Search This Web Site:

Craig L's Blog

Commonplace Holiness

Category: Bible Studies

  • Isaiah 40:1-11 – A Way in the Wilderness

    Isaiah 40:1-11 – A Way in the Wilderness

    As I said last time, the book of Isaiah appears to be a kind of group project: with Isaiah’s disciples adding to his prophecies through the years. This is why people talk about “second Isaiah” and “third Isaiah” — the prophecies in the book span a period of time longer than any one man’s life — longer than any two men’s lives. 

    Isaiah 40 begins the section generally attributed to “second Isaiah.” (I once had someone ask me where in the Bible they could find the book of “second Isaiah” because they had heard their pastor quote from it the previous Sunday.) Whatever name we might give to the prophet, the setting is important: this prophecy comes from the end of Israel’s exile in Babylon.

    Vs. 1, 2 (English translation: NRSV): 

    נַחֲמ֥וּ נַחֲמ֖וּ עַמִּ֑י יֹאמַ֖ר אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

    Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.

    דַּבְּר֞וּ עַל־לֵ֤ב יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ וְקִרְא֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יהָ כִּ֤י מָֽלְאָה֙ צְבָאָ֔הּ כִּ֥י נִרְצָ֖ה עֲוֹנָ֑הּ כִּ֤י לָקְחָה֙ מִיַּ֣ד יְהוָ֔ה כִּפְלַ֖יִם בְּכָל־חַטֹּאתֶֽיהָ׃

    Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD’S hand double for all her sins. (NRSV).

    It’s an optimistic message. It’s a message of comfort (נָחַם) The time of exile is coming to an end. The future is greater than they could imagine: “she has received from the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.” The future will be doubly greater than the time of exile was bad. 

    Then prophet hears a voice — the voice of God. This prophecy begins not with a vision, but, first of all with a voice. So, also, the beginning of the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth begins with a voice: the voice of John the Baptizer. The voice is a call to hope, an exhortation to believe, to serve, to look to the future in expectant hope.

    Voices of hope are often heard to hear. Hopelessness has a kind of attraction. It doesn’t demand anything of us. Cynicism distances us from whatever is going on around us: allowing us to criticize other people in an attitude of cool detachment. We embrace hopelessness to shield ourselves from the disappointment of hopes that fail. To hope and to fail makes it hard for us to hope again.

    Where the Hebrew has “comfort” (נַחֲמ֥וּ), the Greek Septuagint has παρακαλεῖτε which can also mean “urge” or “exhort.” (I can’t help but think of the related noun παράκλητος, used to refer to the Spirit of God in the Gospel of John: the Paraclete.)  The voice of the God of comfort rouses out of the sleep of hopelessness into life and trust and daring again. We are urged forward by the voice of God. And, at the same time we are assured of God’s presence with us.

    “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem….”  That is: (דַּבְּר֞וּ עַל־לֵ֤ב) Speak to their heart. 

    Vs. 3-5

    ק֣וֹל קוֹרֵ֔א בַּמִּדְבָּ֕ר פַּנּ֖וּ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהוָ֑ה יַשְּׁרוּ֙ בָּעֲרָבָ֔ה מְסִלָּ֖ה לֵאלֹהֵֽינוּ׃

            A voice cries out:
        “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD,
     make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

     כָּל־גֶּיא֙ יִנָּשֵׂ֔א וְכָל־הַ֥ר וְגִבְעָ֖ה יִשְׁפָּ֑לוּ וְהָיָ֤ה הֶֽעָקֹב֙ לְמִישׁ֔וֹר וְהָרְכָסִ֖ים לְבִקְעָֽה׃    

    Every valley shall be lifted up,
            and every mountain and hill be made low;
        the uneven ground shall become level,
     and the rough places a plain.

    וְנִגְלָ֖ה כְּב֣וֹד יְהוָ֑ה וְרָא֤וּ כָל־בָּשָׂר֙ יַחְדָּ֔ו כִּ֛י פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה דִּבֵּֽר׃

      Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
            and all people shall see it together,
            for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

    Again: a voice. To me, I see no reason to think this is not the same “speaker” as before — though the old commentators spent a lot of time and speculation on the issue of the probable identity of these voices. 

    Here is where the Gospel of Mark begins: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ [υἱοῦ θεοῦ].) The voice of John the Baptizer! 

