Week 75

Things look bad. Israel has fallen to the Assyrians. Most of Judah has been captured. And Jerusalem is under siege. The end seems inevitable. Yet amazingly, the end is not as near as we would think.

Hezekiah leads the people in seeking God for deliverance and the prophet Isaiah prophesies ? incredibly ? that the superior might of Sennacherib of Assyria, will fail. Death swept over the camp of the Assyrians, killings hundreds of thousands, and Sennacherib withdrew. But Isaiah has other prophecies for Hezekiah ? that his palace riches will all be taken away and some of his family will be deported.

Manasseh (Hezekiah?s twelve year old son) took over as King of Judah. Unlike his father, the boy king reinstituted pagan practices, witchcraft, sorcery and idolatry, even killing some of his own people. His equally evil son, Amon, eventually succeeded him. Amon only ruled two years before being executed by his own officials, who were in turn executed by the people for their part in the conspiracy.

The eight year old Josiah (Amon’s son) began his rule in the ways of his great-grandfather, following the ways of the Lord. Judah ? teetering on the edge of destruction – had one of its last reprieves. During temple renovations, workers discovered the book of the law (perhaps part of Deuteronomy, or perhaps the whole Pentateuch?) and this lead to a small revolution in the country. Seemingly lost in time and after centuries of idolatry and lost leadership, the book of the law provided a new sense of direction to the ailing nation. Josiah renewed the covenant to follow God and keep his commands. He removed pagan priests and destroyed everything to do with foreign gods. There were widespread reforms throughout the nation. But was it too late?

Unfortunately, Josiah was killed in a battle against Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. Jehoahaz took over as king, but his kingdom was weak and he was captured and imprisoned by Pharaoh Neco. Judah was forced to pay heavy taxes to Egypt, and the ultimate insult came when the Pharaoh began deciding and appointing who would be king of Judah.

Jehoiakim took over as king. He didn?t have to serve the Egyptians for long, however, as they were soon invaded by the superior super-power of the region, the Babylonians. So Jehoiakim served the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar for three years, before he instituted a feeble revolt against the Babylonians. Jehoiakim died, leaving his son (with a very similar name) Jehoiachin to face the wrath of the invading Babylonians. In the face of the military might and siege, Jehoiachin promptly surrendered and was taken prisoner. Nebuchadnezzar took all the treasures from the temple, including all the beautiful ornaments and articles crafted under the rule of Solomon. He also took all the fighting men, the craftsmen and artisans, leaving only the poor behind. Like Israel before it, Judah?s population was now exiled and the precious homeland a thing of the past.

Nebuchadnezzar put a puppet ruler in place ? Jehoiachin?s uncle, who he renamed Zedekiah. In a final desperate gesture, Zedekiah rebels against Nebuchadnezzar, who promptly lays siege to Jerusalem. After eighteen months, Jerusalem is captured, Zedekiah?s sons executed, Zedekiah blinded and then Jerusalem is destroyed. The temple and the palace are both burnt down and other important buildings smashed. Any remaining important articles of significance are taken away, as are more of the population. Judah was finished.

And so the epic era of the kings comes to an end. God?s people turned their backs on him and they followed the path of idolatry. They splintered and lost their way, leading to their ultimate destruction. It is a shocking and horrific period of history as we see God?s promised land now in the hands of foreign rulers, its people crushed and dispersed around the region.

It is an understanding of this time, however, that gives us a crucial insight into the words of the prophets of the Old Testament, as they wrote during this era of rebellion and destruction. And it is this period that also gives us a framework to understand the life, times and teachings of Jesus, who would follow many years later.

Ironically, we finish our month reading more Proverbs from the era of Solomon, himself one of the great kings. They again encourage us with exhortations to be truthful, diligent, kind and righteous.

• Monday - 2 Kings 19
• Tuesday - 2 Kings 20
• Wednesday - 2 Kings 21
• Thursday - 2 Kings 22
• Friday - 2 Kings 23
• Saturday - 2 Kings 24 and 25
• Sunday - Proverbs 12:22-28

Week 74

Israel – the northern kingdom – comes to an end.

The next two weeks blur through epic periods of history as mighty nations go head to head and king succeeds king. The names of the rulers and places can be a bit disorienting at times, and the narrative a bit fast paced. But that?s okay. This is a huge history we are covering in just a matter of weeks. Don?t despair.

