The One Year Bible- December 31st

It might be the last day of 2018 but tomorrow begins the journey of reading the whole Bible in a year.  For those of you just beginning this journey you are in for a wonderful experience as there is nothing quite like being in God’s Word each and every day of the year.  I welcome back those of you who journeyed with us last year.  The format for this study will be the same as last year.  I will try to give you some insights on what you have been reading and try to connect the dots the best I can. Then I will give you some things to look for in the upcoming reading for the week or some bits of information that I think may be interesting.  This format seems to work well and you can always ask questions by commenting on the blog or by sending me an email. 

Hopefully you have purchased a Bible that says “The One Year Bible” on it.  That is the format that we will be using.  You can also find the assigned readings for the day by going to www.oneyearbibleonline.com.  There you can find the readings for each day of the year and you can use your own Bible. 

Each day in The One Year Bible you will find a selection from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, a portion from the Psalms, and a selection from the book of Proverbs. January begins with Genesis, Matthew, Psalm 1, and Proverbs 1. When the year is over you will have read through the entire Bible and have read Psalms twice.

Getting in the Habit
If you are not in the habit of spending time each day in the Word it may be a struggle at first to find time. You will need to experiment and find a time that works for you. For many people, the morning works best, for others it’s after the kids are in bed. Others find that during lunchtime works well. You may want to divide up the reading and do part in the morning and part at night. It will take about 15 minutes to read through the passages for each day. Regardless of the time, you will need to do what works and then do it every day.

Find a Partner
It is always helpful to find someone who is willing to read with you. You can keep each other accountable and bounce questions off of one another as you read. There will also be a weekly on-line study to help keep you on track and to provide a place for questions and comments. Each week (usually Mondays) a new study will be posted at www.bethanylutheran.blogspot.com.

Tips for Comprehension
-Begin your time in prayer and ask God to send His Spirit to guide you as you read.
-Find a place to read that is relatively free of distractions.
-Read the passage aloud and slowly if necessary. The goal is not just to finish, but to understand.
-Make some notes in the Bible and underline key verses. Look back at them later.
-Remember the Bible tells one story. That story is about redemption from Sin by the work of Jesus. Keep that in mind as you read.
-Take your Bible to Church and read along to see what comes before and after.
-Keep a journal about what you read and how it has affected you.
-Memorize key verses.
-Look at a children’s Bible storybook to get a mental image of the stories. This is especially helpful for the Old Testament stories.
-Teach what you have been reading to your children. This will help reinforce the stories for you and introduce them to your children.
-Share what you are reading with coworkers or friends who are not Christians. This can happen especially if you are reading during your lunch hour at work. If they are interested in the Bible point them to 1 John and to Mark.
-Use a daily devotional book (Portals of Prayer, Strength for the Day, etc.) in addition to your reading.
-Look at some Bible maps and get a layout of the land. This is important when talking about events in the Old Testament.
-Don’t worry if you miss a few days. Just double up your readings for a while until you catch up. Don’t try to read it all in one day.
-Some questions to ask as you read: What is the Biblical context of this passage? What is the historical context? Who is speaking and to whom are they speaking? How can I use this information today? Don’t worry if you can’t answer all the questions.

Some things to help you out:
Here are a few websites that I have run across that help me when I am studying the Scriptures:
biblegatway.com - You can search on words or phrases as well as finding texts here.
www.oneyearbibleonline.com -Forgot The One Year Bible at home or even left it at the office? This site will give you the readings for the day. A great help when you don’t have your Bible with you.
www.oneyearbibleblog.com - Want get some in-depth information for the readings of the day? This is the place. It gives you the readings, some artwork and some commentary specifically on the readings for the day. This is a great site. I almost didn’t want to tell you about it because I get some of my info here.

There is also an app for your iPhone iPad or Android device that will help you.  Just search for “The One Year Bible.”

Seth’s Thoughts

This week I want to give you some of the vital stats for the books that we are starting.  Each time we start a new book I will give you the vital stats to give you a road map of where we are going and to give you some background information that will be helpful in understanding the context and the overall story of the book and how it relates to the rest of Scripture.  Next week I will give you some thoughts to the readings so far and help answer any questions you may have.

The Old Testament starts off in Genesis. Here are the vital stats for the book:

AUTHOR: Moses

DATE WRITTEN: c. 1446-1406 BC

PURPOSE: To trace the passing of the promise of God’s Savior from generation to generation, to all Israel and to all nations.
KEY PEOPLE: Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Joseph

LAW THEMES: The curse and death that come with sin and disobedience; humankind’s slavery to evil; families divided by sin.

