Category Archives: Bible 911

Bible 911 – Acts

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Acts 9:11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12. And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. (KJV)

This is a true 911 call. Saul of Tarsus was calling for help and Jesus sent Ananias from the Eternal Miracle Saints. Ananias had training in the things of the Lord, because even though he was reluctant, he went and preformed emergency laying-on-of-hands and spoke the word-of-faith. The sortie was successful and Ananias helped more by washing the patient. Saul told and retold of his miracle service for many years.

I believe that this event and the one in 1 Samuel 16 share some common elements and are course-setters for the people of God. Once these two events were accomplished the path and direction God wanted His people to follow came into view. Here are some commonalities.

  • A zealous but “blind” man named Saul from Benjamin are in both of the stories.
  • Both events have a servant following the leading of God to anoint the “shepherd” with a call from the Father.
  • Neither servant is happy about going; they had to overcome their paradigms to do the right thing.
  • David and Saul/Paul set a “new” direction. Both influence the written Word.

There are times that Judah and Benjamin are paired together:

  • Judah and Benjamin in the second trip to Egypt for food
  • David, King Saul, and Jonthan
  • David and Mephibosheth
  • David and Benjamin at the time of Absalom. This one is complex with many people from Benjamin involved.  
  • At the time of Rehoboam when the kingdom split
  • This one with Jesus and Paul    

Through the centuries this pairing took many forms depending on the individual players. If I was writing a drama Saul/Paul would be a descendent of Mordecai through Mephibosheth. He would be attempting to reclaim King Saul’s stolen kingdom, and then come to the Light.

Damascus and Saul’s mission were two things that caught my attention. The one clear fact that my study left me with is Damascus is a long way from Jerusalem.

Was it in a different political jurisdiction? How did Saul and the High Priest have authority to make those arrest? Was Saul a member of Herod’s household? My internet search produced some facts and many highly charged opinions. It was interesting and it reminded me that our God will use who is available to produce Their results.   

When did Paul start praying? Was it before the vision of Ananias or after? I rest in the fact that he was praying. I would be pretty sure that the topics and request of his prays and fasting changed over those three days.

What happened with the company of soldiers? Okay, they are never called that, but Saul was going to make arrests. They saw the light but not Jesus and heard sounds. A blind and reformed Saul must have affected them somehow.  

A disciple?! Paul expounds on Ananias’ story in Acts 22. I want to put aside how to pronounce his name and the legends that now surround him and ask a question. What has happened to us? Jesus spoke to him, in a vision. Ananias, spoke back. He accepted what was said and proceeded in obedience and changed a man’s life. Lord, may we all be used like that. He is described as in the Bible by Luke is a disciple; not a leader, not a super-saint who was lost in pray, and not someone with a lot of credentials other than having studied the Bible. Father, forgive me and make me/us more open like Ananias.

Vision – Visions drive this story. True to form English translators use one word for three different Greek words. In Acts 26 Paul/Luke uses a different word for vision than in our 9:11 verses; I will focus on our 9:11. (Another study may happen on vision.) Strong’s Greek: 3705. ὅραμα (horama) — Vision To my surprise the first use of this word is in Matthew about the transfiguration. My limited paradigm of a vision has been expanded. The different context that comes under this word covers all sorts of supernatural occurrences.

The two men in our story, one a devout man and the other an enraged zealot, got clear messages to direct them and build their faith. God visiting both of those men changed them and our world.

Well, this is my final Bible 911 post. I have grown and learned many things as I did this study.  

Bible 911 – 1 Kings

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1 Kings 9:11 (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. KJV

Hiram – This man had good relations with David and was willing to continue them with his son. (Contrast this with King Saul, who did not seem to get along with many non-Hebrews.) He made a treaty with Solomon and the two had business dealing with each other (1Kings 5 and 10). As I read 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, it is clear that the grand building projects of Solomon were accomplished because of Hiram. He supplied lumber, gold, Huram-Abi (1Kings 2:13), and other workers for the projects. Yes, he was paid for these, but Solomon certainly used non-Hebrews to build the temple. Solomon also used the aliens in Israel as workers (1Kings 2:17). (Contrast this with the building projects of Nehemiah.) It is important to know that Hiram also gave the God of Israel praise (2Chronicles 2:12). Was he a convert? Who really knows for sure.

