Contemplative Bible Reading

Acts 13:39a  (New Living Translation)

Everyone who believes in him (Jesus) is declared right with God…

Pretty simple, huh. This is yet another example of how brevity and clarity often go together. Why is it that we make this so complicated? Perhaps to show how smart I am.

God, help me to remove myself and speak Jesus.

Isaiah 37:7 (New English Translation)

Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land.

In this verse, the LORD is speaking about the king of an invading army. The LORD will convince the king to forsake his invasion and go home. How? By taking control of his mind. The LORD God can do that—take control of someone’s mind.

I have recent, terrible experience with a family member losing her mental faculties. She doesn’t know where she or when she is. I pray that God takes control of her mind and gives her peace—the lack of constant worry about problems that do not exist.

My recent experiences have shown me that the human mind is an odd thing. Sometimes it just doesn’t work right, and the results don’t make any sense.

God, however, makes sense of it all. Sometimes I see the power of God in the failings of people (like me).

Isaiah 48:17 (New Living Translation)

This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is good for you
and leads you along the paths you should follow.

Jehovah God, the creator and Holy One of Israel, isn’t hard to follow. Jehovah shows us the paths we should follow, teaches us what is good for us. One translation words it as “who teaches you how to succeed.”

Whoa. Why are people lined up around the block wanting to hear the words of Jehovah? How stupid are we? Maybe the question is, “how stubborn are we?” Maybe the question is, “why is it we want to make our own mistakes?”

Or maybe we could create a long list of questions that seek to find the reason why we refuse to listen to what is good for us and leads us to success.

John 4:48-49 (New Living Translation)

48 Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?”

49 The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.”

This is part of the (hi)story of Jesus healing the official’s son (from a great distance). Jesus asks if the man would believe without “signs and wonders.” That phrase—signs and wonders—is a hot button in many Christian circles today. Some believe that signs and wonders, like the one Jesus did here, still exist if we believe. Others believe they ceased with the passing of the age of Christ.

Jesus asks the man about this. I paraphrase the man’s answer:

I don’t care about religious debate. Please, just heal my boy!

Sometimes I want to discuss general principles. I want to go beyond the present and find general solutions to future problems. Sometimes that is just plain stupid.

Sometimes I need to focus on the immediate needs of the person in front of me here and now. God, help me with my unbelief.

1 Kings 12:15 (New Living Translation)

So the king paid no attention to the people…

Ooooops. This (hi)story doesn’t start well. And it doesn’t end well either. The king in this verse if Rehoboam. His rival is Jeroboam. The result was the ten northern tribes breaking away from the two southern tribes. The result was centuries of disobedience and the suffering that comes with disobedience.

All because the king didn’t pay attention to the people.

Yes, the lesson applies today as well.

1 John 3:16 (New Living Translation)

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

I find the wording of this and other translation lacking. Notice how the words “gave up his life for us” are used to describe what Jesus did and also what we are to do for our brothers and sisters (in the church).

I find this misleading. Jesus sacrificed his life to take away our sins. I can’t do that. I can’t take away the sins of my brothers and sisters by sacrificing my life.

So what does this verse mean? Well, today, here is my take (talk to me tomorrow and I will probably have a different understanding and different answer).

Jesus gave away something He treasured for the good of others. I should give away something I treasure for the good of others. Miss a meal, miss a paycheck, miss a ball game, miss a show on TV, and so on. Those are pretty small misses. A little thought can produce a list of much bigger give aways.

Psalm 59:11 (New Living Translation)

Don’t kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons;
stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees,
O Lord our shield.

David is praying to God to punish the enemies of Israel. Note that David doesn’t want God to kill them enemies, but instead stagger them and bring them to their knees.

Death would be quick, and the Israelites would soon forget the enemies. A long, slower punishment would keep the punished enemies in the sight of the Israelites. David wanted such long suffering as a lesson to his people.

Sometimes I wonder about David and his wisdom or at least I wonder about his compassion.

Psalm 51:8 (New English Translation)

Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven!

I love the words used in this translation. We don’t tend to associate forgiveness and joy these days. We more often associate forgiveness with guilt.

David truly had a heart for the LORD.

Acts 8:3 (New Living Translation)

But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.

Saul, later to be the Apostle Paul, was trying to destroy this new group of persons who followed after Jesus of Nazareth. He was being the ultimate Jew.

Note, however, what this ultimate Jew was doing to persons. He was putting them into prison. In Jewish law, there were no prisons—only punishment by the community. Prisons were an invention of the Gentiles.

The ultimate Jew was punishing other Jews with Gentile inventions.

Mark 11:12 (New Living Translation)

The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.

Jesus felt hunger in the earthly body that he occupied. I extend that to He would feel tired, hot, thirsty, and other human physical feelings.

Go back to the forty days of fasting in the desert before being tempted by Satan. Forty days is a long time to go without eating, but it is possible for a person to do that and not die. That person, however, would be V E R Y hungry, and quite susceptible to temptation.

My problems? Uh, er, well, never mind.