365 Revolutions

Kindling

sarters — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 09:00:03 +0000

I love to to play with fire and watch things burn. Whether it is keeping a stick in a camp-fire to pick up and wave around in the dark, or sitting on the hearth and throwing kindling or paper in the fireplace to see it burst into flame, fire is cool to watch. Today’s passage features a king with a similar bent. The problem is, he is using God’s Word spoken through Jeremiah as the kindling. As the words of judgment are being read to the king, he is tearing the scroll and tossing it in the fire in defiance. Offset in stark contrast in the way people receive the word of the Lord, is the Rechabites, who refuse to disobey their father’s instruction, even at the invitation of Jeremiah at the Temple. God’s asks, “Why doesn’t everyone obey like that, with resolve and conviction?” And the question stands for us as well. Are we so circumstantial as to defy our own beliefs because they lack conviction? Will we regard the Word of God so lightly, tossing those commands we don’t like? The New Testament passage today is a reminder to us that temptations will arise, and sin will seem justifiable, and postponing our “convictions” will makes sense so as to not offend. But we must stand up under those temptations.
Look for opportunities to demonstrate your convictions to the non-believing world around you by lovingly and graciously abstaining from self-centered, or godless behavior. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Ezra-Nehemiah-Esther

sarters — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:42:11 +0000

Ezra: He is one character who has not received proper recognition. He was a descendant of Hilkiah (Ezra 7:1), the high priest who found a copy of the law during the reign of Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:14). Ezra, as a priest, was unable to serve during the captivity, but he gave his time to a study of the Word of God — he was “a ready scribe in the law of

Moses” (Ezra 7:6). Ezra was a great revivalist and reformer. The revival began with the reading of the Word of God by Ezra (Nehemiah 8). Also, he probably was the writer of 1 and 2 Chronicles and of Psalm 119 which exalts the Word of God. He organized the synagogue, founded the order of scribes, helped settle the canon of Scripture and arranged the Psalms.

Nehemiah was a layman; Ezra was a priest. In the Book of Ezra, the emphasis is upon the rebuilding of the temple; in the Book of Nehemiah, the emphasis is upon the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. In Ezra, we have the religious aspect of the return; in Nehemiah, we have the political aspect of the return. Ezra is a fine representative of the priest and scribe; Nehemiah is a noble

representative of the businessman. Nehemiah had an important office at the court of the powerful Persian king, Artaxerxes, but his heart was with God’s people and God’s program in Jerusalem. The personal note is the main characteristic of the book.

DATE:

Chronologically, this is the last of the historical books. We have come to the end of the line as far as time is concerned. The Old Testament goes no further. The Book of Ezra picks up the thread of the story about 70 years after 2 Chronicles. The 70-year captivity is over and a remnant returns to the land of Israel. The return under Ezra takes place about 50 years after Zerubbabel. Nehemiah returns about 15 years after Ezra. These figures are approximate and are

given to show the stages in the history of Israel after the captivity. This enables one to see how the “70 weeks” of Daniel fit into the picture in a normal and reasonable way. The “70 weeks” of Daniel begin with the Book of Nehemiah (not with Ezra) “from the going forth of thecommandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks….” The background of the events of Nehemiah is “…the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times” (Daniel 9:25).

Esther: Esther’s story is much like the story of Joseph in Genesis 41. Both stories involve foreign monarchs who control the destiny of the Jews. Both accounts show the heroism of Israelite individuals who provide the means for the salvation of their people and nation. The hand of God is evident, in that what appears to be a bad situation is indeed very much under the control of the Almighty God, who ultimately has the good of the people at heart. At the center of this story is the ongoing division between the Jews and the Amalakites, which was recorded to have begun in the Book of Exodus. Haman’s goal is the final effort recorded in the Old Testament period of the complete eradication of the Jews. His plans eventually end up with his own demise, and the elevation of his enemy Mordecai to his own position, as well as the salvation of the Jews.

Feasting is a major theme of this book: there are ten recorded banquets, and many of the events were planned, plotted, or exposed at these banquets. Although the name of God is never mentioned in this book, it is apparent that the Jews of Susa sought His intervention when they fasted and prayed for three days (Esther 4:16). In spite of the fact that the law allowing their destruction was written according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, rendering it unchangeable, the way was cleared for their prayers to be answered. Esther risked her life by going not once uninvited before the king but twice, (Esther 4:1-2; 8:3). She was not content with the destruction of Haman; she was intent on saving her people. The institution of the Feast of Purim is written and preserved for all to see and is still observed today. God’s chosen people, without any direct mention of His name, were granted a stay of execution through the wisdom and humility of Esther.

Prayer

sarters — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:58:16 +0000

A key indicator of the spirituality of nations and individuals is the passion with which they pray. Review the nation of Israel in the book of Chronicles to see the ebb and flow of the nations prayer life. Over the four weeks of July, Dix Hills Free Church will read through the prayers of Chronicles and see the kind of praises and petitions that are honoring to the Lord.