There is a sense of inevitability this week as we read of a succession of bad kings who lead their people astray. And their time was up. This week, we read of four kings of Judah (more of them next week) interspersed between the narratives of nine kings of Israel. This week is a series of assassinations and decades of bad leadership leading to the inevitable end for Israel. The kingdom collapses.

This week we jump between the two nations intertwining their stories as we read of:

1. Jehoahaz (King of Israel): an evil king and a poor commander who left his army weak and decimated. He was succeeded by?
2. Jehoash (King of Israel): a weak king who did evil in the eyes of the Lord but who had some small military successes. Meanwhile, in Judah?
3. Amaziah (King of Judah): executed those responsible for his father?s assassination. He lead a successfual campaign against Edom but bit off more than he could chew in attacking Israel. Jehoash defeated and captured him. He was eventually assassinated. Back in Israel?
4. Jeroboam II (King of Israel): had some successes but continued to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. In Judah?
5. Azariah (King of Judah): came to the throne as a result of his father?s assassination. (In other parts of the Bible we read that he was a good king who was involved in agricultural and military reform. However, he did not rid the land of pagan altars.) Meanwhile in Israel?
6. Zechariah (King of Israel): did evil in God?s eyes and only ruled a few months before being assassinated and replaced by?
7. Shallum (King of Israel): who only ruled a few weeks before being assassinated and replaced by?
8. Menahem (King of Israel): a violent king who raised taxation to pay off the Assyrians. He was succeeded by?
9. Pekahiah (King of Israel): who was a bad king. He was assassinated and replaced by?
10. Pekah (King of Israel): who was a bad king. During his reign, the Assyrians began dismantling Israel, taking over towns and deporting their populations. The end was now in sight as Israel began to crumble. Meanwhile back in Judah?
11. Jotham (King of Judah): did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (ah hah! For a change!!!). He rebuilt part of the temple and fought against the Amorites, gaining power. But like all the other kings, he failed to eradicate the pagan altars across the land. When he died he was succeeded by?
12. Ahaz (King of Judah): who was a terrible king, perhaps one of the worst of all. He actively lead the people in pagan rituals and even sacrificed his own son as part of a ceremony. Stupidly, while under attack from the king of Aram and Pekah (above, King of Israel), he calls upon the Assyrians to come to his aid. He had made a pact with his enemy, and his deference was made clear in the way he even modified the temple to make it more suitable to Assyrian tastes. The end would not be long for Judah either. But then back in Israel, we come to?
13. Hoshea (the last King of Israel). When Hoshea refused to pay heavy taxes to the Assyrians, the king of Assyria invaded the entire land, laid siege to Samaria, threw Hoshea into jail and deported the population. Assyrian records suggest that about 28 000 people were taken away. Israel, with no king, no towns, no government, no military? came to an end. The Assyrians imported refugees from other nations to repopulate the land. Israel was over.

Meanwhile over in Judah, Hezekiah took over as king of Judah. He was a good king, destroying the places and practices of the pagan religions. While the rest of Judah fell to the Assyrians, Hezekiah bunked down for a long siege. As we finish the week, with Israel now gone, and most of Judah under Assyrian rule, all that stands left is this king and his people in the stronghold of Jerusalem.

Our Proverbs verses declare the value of wise advice, prudence, honesty, peace and righteousness.

• Monday - 2 Kings 13
• Tuesday - 2 Kings 14
• Wednesday - 2 Kings 15
• Thursday - 2 Kings 16
• Friday - 2 Kings 17
• Saturday - 2 Kings 18
• Sunday - Proverbs 12:15-21

Week 73

Seven year old king executes his grandmother! As you sit there at your computer reading these notes, it is sometimes difficult to come to terms with books like Kings. The stories are so sordid, violent and often depraved. It is important for us to remember that this is an unstable time of history and that we are reading concentrated accounts of mighty clashes between nations, aggressive kings and debased religious practices. Do not give up. This history gives us a framework through which we can better understand the writings of the prophets and the later teachings and life of Jesus.

