03/10/10

Acts 10-12

In Acts 10, a centurion at Caesarea named Cornelius had a vision, which told him to send men to Joppa and bring back a man named Simon and called Peter. He sent two of his servants and a devout soldier to do so. At the time when they were approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. As he did so, he became hungry, and while the meal was being prepared "he fell into a trance." In a vision, he saw "something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners," containing all manner of animals, and a voice told him to "kill and eat." Peter replied, "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean," but the voice told him that he should not "call anything impure that God has made clean." This happened three times "and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven." The men sent by Cornelius arrived while Peter was contemplating this vision, and the spirit told him that they were there, and that he should go with them. The next day, he went with them to Caeserea, and when he entered the house, Cornelious fell at his feet. Peter told him to rise, "I am only a man myself." He then asked why he was sent for, and Cornelius told him about his vision. Peter preached the gospel to them and many received the Holy Spirit, even the gentiles, which surprised the Jews. Peter ordered them all baptized and they asked him to stay for a few days.

Peter was challenged, in Acts 11, by other "circumcised believers" for having gone into the house of Gentiles and eating with them. He explained the vision that he had seen, and reminded them of what Jesus had said - "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." And he told them that he realized, "if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?" To this, "they had no further objections."

Those disciples who had left Jerusalem, "scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen," traveled to places as widespread as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching to Jews only. Some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene, however, when to Antioch "and began to speak to Greeks also," and many believed and "turned to the LORD." When the church in Jerusalem heard this, they sent Barnabas, who "saw the evidence of the grace of God" and encouraged them, before going to Tarsus looking for Saul. He found him and took him to Antioch, and they taught there for a year. "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." And a prophet named Agabus who went from Jerusalem to Antioch predicted a famine (which "happened during the reign of Claudius") and the disciples provided help for those in Judea, "sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul."

Chapter 12 tells about the persecution under King Herod in which James, the brother of John, was killed and Peter was seized. He put him in prison, guarded by four squads of soldiers, intending to try him publically after the Passover. The night before he was to be tried, an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He woke Peter and struck his chains off, and led him out of the prison. He went to the house of "Mary the mother of John, also called Mark" and knocked. They were astonished to see him, and described to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. The next morning, Herod had his guards executed for having let him escape. "Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while," where the people of Tyre and Sidon, who had been quarreling with him, sought an audience. He sat on his throne, in his royal robes, and delivered a public address, and the people shouted "this is the voice of a god, not of a man." When Herod "did not give praise to God" he "was eaten by worms and died."

"When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem," taking John Mark with them.

Thoughts, questions, issues

• Peter was present when Jesus said, "What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'" (Mt 15:11) He heard the resurrected Christ give him, and the rest of the apostles, the great commission - "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Mt 28:19-20) Yet he is still faithfully following the dietary laws, and the laws of ritualistic cleanliness. It takes a vision from the Lord in order to move him out of Jewish circles and in to contact with Gentiles.
• On a similar note, it occurs to me that Saul, as much as he was the key evangelist out into the world in the first generation, helped spread the Gospel even more than we normally give him credit for. The overt evangelism we all know. A significant portion of the New Testament is Paul-centric, consisting of either the stories of his deeds in Acts, or the records of his words in the epistles. But even before he began actively proseletyzing, his actions had the effect of spreading the Gospel.
  
  In Acts 11:19, we are told that "those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch." Saul, of course, was a key and zealous part of the persecution. "All except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria" as "Saul began to destroy the church." (Acts 8:1-3)
  
  It was this persecution that moved the Gospel for the first time beyond Jerusalem. And moved the Gospel beyond the Jewish community.
  
  The resurrected Jesus gave his apostles the great commission. They were to "go and make disciples of all nations." Yet they were unable to see beyond the borders of their own world. Certainly Jerusalem was a mission field, and certainly many there were ready for the Gospel. But not everyone ready was in Jerusalem, and the disciples were so caught in their own habits, living in the streets and houses and temple courts that they new, that they never took the Gospel "on the road." They knew the mission, but were unable to see themselves carrying it out into the world. It took a persecution to push them out of their comfort zone. They took the Gospel with them wherever they went, but until the pressure was put on them to move, they never went anywhere.
  