    “As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
        “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,b
            who will prepare your way;
         the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
            ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
     make his paths straight,’””

    A highway is to be prepared in the desert, also called the wilderness. The path is through the desolate areas. The Hebrew reference is specifically to the Arabah, which would be the wrong direction for the people to go — so it’s a highway through desolation for God to come to them. 

    Again, comparing to John the Baptizer: the preparation is a call to repentance and faith — believing that “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” A call to hope rouses us out of our complacency and selfishness, into the life of faith and hope.

    The Highway is coming through the desert — a place where there are no resources. There are no natural supports for this hope. It is something God alone can accomplish. But, the glory of the LORD (Israel’s God) shall be revealed and “all people” (a universal hope) will see it. The hope is always that God’s deliverance of the nation of Israel (or Judah, as in this case) will be a witness to all people. This universalistic vision is characteristic of the whole book of Isaiah (however it was written!). God’s ultimate purposes are not confined to Israel alone. God has a purpose to bring hope and salvation to all people.

    How do we know there is hope for Judah in exile and ultimately for all people? Solely because: the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

    Vss. 6-11

     ק֚וֹל אֹמֵ֣ר קְרָ֔א וְאָמַ֖ר מָ֣ה אֶקְרָ֑א כָּל־הַבָּשָׂ֣ר חָצִ֔יר וְכָל־חַסְדּ֖וֹ כְּצִ֥יץ הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃

            A voice says, “Cry out!”
            And I said, “What shall I cry?”
        All people are grass,
     their constancy is like the flower of the field.

    יָבֵ֤שׁ חָצִיר֙ נָ֣בֵֽל צִ֔יץ כִּ֛י ר֥וּחַ יְהוָ֖ה נָ֣שְׁבָה בּ֑וֹ אָכֵ֥ן חָצִ֖יר הָעָֽם׃

    The grass withers, the flower fades,
            when the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
            surely the people are grass.

     יָבֵ֥שׁ חָצִ֖יר נָ֣בֵֽל צִ֑יץ וּדְבַר־אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יָק֥וּם לְעוֹלָֽם׃

        The grass withers, the flower fades;
            but the word of our God will stand forever.

    עַ֣ל הַר־גָּבֹ֤הַ עֲלִי־לָךְ֙ מְבַשֶּׂ֣רֶת צִיּ֔וֹן הָרִ֤ימִי בַכֹּ֨חַ֙ קוֹלֵ֔ךְ מְבַשֶּׂ֖רֶת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם הָרִ֙ימִי֙ אַל־תִּירָ֔אִי אִמְרִי֙ לְעָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה הִנֵּ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

      Get you up to a high mountain,
            O Zion, herald of good tidings;
        lift up your voice with strength,
            O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,
            lift it up, do not fear;
        say to the cities of Judah,
            “Here is your God!”

    הִנֵּ֨ה אֲדֹנָ֤י יְהוִה֙ בְּחָזָ֣ק יָב֔וֹא וּזְרֹע֖וֹ מֹ֣שְׁלָה ל֑וֹ הִנֵּ֤ה שְׂכָרוֹ֙ אִתּ֔וֹ וּפְעֻלָּת֖וֹ לְפָנָֽיו׃

         See, the Lord GOD comes with might,
            and his arm rules for him;
        his reward is with him,
            and his recompense before him.

    כְּרֹעֶה֙ עֶדְר֣וֹ יִרְעֶ֔ה בִּזְרֹעוֹ֙ יְקַבֵּ֣ץ טְלָאִ֔ים וּבְחֵיק֖וֹ יִשָּׂ֑א עָל֖וֹת יְנַהֵֽל׃

      He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
            he will gather the lambs in his arms,
        and carry them in his bosom,
            and gently lead the mother sheep.
     

    We have here a succession of images: Human flesh is like grass —>Voices on a high mountain proclaiming good tidings —> Israel’s God coming with might and favor —> God caring for the people like a shepherd. The succession of images is a bit jarring. Weakness —> Proclamation —> Might —> Shepherding. But, the point is that while the nation is weak and captive, God is powerful and caring.

    In verse 6 a new voice enters: a voice that calls the hearer to proclaim the frailty of human life. Human hopes disappoint because human life is like grass — it has no permanence. In the New Testament, James speaks of our life as being like a mist. Our life passes. Human hopes are built on a weak foundation.

    In spite of this, the herald of hope needs to stand on a high mountain. The exiled nation’s hope is in God, not in the insubstantial plans of human beings. Human lives will come and go — God’s proclamation will stand.

