September 18, 2019

That password by Gary Rose



Really, Gary – A blonde joke? Yes, a blonde joke. I chuckled when I first read it and then I thought to myself: “Its really not that funny, because she was just doing what she was supposed to do- she just took it literally; that’s all. How easy it is to judge someone as being “stupid” or “foolish” until we take in all the facts.

Consider, many people out there consider Christians dumb for believing in a God who that can’t see or practicing a religion that encourages its followers to be humble, forgiving, kind, patient and so forth. The whole world “knows” that only the powerful in mind and action will succeed in life.

But what is success, anyway? Isn’t it more than just having things and money to burn; doesn’t life have a spiritual aspect to it? And just because most of us may consider something dumb, doesn’t mean that it really is. The Apostle Paul penned these words to the Corinthians long ago and they are still pertinent today…


1 Corinthians 1 ( World English Bible )
1 When I came to you, brothers, I didn’t come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.  2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.  4 My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,  5 that your faith wouldn’t stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
  
6 We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown, yet a wisdom not of this world nor of the rulers of this world who are coming to nothing.  7 But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory,  8 which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory.  9 But as it is written,

“Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, which didn’t enter into the heart of man,
these God has prepared for those who love him.”

  
10 But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.  11 For who among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except God’s Spirit.  12 But we received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.  13 We also speak these things, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.  14 Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him; and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  15 But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is to be judged by no one.  16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he should instruct him?”  But we have Christ’s mind. 


Linda and I both went to the doctor this morning and I was very, very surprised at something he said. Since I can’t seem to recall it verbatim, let me paraphrase it: Solve as many of your problems as you can (He was speaking to my Linda, but it applies to me as well) at the dinner table, for all medicines have side effects. This, coming from someone who has prescribed many medicines for me in the past and probably will continue to do in the future. That being said, it was nice to hear him say this and to finally consider something other than drugs for “medicine”.

How does all this tie together? Simple. Take a second look at all the facts and perhaps just being a Christian will not be as stupid as the world makes Christianity out to be. Better yet, just consider the retirement benefits- Literally, out of this world. And the best part is that you don’t have to be smart, beautiful, young or anything beyond just an ordinary human to believe, obey and follow God faithfully. And yes, you can even be a blonde.

Bible Reading September 18, 19 by Gary Rose


Bible Reading September 18, 19

World  English  Bible



Sept. 18
Psalms 80-82

Psa 80:1 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine forth.
Psa 80:2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might! Come to save us!
Psa 80:3 Turn us again, God. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
Psa 80:4 Yahweh God of Armies, How long will you be angry against the prayer of your people?
Psa 80:5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in large measure.
Psa 80:6 You make us a source of contention to our neighbors. Our enemies laugh among themselves.
Psa 80:7 Turn us again, God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
Psa 80:8 You brought a vine out of Egypt. You drove out the nations, and planted it.
Psa 80:9 You cleared the ground for it. It took deep root, and filled the land.
Psa 80:10 The mountains were covered with its shadow. Its boughs were like God's cedars.
Psa 80:11 It sent out its branches to the sea, Its shoots to the River.
Psa 80:12 Why have you broken down its walls, so that all those who pass by the way pluck it?
Psa 80:13 The boar out of the wood ravages it. The wild animals of the field feed on it.
Psa 80:14 Turn again, we beg you, God of Armies. Look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine,
Psa 80:15 the stock which your right hand planted, the branch that you made strong for yourself.
Psa 80:16 It's burned with fire. It's cut down. They perish at your rebuke.
Psa 80:17 Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.
Psa 80:18 So we will not turn away from you. Revive us, and we will call on your name.
Psa 80:19 Turn us again, Yahweh God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

