Isaiah
There is a break in prophecies against other kingdoms in chapter 20, and we get a bit of acted-out prophetic sign. You will read of more of these, in which prophets don't merely speak, but actually act out in some way the things that God is saying.
The prophecy against Babylon is echoed in the book of Revelation.
Chapters 24-27 are further judgment on enemies. It is a loose collection of passages. These are sometimes considered a kind of apocalypse, thought that genre doesn't really take form until later. In the midst of 25 there is the promise of a final feast that echoes our own ideas of the marriage supper of the lamb.
Chapter 28 starts a series of oracles against Israel (Ephraim) and Judah. Again we get the sense of judgment and mercy, or hard times that are followed by deliverance. Chapter 29 stands out as it speaks of a siege that is miraculously broken, as the siege of Sennacherib during the reign of Hezekiah. 31 warns against an alliance with Egypt and that the Assyrians will flee.
32 begins with another description of a glorious kingdom, though it seems a failed harvest makes way for it. 33 of the end of a despotic ruler replaced by the salvation of Yahweh. 34 speaks judgment on Edom, Israel's cousin who sometimes turned against it. The idea of a place being reclaimed by nature is a powerful symbol for depopulated and abandoned land.
35 is a famous passage, an image of return and re-establishment. It became an important vision of the kingdom of God.
36-37 is the story of the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib. Hezekiah pleads to God, consults Isaiah and God defeats the army of Sennacherib, who flees back home, where he is killed much later. Understand the force we're talking about here. Assyria was the superpower of the time, and nearly undefeated. Imagine if the US laid siege to Panama and lost 100,000 soldiers in one night to some unknown plague. We might pull out as well. The Panamanians would certainly have a couple of interpretations of what happened as well.
Ephesians
Paul continues his discussion of new life - and digresses extensively into the similarity of marriage between man and woman and Christ and the church. As a man and wife are one flesh, so Christ is one flesh with his church. Don't get too wrapped up in "women should submit" stuff - it's a pretty weak interpretation of this passage that would seem to emphasize unity and mutual care.
Finally this letter concludes with an encouragement to stay strong in the faith and to pray for one another, for Paul and his ministry and the church. He concludes with a short mention of someone - the most personal he has been in the entire letter.
Romans
Romans is probably, from a theological standpoint, Paul's most significant work. It has very little of the particularity that we see in Philippians or Corinthians. It is written to a church Paul has yet to visit. Perhaps for that reason Paul sets out on a theological project that became his masterpiece.
To quote N. T. Wright: Romans is "neither a systematic theology nor a summary of Paul's lifework, but it is by common consent his masterpiece. It dwarfs most of his other writings, an Alpine peak towering over hills and villages. Not all onlookers have viewed it in the same light or from the same angle, and their snapshots and paintings of it are sometimes remarkably unalike. Not all climbers have taken the same route up its sheer sides, and there is frequent disagreement on the best approach. What nobody doubts is that we are here dealing with a work of massive substance, presenting a formidable intellectual challenge while offering a breathtaking theological and spiritual vision".
1: Paul opens with a very Jewish framework by way of introduction. This comes into play later in his discussion about "the Jews." There had been anti-Jewish pogroms in the empire, and it is sometimes thought that this Roman church had an anti-Jewish bent. He continues to emphasize the Jewishness of the gospel, which comes to the Jew first and then the Greek, and then proceeds to excoriate pagan worship practices with the unnaturally immoderate indulgence of their sexual appetites (it is unlikely this passage has anything to do with what we think of as "sexual orientation" today) and worship of animals instead of immortal God.
2: This is all about accountability. Paul is making it very clear that no one gets away from the judgment of God - he expands this later in chapter 3. Even those who keep the law do not always follow the heart of the law and the purpose of the law.
3: The law reveals our sin and condemns us. Grace forgives us and frees us. That is pretty much it - it is a gift that cannot be boasted about - whether Jew or Greek. Because of our inability to fulfill the law, God forgives us through the one who did fulfill it, Jesus.
