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nsween — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:40:45 +0000

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Reading Genesis Jan 8-15

nsween — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:05:20 +0000

Jan 8:  	Genesis 24-25
Jan 9:  	Genesis 26-27
Jan 10:  	Genesis 28-30
Jan 11:  	Genesis 31-32
Jan 12:  	Genesis 33-35
Jan 13:  	Genesis 36-38
Jan 14:  	Genesis 39-41
Jan 15:  	Genesis 42-43
===============

To read these scripture portions on-line, see:
http://www.biblereferenceguide.com/crossreferencebible/genesis.html

Genesis Bible Study Guide, with books, commentary, more:
http://www.biblereferenceguide.com/christ/comment/genesis.html

God bless our time and understanding as we read and act upon His word this week.

Is There Any Cure For Faithless Backsliders?

nsween — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:34:04 +0000

Oct 11 reading
Jeremiah 1-3

More on Jeremiah
Dictionary and Books

* Introduction to Jeremiah,
Wikipedia.org

PROMISE: “‘Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me,’ declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.”
(2:19)

The prophet Jeremiah prophesied to the southern kingdom, Judah, from 626-586 B.C. – the last 40 years of the country’s existence before Babylonia defeated and deported the survivors. When Jeremiah first realized that the Lord was calling him to prophesy, the Lord said He had known Jeremiah before he was even conceived. The Lord was still forming Jeremiah in his mother’s womb when He set him apart to be a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah was afraid the Lord would be disappointed in choosing one so young and without public speaking skills. But the Lord insisted. Jeremiah was to go to whoever the Lord sent him, and to say whatever the Lord commanded him. The Lord would interpret messages from visions He would show Jeremiah. In this way, Jeremiah was appointed power to bind and loose things he would not have access to under normal circumstances. Jeremiah was warned that the message recipients would fight against him, but the Lord would rescue him, being with him. The Lord was ready to judge his people because of their wickedness of forsaking Him to follow man-made gods.

Israel (Judah) started out as a bride of the Lord, but eventually lost interest and wandered off. The Lord had done what He promised, giving Israel water in the deserts and choice, fertile land as an inheritance. But when Israel broke the covenant agreement and defiled the land, even the priests didn’t sense the Lord’s displeasure and growing distance from His chosen people. So the Lord brought his case against Judah – they had forsaken the Lord Almighty and chosen idols as substitute gods. They didn’t want to serve the Lord. But when in trouble, they come back to ask the Lord to save them. Apparently their foreign idol gods are just for good times, for daily life, for pursuing love, for avoiding morals and justice.

“We’re innocent!” Judah says. “We haven’t sinned!”

And yet, Judah continued to change their ways, their lifestyles, their habits – away from the Lord’s laws and conditions. They want to make alliances with other countries, not with the Lord Almighty.

Judah wanted a divorce from the Lord and freedom to pursue other love interests, but she also wanted help from Him if trouble came. Judah says she doesn’t want the Lord to be mad at her, but she keeps on doing things that anger Him. When Israel, the northern country, did this same thing to the Lord, He thought she would eventually return to Him. Not only didn’t Israel return, but Judah saw Israel escape from the Lord’s demands, and thought that kind of freedom looked good.

Eventually, Judah will please the Lord and return to Him. How?

First, some will return and experience His merciful nature.
Then they will acknowledge their guilt.
The Lord will choose them,
bring them to Zion,
give them shepherds to lead them.

The ark of the covenant will be forgotten and never remade. Jerusalem will be the Throne of the Lord, and all nations will honor the Name of the Lord there. Judah and Israel will join together, no longer stubborn with evil hearts.

But for now, Judah has perverted the Way and forgotten the Lord their God, who had thought they would call him Father and always follow Him and His way. Faithless people can be cured of backsliding by returning to the Lord and confessing their repentance, as in Jeremiah 3:22b-25.

