Tag: chapter 3

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Bible Study Numbers

Numbers | Chapter 3

The next two chapters of Numbers focus on counting Levites, two different censuses (censi?) for two different purposes. But it opens with an account of the sons of Aaron, or more broadly, the line of priests. Although Aaron is from the tribe of Kohath, a Levite tribe, the priests should be thought of differently than the Levites. Ultimately, the priests are responsible for the mediation between YHWH and His people, only they may handle the holy items and enter the the holy place. The Levites, as we shall see detailed, are not permitted to do those things, but are responsible for the guarding and transport of the tabernacle and its contents. 

We are reminded that Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu died interacting with “strange fire”, basically by offering a sacrifice that YHWH did not ask for. It sets a tone for the next few chapters which show dire circumstances for folks trying to interact with people or things that are set apart for YHWH’s service in ways that He hasn’t permitted. All told, Aaron has only two sons left, thus Eleazer and Ithamar will serve as priests under Aaron. 

YHWH then speaks to Moses and tells him to charge the tribe of Levi with serving the priests, specifically by protecting the priests/contents of the tabernacle as well as to move it when the tribe moves (don’t forget the context, Numbers is the preparation for God’s people to move into the land He has promised). As part of this protection, anyone who comes near to what the Levites have been tasked to protect shall be put to death. The consequences of allowing the tabernacle, its implements, or its minsters to be made unclean can have consequences that extend to the entire camp and must be dealt with quickly. 

In v.11, we get an explanation of why the first census of the Levites is occurring (which obviously must be different than the census that has already occurred for the non-Levites, which was to get counts for battle). We are reminded that, ever since the 10th plague in Egypt,  the first born of everything belongs to YHWH, including the first born of Israel, who were to be dedicated to His service in the sanctuary. But ever since the issue with the golden calf in Exodus 32, the Levites as a tribe were identified to take the place of the first born of everyone. 

So, now we get the count of each of the tribes of the Levites (sons of Levi), Gershon, Kohath and Merari. There is a hierarchy to the order. The priests will face east (most favored), the Kohathites south (next), then the Gershonites (west), and finally the Merarites to the north. They also have different responsibilities over the tabernacle items when  they travel. Kohathites carry the holy items like the ark of the covenant, the altar, the tables, etc., the Gershonites the curtains, the Merarites the poles and tent pegs. When they marched, you’d normally expect the more favored roles to go first, but in order that the tabernacle be reconstructed, the Merarites go first to get the pegs and poles up, then the Gershonites put the curtains on, then the Kohathites deliver the holy items so the priests can get all of that set up. 
After all of the counts, there were 22,000 Levites and 22,273 of the rest of Israel. This means there’s a deficit (if the Levites are supposed to stand in place for all the first born of Israel, they are 273 fellas short).

These remaining lives must be redeemed (since they haven’t been substituted) and the cost of redemption is five shekels per head (or what was the going price for a servant at the time). The money went to Aaron and his sons. 

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Bible Study Lamentations

Lamentations | Chapter 3

There is only a single narrator in this one and it seems to be a man who has had this broad judgment of God land upon him (and his descriptions are rough). Yet, there is a turn in v.22, and he reminds himself of the things he knows of God and his character.

At the beginning here, we transition from this justice coming upon the nation of Judah/city of Jerusalem to the perspective of a single fella. It makes the situation much more personal. Where we were able to relegate some of the impacts in chapters 1 and 2 to a broad group who assuredly deserved what they were getting, here we have a man who could just as easily have been one of us, and we get to live out some of this judgment through his perspective.

This man has been in darkness (like the sun has fallen, get it?) and has thought it is certain that God’s hand was against him over and over again. It’s tough to know how much of v.2 and forward is intended to be literal (does he really have broken bones?) or is it a figurative description of what it’s like to be under God’s judgment? The ESV study notes on this are inconsistent, they seem to pick and choose which ones to take literally and which ones not to dependent, it seems, upon whether there is a compelling OT reference for the item in question. I’m not sure it matters either way as either are really possible in the chaotic circumstances of the Babylonian siege.

