Author: Jennifer Armstrong

Today’s Reading:  2 Samuel 13

Remember last Sunday when I wrote about Jephthah?  I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t remember him or his story even though his name shows up in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith”.  Eventually I concluded it was because his story about sacrificing his daughter was so awful.  My assigned scripture for this week is different in that Amnon does not show up in Hebrews 11 and, I totally remember him and his story.  But it has a very similar feel in that this story is completely awful.

Amnon was the oldest son of King David and his third wife, Ahinoam.  He was the heir apparent to the throne of Israel.  2 Samuel 13 tells us Amon fell in love with Tamar, Absalom’s beautiful sister.  He became obsessed with her to the point of making himself ill.  STOP HERE.  We are only two verses into the chapter, but I want to draw your attention to two important points –

• Absalom’s father was King David.  While he and Tamar had a different mother than Amnon, they had the same Father.  So Tamar, the beautiful woman Amnon was obsessed with, was also his half-sister.
• 2 Samuel 13:1 says Amnon was in love with Tamar, but he was actually in lust (not love) with her.  If he were in love, he would have put her interests ahead of his own.

Amnon and his advisor Jonadab came up with a plan for Amnon to get closer to Tamar.  Amnon pretended to be sick.  When King David came to check in on him, Amnon asked for Tamar to fix him something to eat.  This was not unusual, as it was customary for a female family members to be called upon to prepare and serve meals to male family members.  King David summoned Tamar to make some bread and serve it to Amnon, who was in bed.  But…when Tamar brought the bread to Amnon, he talked her into feeding him.  After Tamar was in close proximity, he tried to get her to have sex with him.  When she refused, Amnon took her by force and raped her.

Now that I’ve recapped this awful story, let’s stop again.  What does God want us to learn from it?  I’ve been soaking on a few different things this week, but as I’m sitting down to write this morning, the message God has laid on my heart to share with you is abundantly clear –

Power, and the pursuit of power, often drives people to actions (or inaction) that were previously uncommon of their character. They often disregard their moral compass, what is right, or what is in the best interest of others. Their actions demonstrate complete self-promotion.

We see glimpses of this behavior in the lives of Amnon and Absalom, but it is even more clear (and more sickening) in the life of King David. The Bible tells us David was a man after God’s own heart. He was Israel’s greatest king. By this point in his life, however, David was wrapped up in his own power. His focus had shifted from leading his armies in battle to preparing for who was going to succeed him on the throne. Amnon was first in line and David didn’t want to do anything that would mess up the plan. David was no longer concerned about doing what was right, only what served his own purposes.

From a godly leader who poured out his heart in Psalm after Psalm, we would never have expected such behavior. Power propelled David to disregard what was in the best interest of others, and the people closest to him were hurt in the process. Amnon was dead, Absalom was on a path to destruction, and Tamar’s life was forever ruined. While David may not have been able to prevent the detestable act in the first place, he definitely had the power to make it right after the fact. Instead, he chose to do nothing.

Does this behavior sound familiar? Have you experienced it in the lives of people close to you? Have you been hurt in the process? Are you in a position of power or pursuing power? Could you be blind to the hurt you are causing for those close to you? I urge you to draw near to God and submit to his ways. His plans are sovereign. All power truly belongs to him.

Today’s reading:  Ruth 1-4

If someone asked you to describe your mother-in-law or daughter-in-law, what would you say? I feel like in our society today it is very rare you will hear raving reviews on either one. Most people I know talk about their mother-in-law as overbearing, criticizes everything they do, meddles in their marriage and how they raise their kids. It’s so sad to me that others don’t have great and special relationships with their in-laws. Fortunately, I can say I had one of the best. She was kind, patient, full of love, selfless, humble, God-centered, faithful, and unwavering. Unfortunately for me, God took her 2 years ago to spend eternity with Him. People couldn’t help but be drawn to her because of her character and how she loved others. She always put God first, was a faithful servant, and stood fast to His promises.

Our story today is about a daughter-in-law, Ruth, and her mother-in-law, Naomi. It’s a story about faithfulness, grace, and redemption. Naomi and her husband along with their two sons had moved to Moab from Bethlehem during a famine. Her husband dies while there and the sons marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. After 10 years, both sons die so the three women start to head back to the land of Judah as they have heard the Lord has provided food to the nation. Now in these times, widows typically become poverty stricken. Just like my mother-in-law, Naomi had a selfless attitude. She recognized they most likely would be living a poverty style life and told both girls to go back to their homeland where the Lord can show favor on them and grant them another husband. They both resisted at first, but then Orpah went back. Ruth, however, would not leave Naomi. Ruth was not part of God’s chosen people but she had a great example in Naomi. She was drawn to Naomi and her God. Ruth followed Naomi’s selfless attitude as she could have gone back to her homeland to find another husband for herself and had a family. Instead, she stayed and remained faithful to her mother-in-law showing the love and kindness that had been shown to her.