4: The example of Abraham, who becomes the forefather of the religion. He is saved by his faith in God. He trusts God regardless of the circumstances and it is that that saves him. There was no Law before Moses, so Abraham could not be saved by it.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
2 Chronicles 27-32;Isaiah 7-16/Acts 19-20/Ephesians 1-4
2 Chronicles
We start with a decent king in Jotham, but then we find ourselves embroiled with Ahaz - one of the worst who "followed the ways of the kings of Israel." His failures led to problems with neighboring tribes and the super-power of the time Assyria.
Hezekiah comes along and is quite a turn around. He works to restore the temple and reestablish worship there. He also leads the people in a national passover.
However there were problems because the Assyrians come through the land waging war and pillaging. Chronicles leaves out the tribute Hezekiah offers Sennacherib. However it does preserve the story of the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem by God. Hezekiah was one of the greatest post-Davidic kings.
Isaiah
Chapter 7 contains a famous messianic section. However, please note the situation. The prophecy is that by the time the boy, who is now inside his pregnant mother, is old enough to eat soft food, the enemies of Jerusalem will be no more. This prophecy is fulfilled, and the alliance fails to conquer Jerusalem.
There is a series of prophecies here, regarding the downfall of the northern kingdom, but also a promise that Yahweh would save his people. Chapter 10 pronounces judgment on Assyria for conquering God's people. Keep this in mind - the people are punished by God by an invader, Assyria - but Assyria is also judged for its violence.
Then we have another prophecy of a future peaceful kingdom and how God will reclaim the remnant of his people. Chapter 12 begins a series of pronouncements against foreign nations, often represented by their principle cities.
This part of Isaiah is full of this two sided prophecy. There will be punishment and exile - but God will still save God's people.
Acts
The major part here covers Paul's ministry in Ephesus, which was a center for Christianity. Many books are thought to have been written from here. Of course, we are also reading the book of Ephesians this week. Chapter 20 is Paul's final visit to Greece.
Ephesians
Ephesians lacks some of the typical characteristics of Paul's other letters. There is very little mention of people's names and the letter does not have the particularity that many of Paul's other letters had. It many way it is more of a homiletical type letter, similar to Romans, which is very didactic.
After a brief introduction, Paul gives thanks for the Ephesians and for the power of God in God's salvation of the world. He contrasts the old life with the new, the importance of grace and works. He reveals the secret that has put him in chains - namely that the Gentiles would become fellow heirs of this great salvation. Because God has done such great things - we should live in unity though we are all different, we should live our lives in a different way.
We start with a decent king in Jotham, but then we find ourselves embroiled with Ahaz - one of the worst who "followed the ways of the kings of Israel." His failures led to problems with neighboring tribes and the super-power of the time Assyria.
Hezekiah comes along and is quite a turn around. He works to restore the temple and reestablish worship there. He also leads the people in a national passover.
However there were problems because the Assyrians come through the land waging war and pillaging. Chronicles leaves out the tribute Hezekiah offers Sennacherib. However it does preserve the story of the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem by God. Hezekiah was one of the greatest post-Davidic kings.
Isaiah
Chapter 7 contains a famous messianic section. However, please note the situation. The prophecy is that by the time the boy, who is now inside his pregnant mother, is old enough to eat soft food, the enemies of Jerusalem will be no more. This prophecy is fulfilled, and the alliance fails to conquer Jerusalem.
There is a series of prophecies here, regarding the downfall of the northern kingdom, but also a promise that Yahweh would save his people. Chapter 10 pronounces judgment on Assyria for conquering God's people. Keep this in mind - the people are punished by God by an invader, Assyria - but Assyria is also judged for its violence.
Then we have another prophecy of a future peaceful kingdom and how God will reclaim the remnant of his people. Chapter 12 begins a series of pronouncements against foreign nations, often represented by their principle cities.
This part of Isaiah is full of this two sided prophecy. There will be punishment and exile - but God will still save God's people.
Acts
The major part here covers Paul's ministry in Ephesus, which was a center for Christianity. Many books are thought to have been written from here. Of course, we are also reading the book of Ephesians this week. Chapter 20 is Paul's final visit to Greece.
Ephesians
Ephesians lacks some of the typical characteristics of Paul's other letters. There is very little mention of people's names and the letter does not have the particularity that many of Paul's other letters had. It many way it is more of a homiletical type letter, similar to Romans, which is very didactic.
