Sunday 10th November
Read Psalm 82
If you don’t have a bible at home you can find the readings on a website such as www.biblegateway.com or an app such as YouVersion
This Psalm can appear confusing in that it speaks about God judging the “gods” (v1). Who are the “gods” we ask, is the Psalmist speaking about multiple gods? No, the word is used of rulers and those in authority in a metaphorical way and here the Psalm is saying that God will judge those earthly judges and rulers. The words of God are shown in v2 when he challenges these earthly powers with, “how long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?”, he tells them to uphold the cause of the poor and rescue the weak and needy. People who find themselves in positions of power over others need to take heed to God’s commands because God reminds them, “you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler” (v7). This is the case everywhere. The Psalm finishes with a prayer, “Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance”. The judge normally sat when he heard cases but stood when he delivered judgement and this is what the Psalmist prays for. The time will come when the supposed “gods” on the Earth will find the Judge of all the Earth standing over them.
READINGS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
As you read the Bible Stop; Read; Ponder; and Pray.
Monday Acts 16:20-24
The owners of the girl were deprived of their profits but that wasn’t what they brought before the magistrates, they said that the apostles were “advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice”. When the world is stung by Christian morality they usually like to swing the matter round to being practices against the state and that is what the opposers did here. The declaration of Jesus rising from the dead and being Lord over all was certainly a challenge to the Roman Emperor and Philippi did not want to be in that position.
The magistrates felt the pressure of the crowd and what followed was reminiscent of what Pilate did to Jesus when the roaring angry mob wanted Jesus dead. The apostles were stripped and beaten and thrown into jail.
Tuesday Acts 16:24-34
Being flogged was not a pleasant thing. That goes without saying, as a severe flogging but Luke describes what Paul and Silas received as a severe flogging after which they were put in the innermost cell and fastened into stocks for their feet. In that situation what would you do? Pray, certainly, and what would you pray? With the apostles their prayer was mixed with singing hymns to God and, with the design of the prison, echoes of their singing were heard around the prison cells such that the other prisoners listened. In the midst of this a violent earthquake shook the prison and destroyed its security, the doors no longer holding.
We need to ponder on their praise and singing when we are in dire circumstances. Think about it today.
The immediate result of the prison being broken open was that the jailor sought to commit suicide for the reason that his life was probably required by the magistrates if he didn’t keep these troublesome prisoners safe. Paul shouted not to harm himself and in the darkness (in which the apostles where singing) lights were called and he found that what Paul had said was true, his prisoners were safe. The simple narrative tells us that he asked “What must I do to be saved?” Presumably this was because of what he had heard the apostle saying and realising that his life was in danger before God. Paul’s answer has become well known in telling him to “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household”. The result was what Paul had said such that the man and his household belied and were changed and were “full of joy” (v34). The church needs to find the kind of preaching in the Holy Spirit’s power that does this to people.
Whether the earthquake gave the magistrates a fright as well or whether it was time anyway to release the apostles we don’t know but when they sent an order to the jailor to release the apostles, Paul said they needed to come in person because they were Roman citizens and the magistrates had done something they ought never to have done. Rather fearful of word getting out, they came as requested and sought to appease them and leading them out of the prison they wanted them to leave the city. Paul and Silas did not comply but went to Lydia’s house where they met and spoke with the believers to encourage them. They didn’t want what happened to them to become a cause for discouragement and indeed, later in his letter to the Philippian church, he told them to expect such things because God would make them advance the cause of the gospel (Phil 1).
Thursday Acts 17:1-9
Paul is not in Thessalonica where we find what his usual practice was in visiting towns; he went to the synagogue and on three Sabbaths he, “reasoned with them from the scriptures explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead and that ‘this Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah’”. This was the kind of preaching that Paul did and that caused a change in people’s lives when they believed the message.
The church in all ages needs to be regularly reading the Old Testaments to find the things Paul would be referring to, the kind of things that Jesus would have told the disciples on the road to Emmaus when he said, “Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” ( Luke 24:13-35). It was the gospel in the Old Testament that set fire to the ancient world and planted the Church.
A large number of Gentile ‘God fearers’ as they were often referred to and quite a few prominent women were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas. However, as had happened before, other Jews angrily formed a mob searching for the apostle and not being able to find them grabbed Jason and some other believers and taking them before the city officials gave the same complaint as at Philippi that these people were turning the world upside down because they were against Ceasar saying that there was another King – high treason!
Faithful teaching from the Bible and pointing to Jesus does aggravate people in the world who have developed their own ‘values’ and ‘morality’ about how to live. The apostles escaped harsh punishment this time but Jason had to post a bond before being let go.
Paul and Silas left at night and went next to Berea which turned out to be a different place altogether for when they went into the synagogue and preached the same message of the gospe, the members there who, as Luke says, “were of more noble character” received the message with eagerness.
The Bereans searched the scriptures to see if what Paul was saying was true. One of the great tragedies in so many churches is that they do not search the scriptures themselves to check if what they are hearing from their leaders or ministers is true and worth accepting. Congregations have a duty to be learners themselves and not allow themselves to be spoon fed.
Although many believed in Berea including a number of prominent Greek women and men, word got back to the Thessalonians and when the Jews there heard, they sent agitators along to stir up the populace. Those who had believed sent Paul away for safety’s sake though Silas and Timothy stayed on.
Some had escorted Paul to Athens but then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. We can imagine Paul feeling a bit lonely and needing the help and support of his companions. He wasn’t a superman, he felt emotions just like us, on top of which he would still be feeling the after affects of his sever flogging at Philippi.
On top of feeling alone and while he was waiting for his companions to come he walked around Athens viewing the place and what was important to it. He was distressed by what he saw and reasoned in the synagogue with both the Jews and God-fearing Greeks who happened to be there. Those Greeks obviously spoke out with the synagogue and other philosophers, Epicureans and Stoics are mentioned, began to debate with him (note what Luke says about Athens, that they spent all their time talking and listening to the latest ideas (v21). Amongst others were those who couldn’t understand what Paul was saying and thought he was speaking about two new gods, Jesus and the resurrection! Although they were confused it certainly shows what the gospel message was all about, it was precisely about Jesus and the resurrection.
