Sunday 9th March
Read Psalm 99
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
How we picture God will make a difference to our attitude to him. When Lucy in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” finds out that Aslan (who is a picture of God) is a Lion, she asks, “Is he safe?” “Safe?” replies Mr Beaver, “Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you”. Mr Tumnus also says “He’s wild, you know. Not a tame lion”
The writer of Psalm 98 knows all about this when he starts “The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble”. He is nevertheless the God who loves justice and does what is right (v4). Israel felt his punishment for their misdeeds but also knew him as a forgiving God (v8). We need to hold both of these elements in mind when we approach him in worship and prayer. The Lord our God is not tame, He is holy.
READINGS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
As you read the Bible Stop; Read; Ponder; and Pray.
Monday 2 Kings 25:1-21
Putting cities under siege was a regular method of winning in ancient times – as indeed it has been in modern times too; Hitler tried block any ships getting through to Britain in the second world war. After two years under Zechariah’s reign in Judah Jerusalem was on it knees because of famine and when the city wall was broken through the whole army fled at night through a gate near the King’s Garden. The army scattered but Zedekiah was captured. His punishment was to have his last vision that of seeing his sone killed before his eyes before having his eyes put out. War can be a violent and inhuman thing – wherever we see war we see atrocities and this is why we need to pray for an end to it wherever it takes place. I wonder whether he was allowed to meet his nephew Jehoiachin who had been taken there by Nebuchadnezzar 11 years ago (2 Kings 24:16)
After this exile of the final king, Nebuchadnezzar had his Imperial Guard commander destroy the city of Jerusalem by burning the Temple, the Royal Palace, all the great houses and every important building in the city. The city walls were broken down and the existing population were exiled to Babylon leaving a smattering of the poorest people to make what they could of the remaining land to scrabble some subsistence living.
In case readers haven’t got a hold of the complete devastation, the writer lets them know of the temple’s goods being taken and the Chief priest and temple keepers and senior civil servants being taken out and executed at Riblah on the way to Babylon and as the writer concluded, “So Judah went into captivity, away from their land” (v21). After all the history of the Jewish people in the Old Testament from the escape out of Egypt to this time we need to add THE END.
Tuesday 2 Kings 25:22-26
With the exile of Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor over the people left behind in Judah. He was the son of Ahikam who was one of the officials sent to Huldah the prophet by Josiah after the Book of the Law was found in the temple. His father was Shaphan, a scribe and court secretary, one of the ones who found the Book of the Law. Gedaliah gathered the army officers and their men and told them not to be afraid of the King of Babylon but to serve him in order that things might go well with them. However there was a resistance movement unwilling to do this and within a short time a man of royal blood named Ishmael came with ten men and assassinated him, killing others who were with him. This was outright rebellion against the Babylonian occupiers and in fear of their lives the ordinary folk of the land fled to Egypt. More of the history of this time is found in the book of Jeremiah, chapters 39-44, who was taken to Egypt with them against his counsel.
Wednesday 2 Kings 25:27-30
AS we come to the end of the second book of Kings we have an interesting though curious addendum. 37 years after his capture and imprisonment by Nebuchadnezzar we find that Jehoiachin is released by Nebuchadnezzar’s successor Awel-Marduk (or Amel-Marduk which means Man of Marduk). How he succeeded Nebuchadnezzar is not clear as he wasn’t the eldest son and indeed it appears that there was bad blood between him and his father. He was imprisoned by Nebuchadnezzar, possibly because of some conspiracy, and may have become acquainted with Jehoiachin whilst being imprisoned. Whatever the background when he became King he released Jehoiachin and gave him a pension such that he “ate regularly at the King’s table as long as he lived” (v29,30).
Was this an indication that after a long displeasure of God he would at the last bring relief? Many of the prophecies about the people of Judah show this intention of God. His anger does not last for ever which is something to remember if we feel that due to our own sin we have lived under the displeasure of God. God is merciful. Let us not forget it.
1 Corinthians.
The history of the people of Israel in the Old Testament books such as Samuel and Kings shows fraction and disobedience to God as well as obedience on the part of, admittedly, a minority. We are going to look at a part of the New Testament that shows a similar struggle with faithfulness to God on the part of his people. We are going to look at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Church.
Paul had visited the Greek town of Corinth on his second missionary journey (Acts 18) where he stayed for 18 months until driven out by hostile Jews. Subsequently staying in Ephesus in Turkey he wrote to the Church about various things they questioned him about and as we shall see it wasn’t a Church exactly at peace with itself.
Thursday 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
If you have read Acts 18 you will see the name of Sosthenes the writer or possibly amanuensis of this letter. He was the synagogue ruler in Corinth who was beaten up by the mob in front of Gallio the Roman proconsul. He appears to have travelled to Ephesus possibly with the questions the Church the Church wished to put to Paul.
Notice the gracious way Paul starts the letter and how he speaks of the Church as being God’s holy people. Do you think of yourself as that? Remember ‘holy’ means ‘set apart’ or ‘special’. The apostle says that he thanks God for them because God’s grace – his unmerited favour – has blessed them in various spiritual ways and they are eagerly waiting for the revealing of the Lord Jesus in his second coming. He is sure that God will keep them firm in their faith until the end.
Friday 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Having started with words of appreciation of the Church he immediately asks them to be united with one another (v10) because he has heard [possibly through those who have travelled to see him] that there have been divisions amongst them. Quarrels can be about many things but here they were around loyalties to different Christian teachers, to Paul, Apollos, Cephas and those who thought themselves the holiest, Christ. Paul wants to point them away from loyalty to persons, himself included, and to Christ asking them who their Saviour was. Of course it was Christ who died for them and it was into his name that they were baptised not into Paul’s or anyone else’s name. Roland Walls of Roslin used to say of his fellow believers, “All are my brothers but none are my Master”. We should listen and learn from Christian teachers but never fixate on them as leaders for it is Christ who is our Saviour and Leader.
Saturday 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Wanting to get the focus away from personalities, Paul focuses now on the cross of Christ (v17) because there is where salvation starts. If we count the pages of the four gospels we find that the largest part of them lies in the last week of Jesus’ life, in other words the focus is on the cross. Isaac Watts wrote his hymn “Alas and did my Saviour bleed” with the chorus, “at the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light and the burden of my sin rolled away” much reflecting Bunyan’s Pilgrim who climbed the hill of calvary and saw the cross upon which his burden of sin rolled away. It is the message of Christ crucified that Paul says he and the apostles preached (v23). It was foolish to those in the world who thought themselves wise – the philosophers and religious of the day – but it was the power that changed lives to those who received it. It isn’t a philosophy of men but a fact of history that brings the salvation of men and women no matter who they be.
