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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July 3: The Holy Spirit Brings Restoration of God’s Order

June 30, 2022 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Two ducks framed by giant meadow daisies by the side of their pond
Two ducks stand to attention beside their pond

The Living Word study for July 3, 2022 — The Holy Spirit brings restoration of God’s order

Psalm 30

2 Kings 5:1-14 —Elisha’s testing word leads to Naaman’s healing

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 — Jesus appoints 72 to go out to restore others

Galatians 6:1-6, 7-16 — Life in the Spirit means restoring others gently


• See also this week’s linked article How The Holy Spirit Restores God’s Order


Psalm 30

1 I will exalt You, Lord, for You lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2 Lord my God, I called to You for help, and You healed me.

3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; You spared me from going down to the pit.

4-5 Sing the praises of the Lord, you His faithful people; praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6-7 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”

Lord, when You favoured me, You made my royal mountain stand firm; but when You hid Your face, I was dismayed.

8-9 To You, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?

10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.”

11-12 You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise You forever.

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2 Kings 5:1-14 — Elisha’s testing word leads to Naaman’s healing

The pathway to God’s blessing begins with our humble submission to Him

1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

“Naaman… of Aram” — a distinguished Syrian military commander of one of Israel’s greatest enemies, who has a disfiguring skin disease.

2-3 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

“Bands of raiders” — an insightful Israelite girl had been taken as a slave in one of the frequent border skirmishes.

“The prophet” — Elisha travelled around (from a base in Samaria) and the Israelite girl knew his reputation as a nabi, or prophet. 

4-6 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the King of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the King of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the King of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

“Letter to the King of Israel” — the king assumes the prophet will be part of the royal court.

“Taking with him” — an extravagant gift.

7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”

“Why… send someone to me” — the unspiritual King Jehoram doesn’t consider Elisha but thinks he is being set up for failure, and another major battle.

8-9 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.

10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

“Go, wash yourself seven times” — Naaman had come with a royal despatch and large gift, and was received by a messenger. This was a test to see if he would ‘trust and obey’.

11-12 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

“Wash… and be cleansed” — rivers in Damascus fed by Mount Hermon were clear-flowing, the Jordan was muddy. But the real issue, and his rage, was about submitting to the God of Israel.

13-14 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

“Seven times as the man of God has told him” — the number of completeness. A proud man turns to humility and puts his trust in God. Blessing followed.

• For further study, read Joshua 3:1-4:24.

Reflection

SUMMARY Naaman is a successful general of the army of Aram, a longstanding enemy of Israel. He needed healing which only God could bring. A captured Israelite maid servant to Naaman’s wife knew Elisha’s reputation as a man of God and suggested the officer should seek his help.

APPLICATION His lesson is our lesson – humility and submission to God is the path for His order to come into our lives. When Naaman carried out the simple instructions he had been given, he was restored.

QUESTION God blessed this pagan man who sought His help — what does that tell us about the scope of God’s mission — and ours?


Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 — Jesus appoints 72 to go out to restore others

They were instructed to pray for additional workers for mission in Judea

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where He was about to go.

“Seventy-two others” — unique to Luke, this account of 72 “other” disciples sent out recalls the 72 known nations of Genesis 10 (in the Greek translation); also Moses’ 70 elders plus ‘outsiders’ Eldad and Medad, Numbers 11:24-26, a reminder that the Good News is for ‘outsiders’.

2-4 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 

“The harvest… the workers” — there is an urgency and call for extra workers like any ripe harvest.

“Do not take” — Jesus is telling them to be vulnerable and reliant on God, and to avoid the customary lengthygreetings en route.

5-7 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 

“First say…” — if the household receives their blessing, that is a channel for God’s gifts. They are not imparted by ritual words without relationship.

“Someone who promotes peace” — lit. ‘son of peace’ and essential to the Good News being received. Religious coercion has no place in the kingdom of God.

8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.

“Eat what is offered” — e.g. by Gentiles; they were not to be sidetracked by religious purity laws.

9 “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 

“Heal the sick and tell them” — Jesus’ message of the kingdom comes in signs and words.

“The kingdom of God” — not political or geographical but God’s order ‘ruling’ in the hearts and lives of Jesus’ followers. 

10-11 “But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

The kingdom… has come near” — an offer and also a warning: knowingly refusing the gift of God’s love and grace has consequences.

