Devotion.al

Tag: father

  • The Aha Pilgrimage

    1 Kings 10:23–24, Isaiah 60:1–6, Micah 4:1–5, Matthew 2:1–12, Revelation 21:22–24 (read online ⧉)

    People approaching another country’s king with respect, almost as a pilgrimage, was not uncommon. We read the passages and often are lacking the context that kingdoms would often send delegations to a new , just to set a good basis for future relationships. They would travel long miles to do so. Sometimes it’s even questionable if it was “worth it”. Part of it was to gather information, but much of it really was to build relations. When you didn’t know who would be your next enemy, it was wise to plant positive seeds of the as far as one could. The other part of this was also a showing of strength and wealth. If such-and-such a country could send this much and this person (usually a person of theoretical importance), then perhaps currying was smart.

    The Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon was a little outside the norm. According to the writer(s) of Kings, it seemed pretty natural, for the whole world wanted to talk to Solomon. While it was normal to send delegations, the author(s) of Kings seems to be emphasizing it, almost as if there was something far greater at work.

    The concept of people coming to Israel because of what God was doing was by no means new. And the writer(s) of Kings knew it. However, what was a “nice” thing, became an important piece of the prophetic narrative in regards to exile. Isaiah and Micah both indicate that the nations will come to Israel. It takes on a deeper role than just earthly kingdoms. The spiritual aspect was implicit in this vision. It was a calling of Israel to its role…a to the world.

    When was born, there was no great fanfare in the larger world. Sure, some shepherds saw and heard some angels, but they were only shepherds. The so-called wise and powerful of Israel certainly didn’t care for some poor child born during the census, especially since the child’s importance was only witnessed by some (dirty, disgusting, untrustworthy, worthless) shepherds. And, really, what does it matter that some crazy prophet and prophetess announced Jesus, or any of the crazy story about some old priest (Zechariah, the of John the Baptist). The so-called wise and powerful received, just like in days of old, dignitaries from foreign places. It echoed the “ days” of Solomon. They probably celebrated their seeming rising importance.

    Yet, these dignitaries weren’t looking for this particular court of man. Instead, they were looking for the “court” of the new king. The these dignitaries followed was a star! They didn’t receive a notice of a new king by messenger, they looked to a star! This is another piece of the story. The nation from and for whom the Messiah would come didn’t even notice. In many respects, this was the first case of reverse evangelism, where the ones that missionaries used to send people to, now send people back to restore the .

    1) When it comes to the “epiphany”, who had it? The Israelites, the Romans, the foreigners?

    2) Epiphany is supposedly proof that Jesus calls non-Israelites (i.e., non-Jews) to him. Do you think the story of the Magi shows that? Is so, how? If not, why not?

    3) If Christians are the Jews and powerful people in the story of Epiphany, who are the Magi? What might these Magi have to show us what it means to be followers of Jesus?

  • Christmas

    Micah 4:1–8, Micah 5:1–4, Matthew 1:1–25, Luke 2:1–20 (read online ⧉)

    Long before doctors and hospitals, women gave birth at home. There has been a resurgence of interest in this, as society (specifically mothers) realizes that “home” provides that a hospital room just can’t. The sterile, bland, cold, and noisy hospital room just sounds so cozy to welcome a new into the world. Mothers will choose where they are most comfortable to birth, whether it is at home or at a hospital or someplace else. It comes time for to be born, and neither is an option, so on to that someplace else…Bethlehem.

    Perhaps Bethlehem wasn’t too bad for Mary. Nazareth was home for her (and ultimately they returned there). However, those were the same people who saw a pregnant woman and knew that her husband wasn’t the . The birth of her might have been an absolute circus. Instead, along with many other strangers, she was in Bethlehem. Instead of being “that” Mary, she was just another face in a crowd of people.

    Micah’s seeming foretelling of where the Messiah would be born tell a tale. The first passage talks about Migdal Eder (or “the watchtower of the flock”), which is associated with Bethlehem. This place of becomes very interesting as it is possible that was the place the shepherds were at when visited by the angels, and it would be near Bethlehem for a “quick” visit to the Messiah.

    1) Have you ever had the experience of the coming for the firstborn of the next generation? What was it like?

    2) What if instead of a nice clean family it was the worst and the least that came to rejoice with you? What then?

    3) Who do you think had the greater , the shepherds or the families of Mary and Joseph? Who would it be easier to celebrate with? Why?