GOSPEL THEMES: The promise of a Savior; God gives blessings, life, and freedom; God’s goodness and covenant promise for the faithful

The New Testament begins with Matthew’s account of the life of Jesus. Here are the vital stats on the book:

AUTHOR: Matthew (also called Levi)

DATE WRITTEN: c. AD 50

PURPOSE: To proclaim that God’s end-times rule has come in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ.
KEY PEOPLE: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist, the disciples, the religious leaders, Caiaphas, Pliate, Mary Magdalene
KEY PLACES: Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Capernaum, Galilee, Judea

LAW THEMES: God’s rule in judgment; repentance; political and religious opposition; authoritative teaching; confronting a brother who sins.

GOSPEL THEMES: God’s rule in mercy; Baptism; compassion; ransom; Lord’s Supper; forgiving a brother who sins.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Matthew is filled with Messianic language ("Son of David" is used throughout) and Old Testament references (53 quotes and 76 other references). This Gospel was not written as a chronological account; its purpose was to present the clear evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior.

Psalms:

AUTHORS: David wrote 73 psalms, Asaph wrote 12, the sons of Korah wrote nine, Solomon wrote two, Etan and Moses each wrote one, and 51 are anonymous.
DATE WRITTEN: Between the time of Moses (around 1440 BC) and the Babylonian Captivity (586 BC)

PURPOSE: To express hope in the Lord God for salvation, using prayers and praises spoken by God’s people at the Tabernacle and Temple or by individuals.

LAW THEMES: Persecutors assail God’s people; suffering brought by personal failures; waiting for God’s deliverance; exile in Babylon.

GOSPEL THEMES: The Lord’s saving righteousness and steadfast love; the Lord provides for and protects His people; prophecies of the Messiah, Jesus; God’s gift of life through the Word.
SPECIAL FEATURES: For the most part, the psalms were not intended to be narrations of historical events. However, they often parallel events in history such as David’s flight from Saul and his sin with Bathsheba.

Proverbs:

AUTHOR: Solomon wrote or at least compiled most of the book with Lemuel and Agur contributing later sections.
DATE WRITTEN: Early in Solomon’s reign as king (10^th Century BC)

PURPOSE: To bestow God’s wisdom.
LAW THEMES: Because foolishness is rebellion against God, fools condemn themselves to destruction; instruction cubs the misdeeds of fools and guides the deeds of the wise.

GOSPEL THEMES: Christ, God’s wisdom, delivers us from self-destruction and brings forth forgiveness.
SPECIAL FEATURES: This is a book of wise sayings, a textbook for teaching people how to live godly lives through the repetition of wise thoughts.  The book uses varied literary forms: poetry, brief parables, pointed questions, and couplets. Other literary devices used in the book include, antithesis, comparison, and personification.

If at any time you have some questions, concerns or just need a pep talk, feel free to contact me, smoorman@bethanylutheran.org, or (562) 421-4711 x. 13. May God richly bless you as you embark on this journey and remember: “All Scripture is god-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” –2 Timothy 3:16-17

The One Year Bible- December 24th

We are almost at the end of 2018 so that means this is the last post for the One Year Bible for this year. Next week will be a post getting us ready for 2019 as we start fresh again. I hope you all will be joining us next year as well. If you were at all like me, seeing the end of the book is both exciting and rewarding. It is no small task to read the entire Bible. There are parts that are not much fun to read and there are parts that are hard to relate to. I think the best part for me is seeing how all the pieces fit together. The story as a whole is so much more powerful than some sections taken out of context. I hope that as you hear scripture being read in worship, you can fit it into its context and fill in some of the blanks in your mind to get the whole picture. I have finished my reading so this post will make reference to some things that you may have not read yet. Don’t worry, you can always come back and read the post again. With that, on to the last study of the year...

Seth’s Thoughts

The Old Testament

This week we spent time in the book of Zechariah. The book of Zechariah is a post-exilic book, meaning it was written to the people who had returned to Jerusalem at the end of the exile in Babylon. It has many interesting and detailed images written in apocalyptic form. It was nice that we were reading from the book of Revelation at the same time since John seems to have used Zechariah for some of his imagery. This is not to say that John plagiarized his book but he did use other sources to help him make sense of what he was seeing. Many scholars have a difficult time with the prophecies in the book because there is no consensus on the historical context of many of the images. We know that some are obviously Christological (The Branch, illusions of Palm Sunday (9:9), looking on the one whom they have pierced (12:10)) and others must have some context in the day that we are too far removed to see. Eric Hartzell has this to say in his commentary on Zechariah: Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai. He too had seen the captivity and had returned. With Haggai, he say the people’s apathy toward building God’s house. He joined in the message of Haggai who spoke for God...”Build my house!” The book of Ezra tells us. “Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them” (Ezra 5:1) There are many striking pictures in the book of Zechariah. Some of them are surrealistic and in kaleidoscopic colors. Some are stark and strange. Zechariah painted with prophetic brush on the imaginations and consciences of his people. We come upon these paintings today and see that over the years the colors have not faded and the images have not been blurred. He painted hell and heaven; he preached God’s law and his gospel. Zechariah was also a prophet who spoke words directly describing the coming Savior. In this book we hear words that we recognize from the Passion History of our Lord. Zechariah knew the Savior by inspiration and by prophecy.

