Pray For Mercy For God’s Servants - 2 Timothy 1-2

2 Timothy 1:15-18 (ESV)

You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

Timothy was the believer Paul left in Ephesus to care for the needs of the church as their pastor.   Paul apparently knew his grandmother and mother:

2 Timothy 1:5 (ESV)

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

Paul is giving Timothy instructions on how to defend the faith as the pastor of this church.  It was a church planted right in the middle of some of the worse practices of the ancient world.  Ephesus was a corrupt city and full of idolatry.   When Paul tells Timothy, in the above verses, that Phygelus and Hermogenes have turned away from the faith, you can be assured that there was much in Ephesus to turn toward.   But one man did not fall back into the ways of Ephesus.  Onesiphorus was a man who stood along side Paul.  Paul commends him to Timothy.   Paul reminds Timothy of the service and encouragement rendered by Onesiphorus.   Paul says of this fellow believer that he often refreshed Paul, while Paul was in chains.  Those words literally mean to cool off.   Paul asks twice that God would grant mercy to Onesiphorus.   Those who do service for Christ and the church are to have God’s mercy.   Paul prays for that.   When we see others serving in a way that refreshes the saints we ought to pray as Paul prayed for this man.   When we see others in the church doing great things for God we ought to complain that they could do those things is a different way (our way), but that God would give them mercy.   Pray for mercy on God’s servants.  

God Loves us!! (John 10-12)

John 11:28-37 (ESV)

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

This might be one of the most personal passages in the Gospels about Jesus.   It shows not only His earthly relationship with others and His earthly emotions, it demonstrates His deity, at the same time.  Jesus came to the earth as fully God and fully man.   Here we read about Jesus being able to heal (as God) and His ability to weep (as man).  Mary, in her knowledge of Jesus, knew that if Jesus had been there He could have healed her brother Lazarus.   She acknowledged His deity.   Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus and wept over this situation.  There is much speculation as to why He cried.   Did He do so because of Lazarus’ death (after all, He knew He was about to raise him from the dead)?   Did he weep because He saw the unbelief of everyone who stood by?  Or, did He weep because He saw the pain of death on the faces of those He loved?   Jesus came to defeat death.   This was a picture of Jesus seeing what death does and His weeping was over all these things.  He wept because of their unbelief.  He wept because of the pain He saw in death.   Jesus shows us both His humanity and His deity in this response to death.   We serve a God who not only sees the need to send His Son to defeat death, but also a God who is moved to weeping by the pain of death.  

God’s Joy Turned To Discipline - Hosea 9-14

Hosea 9:10 (ESV)

Like grapes in the wilderness,

I found Israel.

Like the first fruit on the fig tree

in its first season,

I saw your fathers.

But they came to Baal-peor

and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame,

and became detestable like the thing they loved.

When God found Israel, in the desert wasteland of unbelief, it brought Him great joy.  Joy as if finding a grape vine full of grapes in the desert.   Remember the call of Abraham as written here:

Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV)

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Abram and his family were idol worshippers. God called them and it was joy to Him.  They were NOT grapes in the desert, but taking them out of idolatry was like finding grapes in the desert.   This does not speak of their worth to God, but rather His joy in calling them to become His people.   God rejoices in our coming to Him by His grace. 

Hebrews 12:22 (ESV)

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,

Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

The LORD your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.

But the nation turned (or returned) to idols.  That is what is meant in Hosea’s exchange with God, above: 

But they came to Baal-peor

and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame,

and became detestable like the thing they loved.

When tempted to return to idols, the nation did so.  God’s joy over them is turned to wrath.  That is the point of the prophet’s book, Hosea.  When we turn to idols we suppress God’s joy over us and, instead, receive His discipline.   

Speak Truth - Proverbs 20-21

Proverbs 21:28 (ESV)

A false witness will perish,

but the word of a man who hears will endure.

In Proverbs 19:5 and Proverbs 19:9 we have already been told by Solomon of the fate of those who give a false report about something.  

Proverbs 19:5 (ESV Strong's)

A false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who breathes out lies will not escape.

Proverbs 19:9 (ESV Strong's)

A false witness will not go unpunished,

and he who breathes out lies will perish.