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; but whoever rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

“Whoever rejects you” — Jesus (sent by God) commissioned these disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God; rejecting their message was rejecting God Himself.

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”

18-20 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

“Authority to trample” — Jesus had given authority, i.e. the right to exercise power, over evil, expressed figuratively as snakes and scorpions. But this does not define them; their identity is in their heavenly destiny.

Reflection

SUMMARY Jesus is aware that there are many people in Judea ready to respond to the Good News of the kingdom. So He sends out 72, with similar instructions to the 12 sent out around Galilee: to be bringers of the peace of God’s kingdom order, including healing the sick.

APPLICATION  Jesus gives the 72 spiritual authority which is the right to exercise His power. Although the people who will welcome them may not be Jews, the message of peace with God in His grace and through Jesus, is for everyone. If we are disciples of Jesus, we can confer His peace and His blessing where we are received in His name.

QUESTION Should we seek to go in pairs to visit and tell people about Jesus and His kingdom? How do we know who will welcome us?


Galatians 6:1-6 — Life in the Spirit means restoring others gently

Burdens are meant to be shared, but each one is responsible for their own walk

1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

“You who live by the Spirit” — pneumatikoi, “you who are spiritual” (ESV), simply those with more experience of walking with the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 2:15, 3:1, 14:37 and evidencing Gal. 5:22-23.

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.

“Carry each other’s burdens” — like Jesus, who carried mankind’s sins Himself as well as the curse of the law, Gal. 1:4, 3:13, also Romans 15:1-13.

“The law of Christ” — essentially the “new commandment” to “love your neighbour as yourself”, Gal. 5:14.

3-5 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.

“Deceive themselves” — literally ‘hoodwinks’. Pride and self-deception is a common spiritual limitation.

“Carry their own load” — phortion, cargo, capacity. This is the call, the sphere of ministry, different for every believer and so not for comparison. Contrasted with barē, the too-heavy burden of v.2 that needs to be shared.

6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

“Share all good things” — hints at financial as well as general support.

For further study, see 1 Cor. 9:11,14; 1 Tim. 5:17.

Reflection

SUMMARY In this example, believers are exhorted to be careful about their own spiritual walk, but also to be ready to share the burden of those who have found themselves in difficulties or just carrying too much.

APPLICATION Pride and self-deception feed off each other and are a common way that we are hoodwinked and lose sight of the good path. That’s when trustworthy and non-judgmental friends are needed to help us get back on track with the Lord.

QUESTION Worship services may not help us to “carry one another’s burdens“. What does?

PRAYER Lord, You want us to show the world around us Your life in us.
You want us to be examples of how the life of the Spirit empowers us to live by love, not self.
Help us to live full of You and bring Your transforming presence to church, community and beyond.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Filed Under: Pentecost to Advent, Year C

June 26: The Lord seeks out those who will live for Him

June 26, 2022 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Purple and white wisteria display in a Devon, UK, garden
Purple and white wisteria display in a Devon, UK, garden

This is The Living Word Bible study for groups and individuals, with verse by verse commentary, reflections and questions to consider.

It is paired with this linked article, which draws out the message, and a storytelling video (13 min) Who Has My Heart?

The Bible readings (Revised Common Lectionary) are:

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 — Elisha’s devotion sees him succeed his master

Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

Luke 9:51-62 — The kingdom of God demands our full commitment

Galatians 5:1, 13-25 — Not constrained by rules, led by the Spirit

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Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

1-2 I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted.

11-12 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will rememberYour miracles of long ago. I will consider all Your works and meditate on all Your mighty deeds.

13-15 Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; You display Your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

16-18 The waters saw You, God, the waters saw You and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, Your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.

19-20 Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, though Your footprints were not seen. You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

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2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 — Elisha’s devotion sees him succeed his master

He witnesses Elijah being taken up to heaven in a miraculous way

1 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.

“Gilgal” — the less well-known Ephraim hill country Gilgal north of Bethel.

2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” 

But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” 

And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.

“Stay here” — urged to remain behind, three times in all Elisha pledged to stay with his master until his departure. 

7-8 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

“The water divided” — striking the water with the rolled-up cloak visually represented God’s power to the watching prophets.

• For comparison, the Red Sea before Moses, Exodus 14:15-31.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you, before I am taken from you?” 