A few more days in 2011 sees the reading of the book of Malachi and the finishing of Revelation.

Here are the vital stats for Malachi:

PURPOSE: To confront the people with their sins and to restore their relationship with God

AUTHOR: Malachi

TO WHOM WRITTEN: The Jews in Jerusalem and God’s people everywhere

DATE WRITTEN: about 430 B.C.

SETTING: Malachi, Haggai, and Zechariah were post exilic prophets to Judah. Haggai and Zechariah rebuked the people for their failure to rebuild the temple. Malachi confronted them with their neglect of the temple and their false and profane worship.

KEY VERSES: “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace...But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall” (4:1-2)

LAW THEMES: Rejection of Edom; condemnation of unfaithful priests; divorce; unfaithfulness in offerings; the day of the Lord.

GOSPEL THEMES: Love for Israel; the Lord’s faithfulness; the messenger of the covenant; deliverance from evil.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Malachi’s literary style employs a dramatic use of questions asked by God and his people.

The book of Malachi is another post-exilic book and has many connections with the book of Nehemiah. Kenneth Barker in the book introduction of Malachi in the NIV Study Bible says:

Although the Jews had been allowed to return from exile and rebuild the temple, several discouraging factors brought about a general religious malaise: (1) Their land remained but a small province in the backwaters of the Persian empire, (2) the glorious future announced by the prophets had not yet been realized and, (3) their God had not yet come to his temple with majesty and power to exalt his kingdom in the sight of the nations. Doubting God’s covenant love and no longer trusting his justice, the Jews of the restored community began to loose hope. So their worship degenerated into a listless perpetuation of mere forms, and they no longer took the law seriously. Malachi rebukes their doubt of God’s love and the faithlessness of both priests and people. To their charge that God is unjust because he has failed to come in judgment to exalt his people, Malachi answers with an announcement and a warning. The Lord they seek will come—but he will come “like a refiners fire”. He will come to judge—but he will judge his people first.

Malachi ends with a warning of the Day of the Lord. As we have discussed before in this blog, this Day is always referring to the Day of Judgment; the day that God will put an end to the wickedness of this world once and for all. It is never a good day for those apart from God, but for those who believe it will be a good day.

The New Testament

It would take me weeks to give you all the info needed to understand the book of Revelation. One of my seminary classes was devoted to this book and we spent hours trying to figure out what it all meant and to try to make some applications for ourselves. For that class I read the biggest book of my scholastic career (almost 700 pages!!). I learned a lot and I am struggling trying to figure out how I can give you the condensed version. I will give you some highlights from my big commentary authored by Louis Brighton:

The book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible. Whether it was written last or not, the church was led to place it at the end of the canon because she saw in it the completion of God’s revelation. Nothing further would be revealed by God until the second coming of Jesus Christ. Revelation is thus the culmination of the entire story of salvation contained in the Bible. It is the end point of all that is written in both the OT and NT. for it draws all of revelation, both prophetic and apostolic, to its final goal: the exalted reign of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of lords and the fulfillment of the promise of the new heaven and earth. As the last book of the Bible and the completion of God’s revelation to his church, it is the lens through which the entire Scripture is to be viewed. Revelation reveals and confirms that Christ was prophetically promised and that his incarnation, death and resurrection happened so that God’s creation could be restored to its original glory and righteousness. Revelation thus points to the final meaning and the final answer to all that is revealed in the Bible. In addition, as the last book, Revelation puts an official stamp on all of God’s revelation, a final confirmation of the divine truth and origin of God’s spoken and written Word. This finality points to the urgency of the last times, in which all things will be brought to an end—an urgency which reminds the Christian to Hold fast to the faith and which encourages the church to complete her mission.

Brighton goes on to say:

The message of Revelation reveals two ongoing phenomena: the terrifying sufferings and horror on earth, and the reign of Jesus Christ as Lord in his heavenly exalted glory. As these two phenomena are described, God’s people on earth are encouraged to cling in hopeful faith to the eternal heavenly glory that beckons them in Christ. In turn they also are strengthened and encouraged for the work of Christ’s mission on earth. The tribulations and sufferings portrayed lead the Christian not to pessimism and despair but to realism. The adversities and troubles prophesied will come to pass, and Christians will suffer because of and through them, as will unbelievers. Such plagues and distresses demonstrate God’s wrath and judgment for the purpose of motivating the godless to repentance. God’s own people also experience these same sufferings and plagues, for the dragon, Satan uses these sufferings and plagues in his attempt to destroy the church and her witness.