We do see similar themes carried through to a personal level from what we’ve heard in the first 2. This man is captive (v.7) and God is not listening to his prayers (v.8). And God seems to be hindering his progress at every potential turn (he has made his paths crooked.) The opposite, of course, is what is used to describe John the Baptizer’s work that God set up to prepare people for Jesus. God is a path man one way or the other.

In v.10, that bear/lion combo from Amos shows up (dang, I mean, that’s some consistency on how God speaks right there.) Obviously, “…tore me to pieces” has to be figurative, the man who is speaking is not dead. I’m not sure why the kidneys are in play in v.13 but it’s a very specific and intentional target. It’s also unclear as to whether it is this specific targeting that has made this man a laughingstock (maybe the arrow is still in his kidney, like sticking out of his body all goofy looking) or it’s just a continuation of how God has brought him low. He eats bitterness and drinks wormwood (also bitter, generally associated with some kind of rough times in the Bible, Revelation and Amos included).

Speaking of eating, he also eats gravel. Again, probably not literal, although it could be given the extent of the famine described in Jeremiah and referenced in Lamentations 2. This man has no joy, no hope of happiness, and he says, “My endurance has perished, so has my hope from the Lord.” He calls out that his troubles would be remembered by others as he himself continually remembers them.

But…in spite of all of this…our man remembers the following and has hope. The steadfast love of God never ceases! His mercies never come to an end! They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness, The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him”! I added the exclamation points (no punctuation would have been in the Hebrew). But what a thing to remember. Think of our modern cultural despondence about much more minor things as what this man is going through at the direct hand of God. And yet, his powerful reminders bring him hope. Man alive, we have got to fight for some perspective in our modern lives. We have blindness, relative cultural blindness, and assuredly the world around us and the Biblical examples in the OT should change that in us.

In v.25 our man extols the virtues of patience, in waiting on God to do what God does. It is not only necessary, it is good! Let him sit alone in silence, let him put his mouth in the dust, let him give his cheek to the one who strikes (familiar, yes?) and let him be filled with insults. What a call to perseverance!

And then the assurance that God will not tarry forever. Yes, he has caused grief here, but he will have compassion and does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. (Interesting, what do we call this, then? How does this narrator man see it this way?) In v.34, we are reminded of things God does not approve of – mistreatment of prisoners, the denial of Justice in the presence of God, he’s not down with it.

v.37 is a reminder of God’s sovereignty. To pull this all together, rough times have come upon God’s people and yes, God directed it. Yet, we know God is a God of endless mercy and faithfulness (even when Israel has not been faithful) and he abhors injustice. And so, yes, this is all at his hand. The major question here is, do we trust him? If He can be trusted, then we are assured He is just. If he cannot be trusted, than our laments will fall on deaf ears regardless.

Narrator man decides that God is indeed right and just here, so the reaction is that the community should test and examine their ways and return to the Lord! He cries out that the people would return to God and that, in turn, God would allow their prayers to go through, that ultimately He would return to them (remember the preceding themes of his absence from the Temple).

And this happens. Dig on v.55. In the depths of the pit (when our man is at his lowest), God does indeed hear him. In fact, God responds and says, “Do not fear!” Now we see that God has indeed taken up this man’s cause, redeemed his life (we should probably see all of this as a consequence to the calls of repentance in v.40 onward).

v.64, God will repay the the wrong done to this man by his enemies. Our man seems confident that the curse he is under will move to them and that same anger that landed on him will be directed to them and that God will pursue vengeance on his behalf.

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Bible Study Malachi

Malachi | Chapter 3

I’m going to cheat on these chapters a bit because I think 2:17 is really the start of the next protest. These fellas are wearing the Lord out with their words (their arguments, their bad logic, their blind gas-bagging around, etc.). And, in the same format as the previous disputes, they rebut and ask in what ways they have wearied him (I don’t think these are good-natured, humble pleas of “oh no, we’ve mistakenly wearied the Lord, someone show us what we’ve done!” and more like snarky, incredulous protests that imply the Lord is overreacting.)