Tyre – This kingdom was north of Israel. It was also a city and seaport that had great wealth. Just north of Tyre was Sidon, which was also a seaport city/kingdom. Further up the coast was the city of Byblos (Not Babylon.) At times they are identified separately, and then at times they seem to be one country. The good relations were not maintained and there are many prophecies about Tyre and Sidon, both good and bad.

Solomon – His riches get many peoples attention and they want to claim their share. Others believe they have wisdom that compares to his and push their thoughts onto everyone. In his life these brought him much attention and granted him favor and great privileges. He even wrote parts of the Hebrew Bible. All of these make him someone that is very hard to pin descriptions and characterizations on. Were the riches and attention the reason for his problems? I have tried to highlight his riches in 2 Chronicles 9:11.

He is the second-born son of David with Bathsheba, the first one died. Nehemiah 13:26 sums up Solomon’s life, he was loved by God who made him king, but his foreign women led him astray.

To be clear, Solomon “built” the Temple, but David had the desire, got the plans from God, bought the land, and supplied most of the building materials especially the metals, and he even retained some of the craftsmen. It was a team effort, but Solomon rode to fame with the Temple on what David had done.  

No expense was spared for either project, and Solomon made silver of little value because of all the gold he brought to Jerusalem and Israel. So, was gold and riches the problem? Gold can metaphorically represent many things, but the gold in the Temple and Jerusalem attracted problems. The Temple was stripped and refilled many times before Babylon took what was left and tore the building down. On a different note, which lasted longer, his gold or his writings of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and several Psalms?  

Samuel before he anointed Saul warned Israel about having a king. This leads to an awkward thought, if Solomon was so good why did the people want Rehoboam to “lighten the load” when Solomon died? (1 Kings 12:4)   

Cedar and fir trees – The trees of Lebanon were highly prized and sought after in the ancient world. It is one of the few places in the Levant that trees grew to those heights. In the Temple they were used in many places. The big one was they covered all of the stone inside the Temple, and then the wood was overlaid with gold. (Think the Ark of the Covenant.) 2 Chronicles 2:16 tells of those logs being made into rafts and floated to Joppa. That is very impressive, I had heard that Egypt also got wood from Tyre. Those trees are mentioned in Judges 9 and Isaiah 2:13.  

Gold – Most translations list the amounts of the gold received in talents. If your Bible has footnotes look what those numbers are in pounds and tons. There is a lot of gold associated with Solomon.  

Twenty – The number twenty appears connected to several things in this narrative.

  • Twenty years of building
  • The numbers of towns given as payment
  • Amount of food given to Hiram (20,000)

My studies on Solomon have produced a variety of thoughts/characterizations over the years. This study has clarified some and spawned others, not all of them are about Solomon.

  • Having a lot of money does not make everything you do right or pleasing in the sight of God.
  • Very wise individuals do make mistakes.
  • Solomon and his legacy are a picture of religion. I did not say relationship with God. He took what David started and built something that pleased God. As more money, knowledge, and prestige poured in he left God and went after worldly pursuits and lusts.

Bible 911 – 2 Samuel

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2 Samuel 9:11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons. (KJV)

Ziba

If I was writing a biblical fiction story, Ziba would be the servant that went on the donkey hunt with Saul in 1 Samuel 9. (We are never told if he gave up that little bit of silver.) He is identified in 2 Samuel as the chief steward over Saul’s personal household. He is a main character in 2 Samuel 9, 16, and 19.