With all this being said, the most important thing to get out of a reading of the book of Revelation is that God is in control, his wrath is coming, it is time to repent, God will be victorious and all those who put their trust in him will have the blessings of eternal life. If this is all you got out of the book, then great. The other stuff is there to help make this point clear.

Bits And Pieces

I think the best way to finish out this study is to quote from the last Psalm, number 150:

Praise the LORD.

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

I cannot say it any better myself. AMEN!!!

The Bethany Bullet Sermon Message - Week of December 16, 2018

Sermon: “The Character of Advent: Surrender”

Text: Luke 1

Surrender is not something we think of too highly.  It equals defeat, it displays weakness.  Yet, the highest of character and most noble of Christian responses is beheld in those who surrender. 

Mary, Virgin Mother, surrenders. Her "wishes" I'm sure. No big church wedding would be hers. The talk of the town would not be her gown nor the choice of caterers. Her will, she says so, "May it be to me as you have said.” Her womb, this most intimate and personal part of herself, is surrendered to the purpose and plans of God.

Like mother like Son!  Jesus surrendered.  His want, "Not mine but yours be done."  His security, He could have called on a detachment of angelic troops to prevent His arrest.  His life, He did surrender it.  No one took it from Him He laid it down of His own accord."

Advent teaches us the nobility of surrender.  We too like the Only Begotten Son and the Virgin Mother exhibit the character of surrender as we: 

1.      Yield to God's Word.  Throughout the season we have seen this displayed as His people have been moved to trust His word even if something appears impossible or sounds illogical. 

2.      Follow God's way.  Though often invited by the old liar, influenced by corrupt culture or inclined by our own fallen nature, we, with the Spirit's aid, turn from those wide roads and follow the narrow path which is Christ Himself. 

3.      Seek His will.  The angels brought insight to, such in the advent texts, but we too have messengers in our midst. Brothers and sisters, fellow travelers and believers who, also yielding to God's Word, following His way and seeking His will, can help us understand His calling and direction. 

Surrender, in this manner, is not weakness for it comes from those who have Christ as their strength.  It is not defeat, for those who surrender in this manner know they are more than victors through Jesus. 

Pr. Kevin Kritzer

The Bethany Bullet will go dark for the weeks of December 23 and December 30. The Bullet will resume the week of January 6, 2019.

The One Year Bible- December 17th

As Christmas fast approaches, so does the completion of our journey through the Bible this year. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. This journey never really ends but can be the beginning of some new habits. I hope this year has got you in the habit of daily time in God’s Word. I hope you will continue with this habit whether it is reading the Bible again in this same format or it is another way to study, please keep up the hard work. This is the second to last post for this year. Next week I will wrap up all the readings for the year and then the first of January we will start it up again.  On to today’s study...

Seth’s Thoughts

The Old Testament

The book of Jonah is famous for its fish story, and in many respects, that is one of the keys to this book. Jonah tried to run from God. His fear got the best of him and he tried to get away from it. I found it interesting that even in the midst of his flight from God, the Lord was honored. Did you catch it when the men on the same boat as Jonah threw him overboard and the storm stopped? “At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.” (Jonah 1:16 NIV). One great connection to Christ in Jonah comes from mouth of Jesus himself, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40 NIV). Jesus used Jonah to help teach what was going to happen to him; yet again another great connection between the Old and New Testaments.

Micah is one of those gloom and doom books of the latter Old Testament. It has a similar message to many of the other books, i.e. destruction is coming, turn back to God. But there is a huge gem of prophecy in chapter 5, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel” (Micah 5:2 NIV). This is one of the great Christmas prophecies and shows why the Messiah had to be born in the small town of Bethlehem. Just one chapter later we see some great practical advice to the exiles as they live in captivity. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NIV).

The prophet Nahum writes some of the most comforting and the most disturbing things in the Old Testament. He reminds us that the Lord is slow to get angry (1:3) and he is our refuge (1:7), but what will happen to those who don’t believe (i.e. Nineveh) will be something awful.

I am glad the book of Habakkuk is not so long because most of it is depressing and bad news. Thank goodness for the last two verses of the book, “yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:18-19 NIV). This is the key to the book. It reminds me in a way to the book of Job who said, “I know that my Redeemer Lives!”

The key to the book of Zephaniah is in Chapter 2, “Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility” (Zephaniah 2:3 NIV). Even in the middle of this destruction that will come as a direct result of sin, God still reminds them to do right.