God points out that they say ridiculous things like “God thinks evil doers doing evil things is alright, in fact they make him happy” and “where is the God of justice?” In response, God pretty much ignores the first one, it needs no further argument because it’s dumb. However, he elaborates on the protest that there is justice to be done and God is not doing it. He basically acknowledges that they have a right to expect God to distribute justice so he lays out what that will look like.

First, there is a messenger who will prepare the way before Him. Some interesting things to this. First, kings do that kind of thing, send a herald out to tell everyone the king is coming so that they can do road maintenance, trim the beard, wash the kids, tear down any propaganda they may have put up against the king, etc. Also, the implication is that they need to be prepared for the justice/king to arrive (meaning that they are not prepared in the current state). The next verse will show why. Even cooler, the messenger is preparing the way for the Lord to come to His temple (it seems like God hasn’t really come back to this new temple that they built when they came back from exile.) God says it will happen and he’ll send a dude out ahead of him so that you know it when you see it.

v.2 – But who can endure the day of his coming? Ah, that’s why they need preparation. We should remember a similar thing from Amos – the people of God are tucked and ready for the justice of the Lord to come, they call for it. Yet they seem to be under the mistaken impression that it will not also come for them. Like a dude running a refinery who has to crank up the heat to get the slag and other junk off the metals, and like a soap man who manhandles the clothes while he applies the cleaning agent, they better be ready for what they’re asking for. But after the refiner and soap man are down, what comes out the other side is pure, just like the priesthood will be when the Lord returns to his temple. Then the offerings will be good and acceptable like they once were. The God of Justice will come and there will be judgment against a whole host of folks.

This section smells like Jesus because it is Jesus. God does ultimately send a messenger (John the Baptizer) to warn the people on what is coming. And it is indeed a double-edged sword, especially for the teachers and the priests of the day (who have been in view for their foolishness in much of Malachi.) And sure enough, Jesus does return to the temple (brought in by his parents to see Simeon, teaching, throwing tables around, and ultimately tearing it down – that’s some refining). Yes, it’s the same temple they built coming out of exile that Jesus interacts with during his time. Yes, King Herod did some work on it, but same place still. Also note that the NT teaches on each of those things that the Lord will be swift witness to (Jesus touches on most of them himself).

I think the “I the Lord do not change” is in reference to the fact that, even though Israel stinks at keeping the covenant, God is still honoring his end of the bargain by not bailing from the agreement. In fact, he is putting a lot of effort into calling them back into it (again, consistent calls to repentance). His people should have been consumed by now (like the un-chosen Edom will be) but still he calls them back – “Return to me and I will return to you”. But then they argue with him again about whether they are stealing from God. They are, of course, because they aren’t trusting the God with the tithe. They are keeping it or giving God junky stuff and their lack of faithfulness to bringing in the 10% for God’s purposes and promises is resulting in a curse. God says “Try me, aren’t I faithful where you are not?” Most of God’s responses in Malachi have been demonstrations that he is still faithful to them even when they aren’t faithful to him. The tithe is no different. God keeps his promises.

Again a dispute – God says they are using hard words against him, they act like nothing of the sort is happening. It’s getting worse, they are saying it’s worthless to serve God and go through all of these motions we have been going through (trying to do what he says, acting like we care he’s upset, etc.) And then they call for justice upon evildoers who they think are actually alright from a God they are placating with passive, disinterested worship.

But then the tide turns a bit – we’re introduced to a new group, those who actually fear the Lord have gotten together. And a book is kept to log those who fear him, who respond to him and serve him. And what does God do with them? He keeps his promises and takes them to be his treasured position, and he spares them (that’s part of the covenant, the blotting of transgressions). And thus we get clarity between those who serve God and those who don’t.

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Bible Study 1 John

1 John | Chapter 3

John is kind of erratic in this section, bouncing from idea to idea and back again. There may be some sinews that connect all of it but, at least at the moment, I’ve having trouble finding them.