    The final image is a pastoral image: God caring for the nation as a shepherd would care for a flock of sheep. this is a common Biblical image in the Psalms, it also appears in the prophecies of Ezekiel,  and  in the New Testament Gospels (especially the Gospel of John). 

    FOR KO-FI MEMBERS: There are sermon preparation files for a message on this passage (coupled with Mark 1:1-18) in the shop. I have given the message an Advent theme, appropriate for the second Sunday in Advent. As usual, these are in PPTX and ODP formats. You may download these and use them however you wish. You can find them here: Isaiah 40:1-11 A Highway for Our God.

  • If Only God Would Tear Open the Heavens – Isaiah 64:1,2

    If Only God Would Tear Open the Heavens – Isaiah 64:1,2

    The writings of the prophets are especially appropriate during the season of Advent. They frame the story of Jesus, they provide us insight into the expectations of the people of Israel at the time Christ was born.

    Chapter 64 of Isaiah is only 12 verses long. If I were using it as the basis of a sermon, I’d read the whole thing rather than just verses 1-9 as the lectionary for Year B suggests.

    The book of Isaiah is now generally considered to have been sort of a group project. Yes, there was a prophet named Isaiah who lived from 740 to 680 B.C. Yes, much of the material in the book of Isaiah was written by him (especially in chapters 1-39). But, it is generally supposed today that large portions of the book were actually written by other people who lived much later. These people sometimes get called Second Isaiah (Deutero-Isaiah, if you want to sound educated) and Third Isaiah (or Trito-Isaiah).

    (more…)
  • The Danger of Forgetting the Poor – Amos 2:6-16

    The Danger of Forgetting the Poor – Amos 2:6-16

    The real heart of Amos’ prophecies was his message to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel (sometimes also called Ephraim, after its dominant tribe). So, when we get to verse 6 of chapter 2, we come to the heart of Amos’ message. Everything has been a preparation for this.

    You can find my comments on the earlier portions of this prophecy here:

    The other nations have been condemned only to underline the message of judgement against Israel. The dramatic, repeated formula appears again:


    כֹּה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ

    “Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn back….”


    What had they done?

    (1.) They have mistreated the poor (vv.6-8): “…because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals — they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and push the afflicted out of the way….”

    It seems to me that the following phrases are intended to speak of the same sorts of crimes: “father and son go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned; they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink wine bought with fines they imposed.” I’m taking “father and son go in to the same girl” to mean that father and son (in a household) are sexually abusing the same servant girl. My reason for taking it that way is the context: the crimes listed are crimes of the rich taking advantage of the poor. So, also, their crimes against the poor are illustrated by “garments taken in pledge” and “wine bought with fines they imposed.”

    The clear message of the Bible is that nations are judged by their treatment of the poor. Why have Christians so often lost sight of this?

    I suppose Amos, if he lived today and were speaking to us would be accused of “class warfare.” But, it is a repeated theme in the message of the prophets: the measure of a society is how it treats its weakest, most vulnerable members. There is a very real sense in which God has a bias toward the poor — just as God has a bias toward the needy and the helpless and the outcast.

    We need to consider this when we think about our values and our economics. The prophets of the Old Testament are clear — and we should heed it — the nations will be judged by how they treat the poor and the vulnerable.

    Our politics and our views on economics need to be informed by the prophets. We need to hear what they say about fairness and justice, about inequality and equity. We cannot allow politics — and the prevailing political options of the day — to blind us to the values toward which the Bible points us. It’s not about politics in the usual partisan sense — it is about recognizing God’s values. It’s not a partisan issue, folks. It’s just a Christian issue. “If you close your ear to the cry of the poor, you will cry out and not be heard.” (Proverbs 21:13 NRSV).

    (2.) They silenced the voice of the godly (vv. 11, 12): “But you made the nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’”

    They did not worship God and they would not hear the voice of God’s servants. They sought to corrupt them. They sought to silence them. And why would that be? The voice of God’s people is an independent voice — not beholden to the powers that be. The prophets speak from a higher authority. Their voices challenge the culture and they challenge the powerful. Every Nazarite who takes and keeps his vows (see Number 6:1-21) speaks to the world about a higher reality. He says there is a reason to forgo some of the pleasures of life: there is a higher purpose to life. There is a God. That’s why the Nazarites’ vow was so intolerable. It points to God.

    The people had shamed and silenced those that God had raised up. “And I raised up some of your children to be prophets and some of your youths to be nazirites. Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel? says the LORD.” (v. 11). And, why was all of this so especially bad? Because they had been favored by God (vv.9, 10).

