Wednesday, Ordinary 28, Proper 23, Oct 15
ChapLynne
Posts: 31 Member
Meditation
Wednesday, Ordinary 28, Proper 23 lesson summarized the past in both the Psalm and the Old Testament lesson in 2 Kings and brought the simple truth front and center: obey God’s law and give him the credit for the miracles.
The Old Testament lesson in 2 Kings recalled the strong charge against Israel for having sinned against God, after identifying all the miracles that God had done for them—the plagues before Pharaoh and leading them out of Egypt (and all of the miracles they would have remembered from the stories their parents would have shared at bedtime—a fiery column by night, a column cloud by day, crossing the Red Sea, water from a rock in the desert, the presence of God on Mt. Sinai and going into the Promised Land with all the battles won by God). With all that God had done, the Hebrews had worshiped false idols and given their allegiance to gods that had done nothing to protect the Children of Israel or further their interests.
What was worse, they built all kinds of memorials to the false gods and to Ashtoreth and Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters—murdering them on false altars—dabbling in magic and witchcraft to try to learn the future.
God was angry with them and was finished with them.
The Ten Commandments declared that God was a jealous God, and very much like a relationship between a loving couple, s/he can become green-eyed. If one did wonderful and thoughtful things and the other one posted old photos of old loves all around the house and set up homages to the photos. Most people would go ballistic and it made sense that God allowed them to go their way and fall under the rule of their enemies.
The New Testament lesson in John reiterated a story of Jesus being confronted by disbelieving Jews after he had done miracles. They wanted to see ‘proof’ and Jesus pointed their question to the manna in the Exodus—the bread from heaven. They asked for that kind of bread from Jesus and he declared,
“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
Bread remains a source of nutrition that can be sustaining. The image of Christ being the Bread of Life meant that he was the source of life and able to sustain those who believed in him.
Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Ordinary 28, Proper 23
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 97;2 Kings 17:7-20;John 6:25-35&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)
Wednesday, Ordinary 28, Proper 23
Psalm 97
2 Kings 17:7-20
John 6:25-35
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Philippians 4:4
King James Version (KJV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
2 Kings 17:7-20
King James Version (KJV)
7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.
15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.
16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
20 And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, forgive us for failing to honor you when you have done so very much for us. You are our bread of life and source of all. Help us to be all you want us to be so that we bring you pleasure. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Wednesday, Ordinary 28, Proper 23 lesson shared one disappointment after another for God…like Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. The Psalmist started off with praise for God but soon listed all the ways that people failed to honor God and turned their hearts to evil.
The Old Testament lesson in 2 Kings, retold the horrors of Israel’s slump into worshiping idols and sacrificing their children to false gods. Even the New Testament lesson shared Jesus’ frustration with the leaders that asked questions, but didn’t really search for the answers.
My son, when he was very young, was always full of questions. He could shotgun blast 10-15 questions at bedtime, and each of them would require an hour to answer, and yet, he was too impatient to wait for the answers. It was as if the important part was to ask the question, not to find answers. The Jews following Jesus struggled with restating the same questions over and over, without really listening for the truth. “Show us a sign” immediately following Jesus having done miracles, meant they weren’t really interested in what Jesus had to say, but the regular people learned and believed. So, even when the questioning is false, there is still a chance to use the opportunity to spread the good news.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
Wednesday, Ordinary 28, Proper 23 lesson summarized the past in both the Psalm and the Old Testament lesson in 2 Kings and brought the simple truth front and center: obey God’s law and give him the credit for the miracles.
The Old Testament lesson in 2 Kings recalled the strong charge against Israel for having sinned against God, after identifying all the miracles that God had done for them—the plagues before Pharaoh and leading them out of Egypt (and all of the miracles they would have remembered from the stories their parents would have shared at bedtime—a fiery column by night, a column cloud by day, crossing the Red Sea, water from a rock in the desert, the presence of God on Mt. Sinai and going into the Promised Land with all the battles won by God). With all that God had done, the Hebrews had worshiped false idols and given their allegiance to gods that had done nothing to protect the Children of Israel or further their interests.
What was worse, they built all kinds of memorials to the false gods and to Ashtoreth and Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters—murdering them on false altars—dabbling in magic and witchcraft to try to learn the future.
God was angry with them and was finished with them.
The Ten Commandments declared that God was a jealous God, and very much like a relationship between a loving couple, s/he can become green-eyed. If one did wonderful and thoughtful things and the other one posted old photos of old loves all around the house and set up homages to the photos. Most people would go ballistic and it made sense that God allowed them to go their way and fall under the rule of their enemies.
The New Testament lesson in John reiterated a story of Jesus being confronted by disbelieving Jews after he had done miracles. They wanted to see ‘proof’ and Jesus pointed their question to the manna in the Exodus—the bread from heaven. They asked for that kind of bread from Jesus and he declared,
“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
Bread remains a source of nutrition that can be sustaining. The image of Christ being the Bread of Life meant that he was the source of life and able to sustain those who believed in him.
Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Ordinary 28, Proper 23
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 97;2 Kings 17:7-20;John 6:25-35&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)
Wednesday, Ordinary 28, Proper 23
Psalm 97
2 Kings 17:7-20
John 6:25-35
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Philippians 4:4
King James Version (KJV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
2 Kings 17:7-20
King James Version (KJV)
7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.
15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.
16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
20 And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, forgive us for failing to honor you when you have done so very much for us. You are our bread of life and source of all. Help us to be all you want us to be so that we bring you pleasure. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Wednesday, Ordinary 28, Proper 23 lesson shared one disappointment after another for God…like Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. The Psalmist started off with praise for God but soon listed all the ways that people failed to honor God and turned their hearts to evil.
The Old Testament lesson in 2 Kings, retold the horrors of Israel’s slump into worshiping idols and sacrificing their children to false gods. Even the New Testament lesson shared Jesus’ frustration with the leaders that asked questions, but didn’t really search for the answers.
My son, when he was very young, was always full of questions. He could shotgun blast 10-15 questions at bedtime, and each of them would require an hour to answer, and yet, he was too impatient to wait for the answers. It was as if the important part was to ask the question, not to find answers. The Jews following Jesus struggled with restating the same questions over and over, without really listening for the truth. “Show us a sign” immediately following Jesus having done miracles, meant they weren’t really interested in what Jesus had to say, but the regular people learned and believed. So, even when the questioning is false, there is still a chance to use the opportunity to spread the good news.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
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