Ruth 3 - A Strange Proposal

Naomi now takes the initiative in finding a husband for Ruth. Now this goes right against our culture, but it was normal in those days, and given the state of relationships in Western society we should be a little wary of claiming that our way is better (I hasten to add that I neither am I promoting arranged marriages! Just saying we have limited grounds for feeling superior!). 

Naomi tells Ruth to prepare herself and go and sleep at the feet of Boaz. She was in effect saying that she wanted to marry Boaz. Again we find these actions strange, and possible strange that such things could happen without any sexual activity occurring. This again is a comment on the state of our society.

Boaz, as always, acts honourably. He is touched by Ruth's actions, but knows that there is another family member who has prior claim. So he will consult with this other relative before taking further action.

So we see patience being  put into action as well. Even if we are convinced that something is God's plan, we should still follow proper procedures and not cut corners. If it is indeed God's will, then things will work out.

Ruth 2 - Meeting Boaz

Under the Law people were allowed to pick up the gleanings from crops (Leviticus 23:22). We also read of Jesus' disciples doing this (Matthew 12:2), though that caused problems because it was on the Sabbath. As an aside, this is a warning against trying to be super-efficient. We should certainly seek to do things well, but it is a mistake to try and squeeze out every last ounce of efficiency.

The field belonged to Boaz, a relative of Naomi. He was an honourable man. He noticed Ruth and made arrangements so that she was properly cared for and protected. Family relationships are vital to the strength of a society and enable people to overcome all sorts of difficulties.

Ruth was surprised at Boaz's kindness. It should always be the case that when people come into the kingdom they are surprised by the kindness that they receive from people, for many people who come in will have been deeply wounded.

Boaz had also heard about what Ruth had done for her mother-in-law, Naomi. So there is a two-way process here. The outcome of this tale depended upon both Boaz and Ruth displaying the fruit of the Spirit.

Ruth 1 - Exile

This was the time of the judges, meaning it was a time when the nation had no sense of direction and was neglecting God's ways. There was a famine in the land, so a man and his wife, Naomi, left Bethlehem to go to Moab, along with their two sons. While in Moab the two sons married Moabite women. The Moabites were descendants of Lot (Genesis 19:36-38). Now notice that Israelites were not meant to marry Moabite women, but no criticism is voiced here. Sometimes things happen in life that really should not happen, but not everything spells disaster, and God works through all sorts of situations.

Orpah and Ruth were the two women. In time Naomi's husband and her two sons died.

The time of famine came to an end, and Naomi decided to head back home. Naomi cared for her daughters-in-law, and released them to return to their home and fine new husbands there. Initially both refused to leave, but eventually Orpah did leave. Ruth, however, insisted on staying with Naomi, making the declaration that "your people will be my people, and your God my God". This is a model for Gentiles coming into the kingdom.

So Naomi and Ruth returned home. Not surprisingly Naomi was deeply affected by all that had happened to her, all her losses. So she said call me Mara (meaning bitter), not Naomi (pleasant). This did not mean that God could not work through her. We are affected by the events of life, and we don't always get "healed" immediately. Sometimes we remain wounded for a considerable time, but this does not mean that the Lord cannot work in our lives.

Ruth - Introduction

The events outlined in this little book took place in the time of the Judges, a time when Israel had no real direction and was not following God. While it is a short book, dealing with superficially inconsequential people (there are no kings, prophets or warriors), it reveals many vital lessons, and is theologically rich.
First it shows that despite the moral degeneracy of the nation as a whole God was still at work. Whatever the circumstances it is always worth us following God's ways. Naomi, Ruth and Boaz are people who act righteously, despite the spirit of the age.
Secondly it introduces the concept of the "kinsman-redeemer". Boaz redeems Ruth, rescuing her from widowhood. In the same way Christ rescues us.
Thirdly Ruth is a Moabite, so it gives us a picture of God's salvation going out to the Gentiles. Moreover, Ruth is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1:5), a remarkable thing if you think about it.
Fourthly, it shows how Gentiles are saved. Ruth committed herself whole heartedly to the God of Israel. When we get saved we commit ourselves to the God of Israel.

Psalm 119:161-176 - Love is Word

Even authorities persecuted the psalmist without cause, yet his heart trembled at God's word. We live in a time when our society is increasingly anti-Christian, but we need to ensure that it is God's word that we fear. As Jesus said, we should fear Him who can destroy the soul, not those who can only destroy the body.

We need to rejoice all the more in God's word, for that is where true riches are found. 

We need to shun and detest all falsehood, but find great delight in God's word. His word will give us peace and joy, and bring strength to us. Following God's precepts is to be our way.

This majestic psalm closes with David calling for God to give him understanding. The whole Psalm gives a picture of us seeking, longing for, and delighting in God's word, and God, in turn, proving that all His words and promises are true.

Psalm 119:153-160 - In the midst of trials

"Look on my suffering ...". When God met Moses in the burning bush He said that He had heard the cry of His people. David here calls on God to defend and redeem him. He calls on God to save him because he has not forgotten God's law, and according to God's promise.

Has God forgotten His promises? Of course not, yet we all go through times when it seems as though He has. So why does God put us through these times? Well I don't have any any all-encompassing answer, but one of the purposes is to deepen our faith. See here that the effect on David is to make him cling all the more tightly to God's word and promises. It is the word of God that brings life. Yet having rebelled against God we held on to all sorts of other things, trusting in various things. We need to be weaned off these things, and difficult times are one of the ways that God does this in our lives. So if we are going through a trial at the moment we need to cling all the more to God's word, to depend even more on Him.

As we sense that our soul is turning more and more to God then we should rejoice. For God's word is eternal, outlasting everything.

Psalm 119:145-152 - Seeking the Lord

David again is in trouble. So he calls upon the Lord to answer him, and he calls with all his heart. If the Lord answers him he will obey the Lord. This is not a form of blackmail, but a simple statement of fact. We cannot serve the Lord purely in our own strength. We need His salvation in order to enable us to serve Him properly.

What David does do is seek the Lord with all his heart and all his strength. Sometimes God lets things happen in our life so that we will turn to Him with increasing fervour. David puts his hope in God's word and meditates on His promises. There is a lot of talk about God's promises in this Psalm. We need to spend more time meditating on God' promises, for these are things that are bound to happen.

David calls on God to treat him according to His love and His Laws.

As in most of the stanzas there is mention of the wicked who devise plans against him. David responds by continuing to trust in God's word.

Psalm 119:137-144 - Pressing on

Another stanza where David is sticking to God's word in the midst of opposition.

The starting point is that God's word, His Laws, are right. They are fully trustworthy. If only the world followed them fully there would be far fewer problems in the world, even no problems. Someone always objects "what about all the punishments?". Well if the world positively followed God's word the punishments would be irrelevant!

However, we most definitely live in a world that does not follow God's ways, and is often actively opposed to them. This can wear us out, for we can be constantly swimming against the tide. 

God's promises have been thoroughly tested. We can rely fully on God's word.

