Mustard Seeds Are Small, But They Grow Big

Today’s Reading: Genesis 14; Matthew 13; Nehemiah 3; Acts 13

Genesis 14:18–20
* Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness,” is also king of Salem, meaning “peace.” He is a mysterious priest of God Most High (’El ’Elyon), who shows his superiority to Abram by blessing him and receiving offering. He becomes a model for future kings of Jerusalem and points ultimately to Christ (see Psa 110:4; Heb 5:6).

Matthew 13:31–33
* Jesus spends a lot of time giving metaphorical pictures of the Kingdom. The point of the mustard seed (as kingdom or as faith) is not that it is small, but that it grows.

Nehemiah 3:1
* The entire of chapter 3 is a testament to the unity of the faithful in rebuilding the wall. The whole community responds to Nehemiah’s call.

Acts 13:47–48
* Acts 13 represents the decisive shift in the mission of the early church. At the beginning of the chapter, the Spirit singles out Saul and Barnabas for the first missionary journey. The apostolic council in Jerusalem, which would officially finalize the church’s stand concerning Gentiles and freedom from the ceremonial law, will not convene until Acts 15. Therefore, the mission is not the result of any council’s decision but, rather, the Spirit’s doing.

Jesus Never Refused Worship

Today’s Reading: Genesis 13; Matthew 12; Nehemiah 2; Acts 12

Genesis 13:11–13
* Lot chose by sight. Abraham chose by faith. Just a thought.

Matthew 12:6–8
* Much of chapter 12 is about how Jesus is greater than everything else that is considered great.

Nehemiah 2:4–5
* Nehemiah prays and trusts in God, but he still speaks with respect to the king. Faith and wisdom, I’d say.

Acts 12:22-23
* In chapter 10, Peter quickly corrected Cornelius for offering worship, and he is miraculously released from prison. Here, Herod accepts worship as a god, and so he dies. Incidentally, Jesus never refused worship…

Stop Working For Salvation

Today’s Reading: Genesis 12; Matthew 11; Nehemiah 1; Acts 11

Genesis 12:1–3
* In verse 3 we find an underlying principle for the rest of the Old Testament; the blessing of the Messiah will come from Abraham’s descendants.

Matthew 11:28–30
* Ironically, true spiritual rest comes when we stop working for salvation and “carry” Jesus’ yoke instead, which is light.

Nehemiah 1:3–4
* The returned exiles have built the Temple, but it is unprotected. If Ezra was about building the Temple, Nehemiah is about building the wall.

Acts 11:17–18
* Peter reports on why he associated with the uncircumcised. Now, we can understand fully the significance of the way the Holy Spirit showed himself in the Gentiles. Their “repentance that leads to life” is undeniable by those who criticize Peter.

One Reason to Mourn, Two to Rejoice

Today’s Reading: NEHEMIAH 8:2–12

I was struck by the general image of this passage: Ezra standing on a platform and reading the Scriptures in front of all the people, while other teachers circulate and make sure all the people understand.
* This whole scene reminds me of a variety of cross-references, from the giving of the Law by Moses to the rediscovery of the Law by Josiah to the public reading of the Scriptures mentioned in the New Testament.
* Especially, verse 8 seems to apply directly to the practices of community worship, preaching, and discipleship, even perhaps to the area of translation.

After I got over those first impressions of this scene, I had two questions:
* First, why did the people mourn when they heard the Law?
* Second, why were they commanded to rejoice instead?

Both questions are actually closely related; the reason for both is in the people’s understanding.
* The people are shaken up and driven to tears because they are hearing God’s Word and understanding—which necessarily means that they know how far short of God’s standard they’ve fallen.
* So, it is because they understand that they mourn.
* And it is good for them to understand. And it is right for them to respond with broken hearts and tears.

But Ezra commands them to rejoice instead. Why?
* Well, he says that the day is holy to the LORD, and that the joy of the LORD is their strength (8:9).
* In order to celebrate a day set apart and dedicated to the LORD, the people must also somehow be set apart.
* So, they celebrate in the understanding that they have been set apart by God (evidenced by their return from captivity and now by their receiving of God’s Law).

