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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Feb 5: What a True Worshipper and Disciple Looks Like

January 31, 2023 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Red shrub branches contrast with blue icy water of this frozen pond
Winter colours — the blue of the frozen pond and bare red shrub branches await the thaw

Theme: What a true worshipper and disciple looks like

From these Bible readings as set for Sunday, February 5 in the interdenominational scheme widely used by most of the main-line denominations

Psalm 112:1, 4-8

Isaiah 58:1-10 — Not lip-service! Heart-felt worship and obedience

Matthew 5:13-20 — Disciples of Jesus are called to be salt and light

1 Corinthians 2:1-16 — God’s wisdom perplexes human understanding


Psalm 112:1, 4-8

1 Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in His commands.

4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.

5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.

6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.

7 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

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Isaiah 58:1-10 — Not lip-service! Heart-felt worship and obedience

The hypocrisy of ritual without relationship cuts Israel off from God

1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to My people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.

“Voice like a trumpet” — grave instruction like Moses’ dialogue with God, Exodus 19:19; 20:18; Hosea 8:1; 1 Cor. 14:8

2 “For day after day they seek Me out; they seem eager to know My ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask Me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.

“Seek Me out… seem eager” — hypocrisy: the people seek God, but insincerely (below).

3 “‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?’ Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.

“Fasted… and You have not seen it” — God has not responded because the fast was not God’s idea but theirs, and the rest-day Sabbath (His idea) was being defiled by their harsh, unfair treatment.

4-5 “Your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

“Only a day” — with a show of religious observance together with violence, and not honouring God on the other six.

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

“The kind of fasting” — if Israel was going to give something up, better to prioritise exploitation and the “yoke” of social oppression.

7-8 “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

“Light break forth” — salvation, bringing joy and prosperity in the Lord. This light would dawn with the coming of Christ.

“Righteousness… rear guard” — righteous relationships clear the way (vanguard) for God’s presence, and glory like the pillar of cloud and fire would protect it (rearguard), Exodus 13:21, 14:20 and Isaiah 4:5-6.

• Further study: compare v.10; Isaiah 9:2, 10:17, 59:9, 60:1—3; Luke 1:78, 79.

9-10 “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: ‘Here am I.’ If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

“The LORD will answer” — similar to Isaiah 30:19 where the context is Yahweh longing to show Himself gracious, when the people turn to Him from their stand of independence. The turn here must be a change from false accusation and oppression to compassionate heart.

Reflection

SUMMARY The Israelites were giving God a mixed message — keeping the fasts but also the friction, upholding their rituals but not their relationships. And they were not reflecting God’s justice and generosity to those with the most pressing needs.

APPLICATION This sets out starkly an enduring truth — our hypocrisy will not bring God’s favour or answered prayer. There’s a way out: by renouncing accusation and regaining a generous heart towards those with the least.

QUESTION Church routines or our Christian relationships — where does our priority need to change?

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Matthew 5:13-20 — Disciples of Jesus are to be salt and light

Worshipping God is respecting His Word, in the way that Jesus did

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“Salt of the earth” — disciples of Jesus are the presence of Jesus to guard against the world’s corruption, like salt preserving food. Salt that “has lost its saltiness” is a similar-looking mineral deposit only good for making paths.

14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

“You are the light of the world” — because Jesus is the light of the world, while He is in the world, John 8:12 and 9:5, and Jesus’ disciples embody the Spirit of Jesus and new life of His kingdom.

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

“Not… to abolish but to fulfil” — Jesus was accused of overturning the Law. His antagonists couldn’t understand His answer, that He came to fulfil it, right down to the tiniest single-stroke letter, the yod.

19 “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

“These commands” — all the commands in the OT, although many have been fulfilled in Christ and others will be applied differently. This teaches us to receive the word of God in its entirety, as Jesus did, while thinking of how He taught its meaning and intention.

Reflection

SUMMARY Jesus tells His followers He wants them to be disciples like salt that preserves against corruption, and light in all that is truthful and transparent. Far from abolishing the law (as some of His detractors claimed) He encouraged the fulfilling of all of it, by living by God’s values.

