The Living Word

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Oct 3: Heaven’s fairness confronts man’s preferment

September 29, 2021 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Five white-faced Hereford bullocks pay attention

The Living Word for Sunday, October 3, 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, an inter-denominational resource shared by many different churches and chapels. The Bible version, widely used in contemporary churches, is the NIV © Biblica. Ref  TLW39B

Job 1:1, 2:1-10 — How Satan oppresses but God rules over the tests of life 

Mark 10:2-16 — In the kingdom of God, justice demands that everyone is esteemed equally

Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12 — Jesus, the radiance and the exact representation of God, entered our messy world to redeem it

And also read: Psalm 26

Theme: How the fairness of heaven confronts man’s pride and control

• See also this week’s linked article The Tests of Life and God’s Justice which brings together the teaching point from these three readings

• And this week’s Really Quick Introduction video Taming the Tests of Life


Job 1:1, 2:1-10 — God rules over the tests of life which come to all 

Satan is allowed to oppress righteous Job to try to get him to blame God 

1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

“Job… was blameless and upright” — his name, from Hebrew ‘iyyob meaning ‘Where is the heavenly Father?’, sets the scene for this story of testing. Job is depicted as having a consistent (if not sinless) spiritual life, spotless character, and being faithful before God — a tension with his friends who assume the opposite.

2:1-2 On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before Him. And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

“On another day” — a second glimpse of the angels of the heavenly court with Satan elbowing in, an unwelcome presence. The scene of Job’s second test is like the first, Job 1:6-12. In the first test Satan was bound from harming Job’s person. In this second Job’s person is vulnerable but his actual life is protected, verse 6 below.

3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited Me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

“You incited me” — or rather, attempted to. God cannot be stirred up to act against His will. “Have you considered my servant Job” is an indication that God allowed what happened to Job as part of His purpose. God doesn’t send afflictions but shares our experience of difficulties which test our trust of Him, hence “Lead us not into temptation” linked to “the evil one” in Jesus’ model prayer for disciples, Matt. 6:13.

“Without any reason” — translates the same Hebrew word used for Satan, insinuating that Job did not serve God “for nothing”, Job 1:9. The Lord throws “for nothing” back at the Accuser.

4-5 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to your face.”

“Skin for skin” – as Job maintains his integrity in a test that cost him his skin, and the “skin” of his animals. Satan, always the accuser, alleges that Job is only concerned for himself.

6 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”

7-8 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

“Painful sores” — the terms used for the ‘plague of boils’ in Egypt, Exodus 9:9-11 and ‘painful boils’, Deuteronomy 28:35, which stood as a specific covenant curse for the disobedient. This was the justification Job’s friends found for telling him that he was being punished for sinning — a severe test of faith.

9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”

“Are you still…” – Job’s wife sarcastically echoes God’s words, using a figure of speech to narrowly escape blasphemy. She mistakes Job’s dogged faith for religious obstinacy. His hardest test so far.

10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

“Shall we accept good… and not trouble” – Job’s measured reply cancels his wife’s dangerous near-agreement with Satan. This makes the central point of the Book of Job: God is sovereign over our lives whether in good times or adversity. In spiritual maturity we are able to trust Him even when we don’t understand why bad things happen.

Reflection

SUMMARY Job is presented to us as man of integrity, who honoured God and took trouble to avoid evil. So why is he singled out for affliction? 

APPLICATION The lesson is that we have an enemy, perhaps particularly targeting those who have a close walk with God. However, God’s purposes are higher, using affliction to test, prove and grow our faith, and demonstrate that ultimately He has sovereignty over our lives and circumstances.

QUESTION How would you use this passage to encourage someone struggling to believe and trust God rather than human logic and feelings?


Mark 10:2-16 — God’s justice and good is for everyone equally

In the kingdom of God, husbands, wives and children are esteemed together

2 Some Pharisees came and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

“Tested Him by asking” – meaning ‘tried to catch Him out’. John the Baptist had been beheaded for teaching that Herod Antipas’ divorce and remarriage was unlawful. With Jesus in Herod’s territory, the Pharisees saw a way of getting Him into trouble for agreeing with John the Baptist.

