Daniel 3:1-30
Today’s Scripture is one that many will know, having learned of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as a child in Sunday School. The account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is not just a Bible story for young children, as there are many good truths and lessons we also can learn. Let’s see what we can glean from their example today.
These three young men were among the first group of Hebrews that the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken captive and brought back to Babylon when he conquered the Kingdom of Judah. They, along with their companion Daniel, were godly believers in Yahweh, and had determined they would not forsake Him, even though they were in a foreign, pagan, idol worshipping land. It wasn’t long before their commitment to the Lord God would be put to the test.
Nebuchadnezzar was a proud and powerful king of the world’s largest empire to date. In order to show his power, and to promote submission to his authority he set up a large golden statue of himself, which was 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. No one could miss seeing this. Nebuchadnezzar gave orders that at the sound of the music everyone was to bow down and worship the idol (vs 1-7). Those who failed to do so were to be arrested and thrown into a fiery furnace.
Immediately it was noted that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were refusing to bow and worship the idol. They were taken into custody and brought before the king (vs 8-12). He gave them one more chance to change their mind and bow, but they didn’t need to ponder or consider how they would answer. They served the one and only living God, and would not bow to idols (vs 8-18). Now they faced the fiery furnace. This would have been a huge, industrial type furnace, and was so hot that it killed the soldiers who brought them to it. They were bound hand and foot, and thrown into the furnace (vs 19-23).
Why didn’t they bow and then tell God they didn’t mean it? They were steadfast and committed in their beliefs. They would not bow, would not bend. They didn’t know if they would be delivered from the furnace. Either way, they would stay true to Yahweh. Standing for God will make us stand out. They trusted God, and were determined to be faithful regardless of the consequences. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not know whether God would deliver them or not. They knew that He could, not whether He would. Either way, they were determined to serve Him.
While in the furnace, the king notices that the men who were thrown in were not immediately burned to death. In fact, they are walking around in the furnace, and there is an additional Person walking with them. He exclaimed that the fourth person looks like the Son of God (vs 24-25). This was possibly a preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, a Christophany. God did not leave them alone in their time of need. He joined and protected them in flames. They wouldn't bend, they wouldn't bow, they would not burn. God remains with us in our trials, even ones as seemingly hopeless as this furnace. Even if our suffering doesn’t end, God is always trustworthy and good, and He will always be with us. When they came out of the furnace they were completely untouched by the fire (vs 26-27).
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had faith in the only true God, and knew the right thing to do. It may not be easy to fight for what is right, but God will reward those who stand up for Him and refuse to yield to evil. If God always rescued believers from any trial, Christians would not need faith. We should be faithful to serve God whether He intervenes for us or not. Our eternal reward is worth any suffering we may have to endure.
Trust God in every situation. He has His reasons for every trial. Thankfully our destiny is in His hands. We need to cling to God, even if we aren’t healed, even if we don’t find a job, even if we are persecuted. Sometimes God rescues us from our trials, and sometimes He doesn’t. As the three testified, “The God we serve is able” (vs 17-18). He loves us, and He will be with us in every fiery trial.
Mark 12:38-44
Motives are important. The reason we do things are important to God, and they should be important to us, as well. In our Gospel reading for this week, we read of how Jesus warns us to be watchful of our motives, and why we perform acts of piety. Jesus contrasted two totally different people, one a scribe, and the other a poor widow. Let’s see what we can learn from this passage of Scripture.
Scribes at the time of Jesus were well educated individuals, and had vast knowledge of both religious and secular laws. They often assisted in handling legal matters, drafting legal documents. They also would make copies of the Scriptures in the days before the printing press, when everything had to be written by hand. Many of the scribes were also part of the religious group of the Pharisees.
It is very easy to get puffed up and full of oneself when one has a certain amount of education and a respected position in society. Unfortunately this includes those in the realm of religion. Though not every scribe or Pharisee was proud or sought out acclaim from people, very many were. This is something that Jesus addressed and brought to the attention of His audience (vs 38-40). Jesus exposed the religious leaders impure motives. They exploited people, cheating the poor out of their money, “devouring widows’ houses”. They took advantage of the rich, and all done under a religious pretext. By their hypocritical pious actions, they hoped to gain status, recognition, and respect. They prayed long, showy prayers, probably filled with a lot of big theological words. They wanted to be noticed and applauded wherever they went.