“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

“A double portion” — not an arrogant demand, Elisha seeks an inheritance like an older son, to succeed Elijah in the prophetic office.

• For further study, read Deut. 21:17, 1 Kings 19:16,19-21

10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours — otherwise, it will not.”

“A difficult thing”— the Lord’s assignment, not Elijah’s.

11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

“Elijah…went up… in a whirlwind” — one of two people in the Bible (with Enoch, Gen. 5:24) to be taken to heaven without experiencing death.

“Chariot… and horses of fire” — fire in God’s appearance was a sign of His mighty power.

• For further study, Isaiah 66:15, also Exodus 3:2, 13:21, 2 Chron. 7:1.

12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

“Chariots and horsemen of Israel” — Elisha suddenly saw how Elijah, not the faithless king, was the Lord’s representative and strength of the nation.

13-14 Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

“Picked up Elijah’s cloak” — and uses it to part the Jordan River and authenticate his call (hence our saying ‘mantle of authority’).

Reflection

SUMMARY  Elijah knows his ministry is drawing to a close and his devoted apprentice Elisha asks to inherit the prophetic anointing. He sees a vision of heavenly flaming horsemen and Elijah is swept up, dropping his cloak. Elisha then picks up his master’s mantle and invoking the Lord’s power strikes the Jordan’s water and sees it part in the same way as Elijah had done earlier.

APPLICATION Elisha had given up everything to become Elijah’s apprentice and had proved himself teachable and devoted to God. Those are still prime requirements for God to use us in His kingdom.

QUESTION  To be a disciple of God means to be an apprentice. How teachable are you?

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Luke 9:51-62 — The kingdom of God demands our full commitment

As Jesus resolutely prepares to enter Jerusalem He looks for followers of substance

51 As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

“Taken up” — other uses of this word group all refer to Christ’s ascension.

“Resolutely set out” — or ‘set His face’, a phrase used by the OT prophets proclaiming judgment against God’s people.

• For further study, see Isaiah 50:7, Jer. 21:10, Ezek. 6:2, 13:17, 20:46. 

52-53 And He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for Him; but the people there did not welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem.

“People… did not welcome” — historic hostility. After its earlier fall than Jerusalem, Samaria had been resettled and its people worshipped on Mount Gerizim. A Judean ruler destroyed their temple.

54-56 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then He and His disciples went to another village.

“Call fire down… to destroy them” — the “sons of thunder”, Mark 3:17, recalled Elijah calling down fire from heaven against the enemies of God. But Jesus’ mission is not to compel people to follow Him (like a religion) but to bring the free offer of the gospel, Matt. 11:28.

• For further study on Elijah calling down fire: 1 Kings 18:38, 2 Kings 1:1-17.

• How Samaria later received the gospel: Acts 8:4-8, 14-17, 25, 9:31.

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to Him, “I will follow You wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow Me.” 

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

61 Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

“I will follow” — there is a cost, and bereavement or family ties should not keep anyone from the commitment required. 

“Bury my father” — who had not just died: burials always followed without delay. A year later it was the custom to place the bones with other ancestors, hence “Let the dead (ancestors) bury (or receive) their own (recent) dead”. This could wait.

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

“Looks back” — as concentration is needed to keep oxen and plough straight, service in the kingdom of God is intentional.

Reflection

SUMMARY Jesus knows that His entry into Jerusalem will amount to a judgment and bring conflict. He speaks to Hhis disciples and wider circle of followers about their resolve to follow His way and the personal cost.

APPLICATION Genuine faith believes, acts and continues. If we profess to believe in Jesus but backpedal over following Him, it raises the question of how real our faith is.

QUESTION Discuss what Jesus is saying about the place of family responsibilities.

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Galatians 5:1, 13-25 — Not constrained by rules, led by the Spirit

To walk by the Spirit is about choosing to live by heavenly freedom

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

“It is for freedom” — the Galatian letter reminds Jewish believers that living by faith and fellowship is a radical step away from Judaism’s religious legalism.

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

“Called to be free… but” — what will guide conduct if the law is not the guide? A far better guide than rules, the Holy Spirit internalises righteous values, v.16.

14-15 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

“The entire law is fulfilled” — the leading of the Holy Spirit which is having a generous spirit towards others, expresses the intention of “the Law and the Prophets”.