I like looking up names and including them in studies, when I can. Ziba is a good example of why you need to study. Meanings for this name varies depending on what website you look at. Many of them seem to focus on “good qualities”, and he is made out to be a great servant. I am giving the link to Abarim Publications, because they actually sight possible root words for the meaning they give. Ziba | The amazing name Ziba: meaning and etymology I may be negative here, but the buttering up of David and the story he tells on Mephibosheth in Chapter 16 cast some serious shade on his loyalty in Chapter 9.

It is a good assumption that Ziba had done his job for a long time. He had many years where there was no male heir to Saul’s property because Mephibosheth seemed to be in hiding in Lo Debar. Michal was with David, interesting he did not ask his wife about other heirs. Merab had a husband and several sons. So, Ziba was living the good life with his fifteen sons and twenty servants, and all of Saul’s property with no one to watch over him. I may watch to many dramas, but the giving up of Mephibosheth in Chapter 9 seems to me to be a good way of getting rid of the last rightful heir to Saul’s holdings. He may have assumed that Mephibosheth would be killed by David. That seemed to be the way things were done, especially in the Northern Kingdom of Israel; get rid of all of the family and servants. See Judges 9.

I believe Ziba was a loyal servant to King Saul, but would he have been as good to Jonathan and the other children. It looks like he followed his master’s behavior, Saul started out good, but power and wealth changed him. Given his job and possible importance in Benjamin, and the small army of his family he could have had his own thoughts of claiming the throne. So, I will not vote for Ziba to be Servant of the Year, but he did get to the river crossing very fast (both times).

The popular belief that Lo Debar was a dump and Mephibosheth crawled around in the dirt begging are two ideas I do not agree with. This is a good example of names not telling the whole story, you need to check non-concordance Bible reference works. Lo Debar was a guard city for Gilead on the Jordan River valley, and its main industry was pottery. Part of its pastureland would have been the steep side of the valley wall.

Makir was possibly a family member, and he had enough clout to help take care of David and all who fled from Absalom. Because of where Makir lived I will say he was an important person in Lo Debar. See Joshua 17:3 for his possible connection in Gilead. Zelophehad from Numbers 36 may have been a grandfather.

Mephibosheth:

  • Was the grandson of the king and would have been heir to the throne of Israel.
  • Jonathan would have made a plan to take care of his child.
  • He had a wife and a son when David called for him. See 1 Chronicles 8:34 and 9:35 – 44 for his family tree, he will be listed as Merib-Baal in verse 40.
  • Jonathan may not have broadcast the covenant he had with David, because Saul was crazy.
  • Who and where was his mother?
  • David had lost track of his friend and had no idea the Jonathan had a son.

There is no doubt in my mind that Mephibosheth had lived in fear and in the shadows for most of his life; because he did not know the truth about David. To go from fear to feasting is always amazing, but this came with stories of his father and a faithful friend who would protect him.

The relationship of David (the Messiah figure) and Benjamin (Jacob’s only child born in the Land) will get looked at. (This is a study not an answer.) There are “types and shadows” here that have connections into the Christian Church. My bullet points are not put in any order as this is a study.