After a brief introduction, Paul gives thanks for the Ephesians and for the power of God in God's salvation of the world. He contrasts the old life with the new, the importance of grace and works. He reveals the secret that has put him in chains - namely that the Gentiles would become fellow heirs of this great salvation. Because God has done such great things - we should live in unity though we are all different, we should live our lives in a different way.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
2 Chronciles/Joe/Isaiah/2 Corinthians
2 Chronicles 22-28
Many sordid tales here. Especially of Athaliah, who you may remember from 2 Kings 11. We have some mixed kings until Uzziah, who was an important reformer.
Joel:
This prophet warned of the day of the Lord which would come upon the people unless they repented. You should recognize much of this text - or at least it should be vaguely familiar. Chapter 2, "Blow the trumpet in Zion," is read each year on Ash Wednesday.
Isaiah:
Probably the most important prophet after Moses, the book of Isaiah overshadows all the other prophets. It was written over the course of many centuries and was edited and re-edited. In its current form it divides in to two (or three for some scholars) sections: 1-39 which focuses on the political and historical situation of Judah and its eventual judgment. 40-66 (sometimes with another division at 55) is almost uniformly prophecy about returning to Yahweh, the preservation of a remnant, and Yahweh's promise to save his people and return them from exile. It is a long book, but there is much here which will seem familiar.
Chapter 1 is an introductory poem capturing many of the themes that will resonate throughout. 2-3 forms a kind indictment of Judah - the problem will consistently fall into two related themes: The have chased after other gods and they have perverted justice but not taking care of the poor and preserving an unequal society. The two are closely related, however, and in some sense dependent on one another, for it is the foreign gods who preserve the inequity, and it is attractiveness of inequity that leads people to chase foreign gods.
4 starts with a promise of renewal and then 5 is the famous love song of the vineyard.
6 is one of those important chapters in the Bible, which should sound familiar. King Uzziah (who we have just been reading about dies) and in that year the prophet Isaiah has a epiphanic vision. Holy, Holy, Holy the angels cry out - just as we do each Sunday and wonder at the ineffable glory of God.
2 Corinthians 9-13
Paul continues his argument with those who oppose him in Corinth. He parodies them and then talks about his own vision of Jesus in which he encountered the living God in the seventh (highest) heaven. He then lets them know that he will be stopping by - no doubt there was a great deal of anxiety on everyone's part over this. The conclusion is short - almost a warning.
Many sordid tales here. Especially of Athaliah, who you may remember from 2 Kings 11. We have some mixed kings until Uzziah, who was an important reformer.
Joel:
This prophet warned of the day of the Lord which would come upon the people unless they repented. You should recognize much of this text - or at least it should be vaguely familiar. Chapter 2, "Blow the trumpet in Zion," is read each year on Ash Wednesday.
Isaiah:
Probably the most important prophet after Moses, the book of Isaiah overshadows all the other prophets. It was written over the course of many centuries and was edited and re-edited. In its current form it divides in to two (or three for some scholars) sections: 1-39 which focuses on the political and historical situation of Judah and its eventual judgment. 40-66 (sometimes with another division at 55) is almost uniformly prophecy about returning to Yahweh, the preservation of a remnant, and Yahweh's promise to save his people and return them from exile. It is a long book, but there is much here which will seem familiar.
Chapter 1 is an introductory poem capturing many of the themes that will resonate throughout. 2-3 forms a kind indictment of Judah - the problem will consistently fall into two related themes: The have chased after other gods and they have perverted justice but not taking care of the poor and preserving an unequal society. The two are closely related, however, and in some sense dependent on one another, for it is the foreign gods who preserve the inequity, and it is attractiveness of inequity that leads people to chase foreign gods.
4 starts with a promise of renewal and then 5 is the famous love song of the vineyard.
6 is one of those important chapters in the Bible, which should sound familiar. King Uzziah (who we have just been reading about dies) and in that year the prophet Isaiah has a epiphanic vision. Holy, Holy, Holy the angels cry out - just as we do each Sunday and wonder at the ineffable glory of God.
2 Corinthians 9-13
Paul continues his argument with those who oppose him in Corinth. He parodies them and then talks about his own vision of Jesus in which he encountered the living God in the seventh (highest) heaven. He then lets them know that he will be stopping by - no doubt there was a great deal of anxiety on everyone's part over this. The conclusion is short - almost a warning.