• Further study: Matt. 7:12, Mark 12:31, also Romans 13:8-10.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

“Desires of the flesh” — looks back to “bite and devour each other”. The religious way of trying to achieve status with God breeds a self-righteous attitude and criticism of others.

17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

“Flesh… and…Spirit…are in conflict with each other” — the flesh, or human nature, is controlling and self-centred, while the Holy Spirit is enabling and freeing, to the extent that we yield to Him. The remedy is not greater effort but recognising the conflict, and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us in His ways.

19-21 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

“Acts of the flesh” — even after we give our lives to Christ, the old selfish human nature continues to kick in.

22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

“Fruit of the Spirit” — grown in the human spirit by the Holy Spirit residing there, like a nine-lobed fruit of Christian character, all growing together in us.

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

“Belong to Christ Jesus” — having made the personal choice to repent (turn from the old life), to believe and receive new life through new spiritual birth in making Jesus Lord of our life, Mark 1:15, John 3:3.

“Crucified the flesh” — ego put to death.

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

“Live by the Spirit” — not by the rules of the law (or any religious rules). It is a new life, lived in a new way, John 3:5-6, and “keeping in step” is a picture of the Holy Spirit pacing us as our coach and mentor in life.

Reflection

SUMMARY  This passage talks about the law and how ultimately, this is about our relationships with one another. It also contrasts the compulsion of the flesh — human will and desire — with being led by the Spirit….

APPLICATION  The picture is of walking with the Spirit at the same pace, in the same direction and growing in the nine hallmarks of the Holy Spirit, which are about being loving, joyful, gentle and accommodating towards others.

QUESTION  Paul expects his hearers or readers to live by the Spirit. What does he mean and what is our expectation?

PRAYER   Lord, in my spirit I want to give You my full commitment,
but my flesh causes me to falter.
I ask for a deeper experience of Your Spirit and the life of the Spirit,
to help me keep in step with You wherever You lead me.
Amen.

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The Living Word for June 26, 2022, 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 own 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. TLW25C

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PRINT EDITION  There’s also a PDF print edition produced as a convenient Bible-sized folder which downloads from the link below. Permission given to copy for your own use, home group, or discipling use in the church generally.

TLW25C-June-26-final-BookletDownload

Filed Under: Pentecost to Advent, Year C

How God Sets Us Free

June 19, 2022 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

This article goes with the detailed Bible study for June 19 which covers the Bible readings found in the inter-denominational Revised Common lectionary. The story of Ejijah’s flight to Horeb, the demonised man in Gadara who was wonderfully set free, and the confusion going on the the Galatian church tell us about three ways in which we need to be set free.

See The Living Word study June 19: God’s Order Brings Freedom from Oppression for small groups which takes a deeper dive into these same Bible passages with commentary and questions for reflection.

And this week’s video (13 mins) How God Sets Us Free (wide) and How God Sets Us Free (mobile)

Elijah faced a new threat to his life. He needed God’s PHYSICAL deliverance which would have saved him a long journey. He also needed EMOTIONAL freedom from his sense of failure. Following his participation in a huge spiritual victory, the devil was doing battle in his mind and he needed freedom from lies that had started to rule him, to get back to God’s call on his life as a prophet.

The demon-possessed and outcast man in Gerasa had a miserable, outcast existence overtaken with uncontrollable violence. But Jesus saw Him with different eyes, and how he needed SPIRITUAL DELIVERANCE from a host of demons that had taken over his life.

Closer to our own situation, the teaching given to believers in Galicia was to take hold of their FREEDOM IN CHRIST from the religious legalism of their Jewish Christian friends, who were trying to make them follow rules that no longer applied now they had made Jesus Lord of their lives.

Some verses from Psalms 43 and 44 helpfully set the scene for us.

…My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

I say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I go about… oppressed by the enemy?”

Vindicate me, my God… Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked. You are God my stronghold… Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God.

These are not Elijah’s words, but they echo what we know of Elijah’s feelings following his courage in helping to bring a spiritual victory, and then such a spiritual attack in his thought life, he felt a failure, defeated and fearful. Which of course was not true. What the devil puts in our minds is never true. But it can be difficult to deal with. Elijah was facing a real enough death threat from someone who had put plenty of God’s worshippers to death already, which is where the Bible story in 1 Kings 19 starts:

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

3-5 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. 