    Here Amos refers to the events recorded in the books of Moses: the deliverance from Egypt, the wanderings through the wilderness and the establishment of the nation in the land where Amorites had formerly lived. As I said before, Amos is a radical traditionalist: he takes the shared history of the people and applies it to his own day.

    This assumes that the people already know this story. When were the first copies of the material in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy written down? We will probably never know conclusively. It is natural to suppose that some editing of these writings occurred during the exile of Judah and then, during it’s first establishment back in Palestine. But, the stories certainly pre-date Amos (thought to be the first of the writing prophets). He assumes the people are quite familiar with the story.

    They are a people favored by God. But, they have become greedy and materialistic. They have silenced the voices of the prophets. And, Amos’ message to them is this: You want to see judgement come to the nations for their sins? Then, be prepared for judgement on yourselves!

    “So, I will press you down in your place, just as a cart presses down when it is full of sheaves. Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain their strength, nor shall the mighty save their lives; those who handle the bow shall not stand, and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves, nor shall those who ride horses save their lives; and those who are stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, says the LORD.” (Amos 2:13-16 NRSV).

    It was a difficult message to hear. Everything must have seemed fine. The wealthy were prosperous, and seemingly secure. But, the moral foundations of the nation had corroded — under the influence of materialism and greed. Amos doesn’t need to name an enemy nation. One will come. The kingdom’s fall is just a matter of time.

    It is also a message to all of those who have been favored by God but forget the poor.

    For monthly supporters on Ko-fi: there are sermon presentation files for a message on this passage (number #5 in the series on the prophet Amos) in the shop for free download. They are in PPTX and ODP formats. They contain speaker’s notes, transitions and animations. You are free to edit, or modify these as you wish. Or: you can just use them as a sermon starter. You may download them here: Danger in the Good Times.

    Some of these may have text too small for congregations to read, so be careful about that. (Sometimes I let some of Microsoft’s design suggestions through.) I put another image below, so you can see what I’m talking about.

  • Reflections on Matthew 14:13-21 The Feeding of the Five Thousand

    Reflections on Matthew 14:13-21 The Feeding of the Five Thousand

    I’m just pulling together a few reflections on this story today. I won’t be going through the passage verse by verse. Just a few thoughts especially for preachers, but also for everyone.

    (1.) It’s a narrative: present it in a narrative style. This one of my long standing frustrations with preaching & listening to preachers: how do we make our message more story-like and less essay-like? I have been asked by lay speakers and aspiring preachers: how do you preach on a story? 

    The question should be: how do I preach on something essay-like like the Pauline epistles — where story needs to be supplied by me?

     I actually enjoy reading 19th Century preaching. But, I would never want to preach like that. It’s too dry and logical and formal. It goes on far too long. It’s all propositional. It does not respect human nature. We are still like little children in a way: we want someone to read us a story.

    When God wanted to communicate with us, God inspired the minds of story-tellers. The Bible is one long inter-connected story. Christian faith sees the whole of the Bible as having it’s focus in Jesus Christ. 

    Preach stories. Preach the story of Christ. Make the essay-like portions of the Bible more story-like. Let the story-like passages carry you forward by their own energy. The late evangelist Billy Graham often did this — allowing the story to carry his message.

    Confession: My life-long frustration is learning this, trying to get better at this: learning to let ideas flow because they need some sort of narrative structure to communicate best.

    (2) It’s a story about Jesus. I cringe a bit when the preacher announces this text. That’s because I’m a United Methodist and “mainline” preachers are embarrassed by the miraculous elements in the Bible. So, it seems like the safe route here to turn this into a story about the need for the crowd to share their lunch with each other. One preacher I heard went on to claim that this was the greater miracle, anyway. But, if it hadn’t been for the (felt) need to avoid the miraculous element in the story, this story would never have been turned into the story of everybody-share-your-lunch in the first place! In the attempt to avoid the miraculous, the whole focus of the story is changed. Instead of being a story that focuses on Jesus, this becomes a story about the crowd.

    But, this story only became known and spread in the first place because it pointed to the uniqueness of Jesus in providing nourishment when there (essentially) was none.

    (3) It’s a connected story. Nevertheless, in telling this story the preacher should not just draw out little unconnected life-lessons and move on. Like other messages, thought needs to be given to the main point (and minor points) one wishes to convey. That is because the message needs focus to communicate well.