  • Benjamin is the second born son of Rachel, who was Jacob’s favorite. He would have been given the double blessing if Joseph had not been found.
  • Judah was given the blessing of being the ruler, and Joseph got the double portion blessing. Joshua was the leader after Moses, and Manasseh did get two portions of land (Lo Debar may have been in the East Bank portion). Samuel, an Ephraimite, anointed both Saul (Benjamin) and David (Judah). My personal belief is that Samuel and David are members of the Order of Melchizedek.
  • The tribe of Benjamin stayed with Judah when the nation split in two. If you read 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles you will see that members of the other ten tribes did move south to continue worshipping Yahweh at the Temple. Jerusalem was actual in the portion given to Benjamin. I do wonder about the Tribe of Simeon because its portion was in the middle of Judah. I tend to forget that the Tribe of Levi stayed with the Temple, so many of them had to move also.
  • David and Jonathan’s friendship sets the pattern for what happened in 2 Kings 12.
  • Saul, the king, tried to cleanse Israel of the Gibeonites (2 Samuel 21) his grandsons paid for that. Saul, the Pharisee who was from Benjamin, tried to cleanse Israel of Christians. He gave up his life for Jesus (Judah).
  • King Saul did religious things like fasting, seeking God through the priest, and following the food laws. David went further than these by actively bring the Ark to Jerusalem and praising God in song and dance. David also had prophets, seers, and priest on his staff.
  • The appointed feast found in Leviticus 23 are seldom mentioned, and you never see about The Year of Jubilee, Leviticus 25. I know there are lost books that may have told about these events. Hezekiah is noted as one who observed Passover, but it is about 250 years after Solomon.
  • I am reading through 2 Chronicles as I write this post and the attitudes and actions of the people (Judah, Benjamin, Levi, and some from the other ten) in the southern kingdom towards God and David’s family is interesting. They seem to be all over the place but for better or for worst they do keep a descendent of David on the throne.
  • This story is a good picture of Grace.
  • See below for David’s return to Jerusalem and the Tribe of Benjamin.

Verse 8

We look at some things very differently than the ancients. Dogs are one of those things. The Bible has many references to dogs; the NIV has about 40. Add in some archology finds and you get a decent picture of dogs in the Iron Age. They were part of the Hebrew society. There are references for them herding and guarding, and they managed to be around the dinner table. Yes, there is a fair amount of distain for them and some of their behavior is used for a very figurative description in Deuteronomy.  Oldest-Ever Evidence of Canines Proves Israel’s Canaan Dogs Roamed Mideast 9,000 Years Ago – Israel365 News

Verse 8 is one of the three times the term “dead dog” is used in the NIV. I found it interesting that David and Benjaminite’s have a connection to all three.

  1. 1 Samuel 24:14 – David compares himself to a dead dog when talking to King Saul.
  2. 2 Samuel 9:8 – Mephibosheth, a Benjaminite and Saul’s grandson uses the phrase when he questions David as to why he was summonsed.
  3. 2 Samuel 16:9 – Shimei, a Benjaminite, is described as that when Abishai (Judah) wants to kill him for cursing David.

Yes, they were an unclean animal, but so was the camel, the horse, and the donkey.

David’s Return and Bemjamin

2 Samuel 19 -21 have several narratives that center on David and the Tribe of Benjamin. In one respect parts of this section are foundation stones for 1 Kings 12 where God moves Benjamin to stay with Judah when the nation divides. There are a few new characters – Sheba son of Bicri (Chapter 20) and Rizpah the daughter of Saul’s concubine. The others are in this list:

  • The people arguing with each other, 19:9.
  • Judah standing with the king.
  • Shimei (Chapter 16), going with Judah, leading 1,000 Benjaminite’s to get David at the Jordan.
  • Ziba
  • Mephibosheth, who is unkept, making accusations against Ziba.
  • Sheba (20:1), who leads a rebellion and separates the kingdom.
  • Gibeonites (Joshua 9:15) who have a problem with the dead King Saul.
  • Rizpah (21:8) and her sons and Merab’s sons who are killed to pay the blood debit to the Gibeonites.

Gilgal at the Jordan is where Joshua and the Children crossed. It is also where many of the men were circumcised. This assembly was no less crazy with all of the arguing and Sheba taking off with most of the people in rebellion.

With Rizpah and Merab son’s being killed, that ended Saul’s family line outside of Mephibosheth who is extended grace because of Jonathan’s covenant with David. The final story with the Tribe of Benjamin is the story of Esther.

Bible 911 – John

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John 9:11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. (KJV)

John’s Purpose was to show Jesus as the Son of God. He did this by highlighting miracles with the teaching Jesus did. We have singled seven out of those John listed, but in my Plus One post, and Miracles ++++ post I tried to show others.