October 10 reading

nsween — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:35:52 +0000

Jesus Died and Rose Again, by D Sween

October 10 reading Luke 23-24	Luke Commentary Dictionary, Study, plus Booksto buy	* The Science of the Crucifixion, Shrier * Medical Aspects of Crucifixion, Terasaka
FACT: “For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (23:31) PRAYER: “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” (23:34)
Jesus was then taken to Pilate. Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. He was then sent to Herod. The chief priests and teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. Herod then sent him back to Pilate. With loud shouts the Jews insistently demanded that he be crucified and their shouts prevailed. Jesus was led out to the place called the Skull, where they crucified him, along with the criminals — one on his right, the other on his left. As Jesus died he said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” He was then quickly buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, before Preparation Day was over and the Sabbath began. On the first day of the week Jesus rose from the dead. He appeared to two disciples walking from Jerusalem toward Emmaus. Not recognizing him, they told him about Jesus and how hopeful they had been that Jesus was the one to redeem Israel. They didn’t recognize him even while he explained the scriptures in the Old Testament – from Moses through the Prophets – with the requirements that the Messiah would have to suffer a specific kind of death plus resurrection before other things could happen. It wasn’t until He ate with them in Emmaus that they saw their guest was Jesus. When he disappeared from their sight, they hurried back to Jerusalem to report to the eleven apostles that they had just seen Jesus. For several weeks, Jesus would appear occasionally to various disciples. Some times he would eat with them. During this time, he insisted that “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” (24:44b) Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. The Messiah would suffer. The Messiah would rise from the dead on the third day. Repentance and forgiveness of sins would be preached in Jesus’ name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. They focused on these scriptures with instructions to stay put until Jesus would send the Father’s promise of power to them. When Jesus had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.
Tomorrow’s reading (October 11) Jeremiah 1-3 Is there any cure for faithless backsliders?

Today’s Bible 1 year reading plan: October

nsween — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:56:35 +0000

October

1 Luke 4-6:18

2 Luke 6:19-7:50

3 Luke 8-9:27

4 Luke 9:28-11:13

5 Luke 11:14-12:59

6 Luke 13-15

7 Luke 16-18

8 Luke 19-20

9 Luke 21-22

10 Luke 23-24

11 Jeremiah 1-3

12 Jeremiah 4-6

13 Jeremiah 7-9

14 Jeremiah 10-13

15 Jeremiah 14-17

16 Jeremiah 18-21

17 Jeremiah 22-24

18 Jeremiah 25-27

19 Jeremiah 28-30

20 Jeremiah 31-32

21 Jeremiah 33-35

22 Jeremiah 36-38

23 Jeremiah 39-42

24 Jeremiah 43-46

25 Jeremiah 47-49

26 Jeremiah 50-51:26

27 Jeremiah 51:27-52:34

28 John 1-3

29 John 4-5

30 John 6-7:32

31 John 7:33-9:41

And/or see Dr. Frank DeRemer’s on-line 1 year Chronological Bible reading plan.

Discussing sin and death

nsween — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:31:52 +0000

MavsBoy and nsween at Twitter have been discussing the concept of Original Sin.

MavsBoy believes, quoting Ezekiel 18:20, that sin and responsibility for sin are the individual’s. He thinks Romans 5:12 (all life dying because of someone else’s sin) contradicts Ezekiel.

N Sween thinks the Romans portion talks of physical death, while Ezekiel 18:20-21 talks of soul death. If someone wicked can change his/her lifestyle and start obeying God, per Ezekiel 18:21, such repentance can bring a soul – but not a physical person – back to life. Did this kind of repentance bring back life to the souls of Adam and Eve before they physically died, years later?

Romans 5:12 explains that by 1 man (Adam) sin entered the world (mankind). Following the first sin (Adam knowingly broke God’s rule to him; his wife was deceived), death entered the world and has been passed on by males to all physical beings. Everyone sins; everyone dies.

Romans 5:13-14 goes on to explain that sin isn’t imputed where there is no law, and that even people who didn’t sin the way Adam did will die. (Adam’s sin was open disobedience to the rule God had given him, not to eat the fruit of one particular tree in the Garden where he lived. Genesis 3:13) Reading through Romans 5:21, scripture emphasizes that death would reign over all future human beings.

So does everyone die because of original sin or because of their own sin?

The Bible on Selling and Trading

nsween — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:30:19 +0000

SELL in scriptures [BibleGateway Search]

select Cross Reference Bible links

* Genesis 23 – A Hittite sells a field with a cave to Abraham, who insisted upon paying full price so he can bury Sarah, his wife.
* Genesis 25:29-34 – Esau sells his birthright to his twin brother Jacob.
* Genesis 35:26-28 – Joseph’s brothers sell him to Midianite traders for 20 shekels of silver. (Also Gen 45:5)
* Genesis 47:13-26 – During the Egyptian-Canaan famine, when money was gone, Egyptians sold their livestock for food, then sold their bodies and their land for food.
* Exodus 21:16 – one who kidnapped someone with the intention of getting a ransom sale price was put to death when caught.
* 2 Kings 4:1-7 – Elisha saved a prophet’s widow and her two sons, miraculously providing oil for her to sell to pay off her debt.
* Nehemiah 13:15-22 – Nehemiah was outraged when the gates of Jerusalem were open on the Sabbath to merchants coming in to sell to Jews returned from exile.
(Also see
Matt 21:12, Mark 11:15, Luke 19:45, John 2:14)

* Proverbs 11:26 – “People curse someone who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.”

* Proverbs 23:23 – “Buy the truth, and don’t sell it.
Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.”

