Job 35-36
Job 35 is a rather interesting chapter in that Elihu seems to be addressing self-righteous inaction of both Job and his friends. All seem to claim to be righteous but Elihu wonders how this righteousness has impacted others. Has the righteousness of the friends helped Job at all? Or how does this righteousness impact God? Does it influence God in anyway? Perhaps this self-righteousness hides one's ability to hear or see God's response?
Elihu continues but now in Job 36 he really emphasizes God's righteousness and care. God sees all and knows all, nothing gets by God, he does not ignore the righteous or the wicked. Elihu is concerned that Job only seems to be obsessed with the wicked in general but not about his own situation. Perhaps he is righteous, perhaps not. Elihu cautions Job, however, against calling for the judgment of God. He also warns Job, no matter how disconsolate he gets, not to turn towards iniquity.
Philippians 1
According to Acts, Paul and his colleagues founded the church in Philippi on Paul's second missionary journey. Philippi was named after King Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. It was a Roman city located on the important Roman highway, the Via Egnatia and the region was highly settled by Roman soldiers who retired in the area.
Paul is writing to the church while in prison and his letter is a response to the visit from a member of the church. The tone of the Letter to the Philippians is completely different than letters to the Corinthians and the Galatians, there is no doubt that the community of Philippi and Paul have a bond of love that has developed.
From the introduction of the letter we find that this is not just a letter from Paul but from Timothy as well. The letter is addressed to the saints in Philippi and we begin to see the early structure of the church as titles of bishops and deacons are mentioned, so as early as 50-60 CE, these offices have developed. The word translated as bishops can also mean overseers.
As Paul begins to get into the body of the letter, his love for the Philippians is evident. His words are warm, encouraging and confident. But this warm is reciprocal, the reason for the letter is because the Philippians sent Epaphroditus to see Paul while Paul was in jail, they truly care about Paul. Paul prays that the love that they hold for him and each other will continue to grow and overflow until the day of Christ's return.
As Paul makes reference to his present state, which is imprisonment, he feels that this personal setback has actually helped the cause of spreading the gospel, for many of the Roman leadership has come into contact with him and heard the gospel message. Paul's courage in being imprisoned has emboldened others to remain faithful to the truth. His example is one of love and it is being emulated.
Paul is looking forward to his trial, he is confident that no matter he will be redeemed, and even uses phrases common to Job to express his confidence in being vindicated by God. If he should die, he fears not, but he knows the victory is already won.
This is the kind of boldness that Paul encourages the Philippians to continue in, to live a life worthy of Christ.
Backlogged Posts
2 Chronicles 8-9
The temple complete, Solomon now turns his attention to nation building. Whereas Kings reports that Solomon gives cities to Hiram of Lebanon, 2 Chronicles 8 has Solomon as the recipient of the cities. This could be just scribal error in copying the original account or it could be the author trying to fix an embarrassing situation in which Solomon gave away the blessing of the land.
The author also cleans up another aspect of Kings, no Israelite is conscripting to work by Solomon, just the descendents of the people who were in the land when Israel conquered it. Also, Pharoah's daughter, whom Solomon marries, is moved out of the Jerusalem since the city was sanctified by God. The presence of an Egyptian would not be appropriate in Jerusalem after God makes it the divine residence.
Finally, Solomon puts the temple in proper order with Levites and priests set aside to do their work. It would seem that Solomon's actions are viewed favorably by God, for he is blessed with riches.
Now the nations come to test Solomon and his wisdom in 2 Chronicles 9. The queen of Sheba, which is a region near modern day Yemen, comes to inquire of Solomon. The kingdom of Sheba was a prosperous trading nation, rich in spices. Most likely she has come north to visit the trade routes and stops to inquire of Solomon. She attempts to stump Solomon but is unable to and is further impressed by his house, which is not the temple but the massive structure he build for himself.
In addition to the nations bearing witness to Solomon, the riches that he receives reflects prosperity of one blessed by God. It is almost an embarrassment of riches, actually from the sounds of it, it was embarrassing. The chapter concludes with a rather simple closing, but notice that there is no mention of Solomon's sin. No reasons that the rest of Israel might revolt. Nothing. I would say a little whitewashing is taking place.
Psalm 72
This is a Royal Psalm, perhaps ascribed to Solomon, for the coronation of the king. It is prayer for the king to provide justice in the land, justice meaning providing for the poor and needy. The rule of such a king extends into the entire world for it is based upon the righteousness of God. A blessing is asked for, for the king that is, to serve for a long tenure and to be enriched by the tributes of other nations.
The final verse is a marking that divides the Book of Psalms into sections. This psalm ends the second section of Psalms.
No comments:
Post a Comment