Festival Time – Yes, Jesus observed the festival. Chapter Seven starts the Feast of Tabernacles or Yom Kippur. John 7 to 21 is just several months; from the seventh month to the first month in the Hebrew Calendar. For much of this period He relocated to the east bank of the Jordan River across from Jericho, just like Joshua and Israel. (That crossing was also at Passover.) The teachings/statements that Jesus gave at this Day of Atonement Feast are quite bold. The opening of the eyes of a man born blind (Chapter 9) is as much of a challenge to the authorities as it was an act of mercy and a testimony for the power and greatness of God the Father.  

What Was Not Said – I was going to have a long list of things not said, I had thought of many of them. The most important thing I settled on was the man did not ask for help. John, like the other Gospel writers, focused on Jesus and His actions and not all of the characters. The other question is how did they know that the man was blind since birth? Okay, this could keep going especially in the “trial” of the man.

The Pool of Siloam – Its history starts with Hezekiah in the 8th century BCE and his efforts to protect Jerusalem’s water from the Assyrians. He was the fourteenth king in Jerusalem and the fifteenth ruler over the City of David. There are various mentions of this system in the Old Testament (2 Kings 20:20, 2 Chronicles 32). Nehemiah 3:15 mentions it in the rebuilding of the wall. Jesus references a tower in the area that fell and killed people, Luke 13:4. There is a fair amount of guessing about this tower and the people who died. (As part of the Gihon Spring’s protection there was a tower built over the spring that was part of the wall of Jerusalem. Just saying.) The name may have come from the water being “sent” to the pool. Siloam | The amazing name Siloam: meaning and etymology  The Incredible Tunnel of King Hezekiah – Chabad.org    Gihon Spring – Wikipedia

The Washing – In my myopic vision, I initially missed the water and the spring that allowed for the washing. (Thank you, Jesus for fixing it.) In the Jewish religion at that time there were many types of washings/baptisms, it was an important of their culture. If the man had not walked to the pool and washed there would have been no miracle.

Given the feast it happened at; the washing can represent the healed people of Israel walking through the Red Sea and being free of Egypt. The fresh start allowed them to see that God cared for them and was their God and Moses was His servant. I do not want to end the Exodus comparison there; that water flowed from a rock that had been “broken open” to supply water inside Jerusalem. Glory!

As always, I am thankful for the resource links, but ask God for wisdom as you read them.  

Spitting – This topic has been covered in different ways by different people; my big add-in is there are two different words for spit. The one used most often is Strong’s Greek: 1716. ἐμπτύω (emptuó) — To spit upon Yes, this one is just disrespectful and is not used in John 9.

The word in this passage is used three times and they are connected to healing miracles. The other two references are in Mark 7:33 and 8:23. In Mark 7 Jesus has traveled from Tyre and Sidon to the Decapolis, both are not in Israel and Mark 8 is in Bethsaida. Both of these tell of Jesus taking the people out of town by themselves, where the miracle happened. John 9 seems to be done in plain sight of everyone. Strong’s Greek: 4429. πτύω (ptuó) — To spit Between my imagination and wanting to inject “science” into this I still have to say that I could not prove any of my ideas. I will point out the onomatopoeia of the Greek for the cartoon sound of spitting – ptoo.

Why the Mud – In Seven Miracles in John, I tried to find an Old Testament type for Jesus’ miracles. In the first writing I could not think or find any, but I have added several since working on this post. After musing on this for awhile and still wanting to add some “miraculous science”, I will offer this thought. The one miracle I thought of was God creating man from the earth. If the man was born blind, were all of the working parts in the eyes? So, Jesus added some raw material and His holy DNA to create what was lacking in the eyes, and finished the miracle with water that flowed from a rock. Now, part of that thinking is from the two miracles in Mark; were there “missing parts” in those people?

The complexity of the miracle – This man had used his other senses, but not sight. Imagine the rush of information into this man’s brain. I say this and then have to say that the God who created the earth could help this man through this shocking change in his life. See the link to the Name of Siloam. This amazing act of mercy is a forerunner of Acts 3 and the man crippled from birth. In verse 3:8 he is walking and jumping just minutes after the healing. (That is a complex motion.)