We see a lot of this today. Many so-called religious leaders try, through twisting of Scripture, to get money from their followers. “Give money and God will bless you. Give and He will answer your prayers.”, thus cheating people out of their money. They want the best time slots on TV, the best seats on planes, and in restaurants and hotels. They want recognition and glory thrown their way. Jesus warns against trying to make a good impression on others by hypocritical religious behavior. They have no true love for God. A true follower of God should not be known for showy spirituality. When we pray in public, go through any religious rituals, or read our Bible, are we doing it to be noticed and honored? What we do should be done strictly for Jesus, whether anyone else notices or not.
The scribes and Pharisees in the past had a responsibility to shape the faith of the people. If their behavior was inconsistent of a servant of God, their punishment would be severe (vs. 40). Those leaders would often lay heavy burdens on others with their petty rules, while they lived greedily and deceitfully. They oppressed and misled the people that they were supposed to be leading to God.
Jesus then proceeds to observe the people as they put offerings into the Temple offering box (vs 41-44). Again, there were people who made a big show of putting in large sums. They wouldn’t quietly deposit their offering into the box. No, they wanted to be seen and acknowledged for their generosity. We see many like that today. When the offering plate is passed at church, they lay their offering right on top, face up, so everyone can see what they gave. Jesus pointed out the poor widow to His disciples. Though her offering amounted to just a couple of cents, in God’s eyes it was more valuable than the hundreds of dollars the rich gave. The widow gave all that she had to live on. She would not be able to eat until somehow she could earn some more money. In those days that would be difficult, as women could not just go out and get a job like they can today. Without a husband or son to support her, a widow could very easily starve to death.
The value of a gift is not determined by the amount, but by the spirit with which it is given. A gift given with a grudging spirit, or one given in order to be seen or recognised, loses its value. One given out of gratitude to God and a spirit of generosity is of value to Him. Let’s examine our hearts to see what our motives are like. Are we looking around to see if people notice what we put in the offering plate? Do we look to see if they notice how big of a Bible we carry, how often we come to church, or what activities we take part in at church? Is what we are doing motivated by a desire of praise and acceptance by others, or by our love for God?
Hebrews 9:24-28
Our passage today from the Lectionary continues with readings from the Book of Hebrews, continuing with the theme of how Jesus is superior to the Old Testament Jewish religious system. Today's passage focuses on how Jesus is superior to any Old Testament sacrifice.
After Moses led the Israelite people out from slavery in Egypt, he led them to the base of Mt. Sinai, where he received the law from God. In addition to giving him the Law, God also gave Moses copies or blueprints of how he was supposed to construct the tabernacle, where sacrifices for sin were to be made, and where the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies would be. This was a copy of what is in heaven. This was where the priests would go to make sacrifices for the people's sins. Here at the tabernacle, and later the Temple, (which followed the same blueprint), the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to make sacrifices for sin.
Jesus became our sacrifice for sin when He died on the cross to make atonement for our sins. Just as the High Priest brought the blood of the sacrificed animals into the Holy of Holies, to the Ark of the Covenant, so Jesus entered heaven with His own Blood to atone for our sins (vs 24). He didn't enter a man made place, which was a copy of the original, He entered heaven itself. The tabernacle, and later the Temple, were only copies of the true one in heaven. God did not always dwell in them or have His presence there always. His glory came and went on occasion. After Jesus died, He went to His true dwelling place in heaven and into the real presence of God for us.
We don't need a high priest to make atonement for our sins, year after year. Jesus's substitutionary death on our behalf for our sins lifts the burden we bear for our sins. His Blood was all-sufficient to atone for our sins, and only needed to be done once, not year after year (vs 25-26). The animal sacrifices were not all-sufficient, and thus they were repeated over and over again. It is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away our sins (Hebrews 10:4). However, the Blood of Jesus can wash away every spot and stain of sin!
As our author continues, in verse 27 we read that everyone must one day die (unless we are alive when Jesus returns). We will all have to answer to God for how we lived. There will be nothing we can say in our own defense. The only question will be whether we trusted Jesus to be our Savior and forgive our sins, or whether we have chosen to pay our sin debt on our own, to our eternal condemnation. No man is capable of atoning for their sins. No amount of good deeds is capable. Our righteousness is as filthy rags in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6).
