QT 28 Feb 17, Matt 1:16, The invisible hand that is sovereign

Matthew 1:16 (ESV) — 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

NOTE: The structure of the genealogy changes with the verse. Instead of saying "Joseph the father of Jesus," it adds Mary and then says "of whom Jesus was born." So legally, Jesus is descended from David on both Joseph (legally) and Mary (physically) side. Mary's genealogy to Jesus is recorded in the Gospel of Luke. It does not follow the kings, but follows David with Nathan, and other non-royal sons of David. Joseph's genealogy ends with the last recognized king of Israel, Zerubbabel. This is an important fulfillment of prophecy, and is why the gospel of Matthew, written for the Jew, records the fact. We can have confidence in God's sovereign control, that in spite of sinful man, he still brings together his will some way.

QT 27 Feb 17, Matt 1:17, Babylon still separates people from God today

Matthew 1:17 (ESV) —

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

NOTE: So there is no way to get from 1407, the fall of Jericho, to the birth of David (1040), with only five generations, Salmon (and Rahab), the Father of Boaz (and Ruth), the Father of Obed, the Father of Jesse, the Father of David. I've worked out a number of options (very old births) and there is just too long a period. So, most likely Boaz is the son of Salmon and Rahab only in the sense of his seed. There must have been intervening generations. The use of fourteen is a not uncommon memory aid for the Jew. It does not make anything untrue, it just makes it easier to remember. Generations are skipped for brevity sake.

What is interesting is the dividing lines: Abraham to David, David to Babylon, and Babylon to the coming of Christ. Babylon separates the history of Israel in regard to the coming of Christ. Babylon, in its worldview (Rev 17 is the metaphorical Babylon and its worldview, Rev 18 is the physical Babylon), still separates people from Jesus Christ even today. The world and its vices pull us away from godliness and truth. It substitutes a truth that appears more interesting and even more believable to the unlearned and blind. Babylon, Babylon, you have done so much damage to people through the centuries. When will your rule end?

QT 23 Feb 17, Ruth 4:13-17, Seeing God through the mess called life

Ruth 4:13–17 (ESV) —

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

NOTE: Obed did restore Naomi, who was left with almost nothing after the years in Moab. She returns and once again holds a baby in her arms. Her daughter-in-law loved her and her son-in-law provided for her. The name "Obed" means servant, and while he served to restore Naomi, even more importantly he is a servant of God. Constable writes as to the purpose of the story of Ruth: "to show that the reign of David resulted from neither his shrewd politics nor his clever tactics but from the divine preservation of his worthy family line." (Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Ru 4:13). Galaxie Software.) With God's foreknowledge, God is divinely working things, within our free will, to achieve his purpose. God does not control the actions of the sinner, but God in his infinite wisdom can bring to pass his purpose no matter what choices men make. So, it is today. Nothing is unknown from God. He is bringing about his purpose. We need to trust. It will not look like God is at work, because we have to look through the actions of sinful man, but he is working.

QT 22 Feb 17, Eph 2:10, My life as a poem started by God

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) — 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

NOTE: The Greek word for workmanship is poiema, which is where we get our word poem. The word is translated work of art, handiwork, masterpiece, etc. God has begun a poem in each of our lives. It is beautiful. It is a life saved by grace and transformed by love. We get to write in the poem as well by our good works and our walk of faith. This reminds me of another poem: "You are writing a gospel each day, by the things that you do, and the words that you say.  Men read what you write, distorted or true.  What is the gospel according to you? (Author unknown)" What am I doing with the poem that God has started with my life? Will it make a difference in the people around me? Or will I be like the man who took his talent and hid it in the ground? We are here to make a difference, otherwise we don't need to be here.

QT 21 Feb 17, Eph 2:1-3, We were the rebels, all of us

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV) —

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

NOTE: I am not sure we appreciate our former standing. We were dead, not physically, but spiritually. No one is born a Christian. All of us followed the prince of the power of the air, Satan. All of us lived for our passions. All of us were opposed to God's rule. All of us were condemned to physical death, children of wrath. We were not good people who just needed a little direction and help--that idea is pelagianism. We need to understand our total helplessness to truly grasp our unbelievable salvation. We need to understand the depth of our sin and hopelessness, in order to truly appreciate the heights of our salvation and our hope. As long as we see ourselves as good people, in some sly way deserving life, we will be categorically wrong about salvation. Paul recognized his sinfulness. He calls himself the least of the apostles, later in life he calls himself the least of the saints, and near death he writes to Timothy that he was worse of all sinners (my Pastor noted this in a recent sermon). But he never gave up, he fought sin until he died -- "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race." We need to recognize our rebellion in order to appreciate our salvation.

