Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Peter 2:11-12 (New Living Translation)

11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

Peter encourages us to live properly in this world—a temporary home for us as foreigners. Notice how Peter emphasizes that we live among unbelieving neighbors. Peter doesn’t write,

live separate and apart from unbelieving neighbors

Instead, we live among them. I can interpret the translation too literally, but I don’t think I am doing this here. We live among the world, right in the middle of it, with all these unbelieving persons. We don’t live in a hidden valley or on the other side of the mountain or in an underwater cave.

In all circumstances, even when it costs us our 401K plan, we will live honorably for the honor and glory of God. That may not be a lot of fun on some days, and that is why I continually pray…God, please help me in my unbelief.

Luke 4:5-1 (New Living Translation)

5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please.

Perhaps the devil is boasting out of his mind. Perhaps the devil is simply lying about what he has and what he can do.

Then again, let’s consider the possibility that the devil knows what he is saying. That means that the devil has authority over all the kingdoms of the world. Not a pleasant thought, but it may explain much of human history.

Many Christians in America today are lamenting that we have lost a Christian nation to the pagans. Perhaps we have a distorted view of American history and the history of our own lives. Has Christianity had authority over America? Let’s answer carefully when we recall the crimes committed by “our nation.”

I believe that Christians have always been strangers in a strange land. We have always been on the outside of culture. I believe the Bible teaches that to us, and a candid look at history tells us the same.

Not much fun. Not too optimistic. But that is politics. As a Christian, I can shake my head at such, but the ultimate optimism is in Jesus Christ. So perhaps I should be like Jesus in this passage and not desire the kingdoms of this world and instead, as verse 8 writes,

You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.

1 Kings 10:24 (New Living Translation)

23 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 24 People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.

King Solomon was a pretty smart guy. Where did he get his “smarts?” God gave it to him. God gave Solomon so much smarts that people from every nation came to discuss matters with Solomon.

The world came to the righteous to learn.

Let’s consider that last sentence for a moment. The righteous weren’t ignorant bumpkins or fill-in-the-blank-with-any-derogatory-word-I-use-to-describe those who aren’t as smart as me.

That is how much of the world sees Christians today. Ignorant. Why do “they” see “us” that way? Do we give them cause? What is it in our lives that causes people to seek knowledge elsewhere?

Luke 1:17 (New Living Translation)

He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.

This verse is discussing the coming son of Zechariah, i.e., the man we commonly refer to as John the Baptist. John will be one of the more powerful persons in the history of the world.

How is John so powerful? Look at what he will be able to do. Focus on the last phrase.

John will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly. John will cause the rebellious to cease their rebellion against God. That, ladies and gentlemen, is power. Who cares about money, fame, political position, or anything else. The ability to change a person’s attitude to where they follow God.

That is power. That is something to seek in prayer.

Genesis 4:26 (New Living Translation)

When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.

Other translations use the phrase, “they began to call upon the name of the LORD.”

Man came to view God the creator as … well as God and not someone living around the corner. Note how Adam and Eve met with God and thought of God. That was changing here. That became much closer to our relationship with God today.

And now we have the concept of worship. “Worship” mean a million things to a hundred different people. At this point in history, people first began to worship God as the Creator. How did they do that? Please, give the details in the footnotes or something, okay, God? Help us out here!

No details (and where would you put footnotes in a scroll anyways, but I digress). So what do I do? How do I worship properly? I suppose if I were clever or wise enough I could give an answer that works for people in the Arctic Circle in the year 1500 and people in the US of A in the year 2018. I know it has something to do with the heart. Hmmm, that is not helpful, but, at the same time, the answer.

Deuteronomy 28:65 (English Standard Version)

And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the Lord will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul.

God is telling His people what fate they will have if they don’t follow Him. It is awful. God doesn’t tell them of the place they will be, but describes their soul. They will languish.

languish: lose or lack vitality; grow weak or feeble; suffer from being forced to remain in an unpleasant place or situation.

Awful. Simply awful.

Notice how God describes punishment and reward. God speaks of the soul and the condition of the spirit of a person. The surroundings don’t matter. We could be in 21st century Manhattan or 17th century London or on a planet years in the future. The soul always has and always will be the condition of man.

How is my soul? How is my relationship with God?

Judges 13:8 (New Living Translation)

Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, saying, “Lord, please let the man of God come back to us again and give us more instructions about this son who is to be born.”

Please God, send us a person to give us more instructions. Hmmm, how often do we pray and request this? Please send someone who will talk to me about God. Please send someone who will talk to me about a coming Savior. Please send someone who will give me hope for the future and peace for the present.

And, by the way, what would help us to be happy and at rest? Coincidence? Just a shift in priorities, I suppose, but a major shift.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 (New Living Translation)

I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.

Chance. I don’t like this verse. I prepare. I work. I am ready. I am skillful. I am educated. I’m not really fast, but you get the point.

Why is all decided by chance? Come on God, give me a break, okay?

Pause and notice that this discusses SUCCESS, not happiness. A lot of practices lead to a happy life. A happy life is not necessarily a successful life. The definition of success changes with the ages. Does the same happen to happiness? I think not.

Once again, time to admit that God is God and I am not.

Job 42:12-13 (New Living Translation)

12 So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters.

Throughout the (hi)story of Job, we are told of how his friends gave him bad advice and his wife…whoa, his wife. She told him to curse God.

How did Job’s life end? He had ten more children. We aren’t told the details, but it seems that Job had ten more children with this same woman.

Seems like Job loved his wife.

Job 2:8-9 (New Living Translation)

8 Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

Job’s misery. Yikes, that sounds painful. Job’s faithful wife chimes in with some advice. She talks about maintaining integrity and concludes with, “Curse God and die.”

How would cursing God help? Can a person simply choose to die?

Perhaps something is lost in time and translation. Her advice makes no sense to me. Perhaps if I were in Job’s miserable condition the words would help. Sitting here sipping coffee, I fail to find the connection.

Then there is the part about integrity. Job served God. A person of integrity would serve God always regardless of anything and everything. Job’s wife tells him to forget this integrity. Do something completely against everything you have ever done. Bad advice, but at least it makes sense.