The Living Word

Bible study on the set readings widely used by various churches and chapels and a weekly storytelling video. Also at www.medium.com/the-living-word and https://thelivingword.substack.com

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Sept 5: God’s heart changes ours

August 29, 2021 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Claas combine finishing a wheat field before nightfall

The Living Word for Sunday, September 5, 2021, is a non-denominational Bible study which relies on the Bible explaining the Bible, uninfluenced by any church’s traditions or preferences, and following the Bible’s sequence of progressive revelation. Read the whole passage first and let the Holy Spirit begin speaking to you through it, then go deeper with the verse by verse commentary and reflections. The week’s readings are as set by the Revised Common Lectionary, a resource shared by many different churches and chapels. The version, widely used in contemporary churches, is the NIV © Biblica. Ref  TLW35B

• See also this week’s linked article Learning to be impartial which draws out the teaching from this theme.


Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 — The Lord’s way is impartial kindness shown to all

Mark 7:24-37 — Jesus shows His concern for Gentiles in need

James 2:1-17 — Genuine faith is shown by how we treat ‘outsiders’ 

And also read: Psalm 125

Theme: God loves us without favouritism


Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 — Imitating God’s impartial kindness

The Lord’s way is to treat people of His creation evenly

1-2 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.

“A good name” – character has greater value than riches, as Proverbs 3:14 and 16:16. The precepts of the Lord similarly, Ps. 19:10 and 119:72, 127.

To oppress the poor, who are made in God’s image, is to insult God Himself. See Prov. 14:31.

8-9 Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken. The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

“Reaps calamity…will be blessed” – Scripture says much about the grace of God but also that all actions have consequences; we reap what we sow, and both meanness and generosity of spirit come back to us, but in opposite ways.

• For further study, see Proverbs 11:25–26; 14:21; 19:17, Hosea 8:72; Cor. 9:6–10, Galatians 6:7.

22-23 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life.

“Do not exploit the poor” – which was common in a culture that believed that riches demonstrated God’s blessing. See Proverbs 22:16, 14:31. Justice defends the needy, Isaiah 1:17.

Reflection

SUMMARY  These verses set out God’s way of viewing others without partiality. He does not show favouritism, Acts 10:34, Galatians 2:6 but regards all who are His creation even-handedly – and in the Bible we see Him often choose ‘outsiders’.

APPLICATION  How we judge others — or in particular, how we choose NOT to judge others — is about choosing God’s perspective, rather than a narrow, human view of our rights and entitlements to control and judge others.

QUESTION We all fall into the trap of favouritism and judging others! How is the Holy Spirit revealing this attitude to you?


Mark 7:24-37 — Jesus shows impartiality to Gentiles in need

Jesus delivers a Greek woman’s daughter and heals a deaf and dumb man

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep His presence secret.

“Tyre” – this mainly Greek-speaking Gentile region in modern-day Lebanon had a Jewish community that Jesus knew, Mark 3:8. Mark’s mainly Gentile readers would have seen here Jesus foreshadowing the church’s mission to their Gentile world.

25-26 In fact, as soon as she heard about Him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

“She begged” – asked repeatedly, compelled by her extreme need for her daughter, to seek help from the Jewish rabbi.

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” He told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

“Children’s bread” – Jesus tests the woman’s faith in an exchange that was more playful than it sounds to us. He offers her the put-down she expects — but prefaced by “first” which tells her that Gentiles also receive God’s grace. Will she show faith in her response?

28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

“Even the dogs” —this rendering captures the exchange well: “Finally He said to her, ‘First let My children be fed and satisfied, for it isn’t fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’ She answered, ”How true that is, Lord. But even puppies under the family table are allowed to eat the little children’s crumbs.“ Then Jesus said to her, ”That’s a good reply!” Mark 7:28 TPT

29 Then He told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

“For such a reply” — the Good News may be for Jews first, Exodus 4:22, but others are included, and she has shown genuine faith.

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

“She went home” – a deliverance with no contact with the suffering person.