QT 20 Feb 17, Ruth 3:8-12, Be prudent, do right, and wait on Go

Ruth 3:8–12 (ESV) —

8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. 12 And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.

NOTE: Boaz is surprised not just by her proximity but by her request. The phrase "spread your wings over your servant" is a Jewish idiom for marriage. Ruth initiates it, surprising Boaz since he assumed she would want to marry a younger man. But Boaz is also a man who obeys the law, and there is technically a nearer relative who could redeem Mahlon's land and marry Mahlon's widow. The very fact that Boaz knew that suggests that he had already thought through the issue should it come to past. Only when Ruth initiates the offer, does he take action to see it through. Boaz does the right thing according to the law. He is prudent and he is honest. He leaves it to God. This is a good reminder for me as I sit in a position where I have a decision before me. I must be prudent, and do the right thing, and ultimately trust God for the final answer.

QT 16 Feb 17, Ruth 2:5-12, Don't be too quick to flee hardship

Ruth 2:5–12 (ESV) —

5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”

NOTE: The law required those reaping fields to leave the gleanings (leftovers) on the ground for the poor. I suppose this is a biblical example of workfare as opposed to welfare -- you could get food for free if you were willing to work all day picking up the leftovers from the harvest. In that way, the poor receive dignity and not handouts, because they worked for their food. The rich, or those who own fields were required to allow the poor to glean, and so they contributed to helping the poor. But in this case, Boaz goes farther. He protects Ruth and he also lets her, like a maidservant, use the water he gave to his servants. He did this out of appreciation for both her care for Naomi and her faith in God. This is where the story takes a 180 degree turn. Before, Elimelech left the land, probably in wealth, because of a famine, and suffered terrible loss. Now, Naomi returns to the land, destitute, and is blessed with food. Unlike the new covenant, the old covenant did promise physical blessings for obedience, whereas the new covenant promises spiritual and future eternal blessings for obedience. Naomi's return to the land results in physical blessings because of her obedience. Her husband was too quick to run, not relying upon God during the hard times. But God uses all things for his good, even bad decisions by our leaders.

QT 15 Feb 17, Ruth 1:16-18, The effect of Naomi's faith

Ruth 1:16–18 (ESV) —

16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

NOTE: This is Ruth's classic confession of faith. It is both a commitment to Naomi, and a commitment to God. I'm convinced that Ruth made her original confession of faith before she married. She renews her faith statement here. And it is much more than a commitment, it is a surrender. She is surrendering to God--she will die before she will change her oath. God now owns her life completely. She is not trying to be a believer, she is a believer who has surrendered everything (her home, her people, her nation, her friends) to follow Naomi to the land of promise. Elimelech probably should have never left the land, but Naomi did the right thing by supporting her husband. Naomi suffered greatly for Elimelech's lack of faith, but she walks out with spiritual fruit, a daughter surrendered in faith to God. Little does she realize how her sad story would form the backdrop for Israel's greatest human king, David. That story will unfold well after her death, but her faith was key in establishing the dominoes that would soon fall. Sometimes the story of our life is not finished being written until well after our earthly life ends.

QT 14 Feb 17, Ruth 1:11-13, God can use our pain for his good

Ruth 1:11–13 (ESV) —

11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”

NOTE: Is Naomi bitter? Is she blaming God for her plight? Or is she acknowledging God's sovereignty and the pain that she is experiencing? If the latter, I would argue that response is the healthiest and most honest. She knows he is in charge. She also knows that God is still working. God uses her pain to drive her back to the land and to her family. God also uses her circumstances to bless Boaz, and to bless Ruth, a new convert to faith. I am convinced, if only by Ruth's response, that Naomi is not a bitter woman. That type of woman (or man) is no pleasure to follow or to live near. I think there is something different that cause both daughters to follow her at first, and for Ruth to cling to her even when told to go home. Naomi is a redeemed woman, who is in pain, but also recognizes that God is using her pain to bring good to her life. How do we respond to pain? It may not be from God, but his promise is that he can use it to bring good in a believer's life (Rom 8:28).