The siege of Samaria is lifted after the Arameans abandon their camp. But there are dark clouds on the horizon. Elisha encounters a man named Hazael, and he has a premonition that this Hazael will kill the king of Aram and take his crown. And this is exactly what happens. Hazael strangles Ben-Hadad king of Aram, and succeeds him as king.

A 32 year old Jehoram becomes king of Judah and reigns in Jerusalem for eight years, and ?did evil in the eyes of the Lord.? His son Ahaziah then succeeded him as king for one year until Jehu, a military commander, takes the throne in neighbouring Israel. Jehu wastes no time in leaving his mark. In a scene almost from a modern action movie, he thrashes his chariot to the haven of Jezreel where with some rapid bow and arrow action, he promptly kills Joram king of Israel as well as Ahaziah king of Judah. He violently executes Jezebel and then goes on to totally annihilate the family and companions of Ahab in Samaria, as well as the relatives of Ahaziah. The bloody killings continue as Jehu tricks the priests and followers of Baal to attend a feast, where he has them all executed. They totally obliterate the temple of Baal and in a curious side note, we are told that the temple was then used as a latrine by the people, as a sign of their contempt and disgust of the pagan deity, Baal.

The political backstabbing continues, literally. With Ahaziah dead and the royal family in tatters, his mother quickly made moves to grab the throne of Judah for herself. She executes the rest her own royal family to secure her rule. However, she did not know that her grandson Joash had been hidden away to be raised in secret in the temple. Many years later, Joash emerged as the rightful heir, backed by the military. His murdering grandmother was immediately executed for her treachery. Joash ruled with the help of the high priest and a scroll detailing the responsibilities of a king. He needed the help. He was only seven years old. Joash did well, destroying altars and idols of Baal, and repairing damage to their own temple. Sadly, Joash was assassinated.

Proverbs again encourages us to see the virtue in wisdom, humility, righteousness and hard work.

• Monday - 2 Kings 7
• Tuesday - 2 Kings 8
• Wednesday - 2 Kings 9
• Thursday - 2 Kings 10
• Friday - 2 Kings 11
• Saturday - 2 Kings 12
• Sunday - Proverbs 12:8-14

1 and 2 Kings

Civil War! 1 and 2 Kings carry us through the heart of the history books of the Old Testament (which span Joshua through to Esther). But in the books of Kings, rather than getting ?more of the same?, what we actually get is one of the most significant turning points in the history of God?s kingdom. And here?s a spoiler warning: it is not a happy ending.

Over the previous hundreds of years, Israel had escaped from Egypt, travelled to the land promised to them and eventually invaded and occupied it. They suffered for over three hundred years under the iron fists of foreign rulers, and were regularly rescued and lead by the Judges. But then came the era of the kings. Under Saul, and then David, Israel flourished and become an ancient super-power: wealthy, strong, influential and, most importantly, a nation devoted to serving God.

The book of 1 Kings begins well. David has died, but not before appointing his son Solomon as his successor. Solomon rules the nation ? mostly well – for the forty years between 970BC and 930BC. Under his kingship, Israel becomes one of the most wealthy, influential and well-regarded nations on earth ? a super-power of the ancient world. But on his death, he leaves behind a nation that is divided and which, within twelve months, breaks into two opposing factions. (We are familiar with this in the modern world in, for example, the North and South divisions of the American Civil War, East and West Germany (before they reunified), North and South Korea, etc.)

The split fell like this: The northern faction was made up of ten tribes led by one of Solomon?s officials, Jeroboam. They established Samaria as their capital and they kept the name Israel.

The southern faction was made up of two tribes led by Solomon?s son, Rehoboam. They kept Jerusalem as their capital and they called themselves Judah.

Things do not go well from here, as the nations spiral into idolatry under the leadership of frequently evil and godless kings. So during this period, and throughout these books, we also read of the rise of some of the most well known and quoted figures in the Biblical narrative ? the Prophets (Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Isaiah, Daniel, etc) who speak on God?s behalf and attempt to call their people back to living under God?s rule.

1 Kings traces the history of the two nations from Solomon?s reign (970BC) to the reign of Ahaziah (King of Israel) in 852BC. (Israel would eventually be destroyed by Assyria in 722BC).