• For further study, compare with the ‘distant’ healing miracles in Capernaum of the centurion’s servant, Matt. 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10 and the official’s son, John 4:46-54. The Bible treats spiritual salvation, healing and demonic deliverance as the same process of God’s grace.

31-32 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. There some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him.

“The region of the Decapolis” — east of Galilee, another mainly Gentile Greek-culture region which had been partly resettled by deported Jews returning.

33–35 After He took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spat and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

“Put His fingers” – Jesus uses sign language to show the deaf man that He was ministering to his hearing and speech.

“Took him aside” – to avoid him becoming a spectacle.

36-37 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more He did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

“Overwhelmed with amazement” – The crowd, attracted to the signs and wonders, saw hope of political liberation. However, Jesus needed His disciples and others to perceive (1) who the signs showed He was — the Messiah of God, but vulnerable and non-political — and (2) their pointing to the nation’s spiritual blindness and deafness.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Jesus travelled to Tyre to minister to Jewish settlers there, but He was not about to dismiss a distraught and pleading Gentile woman because she was not one of the Jesus ‘children’ He was sent to. Similarly He returned to the Decapolis, a region that has previously asked Him to leave.

APPLICATION  Jesus’ ministry beyond the Jewish community is an object lesson challenging churches which have settled into closed communities instead of being His mission stations. Jesus had a clear call to His priorities but didn’t hold back His love from those who were different. Similarly we should minister to those He gives us without partiality.

QUESTION  How is God testing you to see if your love extends beyond your comfort zone?


James 2:1-17 — Genuine faith treats others without discrimination

Our heart, impartial or otherwise, is demonstrated in how we treat ‘outsiders’ 

1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism.

“Favouritism” – Christ came from an undistinguished village and ministered in and around Galilee and Samaria, regions despised by Israel’s leaders. This makes a strong statement about God’s measure of distinction.

2-4 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

“Meeting” – James uses the general word, sunagoge, and the Greek word for ‘assembly’, ekklesia, James 5:14. Both mean a gathering, not a building.

“Gold ring and fine clothes” – showing prosperity and status, Luke 15:22. The early church attracted many who were economically needy, Acts 4:35-37, Acts 6:1-6, 1 Cor. 1:26.

“A good seat… sit on the floor” – most would stand or sit cross-legged on the floor. There would be a few benches around the wall and in front, which the Pharisees considered theirs by entitlement, Mark 12:38-39.

5-7 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of Him to whom you belong?

“Has not God chosen… to inherit the kingdom” – God’s choosing combines His drawing us to Him by the Holy Spirit, and our response, to enter into the present realm of Christ’s rule, the kingdom, which is yet to come fully. God’s kingdom order confronts the world’s priorities, Luke 6:20-23.

“Blaspheming the noble name” – literally, “who slander the noble name spoken over you,” meaning the ownership of Jesus Christ which we declare at conversion and baptism.

8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing right.

“Royal law” – supreme and binding law, quoted from Leviticus 19:18. Taken with the command to love God, it encapsulates all the Law and Prophets, as Jesus taught and Paul emphasised.

 • For further study, read Deut. 6:4-5, Matt. 22:36-40, Romans 13:8-10.

9-10 But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

“If you show” – or. “since you are showing”. Exclusive behaviour violates God’s overriding law of love governing all human relationships. Leviticus 19:15 specifically prohibited favouritism.

11 For He who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

“Lawbreaker” – Jewish religious teaching had reduced the law to a long series of injunctions which were held to be of varying importance. James tells us we cannot cherry-pick and claim to live for God.

12-13 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James assumes his readers are genuine, born again believers, Someone who is judgmental and whose life does not show mercy, has clearly not received God’s mercy. 

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?

“Claims to have faith” – but if it’s not sincere saving faith, it is a demonic deception, useless and dead, James 2:19,20,26. An institutional ‘faith’, form without fruit, cannot save. Reliance on salvation through the church is false trust in an institution, and it is quite different from the faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour that justifies, saves — and transforms us.

