Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Amos 4-6; John 7:28-53
In the beginning of our reading from Amos, the people of Israel are compared to fat, well-fed cattle and of walking along like them, looking neither right nor left. They've ignored all His warnings and not responded to His other signs and punishments for unfaithfulness.
Their only safety is in seeking the Lord. They have built nice things for themselves but they will not be able to enjoy them. They think that by belonging, literally, to the house of Israel, they are safe, but they're not following God's will. They're depending upon their names and heritage to save them. They're like someone who has escaped a lion only to meet a bear. (I love that image!)
They people are too sure of themselves and their lifestyles. They think because they have it good that they can't be sinners. They've been blessed! They have their best lives now! They can't possibly be under a curse! They have trusted in their armies and their own abilities but they're about to find out that they can only trust in the Lord. Nothing they have or do can be trusted.
In our Gospel reading we're dealing with Christ's origin. The people are confused. He claims to be the Messiah, but the religious rulers, who should really know the Messiah when they see Him, are calling for His arrest to get Him out of the way. So the question remains among them, who is He really? The people are believing Him and the religious leaders can't have that. They send the guard to arrest Him but since He's in control of the situation, they're unsuccessful. In fact the guards are as confused as the rest of the crowd. The rulers are intent and refuse to even listen to Nicodemus, ridiculing him along with the crowd.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Amos 7-9; John 8:1-27
In the beginning of our reading from Amos, the people of Israel are compared to fat, well-fed cattle and of walking along like them, looking neither right nor left. They've ignored all His warnings and not responded to His other signs and punishments for unfaithfulness.
Their only safety is in seeking the Lord. They have built nice things for themselves but they will not be able to enjoy them. They think that by belonging, literally, to the house of Israel, they are safe, but they're not following God's will. They're depending upon their names and heritage to save them. They're like someone who has escaped a lion only to meet a bear. (I love that image!)
They people are too sure of themselves and their lifestyles. They think because they have it good that they can't be sinners. They've been blessed! They have their best lives now! They can't possibly be under a curse! They have trusted in their armies and their own abilities but they're about to find out that they can only trust in the Lord. Nothing they have or do can be trusted.
In our Gospel reading we're dealing with Christ's origin. The people are confused. He claims to be the Messiah, but the religious rulers, who should really know the Messiah when they see Him, are calling for His arrest to get Him out of the way. So the question remains among them, who is He really? The people are believing Him and the religious leaders can't have that. They send the guard to arrest Him but since He's in control of the situation, they're unsuccessful. In fact the guards are as confused as the rest of the crowd. The rulers are intent and refuse to even listen to Nicodemus, ridiculing him along with the crowd.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Amos 7-9; John 8:1-27
3 comments:
Complacency and self-assurance is so dangerous!
From the Message:
6 So seek God and live! You don’t want to end up
with nothing to show for your life
But a pile of ashes, a house burned to the ground.
For God will send just such a fire,
and the firefighters will show up too late.
Whatever we pursue in life we need to make sure it is not in vain.
I also liked the vision in my head of escaping a lion only to meet up with a bear.
"For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins," Amos 5:12a
There is nothing we can hide from God. We might be doing something behind closed doors, or in the dark, but everything is bright as day to God.
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