APPLICATION The religious leaders of Jesus’ time over-emphasised rule-keeping at the expense of living to show God’s rule. Jesus encourages disciples in whom God’s truth, love and kingdom rule will stand out to others.

QUESTION Why do we find living by values difficult and fall back on rules?

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1 Corinthians 2:1-16 — God’s wisdom perplexes human understanding

The mystery of the Cross is revealed to believers by the Holy Spirit

1-2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

“Eloquence” — or the “lofty words and impressive wisdom”, NLT, by which Corinthians judged a speaker. Paul ignored this expectation and delivered the uncomfortable but powerful message of the Cross and Christ’s self-sacrifice for them.

3-5 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

“Fear and trembling” — Paul was facing his audience in Corinth in his inadequacy, but the power of God that came when He spoke was unmistakable.

6-8 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

“Wisdom among the mature” — spiritual wisdom from God is spiritually discerned by those who are spiritually aware. When the religious hierarchy sentenced Christ they could not see that Jesus’ death on the Cross was God’s plan — for His glory and ours.

9-10 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love Him — these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

“What no eye has seen” — Paul quotes Isaiah 64:4 and 65:17 to show that by regular seeing, hearing, or reckoning, we cannot grasp the good things God has in store for those who trust Him; until we invite the Holy Spirit to reveal what we could not otherwise know.

11-13 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

“Who knows” — only we know our own mind, and the mind of God is known only by God’s Spirit. God makes Himself known through Jesus, and through Word and Spirit revealing spiritual realities to believers.

14-16 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

“Judgments” — the Holy Spirit-influenced person can make spiritual discernments, but should not entertain an unspiritual human judgment.

“The mind of Christ” — keeping close to the Lord, we receive insight by Word and Spirit of what He is saying and thinking.

Reflection

SUMMARY Paul when speaking or writing offers an uncomfortable but powerful message — it’s all about Jesus Christ crucified, resurrected and known spiritually in new life. Some of his hearers expected oratory and were judging him in an unspiritual way. They should have discerned how the Holy Spirit was working through his words and was revealing God’s purpose in the way that only He can.

APPLICATION These few verses bring no less than ten mentions of the Spirit of God. Paul is emphasising our utter reliance on being filled and led by the Spirit, to live as those receiving understanding of what God has freely given. We must guard against relying on cerebral “human wisdom” because faith is lived by spiritual realities that are discerned only through the Spirit.

QUESTION What would Paul write to us about our spiritual life?

PRAYER Lord, how easily we slip into church politics and empty church ritual — and find we are not talking about Jesus and His priorities.

Forgive us for being less than salt and light to the world around us, unspiritual and undiscerning. Meet with us, Jesus, fill us afresh with Your Spirit, Your wisdom and Your love — to flow out and transform those around us. With the realisation of the peace Your death has purchased for them. Amen

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• See also this week’s article post, video and podcast episode (to follow)


Filed Under: Epiphany, Year A

Jan 29: What the Lord Really Requires from Us

January 28, 2023 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Misty winter view looking down over Weobley village, NW Herefordshire, UK
Misty winter view looking down over Weobley village, NW Herefordshire, UK

This is The Living Word Bible Study for Sunday, January 29, 2023.

It’s based on these Bible readings (NIV) which are the ones set for Jan 29 in the interdenominational scheme used by many churches and chapels.

Psalm 15

Micah 6:1-8 — How the Lord wants us imitate Him, not appease Him

Matthew 5:1-12 — Headlines setting out the values of the kingdom

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 — Choosing God’s power and wisdom over man’s

Theme: What the Lord really requires of us


• Read this week’s linked article


Psalm 15

1 Lord, who may dwell in Your sacred tent? Who may live on Your holy mountain?

2-3 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbour, and casts no slur on others;

4-5 who despises a vile person but honours those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.