15-17 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

“Faith… not accompanied by action, is dead”—genuine faith where God’s Spirit is active within us is a spiritual transformation that produces actions that please God. James is not saying that a person is saved by their good works — it is the other way round, the saved person produces the good works. He has clearly stated that salvation is a gracious gift from God that cannot be earned, James 1:17-18, see also Ephesians 2:8-9. 

• For further study, see James 2:20, 24, 26 and Jesus’ teaching e.g. Matt. 3:7-8, John 8:30-31.

“What good is it?” – this picture of false faith is like the false love of 1 John 3:17.

References

SUMMARY  Those who walk with Jesus and His Spirit are empowered to live differently by loving others with God’s love. That means seeing others through God’s eyes and accepting them without judgmental discriminations.

APPLICATION  Many we meet will be rejecting religion, which to them is also rejecting God. However, He has put us in place to be impartial guides, following the law of love to show them how they can know God personally.

QUESTION If we are called to model God’s impartiality, what might that look like?

PRAYER Lord, in our humanness we judge others who are not like us and fall far short of having Your heart for them. Fill us with Your Spirit afresh, to love with Your love and leave the judging to You because You are completely fair and impartial. Stir us up to be empowered and reliable guides to others, showing the difference between man’s way and the Way of Jesus. Amen.


PRINT EDITION  You can download a PDF of the print edition from the link below. It prints on A4 paper to produce a four-page Bible-size folder. Permission given to copy for your own use, for your Bible study or home group, or for inclusion with your church bulletin.

TLW35B-September-5-final-BookletDownload

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Excerpt

God’s way is to love us without favouritism, Jesus ministered to outsiders and we are exhorted to show the same unconditional love by respecting everyone evenly.

Filed Under: Pentecost to Advent, Year B

August 29: God’s heart of love — and ours

August 23, 2021 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Field of ripe wheat in evening sunlight and cloud pattern

Welcome to The Living Word Bible study for Sunday, August 29 (TLW34B). This non-denominational study relies on the Bible explaining the Bible, uninfluenced by any church’s practice or preferences, and it follows the Bible’s sequence of progressive revelation. We recommend that you read the whole passage first and let the Holy Spirit begin speaking to you through it, then go deeper with the verse by verse commentary and reflections. The readings for this week are as set by the Revised Common Lectionary, a resource shared by many different churches and chapels, and the text is the widely-used and contemporary NIV © Biblica.

• A linked article which draws out the teaching from this theme is found here: God’s Heart and Ours

• And a ‘Really Quick Introduction’ video — a short and easy way into the teaching How God changes our hearts


OT: Song of Solomon 2:8-13

NT gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

NT letter: James 1:17-27

And also read: Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9

Theme: The Lord of love changes our hearts from within


Song of Solomon 2:8-13 — God’s heart of love in a love poem

The season of God’s love flowers as His gift to be received joyfully

8 Listen! My beloved!

Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills.

9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice.

“Here he comes” — the girl looks out for her lover with eager anticipation; she sees him as like an agile deer, adept at surmounting obstacles. They just want to be together, despite obstacles.

10 My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. 

11 See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

“Winter is past” — Middle East winter can be a cloudy, gloomy season of rain, but the transition to spring is rapid

12 Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

“Singing” – more likely from the context than ‘pruning’ in older versions.

13 The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”

“Early fruit… blossoming vines” — all the senses are aroused in this description of the land awakening.

14 My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside,

show me your face, let me hear your voice;

for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

Doves were associated with love; Solomon is saying that in her, he experiences love. The hidden Shulammite girl is the real dove who he wants to see and hear. The words face…voice, voice…face are in the form of a literary mirror.

Reflection

SUMMARY This is an excerpt from Solomon’s love song with the young lovers pictured on a background of spring blossoming. It speaks to us about being real about love and its emotions and sensuality — all God-given.

APPLICATION  It can also be seen as a picture of God’s love for His church – and for us. He wants to capture our hearts more than any passionate young lover can express.