Monday, October 6, 2008
2 Chronicles 7 -21;Obadiah/2 Corinthians 1 - 8
2 Chronicles
7: God himself (unlike the version in Kings) sends fire to consume the offering, legitimating the temple Solomon has built. After the great sacrifices Solomon makes at the temple, he receives a promise: The temple will be the center of worship and religious cult for the people; God will bless them and hear their prayers, but if they turn away to other gods, they will cast out of the land.
8: Solomon expands and establishes his kingdom. There are great buildings, works, fortifications etc. Solomon marries a daughter of Pharaoh.
9: Solomon is wealthy, famous for his wisdom, is visited by foreign dignitaries who marvel at his accomplishments etc. The David-Solomon time in Chronicles is the height of Israel's power, influence, and orthodoxy and becomes the standard by which all former and later kings are judged.
10: The splitting of the kingdom is in quite a different light in Chronicles. Here it happens on account of the unfaithfulness of the north rather than as a consequence of Solomon's disloyalty to Yahweh and unscrupulousness. Here Rehoboam ignores the sage advice of his elder councilors and instead listens to the young men, who cause him to be arrogant. The tribes of the north split off to form their own kingdom under Jeroboam.
11: Rehoboam is seen to be faithful the first three years, bringing in the priests from Israel, listening to the prophets and continuing to build up cities. Chronicles continues to be concerned with naming various people and we get that here as well. You will find that in the summary of a kings accomplishments will be listed the number of wives, concubines, sons and daughters the king had.
12: Rehoboam turns from following Yahweh. Exactly what that is is not told, but the invasion of Shishak of Egypt is also recounted in Kings. Here Rehoboam turns back to God, and is given a reprieve from total destruction. Shishak takes many gold items, but they are replaced by bronze ones. Definitely a sign of decline.
13: Abijah (Abijam in Kings) is a good king in Chronicles if not in Kings. He and Jeroboarm war, as was common, especially in the first years after the split. The story of Abijah is the story of how God is blessing the south because of their faithfulness to Yahweh, while the North flounders because of idolatry.
14-16: Asa was a good king and then a bad one. He begins with great faithfulness to Yahweh and reaps the rewards of prosperity and defeating of mighty enemies (the Ethiopians did not have a millionman army - no one did in those days...it likely refers to a particular cohort).
Asa launches a reform in chapter 15 in response to the prophet. He restores part of the temple and makes a covenant renewal in the form of sacrifices at a gathering of all the people at the temple.
Asa's faithfulness wains, however. He does not trust God, but, using treasure from the temple and palace to bribe to King of Aram to help him defeat the King of Israel at Ramah. The campaign is successful, but Asa is rebuked; which he doesn't like. Asa also fails to seek God when he becomes ill later in life.
17-20: King Jehoshaphat is another example of starting well and then having some trouble. He begins by fortifying the land and even sending out teachers to educate the people and cities the law of the Lord. He received tribute from vassal kings and had a good deal of peace during his reign.
Jehoshaphat makes an ill-conceived alliance with the king of Israel, Ahab - yes that Ahab. While this is one of the first real treaties with the north, likely secured by Jehoshahat's son Jehoram to Ahab's daughter, it will cause trouble in the South later.
They inquire of the Lord, as to whether they should join together to fight the King of Aram, and the prophets there say they will have success in battle, but Jehoshaphat doesn't believe them. He asks for another, and that prophet fortells doom - in fact Ahab is being lured to his demise.. They battle anyway and Ahab is killed - even though he is in disguise -, but Jehoshaphat escapes.
Jehoshaphat continues reforms in 19. In fact these are amazing reforms, that are not even done by in king in the book of Kings. Judges are setup and told to follow Yahweh, and the king himself travels through the country (Beer-sheba and Ephraim were the southern and northern borders of Judah) to bring "them back to Yahweh."
Chapter 20 covers the great war in which God defends the people from a large coalition of invaders. Jehoshaphat sees and is terrified of the multi-national army and realizes only God can save them. He prays on behalf of all the people, who are fasting. God hears their prayer. No one must fight to defeat this enemy. God does it on his own. Quite the lesson. We faced with an unbeatable foe, rely on God to do your fighting.