  So Saul was fighting the church and spreading it at the same time. He was fighting God's word but simultaneously doing God's work.
• And that, in essence, is the whole story of the book of Acts. How the small, desperate group of disciples were transformed by the resurrection appearances and the Holy Spirit into a movement that moved out of historical geography into the whole world (as it was then known), growing by leaps and bounds until the followers were numbered in the tens or hundreds of thousands, and preaching at the center of the greatest empire on the earth.

Psalms 33

A psalm of praise, a song of singing and joy. A psalm of wonderment at the strength and goodness of GOd.

Psalm 33

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.

5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.

6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.

9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.

13 From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;

14 from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth-

15 he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.

21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.

03/09/10

Acts 7-9

Acts 7 details Stephen's speech in front of the Sanhedrin. Challenged on charges of blasphemy, Stephen responds by preaching to them the history of the Jewish people, how GOD made the covenant with Abraham, how the patriarchs sold Joseph into slavery, how he later saved them during the famine, how Moses was born and grew and spoke to the LORD, how they were brought out of Egypt and how they had the tabernacle of the Testimony in the desert, how they brought it with them during the conquest, and kept it through the time of David until Solomon built the temple. Stephen then spoke to the Sanhedrin as a prophet, calling them a "stiff-necked people" and saying, "you always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?" They were angered, but Stephen, "full of the Holy Spirit," look up and told them that he could see heaven "and the son of Man standing at the right hand of GOD." They dragged him out of the city and stoned him. He prayed while this was happening, then cried out "Lord, do not hold this sin against them," then died. One of the witnesses was a young man named Saul.

Following the stoning of Stephen, in chapter eight a persecution broke out against the church, and Saul was one of the leaders, going house to house and dragging the church leaders to prison. Many of the leaders scattered out of Jerusalem, preaching wherever they went. Philip proclaimed Christ in Samaria and healed many. A man named Simon who had practiced sorcery there believed and was baptized, and followed Philip everywhere. When the news reached Jerusalem of the spread of the Gospel, Peter and John came to Samaria. The prayed that the Holy Spirit would come on the new believers, because they had so far "simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." But Peter and John laid on hands and "they received the Holy Spirit." Simon the sorceror offered Peter and John money for the Holy Spirit, but Peter rebuked him "because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money...your heart is not right before God." After they had preached and testified in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. Philip, at the behest of an angel of the Lord, traveled south and met an important Ethiopian official in his chariot, reading the book of Isaiah. He did not understand it, and asked Philip to sit with him and explain. So Philip preached the Gospel, and, when they passes some water, the Ethiopian asked to be baptized, and Philip baptized him. "When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again...Philip...appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea."

Acts nine tells of Saul's conversion. Saul continued to "breath out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples," persecuting the church wherever he found it. He asked the high priest for letters to the synagogue in Damascus that he might take any believers prisoner back to Jerusalem. On the road to Damascus, a "light from heaven flashed around him" and he heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” When he asked who it was, the voice said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." He continued into the city and for three days, blind, he ate and drank nothing. The voice of the LORD called to a disciple in Damascus named Ananias and told him to go lay hands on Saul and restore his sight. Ananias was resistant because of all the harm that Saul had done, but the LORD said "this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel." Ananias went, and laid on his hands, and "something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again." He got up and was baptized.

Saul stayed for a time in Damascus, and preached in the synagogue that Jesus is the Son of God. The people wondered at his transformation but he "grew more and more powerful" and, many days later, inspired the Jews to kill him. But he learned of their plans and escaped by being lowered in a basket through an opening in the wall by his followers. In Jerusalem, the disciples feared that Saul's conversion was only a ploy to find them, but Barnabas took him to them. He stayed with them and moved about in Jerusalem, "speaking boldly in the name of the Lord." He debated with the Grecian Jews, "but they tried to kill him," so the apostles sent him off to Tarsus.

Peter visited the Christians in Lydda, and healed a paralytic named Aeneas. There was also a disciple named Tabitha (Dorcas in Greek) that became sick and died. The disciples heard that Peter was there and called him, and when he came, he was taken upstairs to the room where the body was. He sent everyone out of the room, then got down on his knees and prayed, then told her to get up. He then called the believers "and presented her to them alive."

