The One Year Bible- September 23rd
A number of years ago I was introduced to a form of devotion and
reading called Lectio Divina. In short it is a tool to use when you are reading
God’s word. Here is a quick definition: Lectio Divina is Latin for divine
reading, spiritual reading, or "holy reading," and represents a
method of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God
and to provide special spiritual insights. It is a way of praying with
Scripture that calls one to study, ponder, listen and, finally, pray from God's
Word. The past few weeks I have used this tool to stop and spend some time
just chewing on God’s word and praying through what we have been reading. I
have stopped in various places including parts of Isaiah, Ephesians and
especially Psalms. I encourage you to give it a try. One thing you have been
doing without even knowing it is something called Lectio Continua which
is Latin for continuous reading. It is the discipline of reading the entire
Bible without omitting anything. Both Lectio Continua and Lectio
Divina can bring some depth as well as breadth to the study of God’s Word.
On to the study...
Seth’s Thoughts
The Old Testament
I think I could write a novel on what we found in Isaiah this week. I
think I told you that I am putting a star in the margin of my Bible each time I
read “The Holy One Of Israel”. Remember that this is a term that points
to the coming Messiah, Jesus. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to
remember who the “I” is in some of these passages. Sometimes it is Yahweh,
other times it is Isaiah. Make sure you know who is talking. This will go far
in helping you understand some of the significance of the passage. Some general
thoughts; we have entered the second part of the book of Isaiah and we will
start to see much more of a prophetic message. Isaiah’s audience has changed
from the people living in the Promised Land, to the exiles living in captivity.
Here we see a message of hope and promise. Chapter 40 begins the new section
with such a message, “Comfort, comfort my people says your God” (Isaiah
40:1 NIV). The people are in need of comfort because of what has happened. The
people have been exiled. They are living in a foreign land and they need to
hear the comforting words of their God. Chapter 40 gives a hope filled message
and ends with a verse near and dear to my heart, “But those who hope in the
LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will
run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31
NIV). This verse is my confirmation verse given to me by my father. It has been
a source of comfort and hope for me for most of my life. I know that God is
right there beside me giving me the strength I need to do his will. He promises
to be with me when all other things seem to go wrong. Chapter 41 continues this
same theme. Some of the most controversial parts of the book of Isaiah come
from the sections where he mentions a character named Cyrus. He is called a
shepherd, and one who will fulfill the purpose of God. He is also called an
ally of God. Some translations use the Hebrew word Messiah to describe him.
Cyrus was not a follower of Yahweh, he was the king of Persia, and a Gentile.
He was used by God to bring the remnant back to the Jerusalem. Many believe
that this name was inserted in later years to make Isaiah look good. There is
no proof of this, and we should be careful to say that God was not the one who
inspired Isaiah to write about this king. Many years later it would come to
pass that King Cyrus would issue a decree that would allow many Jews to return
to Jerusalem and rebuild the city and more importantly the temple. Isaiah also
spends much time on the topic of monotheism. There are so many references to
the Messiah in Isaiah it is hard to mention them all. Keep on looking for
things that seem familiar to the life of Christ. I will post some of the
connections in an upcoming post.
The New Testament
We finished up Galatians and now are in Ephesians. One of the main
themes in Ephesians is “The Body of Christ” and the church. One key idea to
keep in your mind while reading is one of Paul’s presuppositions of the book,
namely that we are “In Christ” and apart from Christ we can do nothing. We are
part of Christ by what he did on the cross and by claiming us as his own in
baptism. We have been adopted into the family and now we can celebrate with all
the rights and privileges as heirs of salvation. This is an amazing gift of
God. This idea of “gift” is huge in Ephesians. “For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). What a
wonderful message. It is not up to us. If it were, I know I would be in
trouble! I think I could just give quote after quote from Paul for this post. I
have underlined so much in my Bible this week. Here are some of the best in my
mind. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have
been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians
2:13 ESV). “For he himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14
ESV). “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but
you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of
the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19 ESV). “There is one
body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope
that belongs to your call— one Lord one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians
4:4-6 ESV). “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32 ESV). I could go on and on,
but you get the point. This book is a deep rich read, filled with so many good
things. Don’t just skim over these things. Meditate on them, let them sink in,
roll them around you head for a while. You will be blessed by doing so.
Bits and Pieces
The Old Testament
We
will finish up Isaiah this week. I will have a lot to say next week about it.
This week we will start the book of Jeremiah. Here are the vital stats:
PURPOSE:
To urge God’s people to turn from their sins and back to God
AUTHOR:
Jeremiah
TO
WHOM WRITTEN: Judah (the southern kingdom) and its capital city Jerusalem
DATE
WRITTEN: During Jeremiah’s ministry approx. 627-586 B.C.
SETTING:
Jeremiah ministered under Judah’s last five kings—Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim,
Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. The nation was sliding quickly toward destruction and
was eventually conquered by Babylon in 586 B.C. (see 2 Kings 21-25). The
prophet Zephaniah preceded Jeremiah, and Habakkuk was Jeremiah’s contemporary.
KEY
VERSE: “’Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you.
Consider then and relize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the
LORD your God and have no awe of me,’ declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty”
(2:19).
KEY
PEOPLE: Judah’s kings (see list above), Baruch, Ebed-Melech, King
Nebuchadnezzar, the Recabites
KEY
PLACES: Anathoth, Jerusalem, Ramah, Egypt
SPECIAL
FEATURES: This book is a combination of history, poetry, and biography.
Jeremiah often used symbolism to communicate his message.
The New Testament
We
will finish up Ephesians, read Philippians and start on Colossians this week.
Here are the vital stats for Philippians:
PURPOSE:
To thank the Philippians for the gift they had sent Paul and to strengthen
these believers by showing them that true joy comes from Jesus Christ alone.
AUTHOR:
Paul
TO
WHOM WRITTEN: All the Christians at Philippi and all believers everywhere
DATE WRITTEN:
About A.D. 61, from Rome during Paul’s imprisonment there
SETTING:
Paul and his companions began the church at Philippi on his second missionary
journey (Acts 16:11-40). This was the first church established on the European
continent. The Philippian church had sent a gift with Epaphroditus (one of
their members) to be delivered to Paul (4:18). Paul was in a Roman prison at
the time. He wrote this letter to thank them for their gift and to encourage
them in their faith.
KEY
VERSE: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (4:4)
KEY
PEOPLE: Paul, Timothy, Epaphroditus, Euadia, and Syntyche
KEY
PLACE: Philippi
Here
are the vital stats for the book of Colossians:
PURPOSE:
To combat errors in the church and to show that believers have everything they
need in Christ.
AUTHOR:
Paul
TO
WHOM WRITTEN: The church at Colosse, a city in Asia Minor, and all believers
everywhere
DATE
WRITTEN: About A.D. 60 during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome
SETTING:
Paul had never visited Colosse—evidently the church had been founded by
Epaphras and other converts form Paul’s missionary travels. The church,
however, had been infiltrated by religious relativism, with some believers
attempting to combine elements of paganism and secular philosophy with
Christian doctrine. Paul confronts these false teachings and affirms the
sufficiency of Christ.
KEY
VERSES: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power
and authority” (2:9-10).
KEY
PEOPLE: Paul, Timothy, Tychicuys, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Epaphras
KEY
PLACES: Colosse, Laodicea
SPECIAL
FEATURES: Christ is presented as having absolute supremacy and sole
sufficiency. Colossians has similarities to Ephesians, probably because it was
written at about the same time, but it has a different emphasis.
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