The world may not think much of us, but even so we do not forget God's word. For His righteousness lasts forever. The world's fashions change from one age to the next, but God's ways are constant. 

Even in the midst of trials, God's commands and His word can bring delight to our souls. They give us the understanding that we need in order to live.

Psalm 119:129-136 - Your Word is Wonderful

David continues in the same vein as the previous stanza, eulogising the word of God, His statutes. He obeys them because they are wonderful. Now there are times when we should obey God just because it is the right things to do even if we don't understand, but this is a temporary state of affairs. The goal is that we have the mind of God and both know and understand His ways.

When God's word becomes clear it gives light, making situations clear. It gives true wisdom to us, wisdom that is totally independent of someone's academic ability.

There should be a longing within us for the word of God, for His commands. 

Then David appeals to God to have mercy on him, and to direct His steps. The most merciful thing that the Lord can do for us is to direct our steps in His ways. Then sin will not rule over us. This, of course, is what has been achieved on the cross and through the Holy Spirit. Our sins are forgiven, we are set free from sin, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us.

We also need to be redeemed from human oppression. Sometimes it is hard to obey God's word not just because of our own nature, but because of the society and environment in which we live. But even in these situations the Lord can give us freedom and authority.

A sign that God's face is shining upon us is that we know and obey His commands. 
Love for God's word can also cause grieving in our heart as well, for we will see a world that is ignoring God's word, and suffering because of this.

Psalm 119:121-128 - When help seems far off

David had done what was right, yet he still could not see how things were going to work out. He could not see the Lord's salvation. It seemed as though there was still the danger that his oppressors would get the better of him.

So the sense that despite having done what is right it is seeming to have no effect, God is not intervening or helping matters is normal. David calls on the Lord to help him and not let his enemies get the better of him.

He looks for God's salvation, but can see nothing. Sometimes we try and work out how God is going to do things, but nothing seems to work. Every avenue seems to be blocked off. 

Now look at David's response to this situation. It is not to give up. Instead he calls on God to deal with him according to His love and to teach David his decrees. So he still has faith in God's love, and still believes that the most important thing for him is to do things God's way. Moreover, he wants to have understanding of God's ways, to know them better. 

There are many times when we cannot see how or why things are happening. In such times it is not God who is wrong, but our understanding that is lacking.

Finally he calls on God to act, because he, David, loves God's commands. The fact that we love God and His ways makes a difference.

Psalm 119:113-120 - Banish all evil thoughts

"I hate double-minded people". This stanza contains David's and, up to a point, God's attitude to evil people. Some people who hate God are double minded, saying one thing and doing another. In contrast, David loves God's law. Dedication to God's word produces a clarity and consistency of thought.

We make God our refuge, the one whom we run to and seek help from in times of trouble. We put our hope in His word, for His word is full of promises of deliverance.

David tells the evildoers to go away, he wants nothing to do with them. In times of trouble we can be tempted to do wrong things, to make wrong decisions. We need to banish all such thoughts, then we can keep the commands of God. 

We need to be sustained by the promises of God, we need to feed off them. Then we will live and not be defeated. His word will uphold and strengthen us.

Those who reject God's ways are deluded. They have grand ideas and philosophies, but they all come to nothing. They will be discarded as dross unless they repent.

They act proudly, disdainfully rejecting God's word. In contrast we tremble before the Lord and stand in awe at His word.

Psalm 119:105-112 - God's word

People are often doing all they can to avoid following God's ways, to argue against His word. But for the one who trusts God the Word is a lamp to our feet. It guides our way, and points out the obstacles along the way. 

We need to be committed to God's ways. David says he has taken an oath. Many today would consider this to be too formal, but lack of commitment is one of the big problems in society today. We need to make a firm commitment to follow God's ways.

Following God does not mean an end to suffering, quite the opposite in fact. But in the midst of difficulties and sufferings we can learn to rely more and more on God and His word. This involved risk for David, but he continued to remember God's ways.

Yet again we get the actions of the wicked, seeking to entrap David, but he remains wedded to God's ways. 

The word of God brings joy to our heart, and our heart needs to be utterly dedicated to God.

Psalm 119:97-104 - How to be wise

Having turned his focus on the Lord in the last section, he now realises his true strength. It is only when we turn to the Lord that we find salvation and find who we truly are. Our identity is found only in Christ.

David loves the Law (the word of God) and meditates on it all the time. This does not mean he does nothing else, or has become a monk! Rather it means it is uppermost in our minds at all times. 

This makes us wiser than our enemies. The word of God gives true wisdom.

It makes us wiser not just than our enemies, but also our teachers. Now this is not a ground for being arrogant, but it is the word of God that makes us truly wise. We can listen to the best sermons, read the greatest books, but it is when we understand the word ourselves that we become truly wise. Books and sermons and teachings will help us in this, but it is our personal understanding that is key.

See that obedience of God's precepts is the sign of true understanding, it is also the key to even more understanding. As we do the word, we will understand it better.

As well as positively doing God's word, we need to shun evil in all its forms.

God's word is sweet to taste and brings delight to the soul.

Psalm 119:89-96 - Focus on the Lord

David has just described the struggles he is going through, or rather the effect they were having on him, and he was feeling his strength drain away. Now he turns his focus back on to God. We will all go through times when we feel overwhelmed by events and circumstances. It is normal to go through these times. We need to hold on, and turn our attention back to God.
For the word of the Lord is eternal, the circumstances are temporary. The circumstances will pass away, the word of the Lord will stand forever.
The Lord's faithfulness and His laws stand forever. We need to have an eternal perspective, knowing what is truly important.
It is holding on to God's word that enables us to get through times of affliction.
Yet again there is mention of the wicked, but the word of the Lord is more powerful and is without limit.

Psalm 119:81-88 - Holding on

Longing for God's salvation and things seeming not to go right is a normal part of the Christian life. Time after time David encounters things that cause anguish to his soul. From the New Testament it is clear that Paul went through similar episodes, the two Corinthian letters especially reveal the inner thoughts of Paul.

It look as though God's promises will never be fulfilled. David had put his hope in God's word, but nothing seemed to be happening. This is normal!

He felt the pressure, felt himself weakening. Yet he did not forget God's decrees.

Again we have the people who actively opposed David. David was waiting for God to take action. In Romans Paul tells us that vengeance belongs to the Lord, and 1 Peter tells us to follow Jesus' example in entrusting ourselves to God when faced with evil men. 

David still trusted in God's commands, but called on God to help him. He continued to hold on, even though he felt he was failing.

Psalm 119:73-80 - Look to your Maker

We were created by God, made and formed by Him. It is amazing how many people are so desperate to try and prove otherwise. Many who are evolutionists follow this not because of scientific endeavour, but out of a desire to prove there is no need for a God. They would rather we were just the product of random chance, a meaningless blip in the fabric of the universe. Others postulate multiverses, though they cannot detect them, in order to "prove" that God did not create the universe. All their attempts are ultimately futile.