QT 13 Feb 17, Ruth 1:1-5, Naomi, a story of unimaginable heartache

Ruth 1:1–5 (ESV) —

1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

NOTE: These were written during a period of Judges that was characterized by "everyone did as he pleased." Bethlehem itself had at least two Levites living in a town that was not characterized as a Levitical town (according to Judges). Elimelech leaves the land because of famine. His name means "God is King." His children marry foreigners, although they may have converted prior to the marriage. He dies, and then his two sons dies. His wife remains with two daughter-in-law's. Who is the most impacted? The daughters are young and can marry again. But Naomi has left her land, has left her people, has lost her husband, and has lost both of her children. The story is as much about Naomi as it is about Ruth. How many people have suffered as much as Naomi? Everything that was important in life is gone. And in a time, when physical blessing was related to spiritual blessing, Naomi looks like the loser in life. How do we respond when life is bitter beyond measure? How does Naomi respond? And why does Ruth follow a woman whose God has destroyed everything that gives life meaning? I suppose that is the rest of the story.

QT 9 Feb 17, Judg 10:10-16, It hurts God to see us hurting ourselves with our sin

Judges 10:10–16 (ESV) — 10 And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15 And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.

NOTE: The people of Israel had done much worse than just served the Baals, the earlier passage makes it quite clear they were worshipping gods of many of the surrounding nations. Did they really think they could deceive God? Do they even have a proper concept of the God of the universe? And why do they continually (and only) cry out to God when in distress? Is God only the God of the safety blanket? God answers them with a resounding "NO." God tells them to cry out to their idols. But they know that their idols aren't the answer--why or how do they know that since they continually turn back to them? Is it something about the world's culture and the idolatry that while we know it is not the true answer, we prefer it over obedience to God? Do we love our sin so much? They do get rid of all of their foreign gods and begin to serve God. The passage says that God became impatient over the misery of Israel. I'm sure the Hebrew word, qatsar, which means "be short," is difficult to translate when applied to God. It is an emotional response that is combined with perfect logic and perfect foresight. It hurts God to see his children suffer even when it is their own fault. Like a parent, he knows we need to learn a lesson, but he desires also to show mercy. The word is also translated "was grieved; could no longer bear; could no longer endure" in other versions. God loves us with a deep emotional love and it hurts him to watch us hurt ourselves. And yet, real change cannot happen unless it is deep within us, and sometimes pain is the only way to get a hold of our senses to make the changes that are required. God, thank you for your love, mercy, and wisdom. Keep my eyes alert to my sin. I do not wish to learn things the hard way.

QT 8 Feb 17, Judg 10:6-9, Our real problem is spiritual not political

Judges 10:6–9 (ESV) —

6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

NOTE: This seems a worthwhile but obscure point. Previously with Gideon, the problem was the Baals the Ashtaroth. Now, the list has grown exponentially, apparently, unless the two gods mentioned are the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. But we know from the story of Samuel, that the god of the Philistines was Dagon (or something like that), and so the author is making a point--the worship of false gods and idols is increasing in the land. The other thing that is increasing is the language, "… forsook the Lord and DID (emphasis mine) not serve him." Also, "… they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel … Israel was severely distressed." God's discipline of his people increases as the people pursue more and more outright sin. And one can argue, that the discipline is mercy, because the worship of false gods and the assimilation of the culture will only destroy the fabric of life. It is happening now in our own land. Our worship of false gods has blinded us to the moral depravity of our lives and the increasing failure of our solutions to life's problems. We believe in political solutions in the moral equivalent of evil and good, but our real problem is spiritual. Oh, what a hopeless people we are! Gracious Father, wake us up to our real issues of sin and not politics.