“A man to divorce his wife” – the grounds for divorce were much debated, and many Pharisees were advocating that men could initiate a kind of ‘no fault’ divorce.

3 “What did Moses command you?” He replied.

4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”

“Moses command… Moses permitted” – the Pharisees came back with Deut. 24:1-4 which was not a command but an acknowledgment that marriages fail, giving some protection for the woman’s rights. But over time, divorce permitted in Deut. 24:1 for ‘something indecent’ had become ‘anything indecent’.

5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied.

6-9 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

“What God has joined” — Jesus uses Scripture to move the argument from man’s interpretation of the rules, back to God’s intentions at creation, before sin had entered; marriage is between man and woman, and is divinely established, Gen. 1:27, 2:24, Exodus 20:14.

10-12 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

“This disciples asked Jesus about this” – taken aback by Jesus expecting a higher moral righteousness than merely keeping within Israel’s civil law, Matthew 5:20.

13-16 People were bringing little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them.

“He was indignant” – a strong word. It was a longstanding tradition to bring children for a blessing. Jesus challenges the hierarchy mentality of Judaism, in which children were largely excluded, and makes the point that the kingdom of God (or kingdom of heaven) must be received, like a child simply coming to receive a gift. It cannot be earned by merit. See Matt. 5:3.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Jesus entered a male-dominated world and encountered a strong tradition of privilege and rank. The ‘small people’, typified by the ‘small people’ who were children, were being dismissed as of little account. His intervention, today as then, is to call us back to God’s intention at Creation. 

APPLICATION  The kingdom of heaven’s order is about equal-handed fairness without privilege or discrimination — like in heaven. Jesus challenges our fondness — like the Jews of His time — for making our own rules about marriage and divorce, to better accommodate cultural preferences.

QUESTION  Where are we creating barriers of status and title and what would Jesus say about them?


Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12 — Jesus entered our messy world to redeem it

The very radiance of God became human, and endured man’s sin and oppression

1-2 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe.

3-4 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs.

“In the past God spoke” — through the various prophets, and then by the One who was a new category of revelation,His Son.

“By His Son who…” — seven praise definitions follow: (1) heir of creation; (2) creator or co-creator of the universe; (3) the radiance of God’s glory; (4) the exact expression of God’s nature; (5) the Word of God Himself, the only prophet who is also God; (6) the priest of God, who purifies from sin; and (7) the majestic king enthroned at the right hand of the Father.

“Exact representation” — the Son gives (TPT) “the exact expression of God’s true nature — His mirror image “, a defining picture of the very character of God, John 1:18; Phil. 2:6; Col. 1:15.

“Superior to the angels” — Jews in the synagogue tradition were inclined to view Jesus as an angel rather than divine. Jesus, whose name and therefore essence is Son, is not to be equated even with angels.

5 It is not to angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?

7-8a “You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honour and put everything under their feet.”

8b-9 In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

“Someone has testified” – the author shows how Psalm 8:4-6 is fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus needed to become incarnate as man – and for that time, lower than the angels – so that the “son of man”, the Messiah, could be the truest representative of mankind, Daniel 7:13. The role intended for mankind at creation came to fulfilment in Jesus Christ sharing our humanity.

10-11 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what He suffered. Both the One who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

12 He says, “I will declare your name to My brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing Your praises.”

“Perfect through what He suffered” – not questioning Jesus’ sinlessness, but showing Jesus to have been qualified for His unique role “through what He suffered”, obeying perfectly, dying as the perfect sacrifice for sins on our behalf. The Amplified Bible expands “perfect” into “[God] should bring to maturity the human experience necessary to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest”.

“I will declare Your name… in the assembly…” – from Psalm 22:22, showing that Jesus Christ is present in the gathered church.

Reflection

SUMMARY Who is Jesus? This letter, angled towards Jewish Christians in particular, starts with a sentence setting out clearly Jesus’ identity as the prophet, priest and king who is also God. It goes on to explain that He was also incarnated as a regular human being, with a unique role as redeemer of mankind which was completed in His suffering and death.

