As the covenant is renewed, there is still a little matter of who will reside in Jerusalem, how will the city of David be re-populated? Nehemiah 11 tells us of the system of lots that was drawn to bring in residents of the towns to help add to the population. It was the will of God, demonstrated by the selection through lots, of those blessed to be a part of Jerusalem. The rest of the chapter continues in the list (Nehemiah loves lists) of those who resided in Jerusalem.
The lists continue, in Nehemiah 12, of the priests and Levites who are present. This list is also offered to tell of those who participate in the dedication of the new wall which takes place by two processions that circle the city, in opposite directions. In keeping with the dedication, the chapter also demonstrates how the city will maintain the priests and their work through their offerings that are originally listed out in Deuteronomy.
Luke 9
The general theme running through the chapter involves the identity of Jesus and what this identity means. First, Jesus sends out the Twelve, who are to duplicate what the 70 have already done. Of course, word of the 70 and now the 12 seems to spreading through Judea, Samaria and Galilee to the point that Herod now takes notice of what is going on. Some around Herod are wondering if John the Baptist, whom Herod beheaded, has returned or if an ancient prophet has returned. Herod, perplexed, sets out to see for himself.
What he sees is a man with quite a following, 5000 in this instance, which would be a massive crowd given the population of the day. As the day wears on, the disciples recommend that Jesus send them home so that they can get food and rest, but Jesus has other ideas. Just as God provided for Israel in the Wilderness, so Jesus helps provide on the mountain.
This event, and others, has other giving many names to Jesus but Jesus asks the disciples what they think and Peter proclaims, "The Messiah." Jesus now prepares the disciples for what this means, he will suffer, he will be beaten, he will be killed. All things that were not supposed to happen to the mighty warrior king that the Messiah was supposed to be. Yet this is not just Jesus' journey, as he tells his followers that if they truly want to follow they too must carry their own cross. I imagine this statement probably confounded many listeners on that day, heck it does now too.
As if to emphasize the point of the identity of Jesus, Luke then tells the story of the Transfiguration in which Jesus appears with the legacies of Israel, Moses and Elijah. But the appearance culminates with God's statement that this is "my Son." Can there be anymore confusion?
The rest of the chapter still involves the identity of Jesus, as Jesus continues to cast out demons and tell of his future.
Backlogged Posts
2 Kings 6-7
Perhaps we read the miracle of the ax head as a rather trivial story in 2 Kings 6, but it demonstrates Elisha influence in the prophetic community as well as the very real response to the need of the community. Someone has borrowed a very expensive building implement, iron was not cheap. Elisha's action not only helps in the process of building but probably kept someone from incurring a tremendous debt.
The warfare with the Arameans continues with a new king of Syria coming to power yet pressing old grudges. But this story is different, for while Elisha is active in it, he is not the source of Israel's deliverance but instead seems to be a bit of a burden. First, Elisha determines the plans of the Arameans and is able to let the king of Israel, who is unnamed, know of the hiding places of the Arameans. The king of Aram is frustrated by the this man, Elisha, who not only hears what is said in the "bedchambers" of the king, meaning nothing is beyond him. but also is outside of his reach.
So in an attempt to remedy this situation he sends men to surround the town where Elisha is. While Elisha's servant is concerned, Elisha is not, for while the army of Aram surrounds Dotham, the divine army surrounds everything with horses and chariots of fire. So Elisha leads the Aram's who are blinded by God, into Samaria where they are then at the mercy of the Israelites, but Elisha does not allow the king of Israel his victory. Instead the Arameans are given food and sustenance and are sent on their way.
The king of Aram responds by coming in force, surround Samaria and begins to starve the population. The king seeks to lay this blame at Elisha's feet, for clearly this is his doing and not a punishment from God.
In one of the more interesting means of salvation, God does it smoke and mirrors. As a sign of Elisha's faith in God, he tells the king that foodstuffs will be sold on the following day for a rather cheap price. Of course the king does not believe this since things like goat's heads have been sold for a minor fortune because of the famine. But leave it to God to allow lepers to be the bearer's of good news.
In the morning, two lepers who face a rather certain death, either by starvation inside the city or outside the city decide to take a chance and go to the Aramean camp to look for food. What they find, instead of a might army in 2 Kings 7, is an empty camp, hastily struck. The Lord had made the sounds of a might army scare it away. The Arameans thought a mighty army like Egypt had been called down against them so they fled in haste. The people go out at hearing the news and deals are struck at amazing prices. Elisha's word is confirmed.
2 Corinthians 4
The truth of the message of the Gospel is the treasure that Paul speaks of, there is no need to falsify it, their is no need to deceive, the truth is glory itself. For those who either refuse to see the truth or cannot see it, Paul lays this blame at the god of this world who continues to veil many. But for those who dare to see the truth, they are like clay jars full of treasure.
Yes, like clay we are brittle and can be broken, but that is even more astounding that the glory of the message can be carried within us. So even as our bodies decay and die, our inner being is still alive and well and cared for by God. And not just now, but forever. This is the blessing of our faith, the faith in Jesus Christ who we have been joined to as one. As Jesus lives, so do we.
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