    (4) The event here was understood to be a miracle. You need to get over any hesitancy you may have about that. You can’t explain a miracle. So, there’s nothing wrong with saying: ‘I don’t know what happened here or how.’ But, here is what we are being told through this story: we place what we have in the hands of Jesus and it becomes enough. Or: something like that. There are plenty of mysterious things in the world. We will never fully understand this one (personally: I  can’t envision this:, what did it look like?). 

    (5) It seems like a good idea to connect this story with the sacrament of holy communion. This story is about grace being conveyed through everyday objects. We are in the habit of making miraculous claims about what God accomplishes in Holy Communion, too. I do not fully understand Christ’s presence in the bread and cup. But, I am thankful for it, and receive it by faith.

    (6) But, nonetheless, it is a story about sharing what you have. So, now I turn around and say a good word for the everybody-shared-their-lunch interpretation. Jesus says to them: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” (verse 16). So, it really is (in part) about the disciples’ willingness to use what they had to provide for the people rather than just send them away (verse 15). We aren’t told anything about additional resources the crowd had.

    For members of my Ko-fi site: I uploaded sermon presentation files for a message on this passage.

    These are in two formats: PowerPoint and Open Document. They can be downloaded from the Ko-fi shop: Here.

  • Sermon Series: Jesus Teaches Prayer

    Sermon Series: Jesus Teaches Prayer

    In the Ko-fi shop there is a series of sermon presentation files for a sermon series of ten messages on prayer, based on the teachings of Jesus. These are free to members.

    You can view the whole series in the shop here: Jesus Teaches Prayer.

    Jesus Teaches Prayer

    #1-Praying for God’s Kingdom Matthew 6:5-15.
    “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

    ​#2-God Gives Good Gifts Matthew 7:7-12

    ” If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

    #3-A House of Prayer Matthew 21:12-13

    “‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’;
     but you are making it a den of robbers.”

    #4-How Do I Talk to God? Luke 11:1-4

    “When you pray, say:….”

    #5-Lord, Teach Us to Pray Luke 11:1-4

    “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 

    #6-How Much More Luke 11:5-13

    “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

    #7-Persistent Praying Luke 18:1-8

    “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.”

    #8-Two Prayers Luke 18:9-14

    “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”  ​

    #9-Wake Up and Pray! Luke 22:39-46

    “Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” 

    #10-The Lord’s Prayer John 17.

    “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

    RANDOM NOTES ON THESE FILES: These contain speaker’s notes which might be helpful — or not. They are only suggestions, to help you get started in thinking about how to develop the ideas on the slides. As always, you are free to use these however you wish. If there is something there you disagree with, BY ALL MEANS CHANGE IT! Don’t preach something you can’t defend during the week. I keep trying to get better at this, and will upload improved or updated files if I feel that is warranted. I am discovering that the ODP files do not always look as good as I wish they did. I am still learning this format. 

    I am (of course) continuing my series on Amos but I have no idea (at this point) how many messages will be in that series. Other files will be going up also.  

  • The Prophecy Comes Home – Amos 2:1-5

    The Prophecy Comes Home – Amos 2:1-5

    Amos continues his prophecies against the nations in this chapter.

    Review: You don’t see what the prophet is doing here until you see that Amos 1-2 is a unit. And, it is carefully structured. Verse 2 pictures the LORD (YHWH) roaring like a lion. Then a series or oracles of judgement follow. Each is for a different nation. They are introduced with this repeated formula:

    עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ פִּשְׁעֵ֣י

    “For three transgressions of _____________,

    עַל־אַרְבָּעָ֖ה לֹ֣א אֲשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ

    and for four, I will not turn back….”

    There is a certain rhetorical power in this repeated formula. But, this whole poetic prophecy is going somewhere. It’s building. It is going to end in an extended prophecy of judgement at the end (in our chapter 2). And, the weight of this prophecy of judgement is going to fall on Israel. In Chapter 1 verses 3-15 Amos mentions: Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and the Ammonites. There is a pattern here. And, it starts to become clearer in this chapter. The prophecies are coming closer to home.

    With Damascus, Gaza, and Tyre we simply have enemies. But, with Edom, and the Ammonites (and then, the Moabites, mentioned in this chapter) we have near-relatives. The Edomites were believed to be descendants of Israel’s brother Esau. And the Ammonites (like the Moabites) were believed to be descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot. So, as Amos moves along here, he is getting closer and closer to his real targets: Judah and Israel.

    So, the list continues:

    (6.) Against: Moab“because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.”

