June 17th One Year Bible Readings
Mike - OYB
1 Kings 18:1-46 + Acts 11:1-30 + Psalm 135:1-21 + Proverbs 17:12-13
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Old Testament - Wow! Great readings today in 1 Kings 18. This is an amazing chapter of the Bible, and one that I heard a wonderful sermon on a couple of years ago. This is strong stuff. One thing that kind of got me chuckling was the subtitle the New Living Translation puts at the top of this chapter - "The Contest on Mount Carmel!" For some reason this got my mind thinking of WWF Championship Wrestling... yes... strange place for my mind to wander I realize. :) But then, this imagery kind of stuck with me throughout the readings and I definitely think Elijah threw down a WWF level taunt in verse 27 when the prophets of Baal were not having any luck getting their fire started: "About noontime Elijah began mocking them. "You'll have to shout louder," he scoffed, "for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or he is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or he is asleep and needs to be wakened!"" Perhaps he is relieving himself?? The prophet Elijah puts even Hulk Hogan's WWF taunt's to shame! :)
Okay... in all seriousness... 1 Kings 18 is an amazing chapter. There were several verses that stood out to me. First was verses 17 and 18 when Ahab meets Elijah - ""So it's you, is it--Israel's troublemaker?" Ahab asked when he saw him. "I have made no trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the LORD and have worshiped the images of Baal instead." I love Elijah's directness and boldness to Ahab. Ahab tries to go after Elijah and maybe intimidate him, since Ahab is King. And Elijah does not back down one iota - he tells Ahab exactly why Ahab is the troublemaker. I love that. I wonder about our lives today. If someone comes after us and maybe attacks our faith or integrity falsely in some way, will we immediately stand up for our faith like Elijah did to King Ahab?
Verses 20 & 21 are powerful - "So Ahab summoned all the people and the prophets to Mount Carmel. Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How long are you going to waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent." What a great question - and one that we may need to ask ourselves - "How long are you going to waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him!" Are we wavering at all in our commitment to God? Are we being silent like the people were when Elijah asked this question? Let us not waver between two opinions... If the Lord is God, are you following him? Wholeheartedly?
Below is an image of Elijah's "Sermon on the Mount Carmel"... :) bad pun... sorry. (I really should know better than to start off a blog post with the Hulkster... it sets me off on the wrong foot... :)
I love the little story at the end of today's chapter where Elijah falls to his knees in prayer on Mt. Carmel and tells his servant to go look toward the sea - 7 times! And then soon comes the little cloud....
Last but not least, verse 46 is a great closing to this eventful chapter! "Now the LORD gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel." Think about this day's events - Elijah meets with Obadiah. Summons Ahab. Meets with Ahab. Summons the people of Israel and the prophets of Baal and Asherah. Conducts a WWF Smackdown tourney :) - and God wins big time! Prays for rain. And then what better way to finish out this type of day but to "tuck his cloak into his belt" and run faster than Ahab's chariot back to Jezreel! Great stuff! What a chapter! Elijah rocks!
Bible.org has tons of great commentary on today's readings in 1 Kings 18, which is not surprising considering how much happens in this chapter today. Commentary titled "The Word of the Lord Comes to Elijah" is at this link. "Elijah ministers to Obadiah" is at this link. "Elijah Meets and Rebukes Ahab" is at this link. "When One Becomes a Majority" is at this link. "The Ineffectual Prayers of the Baal Priests" is at this link. And finally, "The Prayers of Elijah" is at this link.
New Testament - I love how Peter answers his "critics" in Acts chapter 11 today. He simply tells them the story of what happened. And through this plain and simple act of telling his story truthfully we get to verse 18 - "When the others heard this, all their objections were answered and they began praising God. They said, "God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of turning from sin and receiving eternal life."" And this makes me wonder about our lives today. How do we answer our "critics" when it comes to our faith? Is it possible that we can answer our critics simply by telling our story? Just like Peter simply answered his critics with his story? Is it possible that our story of how God reached out and changed our lives could be very effective in winning hearts and minds for Jesus? I think sometimes we underestimate the power of simply telling our story. It is our story - and after we tell it, how can anyone really criticize it? Or argue with it? It is our story. Let us tell it. And let us tell our story often and with great love. I believe God can work wonders when we simply tell our stories...
Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "Peter is Called on the Carpet" is at this link and "One Step Backward and Two Steps Forward" is at this link.