QUESTION  What holds you back from revelling in God’s love for you?


Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 — Religious tradition can’t disguise the heart

Jesus points out the lack of love for God in the Pharisees’ traditions

1-4 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of His disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

“They observe many other traditions” — in this chapter the Pharisees become more outspoken in opposing Jesus, and the gap between true spirituality and man-created religious tradition becomes more evident. 

“Teachers of the law… from Jerusalem” – a delegation of leading Pharisees who had come from the city, probably at the invitation of the Galilean Pharisees. Mark’s readers in Rome needed additional background on the ways of Judaism to understand the dispute.

5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

“Tradition of the elders” – this was a collection of laws and interpretations constructing rules of living that went beyond the Scriptures. At this point it had become a higher religious authority in Judaism than Scripture itself. Jesus was held responsible for His disciples. 

“Defiled hands” — there was nothing in the law of Moses about hands being defiled, except a special case for priests and holy offerings.

6-7 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: 

” ‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ “

“Hypocrites” — Isaiah’s prophecy, here in the Greek version, fits the attitudes of the Pharisees and scribes Jesus encountered. They were ‘pretenders’, like performing masked actors, the original meaning of hypocrites, holding a sham spirituality (like the acting -out of many religious people today) where knowing God had been replaced by unscriptural “merely human rules”. They had turned knowing God and living in His love and faithfulness, into a constructed religion of performing various rituals.

8 “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

“Commands of God…human traditions” – Jesus told them they had abandoned the Ten Commandments and Moses’ summary of Deuteronomy 6:1-6 and Deut. 11:1, for an exclusive and over-complicated religious system. This ‘tick box mentality’ actually cancelled out God’s word, verse 13.

14-15 Again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen to Me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

“Listen to Me, everyone” – Jesus makes a bold and clear statement, encouraging His hearers while refuting the legalism of the religious leaders.

21-23 “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come — sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

“Outside a person… from within” – it is not living in an impure world that is defiling, but having an impure or evil heart. Sin separates from God, not unclean hands. What a person is on the inside, good or bad, will find its expression on the outside and reveal what they really are.

“From inside” — after the Resurrection and Pentecost, the apostles taught that spiritual rebirth and the empowered life of the Spirit, enabled believers to choose to live in their new nature, above selfish ‘flesh’ motives.

Reflection

SUMMARY  This is clear teaching by Jesus of the falsehood of the Pharisees’ pride in their legalistic religious righteousness, while harbouring hatred and speaking badly and untruthfully about Him.

APPLICATION To ‘major on the minors’ of tradition while missing the point by having resentful hearts, is a lesson for us all. Turning to Jesus and acknowledging His Lordship in personal submission is like having a whole new heart, and the Holy Spirit enables us to live in it and helps us grow more Jesus-like.

QUESTION  Have you truly given your heart to Jesus? Is there a part of your heart He is still asking you to hand over?


James 1:17-27 — The word of God is a mirror to show us our heart

It is our responsibility to recognise and rid ourselves of wrong attitudes

17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

“Father of… lights” — an ancient Jewish expression. God created the sun, moon and stars, which all move in the sky, vary in brightness and cast moving shadows. But God’s light is constant, Malachi 3:6, 1 John 1:5.

18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of all He created. 

“First-fruits” – in the OT, an expression for the first and best of the harvest. Christians are to be fruitful showing God’s new creation that is to come, 2 Peter 3:10-13, and be examples of the ultimate restoration of creation, Romans 8:20-22.

19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

“Quick to listen (etc)” – this is like the outline of this letter, and expanded in James 1:21-2:26 (listen), 3:1-18 (slow to speak) and 4:1-5:18 (slow to anger).

“Human anger” – when things go wrong our first reaction is retaliation from the flesh. Until we let go of that first response of, literally, “man’s anger”, we can’t be directed by the Spirit to perceive God’s righteousness coming through our view of the difficulty.