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Micah 6:1-8 — How the Lord wants us imitate Him, not appease Him

A prophecy challenging the Nation of Israel about its false priorities

1-2 Listen to what the Lord says: “Stand up, plead My case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a case against His people; He is lodging a charge against Israel.

“Hear… listen… a case against” — Through Micah the Lord speaks to the mountains as solid, enduring witnesses to the covenant, about the people’s unfaithfulness.

3 “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer Me.

“What have I done” — the Lord, Yahweh, takes the stance of a defendant.

4 “I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.

“Out of Egypt” — the miraculous deliverance that defined Israel as God’s chosen nation.

5 “My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.

“Remember your journey” — from Acacia Groves, west across the Jordan River into the Circle of Twelve Stones of the Promised Land, a key moment in the story of God’s faithfulness to them. 

6-7 “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

“Will the Lord be pleased” — the list of sacrifices grows to the extremes.

8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

“What does the Lord require of you?” — not insincere, lavish demonstrations but simply an attitude of unconditional integrity, love and forbearance, with worshipful humility.

Reflection

SUMMARY Micah’s most-remembered words, “To do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (NLT) bring to mind Jesus’ Great Commandment which connects love for God with prioritising love in all our relationships.

APPLICATION Sacrificial offerings, a way of showing our love of God, are of no value if not accompanied by sincere love from the heart — which is what God seeks. Micah urges us not to dress it up with rituals to satisfy ourselves, while avoiding what God really wants, our hearts.

QUESTION In our complex lives, what does walking humbly with God look like?

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Matthew 5:1-12 — Headlines setting out the values of the kingdom

The Sermon on the Mount gives a definition of godly heart attitudes

1-2 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them.

“Up on a mountainside” — or “He climbed a hillside” (The Message), probably finding a natural amphitheatre in the hill country above Capernaum. His mainly Jewish followers would have seen a parallel with Moses in giving foundational teaching on a mountainside.

3 He said: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are…” — fortunate, prosperous, experiencing hope and joy.

“Theirs is” — not an impossible ideal, but the values of the new kingdom order Jesus is setting out. All who know their need to belong to Jesus experience a spiritual transformation, and find themselves empowered to grow in kingdom attributes, not achievable by independent effort.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

“Those who mourn” — loss or difficulty in life prompts turning to depend on God. In this broader context, Jesus is calling people to lament the spiritual state of Israel, and turn to God in repentance for spiritual renewal.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

“Meek” — or (JB Phillips) humble-minded and (Amplified) kind-hearted and self-controlled, therefore gentle, as in gentlefolk, and like Jesus, who is quoting Psalm 37:11.

“Poor in spirit… those who mourn… the meek” — these first three beatitudes echo Isaiah 61 esp. vv.1-3 and 7 which Jesus linked to His divine call, provoking a sharp reaction in His home synagogue at Nazareth, Luke 4:16-30.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

“Righteousness” — or “hunger and thirst for God’s approval” (God’s Word) with an emphasis on justice.

“Will be filled” — the blessings are God’s gift and impartation to Jesus’ followers, not something achieved by our good works.

• For further study, Psalm 11:7, 85:10-12; Isaiah 11:1-4; Jer. 23:5-6, 33:16.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

“Will be shown mercy” — we, through exercising God’s mercy in us, can give this away in unconditional love to others, and find mercy especially in the final judgment.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

“Pure in heart” — not disguising judgmental hearts with rule-based ‘doing right’, as many Pharisees did.

“Will see God” — Jesus says that those born again into His new life are transformed by the grace of God, and thereby enabled to perceive and participate in God’s plans and purposes.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

“Peacemakers” — this new heart of mercy, righteousness and justice is expressed as reconciliation, which Jesus’ followers recognise as their kingdom priority. 

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Those who are persecuted” — Jesus says the kingdom belongs to those who suffer for it. Doing right by Jesus and His teaching brings opposition, Matt. 10:16-23; 2 Timothy 3:12.

11-12 ‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“In the same way… prophets… before you” — owning Jesus as Lord is taking an intentional position in the spiritual battle that has always waged around God’s people since Cain murdered Abel, Gen. 4:8.