Why do they do this? It is because if we are created beings then we have an obligation and a dependency upon the creator. Far better to follow the way of the psalmist and ask the creator to give us understanding of His ways.

We should seek to be an encouragement to those who fear God. To be people that when others see us they see someone in whom the word of God lives, in whom faith is alive.

This is not an easy path. The psalmist endured discipline at the hand of God, but he knew it was for his own good. Instead of seeking to be spared discipline he asked for the Lord's comfort. He delighted in the law of the Lord.

Those who mock the righteous will be put to shame.

Psalm 119:65-72 - Be good to me

"Do good to your servant according to your word". The word of God is actually good news for us. It tells us of God's blessings. This applies right from Genesis 1 where we are told to go forth and multiply and to have dominion over the earth. Throughout the Bible there are promises of blessings, the problem is that we repeatedly turn away from God and ignore His commands.

We need God to teach us knowledge and sound judgement. Note the personal relationship again, God teaching us, and the need for us to have judgement. The word is not just a set of rules, but of principles also. 

Sometimes we need discipline in order to learn what is right, that is why the psalmist says "before I was afflicted". 

Then again there is the attack, this time referring to the arrogant slandering us with lies, and their hearts being callous and unfeeling. David's response is to keep God's precepts. This is not a mere adherence to them, but keeping them in his heart and delighting in them. 

The word of God is more precious than silver or gold. The word brings life.

Psalm 119:57-64 - My portion

"You are my portion". Different people make different things the goal of their life. we are to make the Lord the goal of our life, He is our inheritance and our reward. He is what makes life worth living.

This involves obedience and seeking the Lord with all our heart. Remember that Jesus said if you love me you will obey me, and that the greatest command is to love the Lord with all our heart. In turn the Lord is gracious to us. This does not just mean forgiveness, but an empowering of our lives, an opening of doors.

We consider the way that we live and make adjustments so that we are forever more in line with God's ways. And we are quick to obey.

As in many of the stanzas there is then mention of opposition. This time to physically restraint David. In the face of opposition we remember the ways of the Lord. Our first reaction is to do things God's way.

We also offer support to all who also seek the Lord.

Psalm 119:49-56 - Dealing with difficulties

The word of God is not abstract, but is a personal communication from God to His people. And He gives words to us individually as well. His word gives us hope. 

When things are difficult the promises of God bring us comfort, and His word preserves our life. The word brings understanding, and it strengthens our souls. It tells us what the final outcome will be. So we have strength to endure all circumstances. And it guides us in how to react and respond in situations.

We will still be attacked, will still be mocked, even unmercifully. There will be times when the world in general, and individuals in particular, mock us unmercifully. In such times we need to keep hold of the word of God, both as a source of comfort and as a guide for our lives.

We delight and meditate upon the word of the Lord. These are to be the theme of the song of our soul.

Psalm 119:41-48 - Love the Word

The solution to our problems is God's unfailing love and His salvation. We need to know the love of the Lord and we need to experience His salvation.

Our experience of life and our experience of God help us to understand the Word of God. And the Word of God helps us to make sense of life and to know how to live in various situations.

The word of God needs to be in our mouth. We need to speak the word.

A person who knows God is a person who obeys the word of God. When we do this we live in true freedom. We can even speak the truth to rulers. We live in an age when society is increasingly anti-Christian. We need a confidence and a boldness, together with love and wisdom, to speak the truth to the world.

Notice the love for the word of God and His commands that permeates through all of this  psalm. This is no dry adherence to a code or to a theology, but a deep love for the Lord and for His word, and from a man who received the love of God and longed for more of that love.

Psalm 119:33-40 - Longing

We need to be taught by the Lord. There are many implications to this. The first is that we come to the word of God looking for Him to teach us, we do not go to the word looking to tell God what He should think! (Which is what some people seem to do!). 

Secondly, it is about a relationship. We are not just coming to a text book, but to the living God, and through the Holy Spirit He instructs us.

The Bible is God's word and we should accept it. However, God wants us to have understanding as well. There will be times when we just obey God because He has said we should do something, even though we cannot see why it is the right thing to do. But this is not a permanent state of affairs, and is not the goal. God's goal is that we have understanding of His ways, then we can follow with all of our heart.

Obeying God's commands is not onerous, but is a delight and a joy. God's commands actually are the best thing for us. We need God to turn our hearts towards His ways, and away from selfish gain. Self-centeredness is the fruit of rebellion.

When we turn from God we turn towards worthless things. It is God who gives our lives meaning and value.

We live in a world that has rebelled against God, and indeed we at one time were part of that rebellion. That means that we live in hostile territory and the world would love to put us to shame. But we can call upon the Lord to defend us.

There is a longing within our souls for the ways of the Lord.

Psalm 119:25-32 - Freedom in the Word

"I am laid low in the dust, preserve my life according to our word". This is very significant. The word of God is the word of life. The word of God is more enduring than anything else, and His word speaks life to us, not death.

We come to God in honesty, admitting who and what we are, and we come looking for instruction, looking for change.

"Cause me to understand". We need God's help, the help of the Holy Spirit, in order to understand. 

Sorrow and trouble wearies our soul. It exerts a cost on our soul and there is only so much that we can take. So where does our strength come from? It comes from the word. The word of God keeps us from deceitful ways. It is so common for humans to use deceit as a weapon, as a means of coping.

Instead we should chose the way of faithfulness and set our hearts on the word of God. 

If we make the word of the Lord our pathway then our hearts will be free. It will bring true freedom into our lives.

Psalm 119:1-24 - Word

Well, here is the biggy, the longest Psalm in the Bible. It has 176 verses, with 22 stanzas, each one named after one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is a Psalm dedicated to the Word of God and living a life worthy of our calling.

The purpose of the Word is that we keep the word. As James says, we are to be doers of the word, not hearers only. Our hearts are to be completely devoted to God. This creates a conflict within us, for we no how frail we are and cannot, in our own strength, live up to God's standards.

Keeping the word applies to all, including the young. Society tells us that it is normal for the young to go off the rails, to indulge in reckless behaviour. Well it may be normal, but it is not right, and it is not good. The goal of a young person should be to keep their way pure, just as it should for a middle-aged person or an old person. We achieve this by living according to the word of God. 

We are to delight in His word, but we also need His help, we cannot keep the Law ourselves without His help.

We need God to open our eyes, and to enable us to see the wonder and the riches in His word.

Colossians 4:7-18 - Final Greetings

Tychichus was a "dear brother, faithful minister and fellow servant". So he is characterised by relationship with Paul, what he does, and who he is. He was sent by Paul to inform the Colossians of Paul's circumstances and to encourage them. Onesimus (see letter to Philemon) would also come along with Tychicus.

Paul was not alone in prison, but Aristarchus was also there with hi, as was Mark. Both Jews and Gentiles worked alongside Paul.

Epaphras wrestled in prayer for the Colossians, in order that they may stand firm and mature.

Luke is the one who wrote the third gospel and the book of Acts, and this shows how he had such a good knowledge of events in order to write Acts.

