Category Archives: Bible

Mark 10

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Life often seems difficult, unfair. But consider Bartimaeus, a poor blind man in a time when such people were regarded as inferior, almost inhuman. His faith in God was sufficient to loudly and publicly seek Jesus’s help, despite opposition from those around him. He didn’t let the constant challenge of blindness or poverty prevent him from doing what he knew to be right.

His faith was rewarded, “your faith has made you well”. Our faith also has the potential to overcome the challenges of our life, culminating in the opportunity to serve God for ever. The “treasure in heaven” that results from following Jesus is within our grasp, if we follow the example of Bartimaeus, swallow our pride, and publicly display our faith.

At times it may seem like no amount of faith in the world could help us, but fortunately “all things are possible with God.”

Psalm 77

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This is one of 11 psalms written by Asaph. In this Psalm he is deeply troubled by something, to the extent that his “soul refuses to be comforted”.  He writes “I am so troubled that I cannot speak”, and seems to have lost his faith.  “Has [God’s] steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”

Yet in this time of dispair and doubt, Asaph doesn’t abandon God.  He prays to God.  “I cry aloud to God, and he will hear me”. He recalls the miracle of God bringing Israel through the red sea, and is reassured. “You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph.”

Asaph’s rediscovery of his faith, finding his way back to God, is an inspiration for us all.  It highlights the power of prayer, especially when we least feel like praying.

 

Mark 8

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Mark 8 records the enormous empathy and compassion that Jesus had. He’d been speaking to the crowd for three days (imagine a talk that went for 3 days!), and the people had run out of food, so again he performs a miracle  to dramatically extend the amount of food still available.  But the miracle is done so that the people wouldn’t faint from hunger on their way home.  It’s not done for Jesus’ benefit.

Jesus “sighed deeply in his spirit” when the Pharisees had again missed the point .  He patiently educated his disciples, explaining his reference to the leaven of the Pharisees.

Following Jesus was not an easy thing to do, requiring one to “deny himself and take up his cross”.  This is our challenge today also, to learn to serve others and deny ourselves, “setting our mind on the things of God”.

Mark 7

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Jesus says to the Pharisees, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me”.  While this is clearly related to the practices of the Pharisees in all their traditions, the underlying idea has some merit for us to consider.  Is our praise of God based only on words, or does it extend to the core of our being, affecting our heart?

Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 29, a passage referring to the lack of faith of the Israelites, because of which God would provide a sign.  “Therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder”.  We have the benefit of historical accounts which describe those wonderful things that God did to inspire faith and true service.  Let us be similarly motivated to serve God with our whole hearts.

 

 

Exodus 16, Psalms 70-71

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In Exodus 16 we’re first introduced to the manna that fed Israel throughout their time in the wilderness.  An amazing miracle every day, especially on the 6th day when the manna lasted for two days.  Yet the Israelites get sick of it later on, grumbling for meat instead.

It’s easy to have that same attitude as the Israelites, in our lives today.  We can dismiss their mistakes as those of a faithless generation, but when we look in that mirror at our true face, we have many of the same problems.

That feeling of inadequacy when our phone or computer is out of date, for example.  Contentment in this age of consumerism is difficult to achieve. It’s natural to covet what we don’t have – there’s a reason covetousness was identified in the Law of Moses as being a problem.  Paul says “Godliness with contentment is great gain”.  I find the practical application of this concept to be a difficult one, and I suspect I’m not alone in this.  Fortunately, the Bible is full of examples of people that struggled with their own tendencies towards sin, so we know our generation is not alone in the problems that it experiences.

The Psalms are helpful in putting things into perspective.  David writes “In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.”

Whatever our struggles, God is a strong foundation in which we can trust, turn to in times of difficulty, content in the knowledge that He will always listen.

Exodus 15, Psalms 69, Mark 3

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The song of Moses reminded Israel of the great deliverance they’d had from the Egyptians.  Very similar themes to many of David’s psalms.