21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

“Get rid of”, literally “put off”, like dirty overalls. More specifically commanded in Eph. 4:22, 1 Peter 2:1.

“Humbly accept” – as those who are teachable. “The word planted in you” – an allusion to the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:31-34 which looks ahead to a new covenant, where God promises to ‘write His law’ on His people’s hearts.

“Save you” – sin is never life-giving but rather, death-bringing, first spiritually, then physically. 

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

“Merely listen” – the teachable spirit wants to learn and apply. Hearing and not responding is the beginning of more serious and systemic deception.

“Deceive” – or delude yourselves. The word used is used in mathematics. Those listening but not engaging have made a serious miscalculation.

“Do” – more literally, “prove yourselves doers of the word” (NASB). As Jesus taught, Matt. 7:24, 26; Luke 6:46, 49.

23-25 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do.

“Forgets what he looks like” – not acting on something in your reflection that needs to be straightened, is to forget to do it. Similarly with the word of God, which is a mirror showing what is askew in our soul.

26-27 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

“Religious… religion” – a play on this word which contrasts ceremonial, rituals and external trappings with genuine faith. Perhaps the third ‘religion’ should be in quotes. Religious acts are no substitute for changed values and a changed, unselfish way of life.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Being made holy (the long word is ‘sanctification’) is truly a life-long process. James highlights the transformative effect of God’s word — God speaking to us now through the Bible. This starts with new birth, v.18, through the “word planted in you which can save you”, as God’s truth being revealed changes our hearts. The divine truth that is God’s word continues its work, bringing change to our deep-seated human independence, and challenging all our attitudes and responses that arise from that source.

APPLICATION  We were born in selfishness and independence from God. Coming back to Him in holiness is a long journey, with a big step change we call the new birth. All the time the word and the Holy Spirit are working together to transform us from the inside, with either our willingness or our resistance playing a big part in that. James’ teaching here is about not derailing the good process by “merely listening,” “not doing what it says” and entertaining “human anger” – but, rather, working with God the Father to become people who find ourselves doing, what He would have us do.

QUESTION  When you hear God speak to you through the word, what are things that help you to put it into practice? For example, do you keep a prayer journal, or do you belong to a small group where you can test out what you think you are hearing?

PRAYER  Lord, help me to purify my heart and make it Yours.

I know it’s a process, but I pledge my willingness to work with You, and to listen when You show me what needs to change.

Come, Holy Spirit, Spirit of Jesus, fill me and grow me to be more Jesus-like and help me to do my part. Amen.


And also read: Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9

Here the king is addressed as God’s representative

1-2 My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skilful writer.

You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.

6-7 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of Your kingdom.

You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

8-9 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.

Daughters of kings are among your honoured women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.

PRINT EDITION  You can download a PDF of the print edition from the link below. It prints on A4 paper to produce a four-page Bible-size folder. Permission given to copy for your own use, for your Bible study or home group, or for inclusion with your church bulletin.

TLW34B-August-29-final-BookletDownload

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Filed Under: Pentecost to Advent, Year B

August 22: God’s glory among us

August 15, 2021 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Traditional horse-drawn apple mill outside Throne Farm, Weobley, Herefordshire
Image credit: Ian Greig

Welcome to The Living Word Bible study for Sunday, August 22 (TLW33B). This non-denominational study relies on the Bible explaining the Bible, uninfluenced by any church’s practice or preferences and it follows the Bible’s sequence of progressive revelation. We recommend that you read the whole passage first and let the Holy Spirit begin speaking to you through it, then go deeper with the verse by verse commentary and reflections. Bible readings are from the Revised Common Lectionary, a resource shared by many different churches and chapels and the text is the widely-used and contemporary NIV © Biblica.