The letter was to be sent to other churches in the area.

The letter itself was probably written by a scribe, but Paul signed the end himself to authenticate it.

Colossians 4:2-6 - Prayer

We are to devote ourselves to prayer. We need to make a conscious decision and effort to pray, otherwise we let things slip. There is a balance to sought here. Sometimes people speak detrimentally of prayer lists, or following some system of formal prayers, and there is a danger that things can just become a meaningless ritual. However, there is value in adopting good habits as well. We all need some discipline. At the same time there is also a place for "casual" or "informal"prayer too. 

We are to be watchful, on our guard and full of thanks. We need to watch what is happening to ourselves, to our family and friend, to our country and world, and to pray about these things. There are things that God will not do unless we pray. Prayer is one of the ways in which God fulfills His plans through us.

Paul specifically asks for prayer that his own mission might be successful, that God would open doors for the gospel. He also asks that God will enable him to proclaim the message faithfully. This is Paul the great evangelist and apostle. All of us are dependent upon God to fulfill our mission properly.

All of us are to be wise in how we interact with the world, making the most of all opportunities and using wisdom. We respond with grace and salt. The world, even Richard Dawkins, are not the enemy. Jesus died for everyone.

Colossians 3:18-4:1 - Driving the point home

Most of our lives are spent with our families and at work, so if Christianity is to mean anything it will have a profound effect in these areas of our life. So Paul now gives instructions on family and work. These are in a way a cut-down version of what he says in Ephesians 5:22-6:9.

Wives are to submit to their husbands, and husbands are to love their wives. Now we have an enormous problem with submission, in fact it is something we tend to recoil from. This is partly because we have a wrong view of authority, and all have experience of wrongly exercised authority. In Ephesians Paul says two key things in relation to this. First we are to submit to one another, and secondly husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Biblical authority shows itself in serving others.

The instructions here to both men and women go against some common attitudes in society. Some feminists almost engender a hatred of men. There is not meant to be a "battle of the sexes", we were made to work together in harmony. We are not meant to treat women as sex objects. Instead we should treat them as precious daughters of God. 

Children are to obey their parents and parents are not to embitter their children. Discipline does not mean finding every fault we can, it does not mean correcting every little thing. Such an approach leads nowhere.

We are to do our work as if working for the Lord. We are not to work hard just when it will be noticed, but as an attitude of life. Our human bosses may or may not treat us well, may or may not reward us properly. But we work for the Lord, and we know we will receive an inheritance. So we are motivated by our heavenly reward, not our earthly reward. And if our bosses do mistreat us we can be sure that they will have to answer to God.

Masters are to treat their slaves well. In human terms they may have had complete ownership and authority over their slaves, but in reality they too would have to answer to God.

Our awareness of the Lord has a deep affect on our everyday lives.

Colossians 3:13-17 - Bears

"Bear with each other ...". Our attitude and actions towards other people is a key indicator of how much we have or have not grown in Christ. Other people can be awkward at times! Sometimes we find them frustrating or annoying. We need to be patient and we need to forgive. This does not mean that we never correct others or are blind to their faults, but it does mean that we are prepared to put up with some stuff.

We have been forgiven by the Lord, so we are to forgive others. Note the implicit assumption that Christ is our living Lord. Jesus forgave us when we had nothing to commend us to Him, and He was prepared to pay a terrible price. Equally, He took our sin completely seriously, He did not just pretend it wasn't there.

On top of all the things mentioned in these verses we are to put on love. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, without love we are nothing. Love is a deep and honest concern for the true well being of others, and it is this that binds everything else together.

We are to let peace rule in our hearts. We have peace with God, so we should have peace with others. Enmity and strife reign in people who are not at peace. We do not need to have a constant attitude of being at odds with the world. We all know people who are very contentious, such people are always people who are not at peace, there is a deep underlying root to their anger.

Thankfulness is another characteristic we are to have. We should always look for things to give thanks for. This is a powerful spiritual weapon

We are to let the word of Christ dwell richly among us as we teach and admonish one another. So we do not ignore each others faults, but seek to help each other grow. Both the content and the attitude of our teaching is inspired and imbued with Christ.

We are to do everything in the name of Christ, giving thanks to Him. Christ is in all and is all, and He is to be the complete focus of our lives.

Colossians 3:12 - Time for a new outfit

So we have been told of the things that we need to get rid of. Now we are told what we need to replace them with. However, this isn't a simple instruction, but is based on our changed status. Three aspects of this status are given here:

1. We are God's chosen people;
2. We are holy;
3. We are dearly loved.

We have been chosen by God. You weren't saved by accident, but on purpose. We have been set apart for purpose.  Our lives have meaning, they are a crucial part of God's plan for the world. And we are dearly loved. So much evil behaviour is actually a reaction against feeling unloved or rejected. It is no less wrong because of that, but when we rebelled against God we entered a vicious circle. We sinned and that makes the problem worse and so we sin more, and so it goes on. This cycle has been broken in Christ.

So instead of anger and selfishness we put on kindness, compassion, humility, gentleness and patience. These are not characteristics of a weak person, but of someone who is confident in who they are. We are children of the living God, we have a purpose in life, we are dearly loved, so we have every reason to be confident. And this confidence does not exhibit itself in boasting, but in humility.

Colossians 3:5-11 - Put on the new self

Christ is our life. What does that mean? It means He is the source of our life, that He is our example, and that we will be Christlike. Therefore we are to get rid of everything in our lives that belongs to our earthly nature, our unregenerate nature.

Paul then lists some of the things included in this: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Every book of the Bible makes it clear that we have our part to play in making our salvation real in our lives, making it effective. 

So why should we get rid of these things? Because they bring the wrath of God. The wrath of God is a passionate and reasoned hatred of sin. God hates sin because of what it does to us, and what it does to others. So these things are bad for us. They are also things that God hates, and the call to Christ is a call to unity with God. 

"You used to walk in these ways". Jesus says He came to save the unrighteous. This is just as true today as it was then. The gospel is about calling people out of darkness into the light. This means they will have indulged in some pretty dark ways. Indeed we ourselves have done so at one time. Now is the time to get rid of them. 

Then there is another list: angler, rage, malice, slander, bad language, lying. 

We have to take off the old self and put on the new self. Now see that the work is not complete. For our new self is being renewed in knowledge in the image of God. 

This applies to all people. For Christ is all and is in all. Paul probably uses this phrase as a counter to Gnostic type teaching.

Message on Romans 8:1-17

A message preached today on Romans 8:1-17 can be listened to here.

Colossians 3:1-4 - Created in His Image

Many of Paul's letters follow a similar pattern. They begin with a presentation of what Christ has done for us, of what has been achieved on the cross. Then there are the practical implications on our own lives. We are utterly and completely dependent upon what Christ has done for us. However, this is no way whatsoever means that we do nothing. 

