Monthly Archives: August 2013

1 Kings 14, Mark 14

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1 Kings 14 provides insight into character of Jeroboam.  He seeks answers from the prophet of God when his son gets sick, despite having led Israel astray to serve false gods. The response indicates that, just as Jeroboam had harmed the spiritual health of Israel by turning them to idolatry, so God would bring harm on Jeroboam’s family and raise up a new king over Israel.

By contrast, Mark 14 describes a very different king. One who was anointed before his burial, who was betrayed, who struggled with his absolute submission to God’s will, yet willingly made the ultimate sacrifice.  Jesus relied on his close friends for support during this difficult time, and was disappointed when they couldn’t remain awake.

These final hours Jesus spent with his disciples before his betrayal shows how important it is to support and encourage each other, especially during trial.

1 Kings 11, Mark 11

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In 1 Kings 11, Solomon is condemned for turning away from God. Israel had been warned not to marry foreign wives , because they would turn their heart away from serving God, and this exact thing happened to Solomon. God “was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord… who had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods“. Despite all his wisdom, “his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

By contrast, Jesus emphasises the importance of faith and prayer, using the metaphor of moving mountains to describe the power of faith. Solomon lost his faith, but we are exhorted to build on our faith. “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love….for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.“

 

Mark 10

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“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Mankind is incapable of saving itself, but God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing… predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ“. We have been offered an undeserved gift, to be called God’s children, made righteous through our faith. Let’s be guided by that knowledge in our life, willing to leave behind all that this world offers, content in the certainty of our eternal inheritance made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 35

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Through Jeremiah, God commends the family of Rechab for their faithfulness, in contrast to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The Rechabites lived as sojourners, with neither houses or crops, putting their faith and trust in God to provide for them.  “The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command that their father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me.“

Their faithfulness is an example to us as much as it was to the Israelites, highlighting the importance of listening to and trusting in God, knowing that He has “granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us“.

1 Kings 8, Mark 8

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In 1 Kings 8, Solomon blesses God at the completion of the temple, who had “fulfilled what he promised to David“. Solomon further acknowledges “there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart“. He also realised that Israel would stray from serving God, and seeks God’s forgiveness in advance, if they “acknowledge your name and turn from their sin…then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants.”

This is the God that we worship, a God that keeps His promises, and is merciful and loving to those that follow Him, a God that will hear when we stumble and turn again to Him.

God’s love and mercy is also seen in His son, who said to his disciples, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat”, feeding 4000 people until they were satisfied. Jesus, who patiently educated his disciples about his future suffering, and warned them not to be like the Pharisees, also has a message for us, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  Let’s take that advice, putting the needs of others ahead of our own, following the example that Jesus set for us.

Jeremiah 33, Mark 7

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God’s words to Jeremiah while he was in prison convey an encouraging idea. “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it… Call to me and I will answer you.”  The creator of all we see around us will hear us if we call to Him.Jeremiah is taken care of, even while the city slowly descends into chaos. There is a promise of a better future, “in this place that is waste…there shall again be habitations of shepherds resting their flocks”and also a re-acknowledgement of promises already made, “I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel…in those days I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land”.

We read of that righteous branch in Mark 7, highlighting the way the scribes and Pharisees had distorted the law to the extent they were “making void the word of God”.  Jesus also explains that it is the thoughts proceeding from our mind that make us unclean, not the foods that we eat.

Let us seek God with our whole heart, rather than being guided by those “evil thoughts” that offer only death, working to imitate Jesus who perfectly manifested God’s character.

1 Kings 6, Jeremiah 32, Mark 6

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In 1 Kings we read about the construction of the temple that Solomon built for God. It was a lavish building that took 7 years to complete, yet God makes the point that this temple wasn’t the reason God would dwell among the children of Israel.  Rather, it was conditional on them walking in God’s statutes, obeying His rules, keeping His commandments and walking in them.  As God tells Isaiah, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? … this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.“

Mark 6 describes the perfect example of such a person. Jesus, who knew God’s word so well that he could astonish the “experts” of the law, who selflessly healed “many who were sick”, who had compassion on the multitudes of people because they had no shepherd, feeding them spiritually and physically, who interrupted his night of prayer to comfort his disciples caught in a storm. In this Jesus manifested God perfectly, to whom Jeremiah exclaimed “Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to thousands“.

Let’s follow God’s advice to Solomon, and imitate Jesus’ attitude, so that together we are built up as a spiritual house for God.

1 Kings 3, Jeremiah 30

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Solomon’s response to God displayed a great attitude. “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil”.  While we’re not going to have a vision where God asks us what we want, we still have the power to make a choice in our life, whether to pursue riches and honour, or seek Godly wisdom.

We also find encouragement in the words that God gave Jeremiah. Despite Israel’s rebelliousness and sinfulness, God promises “I am with you to save you…I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal”.  The Israelites would not go unpunished for their actions, but God would still save the nation, just as He has promised to save us, if we seek Him and follow Him.

Jeremiah 29, Mark 3

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Jeremiah sent a letter to the Israelites taken into captivity, to guide and encourage them, and give them hope. They were instructed to live their lives, to build houses, get married, have kids, and not to be deceived by false prophets, knowing that they would only be in Babylon for 70 years.  God had “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God promised to hear them when they call upon him and pray to Him.

The same advice can apply to us. We are effectively in exile, strangers and pilgrims in a world that is not ours. Buying houses, getting married and having kids is also a part of our lives, but we too need to ensure we don’t lose sight of the future promise of redemption.  We are called to be brothers and sisters of Christ, “for whoever does the will of God, he is [Christ]’s brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 2

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The four men with a paralysed friend paint an inspiring picture. They didn’t see the packed house as an obstacle to their faith, and their friend was healed and his sins forgiven. These are the type of people Jesus was interested in calling, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners”.

We should aim to be like those four friends, who looked past obstacles in their life in order to have a relationship with Jesus, and through their faith saved another.