We need a mediator, someone who will come to God on our behalf, since there is no way we can appear before His all-holy presence on our own. Every other person has their own sins to deal with, including the high priests. We do have a Mediator, though, one who can be the go-between, and that is Jesus (I Timothy 2:5). Jesus is our Mediator, appearing in God's presence on our behalf (vs 24).
Have you accepted Jesus as your Mediator, as your Savior? We will all stand before God in judgment, and we need His Blood to wash away our sins. Be sure that on that day you are washed in the Blood of the Lamb, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
Psalm 141
King David, one of our great heroes in the Bible, had many enemies. He spent many years fleeing from them, and praying that God would deliver him from their evil plots. In our psalm today we see David not only beseeching God for safety and deliverance from his enemies, but he also prayed that he would not fall into their wicked ways, that he not become like them. Often when we have enemies attacking us, whether it’s in the workplace, people in the neighborhood, relatives causing problems, or like in David’s case, people out to actually harm us, it’s easy to stoop to their level. David did not want to descend to wicked and sinful ways in any attempt to get back at them. Here is his prayer that God would both protect him from danger and from sin.
As we look at this psalm together, one of the first things we read is David asking God that his prayers be like incense coming before Him (vs 2). God loves to hear our prayers. In Revelation 5:8, we read that our prayers are like bowls of incense, rising up before Him as a scented aroma. Jesus wants us to talk with Him and to pray constantly (I Thessalonians 5:17). We can pray about everything in our lives (Philippians 4:6). Jesus cares about everything in our lives, whether they are large concerns or small ones. He wants us to bring everything before God in prayer. Jesus treasures our prayers. They are precious to Him.
The next thing that King David prays is that God would set a guard before his mouth, for him to watch what he speaks (vs 3). David entreats God to keep him from speaking evil. It is so easy to lash out with strong and angry words when someone comes against us, words that are a poor testimony, and ones we often later regret. When Jesus was being attacked by the Jewish religious leaders He kept silent before these accusers (Matthew 26:63), which is a good example to follow. The tongue is small but powerful (James 3:5-6). Not only should we watch out against speaking angry words, we also need to be careful against lies. The more in-tune we are with God, the more truth we will speak. If we are only speaking truth, there is no room for lies. This verse is a good prayer to start each day with, and also when an argument threatens to erupt. We need to ask God to guide what we say so that our words bring honor to His Name.
In addition to watching over our mouth, we also need to ask God to guard our heart (vs 4). Evil acts begin with evil desires in our heart. It is not enough to ask God to keep us away from temptation, we need to be changed on the inside, where our desires come from. Jesus clearly taught us that our sinful acts and behavior comes from what is in our heart (Matthew 15:18-20). King David prayed that he would not learn the ways of the wicked. He wanted his heart protected from their evil examples.
David proceeds to pray that he will take the criticisms and rebukes of the righteous with a good spirit (vs 5). Nobody likes criticism, but we can benefit from it when it is given wisely and taken humbly. David tells us to not refuse criticism, but instead to consider it a kindness. When good and godly people correct us when we are wrong we should be willing to accept their correction with grace. In addition, if we ever need to give godly criticism or correction to another it should be given with love, like honey, and not like vinegar.
No believer should ever want to follow the example of their enemies and that of the wicked. We should follow David’s prayer and ask the Lord to guard our lips and our heart, and to be willing to take godly counsel and correction. God wants our prayers to come before Him just like the smoke of incense which continually rises.
I Kings 17:8-16
The refrigerator is empty. The pantry is, as well. You look in your bank account and all you see are double zeros. You have no job, and no one is hiring. The country’s economy is in the pits. Have you ever been there? For some of us, this is a familiar scenario. The scraping sound at the bottom of the barrel is a sad, dismal one, especially when there are hungry mouths dependant on you. Where do you turn? Who will help you? This is where we find the woman in our Scripture passage today.
When we begin our reading, Elijah, the great prophet of the Lord God, has been hiding from King Ahab. In the verses just prior to our passage he had proclaimed to that evil, pagan, idol worshipping king that God was sending a massive drought because of the country’s sins. Ahab put a price on Elijah’s head, so he went into hiding. True to the prophet’s word, no rain fell, the crops were failing, and people were starving to death. Not only in Israel, but also in surrounding countries, as well. After a couple of years of drought and famine, God brings Elijah out from hiding, and directs him to go into Gentile territory, to the town of Zarephath. Zarephath was a town along the coast of the Mediterranean, about 7 miles south of the major city of Sidon. It was in territory ruled by Ahab’s father-in-law, King Ethbaal, Jezebel’s father. Elijah showed the power of God in the heart of this area where the pagan god, Baal was worshipped.