Reflection

SUMMARY  There were practical reasons to choose a natural hillside amphitheatre for such a large number to see and hear. However, the parallel with Moses’ teaching on a mountainside will not have escaped these mainly Jewish followers. Echoing Micah’s prophecy, here the Lord Himself is teaching them the values, as well as the reality, of the kingdom of God,.

APPLICATION The moralistic and legalistic type of church homily urging us to avoid what is bad and try to do more of what is good, misses the point of Jesus’ teaching. This is how we are enabled to live with new life, changed hearts and priorities, a transformation (or rebirth) that comes when we allow Him to be our Lord.

QUESTION  How do we allow God to help us ‘up our game’ in living out this teaching?

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1 Corinthians 1:18-31 — Choosing God’s power and wisdom over man’s

The example of Christ crucified makes no sense except to those being saved

18-19 For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’

“The wisdom of the wise” — everyone in Corinth was trading opinions, to which ‘wisdom’ Paul quotes Isaiah 29:14 in this fresh context. 

20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

“God made foolish” — the wisdom of this world and God’s spiritual insight are opposed to one another; the powerful message of the Cross is unintelligible apart from faith.

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

22-24 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

“A stumbling block… and foolishness” — to Jews the proclamation of Christ’s victory through being crucified was like associating the Messiah with a curse? To the philosophical, logical Greeks, how could the lowest class of offender become a Saviour?

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

“Foolishness of God… wiser” — Paul sets out the upside down nature of God’s kingdom which exalts humility, and put down man’s wisdom as a barrier.

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 

“Not many…. influential” — apart from Erastus, the city treasurer, those in the Corinth church were a mixed lot and quite ordinary — living proof that salvation doesn’t follow from human attributes.

27-29 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.

“But God chose” — differently from us. No intellect or education or deservedness can add anything to Christ’s work on the Cross, our simple choice to receive it and God’s choice of us.

30 It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

“Because of Him” — we are transformed from unworthy sinners to become viewed as right with God and entirely acceptable to Him in the new identity we have “in Christ Jesus”. This is what happens when we believe and take hold of the divine exchange Jesus worked, by His death in payment for our new life.

31 Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’

“Boasts” — no-one has anything of themselves to boast about, but Christians can make a “boast in the Lord” about having received graciously imparted divine wisdom and the heavenly way of being made right.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Micah’s prophetic appeal in the OT was “What does the Lord require of you?” In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus teaches what this means in announcing what the kingdom of God that He represents, looks like. Now following the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit is active in the believers who made up the church in Corinth. Even in the hostile, pagan culture of that teeming city the Holy Spirit is enabling them to live distinctive new kingdom-orientated lives.

APPLICATION Everyone in Corinth is a bit of a philosopher; presentation and appearing wise matter to them, but as Paul emphasises, that is not God’s way. He takes our nothing and transforms it. The more that we think we have something to offer, the more of a barrier it is to the Holy Spirit. The scandal of the Cross makes no logical sense, but it is the powerful spiritual truth by which we can be born again into new and eternal life as part of His kingdom.

QUESTION  What do we have to let go —  to live, not by what we have done, but by what Christ has done for us? 

PRAYER  Lord, to be boastful or self-promoting is completely against the gentle, merciful, peacemaking way of life You taught as the values of Your kingdom. Yet when we consider what You have done for us, for all who truly believe in You, how can we not boast about the Saviour we know and love? Give us courage and clarity to speak about You, Jesus, and what You have done, to others that they too might turn to You and come into Your kingdom. Amen.

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Filed Under: Epiphany, Year A

Jan 22: Light in a dark place — the kingdom of God revealed

January 22, 2023 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

January sun on a winding path across a Herefordshire, UK, farm

This is The Living Word Bible Study for Sunday, January 22

Theme: Light in a dark place — the kingdom of God revealed

Psalm 27:1, 4-9

Isaiah 9:1-4 — Once-shamed Galilee is where God’s light will appear

Matthew 4:12-23 — Jesus calls, turn and receive the kingdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:10-18 — The horrific truth that is our Good News

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Psalm 27:1, 4-9

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?