Psa 81:1 Sing aloud to God, our strength! Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob!
Psa 81:2 Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, the pleasant lyre with the harp.
Psa 81:3 Blow the trumpet at the New Moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.
Psa 81:4 For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
Psa 81:5 He appointed it in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out over the land of Egypt, I heard a language that I didn't know.
Psa 81:6 "I removed his shoulder from the burden. His hands were freed from the basket.
Psa 81:7 You called in trouble, and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah." Selah.
Psa 81:8 "Hear, my people, and I will testify to you, Israel, if you would listen to me!
Psa 81:9 There shall be no strange god in you, neither shall you worship any foreign god.
Psa 81:10 I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Psa 81:11 But my people didn't listen to my voice. Israel desired none of me.
Psa 81:12 So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, that they might walk in their own counsels.
Psa 81:13 Oh that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
Psa 81:14 I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their adversaries.
Psa 81:15 The haters of Yahweh would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.
Psa 81:16 But he would have also fed them with the finest of the wheat. I will satisfy you with honey out of the rock."

Psa 82:1 God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.
Psa 82:2 "How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?" Selah.
Psa 82:3 "Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Psa 82:4 Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked."
Psa 82:5 They don't know, neither do they understand. They walk back and forth in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Psa 82:6 I said, "You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High.
Psa 82:7 Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the rulers."
Psa 82:8 Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations.

Sept. 19
Psalms 83-85

Psa 83:1 God, don't keep silent. Don't keep silent, and don't be still, God.
Psa 83:2 For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads.
Psa 83:3 They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones.
Psa 83:4 "Come," they say, "and let's destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more."
Psa 83:5 For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you.
Psa 83:6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites;
Psa 83:7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Psa 83:8 Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. Selah.
Psa 83:9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon;
Psa 83:10 who perished at Endor, who became as dung for the earth.
Psa 83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb; yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna;
Psa 83:12 who said, "Let us take possession of God's pasturelands."
Psa 83:13 My God, make them like tumbleweed; like chaff before the wind.
Psa 83:14 As the fire that burns the forest, as the flame that sets the mountains on fire,
Psa 83:15 so pursue them with your tempest, and terrify them with your storm.
Psa 83:16 Fill their faces with confusion, that they may seek your name, Yahweh.
Psa 83:17 Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be confounded and perish;
Psa 83:18 that they may know that you alone, whose name is Yahweh, are the Most High over all the earth.

Psa 84:1 How lovely are your dwellings, Yahweh of Armies!
Psa 84:2 My soul longs, and even faints for the courts of Yahweh. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Psa 84:3 Yes, the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young, near your altars, Yahweh of Armies, my King, and my God.
Psa 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house. They are always praising you. Selah.
Psa 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you; who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage.
Psa 84:6 Passing through the valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs. Yes, the autumn rain covers it with blessings.
Psa 84:7 They go from strength to strength. Everyone of them appears before God in Zion.
Psa 84:8 Yahweh, God of Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, God of Jacob. Selah.
Psa 84:9 Behold, God our shield, look at the face of your anointed.
Psa 84:10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psa 84:11 For Yahweh God is a sun and a shield. Yahweh will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
Psa 84:12 Yahweh of Armies, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psa 85:1 Yahweh, you have been favorable to your land. You have restored the fortunes of Jacob.
Psa 85:2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people. You have covered all their sin. Selah.
Psa 85:3 You have taken away all your wrath. You have turned from the fierceness of your anger.
Psa 85:4 Turn us, God of our salvation, and cause your indignation toward us to cease.
Psa 85:5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you draw out your anger to all generations?
Psa 85:6 Won't you revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
Psa 85:7 Show us your loving kindness, Yahweh. Grant us your salvation.
Psa 85:8 I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, his saints; but let them not turn again to folly.
Psa 85:9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.
Psa 85:10 Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Psa 85:11 Truth springs out of the earth. Righteousness has looked down from heaven.
Psa 85:12 Yes, Yahweh will give that which is good. Our land will yield its increase.
Psa 85:13 Righteousness goes before him, And prepares the way for his steps.