Theme: Becoming aware of God’s glory among us

1 Kings 8:1,6,10-11, 22-30, 41-43 — God’s glory cloud is seen as the ark takes its place in the Temple inner sanctuary  

John 6:56-69 — By believing and receiving Jesus totally as our Lord, our lives give God glory

Ephesians 6:10-20 —  The unseen conflict behind our troubles is won as we position ourselves in the spiritual battle

And also read: Psalm 84

• See also this week’s linked article on the theme, How God is glorified


1 Kings 8:1,6,10-11, 22-30, 41-43 — God comes in a glory cloud

The temple is consecrated and the ark takes its place in the inner sanctuary  

1 Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David.

6 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.

“The ark… to its place” — David had previously brought the ark from the house of the Levite Obed-Edom, 2 Sam. 6. This move from David’s own shrine into the temple was probably in the 12th year of Solomon’s reign.

10-11 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord (Yahweh). And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled His temple. 

“The cloud” – as the presence of the Lord had manifested in a visible cloud at Sinai, the same manifestation is seen in the temple, described in 2 Chron. 7:1-3.

22-23 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below – You who keep Your covenant of love with Your servants who continue wholeheartedly in Your way.

“No God like You” – other nations saw their deities as fickle and needing to be kept appeased. By contrast, Yahweh out of His goodness, directed events, sometimes with miracles, so that His covenant promises reaching far into the future were fulfilled. See Exodus 15:11, Deut. 7:9,12, Psalm 86:8-10.

“Covenant of love” – Hebrew berith chesēd, covenant faithfulness, which made Yahweh unique and different. There was responsibility on the other party to “continue wholeheartedly” in His way.

24 “You have kept Your promise to Your servant David my father; with Your mouth You have promised and with Your hand You have fulfilled it – as it is today. 

25 “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for Your servant David my father the promises You made to him when You said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before Me faithfully as you have done.’ 

“If only your descendants are careful” – a clear, unambiguous condition. Later, northern Israel and then southern Judah reneged on the agreement, resulting in the deportation and destruction warned against.

• For further study, compare the fuller account of 2 Chron 7:17-22.

26 “And now, God of Israel, let Your word that You promised Your servant David my father come true. 

27 “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain You. How much less this temple I have built! 

“How much less this temple” – Yahweh is not contained in any construction of man. But the physical presence of the temple and the cloud of glory appearing made people assume that they had God’s assistance, however they lived, Jer. 7:4-14, Micah 3:11.

28 “Yet give attention to Your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying in Your presence this day. 

29 “May Your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which You said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that You will hear the prayer Your servant prays toward this place. 

30 “Hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive.

“Toward this place” – Israelites directed their prayers towards the temple, the place where God has promised to be present among His people, e.g. Daniel 6:10.

41 “As for the foreigner who does not belong to Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your name…

“Foreigner” – not an alien living in Israel but someone who has journeyed to Jerusalem to pray to Israel’s God.

42-43 “…for they will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm — when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears Your Name.” 

“All peoples of the earth” — the wider intention of God’s mission, sometimes overlooked in the OT, but plainly stated here.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Solomon and his priests had never seen the glory cloud, but they prominent in Israel’s history was Moses entering the cloud on the top of Mount Sinai to receive the commandments, and the glory of the Lord filling the completed tabernacle. 

APPLICATION  For the people of the Old Testament era, the relationship was remote, not personal, with priests as intermediaries and prophets as spokesmen. Our relationship through Jesus is personal, no longer through priests. However, the story reminds us that the affairs of heaven and of earth are not separate, but closely linked.

QUESTION  What does it mean to you to be held in a covenant of love? How is this distinct from other world faiths?


John 6:56-69 — Jesus promises Himself as food for eternal life

By believing and receiving Him totally as our Lord our lives give God glory

56 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in them.

“Remains in Me” — the believer identifies with Jesus and perseveres in doing so.

57 Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

“Feeds on Me” – as John Wesley put it, Jesus becoming the meat and drink that feeds the soul. As the Hebrew idiom ‘flesh and blood’ means the whole person, to consume Him fully is to believe in Him totally.

58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

“Ate manna” — the value of which was limited.