Haggai writes to those who have returned to Jerusalem but were busy building their own houses and not a house for the Lord. Haggai gives the people encouragement to get to work on building the new temple and gives them a reminder that God is with them

The New Testament

I think maybe I need to back up and give you some perspective on the book of Revelation. Without seeing the whole picture, the details will only confuse you. First of all as I have written before, the book of Revelation is in the genre of other apocalyptic books; as the American Heritage Dictionary defines as: Involving or portending widespread devastation or ultimate doom. The book of Revelation looks at this in regards to the end of the world and it looks at it from different angles. As one of my seminary professors said, John sees a vision of the end of the world from three points of view. Each point of view is like a different camera angle shooting the same scene. Each camera sees the action and the characters from a different point of view. Each angle provides certain aspects of the story to be emphasized. Some angles completely obscure the action and something may be lost. When John writes about what he sees we must keep in mind that this is not all happening in linear time as we are used to. John sees the complete destruction of the world with the seven seals on the scroll opened by Jesus himself. Then he sees the destruction of the world again with the seven trumpet blasts. This time different parts of the same story are emphasized. A bit later we will see the seven censers of God’s wrath being poured out. This time John will describe the end of the world from another point of view. In the middle of all of this is the cosmic war between Satan and Christ. We must remember that the war was won for us on the cross and the open tomb. We are part of the group that has been sealed in baptism and we have the mark of God on us. Therefore all of this bad stuff will not affect us. We are assured of our place in heaven already. I hope this give some perspective to you as you read. I will spend some more time next week getting into some of the details.

Bits and Pieces

Only two books to go.... Here are the vital stats for Zechariah:

PURPOSE: To give hope to God’s people by revealing God’s future deliverance through the Messiah

AUTHOR: Zechariah

TO WHOM WRITTEN: The Jews in Jerusalem who had returned form their captivity in Babylon and to God’s people everywhere

DATE WRITTEN: Chapters 1-8 were written about 520-518 B.C. Chapters 9-14 were written about 480 B.C.

SETTING: The exiles had returned from Babylon to rebuild the temple, but the work had been thwarted and stalled. Haggai and Zechariah confronted the people with their task and encouraged them to complete it.

KEY VERSES: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey...He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and form the River to the ends of the earth." (9:9-10)

LAW THEMES: A call to return to the Lord in repentance; dishonesty condemned; the whirlwind among the nations; the doomed flock.

GOSPEL THEMES: The Lord chooses His people; the Branch prophecy of forgiveness; the temple restored; nations seek the Lord; the coming King; the day of the Lord.

SPECIAL FEATURES: The book is the most apocalyptic and Messianic of all the Minor Prophets.

The Bethany Bullet Sermon Message - Week of December 9, 2018

Sermon: “The Character of Advent: Silence”

Text: Luke 1

Have you ever been so busy talking that you missed something?  Maybe it was a line at the theatre, a moment in a movie or at a particular play at a sporting event.  We’ve all been there, just when you turn to talk to the person next to you, you missed the big moment. 

It happens in nature too.  Have you ever been flat on your back, at night out in nature to watch a meteor shower or look for satellites?  You lay there staring at the night sky and you start thinking about how bored you are or how cold it is or how tired or hungry so you lean over to the person next to you just to hear someone else say, “Oh, there’s one!”  Dang it missed it again!

There is as truth to the old saying, “Silence is golden!”  You see, silence helps you to actually experience what is going on outside of you and around you.  Silence is golden!

There is a character in the Advent story that knows all about silence. 

In the first chapter of Luke, we first encounter a man named Zechariah; Scripture tells us that he followed the Lord’s commands and regulations perfectly. Now Zechariah was a member of a priestly division in Israel and one day he entered the temple to keep the incense burning. 

Priestly divisions are somewhat like the members of the Reserves in our Armed Forces and were called upon to take turns caring for the temple. One of the responsibilities of the priests during their deployment was to attend to the altar. 

Here at Bethany, attending to the altar means keeping the candles filled with oil and the correct colors for the season out, having communion prepped when need, etc.  Quick side bar…If you would like to help with some of that, call the church office and talk to Cindy Morrison.

But let’s get back to the temple’s care.  One of the jobs within the temple was that of keeping a bowl of incense, which sat before the altar in the Most Holy Place, burning.  The priest who was honored to render this service was chosen by “lot.”  Which means no priest was guaranteed the chance to render this service, and when he got the chance, it was the chance of a lifetime.  This was Zechariah.

As he serves the Lord the angel Gabriel appears, and as in most encounters with the angelic, he was gripped with fear. I’ll let Luke pick it up from here…

The angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you will name him John. He will be your pride and joy, and many people will be glad that he was born.  As far as the Lord is concerned, he will be a great man. He will never drink wine or any other liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring many people in Israel back to the Lord their God.  He will go ahead of the Lord with the spirit and power that Elijah had. He will change parents’ attitudes toward their children. He will change disobedient people so that they will accept the wisdom of those who have God’s approval. In this way he will prepare the people for their Lord.”  Zechariah said to the angel, “What proof is there for this? I’m an old man, and my wife is beyond her childbearing years.” The angel answered him, “I’m Gabriel! I stand in God’s presence. God sent me to tell you this good news. But because you didn’t believe what I said, you will be unable to talk until the day this happens. Everything will come true at the right time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah. They were amazed that he was staying in the temple so long.  When he did come out, he was unable to speak to them. So they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. He motioned to them but remained unable to talk.” (Luke 1:11-22)

Two questions leap off the page at this event.  First, why was Zechariah struck mute?