In those two matching proverbs we are told that a false witness will perish.   That makes Proverbs 21:28 a third proverb where we are admonished to avoid negative reports based upon untruth.   God is a God of truth.  Jesus stated that He was the truth (John 14:6).   However, in the above proverb we also have the antithesis of the first line:  The one who speaks truth, because he took time to hear truth, will speak forever.  Or, the one who hears truthful words and speaks truthful words, as one commentator said, "gets the last word."  Those who speak about truth will find their opportunities to speak more truth.   Those who speak lies will find that they will get less opportunities to speak untruth.    Think here of Daniel.  He was able to serve four kings while in captivity.   Those wizards and wise men who spoke lies were killed and replaced.   Joseph was allowed to speak truth to his family, an Egyptian lord, a warden of a jail, two men of the royal service court and Pharaoh himself.   Those who tell truth will get the last word.

God Has Us Covered - Psalms 102-104

Psalms 103:20-22 (ESV)

Bless the LORD, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,

obeying the voice of his word!

Bless the LORD, all his hosts,

his ministers, who do his will!

Bless the LORD, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Psalms 104:4 (ESV)

he makes his messengers winds,

his ministers a flaming fire.

God sends angels to do His work.   We read this in many places.  Note:

Hebrews 1:7 (ESV)

Of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels winds,

and his ministers a flame of fire.”

Hebrews 13:2 (ESV)

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 (ESV)

and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Matthew 4:11 (ESV)

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

God uses His elect angels to care for the saints.   His Holy Spirit indwells us and His angels care for us.   We could say we are completely protected by His care.   

 

Success Is Contingent Upon God’s Favor - 1 Chronicles 15-19

1 Chronicles 19:16-19 (ESV)

But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates, with Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. And when it was told to David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to them and drew up his forces against them. And when David set the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him. And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 7,000 chariots and 40,000 foot soldiers, and put to death also Shophach the commander of their army. And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Syrians were not willing to save the Ammonites anymore.

War during the time of David was a common practice.  When one nation wanted another nation they just went to war. It was a winner take all world.    Prior to the above story, however, David was having great successes.  He has conquered Jerusalem.  He has now brought the Ark of the Covenant successful to the Tabernacle in Jerusalem.  He has restored worship to God on a daily basis.  He has had success against most of his foes and other kings are swearing allegiances to him.  God has also promised that one of David’s children will build a Temple for God in Jerusalem.  However, the Ammonites have decided to rebel against David and hired the Syrians to fight with them.   The above story is the result.   God enabled David to defeat them.   They were outnumbered and out flanked, but God still gave David the victory.   This is the story of God laying His hands on David to build up the nation of Israel.  Eventually, after David’s death and the death of his son Solomon, the kingdom will rebel against God and lose all this status David has built up in the world.   For this moment things are good.   David has turned his heart and the heart of his people to God in times of worship and in times of war.    When we worship God in all that we do, God will reward us with great victory over those who care to bring us demise.   When David and Israel trusted God, the above story played out over and over.   When they did not, the opposite was true.  

God Is Sovereign, Even Over Rebellion - Numbers 9-12

Numbers 9:15-19 (ESV)

On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not set out.

The book of Numbers shares with us 42 different locations that nation of Israel camped during their 40 years of wilderness wanderings.   We can see from the above passage how they knew when to move.   God would cover the Tabernacle by day with a cloud (keeping the nation cool during the wilderness daily heat) and with a pillar of fire at night (keeping the nation warm during the wilderness evening cold).  God moved them by moving the cloud or the fire.   Sometimes they moved within days.  Other times within weeks and/or months.  We are not told how long they were in one place over the other.  The nation was subservient to the will of God in their movement.  Remember, the only reason they were in the wilderness for 40 years was out of rebellion, caused by the lack of faith.  The wilderness wanderings would not correct their rebellious spirit.   But even in rebellion they were susceptible to God will and order.   Rebellious people are still contained by God’s design.   Those who run from God think they are the captains of their own souls.   This is as much as an error as their rebellion.   God is directing those who rebel as much as those who don’t.  Think about Jonah.   God directed each of his steps.   God directed the nation using an unusual method.  Today He directs us through His Word, His Spirit, His people, His leadership in our lives and the circumstances He weaves into our lives.   God directs us ... no matter our spiritual condition.  God is in control, even in rebellion.   