59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 

“Whoever feeds on this bread” – not words meant to be taken literally, nor is this about breaking bread as in the Lord’s Supper which came much later. Eternal life comes from wholeheartedly believing and trusting in Him. Every believer has to take hold of this gift by exercising faith for themselves.

60 On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

“Hard teaching” — not hard to understand but hard to accept.

61-62 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before!

“Ascend” – be elevated to the realm He came from, a more incredible prospect to the disciples than Jesus offering Himself to sustain them.

63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you — they are full of the Spirit and life.

“Words I have spoken… full of the Spirit and life” — Jesus’ hearers were not discerning the spiritual truth behind Jesus’ words. Jesus explains that His words are Spirit and life because they have an effect in the unseen spiritual realm, and awaken genuine spiritual life.

64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.

65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled them.”

“The Father has enabled” – the ones who will receive are those who seek on God’s terms, not their own. Jesus knew some would choose not to believe — our free will and being drawn to a choice by the Holy Spirit are finely balanced.

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. 

“Many… turned back” — Jesus is not surprised that many potential disciples have turned away because their “faith” was not a trusting commitment.

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

68-69 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God.” 

“To whom shall we go” – although others have found His teaching too hard, the disciples are beginning to get it.

“Holy One of God” – God was called the Holy One of Israel, Psalm 71:22, Isaiah 43:3 and 54:5.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Jesus reminded His hearers of the manna, God’s day by day provision from heaven for His people in a desert — then challenged them to believe that God’s enduring ‘manna’ from heaven now, was He Himself, and they should feed on Him by taking Him to heart.

APPLICATION  We still see a gap between what happens in heaven and what happens, good or bad, in our earthly lives. This teaching of Jesus reminds us that He is the connection. To the extent our lives are lived in Him, under His Lordship, what happens is harnessed to the hope, or confident expectation, we possess in the heavenly realm.

QUESTION  In an everyday practical kind of way, what does it mean to feed on Jesus?


Ephesians 6:10-20 — Positioning ourselves in the spiritual battle

Behind what we see happening the unseen conflict is won in a different way

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

“Be strong in the Lord” – the conflict in the spiritual realm affects our experience in the physical realm. We are being reminded of the need to summon God’s invincible power.

11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

“Put on the full armour” – like full Roman battle dress but meaning Christlike attitudes, as Paul wrote earlier, “Put on the new self” i.e. the new attitude of who we are in Christ, born anew into true righteousness and holiness. This is coming at fear and malicious gossip in the opposite spirit of integrity.

“Take your stand” — Roman legions that stood together facing the enemy without breaking ranks were considered almost invincible. 

“The devil’s schemes” – the Bible is clear about the reality of the devil, a personal enemy, who uses predictable strategies to exploit sin, fear and guilt by using accusation and division. Knowing these strategies is to know their origin — and how to overcome them.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

“Our struggle” – or ‘wrestle’, implying trickery and deception. A common mistake is to resist levels of institutional or human opposition without taking a spiritual stand in the authority of Jesus against the dark spirituality that is manipulating them. All, including those who know the Lord, may have vulnerabilities that the different levels of spiritual opposition are able to deceive and exploit.

13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

“Full armour of God” – the ‘panoplia’ of the solder, but Yahweh’s armour and weaponry, Isaiah 11:4-5, 59:17, made available to the believer. When evil seems to prevail, truth and righteousness are the spiritual ‘weapons of character’ that win through.

“Day of evil” — a Jewish idiom for a period of trouble.

“Stand” – repeated four times in this passage for emphasis. Rather than invade the domain of evil, we are to firmly maintain the decisive victory already won by Christ, Eph. 1:20-22, 4:8, Col 2:15.

Reflection

SUMMARY The devil and his minions are real, personal and vindictive opponents, always seeking ways of gaining a foothold to steal our peace and cause division. To prevail, is to prevail spiritually by setting aside worldly ‘weapons’ to take up a very different set of spiritual ones. Growing in holiness, integrity and trust in the face of difficulty are the very qualities feared most by our spiritual opponents.