APPLICATION Through His life on earth, His suffering and death he is identified with every abuse and injustice that is part of this world’s package — and experiences its pain with us. As we receive Him into our hearts as our sovereign Lord, He is able to exercise the rule of heaven’s better, higher, and more just way over every aspect of our lives.

QUESTION How does the realisation that Jesus calls us brother, or sister, enable us to live differently?

PRAYER  Father God, we so want to have the reputation in heaven that Job had, of being people of integrity before You.

But like the example of the Pharisees, we too easily create our own standard of righteousness, and too readily let the obstacles of titles and structures and positions hinder people trying to find their way to Jesus and His kingdom.

Forgive us, Lord, for our smug ‘churchianity’ and so fill us with the Spirit of Jesus that we live up to being called His brothers and sisters and friends.

Through Him who was made perfect, so that He could save us who are so imperfect, we pray in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.

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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.

TLW39B-Oct-3-final-BookletDownload

Filed Under: Pentecost to Advent, Year B

Sept 26 — How to experience God on your side

September 20, 2021 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Marlbrook House, Weobley, Herefordshire

The Living Word for Sunday, September 26, 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, an inter-denominational resource shared by many different churches and chapels. The Bible version, widely used in contemporary churches, is the NIV © Biblica. Ref  TLW38B

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 — Esther petitions to spare her people

Mark 9:38-50 — Choose to deal with sin and gain eternal life

James 5:13-20 — How to experience the abundant life of the kingdom

And also read: Psalm 124

Theme: God is for us and we experience that when we choose to live for Him

  • See also this week’s article Choose Life which draws out and bring together the teaching of these three passages.
  • And this week’s Really Quick Introduction video Choose God’s Kind of Life

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 — Esther petitions to spare her people

God delivers the lives of His people through her courage in exposing Haman

1-2 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

“What is your petition… it will be given…” – Esther‘s delaying tactics overcome the king’s royal indifference. 

3-4 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favour with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life — this is my petition. And spare my people — this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.” 

“Have been sold” — a decree made as a result of the huge bribe Haman offered to the king, Esther 3:9, 4:7. Esther then quotes the exact terms: “destroyed, killed and annihilated”.

“Merely… sold as…slaves” – killing the Jews instead of enslaving them would lose the king the valuable asset of their labour. For comparison, ESV “Our affliction is not to be be compared with the loss to the king.”

5 King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he — the man who has dared to do such a thing?” 

6 Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

A fitting retort to Haman’s invective, “that Jew Mordecai”, Esther 5:13, 6:10. Later (in the omitted verse 8) there is irony as Haman falls before the Jewess Esther, because the plot to exterminate the Jews stemmed from Mordecai’s refusal to bow before Haman, Esther 3:1-6.

Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. 

“Terrified” – intense, paralysing fear, as when King David encountered a sword-bearing angel at Araunah’s threshing floor, or Daniel before the angel Gabriel, 1 Chron. 21:30, Dan. 8:17.

9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”

“Harbona” – the courtier introduces a second charge, Haman conspiring to kill the king’s benefactor. Mordecai had revealed an earlier plot against the king’s life, Esther 6:1-3.

The king said, “Impale him on it!”

10 So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

“On the pole he had set up” – cause and effect divine retribution can be in our present lives, as Job 4:8, Psalm 7:15-16, Proverbs 26:27 and NT reference Gal. 6:7-8 amounting to a foretaste of the final judgment, the view of Obadiah 15, Revelation 22:11-15.

20-22 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. 

“Mordecai recorded these events” — the official letters he sent, with other recollections added, may have become the Book of Esther. 

“Celebrate… the fourteenth and fifteenth days” — today Purim (lots) recalls both days on which the rural Jews celebrated their deliverance, and a day later in the city of Susa.

Reflection

SUMMARY Persian astrologers used the pur, lot, to choose the most opportune time to do something. In this case, Haman had favour at court to offer the king a huge bribe to issue an edict calling for the destruction of all the Jewish exiles (this was in the year 474 BC). But the lot was ultimately decided by God in a deliverance with echoes of the passage through the Red Sea.

