Category Archives: Bible

Hosea 4, Acts 20

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In Hosea 4 we read of the negative example of Israel. God describes Israel by saying “the more they increased, the more they sinned against me… they shall eat, but not be satisfied.” God’s response to this behaviour is equally negative “I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.” This is an especially harsh sentence, since God describes himself as “merciful and gracious, slow to anger”

The warning is relevant to us living in a land of prosperity. It’s so easy to rely on the things we see around us, rather than trusting in God.  Let’s instead be like Paul, “serving the Lord with all humility”. Paul was interested only in the ministry that he’d received from Christ, “to testify to the gospel of the grace of God”, and this is our calling also.

Acts 18-19

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In Acts 18-19, Paul receives a vision telling him “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you”.  So Paul continues in Corinth for 18 months, teaching the gospel to anyone who would listen, demonstrating time and again his willingness to put the teaching of the gospel ahead of his own wellbeing.

We have been told something similar. God has said “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me'”. Like Paul, we should have no reason to hinder us from preaching the gospel, and living it in our lives.

Acts 14-15

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In Acts we read of the great faith and persistence of Paul. At Iconium they “remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord”, until they learned of a plot to stone them. At Lystra Paul was stoned, but he got up and went back into the city, leaving the next day for Derbe. As they continued around Asia, Paul “strengthened the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith”.

At the Jerusalem conference Peter says, “we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus”. God has called us to be a people for His name, to be spiritual Israelites, with our hearts cleansed by faith.

Paul encourages us to imitate him, just as he imitated Christ. So it’s up to us to strengthen each other, that together we might encourage each other to continue in the faith, cleansing our hearts and actively living our faith.

2 Chronicles 32

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Sometime after re-establishing temple worship, Hezekiah’s faith was tested with the invasion of Sennacherib. Hezekiah encouraged the people by reminding them that “there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.”  As Sennacherib’s campaign continued, Hezekiah “prayed because of this and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors.. of the king of Assyria”.

Hezekiah’s faith strengthened Judah and kept them safe from their enemies. But after a while he became proud with his achievements, “therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem”.  So Hezekiah is a great example of faith and also a warning for us. He shows the importance of turning to God in prayer, of strengthening each other against our enemy King Sin, but also of remaining humble, realising that “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

2 Chronicles 30

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Hezekiah’s message to the 10 tribes of Israel describes God’s mercy. “The Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.” Hezekiah implored his brothers to return to serving God, and not be faithless like their fathers. Most of Israel rejected this message, but some “humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.“

The words Hezekiah sent are just as applicable to us today. God is aware of our sin, and forgives us if we humble ourselves and return to Him. Just like God heard the prayers of Daniel, He hears our prayers. “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard“.

2 Chronicles 29, Acts 9

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Hezekiah was a man of action, doing what was necessary to help the whole nation. “He did right in the eyes of the Lord” by restoring the temple and re-establishing worship in it. At just 25 he went against the actions of their fathers who had been unfaithful and evil, and in the first year of his reign opened the doors of the temple.

Saul too was a man of action, although initially misguided. He went from persecuting the ecclesia, to “proving that Jesus was the Christ” in the synagogues, confounding the Jews.

These two men provide us with a great example of the need to act. Our faith is not a passive one; it requires that we do what we can to help each other and our neighbours around us in this race of life.

Daniel 7, Acts 7

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In Daniel 7 we read how Daniel received visions, describing future events through various symbols. They troubled him, “my spirit within me was anxious”, until the meaning of those visions was made clear. They foretold a time of great suffering for believers, but only for a limited duration. Afterwards, “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever”.

These prophecies were given to help strengthen the faith of both Daniel and those after him who would read his words. They can help strengthen our faith too, with the majority of the prophecies fulfilled we can be certain that the rest will also happen. We can look forward to a time when “the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom.”  This can be our future if we, like Stephan, live our faith in our daily life, knowing there is nothing in this world that can take away our hope.

Daniel 4

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Nebuchadnezzar was a great king, who became proud of his achievements in building Babylon. God couldn’t work with him in this state, so he was forced to live like a beast in the field for 7 years. But at the end he was able to say “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.“

This is a reminder for us, that we are only unprofitable servants, at best merely doing our duty. It’s up to us to demonstrate meekness rather than pride, filling our hearts with God’s will rather than our own.

2 Chronicles 20

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Jehoshaphat demonstrated great faith in a difficult time. An army, described as a great multitude, was approaching Judah. Jehoshaphat turns to God for help in prayer, acknowledging that “we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” In response, God tells Jehoshaphat that “the battle is not yours but God’s”. God would defeat the army, as long as they followed the instruction to “stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.”

These ideas are similar to our lives today. Often in life we don’t know what to do, except turn to God in prayer, and trust that He hears us and will help us. Like Jehoshaphat and Judah we can only watch and pray, being unable by ourselves to defeat the enemy we face daily.  So let us be like Jehoshaphat, taking our troubles to God in prayer, believe in His word, and trust.

John 19

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In his final hours, Jesus continued his life-long practise of putting others ahead of himself. He directs John to take care of his mother, offers hope to the thief beside him, and remains focused on his purpose sufficiently to ensure he fulfilled prophecy. His final hours convinced a centurion of the veracity of Jesus’ words, and inspired Joseph and Nicodemus to stand up for their beliefs.

The king of the Jews died a painful, protracted death in order for us to have hope of life everlasting. This paradox confounds the wise, leaving the way open for us, the weak of the world, to be part of God’s promises.  The sacrifice offered once has destroyed the power of death. Let us hold fast with confidence to our hope, allowing it to become real and evident in our lives, that we might one day enter that sabbath rest to which we’ve been invited