2 Kings continues the history. We read of the ministries of God?s prophets, Elijah and Elisha. And we read finally of the downfall of the two kingdoms. Israel is conquered by Assyria in 722BC and then Judah falls with the capture of Jerusalem under the armies of Nebuchadnezzer in 586BC.

So after centuries of godless leadership, idolatry and civil war, the great nation fractures and the people are invaded, beaten, captured and exiled. (Don?t say we didn?t warn you it wasn?t a happy ending!)

As was the case with the books of Samuel, the two books of the kings were originally one continual narrative, divided into two for convenience when the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek around 200BC.

Week 72

Okay, let?s be honest, straight up. This month is going to be pretty hard going. Violence, despair, death and an unhappy ending that unfolds with a sense of doom and inevitability. But don?t give up. This is the climax of the historical accounts?

Don?t mess with God?s messengers! That?s the message with which we begin 2 Kings. Elijah was no stranger to fire. You will recall his recent run in with the prophets of Baal in which he called fire down from heaven. This time, Elijah pronounces a curse of doom against King Ahaziah, because the King had sought counsel from a Philistine god ? Baal-Zebub (which interestingly, translates as ?Lord of the Flies?). When the King sent his soldiers to capture Elijah for his bluntness, the soldiers were killed by fire.

But Elijah?s time has come to an end. His right-hand companion ? Elisha ? follows Elijah around on various visits, and asks only on Elijah?s death that he blessed with double the ?spirit? of his old teacher and master. Elijah is taken away in miraculous circumstances, leaving Elisha to continue Elijah?s valuable work. In a curious incident, a group of young men torment Elisha by calling him an ?old baldhead?. This was quite an insult in a culture where hair often related to strength and vigour. They were in effect, saying that God?s new messenger was powerless. (But the two bears who turned up a moment later, perhaps indicated otherwise).

Unlike the time of the great kings, there was tremendous political instability and military hostility in the land. Joram (King of Israel) joined forces with Jehoshaphat (King of Judah) against the Moabites, who had gone back on a trading deal relating to the supply of sheep. The Israelites invaded Moab and slaughtered the inhabitants.

We read of some of Elisha?s deeds ? helping a widow out of a fix, restoring life to the child of a friend, and in a prelude to a later miracle of Jesus?, providing food for many out of only twenty loaves of bread. Again, in scenes reminiscent of some of Jesus? encounters in the gospels, Elisha heals a Syrian military commander of the most fearsome of diseases ? leprosy. He does it not with lavish words and gestures, but in simple commands and the power of God.

Elisha also shows himself to be shrewd. A group of Aramean soldiers seek to capture Elisha, but when they themselves are captured and vulnerable, he instead asks the king of Israel to show them hospitality, not the sword. As such, for a time, bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel, But this would not last. About 850BC, the King of Aram laid siege to Samaria, causing a famine inside so harsh that the people resorted to cannibalism and eating unclean foods. The king somehow blamed Elisha for this, and promptly dispatches a soldier to find Elisha and decapitate him. More next week?.

Wonderful proverbs to finish the week? the value of discipline, the strength of the righteous, the joy of a noble wife? all ancient wisdom that apply as much now as they did back then.

• Monday - 2 Kings 1
• Tuesday - 2 Kings 2
• Wednesday - 2 Kings 3
• Thursday - 2 Kings 4
• Friday 2 - Kings 5
• Saturday - 2 Kings 6
• Sunday - Proverbs 12:1-7

Week 71

The week of the cliff-hanger ending! We read of more of Jesus’ miraculous power this week. We see the incredible faith of a woman who believes Jesus to be so powerful that even the touch of the corner of his cloak would be enough to heal her. She has suffered an ongoing bleeding disorder for over a decade, a malady that was not only physically terrible, but which detached her from religious life because she was perpetually ceremonially unclean. So Jesus heals her physically and spiritually. News continued to spread around the region, especially after Jesus dispatched ceremonial mourners and raised a dead girl back to life.

Jesus heals the blind and the mute, causing amazement amongst the people, who declare “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!” However, the religious establishment was perturbed by Jesus’ deeds, claiming that he was acting as an emissary of “the prince of demons”. Despite growing opposition, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.”