Searching the pages of Scripture we see that Abraham had received the same news and asked the same question; Sara too—yet, even after she laughed at the news did not lose her voice.  Mary received the same message as Zechariah, from the very same messenger, the angel Gabriel, yet after she made the same inquiry, rather than hold her tongue, she was moved to share a song.  So why is Zechariah silenced?

Some say that because unlike Mary and Abraham, Zechariah didn't believe.  Unfortunately that idea requires a reading into the text with some forced input rather than remaining quiet before the Word to hear what it actually says.  The words of Zechariah’s mouth were practically identical with those of Abraham, Sarah and Mary.  How could we deduce that the faith of his heart was so different than theirs?

The second question is this, “How bad it is when the preacher is detoured from Divine dialogue?”  When the pastor is made mute is that a malady or a miracle?  Don’t answer that question.  I guess it depends on if you are the one talking or the one listening?

Actually while that last observation may be tongue in cheek, I do think that it is entirely possible that Zechariah’s tongue was rendered still because of his position. Had he been a patriarch like Abraham or a Princess like Sarah (for that is what her name means), or a prospective bride like Mary, perhaps his story would end like theirs, but he is a priest. 

So on the one hand, this text speaks directly to those of us who speak for the Lord through our positions in the church.  If anyone was to take an angel at his word it was the church worker, right?  Peasant girl…question away…pasture tender or patient wife of the same… sure, go ahead and puzzle, even chuckle, but the priest of God??

If anyone should have been open to God’s proclamation, if anyone ought to have been willing to accept heaven’s promise, it should have been the priest, right?! Its one thing for Abraham and Sarah to lack comprehension but what about that guy who taught that same story to Saturday school student’s dozens of times, or pondered the prophets who said it would come to pass?

There is another question we might want to wrestle with.  Is the silence that struck Zechariah more for his personal correction or our communal instruction?

Clearly Zechariah was struck silent because he didn't immediately embrace or accept Gabriel’s message.  Listen to the words of the angel again, “But because you didn’t believe what I said, you will be unable to talk until the day this happens” (v. 20)

This is personal correction, a physical rebuke, yet the judgment is filled with grace.  He didn't pack his bag and go home, he wasn't rendered unfit to serve in the house of the Lord, but he continued to minister in the temple verse 23 is clear on that.  He was blessed to be in the house of the Lord even without being able to speak a word.

Though silenced by God, God wasn’t silent with Zechariah.  He still served, finished out his deployment, listened and watched, touched and smelt that which was occurring in the temple of the Almighty every day. 

He then goes home, later his wife becomes pregnant, but his season of silence continued.  Often times we read the story in quick succession, but we all know the gestation period.  For well over 9 months Zechariah was silent. In his days of silence his son grew in the womb, the one who would prepare the people for the ministry of the Messiah. 

I wonder if in this season, Zechariah the priest of God would allow his mind to wander to the passages in the prophets telling about the promised Savior. Did he dare listen to the Word and let it wash over him without trying to get the last word in?  Because of course he couldn’t.  He was unable to speak. In those months of silence was his heart prepared for the coming of his Redeemer, and the Redeemer of the world?

At long last his son was born, and as they bring him to the temple to give him his name, those gathered expected this child to be name after his father. But from that season of silence, Zechariah was able to hear God’s word and then affirm them with his own. As he scratched on a tablet “His name is John!” and Luke then records, “Suddenly, Zechariah was able to speak, and he began to praise God.  All their neighbors were filled with awe. Throughout the mountain region of Judea, people talked about everything that had happened. Everyone who heard about it seriously thought it over and asked, “What does the future hold for this child?” It was clear that the Lord was with him.  His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, “Praise the Lord God of Israel!”  (Luke 1:64b-68)

You know, we often think of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna, the babes and the shepherds, the stars and the angels as the characters of Advent, and I suppose rightly so.  But a character of Advent—the time of recognizing the Lord’s presence here and now—a Character of Advent is silence. 

As we wonder with awe as we watch and wait with our hearts filled with the expectation of what the Lord will accomplish, as we listen to the Lord’s words spoken and in song, and let them wash over us in silence, not trying to get the last word.

All too often we wonder and question before God has fully spoken. 

The character of Advent is silence, where wonder is exchanged for wonder when God is given voice as His people silence theirs – may we all find that silence this season.  