Ruth finds a field to glean in order to provide for her and Naomi. Though Ruth may not have recognized God’s hand through this journey, He was there every moment. The field she ended up in “happened” to belong to Boaz, who “happened” to be a close relative (the only way to redeem the widow in those times). This was God’s hand at work; He is faithful. How many times has God been at work in our lives that we don’t even notice? God is always directing our lives for his purpose, we just may not see it or understand it at the time.

In the end, Ruth listens to Naomi’s instructions because she trusts her, which results in her marrying Boaz. Like Ruth, we all have someone in our life who is looking out for our best interest, whether it is a relative or a close friend. Treasure that person and lean into their love and faithfulness to you. God blessed Ruth because of her faithfulness. Her and Boaz had a son, Obed, and she becomes the great-grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus! How awesome is that? Just think about the possibilities of who you were created to be, you just have to be willing to listen and be faithful to Him!

Danell

Today’s Reading:  Judges 11-12

Today as we study Judges 11-12, we are focused on the Life of Jephthah.  I know I’ve read this story before, but only because I read the whole Bible in 2016.  When I read it again this week, I didn’t remember it.  Perhaps because I’m still not sure how to pronounce Jephthah’s name.  But more likely because it is an awful story.

According to Judges 11, Jephthah was the son of Gilead, a great warrior, and a prostitute.  Jephthah’s half-brothers ran him off to keep him from getting any of his father’s inheritance.  When the Ammonites were attacked the nation of Israel, they went to find Jephthah and recruited him to lead their army.  We know from Jephthah’s response, he was faithful to God.

“If I come with you and if the Lord gives me victory over the Ammonites, will you really make me ruler overall the people” (Judges 11:9)?

Long story short, Jephthah became commander of the Israelite army and led them into battle with the Ammonites.  His faith, however, didn’t keep him from making a rash, foolish promise to God.

“If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will give to the Lord the first thing coming out of my house to greet me when I return in triumph.  I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering (Judges 11:30-31).

When Jephthah returned from the battle, his daughter was the first person out to meet him to celebrate the victory.  Verse 39 then tells us that Jephthah kept his vow.  Ugh.  Didn’t I say this story was awful?  Is it true?  Could Jephthah really have offered his daughter as a burnt offering to God?  Was that what God really expected?  To be honest, I’m not sure.  After reading a few arguments why Jephthah’s follow through may have been literal and others why it likely was not, I settled on this – for our purposes today, I’m not sure it really matters.  What I know for sure is God’s word is true, and God keeps his promises, without exception.  In the same way, God expects us to be truthful, and God expects us to keep our word, without exception.

Whether or not Jephthah’s vow was literal or not, we know that keeping his word came with a hefty price (Judges 11:34-35 gives evidence of his heartache).  We also know that God honored his faithfulness, as Hebrews 11:32 identifies Jephthah’s faith story along with those of Gideon, Barak, Samson, David, Samuel and all the prophets.

My challenge for us today is to think about the words we use, they matter.  Not keeping our word and/or telling half-truths are just different forms of lying.  All are displeasing to God and come with pretty serious consequences.

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

Today’s reading:  Joshua 23,24

In the absence of effective leadership, people wander.  In January 2019, Forbes.com reported that only 1/3 of US workers demonstrate a healthy level of engagement in their jobs.  I honestly don’t think this is a coincidence.  Great leaders are a rare commodity.

In his July 15, 2019 blog post, Michael Hyatt, a well-known thought leader on leadership, shared what he believes are five key characteristics of an effective leader – insight, initiative, influence, impact and integrity.   Our scripture for today (Joshua chapters 23 and 24) is Joshua’s farewell speech to his leaders.  If I had to describe Joshua in two words, those words would be “great leader”.  In fact, the adjective “great” doesn’t seem impressive enough to accurately describe the incredible leader Joshua actually was.  As I studied his life this week, I saw how it demonstrated all five of Michael Hyatt’s key leadership characteristics.  Let’s take a look –

Insight – Effective leaders can gain clarity in the midst of complex situations/issues/problems in order to set a course of action.

Initiative – Effective leaders don’t ask others to do what they are not willing to do themselves.  This demonstrates a level of dedication that earns the trust of their followers.

Influence – Effective leaders are someone others want to follow, people are drawn to their vision and values.

Impact – Effective leaders make a difference, they create and sustain change.