APPLICATION  Today, the nation’s providential deliverance from a death sentence is celebrated in the Jewish festival Purim in late winter/early spring. We draw from this that God’s purposes are good, He holds His people in His hand — and He acts to give life to His own. 

QUESTION What helps you, and what holds you back, from trusting that God is for you?


Mark 9:38-50 — Choose to deal with sin and gain eternal life

Follow God’s way with your whole heart and don’t cause others to stumble

38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

The disciples’ preoccupation with status, a Jewish trait seen most in the Pharisees and teachers of the law, had already been confronted by Jesus in verses 33-37. It fostered a narrowly judgmental view of discipleship and who did or didn’t belong.

39-41 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in My name can in the next moment say anything bad about Me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in My name because you belong to the Messiah, will certainly not lose their reward.

“Do not stop him” — in the context of someone who has already received Jesus and is therefore able to minister in His name. The saying in Matt. 12:30 appears to contradict this but the context is different, those who are very much in opposition to Jesus.

42-43 “If anyone causes one of these little ones — those who believe in Me — to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.

“Millstone” – turned by a donkey to grind grain. A small one would weigh half a ton.

“Thrown into the sea… cut it off” – figurative exaggerations to make a memorable point. Sin calls for a willingness to undergo radical ‘spiritual surgery’.

45 “And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.

“Enter life crippled” — repentance, like all change, involves some loss and pain, but far better this than the prospect of hell.

47-48 “And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 

“Thrown into hell” – literally “thrown into Gehenna”, the ravine valley of Hinnom, the putrid maggot-infested garbage dump outside Jerusalem where refuse burned continually, and historically a place of pagan human sacrifice, Jer. 7:30-34. A powerful image of the horror of eternal damnation.

49 “Everyone will be salted with fire. 

“Everyone” — every believer will “come through fire” in life’s trials which purify and deepen faith. Unbelievers will face the eternal fire of God’s judgment.

50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

“Salt…saltiness” – genuine Christian character has a purifying influence anywhere, unless it loses its distinctive edge. Salt mined from the Dead Sea often contained gypsum that lacked the taste and effect of the real thing.

Reflection

SUMMARY  A preoccupation with who was ‘in’ and who was ‘out’ led the disciples to be judgmental of some righteous people who appeared to be entering the kingdom of heaven, as ‘outsiders’, while they themselves were in contention about who was most important, Mark 9:33-35.

APPLICATION We, if we are believers, are trusted to be good mentors of others who are finding Jesus and His way, and to to stand up against all that is selfish and dishonest or immoral. Such tendencies have to be addressed, and sin radically renounced and removed. Scandals in parts of the church today which have been covered up bring this home. To hold a position and ‘talk the talk’ while failing to ‘walk the walk’ will bring its own judgment.

QUESTION What in my life is causing the ‘salt’ of Jesus truth and nature to become insipid?


James 5:13-20 — How to experience the abundant life of the kingdom

Confess sins and pray for each other with the faith that Elijah demonstrated

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

“In trouble” – ‘suffering’ in some versions, but the meaning is broader than physical sickness. 

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

“Call the elders of the church” — the Bible knows nothing of ‘one person ministry’. The presumption in the early church was of several persons of wisdom and spiritual maturity to call on.

“Anoint… with oil in the name of the Lord” — oil was used medicinally but this is bringing the sick person before the Lord in faith for His merciful consideration and healing, Mark 6:13 (not a ‘last rite’ because they are dying).

15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

“Prayer offered in faith” — ‘prayer of faith’, ESV, implies a more authoritative declaration style of prayer than asking (e.g. “Your kingdom come!”) based on precedents and promises drawn from Scripture. The prayer of faith is often allied with the prayer of agreement, Matt. 18:19 in Jesus’ words, “Where two on earth agree… it shall be done for them.”

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

“Confess your sins” – the Bible teaches that there can be a cause-and-effect relationship between sin and physical sickness, John 5:14, but not always, John 9:1-3. Repentance for sin in the community is a prelude to healing in the community, 1 Cor. 11:30.