    •    Consequences: “So I will send a fire on Moab, and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth, and Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet; I will cut off the ruler from its midst, and will kill all its officials with him…”

    What is striking here is that their sin is an act of disrespect of the dead. This incident is not mentioned anywhere else in the Old testament history, so we don’t know anything more about it than what is told here.

    (7.) Against: Judah“because they have rejected the law of the LORD, and have not kept his statutes, but they have been led astray by the same lies after which their ancestors walked.”

    •    Consequences: “So I will send a fire on Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

    This is where the prophecy takes a dramatic turn. We can still feel the power of this. Yes, the nations have done wrong. Their conduct in war has been cruel and disrespectful. But, this is as nothing before the sins of the Chosen People.

    I found these remarks in The Wesley Study Bible:

    The atrocities recounted here are recognized by all peoples as crimes against humanity, so the nations are accountable to the Creator, the Lord. Since Judah and Israel have a revelation of God’s righteousness…, their guilt is greater than the nations’. Even Jerusalem, the site of God’s throne… is liable to judgment (2: 5).

    It is worth noting at this point: Amos’ prophecies do not come out of nowhere. They are rooted in the particular history of the people of Israel. He assumes they know the story and they know what the law is. it is not a matter of the prophet simply saying: ‘This is true because I say so.’ He is reminding them of their history and the particular revelation of God that has been given to these particular people. The prophetic tradition assumes and builds upon the Mosaic tradition.

    I realize that there is some uncertainty about the writing and editing of the Old Testament books as we have them in their present form. Certainly the exile and restoration of the nation are shaping influences on the books as we have them. but, the prophets remind us that they are much older than that. Before there could be an Amos calling the people back to faithfulness, there first had to be patriarchs and a law giver.

    Like all true prophets Amos is a radical traditionalist. His word grows out of the words already given by others before him — but he radically applies the inner principles of that tradition to the times in which he lived.

    What was Judah’s sin?

    • They rejected the Law of YHWH.
      They were under blood oath to keep this according to Exodus 24:8. It was part of their covenant with God. But, they had no respect for the Law.
    • They have not kept YHWH’s statutes.
      Of course, this phrase is typical Hebrew parallelism (redundancy), but it reminds us that the statutes of God are not only to be respected — they are to be followed.
    • They turned to Idolatry.
      Most commentators think that’s what the phrase “they have been led astray by the same lies after which their ancestors walked” means. They followed after false gods and false prophets.

    When the truth is uncomfortable, the tendency is to turn to those with an easier message. As Jesus said, of those to whom much has been given, much will be required (Luke 12:48). Those who have received a revelation of God’s will have a responsibility to keep it.

    The question for us is: how is the Church of Jesus Christ doing in keeping the teachings of Christ? Are we quick to condemn others when our own house is not in order?

    Maximus the Confessor (ca. 580-662)

    I am reminded of this quote from Maximus the Confessor:

    Whoever is curious about the sins of others, or judges his brother on suspicion, has not yet laid the beginning of repentance and has not taken care to get to known his own sins, which are truly heavier than a lead weight of many pounds, and does not known why a man who loves vanity and seeks after falsehood becomes slow of heart (cf. Psalm 4:3), and therefore, as a man senseless and roaming in darkness, he, leaving his own sins, dreams of those of others, whether true or imagined on suspicion alone.

    How quick we are to condemn! How slow we are to examine ourselves! But, Amos knew himself to be part of a people who were under the judgement of God — for he was himself a member of the tribe of Judah. But, the real crux of this prophecy is what comes next in verses 6-16. Amos primarily prophesied against the northern kingdom of Israel.

    And to that we turn next….  

    For monthly supporters: there are sermon presentation files for a message on this passage (number #4 in the series on the prophet Amos) in the shop for free download here. They are in PPTX and ODP formats. You are free to edit, or modify these as you wish. Or: you can just use them as sermon starters.

  • The Moral Governor of the Nations – Amos 1:3-15

    The Moral Governor of the Nations – Amos 1:3-15

    The time in which the prophet Amos lived was a time of peace and prosperity. But, the prophet could hear God roaring like a lion — in anger.

    Amos the prophet was certain that there was a God to whom the nations must give account. There was a moral judge of the world. No doubt this was a growing realization among the people of Israel. The God they worshiped was not a localized god — not simply their God, but the God of all the nations. YHWH was the God to whom all the nations were accountable. So, in these verses, the prophet begins with this notion: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will call the nations to accountability.