Thoughts, questions, issues

• Stephen's summary of the Pentateuch is excellent.
• In Bruce Metzger's textual commentary on the Greek New Testament, he addressed the issue of Christ's statement (Lk 23:34) from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." It is actually not in the earliest manuscripts. The editors of the Greek New Testament left it in because
  

  the logion, though probably not part of the original Gospel of Luke, bears self-evident tokens of its dominical origin, and was retained...in its traditional place where it had been incorporated by unknown copyists early in the transmission of the Third Gospel.

  "Domionical origins" simply means that it originated with Christ. One of the "self-evident tokens of its dominical origin" is that it's a hard saying. It's easy to imagine a copyist taking it out - it's harder to imagine why one would stick it in if it were not authentic. But another reason is that Stephen said it during his martyrdom in Acts 7. This would have been an exceptionally presumptuous had Christ not said exactly the same thing from the cross.
• I said yesterday that there was a danger in the apostolic healing stories to cause people to think of God as a resource to be used or manipulated as opposed to a creator to be worshipped. I was not thinking of Simon the Sorceror when I wrote that, but he exhibits exactly the kind of attitude that I was talking about.
• I suspect that the story of Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus is the single best known story from the book of Acts, and that the single best-known line is, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Psalms 32

The first half of this one contains very psalmist rhetoric. "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven...blessed is the man...in whose spirit is no deceit." The second half reads, in places, like a section of proverbs. "Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you."

Psalm 32
Of David. A maskil.
1 Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the man
whose sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Selah

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.

7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!

03/08/10

Acts 4-6

In chapter four, Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin. The priests and temple guards were disturbed by their preaching and healing, and put them in jail until the next day, but many believed their preaching and the number of believers grew to about five thousand. The next day, they were brought before the rulers and elders and teachers of the law, and asked in whose name, by what power, did they heal and preach. Peter, "filled with the Holy Spirit," told them that they did it "by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead." When they saw that Peter and John were ordinary men, not schooled, "they were astonished." They ordered them out and conferred, and knew that they could not deny the miracle but wanted to "stop this thing from spreading any further." THey brought them in and warned them not to speak or preach about Jesus, but Peter asked whether they should obey the council rather than GOD, so, after more threats, they let them go. Peter and John went back and all of "their own people" prayed to GOD together. There was an earthquake where they met, and "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." And the believers all shared everything they had with one another.

Chapter five tells of Ananias and his wife Sapphira who also sold a piece of property and brought the money to the apostles, but held back some for himself. Peter asked him how it was that Satan had filled his heart so that he lied to the Holy Spirit and GOD, and Ananias, on hearing this, dropped dead. When his wife Sapphira came, about three hours later, not knowing what had happened to Ananias, she answered, "Yes," when Peter asked if they had received for the land what Ananias had said. Peter told her that the men who had buried her husband were ready to carry her out also, and she fell down and died. "Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events."

"The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people," including many healings, gathering great crowds from the towns around Jerusalem. But the high priest and his fellow Sadducees "were filled with jealousy" and arrested the apostles. But during the night, the doors were opened by an Angel and they came out. He told them to preach in the temple courts, so they entered at daybreak and did as the Angel had said. When the high priest called together the Sanhedrin and sent to the jail for the prisoners, the officers did not find them there. Someone told them that they were preaching in the temple courts and the officers went and brought them. Peter and the others responded to their questions and charges by saying that "we must obey God rather than men!" The Sanhedrin was furious, but a Pharisee named Gamaliel told them that if their activity was of human origin it would fail, and if not, they'd be "fighting against GOD." So they had the apostles flogged, ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and sent them away. The apostles continued preaching and rejoiced "because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."

In chapter six, the number of disciples was increasing and there were conflicts between the Grecian Jews and Hebraic Jews. The apostles felt that "it would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables," so they told the rest of the disciples to choose seven men to handle the worldly responsibilities. "They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism" and the apostles prayed and laid hands on them. Stephen did "great wonders and miraculous signs among the people" and was brought before the Sanhedrin on charges of blasphemy, trying him with false witnesses.