Jesus actually had many disciples. Some parts of the gospels talk about hundreds of his followers who were his disciples. But within that he had a select group who helped him and were his most immediate companions. Jesus called on his twelve disciples to go out on a road trip, preaching the message of the kingdom of heaven and healing people wherever they went. At this point, his twelve disciples (or “students”) became twelve apostles (meaning “those who are sent out”).

Jesus provides his apostolic team with some basic instructions: Go out into the towns. Preach the message. Don’t take lots of stuff with you. Enjoy the hospitality of good people in the towns. Be shrewd and careful against dangerous people. Know that it won’t be an easy journey. My message is not an easy one and you will ruffle some feathers and for that be hassled, maybe even flogged and arrested. But don’t give up. Don’t be afraid. This message is going to rock the world.

It is a key moment not only in the ministry of Jesus, but in the Bible itself. God’s Messiah – the Christ – has come and has begun to preach, heal and perform miracles. He has a huge following (as well as many enemies) and now he has sent a team out to further expand his message. The tipping point has been reached and Jesus’ ministry is about to go critical.

Things are about to really heat up, but that’s where we leave our five weeks of Matthew for the moment. We’ll come back to his account soon enough and continue our paced consideration of the ministry and life of Jesus. (I hope you have enjoyed the more leisurely pace and that this has allowed you to sink your teeth into the text more than normal!) But for now, on to other things….

Psalm 49 is a timely reminder for us not to place all our meaning and purpose in the pursuit of wealth. The song is a declaration to the people that security does not come from riches.

• Monday – Matthew 9:18-26
• Tuesday – Matthew 9:27-34
• Wednesday – Matthew 9:35-38
• Thursday – Matthew 10:1-16
• Friday – Matthew 10:17-31
• Saturday – Matthew 10:32-42
• Sunday – Psalms 49

Week 70

Jesus heals…. Yeah, whatever. One of the problems for us today, especially in the church, is that we have gotten used to the amazing things that Jesus did. We read about them, hear about them and have become a bit blasé to the wonder and awe surrounding the man himself, so that the extra-ordinary becomes the ordinary. Even the word “miracle” has become a bit “ho-hum” as its impact and meaning is dulled by everyday usage (a la: “You did your homework without being asked? It’s a miracle!”)

Jesus was not only an astute and radical teacher who impacted people with his words. He also went beyond that and brought the world of the supernatural spiralling down into ordinary life. He did things – amazing things, miraculous thing – that left people gob-smacked and stunned. Word quickly spread about him and crowds followed him wherever he went. Scenes of pandemonium and chaos surrounded him. We read that Jesus was sometimes almost crushed by the crowds and often there was standing room only with masses gathered outside, or so many people by the shore of the lake that he had to get into a boat to talk to them all.

This week, we read accounts of some of Jesus’ miraculous deeds – his “miracles”. He heals people physically from their ailments – a woman sick with fever, a man who is paralysed, and many others. He heals people spiritually, rescuing and releasing them from spiritual sickness in the form of demon possession. (It helps here if you disregard Hollywood portrayals of people’s heads spinning round and fearful priests throwing holy water and clutching at crosses. Jesus’ healing was fearless, word driven and instantaneous.) And he also converges the natural world with the incomprehensible world beyond when he shows his power over nature in actually controlling atoms and elements in the form of water, rain, thunder, lightning and waves.

Part of the problem stopping us from truly appreciating what Jesus did, is that we ourselves live in a miraculous age. We are so used to medicines and tablets and surgery being able to bring us back to health, that when Jesus heals people, it’s really nothing we haven’t seen before. But we need to remember that he did it with touch or just a word, not with science or chemistry. And we also need to appreciate the wonder of what it would be like to be one of the people Jesus healed in an era where even a minor malady (tonsillitis, appendicitis, infection, complicated pregnancy, etc) would be fatal.

We also read this week of how controversial Jesus was in challenging accepted religious beliefs. Jesus hung out with “tax collectors and sinners”, a collective phrase referring to the disregarded and often “unclean” of society, like prostitutes, lepers, women of low repute – in fact, he called a tax collector to follow him as part of his team of disciples. (Remember, tax collectors were locals who sided with, and worked for, the ruling Romans in collecting fees and taxes. They were despised by their own countrymen and were as about as popular as corrupt police because of the implication that they were unfairly over-charging, ripping off and profiteering from the misery of their own people.) Jesus also challenged rigid and mindless subservience to religious laws because he and his disciples disregarded some Sabbath laws (in not fasting, and sometimes picking grain and eating on the Sabbath). He uses the image of a patch of cloth or an old wineskin (a kind of ancient leather wine-cask) to describe how the rigidity and inflexibility of the old ways would not comfortably tolerate his new way of thinking and serving God.