-Pr. Seth Moorman

The One Year Bible- December 10

Someone once said to me that every day is a battle between what is important and what is immediate.  What did they mean by this?  The important things are those items on your list; the things that you need to get done.  The immediate things are those that other people need you to do for their lists or things that you have no control over.  I think this time more than any other we need to find that balance between the important and the immediate.  Where is Bible reading in all this?  Well it is very important and when you have to write a blog each week it becomes immediate.  Don’t let this struggle get you down and remember that in this season, we focus on the important fact that Christ came to be our mediator and that in a truth we can hold on to immediately.  On to the study... 

Seth’s Thoughts

The Old Testament
We covered a lot of ground this week and we will cover even more next week. Finishing up the book of Hosea we continued to see the symbolism of Gomer and Hosea’s relationship compared to the relationship between the Lord and his people. There are some hard things in this book but the steadfast love of God will persevere no matter what. His love keeps his anger in check, his love wants the best for us, and in his love he will provide a way (think Jesus here) for us. We see this when Hosea writes, “I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.  For I am God, and not man—  the Holy One among you.  I will not come in wrath”. (Hosea 11:9 NIV). What comfort we have in our loving God.

Joel is one of those books that we see a lot about “The Day of the Lord”. We discussed this a few weeks ago. We will see its culmination in the book of Revelation as well. Since God is a just God, at some point, he will bring judgment upon those who have disobeyed. We read about the love of God in Hosea, but in Joel we see his judgment and it is not pretty. This will be a time of suffering and strife. One of the keys to the book comes in chapter two, “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” (Joel 2:13 NIV). We should have a change of heart before the Day of the Lord. The Lord says that he will be a refuge and a fortress for his people. There is some good news of grace but it is limited to those who believe.

The message of the book of Amos is similar. Amos describes that day like this, “Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD!  Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light.  It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him”.  (Amos 5:18-19 NIV). Not a good day indeed!! There are many warnings in the book to come back to the safety of Yahweh. The book ends with a mention of the Davidic Covenant (9:11) and a message of hope for all those exiled (9:13-15).

The book of Obadiah gives a message to the land of Edom. Those who live in this land are the descendants of Esau and have caused many problems for God’s chosen people for many years. Judgment is again the main theme and the return of the exiles is secondary. Edom, and when reading between the lines, others like Edom, will be destroyed because of how they treated others.

The New Testament
The small letters of 3 John and Jude are tucked away at the back of the New Testament but that does not mean that they are unimportant. Third John gives us some great words on supporting mission work and the people that are engaged in it. The book of Jude has some interesting quotes in it that make it a bit suspect in some circles. We know that the letter is general in nature being that it is written to all but the author quotes from a book called The Assumption of Moses in his letter. This is a bit odd because that book was never granted status as scripture. Because of this many discount the letter in its entirety. This may be a bit unfair because the book still has some very good and doctrinally sound material in it the best being verses 20 and 21, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” (NIV)

On to the book of Revelation. This is one of the most intimidating books in the entire Bible. Outside of the Gospels, more has been written on this book than most of the others. I will admit to you that for many years I too have been scared of this book. Lutherans in general shy away from the book because for the most part we don’t sweat the details. We know that the world will end and that God has promised to take care of the believers. I think we have learned our lesson from many of the prophets in their description of “The Day of the Lord”. But just because we don’t worry does not mean we should ignore this book. We need to know what it says especially because other Christian groups spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on this book. We at least must be conversant when someone asks us a question.

The first thing to remember is that the book of Revelation is written as an Apocalypse (meaning revealed in Greek) to John and describes the end of the world using figurative language. We should not get carried away with the literal interpretation of the book. We also need to remember to keep the events of the book within the context that they were intended. John was writing from a first century point of view to people with the same worldview. He was attempting to describe future events so his hearers or readers could understand. We should be weary of placing too much of our own culture and time on the text and make it say things John never intended. Don’t try to read too much into the text!!

As we begin the book we see a vision from John that is remarkably similar to ones we just read in Ezekiel and in Daniel. I think John was trying to use things that he knew to describe amazing things. The four beasts and the halo around God were all seen in the Old Testament as well as the sea of glass. We will get into this more but almost all the time when we see numbers of things, there is meaning there. For example the number three is almost always associated with the triune God, six is the number of evil, seven is the number of perfection and of God, ten signifies completion. Multiples of these numbers give emphasis.

John is told to write letters to the seven Churches in Asia Minor. If seven signifies perfection and God then this letter can be seen as being written to all the Churches in the world; each one giving us a glimpse of ourselves in their strengths and weaknesses.

I don’t want to get you too confused this week so I will let you digest this information first. As you read, remember to keep it in context and remember that almost everything is written in symbolic language.

Bits and Pieces

Lots of books in the Old Testament to get ready for, here is the info:  Don’t let it scare you, these are just tools to help in your understanding of God’s Word.

Here are the vital stats for Jonah:

PURPOSE: To show the extant of God’s grace—the message of salvation if for all people

AUTHOR: Jonah son of Amittai

TO WHOM WRITTEN: Israel and God’s people everywhere

DATE WRITTEN: Approx. 785-760 B.C.