Sept. 18
1 Corinthians 14

1Co 14:1 Follow after love, and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
1Co 14:2 For he who speaks in another language speaks not to men, but to God; for no one understands; but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries.
1Co 14:3 But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, exhortation, and consolation.
1Co 14:4 He who speaks in another language edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the assembly.
1Co 14:5 Now I desire to have you all speak with other languages, but rather that you would prophesy. For he is greater who prophesies than he who speaks with other languages, unless he interprets, that the assembly may be built up.
1Co 14:6 But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking with other languages, what would I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophesying, or of teaching?
1Co 14:7 Even things without life, giving a voice, whether pipe or harp, if they didn't give a distinction in the sounds, how would it be known what is piped or harped?
1Co 14:8 For if the trumpet gave an uncertain sound, who would prepare himself for war?
1Co 14:9 So also you, unless you uttered by the tongue words easy to understand, how would it be known what is spoken? For you would be speaking into the air.
1Co 14:10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of sounds in the world, and none of them is without meaning.
1Co 14:11 If then I don't know the meaning of the sound, I would be to him who speaks a foreigner, and he who speaks would be a foreigner to me.
1Co 14:12 So also you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek that you may abound to the building up of the assembly.
1Co 14:13 Therefore let him who speaks in another language pray that he may interpret.
1Co 14:14 For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
1Co 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
1Co 14:16 Otherwise if you bless with the spirit, how will he who fills the place of the unlearned say the "Amen" at your giving of thanks, seeing he doesn't know what you say?
1Co 14:17 For you most certainly give thanks well, but the other person is not built up.
1Co 14:18 I thank my God, I speak with other languages more than you all.
1Co 14:19 However in the assembly I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in another language.
1Co 14:20 Brothers, don't be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.
1Co 14:21 In the law it is written, "By men of strange languages and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people. Not even thus will they hear me, says the Lord."
1Co 14:22 Therefore other languages are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to the unbelieving; but prophesying is for a sign, not to the unbelieving, but to those who believe.
1Co 14:23 If therefore the whole assembly is assembled together and all speak with other languages, and unlearned or unbelieving people come in, won't they say that you are crazy?
1Co 14:24 But if all prophesy, and someone unbelieving or unlearned comes in, he is reproved by all, and he is judged by all.
1Co 14:25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed. So he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed.
1Co 14:26 What is it then, brothers? When you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has another language, has an interpretation. Let all things be done to build each other up.
1Co 14:27 If any man speaks in another language, let it be two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let one interpret.
1Co 14:28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the assembly, and let him speak to himself, and to God.
1Co 14:29 Let the prophets speak, two or three, and let the others discern.
1Co 14:30 But if a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first keep silent.
1Co 14:31 For you all can prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted.
1Co 14:32 The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets,
1Co 14:33 for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. As in all the assemblies of the saints,
1Co 14:34 let your wives keep silent in the assemblies, for it has not been permitted for them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as the law also says.
1Co 14:35 If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to chatter in the assembly.
1Co 14:36 What? Was it from you that the word of God went out? Or did it come to you alone?
1Co 14:37 If any man thinks himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him recognize the things which I write to you, that they are the commandment of the Lord.
1Co 14:38 But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.
1Co 14:39 Therefore, brothers, desire earnestly to prophesy, and don't forbid speaking with other languages.
1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Sept. 19
1 Corinthians 15