False Heart - False Doctrine - 1 Timothy 4-6

1 Timothy 6:2b-5 (ESV)

Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

This section begins right in the middle of a paragraph.   Paul has just told Timothy to make sure those in slavery serve their masters, especially if their masters were believers.  Paul does not address salivary but he does move right into false teaching. Since slavery was a false teaching for centuries, Paul is addressing it in the greater message of false doctrine.  Paul warns young Pastor Timothy to not get caught up in false teachings, but rather exposes it for the pride, arrogance and evil intentions it represents.  He doesn’t, here, dissect the teaching, he exposed the hearts of the teacher.   False doctrine flows from corrupt hearts and minds.  We can fight the technical side of false teaching all day.  We can probably win most arguments.  But in this text, Paul does not go there (he will in other places ... Galatians for one example).  In this case he simply takes on the spiritual condition of the false teaches vs the spiritual teaching of the false teachers.  Perhaps this is Paul’s growth in his life long battle to expose false teaching. In the Galatians letter (one of his first) he attacks the character and the doctrine of the false teachers.  Here he only attacks and exposes their hearts.   He wants Timothy to know what he is up against.   Remember, false teaching comes from an unrighteous heart, not yet sanctified by God, through Christ’s blood.   

Man’s Judgment Is Evil - John 7-9

John 7:53 - 8:11 (ESV)

[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.]The Woman Caught in Adultery

[[They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]

Before drawing some truth or practical insight from this passage we have to acknowledge that this passage does not appear in some of the most trustworthy copies of the book of John.   There are many opinions on the passage, for sure.   To be authentic the passage needs evidence it was in the writings of John and it needs to be in harmony with the rest of the Scriptures.   There is no doubt that the passage does not fit in this section.  Most would say that this story completely disrupts the flow of John’s argument, when reading the teaching of Jesus before and after the story.  However, John is NOT writing in chronological order.  In fact, that is the most apparent aspect of John’s writings, unlike the other Gospel writings.  His entire story is based upon him providing evidence that bolsters Jesus claim to be the Son of God.   This passage does not diminish that claim. It does demonstrate His superior wisdom to man and His sovereign knowledge of mankind.   The passage also has to have the evidence of the passage being in the manuscripts of John’s gospel that have been discovered.   This is where the passage fails to meet the test.   Some have conjectured that some scribes may have removed it because their personal views on adultery.  Since the passage is showing Jesus’ kindness and mercy and grace to someone caught in adultery, those copying out John’s gospel, to make copies to distribute, may have thought it was too easy on the sin of adultery.   However, there are some manuscripts that do contain the story.   This makes the use of it difficult to disregard, totally.   Suffice it to say that the text teaches two things that John IS conveying in his teaching about Jesus:

1.  Jesus was disruptive to the religious leaders methods, practices and interpretation of God’s Word.   This story shows, again, Jesus causing angst to the religious leaders over their treatment of other humans.   Jesus, throughout John’s Gospel, shows them heart over logic and grace over law.  This story does that. 

2.  This story exposes sin, but covers it with mercy.  Jesus’ statement that he does not condemn the woman is showing His grace to her.  He came to take away condemnation. That is John’s message in his Gospel.   

The story may not fit all the markers of what we know to be true about Bible passages. But it does not, however, teach anything contrary to any other Bible passage.   It is in harmony with John’s message. It is awkward where it appears in the text. It is lacking external evidence, as it is missing in copies of John’s Gospel.  But it does teach us what God wants us to know.  Man’s judgment is evil and God’s judgment is based upon Jesus’ grace and mercy to remove our condemnation.   

Breaking God’s Covenant Has Consequences - Hosea 1-7

Hosea 6:7 (ESV)

But like Adam they transgressed the covenant;

there they dealt faithlessly with me.