20 ends with another weakness of Jehoshaphat. He again makes an allegiance with the King of Israel and suffers misfortune on account of it.
21: Jehoram does not begin or end well. He takes power in a very bloody way. He fails to quash an Edomite revolt as a result. He sets up the high places (places to worship other gods and places to worship Yahweh outside the temple) and receives an incurable, and gross, disease. No one mourns his passing.
Obadiah
It's the shortest book in the OT. It references the Edomites (who rebelled) and particularly their complicity in the Babylonian conquest. It is important to remember that in Hebrew tradition the Edomites are the descendants of Essau, brother of Jacob (who becomes Israel, father of 12 sons etc.). The Edomites were allied with the Hebrews and were treated more kindly in their conquest of their land. That they aided the Babylonians is thus viewed as a vicious betrayal.
2 Corinthians
There is a lot of history with the Corinthians and Paul. He helped found the church, sent them a letter, sent them another (1 Corinthians), then sent the Timothy, who returned with a bad report. Paul has a conflict, and apparently got into it with someone. He wrote his letter of tears, and finally this letter (thought it may not have been the last). It is in many ways a said, disquieting letter. Pain, anguish, suffering, grief, are ideas and emotions that seem to inhabit this letter.
Paul was debating about whether to visit, and decided to send this letter. He then goes on in chapter 2 to find reconciliation with the person he had a great conflict with. Problems in the church and hurt feelings are not a new phenomena!
3-4: Paul continues to discuss his ministry - and specifically how he ministers and ministered to the Corinthians. He is in effect arguing that what he says is truly from Christ and that others who have come into the community (we get to that later) are the ones who are false.
5: Paul writes about the importance of a ministry of reconciliation - reconciliation that must occur because of the anguish and pain that is a part of life.
6: Paul again pleads that the Corinthians will listen to him, not for his sake, but for God's. There is an abrupt change from verse 14 - 7.1 that is likely a missed edit from an earlier letter, since 7.2 picks up and continues with the same idea. It may also simply be that Paul is digressing regarding a particular problem at that church.
7: Paul continues to ask for reconciliation and then returns to his travelogue and the ministry of Titus.
8: Here Paul shifts gears, segueing from Titus to the support of his ministry and the churches in Macedonia who are impoverished. It is very clear from the early writings of the church that various churches supported the members of others who were poor (especially Jerusalem). Paul quotes in verse 15 Exodus 16:18 - the tale about the manna. Everyone was to gather enough for that day, and when they were done - everyone had just the right amount - not too much, not too little. Paul appeals to this idea of the abundance of God and distribution of wealth to encourage the Corinthians to be generous as God has been generous.
7: God himself (unlike the version in Kings) sends fire to consume the offering, legitimating the temple Solomon has built. After the great sacrifices Solomon makes at the temple, he receives a promise: The temple will be the center of worship and religious cult for the people; God will bless them and hear their prayers, but if they turn away to other gods, they will cast out of the land.
8: Solomon expands and establishes his kingdom. There are great buildings, works, fortifications etc. Solomon marries a daughter of Pharaoh.
9: Solomon is wealthy, famous for his wisdom, is visited by foreign dignitaries who marvel at his accomplishments etc. The David-Solomon time in Chronicles is the height of Israel's power, influence, and orthodoxy and becomes the standard by which all former and later kings are judged.
10: The splitting of the kingdom is in quite a different light in Chronicles. Here it happens on account of the unfaithfulness of the north rather than as a consequence of Solomon's disloyalty to Yahweh and unscrupulousness. Here Rehoboam ignores the sage advice of his elder councilors and instead listens to the young men, who cause him to be arrogant. The tribes of the north split off to form their own kingdom under Jeroboam.
11: Rehoboam is seen to be faithful the first three years, bringing in the priests from Israel, listening to the prophets and continuing to build up cities. Chronicles continues to be concerned with naming various people and we get that here as well. You will find that in the summary of a kings accomplishments will be listed the number of wives, concubines, sons and daughters the king had.