Our passage opens with a very dismal scene. A poor widow woman is out gathering sticks in order to make one last bite of food to eat for her and her son. She has no more hope. She is a widow with no husband to support and take care of her, and she has a young son to feed and care for. The country is in the middle of a drought and famine, and she is down to the very last of her provisions. When Elijah comes to her and asks for a drink of water and a bite to eat, she tells him that she has nothing, only enough to make a last meal for her and her child, and then they will lie down and die (vs 10-12). That’s quite dismal and hopeless! Many of us have felt like we’ve been there. We have nothing, and nowhere to turn. Why wasn’t Baal helping her? This was showing that he was nothing, just an empty idol of stone.
The widow was probably a bit surprised, maybe taken aback, at Elijah’s bold request for her to make him something to eat when she had just told him that she was going to make her and her son their last meal before they died of starvation! (vs 13). However, she went and did as he asked. Why? Elijah gave her something to grab on to and hope for. He told her that neither the flour in the barrel nor the oil in the jug would run out until Yahweh, the one true God, would bring rain (vs 14). The widow was down to her last ounce of hope, and Elijah brought her the Word of God, something she could cling to. She trusted Elijah and gave all she had in a small, simple act of faith. God multiplied it many times over, and she was fed, along with her son and Elijah.
God never asks us for what we don’t have. This widow had very little, just a handful of flour, which she was afraid to share with this stranger. God asks us for what we want to keep for ourselves. Elijah rebuked the fear in this woman, and told her to give what she had. Elijah asked for the thing she felt she could not spare. The widow had nothing, but took a risk to trust God, the God of Israel. In return, God supplied what she needed until the drought passed.
Every miracle begins with an act of obedience. We may not see the solution until we take the first step of faith, as this woman did. Are we confident that God is in charge, and trusting Him to work out the best plan for us? Do we fear that our jar of flour will be empty, and our jug of oil will run out? Don’t fear! If we are trusting the Lord Yahweh, His grace and mercy will last through all of our necessities. It is better to have God as our supplier than the largest Swiss Bank account. We can never exhaust the infinite mercies of God. He does hear when we are scraping the bottom of the barrel!
Mark 12:28-34
If someone were to ask you, before reading this passage in Mark, what you felt was the most important commandment, what would you answer? Perhaps some might say that not committing murder was the most important. Some married couples might answer not committing adultery. A shopkeeper might bring up the commandment of not stealing. In our Gospel passage today, which echoes the passage we looked at earlier this week from Deuteronomy, a scribe came to Jesus and asked Him this question. Let’s look at the Biblical text and see what He answered.
In Biblical times, a scribe was a man who was especially learned in the Mosaic Law and other sacred writings. They examined difficult and subtle questions of the Law, and were often members of the Sanhedrin, which was the important rabbinical court and ruling body, with the High Priest as the chief officer. By the time of Jesus, the Jewish rabbis had accumulated hundreds of laws, over 613 of them. Some Jews felt they could be divided into major and minor laws. One day, shortly before the Last Supper and Jesus’s crucifixion, a scribe asked Him which He felt was the most important, perhaps trying to trip Him up, and make Him say something that could get Him into trouble with the Sanhedrin (vs. 28).
In verses 29 - 31, Jesus proceeds to answer by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which states that we are to love the Lord God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are to love Him completely, with everything that is in us. Jesus then immediately follows that with quoting Leviticus 19:18, saying that we also are to love our neighbor as ourselves.
If we love truly God and love others as we do ourselves, we will be fulfilling all of the Ten Commandments. These two commands summarize all of God’s laws. If we love our neighbor as we do ourselves we won’t be wanting to do them any harm. We won’t steal from them, or lie to them. We won’t take their spouse, nor do them any bodily harm. When we also love God with everything in us, seeking to please Him with everything we do, we will be fulfilling all of His commands.
Loving others doesn’t mean just admiring them. We are to treat them as we would want to be treated ourselves (Matthew 7:12). We are commanded to deny ourselves, and treat others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4; Matthew 16:24). Loving our neighbor includes loving all those in our community. This might, and often does include loving our enemy, because they are often our neighbors in the community (Matthew 5:43-45). To obey these commands one must stop thinking only of themselves, and focus on God first and then others.