SETTING: Jonah preceded Amos and ministered under Jeroboam II, Israel’s most powerful king. Assyria was Israel’s great enemy, and Israel was conquered by them in722 B.C. Nineveh’s repentance must have been short lived, for it was destroyed in 612 B.C.

KEY VERSE: “But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (4:11)

LAW THEMES: Evil; flight from God; indifference; fasting and sackcloth; God’s appointed testing.

GOSPEL THEMES: God’s appointed mercy; steadfast love; God turns/relents; pity.

SPECIAL FEATURES: This book is different from the other prophetic books because it tells the story of the prophet and does not center on his prophecies. In fact, only one verse summarizes his message to the people of Nineveh (3:4). Jonah is a historical narrative. It is also mentioned by Jesus as a picture of his death and resurrection (Matthew 12:38-42)

Here are the vital stats for Micah:

PURPOSE: To warn God’s people that judgment is coming and to offer pardon to all who repent.

AUTHOR: Micah, a native of Moresheth, near Gath, about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem

TO WHOM WRITTEN: The people of Israel (the Northern kingdom) and of Judah (the Southern kingdom)

DATE WRITTEN: Possibly during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (742-687 B.C.)

SETTING: Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea

KEY VERSE: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (6:8)

LAW THEMES: Nakedness and shame; remnant; exile; false prophets.

GOSPEL THEMES: Remant; Zion; shepherd; God’s patience.

SPECIAL FEATURES: This is a beautiful example of Hebrew poetry. There are three parts, each beginning with “Hear” or “Listen” and closing with a promise

Here are the vital stats for Nahum:

PURPOSE: To pronounce God’s judgment on Assyria and to comfort Judah with this truth

AUTHOR: Nahum

TO WHOM WRITTEN: The people of Nineveh and Judah

DATE WRITTEN: Sometime during Nahum’s prophetic ministry (663-612 B.C.)

SETTING: The particular prophecy took place after the fall of Thebes in 663 B.C.

KEY VERSE: “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. Whatever they plot against the Lord he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. (1:7-9)

LAW THEMES: The Lord is jealous and avenging; Nineveh is destroyed.

GOSPEL THEMES: The Lord frees oppressed Judah; His Word and feasts are for His people.

Here are the vital stats for Habakkuk:

PURPOSE: To show that God is still in control of the world despite the apparent triumph of evil

AUTHOR: Habakkuk

TO WHOM WRITTEN: Judah (the southern kingdom), and God’s people everywhere

DATE WRITTEN: Between 612-588 B.C.

SETTING: Babylon was becoming the dominant world power and Judah would soon feel Babylon’s destructive force.

KEY VERSE: “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” (3:2)

LAW THEMES: Evil, which God permits to afflict His people; the need for patience; woes against drunkenness and idolatry; God’s wrath.

GOSPEL THEMES: The Lord supplies patience; the righteous shall live by faith; God remembers mercy; faith and joy in the midst of trouble.

Here are the vital stats for Zephaniah:

PURPOSE: To shake the people of Judah out of their complacency and urge them to return to God

AUTHOR: Zephaniah

TO WHOM WRITTEN: Judah and all nations

DATE WRITTEN: Probably near the end of Zephaniah’s ministry (640-621 B.C.) when King Josiah’s great reforms began.

SETTING: King Josiah of Judah was attempting to reverse the evil trends set by the previous kings. Josiah was able to extend his influence because there wasn’t a strong superpower dominating the world at that time. Zephaniah’s prophecy may have been the motivating factor in Josiah’s reform. Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah

KEY VERSE: “Seek the Lord , all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.” (2:3)

LAW THEMES: God’s wrath against the nations, including His chosen people; the day of the LORD.

GOSPEL THEMES: The day of the LORD; the remnant preserved; the nations seek the Lord; the Lord is in our midst.

Here are the vital stats for Haggai:

PURPOSE: To call the people to complete the rebuilding of the temple

AUTHOR: Haggai

TO WHOM WRITTEN: The people living in Jerusalem and those who had returned from exile

DATE WRITTEN: 520 B.C

SETTING: The temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed in 586 B.C. Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple in 538 B.C. They began the work but were unable to complete it. Through the ministry of Haggai and Zechariah, the temple was completed.

KEY VERSE: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains in ruins?” (1:4)

LAW THEMES: Condemnation of self serving interests; living with the result of sinful behavior; shaking the nations.

GOSPEL THEMES: The Lord blesses the people’s focus on receiving the Word; the promise of the Spirit; chosen by the Lord.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Haggai was the first of the post-exilic prophets. The other two were Zechariah and Malachi. The literary style of this book is simple and direct.

I will give you the vital stats for Zechariah next week.