    (more…)
  • Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23: The Parable of the Sower

    Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23: The Parable of the Sower

    Comments and Sermon Presentation Files.

    (Sermon Presentation files for this passage can be found at: Patreon.)

    It is important to see this parable as part of the larger category of Kingdom Parables, that begin in this chapter. In the Gospel of Matthew, there seems to be a clear turning from the clearer Kingdom teaching of (for example) the Sermon on the Mount to the strategy of teaching by parable.

    These parables are not simple homespun illustrations from everyday life. They are very often startling or absurd stories — given to make a point. We have all become so familiar with them that they no longer startle us. So, preachers need to deliberately look for strange or startling elements to re-connect with them. Jesus may be showing us how different the ways of the Kingdom are to the ways of the world. Look for that. Also: look for the main point of the parable. Some of Jesus’ parables in the Gospels (like this one, actually) do have elements of allegory. But, don’t assume its an allegory.

    So, while the Parable of the Sower does not itself mention the idea of the Kingdom of God, it should be viewed as being one of the parables that have this theme. Anyway, the idea of the Kingdom of God is the main theme of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel of Matthew.

    Some people object to the idea of the “Kingdom of God” because it is archaic, and represents a tyrannical form of government, and because it smacks of patriarchy. This kind of issue is part of the whole task of taking ancient materials from another culture and trying to relate them to our won day and age. It is important to stress the ways God’s Kingdom is different than historic Kingdoms. Jesus took the familiar and gave it new meaning. God is not a tyrant. The Kingdom of God does not more forward by force, but by grace.

    Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐξελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῆς οἰκίας ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν· καὶ συνήχθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλοι πολλοί, ὥστε αὐτὸν εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάντα καθῆσθαι, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν εἱστήκει. — Matthew 13:1, 2 (Nestle-Aland, 28th Revised Edition.)

    “That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.” — Matthew 13:1,2 NRSV.

    Our attention is drawn here to Jesus’ popularity. It was necessary for him to get into the boat to be able to address the whole crowd. The sea served as his PA system.

    Καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς…. — Matthew 13:3a

    “And he told them many things in parables….” — Matthew 13:3a

    John Wesley (1703–1791)
    John Wesley (1703–1791)

    John Wesley remarks:

    This way of speaking, extremely common in the eastern countries, drew and fixed the attention of many, and occasioned the truths delivered to sink the deeper into humble and serious hearers. At the same time, by an awful mixture of justice and mercy, it hid them from the proud and careless. In this chapter our Lord delivers seven parables; directing the four former (as being of general concern) to all the people; the three latter to his disciples.

    These remarks are helpful as long as we remember the surprising or shocking elements Jesus included in his parables. As Wesley says, their goal was both to reveal and to conceal. The word παραβολή suggests a comparison (“a placing one thing by the side of another” — Mounce Greek Dictionary). Preachers who expound this passage can emphasize the contrast between God’s ways and (what are often) human ways.

    …λέγων· ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν. καὶ ἐν τῷ σπείρειν αὐτὸν ἃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἐλθόντα τὰ πετεινὰ κατέφαγεν αὐτά. ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς· ἡλίου δὲ ἀνατείλαντος ἐκαυματίσθη καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν ἐξηράνθη. ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας, καὶ ἀνέβησαν αἱ ἄκανθαι καὶ ἔπνιξαν αὐτά. ἄλλα δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν καὶ ἐδίδου καρπόν, ὃ μὲν ἑκατόν, ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα. ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω. — Matthew 13:3b-9

    “…saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’” — Matthew 13:3b-9 NRSV.

    Seed is valuable to a farmer. No farmer would sow seed on the path, on rocky ground, or among thorns. Ideally, the farmer prepares the soil for the sowing of the seed. But, the Kingdom Christ came to inaugurate is different than that. Christ sows the seed of his message everywhere. See: Matthew 4:17: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” His concern and kindnesses were for everyone. See Matthew 11:4–5: “Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: he blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.’” Similarly, in the book of Acts, Jesus’ ministry is characterized this way: Acts 10:38 “…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

    So, this is the way of the Kingdom of God. We don’t first prepare the soil, we spread the seed wherever we go. We don’t wait for people to become worthy before we do them good. We spread good seed in what appears to be unlikely places.

    Alexander Maclaren comments:

    Dr Alexander McLaren (1826-1910).