Jesus Not Claiming the Glory – He walked away. He did not follow the man. He did not wait for the man to return. The man’s trip to the pool was a faith/obedience walk. I am not sure what your personal image of Jesus is. The thought of Him not breaking a bruised reed or putting out a glowing candle is valid, when He was working with people in their faith. There were cultural aspects here that would have been at odds with Jesus “blowing His own horn”. He also had just had that conversation in Chapter 8. He did not shy away from confronting wrong thinking and, in John, there are plenty of times He “hide Himself” because He had gotten the crowd upset.

It was not yet His time. The next few months still had many things that needed to happen. Read from Matthew 13:53 and then again in Chapter 19 to Palm Sunday. Of course, when He did this miracle may have been part of why He walked away.

Sabbath – Please, the rest God wants us to enjoy started in Genesis not the middle of Exodus. The Father wants us taking time each week to rest and focus on Him, that is righteous fellowship.

To open blind eyes in the time period of Yom Kippur and living in the booths for seven days to remember the Exodus is a bold action. Just that much could be several sermons. So, was this a special Sabbath or the weekly one? I do not know, but it was a Sabbath (See Leviticus 23). Making mud/clay, putting it on the man, and healing were all “work”. I would think washing it off was also considered work. Then we can think about the uproar the man made when he could see. We are not told if the man knew where the mud came from, that would have added more charges to Jesus for spreading body fluids.

People Talking – More questions to ask, more assumptions to be made, and more commentaries to write about 9:8 and 9. Because of these verses, I will say the man lived in or very close to Jerusalem. The people’s reactions are what you would expect. How many of them were mad because they thought they were duped? Others knew something amazing had happened and they needed answers, so off to the church leaders they went. To be fair, the common person in Jerusalem may have heard of Jesus and what He was doing, but they probably never went to see Him.

The Holy Spirit, gently, reminded me that THESE PEOPLE are the reason Jesus did the miracle. These children of Abraham, the people Jesus would cry over, needed Light. Here are the various groups:

  • The disciples, there were more than just the Twelve.
  • The man.
  • The people at the pool.
  • The neighbors and those who had seen him begging.
  • The Pharisees.
  • His parents.
  • The Jews.

The Light shone on all of them and there were different reactions to the miracle. If that miracle happened in your church today; what group would you be in? (Look at reactions and words, not titles.)

Jews – How many times can you read something and never see it? In verse 18, John referred to the Jews not believing; yes, I had to look. Please keep in mind that John’s Gospel may have been one of the last New Testament books written. If you do a word search, know you will find jewels first, so, see the link for some help. Strong’s Hebrew: 3064. יְהוּדִי (Yehudi) — Jew, Judean Acts (Luke) and Paul use Jew many times and you will find it in the Old Testament, mainly after the Babylon Exile (See Ezra, Nehemiah, and the last parts of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.) So, John using that term so often should not be a surprise, but it was. He did not use the term Sadducee at all but included “chief priest” frequently with Pharisee. He did use Pharisee about twenty times.

I will say that I found this surprising and I think it is a major paradigm shift in early Christian thinking. In 2 Corinthians 11:22 Paul does refer to himself as a Hebrew, and an Israelite, as well as a child of Abraham. Something new to study and ponder.

The Rulers and the Trial – If you have read the Gospels or seen any Jesus movies you know the Pharisees and Sadducees took Jesus as a threat to them and their continued leadership. This trial is no different. I call it a trial because they asked questions and called witnesses.

With this man is an added dimension. He actually participated in the miracle and he had a blind beggar’s cloak. Threats and insults are how “little leaders” react when they know they are losing or lost.

He should have had limited rights to participate in religious gatherings, he was not “perfect”. By his answers he knew a lot about God, and the Pharisees did not like that. Him being of age probably meant that he was old enough (12 or 13 years old) to read Torah, if he could have seen to do it. No, there is no indicator as to how old he was. He may have been thirty.

