May 14, 2022
JUDGES 20-21:
In
yesterday's reading, the people of Dan took all the items in
Micah's household shrine and Micah's Levite priest. The priest’s
name was given at the end of the chapter. He was the grandson of
Moses! And then the Danites slaughtered the unsuspecting residents
of Laish, forgetting about the law about giving terms of surrender
before attacking. Then we heard of the unnamed Levite and his
concubine (meaning, additional inferior-status wife). Nothing
happened according to God's will in this story. While the author
says nothing negative about any of the characters, all had their
faults. However, the Levite stands out as a terrible husband. And
what happened at Gibeah— as we will see today— became the basis for
Israel's first civil war.
PSALM 88:
This
poem is perhaps the most-dark of all the despairing psalms. One
encouragement to us is that God has now revealed things about our
hope of heaven which were unknown to the writer. This psalm offers
no hope or encouragement. But the presence of Psalm 88 in Scripture
gives us permission when in our darkest depression to come to God
in prayer speaking words like found here.
1TIMOTHY 4:
Yesterday in the 3rd chapter of First Timothy
we heard one of the key passages in God's Word on the
qualifications of church leaders. The chapter ended with a fragment
of an early worship song.
GNT Translation
notes:
1Tim.
4:1 The Spirit says clearly that [in later times//0] some people
will abandon [their belief in true teachings//the faith] [0//in
later times]; they will obey lying spirits and follow the teachings
of demons.
6 If
you give these instructions to the believers, you will be a good
servant of Christ Jesus[. As the Lord’s servant, you must become
increasingly mature in all the teachings that help us to believe
more fully— like the good teachings that you already follow.//, as
you feed yourself spiritually on the words of faith and of the true
teaching which you have followed. ]
11
Give [the believers//them] these instructions and [0//these]
teachings.
12
Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an
example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love,
[in fully believing true teachings//faith], and
purity.
16
Watch yourself and watch your teaching. Keep on doing these things,
because if you do, you will save both yourself and those who hear
you.
Verses with
‘conscience’:
1:5 The purpose of this order is to arouse the
love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and
[(sincerely) believing in true teaching (without
pretending/hypocrisy)//a genuine faith].
3:9
[PET they must believe fully in the true teachings which God has
revealed to us, and must live with a clear
conscience.
1:19
and [to keep on believing in true teaching//keep your faith] and
[to live with] a clear conscience. Some people have not listened to
their conscience and [have wrecked their minds so that they are no
longer able to believe in true teaching//have made a ruin of their
faith].
4:2
Such teachings are spread by deceitful liars, whose consciences are
dead, as if burnt with a hot iron.