“Prayer of a righteous person” — preparation before praying for healing, allied to confession of sin and the prayer of faith. For this kind of prayer to be powerful and authoritative, those praying need to affirm their position and reliance on Christ and be free from unconfessed sin.

17-18 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

“Elijah… even as we are” — revered as one who worked signs and wonders, but here depicted as a regular person who, however, prayed earnestly. The drought of “three and a half years”, 1 Kings 17-18, is symbolic of judgment (half of seven, Dan. 7:25, 12:7, Rev. 11:2; 12:6,14). The point James makes is that we, not necessarily elders, can pray bold prayers and be heard in heaven.

19-20 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

“Remember this” — the jump in logic shows these verses (like the opening James 1:2-4) are ‘bookends’ which close the letter.

SUMMARY  The Letter of James is written to encourage believers as those born again into new life in Jesus, to take hold of what is theirs and to avoid common pitfalls, deceptions — and sin. All of this has a bearing on maintaining a confidence in God while facing trials and disappointments. 

APPLICATION  Physical, emotional and spiritual healing are all part of the New Covenant in Jesus, but need to be grasped in faith, and any sin issues which may give the devil legal rights to oppress, brought honestly into the light. This part of the letter offers a practical ‘how to’ in seeking God’s freedom from sickness, praying the Prayer of Faith, with the empowering of the Holy Spirit implied throughout the letter.

QUESTION To balance our stories about longed-for healing that hasn’t worked out as we hoped, what accounts can you share of when God did show up and heal — perhaps unexpectedly?

PRAYER Lord, looking onto Your eyes is looking into life itself. Help and empower us to be people of the New Life – and life-givers to others who in their pain may need our faith exercised on their behalf. In Jesus we pray, Amen.

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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.

(Link to file)

Filed Under: Pentecost to Advent, Year B

September 19: Kill the ego and grow in greatness

September 13, 2021 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Reservoir scene with an expanse of blue water surrounded by mountain slopes
Grwne Fawr reservoir

The Living Word for Sunday, September 19, 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, an inter-denominational resource shared by many different churches and chapels. The Bible version, widely used in contemporary churches, is the NIV © Biblica. Ref  TLW37B

BIBLE READINGS

Proverbs 31:10-31 — Greatness comes through character, diligence and wisdom like this picture of compassionate and spiritual wife

Mark 9:30-37 — An argument about status leads to the profound teaching, that greatness is about being willing to submit

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a — True greatness comes from humility, not pride, when we put godly dependence above selfish ambition

And also read: Psalm 1

Theme: Greatness in God’s kingdom is living for others as Jesus did

• See also this week’s linked article drawing out the teaching that Wisdom with Humility is the Path to True Greatness and the Really Quick Introduction video, Status or Greatness?


Proverbs 31:10-31 — Greatness comes through character and diligence

Wisdom is like this picture of a gentle, but gifted and spiritual wife

10-12 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

 “Noble character” — this poem goes through the alphabet of excellent moral, spiritual and practical attributes. Elsewhere the term is used for the military exploits of men. Her husband can trust her because she is godly.

“Who can find?” — no one without God’s help, Proverbs 18:22.

“She brings him good” — this kind of woman knows how to grab heaven and apply it to earth for the benefit of everyone under her influence.

13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

“Wool and linen” – wool spun from the fleece, linen woven from flax fibres. A linen garment sold for half a month’s wage and a woollen garment for four times that.

14-15 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. 

“Like the merchant ships” – she is enterprising, remarkable in a male-dominated culture and also considerate, the opposite of Proverbs’ sluggard, Proverbs 6:9-10, 26:14, not having servants attend her in bed.

16-19 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 

“Considers a field… sees that her trading is profitable” – showing independent judgment and financial wisdom, not the norm for women of that time. “Her lamp does not go out” – not working through the night but a sign of a well-run house where the lamp was kept burning all night as a sign of life.

“Sets about her work” – to plant a vineyard and build a press in stony ground was an arduous undertaking. This is contrasted with the skilled and delicate work of drawing wool thread from the distaff stick on to the spinning wheel.

20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

“The poor…the needy” — in Proverbs, being generous to the poor is a characteristic of wise people.

