Category: Year C

Nehemiah 5:1-13

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Nehemiah was a faithful follower of God who had been taken into exile to Babylon.  But, through his initiative, Nehemiah laid plans to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the broken down wall which surrounded the city.  Once Nehemiah arrived and arranged for work teams to busy themselves on the wall, he discovered there was much more to rebuild than just a physical wall.  A wall of separation existed between fellow Jews based on economics.  The poor were being taken advantage of as their fellow Jews were exacting usury from them.
 
            Nehemiah’s response is instructive for us.  He did not ignore the situation and only focus on the wall.  He firmly and squarely addressed the problem, and was downright angry about the circumstance of Jewish families essentially living in a state of slavery.  Nehemiah was clear, concise, and direct about the nature of the problem.  He threw himself into being part of the solution instead of only complaining about what was happening.  Nehemiah did not over-involve others in the process of handling the conflict, but handled the issue by taking counsel with himself.  Finally, he attacked the problem without alienating others, and held people accountable for their actions and their promises.
 
            Packed into these few paragraphs of Scripture is a sort of case study of how to engage significant problems and conflict.  This is a section of the Bible not to quickly read over, but to ponder, examine, and absorb Nehemiah’s dealing with the situation.  We all need some guidance and direction when it comes to confronting the problems that surround us.  Let this story serve us well in addressing the issues in our lives.
 

 

            Holy God, you have a special concern for those who are poor and needy.  Enable me to live and speak wisely into the crucial needs which exist around me, so that Christ might be exalted through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Psalm 19

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment


            One of the bedrock realities of the world is that God created the heavens and the earth.  Furthermore, he has given us his very great and precious promises through his gracious law.  God’s creation reflects his wondrous character.  The sun is the constant presence bringing light, warmth, and life to the earth – just like God.  Everything is creation bears the mark of its Creator to such a degree that it is almost as if the creation itself speaks.  Even at night, it is as if our God keeps constant vigil, gently whispering the knowledge of his presence and protection over us.
             If this were not enough, God has given his people his perfect law with all of its right precepts, clarity of commands, and truthful statutes.  God’s law, like his creation, reflects his gracious character.  The Lord did not leave us alone to fend for ourselves and to try and figure everything out about how to live in God’s world.  He has provided an extension of himself, his law, to provide us with sure footing and solid direction.  The law of the Lord is so good that it is more valuable than gold, and more desirable than any food.
             Since all this creation and law is available to us, it would be a good thing to memorize and meditate on this very psalm.  Take just a few verses with you out for a leisurely walk in God’s good creation.  Carefully reflect on them as you notice all the grand scope of God’s vast sky, and the intricacies of God’s small details.  Let it all rise to a paean of praise and appreciation to the God who notices, has acted, and will intervene.
             Wondrous God, you created the heavens and the earth in its splendor.  Your law mirrors your grace to a world which has lost its way.  In the face of such a large God, cleanse me from my inadvertent sins.  Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable before you, my Rock and my Redeemer.  Amen.

Isaiah 61:1-7

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
             All of Scripture is God-breathed and his self-revelation.  Yet, there are some passages of the Bible that, although not any more significant, control other parts of Holy Scripture.  I call these “boss” verses; they are sections that bring light and authority to the entirety of the Bible.  Today’s Old Testament lesson is a “boss” section of Scripture.  It both encapsulates the message of the Bible as well as projecting an intentional focus of life and ministry for us.
 
            “The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor… to comfort all who mourn.”  The Lord Jesus picked up these verses and read them in the inauguration of his ministry to his fellow Jews in the synagogue.  He did so because God’s message would be fulfilled in the person of Jesus.  This, then, is an overarching message which is like a big tent idea that controls all of Holy Scripture.
 
            There ought really to be no doubt, of even the casual reader of the Bible, that God is deeply concerned with the poor, the needy, the grieving, and the spiritually destitute whose souls require hope and rescue.  Jesus proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor; he preached the good news of God’s kingdom.  He blessed the poor in spirit and those who mourn.  Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, Christians have a message of good news to proclaim.  Just as Jesus came in the flesh to rescue the needy, so we who have been delivered from sin’s prison, are to embody the message of redemption to others in desperate need of rescue.
 
            Who is in need of God’s good news in your relational sphere of influence?  How might you bring Christ to them both in speech and in the flesh?  What needs are in their lives which Jesus might fulfill?  Will you intentionally and fervently pray for them every day for the next two weeks?
 

 

            Merciful God, your grace has saved me from myself and an empty way of life.  May I never lose sight of what you have done for me.  Anoint me to proclaim the good news of Jesus so that many others might be rescued from their desperate plight.  Amen.

Psalm 145

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            I believe that every person on planet earth needs a healthy robust theology.  We all have a theology, that is, some understanding of a god, God, or no god at all.  In addition, we all have basic needs in order to thrive and flourish in life.  Physical, emotional, and spiritual needs can be and are met in God.  His grace sustains the universe.  Yet, sometimes we might feel as if God is aloof, distant, or disinterested.  This is where generous attention to the biblical psalms can help us.
 
            Let this psalm buoy a solid theology for you:  “The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.  The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.  The LORD preserves all who love him.”  God actually bends his ear to hear us; he wants to listen to us acknowledge and cry out to him.  This is no indifferent God.  This is a God who hears and responds.
 
            I am taking time today to read this psalm several times over, to let it awash my soul with significant doses of truth and mercy.  There are simply times when all of us need to remember and be reminded that there is a God in heaven who is able, and is near to respond.  For true human satisfaction does not come through personal ingenuity or accumulation of more knowledge or more stuff.  Rather, our deepest desires and needs are fulfilled in the God who cares.
 

 

            Mighty God, you are both far and near, totally above us yet close at hand.  Preserve me with your mighty power so that I might not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity.  But in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purposes through Jesus Christ, my Lord.  Amen.