12: Rehoboam turns from following Yahweh. Exactly what that is is not told, but the invasion of Shishak of Egypt is also recounted in Kings. Here Rehoboam turns back to God, and is given a reprieve from total destruction. Shishak takes many gold items, but they are replaced by bronze ones. Definitely a sign of decline.
13: Abijah (Abijam in Kings) is a good king in Chronicles if not in Kings. He and Jeroboarm war, as was common, especially in the first years after the split. The story of Abijah is the story of how God is blessing the south because of their faithfulness to Yahweh, while the North flounders because of idolatry.
14-16: Asa was a good king and then a bad one. He begins with great faithfulness to Yahweh and reaps the rewards of prosperity and defeating of mighty enemies (the Ethiopians did not have a millionman army - no one did in those days...it likely refers to a particular cohort).
Asa launches a reform in chapter 15 in response to the prophet. He restores part of the temple and makes a covenant renewal in the form of sacrifices at a gathering of all the people at the temple.
Asa's faithfulness wains, however. He does not trust God, but, using treasure from the temple and palace to bribe to King of Aram to help him defeat the King of Israel at Ramah. The campaign is successful, but Asa is rebuked; which he doesn't like. Asa also fails to seek God when he becomes ill later in life.
17-20: King Jehoshaphat is another example of starting well and then having some trouble. He begins by fortifying the land and even sending out teachers to educate the people and cities the law of the Lord. He received tribute from vassal kings and had a good deal of peace during his reign.
Jehoshaphat makes an ill-conceived alliance with the king of Israel, Ahab - yes that Ahab. While this is one of the first real treaties with the north, likely secured by Jehoshahat's son Jehoram to Ahab's daughter, it will cause trouble in the South later.
They inquire of the Lord, as to whether they should join together to fight the King of Aram, and the prophets there say they will have success in battle, but Jehoshaphat doesn't believe them. He asks for another, and that prophet fortells doom - in fact Ahab is being lured to his demise.. They battle anyway and Ahab is killed - even though he is in disguise -, but Jehoshaphat escapes.
Jehoshaphat continues reforms in 19. In fact these are amazing reforms, that are not even done by in king in the book of Kings. Judges are setup and told to follow Yahweh, and the king himself travels through the country (Beer-sheba and Ephraim were the southern and northern borders of Judah) to bring "them back to Yahweh."
Chapter 20 covers the great war in which God defends the people from a large coalition of invaders. Jehoshaphat sees and is terrified of the multi-national army and realizes only God can save them. He prays on behalf of all the people, who are fasting. God hears their prayer. No one must fight to defeat this enemy. God does it on his own. Quite the lesson. We faced with an unbeatable foe, rely on God to do your fighting.
20 ends with another weakness of Jehoshaphat. He again makes an allegiance with the King of Israel and suffers misfortune on account of it.
21: Jehoram does not begin or end well. He takes power in a very bloody way. He fails to quash an Edomite revolt as a result. He sets up the high places (places to worship other gods and places to worship Yahweh outside the temple) and receives an incurable, and gross, disease. No one mourns his passing.
Obadiah
It's the shortest book in the OT. It references the Edomites (who rebelled) and particularly their complicity in the Babylonian conquest. It is important to remember that in Hebrew tradition the Edomites are the descendants of Essau, brother of Jacob (who becomes Israel, father of 12 sons etc.). The Edomites were allied with the Hebrews and were treated more kindly in their conquest of their land. That they aided the Babylonians is thus viewed as a vicious betrayal.
2 Corinthians
There is a lot of history with the Corinthians and Paul. He helped found the church, sent them a letter, sent them another (1 Corinthians), then sent the Timothy, who returned with a bad report. Paul has a conflict, and apparently got into it with someone. He wrote his letter of tears, and finally this letter (thought it may not have been the last). It is in many ways a said, disquieting letter. Pain, anguish, suffering, grief, are ideas and emotions that seem to inhabit this letter.
Paul was debating about whether to visit, and decided to send this letter. He then goes on in chapter 2 to find reconciliation with the person he had a great conflict with. Problems in the church and hurt feelings are not a new phenomena!
3-4: Paul continues to discuss his ministry - and specifically how he ministers and ministered to the Corinthians. He is in effect arguing that what he says is truly from Christ and that others who have come into the community (we get to that later) are the ones who are false.
