Homophobia

Christians get a bad rap since the term homophobia  is applied all too often to them when they are only trying to follow God’s word. 

Christians are not homophobic – in fact they love homosexuals, but believe that sodomy is a sin.

Animals in the Bible - Beetles and Flies

Chapter 4 –Beetles and Flies

In ancient Egypt the beetle was revered. The scarab beetle was a metaphor for the entombing and resurrection of their mummies and hence became a symbol of rebirth. The beetle is only mentioned once in the entire Bible, in Leviticus, as something we are allowed to eat. Yuck.

Flies, however, are mentioned several times.

Jesus' Last Will and Testament

Jesus’ last will and testament.

Did he have one? Yes. Though he was virtually homeless, jobless, and lived among the poorest of the poor he left his disciples, and us, the most priceless of bequeaths. In John 14 he says,

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you

What is this peace and how can I inherit it? First of all it is not the peace that the world knows. Jesus very clearly specifies that this peace is “his” peace. On the very eve of his crucifixion, facing betrayal, beating (scourging), and the most gruesome torture, he takes the time to calmly encourage his disciples. He gives them hope, comfort, and promises. He is supernatural; hence his peace must be supernatural. I have experienced this peace when my car was spinning off an icy highway, when my daughter gave birth to a baby with Down syndrome, when my husband had a heart attack and I’ve experienced this peace in a thousand other less traumatic events. This peace is supernatural and it is real.

To receive an inheritance you must be a beneficiary. To receive the Peace of Christ you need to be his heir. You need to be his.

Animals in the Bible: the Bee

Chapter 3 – the Bee

In Hebrew the word for bee is debowrah or deborah – do you know any Debbies? Are they busy bees? Swarms of bees and the danger of their attacks are mentioned in Deuteronomy 1 and Psalm 118. Samson found a swarm of bees in the carcass of a lion he slew. Wild bees are described as laying up honey in woods and in clefts of rocks, a much more peaceful image to the later use of bees in Isaiah as a personification of the Egyptians and Assyrians, Israel’s chronic enemies.

John the Baptist preached in the wilderness eating only locusts and wild honey (protein and carbs), showing his reliance upon God's providence in nature (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6). The resurrected Christ proved to His disciples that he was not a ghost by eating a bit of honeycomb (Luke 24:42).

During Biblical times the bee was the emblem of the city Ephesus. Their coins were minted with bees on their faces.

Because of the sweetness it produces, the bee is an emblem of Christ even though His words may sting the sinner. This stinging emphasizes the image of the Christ who is the righteous judge. The bee's ceaseless activity surrounding the production of honey is comparable to the constant action of the spirit of Christ hovering about His Church.

When You Are Seeking Peace

There are a number of Bible verses that give comfort. I’d like to look at how Jesus comforted his disciples. In John 14 we get his exact words of comfort. Ponder these:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.”

Like us, his disciples whined and nagged even after hearing these marvelous words intended to calm and console them. Jesus had to prod them with words like 

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” 

Oh, those are tough words; we are not an obedient bunch.

Later in chapter 14 he said:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”

What can that possibly mean? How does Jesus give to us? How is it different from the way the world gives to us? You have to think spiritually to understand this. My physical body went into panic mode - escalating blood pressure, black spots before my eyes - when my husband had a heart attack, but my heart was unruffled. I had that peace that passes understanding.

Jesus said,

“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

When you get into the habit of trusting Him it’s pretty wonderful not to be afraid and not to have a troubled heart.

Animals in the Bible: Beasts and Dragons

Chapter 2: Beasts and Dragons

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the desolation of the land after the judgment of God:

The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the isle, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech-owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.

Other translations use different words for beasts, such as wild animals or desert creatures. Young’s Literal Translation uses Ziim and Aiim. What? The Hebrew words are tsiyiy (a specific wild beast but not certainly identified) and ’iy ( wild beasts of the islands) so there’s a lot of speculation as to what these beasts are. But let’s get to the best beast of all – the dragon.

A Simple Recipe for Happy Living

Who says humans don’t come with an instructional manual? There are plenty of answers in the Bible. Here’s a simple recipe for happy living:

1 cup Compassion

2 cups Kindness

3 cups Humility

4 cups Gentleness

1 heaping life full of Patience

Mix well, bear with one another and throw in a bowlful of Forgiveness

Top with Love

For dessert:

Peace and Gratitude in your heart. The message of Christ. Songs to God.

Where did I find this recipe?