  • Full Joy

    Psalm 126, Isaiah 12:1–6

    Around Christmas, is used a lot. Many Christmas songs use the , a lot. What is joy? Without defining it, we leave it to the world to define it for us, which is dangerous, for the world misses so much without God. For us, we need to look at joy as a deep-seated emotion that provides assurance, resolve, positive outlook, and is – through building up of self and and is based upon the and nature of God—, Son, and .

    Is this an all-encompassing understanding of joy? Probably not. In fact, joy is often used, even in Scripture, to mean something different. This is why it is so important to set our expectations for joy and what we are actually looking for when we seek joy.

    True joy is fully dependent upon our with God. A person who touches on the joy of God (such as having children) gets a taste, but it is not the full expression of joy. In many respects, we will not fully understand joy in this life. Even the most devout believer still only gets a taste of joy on this side of things. So, imagine the person who doesn’t have that depth with God. The “taste” they get is even less than the taste experienced by believers. It makes sense that joy is often confused in the world.

    1. Why should we put such a strong point of God being integral to joy?
    2. If you were to the definition of joy given about, what would you add, remove, or change?
    3. Why is it important to look for joy?

  • Stars of Hope

    Genesis 22:15–18, Deuteronomy 1:10, Isaiah 54:1–10, Romans 4:13–25 (read online ⧉)

    Twice God promised Abraham (and once for Jacob) that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Imagine all the stars without our modern lights drowning them out. For Abraham that was a beyond expectation, and certainly beyond anything that God needed to promise for Abraham’s obedience. God made this promise of God’s own free will.

    As inheritor’s of God’s promise, Moses reminded the Israelites of God’s promise prior to their entry into the Promised Land. The Israelites were the result of Abraham’s faithfulness. That God was gave them as they entered the promised land, as long as they listened to God.

    Often keeping the of hope going is a challenge while everyone else’s seems to be a huge successful bonfire. The promise of uncountable descendants is extraordinarily painful when one is childless. Isaiah speaks of Israel that has no children. This symbolic Israel is God’s faithful . She has no children of , for they have all left the faith. The enemies of and in the world have drawn her offspring away from the Water of Life. God, however, promises the now barren Israel will have innumerable children.

    This is what is referring to as the Promise of Faith. Being the Father of Nations (Abraham) is no longer an issue of blood, but the fulfillment of the faith that Abraham showed to God and those that put their hope in Jesus. Through Jesus, we all become part of “the blood” of Abraham, and part of the “nations” that he fathered.

    1) Why do you think Isaiah used barren as a of hope?

    2) Why is important to recall the fulfilled promises of God? What does it do for us?

    FD) Why do you think hope often symbolized by a flame?

  • Herald of the King

    Isaiah 40:3–11, Malachi 3:1–2, Luke 1:39–44, Luke 1:59–80 (read online ⧉)

    It has been said (by Christians, of course) that John the Baptist was the last Old Testament prophet. By that, they meant that (and his life, , resurrection, and the subsequent of the ) was the New Testament. In some ways, they are correct. The New Testament is about the life and work of Jesus Christ, and the new work of the (through the ). John the Baptist was the last one (though not really) to say that God was coming before God actually came. John the Baptist sounded like many of the prophets of old.

    It seems peculiar to call John the Baptist, well, the Baptist. According to the Scriptures, perhaps he should be John the Herald. It would certainly be appropriate. It would also call to mind John’s purpose, heralding the coming of God, rather than focusing on his acts of baptism. It’s not that the baptisms he performed were bad, but ultimately they were a witness to the coming of Jesus.

    That John, in the womb (!), “leaped” at the of Mary is startling (though babies do recognize voices in the womb). Even in the womb, John was heralding the coming king. It is sad, in some ways, that John’s place seems to have been decided from a young age, yet he could have made a different decision.

    Ultimately, John’s purpose was by heralding Jesus’ arrival. Like so many do, he could have opposed Jesus, and many would have listened. He didn’t. By his actions, he fulfilled the words of his . John guided the people to the only one whose way is the path of peace.

    1) John’s place was definitely one of number 2. Have you ever been a number 2 or lower? How did you feel? Did you just spiritualize your answer?

    2) Why do you think “the Baptist” became John’s title rather than “the Herald” or something else?

    3) What do you think about John going to the wilderness when he grew up? Why do you think he did that? Do you think he was alone?