We are reminded that God loves us so much that he is willing to call us children. That’s not a God who is simply pacified or tolerant that you made it into heaven, it’s a God who did whatever it took to adopt you into His family. And as children of God, we shouldn’t be surprised that the world doesn’t understand us because they didn’t get Jesus either. And beyond that, there’s even more to come, we’ve not yet fully realized what it’s like to live as God’s children, that will come to fruition when Jesus returns.

Then a digression: whoever sins acts as if there are no laws, no right way to live. But Jesus comes and sets that right and also provides an example so that we indeed may know how to live (in effect, Jesus is the law). But you can’t keep on acting as if that example didn’t exist. We must follow Jesus and do as he did. To not do so is to ignore what he has done as if it is not real or binding. That is lawlessness, and a rejection of Jesus, and comes from his opponent.

Let’s just note here that John is kind of difficult to parse at times in this section. He moves between what seems very broad (“…everyone who hopes in [Jesus] purifies himself…) and very specific and direct (…whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil…). In general, it seems safe to assume that his reaction to sinful behavior is habitual, consistent sinning since earlier in the letter we are told that anyone who thinks he doesn’t sin is a liar. Nonetheless, John continues to affirm that there is righteousness in what we do and that are deeds can indeed be righteous. (It is at least passingly curious that the two verses in 1 John so far that deal with works themselves being considered righteous pass without any verse commentary in the ESV Study Bible notes, which bend Reformed. I do wonder how Calvinism would comment on this association.)

John continues to tie this together with our understanding of the greatest commandments, loving and being obedient to God and loving others. If you aren’t practicing righteousness or you don’t love your brother, you’re not a child of God. He uses Cain as an example of someone who was murdered his brother because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s were righteous. [Squirrel!] Then he jumps to the reminder that we shouldn’t be surprised that the world hates us (just talked about that a few verses ago). I suppose the connection probably is Cain’s jealousy and worldly reaction vs. what Abel was doing.

Regardless, we know that we have passed from death to life when we love others like God has loved us. This is tough one: “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth.”

Finally, we come back to loving God and keeping his commandments. Which is kind of baked into the previous thing because we are told that God commands us to believe in his Son and to love one another. And we know God abides in us because He has provided the Spirit.

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Bible Study Hebrews

Hebrews | Chapter 3

A new foil of sorts enters: Moses. It’s really the same conversation, though. The Hebrews need to understand Jesus rightly and to set the framework the author continues to use things they already understand (Moses) to point them to things they don’t completely understand. One of the risks that remains today is to assume that things we don’t quite get probably aren’t true (as if either something being difficult to get or the fact that we don’t understand it are good evaluators of truth.) The Hebrews are facing a difficult thing, trying understand Jesus in context of the Law and the identity they had been living under. Jesus is new and proclaiming that things are changing and that’s kind of a hard shift. Except…all the disciples were Jews and after seeing what Jesus says and does, they’re in. And, messengers of God even hundreds of years prior had foretold this action. The Jews were ready for a change, they just hadn’t put everything on the table to be changed. Jesus changes that.

The comparison here with Moses is that Moses is good (just like angels are good), and Moses served faithfully as a servant to God. But Jesus is a son, the heir of the kingdom, and he gets more honor than the servant. (It doesn’t hurt that Jesus created the Kingdom, even as Moses tended to it.) And the promise for us in this is that we are where God resides, the church (body of believers) is where he makes his home. We get to be part of that if we keep our trust and faith (in word and deed) in Him.

There is still more to learn in this Moses motif, however. Just as in Moses’ day, people have the freedom to harden their hearts (think reject) the identity God gives and the things He provides. When Moses led the folk out of Egypt, some rebelled and thus God causes them to not be able to enter the promised land until that generation died off. Similarly, we have the option to reject God, to refuse to be part of His Kingdom, to not be the house. But that isn’t what the Hebrews want, they are Christians after all. The author is warning them here that you can follow God’s messenger out of slavery but if you don’t submit to the identity God gives you, accept His provision and trust his way of doing things, you were basically just leeching on the operation and you will not get to spend forever with him in the Kingdom. (Why would he want you to? You don’t even want to be there, you were just faking it to get out of something else.)