For further study: generosity and wisdom, Prov. 11:24-26; 21:13; 22:9,16,22-23; 28:27.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 

“Clothed in scarlet” — implies dyed wool and good quality. She provides well-made clothing for her household.

22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 

“Her husband is respected” — gaining some of his status because of his wife’s reputation.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. 

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

This woman’s hard work and good judgment brings security and respect to the household and also her husband, who is valued as a decision-maker “at the city gate”.

26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

“Speaks with wisdom” — her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness,” NLT. She isa person who can counsel others. Real beauty in God’s sight is a product of a good heart.

• For further study, read 1 Peter 3:1-5.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 

“She watches over… her household” — as a skilled manager of the home, not an idle critic of others, Titus 2:3-5.

28-29 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” 

30-31 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.  

“A woman who fears the Lord” – the poem concludes that the reward of wisdom, personified as the woman of wisdom, comes from honouring the Lord as first priority, a simple but profound statement, Proverbs 1:7, 9:10, 15:33. Being willing to listen to and defer to the Lord is perhaps a more feminine trait, as in this depiction, which wise men do well to acquire.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Proverbs begins and ends with wisdom, which it explains in terms of personality and character — a God-fearing, submitted, spiritual woman. It is more than having skills, it is having the character and sense of direction to know what to do with them. 

APPLICATION  In a world which prizes knowledge and puts a high value on information, something called wisdom looks like a ‘soft skill’. Proverbs begins with the voice of wisdom, a woman’s voice, and ends with the personality and character of a God-fearing, submitted, spiritual woman. All can learn from what may be seen as a more feminine trait, being willing to listen to, and defer to, the Lord.

QUESTION  Should you ask God for wisdom or just rely on Him to provide it?


Mark 9:30-37 — True greatness comes through being able to defer

An argument about status leads to a profound teaching for the disciples

30-32 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because He was teaching His disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise.” But they did not understand what He meant and were afraid to ask Him about it. ”

“He was teaching His disciples” —  in this phase, preparing for Jerusalem, His focus was teaching the disciples to help them understand how His death would be part of God’s plan. They expected the resurrection of mankind at the final judgment foretold in Daniel 12:2; the resurrection of an individual was difficult for them. Luke’s explanation is that “it was concealed from them so that they could not grasp it”, Luke 9:45.

33-34  They came to Capernaum. When He was in the house, He asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

“Capernaum… in the house” – probably the one belonging to Peter and Andrew, Mark 1:29.

“But they kept quiet” – they expected disapproval of the argument. It would surface again, Mark 10:35-37. Because they had not yet understood Jesus’ destiny, they didn’t grasp the implication for themselves.

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

“Sitting down” – assuming the role of a teacher (like standing up for us).

“Want to be first…last… servant” – (here and below) Jewish society emphasised rank and status. Jesus confronted the culture by teaching that in God’s kingdom, true greatness comes through being the servant, not the master. Finally He demonstrated this conclusively in His death as the Suffering Servant.

36-37 He took a little child whom He placed among them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me does not welcome Me but the one who sent Me.” 

“Whoever welcomes one of these” – children had no status, and welcoming a child was putting yourself last in line in an dramatically unexpected way.

Reflection

SUMMARY   Jesus’ life on earth made Him the greatest human being who has ever lived and at the same time a suffering servant to provide a salvation path for mankind at the cost of His life and reputation. In His terms and example, true greatness has nothing to do with our imagined ideas of status. It comes as we learn to conquer human pride and self-sufficiency, and embrace dependence on God in a servant spirit.

APPLICATION  The disciples belonged to a Jewish society riven with distinctions of aristocratic and common, rich and poor, politically powerful and powerless. Status and hierarchy was much discussed and in our world ‘being a celebrity’ is a thing. But all of this flies in the face of God’s kingdom order.

QUESTION  Think of someone you know who is different because you can see Jesus in them? Why is that? 


James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a — True greatness comes from humility, not pride

Teaching about dealing with ambition and embracing godly dependence

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

“Humility” – literally ‘meekness’, prautes and rendered ‘gentleness’ in Gal. 5:23 was considered a weakness by Greeks but Jesus made it a fundamental virtue, Matt. 5:5, 11:29. It is not passive or timid but an attitude of trusting God and therefore having no need to self-promote.