Thoughts, questions, issues

• The story of Ananias and Sapphira has an Old Testament feel to it. And it's hard to see any crime here. They did sell their land and they did give money to the apostles. Surely, there must be room for people who are willing to help even if they aren't willing to give every last cent. Maybe they'll never fully achieve was GOD wants, but they are actively helping, aren't they? And while none of us can get in to heaven on our own acts, it seems as if these two are being punished for actions which are objectively supportive of the early church.
• There's a great danger in stories like the healing of the cripple by Peter, and of great crowds gathering and "all of them were healed." Actually two of them.
  
  
  1. GOD is not a magician. Healing is not a parlor trick. When Jesus healed, he was exercising his rightful powers as ruler of the universe, and demonstrating his person, and his power. When Peter does it, or John or Paul or Stephen or anyone else, or even when Moses brought forth water from the stone at Meribah, there is a risk of sending the wrong message. Not that GOD is the rightful LORD of all creation, but that if you can just manipulate him the right way, you can get him to set everything right in your life. GOD is not a cosmic vending machine, where if you just put in the right coin, you get out a magic talisman of health. GOD cannot be manipulate or controlled.
  2. I love Norman Vincent Peale's The Power Of Positive Thinking, but its attitude of "just pray enough, think the right thoughts, and you'll be healthy" is dangerous. (Robert Schuller's work has the same issue.) And it's a danger fed by passages like these. They run a real risk of inducing in people an attitude of blaming the victim. I'm a huge believer in positive attitude, in mental health promoting physical health, and in the power of prayer. But we aren't going to like the answers to all of our prayers.
     
     The psalmist asked, "if GOD is for me, who can stand against me?" But GOD's purposes are not ours, and we cannot see all the possible ends and implications of our actions, or GOD's. Some healthy people who pray are nevertheless going to get sick. Some sick people who pray are nevertheless going to die. (In the long run, of course, we are all going to die.) The attitude of a naive belief in Jesus' words, "ask and it will be given to you" results in condemnation of the sick, because logically, they must not be praying hard enough, or maintaining the right mental attitude.
     
     That's wrong. That's a dangerous and wrong attitude, and it is, or at least, it can be fostered and strengthened by passages like these.

Psalms 31

Another balanced psalm, with praise - "I trust in you, O LOR...my times are in your hands" - and pleading - "be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress."

Psalm 31
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.

2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.

3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4 Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I trust in the LORD.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.

8 You have not handed me over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief.

10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.

11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me

12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.

13 For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side;
they conspire against me
and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."

15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.

16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.

17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and lie silent in the grave.

18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19 How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in you.

20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from the intrigues of men;
in your dwelling you keep them safe
from accusing tongues.

21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed his wonderful love to me
when I was in a besieged city.

22 In my alarm I said,
"I am cut off from your sight!"
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.

23 Love the LORD, all his saints!
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but the proud he pays back in full.

24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.

03/07/10

Acts 1-3

The book of Acts begins with Luke's note to Theophilus that this continues the story which he began in the Gospel of Luke, "about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven." He tells that Jesus appeared to the apostles "and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive." Jesus told the disciples, during this post-resurrection time, that they were to wait in Jerusalem, because a gift from GOD was coming, that they would "be baptized with the Holy Spirit." They asked when the kingdom was going to be restored, and he told them that it was not for them "to know the times and dates the Father has set." But they would receive power, and be Jesus' witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." At which time he was taken up into the clouds. As they stood looking to where he had disappeared, two men "dressed in white" told them that he would come back "the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

The disciples met in Jerusalem and decided that they needed to add one more apostle, replacing Judas, bringing the number back to twelve. They considered two men, and, after praying and casting lots, chose Matthias.