The prophet Hosea has a very rough ministry.   It starts out with him being told to take a wife who is a prostitute, have babies with her, allow her to return to her prostitution and then go buy her back to be his wife again.  Those in full time ministry might want to compare their struggles with keyboard warriors on social media to Hosea’s ministry foot print.   His life is to be an example of God’s love for Israel.  God loved them and took them from idolatry when He called Abraham to leave his idolatry and follow Yahweh.   From Abraham came Israel.  Then Israel left God’s care and returned to idolatry.  God then redeemed them back.  The people of Israel continued to break their covenant with God and returned to their old lovers, as a prostitute.   In the above verse Hosea reminds them they are just like Adam.  He, too, broke his covenant with God.   God promised Adam a great life if he would but take care of the garden while staying away from on single tree.   He could not do it.  He had all the other trees in the garden, but ate from the one he was told not to eat.  Like the proverbial wet paint sign he just had to touch it to see if it was wet.   God compares the nation of Israel to that moment.   Breaking God’s covenant will result in the doom and gloom prophecy Hosea is delivering to the nation.   His turn or burn message is one of the harshest in Scripture.  But, like lovers cheating on the other, Israel continued to look for idolatry to satisfy their longing.   That breaks God’s covenant for them.  It does for us, as well.  When we seek other things to fill our hearts desire we are breaking a covenant with God.   

Don’t Have Desire Without Knowledge - Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19:2 (ESV)

Desire without knowledge is not good,

and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.

It is not difficult to grasp the meaning of this proverb. We live in a society where Satan has convinced us that "thought" is not required for most things and "discernment" is for those who spend too much time in analaysis. We actual say great leaders are able to "think on their feet" and "paralyses by analyses" is bad. Don't get me wrong, there is room in the believers life for quick and diliberate decisions. But taking time to discern and to gather appropriate knowledge is in the wheel house of the wise. God wants us to discern (the entire book of Proverbs is about "discernment" - Proverbs 1). He wants us to avoid quick and rash decisions. Great leaders plan and gather data and make sure they are not making rash and uninformed decisions. When you make quick and uninformed decisions we will make errors in our steps. When we fail to see the end of the things we find ourselves in the same situation as the man in Proverbs 7 ... going astray as an ox goes to the slaughter. In Proverbs 5:6 we learned that when we fail to ponder we fail to know. Fail to ponder, prepare to wander.   In the above proverb we learn that if we fail to know we fail to go ... safely. Take time today to avoid rash decisions and use discernment.

We are in such a hurry in this life.   We want what we want fast.   We seldom see people take the necessary time to develop, learn, train, explore or practice before they want to achieve and succeed.   In the above proverb we see Solomon address this issue.   He tells us that "it is not good" to be without knowledge.   He uses the word "good" in this proverb which is used over 300 times in the Bible.   It means to be pleasant or agreeable.   So, what he is telling us is that when we don't have the knowledge we need for something we will run into a disagreeable path.   In the second line (synonymous with the first) we read, in one version, that to rush into something will err.   The word "err" means to "miss." The Theological definition and Biblical definition of sin is to miss the mark.   So, to hurry your steps is to miss the mark, or, to sin.   Knowledge, in Proverbs is referred to as wisdom, discernment, and/or prudence (See Proverbs 1:5-7 ... these words are used interchangeable in this text).   When we have knowledge we have Christ.   Without Christ we have no knowledge and we rush our steps.    Without knowledge (Christ) we err or sin.

We MUST Be Holy To Be With God - Psalms 99-101

Psalms 101:7 (ESV)

No one who practices deceit

shall dwell in my house;

no one who utters lies

shall continue before my eyes.

The holiness of God is a truth we often marginalize.  We don’t always understand that God is holy and NO sin is EVER before His presence.  He must punish sin.  His Son’s death on the cross was about His holiness.  God does not simply forgive and forget.  There must be a sacrifice for sin. It is demanded by His holiness.  The above verses are a few lines from Psalm 101, which is a song about His holiness.   The first verses of the song carry this theme:

Psalms 101:2-4 (ESV)

I will ponder the way that is blameless.

Oh when will you come to me?

I will walk with integrity of heart

within my house;

I will not set before my eyes

anything that is worthless.

I hate the work of those who fall away;

it shall not cling to me.

A perverse heart shall be far from me;

I will know nothing of evil.

David, the author, is expressing his desire to walk in holiness.   He failed, miserably, remember.    But God’s holiness must still be praised, practiced and pursued.    That is what David is singing about.   God will punish all unholiness.   He did so, for us, through His Son.   Calvary was that moment when all our unholy living was judged.  It had to be judged, because God is holy.  Anyone who practices sin cannot come before God and dwell with Him.  So, Jesus had to break down that wall that separates us from God (that wall is our unholiness) and restore our peace with God:

Romans 5:1 (ESV)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.