After the Flood

Sexta/Viernes/Friday-POSER-Deus - Dios - God (Photo credit: Caio Basilio)

After the flood, God gave some laws.  They weren’t recorded like the Ten Commandments, but they had the same authority.

Man was to dominate the earth.  Spread out and fill the earth. 

Animals would fear man.  Why?  Partly because now man was given license to eat them.

 I don’t know if man was a vegetarian before the flood, but it sounds like it.  Now they could eat meat, and there were no restrictions except the consumption of blood.  This seems to be a picky little point, but there is more theology here than it appears.  The life of the flesh is in the blood.

Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Meat prepared by kosher butchers is the best you will find.  It is more expensive, but the blood is drained and cleanliness is paramount.  He did not say that murder was unlawful until the Ten Commandments, and  He promised that such an act would result in more of the same.

God makes covenants.  I think of a covenant as something like a contract.  But that is not exactly true.  In a contract, when one party does not conform to the agreement, the contract is broken.  With God’s covenants, there seems to be a different protocol.  Even when we do not fulfill our part of the covenant, God is not released from His own obligation.  He will do His part anyway.  While there are consequences to violating His requirements on us, our unfaithfulness does not release God from His promise. 

Another truth about covenants:  God initiates them.  He lays the rules.  We don’t have to agree, but this is what will happen. 

The rainbow is the sign of God’s covenant.  We haven’t had rain in a while.  I love to see the rainbow after a good rain.  There may come a time when the earth will be destroyed.  But when it does happen, it will be in accordance with God’s covenant.  It won’t be by flood.

Part of the covenant demands our responsibility for the creation.  God made us dominant and required us to be responsible.  Now we are threatened with global warming.  I’m sure we are seeing the possibility of a change in weather patterns.  But there were such changes before man was a factor.  The ice age is over because of global warming.  Scientists have proved that average temperatures were much colder 700 to 1000 years ago.  Even as recently as 1816 we have a year with out a summer in the United States.  Crops failed and people starved because of volcanic activity. 

If we continue to cause conditions that will not sustain our life-friendly environment, we have reaped the consequences of our behavior.  God has still fulfilled His part of the covenant.

Acts 4--Results of Belief

The Disciples shared the testimony of what they had seen when they traveled with Jesus. They spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit when they went to the Temple to pray. The man who was healed by the prayer of Peter and John was in the courtyard of the Temple, giving silent witness of their power. The officials could not ignore their earnest testimony, but threatening them did not do any good. They had spent the night in jail, but still they were proclaiming Jesus.

Given any opportunity, Peter preached. They were common men without education, but still testified quoting David, and saying Jesus, the stone which the builders rejected, had become the cornerstone.

The chief Priests and the rulers of the Temple were in a quandary. If they could not stop this, it would claim all the people because the man who had been healed was showing himself. They could not take strong action against them because people would know. There was no way to stop the spread of the message. They settled for threatening and commanding them to desist. 

Peter and John went back to the company of disciples and they prayed. The house was shaken and they were all filled with the Spirit and spoke the word boldly. The efforts to stop the spread of the Gospel backfired. They drew together in a tighter community and supported each other and gave generously to the Disciples for the good of all.   

The Rest of the Story

English: Saint Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot as apostle. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Acts 1 takes up the story of Jesus and what happened after the Resurrection. The Book of Acts was written by Luke so it is a natural transition. Both books were addressed to Theophilus. There is disagreement about whether this was a title or the name of a person.

In this chapter there is the sense of anticipation. This is a new venture, and they are ready to take the world for Jesus. They felt the need to replace Judas Iscariot but there were at least two men with equal qualifications, Joseph Barsabbas also called Justus, and Matthias.  I always wonder what the one who was not chosen did? Did he continue to minister as the others. He had been with them and heard the teaching and seen the miracles. He could not have been unaffected. There were 120 people in the Upper Room. Surely he was among them and witnessed the Ascencion.

There had been five hundred or more who witnessed the Ascension but only 120 were present in the Upper Room to witness the coming of the Holy Spirit. What happened to the rest. Did they lose interest? Were they gone on a trip? Did they think this was all a show? Maybe they heard about it later and realized, "I could have been there."

After the Crucifixion there were several appearances and many people saw Jesus and talked to him. Then they assembled to see him take his leave of them, and the officials may have been glad when he was finally gone so that things could return to normal. But Jesus gave them instructions for the future. There was more to come. Acts 2 records the coming of the Holy Spirit who gave all who were in attendance power to believe and to witness. Read it for yourself.

The Lord's Prayer

Two places in the New Testament record Jesus' Disciples asking him to teach them how to pray. In both instances it is closely related to a teaching he was presenting at the time. In Matthew it comes in the Sermon on the Mount.(Matthew 6:9:13.) In Luke it comes after Jesus has been praying alone and one of the Disciples said to him, "Lord teach us to pray."(Luke 11:1-4)

The prayers are very similar. Luke 11:2-4: 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.(NIV)

The more commonly used version in Matthew 6:2-13

 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from the evil one.’(NIV)

Verse 13:"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen" is a benediction that seems to have been added at a later time. It appears in later manuscripts.

This prayer can be used as a corporate prayer or as a personal prayer in private devotions. It refers to common needs and universal concerns. God is addressed as "our Father." This recognizes his position as our source and our comfort. In the sense of a corporate prayer, it also recognizes our universal brotherhood. In the beginning it recognizes the person of God to be holy and establishes his presence in Heaven and even the holiness his name.

Be sure that you understand the meaning of praying for God's kingdom to come on the earth so that his will is accomplished in earthly realities as it already is in heavenly places. This is not a ritual to be observed without consequences. Praying in this manner will change this world and bring God's reign to our lives.