Chapter 2 relates that on the day of Pentecost "a sound like the blowing of a violent winde came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting," and tongues of fire rested on them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in other tongues "as the Spirit enabled them." A crowd gathered, including "God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven" and were amazed, each of them, to hear in their own languages. Some in the crowd mocked, saying, "they have had too much wine," but Peter addressed the crowd, telling them that this was the fulfillment of what the prophet Joel had said, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people." And he preached to them of Jesus, "accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs," and that "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." And many believed and "about three thousand were added to their number that day." And they "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching," and the believers met togeter and sold their possessions and good and gave to anyone who needed, and continue to meet in the temp courts. "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

In chapter 3, Peter heals a beggar at the temple gate, a man crippled from birth. He asked for money, but Peter told him that he had no silver or gold, but "what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." He helped him up and "instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong." He "jumped to his feet and began to walk." The people that saw him recognized him and were amazed. When they came running, Peter preached to them about how GOD, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, "our fathers," had glorified Jesus. He tells them that they had acted in ignorance, and that it was time to repent, because they were "heirs of the prophets and of the covenant GOD made with your fathers."

Thoughts, questions, issues

• The great commission from Matthew 27 is not contained in Luke's Gospel, but he does include it in Acts, telling the apostles that "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
• Matthew has essentially the same story at essentially the same place, during the resurrection appearances when there are only eleven apostles. Luke did not include it in his Gospel, but Acts picks up essentially where the Gospel ends off.
• There is one echo of Luke 24 in Acts 1, when Jesus tells the apostles to stay in Jerusalem and they will receive power.
• Is the Matthias who becomes the 12th apostle in Acts 1 the same Matthew to whom the Gospel is attributed? That seems like a question that I ought know the answer to - honestly compels me to admit that I don't. I'm sure that I've read something along the way that addressed that, but I do not remember the answer.
• Consensus seems to be that this book was finished before 70 AD. That would be well within the lifetime of many witnesses to the events contained therein. Again, contrary to the beliefs of the skeptics that there is no credible attestation to the incarnation and resurrection.
• I think it's important to note that when Peter heals, he does so "in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth."
• Luke was, according to tradition, a gentile. It is, I think, a sign of the historicity of this account that he doesn't ever refer to Hebrew scripture, but does quote Peter as doing so.

Psalms 30

"Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning..."

A Psalm of exaltation and praise for the Glory of the LORD. The NIV says in verse 5 that "rejoicing comes in the morning," but I prefer the KJV formulation, that "joy cometh in the morning." Several authors have like that phrase as well, including P.G. Wodehouse and Betty Smith.

"...you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever..."

Psalm 30
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.

3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."

7 O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9 "What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Resources

A few on-line resources for Bible Study:

• Reading Plan - The reading plan I'm following has 25 reading days per month, and two readings per day, alternating readings between (1) the Old and the New Testaments, and (2) the wisdom literature and the book of Isaiah.
• Bible Gateway - An online bible site with many different available translations, this site will give you up to a dozen chapters on a single web page, so you can get a day's reading without any extra navigation.
• Biblos - Another on-line bible site, this one has some excellent study aids, such as parallel readings and the original hebrew and greek with click-through concordances for word study. An excellent resource that I should be using more than I am.
• BibleMap - Online interactive maps, searchable by scripture passages.

03/06/10

Numbers 34-36

In chapter 34, the LORD outlines the boundaries of the land that he is giving the Israelites, by noteworthy cities and towns, and geographical barriers. The western boundary is the Mediterranean, "the coast of the Great Sea." To the south, it reaches to the Wadi of Egypt, on the east it extends to the Jordan and the "Salt Sea," and to the north it coes to Mount Hor. It was to be divided among 9 1/2 tribes, with Reuben, Gad and Manasseh already having received theirs on the east side of the Jordan "toward the sunrise." One man from each of the remaining ten tribes were set to assist Eleazar and Joshua in assigning the land.

The Levites were given towns in chapter 35, and the pastureland around them extending out for 3000 feet for their cattle and livestock. Six of the forty-eight towns assigned to the Levites were to be Sanctuary Cities, three on each side of the Jordan. The Sanctuary cities were to be a refuge for anyone, Israelite or alien, to flee to in case they accidentally killed another. Anyone striking someone with "an iron object" or "a stone in his hand" or "a wooden object in his hand" such that that person dies is a murderer. "The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him." But someone killing another "without hostility," unintentionally, shall be protected from "the avenger of blood" in the sanctuary cities until the high priest dies, and then he can return to his home. The penalty for murder is death, but there must be witnesses and "no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness."