Psalm 48 is a song of praise declaring the security of God’s kingdom. It may have been sung by the priests of Levi as part of temple worship.

• Monday – Matthew 8:14-17
• Tuesday – Matthew 8:18-22
• Wednesday – Matthew 8:23-34
• Thursday – Matthew 9:1-8
• Friday – Matthew 9:9-13
• Saturday – Matthew 9:14-17
• Sunday – Psalms 48

Week 69

We live in a consumer society, obsessed by possessions, gadgets and ownership. Have you ever wondered what the point of all our work and building and accumulation comes to? Many people seek to gather things around them and to build their lives around the comfort and security of real estate, cars, friends, jobs etc. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these aspects of living, Jesus taught that you would end up in deep water if ultimately the foundation of your life is built upon things which decay, rust, fall apart, fade away or are taken from you. Instead we need to put our trust in God.

This week we read of how “treasures in heaven” are more stable and long-lasting than “treasures on earth”, and that an obsessive clamouring for money actually gets in the way of a relationship with God. We are told not to be overly concerned and bogged down with worry about the future, but rather to come before God with our needs, fears and concerns. As a general measure of behaviour (and a good summary of what the Law and the Prophets is all about), we are also encouraged to “do to others what you would have them do to you.”

Jesus also uses a number of word pictures or images (the narrow gate, the tree and its fruit, the wise and the foolish builders) to compare and contrast the difference between making bad choices that lead to problems, and good choices which lead to good life.

We finish the week with two amazing stories: amazing not only because of the acts of healing that occur, showing Jesus’ power beyond the realm of this natural world, but because of who they involved. In one instance Jesus is approached by a social outcast, a leper, despised and forced to live away from social contact. Anyone else would have run a mile. In a display no-one had ever seen before, Jesus did the unthinkable: he reached out and touched the untouchable, and healed him. Instead of the infection coming one way, the healing went the other way. In the second instance, a Roman centurion – a man of some power in the military and a member of the superpower that was occupying lowly Israel – went against his own pantheon of Roman gods (and in some ways committed treason in that Caesar was considered a god) is asking this humble Jewish man for assistance. With events like these, the word about Jesus continued to grow and more and more people sought him out for healing and teaching.

Psalm 47 is a jubilant song of praise, a celebration of God and his kingdom. Why not try meditating on these words and reading this aloud as a prayer?

• Monday – Matthew 6:19-24
• Tuesday – Matthew 6:25-34
• Wednesday – Matthew 7:1-6
• Thursday – Matthew 7:7-14
• Friday – Matthew 7:15-29
• Saturday – Matthew 8:1-13
• Sunday – Psalms 47

Week 68

Prepare yourself this week for some of the most intense and rich teachings from Jesus’ ministry (and indeed the whole Bible) concentrated in one spot. Matthew has gathered a large amount of Jesus’ teachings, and accumulated them into a longer single discourse. Many of these were counter to conventional cultural wisdom and religious teachings of the day. Try not to rush through this, but to contemplate their importance and meaning, and reflect upon their impact in your own life. Remember too the fact that many of these statements – while par for the course in religious teachings today – were controversial and surprising back then. He speaks a lot this week about ethics, morals, ideals and ways of living.

Jesus begins preaching to a large number of listeners, gathered together to hear what this rising new rabbi has to say. He begins with nine statements about blessings, (which we have titled “the beatitudes”), which reverse much of the accepted wisdom of the day which rewarded the powerful and lofty. Instead, the humble and quiet are regarded, and enemies should be forgiven.

He then goes on to encourage his listeners to be “salt” and “light” – to do the right thing by other people and for people to see one’s positive outlook and helpful actions as being admirable. Jesus wants people to bring out the best in others and serve them, so that it may cause people to reflect upon how good it is to know God.