We are to pray for daily bread, that is, daily needs. We are not trying to fill a warehouse, but only what will suffice for a day. In the Wilderness Wandering of the Children of Israel they could only collect enough manna for one household for a day. Every day was dependent on God's provision. Maybe we should remember this lesson in other areas of our lives.

Jesus limits our forgiveness. The measure of forgiveness we receive is dependent on how we forgive others. In this statement Jesus assumes we have sins and need of forgiveness, and God's forgiveness is limited by how we forgive others. If we are generous and loving toward others, even in their sin, God is generous and liberal toward us.

The final petition is that God would not put temptation in our way or that when we are tempted by life's circumstances,he would provide us an escape, and that he would deliver us from the snares of Satan. 

 The simplicity of this prayer goes to the heart of our needs and releases us from the wordy, endless formalism the Pharisees practiced. God is not impressed by our words or rhetoric, but by the sincerity of our hearts.

 

Come, Let Us Reason Together

Joshua tree (Photo credit: Queen Esoterica)

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.                                                       If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 1:18-20

In this scripture the prophet Isaiah addresses people who do not profess to be Godly, but their lack of recognition of God’s laws does not excuse them from His correction or His judgment.  His promises are extended to them, and He calls them to righteousness.  They will be judged by the same standard as Israel.

Our society promotes a multiple-choice attitude about religion and righteousness.  We claim the right to judge what is good and bad, right and wrong, but God has never made that contract.  He still demands obedience to a strict interpretation of righteousness.  We will never be able to match his requirement with our behavior.  We still fall short, like the people of Israel, and our sins are crimson; they are removed by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross; they are cleansed by His offering.  God’s call to us is always “Let us reason together.”  He has offered us redemption, salvation, righteousness, peace, and eternal life in Jesus Christ.  We have an opportunity to pray and seek God and be blessed. If we are reasonable, we will take His deal.

How To Be Blessed

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    Scholars say that Matthew 5-7, which we usually call the Sermon on the Mount, is really a compilation of the teaching of Jesus on the preaching tours he made in Galilee. It seems like it could be an old-fashioned camp meeting with people sitting on the ground in groups, ready made opportunities to discuss and explore his 

teachings.

He began with the section we call the Beatitudes. In the King James Version each injunction begins with "Blessed" or in some versions is translated as "Happy." 

 Jesus is trying to impress them with the idea of righteousness in the heart rather than adherence to the law.  In each thought he presents the Pharisee's teaching, then contrasts the heart attitude that produces acceptable obedience. God is not impressed by "letter of the law" obedience when the heart attitude is not present.

In the Beatitudes, verses 3-12, he urges the characteristic that he expects us to strive toward, and then tells the reward we may expect. He does not put any limit on the number of occurrences or how long it will take to achieve the blessed state. 

Verses 13-14 refers to salt and light but does not put a limit or definition of  time. It just says that believers are to perform these functions. Salt is a preservative and light reveals forms and shapes and truth. The believers are to perform these services to the world. You should be conscious of your responsibility to preserve God's truth and witness to it and reveal it to others.

Perhaps there had been rumors that Jesus would destroy the law, but in verses 17-20 he corrected that opinion. "I have not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it," he assured them. Not even the dot over the i will be removed until God's Law is satisfied. You and I must be cognizant of the integrity with which we handle God's blessings and his word. He will not allow it to be mishandled.

In verses 21-30 Jesus equates anger against someone with violence. He calls for the same punishment against one who hates as against a murderer. If you hate another person you have begun to kill him. He warns that you must treat hate as a sin and reconcile with the person or God won't accept you sacrifice or honor your prayer.

In verses 31-32 Jesus takes a very hard line on divorce, but it is no more extreme than his stance on hate or obedience or adultery. Examine the thoughts and intents of your heart to find out if the sin you are denying is already lurking there.

He reproves  all for taking an oath and swearing by God's name or heaven or earth in verses 33-37. Just stand by your word and be faithful to perform your job, keep your marriage vows, and pay your bills.

In verses 38-42 he addresses the issue of revenge against enemies. It was common practice to kill more than you suffered in battle, so the "eye for an eye, and tooth for tooth" was a measure of mercy. You were not supposed to take more lives or property than you have lost. Here Jesus says we shouldn't take revenge at all. Don't resist evil with evil. Overcome evil with good.

Beginning in verse 43 he says to love your enemies. Do good for them. To be called the Children of God we must use the standard he uses. He sends rain on the good and the evil and he makes the sun to shine on the just and the unjust. It is up to each individual what he does with God's blessings, but each will have the resources to make a crop. To be called Children of God means you must carry on his work and be shaped in his likeness. He is perfect: so should you be.

Enjoy the Good Life

Italiano: Tempio di Apollo a Delfi in Grecia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Book of Haggai in the Old Testament carries a stern warning for this generation. We who ignore  God's righteousness and denounce his name and his claims on us should read its short message with fear and trembling.

Haggai was a contemporary of Ezra and Zerubbabel and he prophesied in Judah during the period after the return from captivity. The time is described as the first day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius, but Ezra and Nehemiah had already brought about work on the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem and begun the rebuilding of the Temple. Then they got tired of all the work and spent their time living in their "paneled houses." Now the message of Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and Joshua son of Jozadak, the High Priest, was one of reproof. God sharply criticized them for enjoying the good life while they left the house of God in ruins. 

The need for the Temple in their lives was emphasized in Haggai 1:6 "You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but they are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." 

The key to abundance for the Israelites and for us is worship and thanksgiving. It wasn't even the magnificence of the Temple, but the quality of the worship and labor God sought. "'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house," says the Lord Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace, 'declares the Lord Almighty"

Read Haggai and learn his lesson and hear the promise to Zerubbabel  that he will be the Lord's signet ring. What has God promised to you?