In chapter 36, some of the heads of Israelite clans discussed, again, the issue of Zelophehad's daughters and their inheritance. The issue was that if they married men from other tribes, the inheritance would end up leaving their tribe. Moses said that the LORD said they could marry anyone they wanted as long as it was "within the tribal clan of their father" and that no inheritance in Israel was to pass from tribe to tribe. And the book of Numbers ends with "these are the commands and regulations the LORD gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho."

Thoughts, questions, issues

• Numbers is a bit of a smorgasbord. There are passages of law, narrative stories, scenes of sex and war, obedience and reward, disobediance and punishment, and long passages of historical data, such as the two censuses, the travel itinerary and the historical boundaries of the promised land. It covers almost the entire forty year span of the Israelites wandering between the exodus and the conquest.
• The boundaries of the promised land are well defined. I'm curious, though, as to how well we understand any of them today. Clearly, the Jordan and the Mediterranean are what they are, but the rest of the identifying boundaries are based on place names. How well do we understand, now, where the places referred to are or were?
• The concept of Sanctuary as we currently understand it apparently dates back to Numbers 35. Interestingly, though, it does not exist to protect murderers, but accidental killers.

Psalms 25

A psalm of praise of the power and glory of GOD.

Psalm 29
A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.

5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.

8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"

10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

11 The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.

03/05/10

Numbers 31-33

In Numbers 31, the Israelites attack the Midianites. The LORD told Moses to have the Israelites "take vengeance on the Midianites," after which he would "be gathered to your people." So Moses told the people to arm some of their men to go to war. So twelve thousand men, one thousand from each tribe, were supplied and went out to fight, along with Phinehas (son of Eleazar) who took articles from the Sanctuary and the trumpets. They killed every man, including the five kings of Midian, and also killed Balaam. They captured the women and children and gathered all of the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. When they returned, Moses was angry for them having allowed the women to live, as they were the ones "who followed Balaam's advice" and "were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD." He told them to kill all of the boys and women "who have lain with a man" but to save the virgins for themselves. And then they all had to be purified who had killed or touched a dead body. They gave half of the spoils to the men who had fought, and the other half to the rest of the Israelites. Of the soldiers plunder, one five-hundredth went to the priests, and of the rest, one-fiftieth went to the Levites.

In chapter 32, the Reubenites and Gadites, with large flocks, "saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock." So the told Moses and Eleazar that they would prefer to stay there, but Moses was angry with them, as they were expected to fight with the rest of the tribes to take the land that the LORD had promised them. They said that they would carry arms and participate in the conquest, and Moses agreed that they could, after the conquest, "return and be free from your obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the LORD."

Numbers 33 contains the "travelogue," a list of the places that the Israelites traveled and camped during their forty years in the desert. And the LORD said to Moses to tell the Israelites to "drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess... if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live."

Thoughts, questions, issues

• It's rather stunning to see Balaam re-appear here. In his prior appearance, he refused to curse the Israelites for Balak, and did everything the LORD told him. There's no intermediate indication that he did anything wrong, so for them to blame him for Midian's seduction and kill him is more than a little bit surprising.
• The killing of the male children and the non-virgin women is the kind of total war that makes for shocking reading.
• It's easy to look at the Reubenites and Gadites and think, "they are satisfied with what they have - good for them." But it doesn't work that way. There's a covenant, and while GOD's part is to watch over them and deliver the promised land, their part is to follow his laws and take it.
• In the forty years of wandering, the Israelites "camped at" forty-two different places, a little over one per year.

Psalms 28

Again, the psalmist turns to GOD from despair, crying out for mercy from the GOD he praises.

Psalm 28
Of David.
1 To you I call, O LORD my Rock;
do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.

2 Hear my cry for mercy
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your Most Holy Place.

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.

4 Repay them for their deeds
and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
and bring back upon them what they deserve.

5 Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD
and what his hands have done,
he will tear them down
and never build them up again.

6 Praise be to the LORD,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.

7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.

8 The LORD is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

9 Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.