July 4 – Crying out for Blessing 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

July 11- Crying out for Justice 1 Chronicles 17

July 18- Crying out for Wisdom 2 Chronicles 1

July 25- Crying out for Forgiveness 2 Chronicles 6

Chronicles

sarters — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:38:00 +0000

If the Deuteronomic law is the standard of judgment in 1 and 2 Kings, then the Priests Code is the standard in 1 and 2 Chronicles. Chronicles’ history appears to have been written later than Kings’; the date usually given is approximately 300 B.C. The authors of the two books have the advantage of using the Deuteronomic history, as well as the many other documents that appeared prior to 300 B.C., as source material. Apparently, they accepted the older histories’ idea that personal suffering and national disasters are punishments for wrongdoing, while long life and material prosperity are rewards for righteous conduct.

This conception of punishments and rewards adequately explains some historical events, but other events contradict this view. For example, King Uzziah, whose reign preceded Isaiah’s becoming a prophet, was regarded as one of the ablest and best kings of Judah, yet he was smitten with leprosy and died in a leper colony; King Manasseh, judged by all the accepted standards of both priests and prophets, was a wicked man but reigned for more than half a century and died a natural death; and Josiah, the good king who started the Deuteronomic reformation and followed as closely as he could the teachings of the great prophets, was slain on the field of battle, and his son was taken to Egypt as a prisoner. The chronicler felt it necessary to explain these events. Believing as he did that Yahweh orders the course of events, he interpreted the entire course of Hebrew history from the point of view of the laws and regulations embodied in the Priests Code.

The introduction to Chronicles consists of a brief sketch of the period from Adam to David, whom the chronicler idealizes — in contrast to the record preserved in 1 and 2 Samuel. The law of the Central Sanctuary is projected back into this early period by identifying it with the tabernacle that the Israelites carried with them in their march through the wilderness. The Priests Code, too, is presumed to have been in force during the early periods of Hebrew history. No mention is made of the kings of northern Israel: The assumption is that the people in that kingdom were no better than heathens and, as a consequence of their behavior, were no longer to be counted among the true people of Israel.

Revelation

sarters — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:16:42 +0000

The book of Revelation is a powerful account of the things to come. Because of the genre, apocalyptic literature, there is rich and symbolic imagely that makes the book hard to understand. This overview from the preceptaustin.org is helpful. There are four main ways to look at John’s book:

Preterist (from Latin praeter meaning "past") holds that through the use of symbols and allegory, the Revelation deals with events that were fulfilled in John’s time and that it was written primarily to provide hope and comfort to the first century church persecuted by Rome. For example, this view interprets the beasts of (Rev 13:1, 2, 11) as imperial Rome and the imperial priesthood. The preterist view is held by many modern scholars, especially liberals and others who deny that the Revelation is predictive of specific future events.

The historicist approach views the Revelation as a symbolic or allegorical prophetic survey of church history from the first century up to the Second Coming of Christ. This was the view espoused by most of the "reformers" and thus dominated Protestant eschatological teaching for centuries. This view however has been discounted by many as it does not adequately address the prophecies in the Revelation. The discerning reader needs to be aware that the historicist view is reflected in most of the "older" commentaries (many of which are public domain works easily accessible on the internet) including the works of John Knox, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, C. H. Spurgeon (although Spurgeon did believe in the Millennium), Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke and Albert Barnes. Unless you understand their historicist approach to prophecy, you may become very confused when reading these older "classic" commentaries. Note that with the exception of Spurgeon, these works are not included in the list of resources. It is also important to realize that many of these "classic" commentaries tend to treat many of the OT promises to Israel as primarily applying to the NT Church. An example of a historicist interpretation is the belief that the strong angel of Revelation 10 symbolizes the Reformation and that the harlot in Revelation 17 represents the Roman Catholic church, both interpretations which a plain reading of the text simply does not allow!

Idealist. This approach argues that the symbols in the Revelation do not relate to historical events but rather to timeless spiritual truths. Idealists feel that Revelation relates primarily to the church between the first and second coming of Christ. They feel Revelation relates to the battle between God and evil and between the church and the world at all times in church history. The seals, trumpets, and bowls are thought to depict God’s judgments on sinners at all times, and the beast refers to all the anti-Christian empires and rulers in history. Thus the Revelation is viewed as describing the victory of Christ and His people down through history. The Millennium in this approach is not a future event but the final cycle of the book describing the church age. The weaknesses of this view include the failure to see the futuristic aspects of many of the prophecies or to connect them in any way with history. (Adapted from Grant Osborne: Revelation. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (See another discussion of Idealist Interpretation)

Futurist. This view is variously referred to as the spiritual approach, the idealist approach or the symbolic approach and makes no attempt to find individual fulfillments of John’s visions, instead viewing Revelation as a great drama depicting transcendent spiritual realities, such as the spiritual conflict between Christ and Satan, between the saints and the antichristian world powers. Fulfillment is seen either as entirely spiritual or as recurrent, finding representative expression in historical events throughout the age, rather than in one-time, specific fulfillments.