    It is folly to sow on the hard footpath, or the rocky ground, or among thorns; but Christ and His servants have to do that, in endless hope that these unreceptive hearts may become good soil. One lesson of the parable is, Scatter the seed everywhere, on the most unlikely places.

    The parable alludes to the reality that many of Jesus’ hearers are not receptive. It’s as if he had said: “I think quite a few of you out there are not ready to receive this message I have to give.”

    Nevertheless, there are some who are receptive — and they prove fruitful, beyond expectation. This is how the Kingdom of Christ advances.

    Ὑμεῖς οὖν ἀκούσατε τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ σπείραντος. παντὸς ἀκούοντος τὸν λόγον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ μὴ συνιέντος ἔρχεται ὁ πονηρὸς καὶ ἁρπάζει τὸ ἐσπαρμένον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν σπαρείς. ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ εὐθὺς μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνων αὐτόν, οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ῥίζαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιρός ἐστιν, γενομένης δὲ θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς σκανδαλίζεται. ὁ δὲ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων, καὶ ἡ μέριμνα τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἡ ἀπάτη τοῦ πλούτου συμπνίγει τὸν λόγον καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται. ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν καλὴν γῆν σπαρείς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν λόγον ἀκούων καὶ συνιείς, ὃς δὴ καρποφορεῖ καὶ ποιεῖ ὃ μὲν ἑκατόν, ὃ δὲ ἑξήκοντα, ὃ δὲ τριάκοντα. — Matthew 13:18-23

    “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” — Matthew 13:18-23 NRSV.

    Here is the official explanation, where Jesus explains the allegorical elements of the parable: what is the intended meaning of the various “soils” in the story.

    The message is essentially life-transforming if one hears it and understands it. It is transforming in and of itself. But, various conditions render the word ineffective. Jesus here is implying that the crowd he is addressing is not heeding the message. Maybe they have too much going on in their lives. Maybe they don’t allow the word to take root.

    In and of itself the Kingdom teaching is transformative. Faith allows it to be transformative in the individual’s life. And, when the word takes root, the results are extraordinary: “in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” The older commentaries were very concerned to show how such a harvest was credible — but, that’s because they were still seeing the parables as “simple illustrations from everyday life” — and not the surprising stories about the way of God’s Kingdom.

    So relate this back to both (1.) Jesus’ call to repentance in light of the coming of God’s Kingdom (Matthew 4:17), and (2.) Jesus’ instruction on the way of the Kingdom (Matthew 5-7). The preachers role here is to make the obscurity of the parable plain for the hearer.

    This is a good basis for an evangelistic message: Hear and Heed God’s Message through Christ — it will change your life!

    A FREE GIFT FOR PREACHERS:

    Head over to my (temporary, I think) Patreon page to find a Presentation file for preaching on this passage. It is available in both Power Point (.pptx) or Open Document (.odp) formats. You will find this same article — scroll to the bottom and download the file you wish to use.

  • Remembrance Inspires Praise – Psalm 135:13-21

    Remembrance Inspires Praise – Psalm 135:13-21

    Psalm 135 is essentially a Psalm of praise. We are called into praise from the very opening “Hallelujah” (praise Yah).

    It is a song of worship and it calls us into an attitude of worship. As Adam Clarke says: “It is an exhortation addressed to the priests and Levites, and to all Israel, to publish the praises of the Lord.”

    The opening verses are an exhortation to worship. Verses 3-5, and 6, 7 extol God’s greatness. Verses 8-12 remind the people of Israel of God’s saving acts in their history: their deliverance from Egypt and the defeat of legendary kings. Then, they are called again to praise.

    Remembrance has a significance for our faith. It is good to recount for ourselves the answered prayers we have experienced — and the unexpected blessing of God on our lives. The Bible is a book of remembrance: recounting the deeds of the Lord God in times past, as a way of illuminating our lives in the present. We know God through what God has done. For Christians, it is the story of Jesus — before any other — that calls forth our praise. And, so it is that in this psalm, the remembrance of God’s deliverance in the past, calls forth praise.

    (more…)
  • A Hunger for Worship – Psalm 135:1-4

    A Hunger for Worship – Psalm 135:1-4

    I remember the morning (many years ago) when Psalm 135 became memorable to me. I started reading and meditating on this psalm on a stormy morning. There was a thunderstorm raging outside. And, I slowly read these lines: “He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.” (v.7 NRSV) So, now, when I read this again, I am reminded of that morning.

    But, for now, let’s begin at the beginning. Notice how it starts.

    (more…)