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”

6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”

8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he travelled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. 

And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and put Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” 

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. 

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and put Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

15-17 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.”

1 Kings 19:1-15a

Elijah now knew that he wasn’t a failure, and he had heard God afresh and received a new and strategic commission — to put God’s anointing on a new king, no less –- that would in time bring great change.

Now we move forward to the New Testament time with Jesus and we meet someone who is so messed up he had to live as a naked, violent outcast. Nobody loved him. Nobody came near him. And nobody could help him. Until Jesus, a Jew, was led by God to visit this non-Jewish region of Gerasa on the far side of Lake Galilee. 

This wasn’t one of God’s chosen people. He was beyond help and beyond redemption in every way — except that Jesus saw him differently. He saw what he could become. Here’s the story from Luke chapter 8:

26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee.

27 When Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.

28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at His feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!”

29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him.

31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and He gave them permission.

33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

34-35 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.

35-36 When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured.

37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So He got into the boat and left.

38-39 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

Luke 8:26-39

There’s a big shift in understanding God, from Elijah’s time forward about nine centuries to when Jesus was ministering on the Earth.

Elijah had to hide in a cave and pull his cloak over his head because he knew he couldn’t see the holiness of God and live. After some dramatic signs, he heard God speak to him in a whisper. Then he returned to where he had come from with new directions.

People who met Jesus could see what God was like. That was part of his role. He was revealing God and His salvation in ways that ordinary people could grasp. 

There’s another step shift in understanding as we come to the early church, the first believers who are learning to live as those who belonged to Christ. They were all on a spiritual growth journey, led and enabled by His Spirit. That should be our experience, too.

But if we are bound up spiritually, we cannot grow. Too often, church teaching tells us what we should believe and how we should live, but offers no help in doing it. As believers in Jesus, we should enjoy a spiritually-enabled walk with Him where He helps us lay down our obstructing baggage from hurts and hindrances in past life.

However the believers known as Galatians — like many in churches today — where being bound up again by the expectations of some in the fellowship who were not themselves free, and were putting their mistaken religious ideas onto others. Elsewhere in this letter (and in Romans) Paul is very direct in teaching that as believers in Jesus, we are not under law but under grace — if we are being led by the Spirit, we are not under law. We are not trying to satisfy God’s holy requirement of us, but living in the freedom and grace of knowing the One who has already met that requirement for us.

This is how he explains this freedom in this short Galatians 3 passage:

23-25 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

26-27 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:23-29

New life in Christ is not exchanging one set of rules for some new ones. It’s a confidence about being accepted by Jesus as we are, belonging to Him and walking with Him in the present. It’s the assurance of knowing we have the promise of eternal destiny with Him without having to tick any religious boxes or earn favour in any way.

It doesn’t mix with a religious approach which substitutes keeping rules for living in a personal relationship. New life is under the new and much better covenant. Who wants to go back to the Old Covenant way of doing your best, which is never enough, and coming to God by proxy.

In conclusion, Old Testament stories like Elijah’s do teach us about God and His freedom but they don’t teach us the whole story. Similarly, the gospel account of the demon-possessed man teach us about how Jesus has freedom for everyone in every kind of situation. But it’s the believers in the new church in Galatia we find easiest to relate to. Like many Christians in church today, they faced confusion and muddled teaching about whether belonging to Christ is about a good record of religious obedience, or about trusting Him in a relationship. The Bible’s consistent teaching is about the need for personal faith and personal relationship with God through Jesus. 

Medieval beliefs which persist in some churches today present an alternative and false route of salvation through the church and its sacraments. In every age we have needed setting free from the grip of religion, and encouragement to trust the freedom and assurance we gain through taking the step of faith in Christ Jesus where we invite Him into our hearts and follow His lead.

And every day it’s good to be reminded of the good news of Jesus Christ — that He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves, has paid the price for our sin, made a way for us to know God our Father personally and intimately, and given us His Spirit to keep teaching us and enabling us and leading us in the good ways that He knows. 

The world, our selfish flesh, and the devil and His lies, are always trying to confuse us and bind us up and make us feel failures or guilty or fearful. We see this illustrated in all three of these stories. and the best part of this Good news is how God is always at work to save us, deliver us, free us and enable us -– when we think we deserve it, and especially when we know we don’t. Thank You, God, for freedom in Christ!

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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!).

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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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