  • “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him”
  • “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.”
  • “The Lord will reign forever and ever.”

The ideas of praise and thankfulness are rarely translated into our modern life.  We experience so few moments where there is some monumental event to be thankful about.  So instead we need to find ways of identifying small victories, or events in which we can retrospectively see some form of guidance.

With nothing to be happy or praise God about, it’s easy to end up much like David in today’s Psalm.  “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.”  The cares of this life, all its troubles and vanities, can easily become overwhelming.  David’s answer to that feeling is prayer.  “My prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.“

Prayer will almost certainly never produce immediate results.  For me, part of the power of prayer is that, for those few short minutes, I’m thinking of someone or something other than myself.  Whether it’s just the mighty power of God, or prayer for others in need, it results in outward-focused thoughts.  I sometimes wonder what Jesus spent all night praying about, all those times.  I think it’s fair to assume that he spent a considerable amount of time praying for the needs of others.

Jesus’ selfless personality is highlighted in today’s Mark reading. “And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him”;  “Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat”; “And a crowd was sitting around him“.  Jesus is constantly attending to the needs of others, even at the expense of his natural needs.

Exodus 13-14, Psalms 68

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It’s so easy for us to condemn the Israelites for their lack of faith, for making the same mistakes over and over again, even in the face of clear evidence that God was with them.  The Israelites were deliberately put into a situation in which their faith would be tried

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.”

We know that God does the same to us, so that our “faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  It’s a development process, one that I think we give up on too easily.  Whatever the situation in our life, God will work with us to develop us into people that reflect His character.  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

David summarises this idea neatly when he wrote “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah. Our God is a God of salvation”.  God will help us, each and very day, if we rely on Him.  He is a God of salvation, not punishment.  The Israelites largely failed to realise this, viewing God only as a ruler intent on punishing.  Let’s learn from their mistake, and “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord”

Psalms 66-67

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David seems so ecstatic and full of joy as he writes “Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise…All the earth worships you and sings praises to you”

We find the reason for David’s joy later in the Psalm.  “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.”

David recognised that life is difficult, but necessarily so,  and that God keeps His promises.  He drew strength and encouragement from that.  Knowing that God hears prayers, that God is developing our character, is so important for realising the contentment we need to find in our lives.  “Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!”

 

Psalms 64-65, Romans 15-16

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“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

This statement of Paul’s is just as applicable to us today, as it was to his readers 2,000 years ago.  God has ensured that we have access to His word, so that we can be instructed regarding His character, and have hope of something better.

This future hope is a persistent theme throughout Paul’s writings.  He continues later in the chapter, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”  It was this hope that sustained Paul throughout the numerous trials of his discipleship, and it is the same hope that can sustain us in our daily warfare against sin.

Hope is what sustained Abraham, David, Ezekiel, Jesus, Paul, Mary, John, and so many others.  Through Christ, we have hope of an unimaginable future, and I can’t wait to experience that with you.

“O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas… those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”

Psalms 62-63, Romans 13-14

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Paul summarises the basic underlying principle of the Law of Moses in this way:

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

It’s a concept that’s simple to understand, often repeated, yet quite profound.  We know from Jesus’ parables that our neighbour is anyone around us.  That homeless guy on the street. That smelly person on the train.  That annoying work colleague.  Yet somehow we are to love them just as much as we love ourselves.  To cater for their needs as readily and instinctively as we provide for ourselves.

That’s actually really really hard for us to do.  So hard in fact, that only one human ever succeeded.   But that doesn’t excuse us from not trying.  I think it helps to consider another of Paul’s statements in this section of Romans.

“For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”

We have been redeemed from being servants of sin, and instead called to be servants of righteousness.  Our life is not ours to live, but God’s.  Jesus also felt the same way, when he said “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

That is our challenge.  To do God’s will, and not our own.

Even so, this is not something we can accomplish by ourselves.  We need God’s help, in order to be a servant of righteousness.  David highlights this reliance upon God when he wrote

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”