God created us in His image, this means that we have a measure of independence. Look at like this. Consider a laptop computer. It maybe plugged into the mains, but it can of course operate without being plugged in to the main for a couple of hours or so. But suppose the laptop says to itself "I don't need the mains, I can live on my own strength" so it unplugs itself from the mains. For a couple of hours everything will be fine, but then it will start to run into trouble as its battery runs down, and because it has divorced itself form the mains it cannot get recharged. The laptop can operate independently, but only if it maintains regular contact with the mains. So it is with us. We are completely dependent upon Christ, but He created us and He has saved us so that we can be independent as well. It is when we give God His proper place that we gain true freedom.

So we are to set our minds on things above, on Christ and the position He has been given. This is not so that we "so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good", but so that we are fed by the Spirit, that we become the most useful and influential people on earth.

Colossians 2:20-23 : Uselessness of human rules

Elemental forces is an ambiguous term. It could mean either the basic principles of this world, or to spirits that stopped people getting to God. In a way it is both. When we think of spirits and demons and so on we tend to think of "weird stuff", but while there are occasions when "weird stuff" does happen, the vast majority of demonic and spirit activity takes a much more mundane form, and false philosophical and religious teachings are one way in which the devil seeks to hold the world captive. When we died with Christ (in baptism) we died to sin and we died to "elemental spiritual forces". Neither of these things have authority over our lives any longer.

Now this does not mean we never sin, and it does not mean that the principles of the world have no effect on us. It does mean that we are now free to fight them. We do not need to submit to them any longer.

Here Paul is addressing teachings with lots of rules. "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle". 

These sorts of teachings have an appearance of wisdom. They seem to be helping us to overcome sin, but they are based on purely human wisdom. So they are useless in "restraining sensual indulgence". We cannot overcome sin by human effort nor by human rules. Only the Spirit can enable us to overcome sin, as Paul argued in Romans 7 and 8.

Colossians 2:16-19 - False teachings

People introduce fancy ideas, as did the Gnostics. They then introduce rules to bind people up. Just as the ideas will have a superficial attractiveness, seeming to offer something spiritual, so the rules will seems to offer something spiritual. In Paul's day they focused on observance of special days, or rules about eating and drinking. Now the Law, and all religions, have some special days and customs, but all these things are a mere shadow of what was to come. Note the tense here "things that were to come" (verse 17). The reality, which is Christ, is now here. Reality is found only in Christ.

Now this does not mean we should go to the other extreme and become paranoid in case anything we do turns into a custom. You will find it impossible to avoid habits and customs. No matter how free you might think your church is, it will have its own habits and ways of doing things. This is not a problem. It only becomes a problem when (i) we insist that our way is the only way of doing things; (ii) our customs become a barrier to the work that God wants to do.

Some delight in what they claim to know or have seen about angels. This is still something some do today. If a "charismatic" false teacher (by which I do not mean charismatics (being one myself) or false teachers! Rather, I am talking about false teachers within the charismatic parts of the church) wants to deceive people or lead them astray, then a good tip is to start talking about angels. Such a scheme will guarantee that you will be heard, and some will be taken in. So if you hear a preacher forever going on about angels, then be on your guard. Rather than being spiritual they are unspiritual. Now this does not mean we should never mention angels, just that a little balance is needed.

Colossians 2:9-15 - Set Free

Christ is all we need, "for in Him dwells the whole fullness of deity". That means that everything there is to know about God is in Christ. He is God, and He demonstrates and reveals everything of God.

Moreover we have been filled with the Spirit of Christ. So what more do we need? He has all power and authority, He has all wisdom. So we need fear nothing. The so-called clever teachings of men are actually influenced by "elemental spirits". Their root lies in the devil, not in God.

Alongside the Gnostics, the Judaisers sought to get people to be circumcised. Again we have no need of this. We have been "circumcised" by the Spirit in our hearts. What need do we have of any physical circumcision? What is it going to add to us? IF we live by the Spirit we do not live by the flesh.

We were buried with Christ in baptism, and raised with Him through faith. We start to experience new life now, and we will be raised from the dead when Christ returns. 

Once sin ruled over us, but now the we are free from sin. This does not mean that we are perfect yet, or never sin, but we are starting to gain the victory. We have been made alive.

Christ did this by cancelling the charge that stood against us, nailing it to the cross. The Law declared us sinners deserving of death. This is what gave the enemy power over us. Look at all man's attempts to be free. They are all rooted in trying to overcome this judgement in one way or another. The religious types seek to do so by strict observance of some code or other, and it always results in failure. Atheists seek to try and prove that there is no God. Hedonists seek to drown out the noise with pleasure. In all sorts of ways the rulers ans authorities have power over man. But on the cross they were disarmed, openly. No longer is there any charge against us. So we are free to live for Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Colossians 2:8 - Watch out for false ideas

Ideas are very powerful and men are easily taken captive by them, sometimes with disastrous consequences. In the last century the most terrible examples are Nazism and communism. One nation was completely captivated by Nazism, many nations were taken captive by communism, both with a terrible cost in terms of millions of lives and economic cost as well.

Evolution has taken many captive as well. Now let me make it clear that I have no objection whatsoever to proper scientific research into evolution. Many scientific questions can be used to challenge evolution as the complete explanation it purports to be, but proper research is perfectly valid. However, there are those who use evolution as a vehicle for "disproving" God. 

Religious people can be taken in by deceptive ideas as well. Indeed the most world religions are false! Charismatics can be taken in by ideas, particularly ones that make big play on angels, or some form of special or secret knowledge. All humanity is the same, we are all susceptible to the same attacks and weaknesses.

We need to make sure that we are not taken in by wrong ideas, and the defence to this is to be Christ focused. The word of God is clear and open.

Colossians 2:6,7 - Rooted and Built Up

As we received Christ, so we are to walk in Him. The way we started is the way we are to carry on. There is often a tendency to start well, then think that we need to start doing things differently or add something. The Galatian church had this problem, thinking they needed to adopt Judaism including circumcision. In Colossae they thought they needed to add "secret knowledge" and other Gnostic type teachings. The churches that John wrote to faced similar challenges. 

We started with faith, we started with gratitude for God's grace, we started with love for Christ and commitment to Him. This is the way we are meant to continue.

However, this most definitely does not mean that we do not develop. We are rooted in Christ, and built up in Him. So we need to appreciate His grace more, we need more faith, we need a deeper love for Christ. Added to all this is thanksgiving to Christ. With all this we are built up, we become increasingly effective in the world.

So the one constant things is Christ, the one sure foundation is Christ, and we build our lives more and more on Him.

Colossians 2:1-5 - Christ is all

Some of the false teachers denigrated those who suffered, Paul does the exact opposite. He was proud (in a positive sense) of his sufferings, seeing them as an essential part of his work for the church. This was not suffering for its own sake, but his work for the church and for Christ entailed suffering. So he wanted his readers to bee encouraged by this. We can perhaps see a parallel in some forms of so-called prosperity teaching (let me add that I absolutely believe in Biblical prosperity, it is just that there is a lot of nonsense taught on this subject, some of it dangerous nonsense). What are you encouraged most by: someone teaching about how God will give you lots of money if only you have enough faith; or someone who has been through difficult circumstances but has seen the grace of God at work and have come through this situation with greater awareness of God's love and a more Christlike character. And which would you rather have?