But their being set apart is made clear because they have understood the Word of God enough to respond in the first place.
* You see, if they did not respond with weeping, Ezra wouldn’t have known that they had understood, and he wouldn’t have been able to command them to rejoice.
* So, their understanding is reason for mourning, which in turn is reason for rejoicing, because it shows they have been set apart.

Put another way: conviction of sin is reason to mourn, but sincere mourning over sin is reason to celebrate.

Prayer and Responsibility

Today’s Reading: NEHEMIAH 4:6–9, 16–18a; 6:15–16

Nehemiah 4:9 is a subtly profound statement about the relationship between a prayer of faith in God’s sovereignty and the responsibility of the pray-er.
* What I mean is this: the people building the wall pray for protection by God, but they don’t then say, “God will protect us, so we don’t need to be prepared to defend ourselves.”
* Instead, they set a guard, and they devote half of the workforce to defense. Even the construction workers are armed and prepared to fight.

This is not a lack of faith in God’s ability to protect them!
* In fact, it’s the opposite: they are prepared to fight because they trust that God will answer their prayer.
* Just because they have asked God to do something doesn’t mean that he will answer that prayer with a miraculous sign.

Rather, the people expect that God will use means, and those means might involve their own hands.
* After all, if they fight, they fight with the strength that he has provided, and with the wisdom and skill he has provided.
* Notice the conclusion, once the wall is completed, is that God has been their source of protection after all (6:16).

Incidentally, this same principle would apply if we were to ask God to give us discernment in an important decision.
* It would, indeed, be strange to pray for wisdom or insight, and then stop looking at the information related to our decision.
* If we actually want wisdom, we must continue to study the details in order to have something to apply our wisdom to.
* Many people ask God for help in this way, and really what they are asking for is some kind of miraculous answer. God hasn’t promised that, but he has promised he will give wisdom (James 1:5).

I could go on.
* How about trusting God for protection and wearing seat belts, or asking God to reveal himself and reading the Bible, or even praying for health and eating well, exercising, or taking medicine?
* Whatever we pray for, may we trust in God’s timely and sufficient answer, even if we are the means he uses to answer.

Sin Leaves a City Defenseless

Today’s Reading: NEHEMIAH 1:1–9

The last few readings have concerned the events following the return from captivity.
* The focus of the first 6 chapters of Ezra is the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.
* The latter half of the book deals with how Ezra leads the people through a series of reforms in order to rid the the community of foreign gods and influences.

Nehemiah is the sequel to Ezra, and it follows the same pattern.
* The first 6 chapters focus on rebuilding again, but not the Temple in this case, rather the wall that protects Jerusalem and the Temple.
* The latter half of Nehemiah recounts further reforms, in order for the community to return and keep their covenant with the LORD.

The exile to Babylon has been God’s means of disciplining his people for their persistent sin and idolatry.
* So, it makes good sense that Ezra and Nehemiah would take seriously the presence of sin in the community, right?
* And in this case, Nehemiah sees a relationship between the sins of the people and their being left defenseless to attack.
* His response is to weep, mourn, fast, and pray (1:4).

This seems to be a pattern: People who are set free from bondage by the power of God tend to return to sin.
* I’m reminded of the Exodus, a miraculous liberation from slavery, followed so closely by grumbling and a golden calf.
* And just as quickly, I’m reminded that the representation of sinful nature in the Scriptures is a picture of my own heart.

I have been set free, but I easily return to the very sins I’ve escaped from.
* I am the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, but I pretend that I have no role in “building the Temple.”
* I ignore the relationship between my sin and my defenselessness.

And what’s worse? It doesn’t bother me.

Consider this analogy.
* Like a captive in Babylon, when I was in slavery to sin, the chains of sin held on to me.
* Having been set free by Christ, now, when I continue to sin, I am holding on to the chains.