Acts 22

WEEK  19                                                Acts 22

THURSDAY  Reflections

It has been said that we can easily see prejudice in others but rarely in ourselves. I might add that we often excuse it in ourselves and not in others. I am going to point out the reaction in this chapter which I see as a result of prejudice. I do this not to point a finger but to use it as a mirror to make sure we don't do the same thing.

 

Paul is preaching his story and everyone is listening. This is after the crowd was just before ready to tear him apart. It's an amazing turnaround until Paul says one word, gentile (non-Jewish). At this one word, the crowd calls for his life. Especially when you consider that the word, gentile, was used in regards to God reaching out to them. For many Jews, the gentiles were the oppressors, the sinners, the unclean. They had a prejudice against them and anything which might say otherwise was wrong.

 

God wants to reach all the world. This is why He came and died. Yes, not all people are our friends and some may, in fact, be enemies, but God wants to make them our family, so never let prejudice cloud the love we should have for everyone. 

Act 22:1-30
(1)  Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
(2)  (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
(3)  I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
(4)  And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
(5)  As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
(6)  And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
(7)  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
(8)  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
(9)  And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
(10)  And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
(11)  And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
(12)  And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
(13)  Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
(14)  And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
(15)  For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
(16)  And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
(17)  And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
(18)  And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
(19)  And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
(20)  And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
(21)  And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.
(22)  And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.
(23)  And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
(24)  The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.
(25)  And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
(26)  When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
(27)  Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
(28)  And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
(29)  Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
(30)  On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

Elaine Howlin on Unsplash

Psalm 110

WEEK   19                                           Psalms 110

WEDNESDAY  Reflections

This Psalm is a prophecy in music from David about his descendant who will be the promised Messiah. This psalm was referenced by Jesus when he was confronted by the Pharisees about His authority. God revealed to David his descendant would be not just a king but a priest, something the Jewish law wouldn't allow. This priest would not be from Aaron's line but somehow after the order of Melchizedek.  

 

This psalm, when seen correctly, points to Jesus not just being the son of David but as God Himself. For only God could be Lord to David and still his descendant. It is an amazing Old Testament picture of the God-incarnate.

Psa 110:1-7

(1)  A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

(2)  The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

(3)  Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

(4)  The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

(5)  The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

(6)  He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.

(7)  He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

Zechariah 5

WEEK 19                                          Zechariah 5

TUESDAY  Reflections

Flying scrolls and a woman (wickedness) in a basket (ephah) are strange images. The thing I want to point out is in both God is dealing with wickedness and evil-doers. They may seem to escape for a time but eventually, they will face their judgment. The wicked will get their due. The one hope we have which isn't mentioned in this chapter is God will forgive us if we ask and then we don't have to worry about His judgment.

Zec 5:1-11
(1)  Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.
(2)  And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits.
(3)  Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.
(4)  I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
(5)  Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.
(6)  And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.
(7)  And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.
(8)  And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
(9)  Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.
(10)  Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?
(11)  And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.

Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash (this was as close to flying scrolls as I could find)

Ezra 7

WEEK  19                                              Ezra 7

MONDAY  Reflections

God's hand was with Ezra because he was such a nice guy? No, it wasn't even because he was righteous. God's hand was with him we are told because he had a heart to learn God's law, obey it and teach it. Ezra, who yes is showing up in the middle of the book which carries his name, was the right man for the job God had for him.

 

The people had begun to turn to God and now they needed more than just a temple. They needed teaching in the truth. God brought Ezra to fill this job. God gave Ezra the authority to get everything needed to see God's law established in Israel.


Ezr 7:1-28
(1)  Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
(2)  The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
(3)  The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
(4)  The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
(5)  The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:
(6)  This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.
(7)  And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
(8)  And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
(9)  For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
(10)  For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
(11)  Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.
(12)  Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.
(13)  I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.
(14)  Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;
(15)  And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,
(16)  And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:
(17)  That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
(18)  And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.
(19)  The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.
(20)  And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house.
(21)  And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,
(22)  Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.
(23)  Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
(24)  Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.
(25)  And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.
(26)  And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
(27)  Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:
(28)  And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash

Ezekiel 24

WEEK  18                                             Ezekiel 24

SATURDAY  Reflections

Don't weep publicly for your loss. This is the message God is giving the people in the last part of chapter 24. God has asked Ezekiel to do some difficult things, but not to be seen grieving for your wife or for the loss of Jerusalem. These are hard. Ezekiel is being an example to the people of what they need to do.

 

When sin brings about consequences, God asks us to repent. The first step in repentance is to feel sorry for our sins, not to feel bad that we were caught. The destruction of Jerusalem is the result of Israel being finally caught and punished for their sin. True repentance doesn't weep over the punishment (though it is painful); it grieves over the actions that got them there. God was teaching them the difference. God was going to show them that he is going to take this loss, this judgment, and turn it into new life.  

Eze 24:1-27
(1)  Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(2)  Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.
(3)  And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:
(4)  Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
(5)  Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
(6)  Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.
(7)  For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;
(8)  That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.
(9)  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
(10)  Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.
(11)  Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
(12)  She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.
(13)  In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.
(14)  I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.
(15)  Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(16)  Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
(17)  Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
(18)  So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
(19)  And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
(20)  Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(21)  Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.
(22)  And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
(23)  And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
(24)  Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
(25)  Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,
(26)  That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
(27)  In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Stephanie Ecate on Unsplash