The false teachers' message was shallow. In contrast, Paul's desire is for them to have all the riches of full assurance of understanding. This again is a direct counter to Gnosticism with its hidden knowledge. All truth is in Christ, all wisdom is in Christ, all knowledge is in Christ. We should make it our goal to know Christ better. So we should beware of any teaching that takes us away from this. 

Paul commends them, and assures them of his support.

Colossians 1:24-29 - Suffering for Christ

These verses provide an object lesson in interpreting the Bible. In verse 24 Paul says "I make up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions". Taken in an unthinking manner this presents an immediate problem, for it implies that Christ's death on the cross was in some way incomplete, whereas the foundation of the gospel is that Christ is the once for all complete sacrifice.

So what is the answer? First remember that Paul was not writing in a university library, he is not writing a theological academic paper.He is writing to people in a church, probably from prison, and to a real situation, namely facing false teachings of various sorts. One element of that false teaching denigrated suffering (as do some variants of "prosperity teaching"). We need to imagine the emotion behind Paul's writing. He knows that the gospel is built on suffering, namely Christ's suffering, and that we are called to share in His sufferings. So he is writing more in a polemical manner. What he is saying is that rather than denigrate suffering, he rejoices in it, and suffering is a fundamental part of the Christian life, and the spread of the gospel. 

The Gnostic type teachings are also why he uses terms like "mystery". God has revealed the mystery, we do not need any hidden knowledge (the root meaning of Gnostic). 

Christ is in us, He is the hope of glory. The gospel all centered on Christ, and it is for Him that we must direct all our energies. If we are focused on anything else we are going in the wrong direction.

Colossians 1:18-23 - Head of the church

Christ is the head of the body, the church. Jesus is the living leader of the church. We do not just follow the teachings of a man who lived two thousand years ago, we do not just remember Him. Jesus actively leads the church, through the Holy Spirit. If we make anything else head, then we are heading in the wrong direction.

Jesus is also the firstborn of the new creation. He is the firstborn from among the dead. What that means is that we will be raised to new life just as He was raised from the dead.

"Fullness" was a term used in Gnostic teachings, referring to the sum of supernatural forces controlling the fate of people and the world. Paul declares that all the fullness of God dwelt in Jesus. Ie Jesus contained all the character and power of God in Him. There is a warning herein how we interpret words in the Bible. If we just took "fullness" in isolation, forgetting or not knowing that Paul was using it as counter term to Gnostic type teaching, then we might end up reading too much in to the meaning of the word here.

Through the blood of Jesus God is reconciling all things to Himself. This does not mean universalism in the sense that all are saved regardless of whether or not they believe, it does mean that the salvation in Christ is open to all to lay hold of through faith. It also means that the reconciliation extends to all of creation. All of creation was and is affected by man's sin, likewise all of creation will be affected by Christ's salvation (see Romans 8:19-22).

Colossians 1:17 - All things hold together in Christ.

Christ is before all things. Everything is utterly dependent upon Him for its very existence, and everything holds together in Him. Christ did not just create all things, He is actively involved in keeping everything going. Ie God did not just wind up the clock and then let it get on with it. However, this does not mean that God is "tinkering" with creation all the time. We need to be careful how we interpret what this means and what conclusions we draw. I believe that getting this wrong is the cause of much of the disagreement and misunderstanding between "science" and "religion". On the on hand many who believe in creation (and rightly so) either actually believe or give the impression that to explain creation we have to envisage God repeatedly intervening directly (this includes some intelligent designers as well as six-day creationists). On the other hand, many atheist scientists seem to think that because we find a process that explains how something happens or came about then wrongly imagine that this proves that God does not exist. Evolution is the most prominent example of this. 

Both of these views are badly mistaken and this makes for bad science and bad theology. Even if evolution was 100% right (which I don't believe it is, largely on scientific grounds) it would not prove that God did not use evolution as His design process. On the other side, the "interventionists" have a shallow view of what God can do and how He interacts with the world. If you want a philosophical question to ponder that relates to this: How does eternity map on to the temporal world?. There, you don't know do you, and neither do I, nor does anyone else. So lets acknowledge the limits of our understanding.

We need to be careful in distinguishing between what God does and how He does it. We can be certain about lots of things that God does because the Bible states them clearly, we need to exercise much more caution when talking about how He does them.

It is absolutely certain that all things were created by Christ, and that all things are utterly dependent upon Him for every moment of their existence. Exactly how this works out in scientific terms is for us to explore.

Colossians 1:15,16 - Image

We now get to one of the great Christological passages, ie proclaiming the greatness of Christ. 

Christ is the image of the invisible God. There is so much in this single phrase. First, God is invisible. God is different from everything else, because He is God. However, that does not mean that we cannot know anything about Him because He has chosen to reveal Himself, and He has done this supremely through His Son Jesus Christ. 

We need to remember here that when we talk about Christ we are talking about the Son of God (see verse 12). Sometimes people have an idle notion that Jesus was just a good man, or was just someone who God chose to reveal Himself through. Jesus is the supreme revelation of God because He is the Son of God. 

It is worth remembering that all of us were created in the image of God, but sin corrupted that image. In Christ there was no sin, so the image is perfect.

He is the firstborn of all creation. We need to realise that firstborn here signifies supremacy. It does not in any way mean that Jesus is a created being. Rather it means He is supreme over all creation.

Just in case there is any doubt about this, verse 16 immediately tells us that "by Him all things were created". This includes absolutely everything, seen and unseen. So it includes all spiritual beings as well, the whole lot. And everything was created for Him. So we have absolutely no need to fear anything, for whatever it is was created by Christ, and will ultimately have to acknowledge Christ as Lord.

Colossians 1:9-14 - Strengthened with all power

They had heard that the church was bearing much fruit, so they prayed that the church would be filled with "knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding". See that Paul had high expectations for them. We were not created so that God is a mystery, but so that we can know God. And we need spiritual wisdom and understanding. Spiritual wisdom is something that comes from the Holy Spirit, and we increase in spiritual wisdom when we put Him first and seek His righteousness. 

The fruit of all this is not that we get puffed up with knowledge or become proud of our own wisdom, but so that we live a life worthy of our calling, live a life pleasing to God, bearing fruit in good works. These are measures that we can apply to assess our own development and growth, and which we can also use to assess the value of any movement within the church.

Then Paul prays for us to be strengthened  with all power according to His glorious might. We need strength. Sometimes people say in despair "God give me strength". This should be a genuine prayer of ours. 

Now see what the power and glorious might is for. We might expect it to be for doing signs and wonders, or for confronting the spiritual forces of evil, but no. It is so that we might have "all endurance and patience with joy". We need endurance and patience. Many false teachings will play on our lack of patience, offering a quick fix. Moreover, "patience and endurance" are vital weapons of spiritual warfare. They help us overcome all things.