In Colossians 3: 12 – 17

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Animals in the Bible - First: the ASS

Chapter 1 - Ass:

How prurient of me to start this series off with the donkey and call it an ass so it comes first alphabetically. But actually ass is the favored translation for this animal which is called chamowr in Hebrew. To us we use the word to ridicule someone; there are unfavorable attributes given to the animal such as slowness, stupidity, and stubbornness. However, those weren't the adjectives they would have used in Bible times. The donkey/ass was friendly, loyal, meek, and dependable. He symbolized peace and is mentioned over 130 times in Scripture. I did a quick search to see how that compares to horse, sheep, and camel, three animals that come to mind first as prominent in the Bible. Ass beats camel almost three to one but is third behind sheep and horse.

Zephaniah

Let’s look at the book of Zephaniah.  It was written by the prophet Zephaniah, whose name means “God has secreted” or “Jehovah hides”. He was of royal lineage as is revealed in the first verse below.

Though he prophesied in a time of revival, the coming captivity was imminent and Zephaniah points out that the revival is superficial. He foretells the coming invasion of Nebuchadnezzar, judgment on certain peoples, the moral state of Israel and the judgment of the nations followed by kingdom blessing under Messiah.

Moms in the Bible - Zeruiah

Chapter 22 – Zeruiah

Zeruiah was an exceptionally strong and important woman in the Bible. Her name is mentioned 25 times and yet we know nothing about her. The conclusion that she was so influential comes from the fact that where other men are identified by their fathers, her sons are always listed as “the son of Zeruiah” and that is why she is mentioned so often.

Zeruiah was the older sister of King David and the mother of Abishai, Joab and Asahel. To draw conclusions about her we can only examine the lives of her sons. All three sons of Zeruiah held leadership positions in David’s army. Sometimes they did things that were of questionable ethics.

Abishai daringly and with great bravery went into the enemy’s camp with David. He was ready and willing to proceed with military cunning and “extreme prejudice” against King Saul, but David overruled him. 

Asahel was “fleet-footed” and chased after Abner, pursuing him even when he should have turned aside to avoid a political catastrophe. Had he not refused to give up the pursuit he would have saved his own life, since Abner grew weary of him and thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach and out his back.

David had sent Abner away in peace, but Joab went after Abner and took him aside as though to speak with him privately. Then, to avenge his brother Asahel’s death, he stabbed Abner in the stomach and killed him. Joab was also a conniver, aiding David in his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, having Bathsheba’s husband killed and then holding his knowledge of David’s actions over David in something of a crafty blackmail. Joab also took clever measures to manipulate David into bringing back Absalom from his banishment.

Studying these men I've found much to dislike in their worldly and evil ways. Since all three sons exhibited “wickedness” I’m going to give the thumbs down to Zeruiah’s parenting skills.

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Advent Candles - the Christ Candle

Christ candle:

We light four candles to prepare for the coming of Christ: the candles of hope, love, joy, and peace. Today we light the Christ candle. In Christ alone is our hope; he is love; he brings us joy; and through him we know peace.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” The flame of the Christ candle represents his eternal presence.

For centuries God’s people longed for the promised redeemer. God kept his promise. The waiting and longing for a savior was fulfilled in the birth of the baby Jesus.  

O God, we praise you for the joy of his birth. Our hope of a savior is realized through him. Help us walk in love and let your peace rule in our hearts. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Moms in the Bible - Tamar

Chapter 21 – Tamar

There’s more than one woman named Tamar in the Bible. I want to look at the one whose story is told in Genesis, chapter 38. Her story is scandalous by our standards but strangely lawful in Old Testament times.

She was married off to the Er, the oldest son of Judah (one of the 12 sons of Jacob), but Er was wicked in God’s sight and God slew him. According to the law, if a man died leaving a widow without a son to carry on the line then his brother was to marry her and produce an heir. This was not incest, and the relationship was only to produce an heir; thereafter the brother would no longer have sex with her or else that would indeed be considered incestuous. Therefore Tamar was given to Judah’s second son, Oman. Apparently Oman enjoyed Tamar so much that he didn't want her to get pregnant and thus lose bedroom privileges. His responsibility was to produce a child, but he practiced a certain form of birth control (see Genesis 38:9) which in this case angered the Lord. God slew him for his wickedness.

Judah had one more son. He sent Tamar back to her father’s house to stay until son number three, Shelah, was old enough.

She waited and waited. When Judah did not honor his promise to marry her to Shelah, she took matters into her own hands. According to the law she needed to have a child through Judah’s line. If there were no more sons, then the father-in-law himself should perform the “duty”. She knew this. She covered her face, sat at the side of the road (where widows and virgins wouldn't be hanging out) and waited for Judah to pass by. With her face veiled she was unrecognizable to her father-in-law. He propositioned her and she took advantage. He slept with her, but, oops, he left his wallet at home. She took his ring, bracelets, and staff as pledge against payment.

There’s more to the story (and it’s fascinating), but the end result of Tamar’s deception was that she conceived, as she was meant to, to produce a son for Judah in the line that flowed from Abraham to David to Jesus Christ.

Next Saturday – Zeruiah