A special people

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers reading here! 

 Jacob and Esau - Fresco painting by Raphael, 1518-1519

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Obadiah 1; Psalm 128

TO CHEW ON: "For violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever." Obadiah 1:10

Do we have brothers and/or sisters with whom we quarrel? Arguments and quarrels between siblings are common. Bible brothers and sisters had their differences too.

Take Jacob and Esau. Though they were twins, they were always competing against each other. Jacob tricked Esau into giving him the birthright (the inheritance that belonged to Esau as the oldest). Then he tricked Isaac, their father, into blessing him instead of Esau. This made Esau so angry, he threatened to kill Jacob. So Jacob left home.

Over the years the descendants of Esau became the nation of Edom. Jacob’s descendants became Israel. But there was no more love between the nations of Edom and Israel than there had been between their great-great-great-... grandfathers.

When Nebuchaednezzar destroyed and looted Judah, he was joined by soldiers from Edom. It is after this event that Obadiah prophesies.  In this short book (the shortest in the Old Testament) he speaks to the Jewish people mourning over the deaths of their family members and friends and the destruction of their beloved Jerusalem

His message condemns Edom for their treatment of their 'brothers.' He lists their treacheries against the Israelites in Obadiah 11-14. He scolds them for their pride. He tells Edom that though they think their strong cities can’t be conquered, because they have mistreated the Jews they will be defeated and disappear as a nation. And this happened. After 70 A.D. there is no more mention of Edom anywhere in history.

Still today the Jews have a special place in God’s heart (Deuteronomy 26:18,19). They are the people through whom God chose to bring His Son Jesus to earth. God has promised to raise them up as a strong nation again (Deuteronomy 30:3). God promises to bless those that bless and help the Jews (Genesis 12:3).

Though we may not understand or agree with everything that modern Israel does, God’s feelings about Israel haven’t changed. This nation is still His treasured possession. It is a nation Christians everywhere love and pray for.

PRAYER: Dear God, please bless the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY:  Psalm 128

The Bible Project VIDEO: Obadiah (Read Scripture Series)





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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cursed by ourselves

Balak and Balaam - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Numbers 22-24; Psalm 47

TO CHEW ON: " ' He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
Blessed is he who blesses you,
And cursed is he who curses you.' " Numbers 24:9

Today we read the prophet Balaam's three pronouncements over Israel. Though Balak, king of Moab hired him to curse that nation, divine intervention kept him from delivering any kind of hex. Instead God put only blessings in his mouth. He saw Jacob as numerous as the dust of earth (Numbers 23:7-10), Israel as a mighty lion (Numbers 23:18-24), and he finally pronounced over Israel a blessing as fruitful and ascendant nation (Numbers 24:3-9). His final oracle spoken to Balak (Numbers 24:14-24) even contained a messianic element as he predicted a future leader appearing as a star in the sky (Numbers 24:17).

One Bible commenter says about the Balaam-Balak incident:

"There should be no problem in relating this unit to Numbers. For one thing, the prophecies of Balaam affirmed that God's unequivocal commitment to his people will continue well into the future. … Nothing or no one is able to hinder God from doing that. An omnipotent God and not a human manipulator is the determiner of history" - Asbury Bible Commentary (accessed through this passage's "Study This" link on biblegateway.com - emphasis added).

But we know the preceding and following instalments of Israel's story—how checkered it was. Previously we read the story of a mass rebellion where Moses and Aaron's leadership was challenged by Dathan, Abiram, Korah and 250 of Israel's leaders (Numbers 16). A challenge to Aaron's leadership resulted in his rod budding supernaturally (Numbers 17). The people's complaints and grumbling provoked Moses to strike the rock instead of speak to it as God had told him to (Numbers 20). Poisonous snakes came into the camp as a result of their grumbling (Numbers 21). The chapter following the Balaam-Balak incident is titled "Israel's harlotry in Moab" (Numbers 25).

Our Bible commenter makes a wise observation:

" … the (Balaam-Balak) narrative functions as a condemnation of God's people, at least indirectly. The donkey does God's will. Balaam, albeit unintentionally does God's will. But what of Israel? … Israel's real enemy is Israel. God can change a hireling's words of curse into blessing but he cannot change a community's words of backbiting, criticism, and faultfinding into doxology. God's people need not fear the hex of a religious magician or the threats and taunts of a Moabite king. But whenever they degenerate into a community ruled by a quarrelsome, self-serving and envious spirit, there is cause for grave concern. Unholiness, not magic, is Israel's undoing" - Asbury Bible Commentary (emphasis added).

Might this not be equally true of us in the church? We are right to be concerned about the threats to the church's existence from the outside. Our secular critics would love to shut us down because of our stand on issues like abortion, changes to the definition of marriage, sexual orientation and identity, and euthanasia. But I'm wondering if the biggest threat to the church is not these outer pressures at all but disunity and sin tolerated within. The biggest threat to the church might be the church.

Let's search our hearts, as individuals and as a body, and stamp out these embers of quarreling, selfishness, envy, immorality etc.—sparks that have the ability to ignite and destroy the church body from within.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to see myself and my sinful attitudes and tendencies through Your eyes. Help me to make choices for holiness so I will be an asset, not a liability to my local church and Your kingdom. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 47

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Hope for quitters

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 15:36-41

TO CHEW ON: “Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.” Acts 15:37,38

A disagreement over taking John Mark with them (Paul and Barnabas) on Paul’s second trip resulted in a split. Paul went with Silas to Syria and Cilicia while Barnabas and his cousin John Mark sailed to Cyprus.