And all this is with joy and thanksgiving. A life of patience and endurance is not a miserable one!

We have been qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints. We need nothing more. We have been rescued from dominion of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His Son. We do not need to be set free from anyone else, we have all the freedom we need, though we certainly do need to learn to live in that freedom.

Colossians 1:3-8 - Prayers of thanksgiving

As in most of his letters Paul begins by giving more reasons why he thanks God for the people he is writing to. Today we tend to separate theologians and pastors and evangelists, but Paul was all three, and they fed each other. His evangelistic and pastoral work were motivated and under-girded by his understanding of the gospel. His work with people helped him to understand the gospel better. His love for God and knowing Christ was central to everything he did.

His prayers of thanksgiving were motivated by the faith and love that the Colossians had. This faith and love were motivated by the hope stored up in heaven. Now this does not mean "pie in the sky when we die". For sure, there will be marvellous things after we die (or Christ's return), but what Paul means is that there are things stored up for us in God's kingdom. We will receive the fullness of this only after Christ's return, but we begin to receive it now. The gospel declares the good things that God has for us.

The gospel is bearing fruit all over the world. Human ideologies have spread throughout the earth for a time, eg communism, but they bring oppression and violence. The gospel brings peace and righteousness.

Epaphras was probably the one who founded the church in Colossae, and brought news to Paul of the recent controversies in the church.

Colossians 1:1,2 - Christ centered

The custom in letters of the day was to introduce yourself at the outset. Paul describes himself as an apostle of Christ. This fits in with the major theme of the letter, which is the supremacy of Christ. We all need to dwell on this. Christ is the focus of all of God's plans, He is God Himself. All things were created by Him and for Him. Our lives need to be Christ centered. Jesus is the cornerstone on which all of God's plans depend. If we want to understand life we need to understand Jesus.

Timothy had been taken under Paul's wing and Paul was like a father to him. Timothy worked along side Paul. Later he would be given his own churches to look after, and 1 and 2 Timothy contain instructions to Timothy on this.

The letter is addressed to the church in Colossae, though it may also have been circulated more widely. The recipients are described as holy and faithful, and "in Christ". 

As in many of his letters, Paul proclaims a blessing over them of grace and peace from God our Father. Grace and peace are ours from God, and God is our father,

Colossians - Introduction

Colossians is a fantastic letter. The Pauline authorship was not doubted until the 19th Century when some started to argue that the Gnosticism that Paul counters in chapter 2 was second-century Gnosticism. However, later work has shown that the Gnosticism in chapter 2 is less developed than 2nd century Gnosticism and basically the argument is a load of nonsense.

Colossians was probably written during Paul's imprisonment in Rome about AD60, along with the other prison letters (Philippians, Ephesians and Philemon).

Colossae had been a major city in Asia Minor, but by the time of the first century was now a second-rate city. Epaphras (Acts 19:10) had been converted by Paul and had taken the gospel to Colossae. Later heretical teachings had developed, and Epaphras had gone to Rome to seek help from Paul.

The heresies that arose in Colossae had the following elements (NIV Study Bible):

• Ceremonialism - adherence to strict rules on eating, drinking and festivals.
• Asceticism - "do not handle, do not touch", essentially being miserable!
• Angel worship
• Diminishing the role and person of Christ
• Secret knowledge
• Reliance on human wisdom and tradition

Paul refutes these, and his primary line of attack is the supremacy of Christ.

Some of these strands are still relevant today. Human wisdom and tradition dominates parts of the church. In others unhealthy obsession with angels can be a problem.

Jonah 4 - Vines and Worms

Jonah was displeased about this. He then even speaks to God as if God has got it all wrong and should have known better than to send Jonah to Nineveh. Why didn't He just zap them in the first place and have done with it? Jonah then starts to try and justify his earlier actions in running to Tarshish. 

Note that Jonah realises what God is like,  he just wishes God was different. He knows God is "gracious and compassionate", it is as if Jonah was trying to save God from Himself!

So why do we get this story in the Bible? Maybe it is a parable of what Israel was like. They knew what God was like, but did not in their hearts agree with God. The root of the problem was in their own heart. Likewise the root of our problems lies in our own hearts.

Jonah is so disgruntled that he asks God to take away his life. Instead God seeks to reveal something of His heart to Jonah. Thank goodness God does not always answer our prayers!

Jonah went out to watch over the city. Maybe he was hoping God would now see sense and rain down fire and brimstone on the place. He hoped in vain. It was very hot and God provided a vine for Jonah to protect him. Then He sent a worm to eat the vine. The vine withered and Jonah again wants to die. 

God was using the vine as an illustration. Jonah cared about the vine. God cared about Nineveh. God's concern is wider and greater than ours. There are many peoples, individuals and groups, who, if we are honest, we would be too bothered if they disappeared from the earth, we may even welcome it. God's heart is different.

Just as an aside note that Jonah's declaration that he wishes he was dead is not put into effect. There is a lot of teaching on the power of the tongue. Now what we say does matter, for it reflects what is in our hearts. And what we say does matter, but we also need to have a degree of balance on the matter.

Jonah 3 - How to be a successful evangelist

God gave Jonah a second chance, the same command comes to him. Note that he is to give the message that "I tell you", ie that God gives him. This time Jonah obeys the Lord, having realised that resistance is futile. 

It is often said that "if you won't do it, God will find someone else to do it". Well sometimes this is true, but at other times it isn't, and Jonah is one of these instances. For some reason God specifically wanted Jonah to do the job.

Jonah's message was brief and to the point. Presumably he said a little more than this, but maybe not. There isn't even any call to repentance, though from what we read later Jonah didn't want them to repent! 

Despite this, and the distinct lack of cultural relevance and accessibility of the message, the people believed God and they all repented. This again is a warning about nice pat ideas about what is necessary for evangelism to succeed. Moreover, Jonah did not "have a heart" or "a burden" for the people of Nineveh, yet is the most successful evangelist ever!

The term "revival" is sometimes bandied around rather too freely. Here we see the true sign of revival, a people responding to the word of God with repentance and obedience.

They called on God to have mercy on them, and God did indeed have mercy.

Jonah 2:1-10 - Pray from the depths

So in the belly of the fish Jonah made good use of the time, he prayed. He could do nothing else. Sometimes God puts us in situations where there is nothing we can do, except pray, and this is the whole point. We do not need to be in total control, but we do need to have faith in God.

Jonah, like many of the psalms, prayed out of his distress. Jonah knew that God was responsible for his predicament, or rather it was God's judgement upon his disobedience. Yet Jonah believed that he would once again see God's holy temple.

God's answer came "from His holy temple". Often when we pray we look for a natural answer, and of course God often does provide by natural means. But at others the answer comes direct from His holy temple, direct from heaven. 

Jonah knew where his salvation came from. And so the fish spewed Jonah out on to dry land.