Integrity – Effective leaders have a moral compass, they do the right things for the right reason.  Integrity is the foundation of effective leadership, as it determines the quality of a leader’s impact.  A great leader makes people better at the same time they drive results.  An ineffective leader, in contrast, may be able to get the same results, but they often leave a trail of bodies in the process.

God promised his people the land of Canaan (the “Promised Land”), but he didn’t’ serve it up to them on a silver platter.  Rather, under the leadership of Joshua, the nation of Israel was to conquer the land of Canaan one city at a time.  Joshua’s keen insight on how to win battle after battle came from his faithfulness to seek God’s guidance before every battle (other than at Ai, where Joshua’s army got their tails kicked).

 Joshua personally led his army to conquer thirty-one kings/cities (see Joshua 12:9-24 for a complete list).  In his farewell address, Joshua challenged his leaders to follow his lead and honor/serve the Lord wholeheartedly just like he did.

“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14-15).

The nation of Israel responded to Joshua’s challenge by affirming their commitment to the Lord.

“We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God” (Joshua 24:18).

Are you an effective leader?  Do you have insight, initiative, influence, impact, and most of all integrity?  Is your moral compass aligned to God’s word?  Like Joshua, are you inspiring those you lead to choose to serve the Lord?  I pray the answer is yes.

Today’s reading:  Genesis 16:1-15; 18:1-15; 21:1-7

Pragmatic – relating to matters of fact or practical affairs often to the exclusion of intellectual or artistic matters; practical as opposed to idealistic (Miriam Webster).

As I was updating my resume a couple years ago, I was looking for ten key words that described me and how I approach my work.  One of my friends suggested the word pragmatic.  While it wasn’t on my original list, I decided it describes me pretty well.  I am a practical, figure out a way to get stuff done, kind of person.

My friend Amy called me last week.  She had been asked to lead a big project and wanted my advice on how to approach it.  So, we went to lunch on Friday to discuss it.  My reaction after listening to the assignment she’d be given was, “well they’ve asked you to boil the ocean, but here is how I’d approach it”.   It didn’t take long for us to come up with a plan for how she could clarify/prioritize objectives with her sponsors, then gather/analyze current state data to figure out the problem areas to solve first.  A practical approach to start getting stuff done.

The Biblical person we are studying today is Sarah, Abraham’s wife.  I think pragmatic is a good way to describe her.

God had promised Abraham and Sarah a child of their own.  They had faith, and trusted God would do what he promised.  Then they waited, and waited, and waited.  By the time she was in her mid-eighties, Sarah’s pragmatism took over.  Perhaps Sarah was tired of waiting or, what seems more likely to me, she decided God needed her help to make progress.  At around 85 or 86, she decided to come up with a practical approach to start making things happen.

Since Sarah couldn’t have children of her own, her plan was for Abraham to conceive a child with her servant Hagar.  This type of surrogate arrangement was not uncommon at this point in history.  Married women who could not have children were shamed by their peers and often gave their servants to their husbands in order to produce heirs.  Children born to the servant in this type of an arrangement were considered children of the wife.   Ah ha, this plan would work for Abraham and Sarah’s situation.  Good thing God had Sarah to help him along, right?

Wrong.  Sarah’s plan initially worked.  Abraham slept with Hagar and she became pregnant with a son.  But because this wasn’t God’s plan, things started to unravel.  Sarah became frustrated with Abraham and began taking her frustrations out by mistreating Hagar.  Eventually, Hagar ran away from Sarah. An angel of the Lord intercepted her and turned her around to return to Sarah.  Hagar eventually gave birth to Ishmael who, as the angel foretold, was wild and lived at odds with everyone.  Hmm, maybe helping God’s plan along didn’t turn out so well after all.

Fourteen years after Ishmael was born, Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah.  Sarah was 90 or 91 years old when she gave birth to the child God had promised many years earlier.  I could go on about the remaining 36 years of Sarah’s life, but I am going to stop here and draw your attention to two key lessons from Sarah’s life that spoke to me this week.

#1 – God keeps his promises even when we mess things up.

Sarah took matters into her own hands and created a mess.  It strained her relationship with Abraham, ruined her relationship with Hagar, and produced a wild child that wreaked all kinds of havoc.  But, God still followed through on his promise.  Take a look at the first two verses of Genesis 21.

Then the Lord did exactly what he had promised.  Sarah became pregnant, and she gave a son to Abraham in his old age.  It all happened at the time God said it would (Genesis 21:1-2).

#2 – God is not bound by earthly limitations, he is capable of making unbelievable things happen.

As a woman in her early nineties, Sarah was way beyond child bearing years.  Giving birth to a healthy child was not physically possible…without the miraculous work of God.  Nothing is beyond the realm of possibility with him.

