is there someone you have treated as an enemy, that God is calling you to ?

    2) Is there language that you have been using the frames others as the enemy or adversary? (This is beyond just not agreeing with them on something)

  • Evaluating Value

    John 8:2–12, 2 Corinthians 5:10–15

    Before we go any further, this story in John is an odd one. It does not show up in the earliest manuscripts that we currently have, however, the story does show up soon (time-wise) after the earliest manuscript. What is also unusual (in comparison to stories) is that it doesn’t show up in exactly the same places. The very early attested to the accuracy of the story, as do most scholars. However, because of its appearance later, there is probably a note in your bible about it. Again, this does not put the story in dispute.

    The story is interesting, as many people have put their own spin on what was writing in the dirt. Could it have been a line? Was it a list of sins the men committed? Maybe it was as simple as, “ God; love others.” Many creative sermons have been delivered over what was written in the dirt, but not written in the Scriptures. The real question is judgment. Based on the context (setting Jesus up) and the lack of a male participant (who should have been stoned, too), there was no following the Law in or Spirit. Even literally the law wasn’t followed (again, the lack of the man).

    The Law, or the law (as in US jurisprudence) can be judged insofar as being evaluated and found regarding the preponderance of evidence as guilty or innocent of the charge. That is not the judgment in this instance. It is a judgment of value. This woman was judged to be less valued for she was a woman and an adulteress. The man involved was skipped over. Why was one granted and grace (presumptive), while another was not?

    reminds us that we all will stand before the throne. Yes, if we’ve accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we will be spared the judgment. However, what if we stood before the throne and experienced the entirety of the emotional, spiritual, and of our sins (including what we have caused others). This would not be out of a desire to inflict pain, but for us to Truly understand the grace and mercy given to us.

    1) Have you ever judged and/or condemned a person, then found out you were wrong? What was that like? Did you make amends? If not, why not?

    2) We may be quick to judge the sins of others. What should we from the lesson of Jesus?

    3) Paul speaks of the “fear of God”. How should that affect our views of judging others?

Devotion.al

Blaming God

2 Chronicles 12:1–8, James 1:12–15
When we read the Old Testament, the phrasing is often such that we could say God caused most suffering. In fact, there are many who truly believe that despite the balance of .

Let’s take the story of Rehoboam and Shishak. Rehoboam was the of Solomon, son of David. David was the man that God promised would have a descendant on the throne of Israel, as long as they were . For 3 years, Rehoboam was faithful. Rehoboam used the Law to establish his and authority. Once that was done, he was done with the Law. Rehoboam’s reign didn’t exactly start well, but he could have done alright had he (and Israel alongside him) stayed faithful to God.

This is the same with each and every one of us. We may about the innocents (like children) who, through no fault of their own, are pulled into the brokenness of the of humanity, and up suffering because of it. We may not even be aware of it.

God does Rehoboam to account. Rehoboam—and Judah with him—will be abandoned to the ravages of the latest military dominator, Shishak. Abandoned. There is a lot that can be pulled from this. The primary one is that Judah has been under God’s protection, guarding them against Shishak. God wasn’t going to make Shishak attack Judah. Shishak would have naturally gone against Judah. It would have been God’s protection that kept Shishak from attacking.
Rehoboam’s and Judah’s humbled themselves (kind of surprising for Rehoboam), God relented…somewhat. The gist of it was that God would still let Shishak attack, but that the result would not be desolation, but becoming a subordinated people. Was it great? No. It was intended to be a learning lesson, but the hearts of Rehoboam and Judah were to set in their own ways (already!) to fully to God.
The sad reality is that in situations like this, we ourselves can often become this type of hardhearted person. In certain instances, God may have kept the worst consequences of our behavior from affecting us, while still allowing some so that we would be disciplined. Instead, we can often see the lesser consequence of God not doing something and complain.
James was obviously dealing with something similar but in the realm of . The lack of personal responsibility drew strong rebuke from James. He did not want people to blame God for their choices (and the consequences of those choices). Rehoboam succumbed to temptation (of not following God). He had a choice. God did not make him choose to succumb, nor did God try to tempt Rehoboam.
1) Have you ever blamed God for temptation (or more specifically falling for it), or making you too weak?
2) Have you ever heard someone else blame God for their succumbing to temptation? How did you respond?