Jesus explains (and perhaps Matthew emphasises for his Jewish readers) that he has not come to disregard the old ways of thinking or doing things. He says he has “not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets” (the collective term for the writings that make up the Old Testament). Instead, he is the fulfilment or natural end-point of those writings.

Jesus then teaches about various life matters: murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, justice, revenge, forgiveness and giving to the needy. He is particularly clear when it comes to matters of not letting one’s faith be a shallow public performance with no depth. Jesus was highly critical of hypocrites who perform and babble when they pray, or who sombrely mope around when they fast. Jesus instead encourages his listeners to move beyond mere public spectacle and into the private matters of the heart when fasting and praying, and to let that be a matter between them and God, rather than some sort of kudos that comes from showing off to others.

Psalm 46 provided Martin Luther with the inspiration for the classic hymn “God is our strength and refuge” usually sung with stirring gusto to very British sounding anthems. It is a celebration of the city of Jerusalem in its heyday, as a mighty fortress of God and his people.

• Monday – Matthew 5:1-12
• Tuesday – Matthew 5:13-16
• Wednesday – Matthew 5:17-26
• Thursday – Matthew 5:27-48
• Friday – Matthew 6:1-4
• Saturday – Matthew 6:5-18
• Sunday – Psalms 46

MATTHEW

The Israelites have had an amazing roller coaster of a ride, and because of their failure to get on-board with God’s plan for them, have been subjected to the split of their kingdom, the invasion of foreign powers and the exile of many of their people. They have been invaded by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks and currently, they are under the thumb of the Roman Empire. The people are enthusiastically awaiting the arrival of a deliverer, like the big guns they read about in their scriptures. They are expecting a leader like Moses or Samson or David to rise up and rescue them. And they do get their deliverer in the form of God’s own son – Jesus, born of a teenager called Mary in a backwater town called Nazareth.

This account, being one of the four gospels (meaning “good news”), is traditionally attributed to Matthew, one of Jesus’ disciples. His choice as a disciple is unusual in that he was a tax collector. (They were locals who sided with, and worked for, the ruling Romans in collecting fees and taxes. They were despised by their own countrymen and were as about as popular as corrupt police because of the implication that they were unfairly over-charging, ripping off and profiteering from the misery of their own people).

Matthew (whose other name is Levi) had a specific reading audience in mind when he wrote his account. He wrote for Jews, specifically emphasising the theme that Jesus was their Messiah. As such, there is a lot of reference to the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies, and links between the great king David’s bloodline to Jesus.

It is a gospel rich in several of Jesus’ great teachings as well as many parables and miracles. Matthew presents us with an account of Jesus that is powerful and varied, reinforcing the idea that Jesus is God’s great king and the promised Messiah who came to save.

Week 67

Okay, a bit of a jump this month. We leave the tumultuous rule of the kings (we’ll come back to them soon enough) and fast forward to the time of Jesus, and the account of his life, teachings and miracles, attributed to Matthew. (Matthew’s gospel is rich in Jesus’ teaching, over which we do not want to rush. So for the first time, we are going to try something a little different. Rather than covering the whole book in a month, we are going to take it at a more leisurely pace – five weeks in fact – and even then, we are only going to cover the first third of the book. So each day, we’ll be looking at smaller units of individual teachings or miracles, rather than chapters. This will give us a chance to really immerse ourselves in Jesus’ words and actions.)

Matthew’s account begins with a genealogy (family tree) of Jesus. Don’t skip this. Family lineage was important to the Jews – more so for the Messiah. So we read of names of the greats from Israel’s history – Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon as well as some of the minor players – Ruth, Bathsheba and Rahab (the prostitute who hid the spies).

We begin with a pregnant teenage girl, Mary, who receives a message that she is to give birth to the Messiah of the nation. According to law, her betrothed Joseph, could have had her killed for her pregnancy, but he was a righteous and good man, and after an encounter in a dream, also came to learn of the child’s special role. It must have been tough for those young parents, struggling to come to terms with the special knowledge they had about their baby.