4 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

5 For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at His sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.

9 Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Saviour.

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Isaiah 9:1-4 — Once-shamed Galilee is where God’s light will appear

The place that fell under a shadow is where God reveals Himself

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honour Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan — 

“Nevertheless” — answers the thought of Isaiah 8:22: “They will… see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom”.

“In the past… in the future” — the historic northern tribal settlements of Zebulun and Naphtali (including Galilee and the Way of the Sea trade route) fell to the Assyrians in 734-732 BC. The shame would be reversed by being the place where Christ’s ministry would begin, Matt. 4:12-16 below. 

2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned.

“Have seen” — a future event is described prophetically as though present. It’s an important verse, quoted in Matt. 4:15-16 to explain the start of Jesus’ ministry.

“Land of deep darkness” — literally “a land where death casts its shadow”, describes what follows after repeated refusal to trust God. Yet, in God’s mercy, “a light has dawned” as the presence of God comes to bring revelation and blessing. Fulfilled in Jesus coming in the flesh. 

3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before You as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

“Enlarged the nation” — instead of “darkness” threatening to wipe out the nation, God confirms His intention to multiply, as He promised Abraham, Gen. 22:17.

4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, You have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

“As… Midian’s defeat” — the ‘impossible’ victory by Gideon and just a few hundred men trusting God against a large Midianite army, Judges 6-7.

Reflection

SUMMARY The northern region of first-century Israel around Galilee had a lot of non-Jewish inhabitants and the mixed influence of a major trade route — and a rebellious history that had led to the first Assyrian conquest and deportation a century and a half before Jerusalem. No one would have seen this as the place chosen for revival.

APPLICATION As this opens our story of the kingdom of God being announced and revealed by Jesus, we are reminded that God often chooses the place, and the people, that others are inclined to dismiss.

QUESTION Who, in our world, are the people walking in darkness? What might God be doing to bring His light?

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Matthew 4:12-23 — Jesus’ call: Turn and receive the kingdom of God

People of Galilee are first to hear Jesus announce the new way of life He brings 

12-14 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali — to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 

“John had been put in prison” — and put to death, after challenging the local ruler Herod Antipas about taking his brother’s wife, Matt. 14:1-12.

“Leaving Nazareth” — Matthew indicates Capernaum, a town on the lake and the trade route, as Jesus’s new base without mentioning the attempt on His life in His home town. 

15-16 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” 

“Galilee of the Gentiles” — following resettlement after the deportation, Galilee had a greater proportion of Gentiles than Judea. Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:1-2, above.

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

“From that time on” — a turning point; Jesus’ earthly ministry begins.

“Repent” — this ‘first word’ headlines the whole of Jesus’ earthly ministry, calling people to turn from independence, to trust God’s rule and order, the kingdom of God. Matthew’s gospel for mainly Jewish readers, avoids naming God by speaking of the kingdom of heaven.

• For further study: Echoing John the Baptist, Matthew 3:1-2; Mark 1:14-15.

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.

“Two brothers” — Simon Peter and Andrew, already followers of Jesus, had returned to their normal work, perhaps while Jesus was in Capernaum, John 1:35-42.

“Casting a net” — a 25 ft circular net, weighted all around to envelop fish as it sank.

19-20 “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed Him.

“Follow Me” — in calling them to leave fishing and learn His way of life as disciples, Jesus alludes to Jeremiah 16:16.

21-22 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

“In a boat” — in 1986 the remains of a 27 ft boat, able to hold about 15 men including helmsman and four rowers, was discovered in this part of the lake. Leaving the family business and investment was a significant cost.

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

“Throughout Galilee” — initially Jews in the region’s 200 towns and villages; later including Gentiles there and further afield.

“Teaching… proclaiming… and healing” — three main aspects of Jesus’ ministry: teaching by discourses and parables, proclaiming the arrival of the just rule of God, as v.17, and ministry of healing and demonic deliverance.