“Humility that comes from wisdom” – true wisdom has nothing to prove. James writes to Spirit-filled believers in the churches about deeds done in the humility of the consequential fruitfulness of faith in their day by day experience of God.

14-16 But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

“Selfish ambition… disorder” – worldly teaching based on man-centred values  is unspiritual and invites the conflict and division that is the hallmark of the devil, James 4:1-3 below.

17-18 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

“Peace-loving… considerate” – the list parallels the character qualities of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23  with more than a nod towards the Royal Law James has already mentioned, James 2:8.

4:1-3 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 

“Desires that battle within” – the life of the Spirit that is peace-loving and fruitful in the unity He brings, contrasted dramatically with the bitter church conflicts and character assassination that result from jealousy and the desire to control.

7-8 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

“Resist the devil” – setting out forcefully the opportunities we give to the devil by unholy attitudes. So is the remedy where we invite the rule and reign of God in willing submission to His values. This ‘repent and resist’ teaching is the same as in 1 Peter 5:8-9, a different letter written at a different time. That gives weight to this important teaching.

• For further study: the ‘wearing holy attitudes’ teaching in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Eph. 6:10-18.

Reflection

SUMMARY  In the Gospel passage, Jesus brings the principles alive in His own life and teaches His kingdom values to the disciples. It still needs to be earthed in everyday spiritual life. The epistle is written to believers in the churches who are learning to live in their new life and new identity, as those who are new creations “in Christ Jesus” and who have the Spirit of Christ Jesus in them.

APPLICATION  The believers are empowered, they are guided, they have the original Scriptures and the new records of Jesus’ teaching. But they still have to make it work in their lives and their relationships, with all the tensions of a community. They have new life, but as we all find, the test is whether we can avoid being pulled back into what the Bible calls the flesh, or selfish nature. In this case it’s rivalry, envy and desire to control and like the weeds in your garden, it’s ready to spring up in every church fellowship to be a vehicle for the conflict and the disunity the devil wants to sow. That’s his strategy to disable the advance of the kingdom of God. 

QUESTION  What do you feel entitled to control? Where do you have the need to be in charge? Where is the lordship of Jesus in those perceptions?

PRAYER  Lord, looking into Your eyes is looking into life itself. Help and empower us to be people of the New Life – and life-givers to others who in their pain may need our faith exercised on their behalf. I pray this in and through 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.

Filed Under: Pentecost to Advent, Year B

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  • The Grace and Glory of God Appear — and Our Part In It
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  • Three Common Pitfalls to Avoid
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  • Understanding God’s grace + our faith = new life in salvation 
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  • About…
    • The pros and cons of the lectionary format
    • A personal guide through the maze of Bible versions
  • About TLW print edition
  • Explaining…
    • Explaining… Christmas: the call to worship
    • Explaining… God’s call to all
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    • Explaining… How God’s grace doesn’t work by our rules
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    • Explaining… How too easily we can be frustrating God’s plan
    • Explaining… Our assurance in the kingdom of God
    • Explaining… Revitalisation — God’s kingdom vs our control
    • Explaining… the ‘review and renew’ that God is doing
    • Explaining… Why the good news is good
    • Understanding… The danger in our complacency
    • Explaining the kingdom of God 1
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    • Explaining Pentecost
    • Explaining the Trinity
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  • Understanding…
    • Understanding… Holiness and the Great Commandment
    • Understanding… how deception undermines God’s truth
    • Understanding… How we raise our expectation
    • Understanding… Revival
    • Understanding… Stepping out in faith
    • Understanding… the difference between reacting and responding to God
    • Understanding… The freedom that is ours in Christ
    • Understanding… the generosity of God
    • Understanding… The invitation we must respond to
    • Understanding… The need to be ready for the Lord’s return
    • Understanding… The way agreement and conflict play out in the kingdom of God
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    • Inexpressible and glorious joy
    • The need to be reborn from above
    • Understanding the Trinity of God
    • First-century gnosticism

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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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