So, they are advised caution, to be mindful of an evil heart that seeks sin and causes you to fall away from God. It’s not that you won’t be tempted, the description in chapter 2 anticipates temptation and the need for Jesus’ help in that, but it is likely to be taken in by the deceitfulness of sin, convinced it’s not a problem when it is really destroying you. Be encouraged! And encourage one another! As long as there is breath in your lungs and today’s on the calendar, encourage one another to reject sin and its lies. This Kingdom, you see, is run by our brother Jesus, and we will share in its blessings if we can hold firm, be confident in God and His faithfulness that he has demonstrated through Jesus.

All that said, it’s not always so easy. The author reminds us that those who were deceived by sin were the very ones who saw God deliver them from Egypt. They saw it. They flippin’ saw it, and still hardened their hearts against God. That fight, to remember that which God has done and not to pursue your own selfish stuff, is not always easy but it is necessary.

V. 16-18 are basically the author’s exegesis of Psalm 95, a description of in what way that Psalm applied to those people. This is in preparation for a “therefore” that begins chapter 4. Whenever you see a “therefore”, you should ask yourself: what is it there for? What argument is this tying back to and how am I to apply what came before it to what comes after? We’ll see once we get to chapter 4.

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Bible Study 1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians | Chapter 3

Paul continues on the explanation of why he hasn’t been back to Thessalonica (it appears this was a point of contention with them.) After Paul and the bros left Thess. they went to Berea, where the Jews from Thessalonica followed them and caused trouble for them there. The bros (Timmy and Silas) stayed behind while Paul was taken to Athens by himself. Despite being alone, Paul of course engages the Jews in the synagogues and then further goes to the Areopagus to have it out with them fellas. In the meantime, Timothy went back to Thess. to check on them and to bring word to Paul who was worried about them.

Timmy brings back good news that the Thess. church is doing well and that they think kindly of Paul and the bros. Paul is encouraged that, despite the reaction to the Good News he keeps running into, there are still people meeting Jesus, persisting in the face of temptation and persecution, and doing the work that Paul left behind for them to do (follow Jesus and take people with them.) Again, where we are not doing this kind of work we are missing out on being part of God’s fulfilling rescue mission and the joy and peace that comes along with it, which helps as a healing salve when we find our message brings trouble. If our message brings neither trouble nor peace, we are doing it wrong.

Paul ends this with a request from God that Paul and the bros may yet return to Thessalonica and continue to bless the work that church is doing, focusing on love for one another and staying righteous and holy as they await the return of Jesus.

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Bible Study 2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians | Chapter 3

The final chapter is interesting in its relative lack of the fantastic compared to the discussion in chapter 2. If you watch closely, you’ll notice that in the New Testament that all prophecy that is for the future is meant to inform how Christians live in the here and now. The reason Paul points out all he does about what is to come is so that folks stop worrying about it and go about the business of the Kingdom. It’s a long, detailed way of saying, “Be faithful in the means, let God handle the ends.”

Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for the work that he and the bros are up to, that it may be as effective where they are yet to go as it was with the Thessalonians. And as they encounter those who would stop the good news being spread, may God deliver them. As for the Thessalonians, the more they trust in God and His faithfulness, the better the chance that what they will remain obedient, faithful, and protected from the temptations that would throw them off their work. God provides, they need to lean on him and trust him to do so.

The warning that follows is similar to Paul’s encouragement back in chapter 4 of his first letter. In a nutshell, don’t be lazy; hanging around not doing work is a breeding ground for trouble. So, keep busy, mind your own affairs, and don’t be a burden on other folk. Paul uses him and the bros as an example of folks who could have very well asked for support but instead, in order to set a good example, worked hard and weren’t a financial burden upon those who they serve.

The theme continues, “…do not grow weary of doing good.” Here’s the deal, it’s often tiresome work with little tangible reward. It’s not relevant, though. Stay active, don’t tire of doing the good work created for you. Some of that means you have to take care of yourself, quit eating/drinking like a fool and only getting a few hours of sleep. You need to be a good, hard-working example at your job and have some in the tank left to serve your family, community and strangers with love and good news. You can’t sustain living like a fraternity pledge and not run out of steam. When you do, the first thing that will go is the doing good. You do all of that so that you may keep to doing good for others.

