The One Year Bible- October 27th
With Halloween and Reformation Day upon us,, All Saints day coming up, and Thanksgiving and Advent on the horizon, it goes without saying that this is a busy time of the year. It seems that life gets more hectic every year. Perhaps you feel like you could write your own lamentations today. But even in the midst of the tough times of life we praise God by saying, “Great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23). Let that be our guide today. On to the study...
Pastor Seth’s Thoughts
The
Old Testament
This week we will dive into the book of Lamentations. I was thinking that this book is like the soundtrack to the book of Jeremiah. If they ever made a movie (more like a miniseries) about Jeremiah, the music would have to be influenced by the book of Lamentations. In David M. Gosdeck’s commentary on the book he says the following:
The
Hebrew title for this book of the Bible is taken from the first word, “How”.
When, during the Intertestamental Period, the Jews translated this book into
Greek they gave it the title, “The Tears of Jeremiah”. When the Greek was
translated into Latin, it was named “The Lamentations of Jeremiah,” the title
we use today. Lamentations consists of five individual poems. The first four
(chapters 1-4) use a poetic device known as “acrostic”. In an acrostic each new
line of poetry begins with a successive letter of the alphabet. In chapters
1,2, and 4 each verse begins with a new letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Since
the Hebrew alphabet has twenty-two letters, each of these chapters has
twenty-two verses. In chapter 3 the author triples the acrostic. Every three
verses begin with a new letter of the alphabet, so chapter 3 has sixty-six
verses.
In
the face of Jerusalem’s destruction, the prophet encouraged the believers to
keep on clinging to the Lord. The nation was without excuse. It has plenty of
time to repent, but it chose the path of sin. Not its sins had brought the
present terror. On its own, the nation could not deliver itself. Its only hope
lay in a return to the Lord, and the Lord did not fail. Even in this disaster,
believers could see his gracious hand. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are
not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great
is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Even under suffering, the
believer can confidently wait for the salvation he knows will come.
The
New Testament
By the end of the week we will have read two letters in their entirety (Titus and Philemon) and will be into the book of Hebrews. Titus is known as one of the Pastoral letters (along with 1 & 2 Timothy) and has much advice for pastors and church leaders. The following is from Armin W. Schuetze’s commentary on Titus:
By the end of the week we will have read two letters in their entirety (Titus and Philemon) and will be into the book of Hebrews. Titus is known as one of the Pastoral letters (along with 1 & 2 Timothy) and has much advice for pastors and church leaders. The following is from Armin W. Schuetze’s commentary on Titus:
Since
Paul calls Titus “my true son in our common faith” (Titus 1:4), he know doubt
was one of Paul’s converts. He may have been from Antioch, where Paul had
worked for an entire year before his missionary journeys (Acts 11:26). We find
Titus there when Paul and Barnabas “were appointed, along with some other
believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders” about the
necessity of circumcision for salvation (Acts 15:2). Paul mentions Titus as
someone he had taken along as a test case and reports that “not even Titus, who
was with me, was compelled to be circumcised even though he was Greek”
(Galatians 2:1,3).
Later
Paul found Titus to be a valuable and trusted associate whom he sent to Corinth
to settle the problems that had arisen in this congregation. In all of his
Corinthian assignments Titus proved to be an evangelical, trusted, and
respected “troubleshooter”.
After
Paul’s release from his first imprisonment, he may have met Titus when he came
to the island of Crete. Paul left Titus there to complete the organizing of the
church (Titus 1:5). This was not an easy assignment because of trouble makers
who needed correction (Titus 1:10-16). Paul promised to send a replacement to
Crete so that Titus might join him again at Nicopolis where Paul intended to
spend the winter (Titus 3:12).
Titus
must have been with Paul in Rome during a part of his second imprisonment, for
Paul sent him from Rome to Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10). We know nothing more
about this assignment.
Titus
was no doubt younger that Paul but very likely older than Timothy. He did not
need the kind of encouragement that Paul gave his younger “son” Timothy. The
advice Paul gave Titus for his work on the island of Crete continues to be a
blessing to the church and its pastors as they read, study and apply his
inspired words to themselves and the church of all times.
The
book of Philemon is very short but very profound. The following is from the
intro to the book in “The Life Application Bible”:
This
is a personal letter sent as a plea for a runaway slave. Imagery and parallels
abound in this short letter. Paul writes to Philemon and reintroduces Onesimus
to him, explaining that he is sending him back not just as a slave but as a
brother. Tactfully he asks Philemon to accept and forgive his brother. The
barriers of the past and the new ones erected by Onesimus’s desertion and theft
should divide them no longer for they are one in Christ.
This
small book is a masterpiece of grace and tact and a profound demonstration of
the power of Christ and of true Christian fellowship in action. As with
Philemon, God calls us all to seek unity, breaking down walls and embracing our
brothers and sisters in Christ.
I
will have plenty to say about the book of Hebrews in the next two weeks.
Bits
and Pieces
The
New Testament
As we look at the book of Hebrews this week, don’t forget the audience of the book. They are Jewish Christians who are in danger of going back to Judaism. Keep this in mind so it will hopefully make more sense when you read language like “greater than Moses”, “high priest”, “Melchizedek”, “covenant”, “tabernacle”, “sacrifice” etc. I will spend a lot of time in the next two weeks talking about this book. It is one of my favorites.
As we look at the book of Hebrews this week, don’t forget the audience of the book. They are Jewish Christians who are in danger of going back to Judaism. Keep this in mind so it will hopefully make more sense when you read language like “greater than Moses”, “high priest”, “Melchizedek”, “covenant”, “tabernacle”, “sacrifice” etc. I will spend a lot of time in the next two weeks talking about this book. It is one of my favorites.
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