Psalms - Today in Psalm 135 verse 3 we will read this very simple, yet profound verse – “Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.” The words I want to focus in on here are “the Lord is good.” Do you believe this to be true? Do you really – in your heart – believe that God is good? I think this is important for us to really meditate upon. I’m afraid sometimes we get into our minds that maybe God is not always good. Maybe we start to think that God is out to get us. Or out to trick us. Really isn’t looking out for us. Doesn’t really like us. Doesn’t really love us. These are all of course lies that come into our mind from the Enemy, the Destroyer. God is obviously good. So good. All of the time. And maybe sometimes we really need to remind ourselves of this. Even in the midst of challenges and struggles and addictions and hardships – God is good. God is there with us. God is leading us – and maybe even taking us through a hardship to bring us to the Promised Land on the other side. Our human minds will often not understand God’s ways. But, I think for us to always remember that God is good is so important for our continuing growth in our relationship with God. So, again, do you believe the words of this Psalmist? Do you believe that God is good?
Proverbs - Yikes... Proverbs 17 verse 13 is no joke - "If you repay evil for good, evil will never leave your house." Let us be diligent and prayerful to make sure we never repay evil for good...
Worship Video: Today's readings in Acts reminded me of Rhett Walker's song "When Mercy Found Me:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50hYXJzNMM0
Has mercy found you? Click here for mercy!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly." Proverbs 17:12 TNIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you do not associate with fools. Pray that you avoid folly. Pray you are a disciplined and loving follower of Jesus.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
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Posted at 08:48 PM | Permalink
I Kings 18:1-46
Very interesting that this Challenge, what Mike calls the WWF
Championship, to the prophets of Baal, and Baal’s cohort, Asherah, was
the challenge of who had control of the water. Baal means “master” or
“owner” {"Baal." Encyclopedia Mythica from Encyclopedia Mythica Online.}
and is associated with rain. Elijah had told Ahab in chapter seventeen
there would be no rain for several years as per the Word of the Lord, so
God was declaring that He was in charge not Baal. The whole alter,
challenge thing takes on a completely new light for me with that little
bit of information I found out about Baal. As the prophets danced,
cajoled, begged Baal to set their offering on fire, they were asking
Baal to do what they claimed he controlled. “Baal put your money where
your mouth is!” Oops Baal had no mouth he is a rock or piece of wood.
Now when Elijah got ready to do his thing by preparing the alter he was going to use, that pouring of water over the offering until it pulled up in the trenches was a slap in the face to Baal. But when the fire came down and burnt up the offering, rocks, and lapped up the water, God was saying, “I’m more than enough to defeat Baal,” He humiliated the puny god they served.
Of the things I see in this is that we don’t have to jump up and down, cry, beg, scream and holler for God to do what He says He will do. If we speak the Word of the Lord, which is settled in heaven, God keeps His Word. In fact I believe if we find ourselves shouting, begging, stomping and cutting to try to get God’s attention maybe we better check the god we are calling on and/or the Word we are claiming that God spoke.
Acts 11:1-30
The proof of the Gospel’s effect is changed lives despite what we want
to believe. It’s amazing how we stand in judgement of others and their
relationship to the Gospel. I don’t’ think we have a hard time believing
that God changes lives; we accept that. What we have a hard time
believing is that God will change the lives of people we don’t like for
whatever reasons we may harbor. Funny but God never comes and asks our
opinion on who he should grant salvation too. I know He hasn’t asked me
yet. I guess we have to learn to “just get over” it.
It’s funny but every time I think about the Apostle Paul I’m reminded
of a reformed cigarette smoker especially one who had a three-four pack
a day habit. They become like ravenous wolves when chastising people
who smoke in their face, or around babies, or around anything. In New
York City smoking in banned all over the place so folks have to hang out
in the streets and hang off the balcony to pick up some nicotine.
Psalm 135:1-21
Talk about idols and false gods, this Psalm hits the idols and their worshipers’ right between the eyes with their uselessness.
15 Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,
shaped by human hands.
16 They cannot talk, though they have mouths,
or see, though they have eyes!
17 They cannot hear with their ears
or smell with their noses.
18 And those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
That eighteenth verse says to me in Ramona’s translation or paraphrase, “You are what you worship.” Sooooo, if what ever we have, I have, in front of me that I put my trust in other than God, I become. Yikes!!
Proverbs 17:12-13
I’m feeling Mike’s comments on verse thirteen about evil not leaving one’s house when good is repaid by evil, but I think that verse thirteen sits under verse twelve, meeting a bear with her cubs is safer than confronting a fool caught in his folly. I think that they are connected because one would have to be a fool to pay good with evil. Choices and decisions affect not only the person who is in control of the choice, but there is also a ripple effect upon everyone around them even strangers: the “fool” who drives under the influence and kills not only himself/herself but also innocent bystanders who happen to be on the road with him/her.
Grace and peace,
Ramona