Paul takes not doing this as a serious breach of obedience. He calls for shame on the man who grows weary of doing good (dang, Kingdom standards are high as Snoop Dog on any given Tuesday.) I love this, though, “Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.” We’ve seen that before. We don’t bail on the idler, just as God hasn’t bailed on him. But he’s living a life that is less than what he is meant for and generally he’ll feel it.

Paul ends with a peace and grace fest. The double peace in the last part makes sense, because again, the reason for the letter seems to be their unrest around this Day of the Lord business. Ultimately Paul attempts to ease their concern while rightly pointing them back to trusting in God and going about their daily life in faithfulness.

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Bible Study 2 Timothy

2 Timothy | Chapter 3

Where the last chapter ends with some hope that folks might be convinced of the truth of Jesus, the work laid out for Timothy remains difficult, as it has been for Paul. Again, when Paul says “last days”, the implication isn’t that it’s only a week or two and then Jesus is expected to return. They are in the “last” days, as we are, because upon the return of Jesus we will no longer count days. So, what we are living in now are it.

What kind of difficulty? Well, folks will largely worship themselves and their own desires and abandon any concept of a greater morality that is beyond them. Notice that almost all of these descriptions are self-serving, self-focused and self-promoting. Certainly, this has always been a problem (Joshua 21:25 says, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” This was a description of God’s people then who basically didn’t submit to a specific moral standard and just did whatever they individually thought was best.)

This is problematic, of course, because if there is no objective standard of morality (what we would say comes from God) then there is no such thing as evil. If what is good or not good is simply a matter of individual opinion, although you may find theft to be wrong, as long as the thief doesn’t see a problem with it then it’s simply what you think is good vs. what he thinks is good. And since folks tend to be easy on themselves and hard on others when it comes to how they evaluate right and wrong, the end result is a selfish free-for-all. You want to know why God gives a law, both an identity and how to live? Because what is right in my eyes comes from a very limited perspective that tends to favor me. I need someone who has the big picture to set that right and God does that.

The world Timothy is in, the one that we are still in today, continues to trend away from what God says is good and towards what each individual says is good. And Paul is right, that’s difficult, because most people don’t take kindly to the assertion that what they “feel” or “believe” to be good isn’t really good at all. That’s a perspective not changed, though, by finger pointing (if they don’t know Jesus, we can’t be surprised that they don’t trust His perspective on morality.) If it’s to change, it’s changed by Jesus, the combination of truth and love. That’s why we’re about the business we’re about.

Paul calls out fellas who deceive women, specifically women who have had difficult and likely sinful pasts and who are susceptible to false promises and the deceit of these dudes. But just like Jannes and Jambres, the names of the Egyptian magicians from Exodus 7 who were able to turn their staffs into serpents just like Moses did, they will be outed as being in opposition to God’s truth (Moses’ snake eventually eats theirs. The Bible doesn’t explain how these magicians were able to turn their staffs into snakes). Their relevance to the fellas Paul is talking about is that, despite their deceit and tricks, ultimately God will ensure that their folly is revealed to all.

In contrast, what Paul has been teaching and living is not deceit, it’s the real deal and Timothy has been following in those footsteps. One of the ways this is affirmed is in Paul’s suffering. The big list in the previous paragraph is all about selfishness; Paul’s example and constant call (echoing that of Jesus, of course) is in service to God, the message of the Good News, and to others. In fact, Paul says that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted while evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. I think that’s a key point, these dudes are deceived and their deceit upon others is an outpouring of that. That doesn’t excuse it, of course, but I say it to point out that false teaching and selfish deceit very rarely limit their damage to the individual; it spreads to the world around them with little effort.