APPLICATION  The spiritual connection between what happens in the heavenlies and in our lives on earth is real and vital. This is how to contend with the anxieties and negativities that assail our thoughts, and the practical difficulties of health, relationships, accidents — and adverse weather.

QUESTION  What, in Christian life and fellowship, helps us to see this important spiritual dimension?

PRAYER  Father God, we pray that You will not leave us facing testing and evil alone, while recognising that in this fallen world difficulties and potential conflicts will arise. Fill us with the Spirit of Jesus to take our stand in His victory, not our own imagined power or position. May we be found worthy of the uniform You have given us in Him, as we seek to assert the freedom and rest that characterises Your kingdom. For His glory, Amen.


Also read: Psalm 84

1 How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!

2-3 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young — a place near Your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

4-5 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You. Blessed are those whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

6-7 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

8-9 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob. Look on our shield, O God; look with favour on Your anointed one.

10-11 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

12 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in You.


PRINT EDITION  You can download a PDF of the print edition from the link below. It prints on A4 paper to produce a four-page Bible-size folder. Permission given to copy for your own use, for your Bible study or home group, or for inclusion with your church bulletin.

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God’s glory was evident as a cloud filled Solomon’s temple, and as His Son, Jesus declared Himself the Living Bread from heaven; God’s glory is seen in believers clothed in righteousness who stand and overcome the deceptive schemes of the enemy.

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Welcome to The Living Word

You get a lot more out of the Sunday service readings if they are already speaking to you. TLW is about reading and re-reading these Scriptures with some commentary to bring out what is hidden and make connections with cross references. This is different from liturgy because it is a Bible study, putting the Bible passages in sequence from OT, through the NT gospel era, and then through the lens of the post-resurrection, early church in the power of the Spirit. Enabling this progressive revelation points to a theme.  The translation used is the readable and widely-used 2011 edition of the New International Version (NIV) Bible. Commentary is drawn from a wide range of sources and is Bible-centric and theologically neutral. As we read and reflect and allow the Holy Spirit to help us hear God through His word during the week, we prepare ourselves to hear afresh and receive the Sunday sermon in church or chapel.

For convenience, use the ‘Subscribe’ box below to receive a short email with the Bible passage and notes for each weekday (and that’s all!).

Unsubscribing is just as easy.

A little about me and my vision for The Living Word

I live in the Marches, a green and beautiful expanse of hills between England and Wales where churches and chapels share duty to the Christian faithful in every valley, and churchgoing is still part of the community life. However, there are few Bibles to be seen in these buildings, and home-based groups for fellowship and Bible study are rare.

I want to encourage Sunday worshippers in churches and chapels to enjoy reading the Bible during the week, to get used to hearing God for themselves through His word, and to be  spiritually prepared for the message they will hear on Sunday from the lectionary readings they all share. It is no substitute for meeting and worshipping together, nor for Holy Spirit-inspired preaching. It supports both by encouraging the personal growth of church and chapel members of any denomination. It offers faith encouragement for those no longer able to, or no longer wanting to take part in, formal physical church.

My background is not in churches that use the lectionary and I bring a breadth of tradition and spiritual understanding to the writing.  I have pastored a number of churches and been involved in a variety of other missional initiatives with a ‘kingdom of God’ agenda.

As well as The Living Word and its weekly video I also post regularly on www.freshbread.today and www.thelivingword.substack.com with a podcast as well as video and written content. There is also a Facebook page at fb.com/TLWbiblestudy

Revd Ian Greig BD (Hons), DPS

SEE ALSO other Living Word Publications

Substack newsletter and podcast (free subscription) — audio podcast, video and written content all in one place

Fresh Bread Today — the freshest bake, with a bit of a tang, unpackaged and uncut. His word to live by, today.

Believe the Good News – finding the good news and encouragement all through the Bible

GLOW – God’s Love Over Weobley, encouraging prayer and spiritual fellowship. With a local flavour for this NW Herefordshire village.

 

 

 

 

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