Despite what Christmas cards depict, the visit from a delegation of Magi (astrologers from the East) did not happen the night of the birth, but probably up to two years later. And it is likely that there were more than three. They paid homage to the new king, confirming what Joseph and Mary had already been told. Not everyone was happy though. Herod the Great was a puppet ruler appointed by the Romans and ruled from 37BC to AD4. He was, to put in bluntly, a paranoid and murderous psychopath in the same league as many of the dictators and war criminals we know of recent history. He executed anyone he considered a threat (including his wife, sons, in-laws and uncles). When Herod heard from the Magi of a “new king”, he dispatched soldiers to Bethlehem to execute all male babies under two years of age. Joseph had escaped with his family to Egypt, however, only returning years later when Herod the Great died.

We jump forward to Jesus’ adult life, where we meet John, a popular prophet (and bushman) with his own disciples, who taught that the promised Messiah (and kingdom of heaven) was just around the corner. John was popular with the people, but made enemies of the religious establishment because of his harsh criticisms of them (which would eventually lead in part to his execution later on). In a significant moment, John baptises Jesus as a sign of the start of his public ministry. At the start of his ministry, Jesus has time alone where he is tempted to stray from his mission to save mankind. But Jesus stands firm. He begins to preach the message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near”. There is a great deal of national excitement and religious fervour at the time, fuelled further by Jesus’ words and healing miracles. Like all rabbis, he gathers around him an executive team of disciples, men who would be his closest companions and students over the coming years.

Psalm 45 is a song of praise from the era of the kings, where the king is praised on his wedding day. It is kind of an anthem of public adoration of this important national figure.

• Monday – Matthew 1
• Tuesday – Matthew 2:1-12
• Wednesday – Matthew 2:13-23
• Thursday – Matthew 3
• Friday – Matthew 4:1-17
• Saturday – Matthew 4:18-25
• Sunday – Psalms 45

Week 66

The prophets we read about this week are some of the most powerful characters in Old Testament history. They are men who make a vocal and violent stand for God in this era of godlessness and idolatry.

Through the court official Obadiah, the prophet Elijah issues a challenge to King Ahab, who he accuses of having abandoned God’s ways and having lead the people in the worship of the god Baal. They have a very public showdown at Mount Carmel, which Elijah miraculously wins, despite being the underdog with the odds stacked against him. The people who have come to spectate turn against the prophets of Baal, realising that they have been mislead, and Elijah commands that the evil priests are all slaughtered.

The Queen (Jezebel) is enraged and sends a message to Elijah that he is a marked man. Elijah flees into the wilderness, where he encounters God, not in an earthquake or storm, but in a gentle whisper, a still small voice. Elijah finds a new disciple ‘Elisha’ who becomes his personal assistant.

Meanwhile, King Ahab is under attack from Syrian forces. But with the help and guidance of a prophet, God does not allow his people to fall, and Ahab defeats the opposing forces (who were drunk and cocky).

We also read of a nasty incident, indicative of the godlessness of the age. Jezebel and Ahab fraudulently acquire the neighbouring vineyard of a man called Naboth, by accusing him of blasphemy and treason. They have him stoned to death and take possession of his lands. But Elijah declares justice and judgement upon Ahab, and despite his regret, his days as king are now numbered.

Ahab is worried at the thought that his end is in sight. He is surrounded by prophets who only tell him good news of victory and success, encouraging him to head off into battle. The prophet Micaiah, however, speaks boldly and declares disaster upon Ahab. For this, he is thrown into prison.

Ahab is killed in battle at Ramoth Gilead by a stray arrow. He has a long slow death and a nasty end: his chariot is washed in the bath-water of prostitutes and dogs arrive to lick up his blood. As we close the book, however, there is a small light at the end of the tunnel – a good king. Jehoshaphat (king of Judah) was a godly man who sought to do God’s will. He rid the land of male temple prostitution and built fleets of trading vessels. The good light at the end of the tunnel is extinguished, however, as we read of Ahaziah, king of Israel. He led Israel astray, serving and worshipping Baal and provoking God to anger. It certainly is a troubled journey for God’;s people, who never seem to learn their lesson. To be continued…

Our Proverbs this week look at generosity and goodwill and the importance of not trusting in riches for meaning in life.

• Monday – 1 Kings 18
• Tuesday – 1 Kings 19
• Wednesday – 1 Kings 20
• Thursday – 1 Kings 21
• Friday – 1 Kings 22:1-28
• Saturday – 1 Kings 22:29-53
• Sunday – Proverbs 11:24-31