Category Archives: Bible

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.

Jeremiah 27

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Jeremiah is sent to prophesy God’s words to Zedekiah and the delegates of the kings visiting him, “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.” They were to serve Nebuchadnezzar, or be punished with sword, famine and pestilence.

From a natural point of view, relinquishing their national identity to serve a foreign king, instead of remaining autonomous, ostensibly a nation serving God, seems like a bad idea. Yet in two chapters time we discover that this submission and the captivity it involved was for the benefit of God’s people.  The same can be true in our lives, being placed in circumstances that don’t make sense to us, yet it is for our benefit rather than detriment.

We can take comfort in knowing that God’s arm is outstretched to save, and that He knows us better than we know ourselves. “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

 

 

Jeremiah 23

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Jeremiah 23 reminds us that God is at hand, and not far away. He fills heaven and earth, there is nowhere that we can be out of His reach.  This is a really comforting thought, knowing that whatever situation we’re in, God is at hand.

God heard the lies that the false prophets were telling Israel, and they would be punished for their actions. But in the same chapter there is also hope of the future. References to Christ, described as a righteous branch, reigning and executing justice and righteousness in the land of Israel.

 

2 Samuel 17, Jeremiah 21, Romans 7-8

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David’s prayer for Ahithophel’s counsel to be regarded as foolishness (15:31) is answered, when Absolam ignores Ahithophel’s advice and instead listens to Hushai (17:14). Ahithophel’s advice was usually so wise, it was as if it was the word of God (16:23). He was so deeply affected by this rejection of his advice, went home and hung himself (17:23). Ahithophel’s pride in his own ability to analyse a situation cost him his life.

In Jeremiah 21 we read that while our God forgives and is merciful, He has a limit which the people of Israel had now reached. Unrepentant and disinterested in serving God, He would now fight against them in their battles with the Babylonians, without pity or compassion, saying “I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good.”

Paul reminds us that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” The spirit of God needs to dwell in us, leaving no room for the mind of the flesh.  Let us live our lives led by the spirit of God, and so be counted as God’s children.

 

Jeremiah 20, Romans 5-6

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Jeremiah laments his calling as a prophet of God. He was ridiculed for his message of condemnation, yet he felt compelled to share the message he’d been given.  Although everyone mocked Jeremiah, he knew that God “tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind”.  His passion and persistence are a great example to us, especially since we know that “we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand”.  Our life, like Jeremiah’s, requires faith and reliance on God, as well as an outward demonstration of that faith.

We can rejoice that we have been reconciled to God through the death of Christ, since his actions “leads to justification and life for all men”. We have voluntarily died in the waters of baptism, to live a new life “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus”. So we are encouraged by Paul to not let sin reign in our lives, but instead become slaves to God under the grace He has offered us.