* Proverbs 31:24 – A worthy woman makes garments and sells them

* Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:32-34, Luke 18:22,
Acts 2:45 – Selling your possessions, giving to the poor

* Matthew 25:9-10 – finding those who sell oil while waiting on the bridegroom (with Luke 12:35-40 illusion)

* Luke 17:26-30 – buying and selling as evidence of normal life, with almost no warning of important change coming

* Revelation 13:17 – no one will be able to buy or sell without the mark…

TRADE, TRADERS in scriptures [BibleGateway Search]

select Cross Reference Bible links

* Genesis 42:34 – trade sometimes was interpreted “move about freely”, per BibleGateway.com

* Job 41:6 – will traders barter for leviathan?

* Zephaniah 1:11 – silver traders (hoarders?) will be cut off one day
* 1 Kings 10:14-15, 2 Chronicles 9:14 – merchants, traders, all the Arabian kings (or mixed people), and the governors of the land paid revenues, taxes, to King Solomon.
* Ezekiel 27:12-36 – The many merchants and trafficers with Tyre are amazed when that great city with its mighty navy is shaken and collapses.

TRADE [International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]

trad:

I. GENERAL

1. Terms

2. Position of Palestine

3. Trade Products of Palestine

4. Palestinian Traders

II. HISTORY

1. To David

2. Solomon

3. Maritime Trade

4. To the Exile

5. The Exile and After

LITERATURE

If it weren’t true, Jesus said so

nsween — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:29:53 +0000

One of the sayings of Jesus that caught my attention is his statement about the many mansions in his Father’s house.

“If it were not so, I would have told you.” (John 14:2)

It made me wonder what else Jesus told us that was a correction of something we’ve heard but that isn’t so.

Jesus said things like

“You have heard it said …, but I tell you …”

Do some say that Jesus came to abolish the Law of Moses? Not so, he said. “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Jesus came to accomplish – not to abolish – the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17-20) And since the disappearance of heaven and earth is part of things yet to be accomplished, the Law remains to this day.

The Law forbids murder, for instance. Jesus tells us also that anger without cause toward a brother is to be resolved, and to reconcile with a brother upset with you. Be careful what you call him. (Matthew 5:21-22)

Or adultery. How do you define the word “commit“? Jesus said yes, the physical act of adultery is forbidden, but tells us the mental or spiritual act of committing it is also forbidden. (Matthew 5:27-28)

It has been said that to divorce a wife requires a certificate of divorce. But Jesus said divorce for any reason other than marital unfaithfulness causes future adultery.

Similarly, there is more to not breaking an oath. Don’t swear at all.

There is more to “an eye for an eye”. Don’t resist evil happening to you.

It’s been said “love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” Instead, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Get in line with the Father’s way. (Matthew 5:33-48)

More things that Jesus emphasized “I tell you…”:

Matthew 6:25 – don’t worry about your life
Matthew 8:10 – what faith!
Matthew 10:23-42 – prepare for His return
Matthew 11:11 – of John the Baptist
Matthew 12:5-6 – truth of One
Matthew 17:12 – of Elijah
Matthew 17:20 – of faith
Matthew 18:13 – of shepherd’s happiness
Matthew 19:23-24 – of rich men
Matthew 19:28 – rewards at time of renewal
Matthew 21:21 – work possible with doubtless faith
Matthew 21:42 – explaining Psalm 118:22-23
Matthew 23:39 – when will Jerusalem see Messiah again?
More on I tell and tell truth searches

Jesus told us the way of perfection, as the Father in heaven is perfect. People who heard his “sermon on the mount” were amazed at Jesus’ authority (Matthew 7:28-29). Following the sermon by healing various people was amazing as well. There was something different about hearing Jesus extending the reach of the Law. If he hadn’t been living up to this kind of Law living, surely the people would have noticed hypocrisy. Oral tradition had made some changes in the Law, and that is where Pharisees found objection with Jesus’ actions, such as healing on the Sabbath.

October
1	Luke 4-6:18
2	Luke 6:19-7:50
3	Luke 8-9:27
4	Luke 9:28-11:13
5	Luke 11:14-12:59
6	Luke 13-15
7	Luke 16-18
8	Luke 19-20
9	Luke 21-22
10	Luke 23-24
11	Jeremiah 1-3
12	Jeremiah 4-6
13	Jeremiah 7-9
14	Jeremiah 10-13
15	Jeremiah 14-17
16	Jeremiah 18-21
17	Jeremiah 22-24
18	Jeremiah 25-27
19	Jeremiah 28-30
20	Jeremiah 31-32
21	Jeremiah 33-35
22	Jeremiah 36-38
23	Jeremiah 39-42
24	Jeremiah 43-46
25	Jeremiah 47-49
26	Jeremiah 50-51:26
27	Jeremiah 51:27-52:34
28	John 1-3
29	John 4-5
30	John 6-7:32
31	John 7:33-9:41