1Co 15:1 Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand,
1Co 15:2 by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
1Co 15:4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
1Co 15:5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1Co 15:6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep.
1Co 15:7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
1Co 15:8 and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.
1Co 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God.
1Co 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was bestowed on me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
1Co 15:11 Whether then it is I or they, so we preach, and so you believed.
1Co 15:12 Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
1Co 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised.
1Co 15:14 If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain.
1Co 15:15 Yes, we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn't raise up, if it is so that the dead are not raised.
1Co 15:16 For if the dead aren't raised, neither has Christ been raised.
1Co 15:17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.
1Co 15:18 Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
1Co 15:19 If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.
1Co 15:20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep.
1Co 15:21 For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man.
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ's, at his coming.
1Co 15:24 Then the end comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
1Co 15:27 For, "He put all things in subjection under his feet." But when he says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that he is excepted who subjected all things to him.
1Co 15:28 When all things have been subjected to him, then the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all.
1Co 15:29 Or else what will they do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead aren't raised at all, why then are they baptized for the dead?
1Co 15:30 Why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour?
1Co 15:31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1Co 15:32 If I fought with animals at Ephesus for human purposes, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, then "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
1Co 15:33 Don't be deceived! "Evil companionships corrupt good morals."
1Co 15:34 Wake up righteously, and don't sin, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
1Co 15:35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised?" and, "With what kind of body do they come?"
1Co 15:36 You foolish one, that which you yourself sow is not made alive unless it dies.
1Co 15:37 That which you sow, you don't sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, maybe of wheat, or of some other kind.
1Co 15:38 But God gives it a body even as it pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own.
1Co 15:39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.
1Co 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial differs from that of the terrestrial.
1Co 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.
1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
1Co 15:46 However that which is spiritual isn't first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48 As is the one made of dust, such are those who are also made of dust; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49 As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let's also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50 Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can't inherit the Kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.
1Co 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
1Co 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 But when this corruptible will have put on incorruption, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
1Co 15:55 "Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?"
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord's work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

The dynamic faith of two Ethiopians by Roy Davison



The dynamic faith of two Ethiopians
Scripture reading: 2 Kings 24:17 - 25:11

In the Scriptures we read about two Ethiopians who had great faith.
The English word ‘Ethiopian’ comes from an ancient Greek designation meaning ‘people with a dark complexion’. It referred to residents of the land of Cush. Cush was a son of Ham (Genesis 10:6-8). The country of Cush, or the Biblical Ethiopia, was south of Egypt in the area of modern Nubia, Sudan and the northern part of Ethiopia. Ethiopians were black (Jeremiah 13:23).
We notice no prejudice in the Bible on the basis of skin color. Moses had an Ethiopian wife (Numbers 12:1). The stunning Shulammite shepherdess whose beauty Solomon praises in the Song of Songs was dark: “I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon” (Song of Solomon 1:5).
The Hebrew word translated here as ‘dark’ means ‘black’. It is used to describe hair ‘black as a raven’ (Song of Solomon 5:11) and ‘black horses’ (Zechariah 6:2). The “tents of Kedar1” were made of black goat’s hair.
The Bible mentions two Ethiopians who had a dynamic faith worthy of emulation.

A faithful servant of the King.
The name Ebed-Melech means ‘servant of the king’. Ebed- Melech was a servant of Zedekiah, king of Judah. But more important: Ebed-Melech was a servant of the King of heaven and earth.
Ebed-Melech saved the life of Jeremiah the prophet, when King Zedekiah would have allowed him to die.
In 587 BC, Jerusalem had been under siege by Nebuchadnezzar II for two years.
Although Zedekiah had sworn an oath of allegiance to the Babylonians when they appointed him as king, he had broken his vow and rebelled against them. “Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel. Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the LORD which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy” (2 Chronicles 36:11-16). [Also see 2 Kings 24:17, 20.] God condemned Zedekiah for breaking his oath (Ezekiel 17:15, 16). The Babylonians returned to reconquer the city.
The people of Judah had “forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods” (Jeremiah 22:9). During 40 years2 Jeremiah had warned them to repent but they did not listen (Jeremiah 1:1-3; 25:3). God’s patience was at an end. His message through Jeremiah was that Jerusalem would be destroyed but that the people could save their lives by surrendering to the Babylonians.
Because of this, Jeremiah was viewed as a traitor by some.
Four leading men in Jerusalem “heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.” Thus says the LORD: “This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.”’
“Therefore the princes said to the king, ‘Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm.’
“Then Zedekiah the king said, ‘Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do nothing against you.’ So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.
“Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: ‘My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more bread in the city.’
“Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.’
“So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
“Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, ‘Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.’ And Jeremiah did so. So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon” (Jeremiah 38:1-13).
“Now Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And he was there when Jerusalem was taken” (Jeremiah 38:28).
“Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, ‘Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you’” (Jeremiah 39:11, 12).
“Meanwhile the word of the LORD had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, ‘Go and speak to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will bring My words upon this city for adversity and not for good, and they shall be performed in that day before you. But I will deliver you in that day,’ says the LORD, ‘and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,’ says the LORD” (Jeremiah 39:15-18).
What can we learn from the faith of Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian?
When he heard that Jeremiah was in the dungeon, he immediately attempted to help him. There was danger involved because he could be accused of helping a traitor. Yet he went to the king and told him that the men who had put Jeremiah in the dungeon had done something evil. Ebed-Melech recognized Jeremiah as a prophet and did not want him to die! The king granted his request.
Let us follow the example of Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian. Let us have the courage to do what is right even if others are doing what is wrong. From this we also learn that God rewards those who put their trust in Him.