We might view this as a blot on the church’s history. It’s what so easily happens when leaders have different styles and they clash. Barnabas’s style was encouragement. He had launched Paul himself into ministry. Paul seems to have been more idealistic (You never quit) and practical (We don’t want quitters on this trip!).

But it seems that it all worked out for the good. Though Barnabas is never again mentioned in Acts, Paul’s letters speak of John Mark as a co-worker, testimony to the wisdom of giving him this second chance (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 1:24). In addition, John Mark went on to write the Gospel of Mark (scholars date its writing sometime after the deaths of Peter and Paul—65-70 A.D.).

My Bible’s introductory notes to Mark’s Gospel make this observation about the book:

“Mark’s Gospel teaches that the life of discipleship means following Jesus along the same path of misunderstanding and rejection that He encountered. For followers of Jesus in all ages the warning and promise are sure: ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it’ - Mark 8:34,35)” - J. Lyle Story, Introduction to Mark, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1347 (emphasis added).

Perhaps Mark’s emphasis on Jesus’ self-denial message was birthed by his disappointment in himself when he refused to deny himself and quit. Sometimes our most positive life lessons begin with a negative experience.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for using even the bad things on our resumés by redeeming them for good (Romans 8:28). Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Church disputes

Image: Pixabay.com

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Timothy 2:14-26

TO CHEW ON: “But avoid foolish and ignorant dispute, knowing that they generate strife.” 2 Timothy 2:23


At a recent seniors’ retreat in our church the topic of music style came up. During a Q&A session our lead pastor listened to complaints (drums too loud, too much repetition of lyrics, rock band style, use of lighting) and patiently explained the leadership's rationale for the style of music, that he heard us, but that it wouldn’t be changing any time soon.

I came away from the meeting feeling good, and bad. Good because people (we) had had our say and the matter had come out into the open. But bad because I sensed the discontent could easily fester on.

Whenever disunity pops up in our local assembly I am disturbed in my spirit… especially when I feel strongly about one side. However, I can’t help but think of the Israelites and the trouble they got themselves into when they grumbled against Moses during their wilderness years. Being part of a dispute is serious business.

Paul here describes these disputes as “foolish and ignorant.”

“Foolish” I suppose, because in the scheme of things, the matters we’re disputing are often trivial. (I put the style of church music into that category.)

“Ignorant” because there are often things the complainers don’t realize about the issue; angles they haven’t considered.

So what are we to do about things in our churches that bother us? Some things that come to mind:

1. Pray about them.

2. Talk to the people who have the authority to do something about the issue (probably the pastor if it’s in a church setting), explaining concerns and listening to explanations.

3. Stop yourself from dwelling on your discontent. Instead, praise God for leaders who are sensitive to God's direction. Relinquish the matter to God and trust Him to work it out in His way.

4. Stop discussing the issue with others, listening to their complaints, and so feeding the fire and generating strife.

5. Continue to pray—for wisdom for leadership, a good attitude in yourself, and unity in the body.


PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to avoid disputes and not be a strife generator. Amen.


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Church strife

Cartoon by Ron Wheeler

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1Corinthians 1:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." 1 Corinthians 1:10

I got baptized at age 14 and joined our local church at that time. I'll never forget one of the first membership-only meetings I attended. Though I have forgotten what was under discussion, I remember the heated words, the tone of defensiveness even anger as different members championed their side of the cause. I was shocked. Here were people I looked up to and liked, arguing with each other and saying things I never thought I'd hear coming from their staid mouths. It was an early eye-opener into the possibilities of strife in the church.

Paul addresses that topic in our reading. He begs for the Corinthians to be united (1 Corinthians 1:10) and describes their disunity:

• There were divisions - 1 Corinthians 1:10.

• They were not of the same mind - 1 Corinthians 1:10.

• There were contentions (quarrels) 1 Corinthians 1:11.

• There was arguing over who was the best leader, people picking favorites and splitting along those lines - 1 Corinthians 1:12.

• Further on in the book Paul mentions a law case. Church members were taking each other to secular court thus making a mockery before the world of the unity the church was supposed to represent - 1 Corinthians 6:6.

• Paul, in referring to this disunity lumps what he sees under the label carnal - 1 Corinthians 3:3.

• He describes disunity in even greater detail in 2 Corinthians when he lists the attitudes he hopes he won't find but fears he will when he visits them: "…contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults" - 2 Corinthians 12:20.

Any church is susceptible to these things. So what is the fix? Jesus gives it in John 17 when He prays for the unity of His followers:

" 'I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one as You, Father are in Me and I in You; that they also may be one in Us …. I in them and You in Me that they may be made perfect in one…' " - John 17:20,21,23.

According to Jesus, the secret to unity is for each of us to be in union with Him first. Paul elaborates on this, picturing the church as a body with Jesus as its head (and we know the functions of the head, how it is the brain and the control center for all body functions) - Colossians 1:18; 2:19.

Of course we also know from experience that preserving such unity in the church will take understanding and work and grace as we deal with the reality of our differences. Paul again:

"Don’t be proud at all. Be completely gentle. Be patient. Put up with one another in love. The Holy Spirit makes you one in every way. So try your best to remain as one. Let peace keep you together. There is one body and one Spirit. You were appointed to one hope when you were chosen" - Ephesians 4:2-4 (NIRV).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me to live in unity with the members of my local church body, staying united with You and exercising humility, gentleness, patience, and love as I interact with my brothers and sisters. Amen.


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Scripture passages marked NIRV are taken from the New International Reader's Version, copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.