QT 7 Feb 17, Judg 9:55-57, We need to spiritual change more than government change

Judges 9:55–57 (ESV) —

55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home. 56 Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. 57 And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

NOTE: This very long story highlights the evil that Israel was plunging into. Abimelech uses his father's name, Gideon, to establish a kingship in Israel. He kills 70 brothers in order to achieve his goal. The period is an ugly time of greed, violence, and deceit, with almost no mention of God or his laws. It ultimately comes to an ugly end. Abimelech's attempt to establish a royal house is driven by pride and the lust of the eyes. God will set up a kingship (in another 100 plus years), partly in response to the failures in Judges, but also as a means of providing spiritual focus for the people, which is the real need right now. People need spiritual examples, not puffed up heads if we are to see spiritual change. Our country may see some real change in the months and years ahead because of good decisions, but we won't see spiritual change as a result of our new government (maybe Pence). Spiritual change has to start with us, and is apolitical, although lately the enemy is attacking government on an anti-Christian rhetoric. The enemy wants to obscure the message. We need to live loving, caring, serving lifestyles despite the rhetoric thrown at us. We know the truth and we have a future inheritance. We need to stand up for biblical truth, so that we might save our co-workers, friends, and neighbors.

QT 6 Feb 17, Judg 8:33-35, God repeats something for a reason! Especially when it is constantly repeated.

Judges 8:33–35 (ESV) — 33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34 And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, 35 and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.

NOTE: Why does God beat a dead horse? By that I mean, why does God continue to make the same point over and over again? Someone recently asked me that question, although it was asked a little differently, but it is the same question. While I might regularly make mistakes in communication, God does not. And when God repeats something, it is not because he forgot or that he is developing dementia, or he is beating a dead horse--there is purpose in God's repetition. Once again, the land had peace, the people did not remember God (Or Gideon) and the people fall back into the pattern of sin all over again, the sin of the culture and the peoples whom they lived around. There is something important that needs to be beaten into our heads. We will continue to follow the same pattern unless we break the cycle. The placer to break the cycle is to not forget, to remember God. One cannot remember a person unless one is regularly meeting with that person, at least at a deep level, which is the level required to walk in obedience to God. The absolute most important thing we can do is to meet with God every day to maintain our walk and to keep from forgetting God. That's the start. The next step is to start saying no to the culture and the people who pulls us away from God. We are witnesses to the world, not clones of our sinful culture.

QT 2 Feb 2017, Judg 7:6-8, Our fear of the culture causes us to compromise

Judges 7:6–8 (ESV) —

6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

NOTE: The typical way to view this is that God used this test to get the very best warriors. There were 135,000 Midianites, I don't think how they drank water made any difference. No, this story is not about picking the best, but it is about courage, courage to stand up to enemies that seem far beyond our strength to resist. The odds were 450 to 1 against Israel. Gideon was found hiding in a wine press threshing wheat. Gideon destroyed the idols in the middle of  the night. Gideon tested God two times before agreeing to obey. Gideon's problem was fear. And that is our problem too. Our enemies seem too great. The culture seems too strong. We've failed far too long to change now. Whatever the argument, it is based on fear. God calls us to be obedient to Him, not to the world. Who are we going to obey? It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

QT 1 Feb 17, Judg 6:29-7:2, God uses our needs to refine his plan

Judges 6:39–7:2 (ESV) —

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

7:1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

NOTE: Gideon tests God with a fleece twice, using opposite conditions to avoid the possibility of happenstance. And God tests Gideon by taking his 32,000 soldiers and reducing them down to 300. If Gideon was nervous enough when he used a fleece to test God twice, he must have been really nervous when the force was reduced to 300. Sometimes we can outsmart ourselves. Would God have needed to reduce the force if Gideon hadn't tested him? God could use one man to defeat another army every single time if he wanted. At Jericho, he does the miraculous, but most of the other battles in Joshua were normal battles with a rare mixture of supernatural support at times (like hail that only fell on the enemy). God is not under any strictures or rules in how he goes about saving his people. Although, in the book of Judges, he always uses people. He never just eliminates a threat without involving a person or persons. There is one instance in Kings where he eliminates 185 thousand soldiers without any person's help, but that situation is rare indeed. God's preferred approach is to use people. And his solution usually revolves around needs of the person he is working through. Where does God find Gideon? He was hiding in a wine bath threshing wheat. Gideon is a fearful man. Even his one act of rebellion against the idols was done at night, in secret. God is building courage in Gideon by forcing him to face his fears, and to begin to trust in him. God is patient with the fleece episode, although it violates scripture, but God is determined to deal with the issues in Gideon's life. Gideon fights with 300, probably not because he tested God (although that was a symptom of his real problem), but because he was a fearful man who needed to finally, completely trust God.