(From Gregg, S. Revelation, Four views: A Parallel Commentary. Nelson Pub)

A literal reading of prophecy will generally lead to a "futurist" interpretation. Thus futurists interpret Revelation 4-22 as predictive of future end time historical events preceding, during and after the return of Jesus Christ, the establishment of His 1000 year (thus futurist are usually "premillennial". Amillennialists spiritualize the 1000 years and postmillennialists spiritualize the resurrection which precedes it), millennial kingdom on earth, followed by the creation of a new heaven and new earth. Variations of this view were held by many of the so-called early church fathers, including men like Justin Martyr (164AD), Irenaeus (195AD), et al. This futuristic approach has enjoyed a revival since the 19th century and is widely held by many if not most modern evangelicals.

Apostolic Letters

sarters — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:03:23 +0000

The general letters, otherwise known as the non-Pauline epistles are those letters that were not written by Paul. They are Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1,2,3 John, and Jude. You will see the teaching of Jesus all over these books in very practical ways. Another strong admonition in these letters is against false teaching. Very early in the church, people began to take pieces of what Jesus had taught, and combine them with their own ideas in order to produce all kinds of strange doctrines. Because of the opportunity that the Apostles had to hear and live with Jesus, and the presence of the Holy Spirit reminding them of what Jesus taught, they had first-hand knowledge to repel false doctrines about Jesus. Really let this reading sink in.

Hebrews

sarters — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:14:00 +0000

The book of Hebrews is a wonderful read in the midst of reading the Old Testament because it connects so many of the dots for us!

If you want to listen to Pastor Stephen preach the whole book in one shot, click here.

As you read, look for the reoccurring themes of the supremacy of Christ over the Old Testament, the need to ACT IN FAITH upon what God is telling you, and influence others with your faithfulness.

Kings

sarters — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0000

The book of kings is a continuation of the record that we see in the books of Judges and Samuel. The consistency with the books is that they are all seeking to show the relationship between the nation and the Law. Kings is all about consequences of obeying the Law or not, and each king is judged by that standard. Any king who failed to destroy the high places of worship or permitted the people to offer sacrifices at any place other than the Temple in Jerusalem was said to have performed evil in the sight of Yahweh and was responsible for the disasters that fell upon the nation.

If you want more details on a parts of this book, Pastor Stephen did a sermon series through the books. You can find them here:

1 Kings 1-The Death of the King

1 Kings 3-4-Choosing Wisdom

1 Kings 5-7 Building the Temple

1 Kings 8-10-Wisdom is not Enough-

1 Kings 12-Heavy Labor, Golden Calves…Big Mistakes

1 Kings 13-14-Discerning the Voice of God

1 Kings 15-16 Good Kings, Bad Kings

1 kings 17-Elijah

1 Kings 17b-Resurrection proves Authenticity

1 Kings 18- Elijah’s showdown

1 Kings 19: Praying for Rain

1 Kings 19b-The Let Down

1 Kings 20 – How not to Rule

1 Kings 21 – Ahab: Sin against a Brother

1 kings 22-Ahab: A Bad Finish

1 Kings 23 – A Father’s Legacy

Paul’s Letters

sarters — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:39:49 +0000

Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon

Samuel

sarters — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:00:35 +0000

The books of Samuel are the beginning of the monarchy in Israel. The first chapters explain the transition from the period of the judges. The primary figures in the books are Samuel, Saul, David, Nathan, and the children of David. A basic outline is:

I. The Story of Samuel – 1 Sam 1-7

A. Samuel’s birth and call (1-3)

B. The Ark Narratives (4-6)

C. Samuel, the last judge of Israel (7)

II. The Reign, and Failure, of Saul – 8:1-16:13

A. Israel demands a king (8)

B. Saul’s appointment as King (9-11)

C. Samuel’s farewell (12)

D. Saul’s rejection as king (13-15)

III. The Rise of David – 1 Sam 16:1-2 Sam 5:10

A. The anointing of David (16:1-13)

B. David in the court of Saul (16:14-21:1)

C. David the fugitive in the wilderness (21:2-26:25)

D. David and the Philistines (27-30)

E. David becomes King (1 Sam 31-2 Sam 5:10)

IV. The Reign of David – 2 Sam 5:11-20:22

A. David’s achievements (5:11-9)

B. David’s sins (10-12)

C. The aftermath of sin in David’s house (13-14)

D. Civil War (15-20:22)

V. Appendix – 2 Sam 20:23-24

A key Passage from Deuteronomy 17:14–20 will be fleshed out in the se books or Samuel & Kings.

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

Thus we have in this brief passage, images of the king’s rule connected to the promise for the land. Further, the king must be an Israelite of God’s choosing. He shall not depend on his military for success, and he must not gain great wealth or numerous wives; he must trust wholly in God. His trust in YHWH is to be expressed in obedience to God’s Law and as one under the authority of YHWH he is to regard himself as equal to his fellow Israelites. There may also be the notion that he is to pursue his brothers’ well being in that he prohibits them from ever being sold as slaves again and that there is a recommitment to the Law at his succession to the throne.