Jonah 1:7-17 - Recognise the anointing

The sailors cast lots to find out who was to blame, and the blame fell on Jonah. This is far from being the only incident of casting lots in the Bible, the remaining apostles cast lots to make the final decision on a replacement for Judas. The Bible sees God as being in control of all things. 

Anyway, the lot having fallen on Jonah, the sailors confront him. He tells them he is a Hebrew, and the sailors are full of fear. Clearly the reputation of the Lord had spread beyond the borders of Israel. They knew that Jonah must have done something against God to bring this disaster on them. Often the unbelievers can be more spiritually aware than the "believers". 

Jonah then suggested that they throw him overboard. So even though Jonah is acting in disobedience to God, he still has some good character left. We need to cultivate our character. There will still be times when we get things wrong, and even times when we deliberately do things wrong, but even in these times our good character will help to get us back on the right track.

The sailors were reluctant to do this, and did so only after they had tried everything else, and sought God's mercy. Jonah was thrown over the side. The storm stopped and the men feared the Lord. The anointing of God was upon Jonah, so even in this situation he brought faith to people (despite himself!). We need to recognise the anointing that is on our own lives.
Then as we know, after Jonah was thrown overboard a great fish swallowed him up. God's plans go beyond our understanding. He has things in mind of which we know nothing. God never tells us everything.

Jonah 1:1-6 - On the run

As we saw in the Introduction, Jonah was a prophet and the only other prophecy that is recorded is that predicting the extension of Israel's borders. So perhaps he was used to giving "nice" words! Assyria, whose capital city was Nineveh, was the major threat to Israel. Moreover, Israel's sin meant that she was heading for a fall.

Against this background Jonah is told to go to Nineveh and warn them that their evil has come before the Lord. Now this would presumably be a rather dangerous venture for Jonah to embark upon, for it is unlikely that the Ninevites would take too kindly to an Israeli prophet telling them how to live their lives. If we knew nothing more of the story, then fear would be the most obvious explanation of why Jonah decided to flee, but as we will see later this does not appear to be reason.

Jonah decided to flee from the presence of the Lord. This is a very human reaction, when God is telling us to do things we don't want to do we seek to flee from His presence. However, as Psalm 139 shows, this is a futile exercise, for we cannot escape from God, and Jonah was about to discover this.

Jonah ran away to sea, but God sent a great storm and the ship he was on was threatened with being sunk. Jonah, however, was fast asleep. Now why was this? Maybe he was just so relived to be away from God, as he thought, or maybe he had faith that the storm would not result in death, or perhaps he was just so exhausted after running away.

The crew and the captain apparently knew about Jonah's faith. Either that had worked out what it was, or he had told them. The captain tells him to put his faith into action. Sometimes the world is more interested in us activating our faith than we are. When faced with circumstances they cannot control they turn to the church to call on God. 

Jonah - Introduction

In contra-distinction to Obadiah, this is one of the best known books in the Bible, Jonah, largely because of the big fish (often referred to as a whale).

Jonah son of Amittai is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. He operated during the reign of Jeroboam II in Israel, the northern kingdom. Jeroboam had succeeded in extending the borders of Israel, but had continued to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. Indeed, Jonah  had prophesied that Israel's borders would expand. Now he is given a message of repentance for Assyria, Israel's enemy.

Jonah was probably contemporary with Amos and Hosea.

Some see the book as being post-exilic, ie written after Israel's return from exile in Babylon, but there are some who never believe any book was written when it was supposed to be! The literary style is similar to that of the Elija-Elisha narrative. Moreover, there seems to be little point in the book if it was written after the Babylonian exile. Why write about Nineveh long after Assyria was no longer a major power and threat to Israel?

Then of course because of the big fish element of the story some doubt the authenticity of the account. I think we have to take the story as it is related, otherwise it makes little point. It is just about possible that he whole thing is a parable, but Jesus referred to Jonah, and it seems much more likely that it is a genuine account.

The book illustrates the wider purposes of God, that went way beyond Israel, and certainly beyond Israel's own plans (she had no desire to see Assyria saved!). This is a further illustration of the fact that the Bible is God's book explaining and proclaiming God's purposes. If Israel wrote it as a means of furthering her own ends, then she did not do a vary good job!

Obadiah - Salvation of Israel

This is the shortest of the minor prophets, and, it has to be said, not one that is quoted much! However, we are going through the whole Bible, so we are going to see what we can learn from him.

Obadiah means "servant of the Lord", or "worshipper of the Lord". His name is actually quite common, with several references to Obadiah's in the Old Testament.

There is uncertainty as to exactly who Obadiah was. The two main alternatives are:

1. He was a contemporary of Elisha, and the book was written at the time of  the rebellion of Edom against Judah (2 Kings 8:20-22; 2 Chronicles 21:8-15).
2. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah, and the book was written at the time of the Babylonian attacks on Jerusalem. My study Bible prefers this option, probably because there are some parallels between this book and parts of Jeremiah. However, I am not sure why the book refers to Edom then, unless Edom was seeking to ride on Babylon's coattails.

Whatever the case, Edom is the target of Obadiah's prophecy. Edom thought she was secure, she thought she had carefully engineered things, so that whatever other nations did, she would be safe. Perhaps she was a little like modern Switzerland.

Edom would be torn apart. Her careful plans and making of alliances would come to nothing, she would be betrayed by her allies.

Edom was the nation that came out if Esau, and she would pay for her treachery against Jacob. Ie against Israel as a whole, not just Jacob himself.

Edom had gloated over Israel when Israel was defeated, joining in the taking of spoils. Proverbs warns us against gloating over others who suffer misfortune. This is also a warning to all nations in their attitude towards Israel. This is not to say that we should agree with all the Israel does (Israel does some stupid things, and some wrong things), but we should treat Israel honourably.

Edom, along with all nations, would reap the fruit of her deeds, and Israel would be saved. We need to understand what the outcome of history will be, and it will be the salvation of Israel.

Psalm 118 - Give thanks to the Lord for His salvation

This is a hymn of thanksgiving, though no one knows what the precise occasion was. Various suggestions have included (i) a victory of a Davidic king; (ii) deliverance from Egypt and victory over the Canaanites; (iii) post-exilic deliverance. Anyway, since we haven't been told it cannot be that important to know the precise occasion.

All Israel, the priests and those who fear the Lord (which should encompass the previous two groups) are called upon to declare that the love of the Lord endures forever.

The psalmist was hard pressed, but God brought him into a spacious place. Our God is a God who delivers His people from various circumstances.

When faced with danger it is tempting to trust in all sorts of things, but it is always best to take refuge in the Lord. God is unseen, but He is very real.

The psalmist was surrounded by all the nations. Obviously not literally, but there were many foes against him, yet God rescued him.

If we call upon the name of the Lord we will see His victory. Then we can declare His praise. Notice that the Lord's salvation included chastening of David. We need to realise that when God saves us there are things that need to be put right in our own lives as well.

Verse 22 is quoted several times in the New Testament as describing the rejection of Jesus.

The Psalm closes with praise and thanksgiving.