So, that’s the work. Timothy is to continue in confidence in what he has learned and counter the deceit that is perpetuating from elsewhere (obviously, this is still our work). Where do we go for a firm foundation? Scripture. Paul says that all Scripture is “God-breathed”, basically given to us using human authors but ensured to be the accurate information God wanted communicated. Now, in the context of this letter, Scripture would most likely mean the Old Testament, that was what they actually had for Scripture. However, by this point there are probably some New Testament documents available to them as well (Matthew, for example). In either case, we protect against deceit by reading Scripture, knowing the difference between what God says is good and what is not, and soaking in the example of Jesus so that we know how we shall live in these days of difficulty; not just to survive this world but to be part of sharing Good News for its redemption.

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Bible Study 1 Peter

1 Peter | Chapter 3

“Likewise…” If you’ve been playing along on the home game, alarms and whistles should be going off here. When sentences start with therefore, so, likewise, your immediate reaction should be to start looking for context. In this case, likewise tells us that what he is about to say about wives is similar to something he’s already talked about. On the more difficult side, the thing that is similar is his recent discussion on servants and their masters. (And…cue open season on reading this text lazily.)

Keep the whole sentence in context. Peter says wives should obey their husbands even if they don’t obey God’s word so that the respectful and pure conduct may be enough to win the husband to Jesus. See the connection now? Peter was advocating for the same thing for servants, that they persist in doing good even in the face of someone who is not treating them in the way they deserve. It’s a continuing theme as this was the same point Peter was making about abstaining from passions of flesh to remain a good example to those who don’t know Jesus.

The point is continued in the talk of not focusing on external adorning. The point is not that ladies can’t wear gold jewelry or nice clothing, it’s that true beauty that never dies and is precious in the sight of God are the things of the heart and the spirit. It is these same things that are intended to influence the husband who doesn’t know Jesus. It is a virtue to show honor to your husband (that’s what the Sarah submitting to Abraham story is for, “lord” is a reference of respect and honor).

Husbands, similarly, are called to show honor to their wives, living with them in a knowledgeable and understanding way. (This means you don’t get to be some kind of ape, you have to “know” your wife, do your best to understand her, care about what’s going on, etc.) Peter says she’s the weaker vessel, which seems to be a point of contention for some. However, ask any 8 year old and they will be able to tell you that, generally speaking, fellas are stronger than ladies. (Weaker “vessel”, think “container”. It’s a physical description, don’t over-invest beyond that.)

If ladies don’t follow Peter’s instruction, they may draw the wrong kind of attention and not make any progress with their non-believing husbands. If fellas don’t follow and care for their wives who share the grace of life with them, God may stop listening to their prayers. With the honor comes the responsibility, boys. And this doesn’t change the general description of Jesus for you to be a servant of all, that includes your wife. Jesus has high expectations for you as an example, fight for it.

This idea of sacrificing, perseverance and persistence in faith continues holistically. Peter encourages the church to stick together, love one another, care for and be kind, and don’t think higher of yourself than you should. You see evil or people hating, you don’t respond in kind. In fact, you bless them and in return you will be blessed. (I mean dang, evil comes your way and you are supposed to bless in return. Only in the Kingdom of Jesus can that be right. In any other circumstances it’s just foolish. Jesus makes all the difference, though.)

The quote is from Psalm 34. Read the whole Psalm, it certainly reinforces the point Peter is making here and is a cool reminder of how God is with us in our suffering. (I mean it, go read it. The point of studying Scripture isn’t speed or a false sense of human accomplishment, soak it in.) v.13 and forward continue on the same trajectory as the quoted Psalm.

Peter tells us we need to be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Now, although we often use this verse as a foundation for having a good apologetics framework (the study of the defense of Scripture and the truth it contains), I think in context the real thrust is hope in the context of suffering. When folks see us persisting in good even in the midst of evil, in trust of God even when by the world’s standards things are not going well, can we provide an answer? Psalm 34 is exactly the type of answer we could provide, even further fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. So yes, it’s great to know and study answers to people’s big questions about God, faith, science, creation, etc., just remember that Peter’s more relevant point is faith in the goodness of God, the hope in his sovereignty, even in the face of danger, mistreatment, and evil.

And how do we give that defense? With gentleness and respect, with a clear conscience. Why? Because when people attempt to slander you because of what you believe and the things you are saying, your conduct will testify on your behalf. You may still suffer for it, yes, but Peter says it is better to suffer for doing good than to suffer anyway and do the wrong thing. We do it because Jesus did it first and we follow Jesus.