  • Obedience of Faith

    Nehemiah 9:26–38, John 5:19–29 (read online)

    We struggle with obedience. We struggle with rules.

    We often don’t like the rules created by , especially if we are to live by them.

    The reality is that rules do govern our lives. Sometimes the “rules” are not truly rules but are descriptions of reality. The laws of gravity, entropy, magnetism and so on follow this.

    Using the word “law” can be deceptive as they are a description of behavior that is perceived that all things follow. Yet, in many respects, these are the only laws that everyone obeys. These laws of physics aren’t something we think about. They are just part of our lives.

    By and large, all the legal laws we have, we don’t really think about, either, other than some of the driving ones.

    We don’t think, generally, about laws of incorporation, franchises, utilities, building codes, commerce, in fact, all sorts of things.

    Sometimes, we might have to deal with some of them, but not always. When we do we recognize it, it is as a societal hoop we jump through if we want to .

    What ties all of these rules and laws is that there is no component in them. There might be some sort of different faith in regards to the underlying system (e.g., capitalism, democracy), but the laws themselves require no faith.

    Unless he obeys, a man cannot believe.
    — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

    The Israelites didn’t have enough faith to obey, apparently. Or was it something else. What is Dietrich Bonhoeffer getting at? It appears to be a catch-22. The Israelites didn’t have faith, because they didn’t believe, because they didn’t obey? Does faith have anything to do with belief? Time and time again, the Israelites did not obey.

    Disobedience became a way of life, and so did unbelief. The ultimate consequence was being slaves in their own land, that they had been given by God. By the time came, while the Jews (the descendant of the Israelites) were oppressed, they weren’t (by in large) slaves. Their position within the Roman structure wasn’t by our standards, granted. However, their religious leaders created new and enforced old laws that enslaved their hearts. What about obedience? And, that, is where we get to the rub of things.

    Jesus put his obedience out there in a way that was different than the religious leaders. Jesus could not do anything on his own. He bound himself to God the . This is the kind of obedience that Bonhoeffer is getting at. It’s not rules for rules’ sake (which is what the Jewish law had devolved to), but for the heart of God. Obedience for obedience’s sake, or to get something, is not Godly obedience. Godly obedience is doing as we are called to do by God because we were called to it by God.

    1)What do think when you think of obedience?

    2) Which is easier, obeying laws, or God’s laws? Are you sure?

  • Burning Jealousy

    Genesis 37:3–11, 1 Samuel 16:1–13, 1 Samuel 17:12–29, Proverbs 14:30

    Unrighteous is very much a feeling. Joseph’s brothers were, without question, jealous of Joseph. Their was—in many respects—the initiator of their jealousy, for he treated Joseph differently than them. He even had a special robe made for him. It is not unreasonable to look at the robe as a foreshadowing of the royal station that Joseph would get. It was completely inappropriate for the contest of being the 2nd youngest to be so elevated, yet he was.

    As the Proverb said, the brothers’ jealousy corrupted them down to their bones. Their brother was condemned to slavery (they thought). Yes, they didn’t kill them, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that it was their first thought. Then, in a capstone to their jealousy, they put blood on the “royal” coat and deceived their father. It was an act of in regard to their father’s place in their lives. Mostly, however, it was an act of cruelty. They were able to get back at their father, too.

    Unlike Joseph’s dreams, with Joseph sharing them, David’s anointing was external. The man and (last) judge of Israel, Samuel, anointed David. David really had nothing to do with it, other than obeying his father (Jesse) and submitting to the anointing. We can see later on, though, that the brothers weren’t responding well to their brother. Eliab, the de facto of David’s brothers, spoke poorly to David. We can see by David’s that this is not a new thing. Yes, in many respects this is the reality of siblings. On the other hand, the often highlight the important things, implying that Eliab’s jab was more than sibling rivalry.

    The jealousy that seeks to elevate oneself at the cost of another rots human relationships “to the bone.” Jealousy is the sign of an unbalanced .

    1) Why is focusing on the jealousy within families so important? What lessons can we learn from it?

    2) Unrighteous jealousy usually involves taking from . When have you seen this? What have you done, if you could, to resolve the situation?

    3) Usually all parties involved in a jealousy situation are affected/harmed. Why do you think the jealous person will often work against their self?

  • Very Much Active

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

    The Holy —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 others 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 Paul. 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 . Hearts are still called to Jesus. 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 ) 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 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 , 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 faith?