“Good news of the kingdom” — also called the gospel, giving substance to John the Baptist’s message: that the anointed One, the Christ, had now come to establish God’s reign and justice on earth. It is good news of hope, freedom, peace of heart and the promise of a new start and everlasting life with God, which comes through turning (repenting) of human self-sufficiency and independence.

Reflection

SUMMARY It is significant that Jesus began His ministry in “Galilee of the Gentiles” and Matthew emphasises this by quoting Isaiah’s prophetic word about this spiritually-needy region.

APPLICATION This speaks to us about the desire we have to gather as ‘birds of a feather’ and the desire God has to get us looking outside ourselves to the diversity and spiritual need of those around us. Do we follow our preferences or God’s missional priority?

QUESTION How would we answer someone who ask us what the Bible means by the kingdom of God?

///////

1 Corinthians 1:10-18 — The horrific truth that is our good news

The Cross is both offensive and uniquely powerful to transform lives

10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

“I appeal to you” — this gathered assembly had rivalries instead of a shared allegiance to Jesus as “brothers and sisters”, belonging to one another as a spiritually-related family in Christ.

“Perfectly united” — from the word used for setting broken bones, dislocated joints or mending damaged nets.

• For further study on avoiding the harm of divisive attitudes, Romans 16:17, Phil. 1:27.

11-12 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

“Informed” — by family members or bond-servants who belonged to the household of Chloe, a woman who lived in Corinth, who had appealed to Paul in Ephesus.

“Paul… Apollos… Cephas” — Peter (Cephas) was one of the most important teachers of the church. Paul had first brought the Good News to Corinth and Apollos, a polished speaker, subsequently taught there. Paul knew Apollos well and made many positive statements about him.

13-16 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptised in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptise any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptised in my name. (Yes, I also baptised the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptised anyone else.)

“I did not baptise” — after the very first converts, Paul did not baptise, to avoid the kind of attachment difficulties he is now addressing.

17 For Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the gospel — not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

“Not… to baptise, but to preach the gospel” — baptism in the Bible follows believing, an act of commitment to the gospel, not a means of conveying salvation. Paul emphasises his God-given priority of proclaiming the Good News. Jesus and Peter had other people baptise for them, John 4:2, Acts 10:48.

“Not with wisdom and eloquence” — in Corinth, presentation was valued over substance but Paul refused to adorn with eloquence the unpalatable reality of the shame of Jesus’ brutal death by crucifixion. He knew this hard truth was central to the power of God leading people to faith in Him, v.18 (below) and 1 Cor 2:4-5.

18 For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

“The message of the Cross is foolishness” — the idea that God would save the world through the execution of a convicted criminal defies reason and logic, until faith is kindled. The profound truth of the divine exchange, Christ’s death and resurrection for our sins, is what convicts a human heart that doesn’t want to depend on anyone for anything.

Reflection

SUMMARY There is no direct mention of the kingdom of God, yet this passage is all about it — God’s order for God’s people. All share the same experience of new life in Christ — and the cost of that redemption was the same agonising shameful price for each of them.

APPLICATION Receiving Christ as Saviour opens our eyes to the reality of His kingdom and His order of things. It changes our perspective and all our relationships. The Saviour who became the symbol of wrongdoing and shame — utterly foolish to human logic — becomes the evidence of the supreme power of God in resurrection.

QUESTION How does a focus on the Cross and Christ’s redemptive work help overcome factions and competitive jealousies?

PRAYER  Lord, we are so grateful that You are our light and our salvation. When we were living in spiritual darkness and self-centred independence, you convicted us of our folly and gave us opportunity to change our perspective, and put our trust in You and catch sight of Your kingdom.

May we be Your light on Your mission to others, agents for loving unity in a divided world, ministers of reconciliation for those separated from You.

May Your light in us be an encouragement and guide in the dark places where we would rather not go, to share a little of the great gift You freely gave us by going where You did not want to go. Thank You for the Cross. Amen.

Filed Under: Epiphany, Year A

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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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