Then Peter talks about Jesus proclaiming to spirits in prison. How to understand this one will get you in a shank fight at a theologian’s Bible and brew event somewhere on the West coast. Some tie it to the connected Noah story and say that Jesus was proclaiming to those just prior to the flood “through” Noah and other prophets. I mean, ok, but that really seems to jump context since this “proclaiming” seems to follow Jesus’ death in Peter’s description. Other options include Jesus going to hell and giving people or angels second chances, which you’d kind of have to bend other Scripture around to make that seem reasonable. I probably lean on “they” being a broad group of people (those who rejected God’s promise to be rescued through water) who are now listening based upon the life and example of Jesus (and they are now rescued through baptism, identifying with this community of believers that follow Jesus.) This explanation makes a whole lot of sense relative to what Peter has been talking about the last two chapters (saying the example of persistence and suffering helps change folks.)

On baptism, certainly Jesus work on the cross saves you (Peter says that it is through the resurrection of Jesus you have the ability to appeal for a good conscience), but he is pretty clear on getting baptized. More Bible and brew debates aside, Jesus says to do it and we obey Jesus so just get it done. Think of it as the public celebration of you entering the Kingdom. If you haven’t done it as an adult, let’s figure it out directly, always a good reason to have a celebration!

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Bible Study Jonah

Jonah | Chapter 3

Chapter 3 starts very similarly to chapter 1. God calls Jonah to “Arise…” and go to Ninevah and, “…call out against it…” this time in the message God will tell him (instead of something about their evil coming to God’s attention, which was the last part of that same declaration in chapter, verse 2). This time, Jonah obeys.

Nineveh as a “great city” is kind of interesting. The ESV footnote has it saying, ”great city to God”, implying that it holds value to him in some way or another. That said, the rest of the sentence that footnote comes from talks about the size of the city itself and how long it takes to get across it. Not sure any of this makes a difference in the interpretation.

Only other thing to note is that being called a “great city” seems to imply eventual doom in the Bible as this reference is constantly being used to major earthly cities that are positioned against God. (See Revelation 11 for an interesting twist where Jerusalem is tagged with this distinction as well.) For references, see here: http://bit.ly/2v1Gisz

Jonah enters Ninevah and preaches the long and short of it: “40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown!”. Great, we think, he’s finally done what YHWH told him to do. But that’s not really what happened. We’re told that Ninevah is a 3 day’s journey but Jonah only goes a day in. He basically doesn’t go all the way to where the king is at to take the prophecy directly to him. He also doesn’t tell the people who will bring the prophecy to fruition (God, of course, but he doesn’t message it) nor does he provide any indication of what it would look like to repent. While God intends for a call to repentance, Jonah is mute on who (lest they try and petition YHWH to relent) and that there is even a chance for repentance. What looks likes obedience is not really that at all.

Either way, what Jonah ultimately proclaims is a call to destruction, Sodom and Gomorrah style. And the people receive it! I mean, they straight up accept the warning and believe it, calling for a fast, throwing on sackcloth (an indication of mourning and repentance) and turn from their ways. Even the king reacts to the same message, arising from his throne (notice his obedience in arising to mourn and repent in reaction to God’s word vs. Jonah’s failure to “arise” in similar obedience.)

We shouldn’t miss the reactions here as a whole. What you believe is reflected in what you do. When Jonah speaks, people believe God and mourn, repent and hope that God will relent so that they will not perish. There’s a consistent theme here of pagans/gentiles being concerned about people being saved compared to Jonah’s relative lack of concern for the matter. His obedience to God leads to their repentance, even if he did it begrudgingly, but we are probably well-served by the reminder that we are bearers of Good News (certainly more positively framed than what Jonah had to say) and people can be saved because of it.

And God does indeed relent, deciding not to destroy them in response to their repentance. Sounds like a good end of the story, except this story isn’t about the Ninevites really, it’s about Jonah (and likely Israel by extension). Thus we anticipate chapter 4.