An Ethiopian obeys the gospel.
Next we go to the first century AD. The church has been established. The gospel is being preached. Philip the evangelist is sent to a lonely road.
“Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, ‘Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go near and overtake this chariot.’ So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.’ So the eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’ Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:26-39).
We do not know the name of this Ethiopian. He was the treasurer of the queen of Ethiopia. More important however: he was a man of faith who put his faith into practice.
He was willing to expend great effort to worship God! By chariot he had travelled 1800 km to Jerusalem to worship! Along the way he would have encountered bad weather and hardships. He would have been in danger from thieves. The round trip was 3600 km!
How much effort are we willing to expend to worship God? God’s people no longer must go to Jerusalem, only to a local assembly on the Lord’s day.
Sunday is not our day on which we do what we want, it is the Lord’s day on which we come together to praise and thank God.
The Ethiopian was reading the Scriptures while joggling along in a chariot! There would have been a cushion on his seat, but chariots had no springs. He really wanted to know the word of God! What do we learn from this? We can find occasion to read the Scriptures if we love God and really want to learn His will.
When the Ethiopian heard the gospel, he obeyed immediately! When he saw water, he asked to be baptized! Some hesitate to become a Christian. Not this man. He was baptized and went on his way rejoicing.
From these two examples of dedication, we can learn much. Let us do what is right even if others are doing what is wrong. Let us exert the required effort to worship God and learn His will. Let us have a living faith like Ebed-Melech and the treasurer of Candace! Amen.
Roy Davison
The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.
Permission for reference use has been granted.
Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)
Footnotes:


1 Of the Qedarites - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qedarite.
2 Jeremiah prophesied 18 years under Josiah, 11 years under Jehoiakim and 11 years under Zedekiah.