The Man – Recently I finished a post on Romans 9:11. The man in this story is an example of being called of God before birth. Jesus’ answer to the disciples in verse 3 not only addresses the miracle about to happen, but I believe speaks of his future.

Was he special? Yes, by the way he answered every challenge thrown at him, and his fearless replies to the Jews I know he was special. His eyes may not have worked, but he heard the Word and knew His God.

Who was he and what became of him? I believe the Holy Spirit kept the Gospel writers from include some of those details. Why? Because people are people and the focus and glory belongs on and to the Father and Jesus. So are there answers to any of the questions I am about to ask, no. The answers are but dreams of how “the work of God was displayed in his life”.

  • Was he standing in the crowd when Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem and get a wave from the Master?
  • Did he listen to the sermons in the Temple and on the Mount of Olives?
  • Did Jesus wash his feet in the Upper Room?
  • Was he praying in that room on Pentecost?
  • Did he carry out and bury Ananias and Sapphira?
  • Was he one of the seven deacons?

Bible 911 – Romans

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Romans 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) KJV

GOD HAS A PLAN! In that plan He has used His creations. He chose Noah to repopulate the earth. God used Abram and Sarai to show us faith. He drew Moses out of the water and to the Fire. He selected David while he was watching sheep. Jesus came to earth and died for our sins. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the Disciples and started the Church. Jesus also picked a Benjamite named Saul to go to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:8). Father God wants us to take His Word to this world.    (See Galatians 1:15 and Ephesians 1:4-14)

An op-ed. Father God loves righteousness and justice. He loves us and this world. He wants to have a righteous relationship (we are talking to and seeking Him) with us. He does not need to be corrected. Our opinions are not greater than His plan, your way needs to fit into His. You may not understand or agree with His plan, but He is still in control. Stop blaming God the Father when your plans are interrupted, no matter how good you think they are (Acts 22:18-19).

Peter had to tell Jesus how things would happen to make him happy. Peter was wrong and did not see the plan of God standing in front of him. After that Peter started a fight, that in the natural he could not win. Lied three times. Went back to his old life of fishing, and had to be asked three times if he would finally follow God’s plan. Which was to love Jesus and take of Jesus’ Sheep.

In the exodus, Moses told the people to love God and serve Him only. The end of Deuteronomy gives the blessings for remaining true to God and then the curses for choosing to follow other gods. How many times from Judges to Jeremiah did Israel not follow that command? His chosen people, the descendants of Abraham and Sarah could have had a righteous relationship with Father God and been protected and made prosperous. Instead, they followed their wants and sacrificed and had fellowship with demons. Christians, we need to learn and not follow that behavior pattern. Who are we glorifying in our actions, programs, and building projects?

I stopped a minute after writing that last paragraph and I believe the Holy Spirit reminded me that God is the Judge of His Body, not us. We need to examine ourselves and remove the logs from our eyes first, then maybe we will see the little splinters in our brothers and sisters’ eyes.

When Jesus taught about His kingdom, he was also showing you parts of the plan. Read Matthew 13 and see His plan in the parables. The Parable of the Seeds speaks very well to Romans 9. The Parable of the Weeds reminds us that not everyone is producing the fruit of God, He will take care of them. I think it is fair to note that the majority of the “seeds” hit good soil, and those weeds are not the entire field.

Doctrines – Of Course

Has religious-man taken Romans 9 and 10 given names to what Paul is talking about and used a lot of ink and paper to expound their thoughts? Of course we have. Am I going to go over all of that? Of course I am not. I do appreciate the effort and study that has been done. You need to know and be able to explain your beliefs.

A quick look at that choosing: Seth to Terah, Abraham to Jospeh, Moses to Jesse, David to Jesus, and all that time God mentioned Gentiles and how He was going to include them. Our mission is to take the Gospel of Jesus to the world and He is responsible for the rest.