The response that this scribe gave to the Lord Jesus in verses 32 - 33 showed that he understood that moral concerns took precedence over ceremonial practices. He knew that these two commands were more important to God than any of the laws regarding sacrifices and other ceremonial laws. If we are loving God and others, we are obeying all of God’s laws.
In response to the scribe’s statement, Jesus told him that he was not far from the Kingdom of God (vs. 34). He didn’t say that the man’s statement brought him into the Kingdom, or that keeping any laws would, either. True obedience to God comes from the heart. All of the Old Testament laws lead and point to Jesus, so this scribe’s next step should be faith in the Lord Jesus as Messiah.
Did this scribe ever take that step? We don’t know, as the Bible never mentions it. You can know for yourself, though. Are you trying to work your way into heaven by keeping various laws and commandments, by doing good and trying to live a righteous life? We can never be good enough to measure up to an all-holy and righteous God’s standards. All of our efforts are in vain. Jesus, the sinless Son of God, came to pay our sin-debt with His sacrificial death on the cross. Admit you are a sinner, and accept that Jesus shed His Blood on your behalf. Call upon Him as your Savior today.
Hebrews 7:23-28
As we follow the Book of Common Prayer’s Lectionary this week, we continue in the Book of Hebrews. Our passage today continues with the theme of how Jesus is better than the Old Testament religious system, and illustrates how Jesus is superior to the high priests. The priests in the Old Testament were mediators between the people and God. A mediator is a go-between, a negotiator, a peacemaker. Mankind needs a mediator with God because of our sin.
Whenever someone sinned in the Old Testament, they would come to the priests with a lamb or goat, and the priest would offer that on their behalf for the forgiveness of their sins. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would come into the Holy of Holies bringing blood of sacrificed animals for an atonement for the people’s sins. These sacrifices for sin needed to be performed day after day, as we all sin daily. And the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement was done every year. Moreover, the priests, including the High Priest, needed to make sacrifice and atonement for their own sins as well. Also, the High Priest would eventually die, and a new one would have to step into that position.
The new covenant that Jesus, the Messiah, brought is a better covenant because it allows us to go directly to God through Jesus Christ. We no longer need to rely on sacrificed animals or the mediation of the Jewish priests to get forgiveness (vs 23-24). He is our advocate, a mediator between us and God.
These human priests were both sinful, as we all are, and they would die. Jesus lives forever. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice we needed for the forgiveness of our sins. He completes the work of redemption. Unlike the human priests of the Old Testament, Jesus is holy, harmless, and undefiled (vs 26). He is holy as He has piety without pollution. He is harmless, without evil or malice. Jesus is also undefiled, free from all contamination of sin. He is separate from sinners as He has no sin nature, the source of any act of sin.
Jesus is our perfect High Priest. He did not need to offer sacrifices for Himself. He didn’t need to atone for Himself, so He could fully atone for us. His own Blood was offered once for all for atonement for our sins. He did this when He laid down His life, an atonement for sin. Jesus went into the presence of God with His own Blood to obtain forgiveness for all who come to Him in faith. Since He was sinless, Jesus also only needed to do this once, as it was an all-sufficient atonement. We don’t have to look for another way to have our sins forgiven. Jesus was the final sacrifice, as the Old Testament sacrifices were no longer necessary, and would not be accepted by God any more.
What does it mean that Jesus saves to the “uttermost”? (vs 25). Jesus saves completely. He saves perfectly. Jesus forgives us all of our sins - past, present, and future. He is with the Father as a sign that our sins are forgiven. He paid the price for our sins once and for all. Jesus is our only true intercessor We don’t need anyone else. He is the sinless Son of God. He is always able to come before God on our behalf.
There is also one other wonderful thing that is spoken of in these verses, and that is that Jesus lives to make intercession for us (vs 25). That was one thing that the priests would do for the people, but unfortunately they would eventually die. Jesus lives forever. He is today in the presence of the Father making intercession for us. He is always before God praying for us, reminding the Father that He paid for our sins with His Blood. Through the storms and clouds of our life He is praying for us. He is praying for us and we should praise Him. Don’t worry, Jesus is going to the Father on our behalf!