Teachings of Jesus (part 40) Who’s First by Ben Fronczek



Teachings of Jesus (part 40) Who’s First


Reading John 13:1-17   “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Someone once said, “Take ten chickens, any ten. Put them in a pen together, and spread a little chicken feed. In short order, you will witness an amazing phenomenon. In a matter of minutes, the chickens, previously strangers, will form a hierarchy based on dominance or, in everyday language, they will establish a Pecking Order. Instinctively, they will determine, through a series of skirmishes, who the Number One chicken will be; then the Number Two; the Number Three; all the way down to the unlucky Number Ten chicken.”
I remember growing up as a boy my grandmother who lived just next door raised chickens for eggs and later their meat. And sure enough there seem to be a pecking order. Some chickens didn’t even have any tail feathers left having been pecked off. And usually the rooster was the alpha male who was number one. Her rooster even attacked me a couple of times until I hit it with a rake one day.
And we seem to see this so called, ’pecking order’ throughout nature, in the animal kingdom and sometimes even with plants, and even among people. We see it today very clearly in the business world. But the truth is, it’s not just in the business world it’s everywhere. It happens at family picnics, parties, class reunions, sporting events, conventions, and even in some Churches.
In a number of New Testament passages we even see where the closest disciples of Jesus seems to have this problem; that is who amongst them was the greatest.
In Luke 9:46-48 it says “An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all–he is the greatest.”
In Mark 9: 33-37 another passage says, “They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” 36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
And then we have our text which is in Luke 22:24-27
The disciples had been with Christ for about 3 years at this point and the end is at hand. They’re gathered in an upper room to eat the Passover meal with their teacher but they don’t realize yet that this is the “Last” Supper.
For 3 years they’ve lived together, ate together and learned together at the feet of Jesus. But this conversation comes up again and shows us that these guys haven’t understood one of the main things Jesus wanted them to understand.
The conversation always started with the disciples arguing over which of them would be greatest in the coming Kingdom. And Jesus’ answer was always the same: ‘YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND! My Kingdom is going to be different than the kingdoms of this world. In My Kingdom – My church – the greatest will be the one who is the best servant.’
This passage in Luke 22:24-27 says, 24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.”
In Matthew 20:25-28 Jesus says it this way: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
And mind you, all of this takes place as He instituted what we call the ‘Lord’s Supper’ of the ‘Communion service’. And here they are arguing about who was going to be preeminent. And so again Jesus lets them know, that if you want great in the Kingdom of God you’ve got be a servant. You’ve got to learn how to share your life with others.
The Apostle John records a little more of what transpired that night dedicating five chapter to what Jesus did, said and taught that night before He was arrested and then put to death. (Over the next few weeks I will be presenting lessons from what Jesus taught that night from John’s Gospel account.)
No one is exactly sure of the timing, but I wonder if it was at this point Jesus leaves the room but then comes back into the room ready to nail home this lesson. He approaches them with a towel wrapped around his waist… carrying a basin of water and in John 13 we read that He proceeds to wash their feet.
Now, why was He doing this?
Well #1 their feet were dirty. In that day, most roads were dirt and as people walked from one place to another, and their feet got real dirty. As if you entered a person’s home it was customary for you to wash your feet before entering… or (if the family was wealthy enough), a servant would wash your feet. BUT the master of the house NEVER washed feet. That was demeaning. That was work that only a servant would do.
That’s why, in John 13 we’re told that Peter got so upset when he saw Jesus washing their feet. He tells Jesus: “No… you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus was their teacher, their master and He shouldn’t have had to disgrace Himself in this manner.
But of course… that was exactly the point. And here lies the 2nd reason why He washed their feet. To give them an object lesson they’ll remember.
After He washed all their feet, John wrote:
“12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
Now remember, this all took place at the Last Supper… the template for our observance of Communion time. It suddenly occurred to me that there must be something about communion that should help me learn to share. It is something we all share in and do together.
If we are to learn anything from the texts mentioned today it’s that Jesus was against a ‘Pecking Order’.
If Jesus, who is the Lord of Lords, the King of kings, the Alpha and the omega and Messiah, Savior and creator of all, could get down on His hands and knees and scrub their dirty feet to teach them a lesson it should catch our attention as well. Jesus wants us to be like Him, who came to serve others.
How do we do this? Well I believe that the Apostle Paul summed it up quite well in his letter to the Philippians when he wrote chapter 2, as we consider why we should serve, but also how to serve one another Read Phil. 2:1-16
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. “Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life.”
So, I’ going to wrap things up here by saying that Christianity is not a self-centered religion, rather it’s quite the opposite. Jesus wants all of us to get this message crystal clear; ‘there is no pecking order in Christianity, rather greatness, or what really pleases our Lord and God is when we help and encourage one another whenever we can. Some of us need to humble our self and start encouraging and helping others. Maybe He presented this lesson at this time because it was a time of communion, a time for sharing. He shared Himself with them and all the world, and so maybe part of that memorial is sharing not only the bread and with one another but also our lives as well.
He said in do so we will be doing God’s will and we will shine like stars in the sky.