5: Paul writes about the importance of a ministry of reconciliation - reconciliation that must occur because of the anguish and pain that is a part of life.
6: Paul again pleads that the Corinthians will listen to him, not for his sake, but for God's. There is an abrupt change from verse 14 - 7.1 that is likely a missed edit from an earlier letter, since 7.2 picks up and continues with the same idea. It may also simply be that Paul is digressing regarding a particular problem at that church.
7: Paul continues to ask for reconciliation and then returns to his travelogue and the ministry of Titus.
8: Here Paul shifts gears, segueing from Titus to the support of his ministry and the churches in Macedonia who are impoverished. It is very clear from the early writings of the church that various churches supported the members of others who were poor (especially Jerusalem). Paul quotes in verse 15 Exodus 16:18 - the tale about the manna. Everyone was to gather enough for that day, and when they were done - everyone had just the right amount - not too much, not too little. Paul appeals to this idea of the abundance of God and distribution of wealth to encourage the Corinthians to be generous as God has been generous.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
1 Chronicles 17 - 2 Chronicles 6; 1 Corinthians 13 - 16
1 Chronicles
17: A retelling of 2 Samuel 7. David wants to build Yahweh a house. Yahweh never asked for a house, but because of David's thought, David's line will rule Judah forever. It is also promised that his son will build the temple.
18-20: David expands his kingdom in a variety of wars and battles. The Ammonites are discussed in detail. Remember, we are not dealing with nation-states. Promises made between kings are between kings, not the nations they represent. When a king died, it was important to reassert treaties, or take advantage to break them.
21: A retelling of 2 Sam. 24. Counting the people, or taking a census, was done for two reasons: taxes and mustering an army. Kings were not permitted to do this without express permission.
22-29: The end of David's reign. David picks the place for the temple and appoints Solomon as the next king. The way this is told leaves out much of the back story of the struggle for power that took place in David's dotage. One would think that Solomon came into power without conflict. You will also notice that the civil war of Absalom's revolt is skipped. David is presented in a very different, more propagandist light: the perfect king, who prepares the building of the temple that his son would complete.
We also find here list after list of the names of important leaders in the administration of the kingdom and temple. Again, don't wear yourself out over these.
2 Chronicles
1-6: Solomon's reign begins with his establishing his kingdom and beginning the building of the temple. The account here is much shorter than the one in Kings, but conveys the same message. With the help of other nations the temple is built and consecrated in grand fashion. It is proclaimed as the supreme religious center where Yahweh is worshiped. Both political and religious power are now rooted in Jerusalem.
1 Corinthians
13: The centrality and supremacy of love. Notice it is context with the previous chapter on the importance of all spiritual gifts and the following chapter on why tongues is not the end-all-be-all of gifts.
14: It is clear from the previous few chapters that there were more problems in Corinth. Apparently there were some snooty people who thought that if you spoke in tongues you were better than everyone else. Further, apparently every one wanted to speak at the same time, likely felt their message is the one everyone needed to hear. Paul calls for order and points to the importance of prophecy as the better gift since typically no one understood what was being said in tongues.
Now a word of definition: Tongues is likely not what is talked about in Acts, when visitors and observers understood what was being said. Here Paul is likely talking about glossolalia, which is a kind of spontaneous utterance, which is usually "nonsense" words spoken when in an ecstatic state. Likely people thought they were speaking in "the tongues of angels" or some mysterious human language.
Prophecy on the other hand was not telling the future. It was "speaking the truth," or "speaking for God." Prophecy is the bold pronouncement, often with a discernment of the real issues.
On women being silent. It is likely this is a later gloss, since different ancient versions have it in different places and it breaks the flow of meaning. It is quite clear that women were doing a lot of the talking in the previous part of the chapter. Secondarily it likely addressed not women speaking at all, but women speaking in the midst of someone else's speaking. Women and men didn't sit together at that time, and women often sat in the back (or in a balcony). Apparently some of them were shouting at their husbands, "What was that?" Paul is telling them to ask their husbands after the service. Still a bit offensive to our modern culture, but also a bit more understandable.
