Micah 4:8-5:15

Dear RTB’ers,

Yesterday’s readings had mixed messages from Micah – judgment and condemnation in chapter 3, then deliverance in chapter 4. Today he starts out sensitive, then drops a bomb on Judah’s leaders, that they are going into exile in Babylon. Their actual exile would be hundreds of years down the road (586 BC), but it was revealed to Micah sometime in the lower 700s BC:

Now why do you cry aloud? …Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. (vv. 9a, 10) The rest of that chapter then promised deliverance to Judah, “threshing” their enemies.

And then we get to chapter 5. I truly hope that you read the Scripture readings before you read my posts, because today I know that you would have been hit with a Christmas “WOW”!

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (v. 5:2) Micah is predicting Jesus’ birth some 700+ years down the road! And that verse was well known to the Jewish leaders – recall the Magi asking where this new king would be born: And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for from you will come forth a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:4-6) All scripture ties itself together!

Sing it with me, “O little town of Bethlehem…!”

Blessings!

Micah 3:1-4:7

Dear RTB’ers,

Another travel day, so another delayed post, this time packing and leaving our 3-month time in Nitra, now two nights in Bratislava, with a missionary pastor and his family whom we met twenty years ago. Good memories!

Yesterday Micah seemed to take the entire people to task, saying that Judah was being infected by Samaria All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? (Micah 1:5a; See also verse 1:13.) Today it’s the leaders with whom he finds fault. And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice? — Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight, who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. (3:1, 9-10)

But what a shift in tone when we move to chapter 4, including another of my all-time favorite verses! …and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. (vv. 3b-4) Ask me at our Christmas Eve service why it’s a favorite verse for me.

Blessings!

Micah 1-2

Today was a very busy day, as we were packing to leave our dormitory home tomorrow. Mostly it was “throw and go”, but it was still quite stressful. What to take, what to leave behind, who could use this or that? But now we’re mostly ahead of it and will be driving to Mark Bruner’s house with his car, then on to Bratislava for a few more days. But mostly, the stress is behind us.

I’m not going to comment on Micah’s text today, but I thought it might be helpful for me to bring you up on some geography and history. We’re looking only at the first verse: The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. David and Solomon ruled over a unified kingdom – the twelve tribes all paid homage to them. Sadly, when Solomon named his son Rehoboam to succeed him, that kingdom split, north and south. Judah (and later Benjamin) stayed faithful to the Lord and worshiped in the Temple at Jerusalem The ”Northern Kingdom” (ten tribes) had Samaria as their central worship location. So when you see any mention of “Samaria and Jerusalem”, we’re referring to the split kingdom – ten tribes to the north and two tribes to the south. The other item worthy of note in that first verse is the listing of three kings (Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah), all Southern Kingdom kings (kings of Judah), So right away we see that Micah will be focusing on the Southern Kingdom – but he will also have much to say about the Northern Kingdom.

Again, it’s been a rough day, but I’m glad that I took the time to send you these few words!

II Corinthians 13

Dear RTB’ers,

Yesterday’s comment – that is, John’s post on “Rearranging II Corinthians” – was enough comment for today’s first ten verses. Let’s look at Paul’s closing: Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. (vv. 11-12, NASB) A nice closing, full of love and peace.

But I intentionally left something out of verse 11, following “rejoice”: mend your ways…!! Yes, Corinthians, MEND YOUR WAYS!! Yes, Fred; yes, Carol; yes, RTB’ers: Mend our ways! No doubt we all need to hear that! Continuing… The ESV has “aim for restoration” – a bit softer than the NASB and as Carol just now pointed out to me, more in line with Paul’s earlier comments asking the Corinthians to restore those with whom they had separated from fellowship.

We close with a fitting end to Paul’s Corinthian letters: Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, mend your ways, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Blessings!

II Corinthians 12:11-21

Dear RTB’ers,

Today’s reading is so confusing, so seemingly out-of-place that I had to go back to John’s comment on “Rearranging II Corinthians” from 2021. As you read through that post, please pay particular attention to any mention of chapter 12 or of chapters 10-13.

I agree with John. What we are reading today and the past three days and tomorrow might well be part of that “earlier letter”, written and received and replied to well before II Corinthians 1:1-7:16 (without 6:14-7:1). So as you read today’s and tomorrow’s readings, imagine that you have never seen the first seven chapters and that there is a lost letter and a lost visit somewhere in Paul’s life, both well before chapters 10-13.

Thank you, John, for that 2021 post and for the work that you did back then. It’s time for that doctoral dissertation…!!

Blessings!

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See also: September 11 (2021) / II Corinthians 12:11-13:10

II Corinthians 11:21b-12:10

Dear RTB’ers,

Today’s reading has three major parts – Paul’s “suffering” for his testimony to the Lord; the vision/revelation that he saw; and his “thorn in the flesh”. First, his suffering… When I read about all that he went through, I cringe. I do not handle physical pain well and he lists so much that he had to endure physically. Then at the end of that list he adds his own “pastoral” emotions, …the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. (v. 28b) What he went through…!!

