The Bible Challenge, Day 136: 2 Kings 22-24, Psalm 113 and Acts 28
After listening to the story of Israel’s Kings, we encounter Josiah, an honorable, righteous leader, who cares about pleasing God. When Josiah receives God’s instructions in a long-lost holy scroll found in the Temple, he repents on behalf of his people, God’s Chosen People, ripping his clothes in two, and leading a purification of the nation. With an ardent, righteous focus, Josiah destroys all the pagan places of worship he can find. His purification of Israel is short-lived, because his descendants do not share his righteous zeal but slide into the lax ways of their other forbears, allowing shrines to pagan gods to dwell in their midst. For their unfaithfulness, Israel suffers defeat to the Babylonians, who take them captive. God cannot tolerate apostasy from a people chosen to preserve God’s Holy Name in this world. The Babylonian defeat begins the Jewish Diaspora, the scattering of the Hebrew nation across north Africa and Asia Minor, the great sadness of the people in their history.
From here we move to Psalm 113, a song of praise to God who is the Lord, the only Lord. The psalm praises God, who comes down to see what is happening in Creation, and the Holy One reaches out in acts of mercy to the vulnerable. God cares about us and responds to our true needs, but not necessarily to our insatiable appetites.
In the last chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we encounter Paul, using his breath while there is life in him to share the gospel of Jesus, the Messiah, with others – Gentiles and Jews alike. He is passionate about his missionary work because Jesus has transformed him. He understands that his salvation comes from Jesus alone. He is indeed zealous for God, but he knows that he is not perfect, even though he once pursued perfection in obedience to God’s Law. Thanks to Paul’s passion for God and his New Life in Jesus, we have inherited the challenge and consolation of his letters.
I come away from these lessons pondering. What unfaithfulness has become a part of our landscape today? Where are we being called to rise up against these wrongs in our midst? How do we keep our focus on the God of our Praise? With the breath that is in us, how can we share the Good News of God’s mercy and forgiveness to inspire others to grow in generosity of heart?
The Rev. Jennie Lou Reid
St. Faith's, Cutler Bay
After listening to the story of Israel’s Kings, we encounter Josiah, an honorable, righteous leader, who cares about pleasing God. When Josiah receives God’s instructions in a long-lost holy scroll found in the Temple, he repents on behalf of his people, God’s Chosen People, ripping his clothes in two, and leading a purification of the nation. With an ardent, righteous focus, Josiah destroys all the pagan places of worship he can find. His purification of Israel is short-lived, because his descendants do not share his righteous zeal but slide into the lax ways of their other forbears, allowing shrines to pagan gods to dwell in their midst. For their unfaithfulness, Israel suffers defeat to the Babylonians, who take them captive. God cannot tolerate apostasy from a people chosen to preserve God’s Holy Name in this world. The Babylonian defeat begins the Jewish Diaspora, the scattering of the Hebrew nation across north Africa and Asia Minor, the great sadness of the people in their history.
From here we move to Psalm 113, a song of praise to God who is the Lord, the only Lord. The psalm praises God, who comes down to see what is happening in Creation, and the Holy One reaches out in acts of mercy to the vulnerable. God cares about us and responds to our true needs, but not necessarily to our insatiable appetites.
In the last chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we encounter Paul, using his breath while there is life in him to share the gospel of Jesus, the Messiah, with others – Gentiles and Jews alike. He is passionate about his missionary work because Jesus has transformed him. He understands that his salvation comes from Jesus alone. He is indeed zealous for God, but he knows that he is not perfect, even though he once pursued perfection in obedience to God’s Law. Thanks to Paul’s passion for God and his New Life in Jesus, we have inherited the challenge and consolation of his letters.
I come away from these lessons pondering. What unfaithfulness has become a part of our landscape today? Where are we being called to rise up against these wrongs in our midst? How do we keep our focus on the God of our Praise? With the breath that is in us, how can we share the Good News of God’s mercy and forgiveness to inspire others to grow in generosity of heart?
The Rev. Jennie Lou Reid
St. Faith's, Cutler Bay
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