15: The resurrection and it's importance. Vss 4-5 are likely one of the earliest forms of the creed we now speak. It covers the basics as we do in our Apostles Creed. Paul's point here is that bodily resurrection is not some tertiary part of the Gospel. It is central. Without it nothing else makes sense. He then goes on to describe that resurrection is, if I can summarize, both a continuity and a discontinuity with the present state. Where as now we are a seed, then we will be a full blown tree.
16: Conclusion and loose ends. Paul often wraps up his letters with miscellaneous business and greetings. Notice the mention of the church in Jerusalem. We know from other letters that this church, the first one, the Pentecost church, suffered constant money woes. They received donations from pretty much all the other churches.
17: A retelling of 2 Samuel 7. David wants to build Yahweh a house. Yahweh never asked for a house, but because of David's thought, David's line will rule Judah forever. It is also promised that his son will build the temple.
18-20: David expands his kingdom in a variety of wars and battles. The Ammonites are discussed in detail. Remember, we are not dealing with nation-states. Promises made between kings are between kings, not the nations they represent. When a king died, it was important to reassert treaties, or take advantage to break them.
21: A retelling of 2 Sam. 24. Counting the people, or taking a census, was done for two reasons: taxes and mustering an army. Kings were not permitted to do this without express permission.
22-29: The end of David's reign. David picks the place for the temple and appoints Solomon as the next king. The way this is told leaves out much of the back story of the struggle for power that took place in David's dotage. One would think that Solomon came into power without conflict. You will also notice that the civil war of Absalom's revolt is skipped. David is presented in a very different, more propagandist light: the perfect king, who prepares the building of the temple that his son would complete.
We also find here list after list of the names of important leaders in the administration of the kingdom and temple. Again, don't wear yourself out over these.
2 Chronicles
1-6: Solomon's reign begins with his establishing his kingdom and beginning the building of the temple. The account here is much shorter than the one in Kings, but conveys the same message. With the help of other nations the temple is built and consecrated in grand fashion. It is proclaimed as the supreme religious center where Yahweh is worshiped. Both political and religious power are now rooted in Jerusalem.
1 Corinthians
13: The centrality and supremacy of love. Notice it is context with the previous chapter on the importance of all spiritual gifts and the following chapter on why tongues is not the end-all-be-all of gifts.
14: It is clear from the previous few chapters that there were more problems in Corinth. Apparently there were some snooty people who thought that if you spoke in tongues you were better than everyone else. Further, apparently every one wanted to speak at the same time, likely felt their message is the one everyone needed to hear. Paul calls for order and points to the importance of prophecy as the better gift since typically no one understood what was being said in tongues.
Now a word of definition: Tongues is likely not what is talked about in Acts, when visitors and observers understood what was being said. Here Paul is likely talking about glossolalia, which is a kind of spontaneous utterance, which is usually "nonsense" words spoken when in an ecstatic state. Likely people thought they were speaking in "the tongues of angels" or some mysterious human language.
Prophecy on the other hand was not telling the future. It was "speaking the truth," or "speaking for God." Prophecy is the bold pronouncement, often with a discernment of the real issues.
On women being silent. It is likely this is a later gloss, since different ancient versions have it in different places and it breaks the flow of meaning. It is quite clear that women were doing a lot of the talking in the previous part of the chapter. Secondarily it likely addressed not women speaking at all, but women speaking in the midst of someone else's speaking. Women and men didn't sit together at that time, and women often sat in the back (or in a balcony). Apparently some of them were shouting at their husbands, "What was that?" Paul is telling them to ask their husbands after the service. Still a bit offensive to our modern culture, but also a bit more understandable.
15: The resurrection and it's importance. Vss 4-5 are likely one of the earliest forms of the creed we now speak. It covers the basics as we do in our Apostles Creed. Paul's point here is that bodily resurrection is not some tertiary part of the Gospel. It is central. Without it nothing else makes sense. He then goes on to describe that resurrection is, if I can summarize, both a continuity and a discontinuity with the present state. Where as now we are a seed, then we will be a full blown tree.
16: Conclusion and loose ends. Paul often wraps up his letters with miscellaneous business and greetings. Notice the mention of the church in Jerusalem. We know from other letters that this church, the first one, the Pentecost church, suffered constant money woes. They received donations from pretty much all the other churches.
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