As to the vision… There is general agreement among scholars that Paul is speaking of himself as the … man in Christ who … was caught up to the third heaven… (v. 2) He even says as much himself in verse 7, So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations… As to what Paul saw or what he heard that “cannot be told”, we’ll have to do our own imagining.

Finally, the “thorn in the flesh”… I suspect that many millions of other people have been like me and thought of their own personal “thorn in the flesh” that they have had to deal with – items over which they have prayed time and again and from which they not been delivered. Even now I still can’t lift my elbow to shoulder level without pain – I’m looking forward to my shoulder doctor visit the second day that we get back! “Thorn in the flesh…”?? Pain, yes. Thorn, probably not!

Blessings!

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See also:

• December 8 (2023) / II Corinthians 8-13; Acts 20:2-3a
• September 10 (2021) / II Corinthians 11:16-12:10

II Corinthians 11:1-21a

Dear RTB’ers,

Paul and the Corinthians…! This second letter is Paul’s most confusing epistle, mostly because we don’t know anything about his “third visit” (if there was one) or his other letter(s). So we’re having to read between the lines and draw our own inferences.

Today’s reading clearly suggests that there are other preachers in Corinth who are leading the Corinthians astray (v. 4, …another Jesus, …a different spirit, …a different gospel). I wonder at their motivation. Are they trying to get paid for their preaching? They seem to deride Paul for preaching for free. Are they trying to build their own following, lauding themselves with their fluency and their letters of recommendation? Paul refers to them (sarcastically) as “super-apostles” (v. 5) and then unsarcastically as …false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. (v. 13b) And what message are they even preaching about Jesus or are they preaching any kind of Christian message? Clearly they are doing something to try to imitate Paul: … those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. (v. 12b) Whoever they are, whatever they are doing or saying, Paul is committed to bringing them down: But what I am doing I will also continue to do, so that I may eliminate the[ir] opportunity… (v. 12a, NASB, slightly edited).

We are fortunate at St. Andrew’s to have faithful preachers, in our lead pastors, our assistant pastors and in guest preachers from Asbury and from around the world. I will forever recall David’s words, “You bring the people and I’ll preach the Gospel!” We are blessed!

Blessings!

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See also: September 9 (2021) / II Corinthians 11:1-15

II Corinthians 10

Dear RTB’ers,

No doubt Paul faced opposition in Corinth – from Synagogue leaders, from false teachers, from “parishioners” who feel that they had been maligned by him in his letters, so I feel like his “boasting” was more self-defense than “bragging”: For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up … I will not be ashamed. (v. 8) Paul knows from where his authority and his gifts and his impediments have come, and he is quick to acknowledge the Lord’s work in his life. If his opponents want to call that boasting, Paul tells them to stop comparing themselves with one another: But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. (v. 12b) We were taught from an early age to compare ourselves with one another – the A’s and B’s, etc. in school; beauty pageants, competitions in sports. Hopefully we’ve left a lot of that behind, but we are still prone to look to others for societal standards. But when it comes to matters of faith, we live by higher standards: For though we walk in the flesh … the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power… (vv. 3a, 4a) Let’s live in that “divine power”!

Blessings!

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See also: September 8 (2021) / II Corinthians 10:1-18

II Corinthians 8:16-9:15

Dear RTB’ers,

…for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. (v. 8:21) It’s a simple concept – yes, we always want to be right and correct and honorable before the Lord, but we are also “in the world” and “the world” is watching us. Paul was clearly concerned about those “watchful eyes”: We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us… (v. 8:20) In the end Paul had eight or nine other people traveling with him to deliver the gifts to Jerusalem. (Acts 20:4-6)

During my time in Kentucky I’ve held two positions of substantial responsibility – Treasurer at our church and chair of the Department of Economics at EKU. Not surprisingly, I always felt like “eyes” were watching me at EKU, but I seldom felt anyone looking over my shoulder at church. I reported monthly to the Vestry and quarterly to the congregation and presented an annual budget every January – and seldom was I corrected or questioned (in any kind of “harsh” manner). Still, it was always in the back of my mind, “How can I explain this?” or “What kinds of questions might come up?” It’s good advice: …for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.

Blessings!

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See also: September 6 (2021) / II Corinthians 9:1-15

II Corinthians 8:1-15

Dear RTB’ers,

Did he/she get to Heaven? Will I get to Heaven? Will all of us get to Heaven, or will some be left behind? “Get to Heaven…”, a phrase from my childhood and continuing today. A dear Christian friend wrote to me that he just lost a sibling. He wrote, “…I believe by the grace of God she made it to Heaven.” Yes, Heaven is our destination and, I daresay, most (if not all) of us are confident in reaching that eternal glory. So when we think of what Heaven might be like, read today’s words again: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich. (v. 9) Jesus was already THERE!! He stepped down from that eternal glory, from fellowship with His Father and the Holy Spirit and came down to earth, to live, suffer and die for us, for our sins – all that so that we might attain to what He already had! He was rich … He became poor, so that… Meditate on Jesus for a bit. Advent, Christmas – it’s a good time for that! “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel…”

Blessings!

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See also: September 5 (2021) / II Corinthians 8:1-24