My challenge for us today is this – what areas of your life are you selling God short?  Have you messed things up so bad that you no longer think he’ll work in your life?  Are there things you think he can’t make happen?  After studying the life of Sarah today, do you want to reconsider?  Do you need to get on your knees, confess your lack of faith and recommit to fully trusting God?

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Today’s reading:  Jude

With approximately 460 words, Jude is the fifth shortest book in the entire Bible.  Jude, the brother of Jesus, didn’t mince his words when he was warning Christfollowers about the danger false teaching and apostasy.  Don’t gloss over his message, as it is just as timely today as it was in the first century.

Apostasy – the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief; turning away from God’s truth and embracing false teaching.

False teachers during this time (approximately 65 AD) claimed that Christfollowers could do as they pleased without fear of God’s punishment.  Jude’s response was twofold, reminding his audience that – 1) God punishes rebellion against him, and 2) they needed to persevere and continue to build their lives on faith in Jesus Christ.

Jude supports his first point by giving three examples where God punished rebellion against him in the Old Testament:

• The nation of Israel, whom God rescued from slavery in Egypt, refused to trust that he was going to give them the Promised Land.  They grumbled and rebelled.  Instead of delivering them into the Promised Land, God punished them.  They wandered in the desert for 40 years until the entire generation of rebellious people had died off (see Numbers 14).  Then God, being true to his promises, delivered the next generation of Israelites into the Promised Land.

• Some angels gave in to pride and joined Satan to rebel against God.  Even though at one time, these same angels were pure, holy, and lived in God’s presence, God did not spare them when they rebelled.  Rather, he sent them to Hell to await final judgment (see 2 Peter 2).

• Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were so full of sin that, when they did not heed God’s warning to turn from their sinful ways, God wiped the whole city from the face of the earth (see Genesis 19).

If God harshly punished his chosen people, sent rebellious angels to Hell, and wiped entire cities off the map for rebelling, consider how much more harshly he would deal with false teachers who are leading his people astray.

The second part of Jude’s message is the call for Christollowers to persevere and build their lives on the truth of Jesus Christ.   The antidote for apostasy is staying in God’s word.  Continually seeking to know God’s truths in new and refreshing ways helps us to easily identify, and steer clear of, false teaching.  Those who refuse to learn sound, Biblical doctrine are susceptible to false teachings because they are not fully grounded in God’s truth.

I’ll be honest, writing for the Bible Journal has been a blessing in my life over the past 3.5 years. Understanding God’s word deep enough to write a 500-600 word message summarizing how the reading of the day spoke to my heart has been a recipe for spurring me on to know God’s truths in new and refreshing ways.  I admit that some weeks have been harder than others, but for 3.5 years, God has spoken to me in ways I would never have imagined.

Today’s Reading:  Ephesians 3

As my 12 year old daughter Annika and I were driving in the car last week, she said to me, “Mom, what is the American Dream”?  I reminded her that the United States was founded by immigrants who fled their homeland in search of a better life.  Freedom from the King of England, who ruled over them without giving them a representative voice in the government, was their goal.  Our nation was founded on the principle of equal opportunity – everyone should have a chance.  The American Dream, more specifically, is the ideal that every person should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.

As we celebrate Intendance Day, the 243^rd anniversary of the United States, it is fitting that our scripture today is the 3^rd chapter of Ephesians (Galatians 5 would have been even better, but Ephesians 3 will do).  Paul’s message in this chapter was about God’s Plan.  Do you see the parallel?  God’s plan is also based on the principle of equal opportunity.

And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6).

Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is about equal opportunity because it is available to EVERYONE.  It doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from or what you’ve done.  By putting your faith in Jesus Christ, the blood he shed on the cross covers your sins and makes you acceptable to God.  Here’s where the parallel ends though – unlike the American Dream, salvation cannot be earned through hard work, determination, and initiative.  It is a gift of God.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Every year when you watch the 4^th of July fireworks finale while listening to Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA, do you feel a strong wave of patriotism wash over you?  Sometimes it makes me passionately sing along, sometimes it makes me put my hand on my heart, but every time it makes me grateful for those who gave their lives to fight for and protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.  Did you notice a similar finale in Ephesians 3?  In verses 3:14-21, Paul was overcome with emotion as he remembered everything God had done, he passionately prayed for the church at Ephesus and closed by giving all glory and praise to God.  Does Ephesians 3:20-21 stir emotion in you?  Instead of putting our hands on our hearts this July 4^th, Paul’s finale in Ephesians 3 should bring us to our knees.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Today’s Reading:  1 Corinthians 13

Love is a binding agent – (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

After 22 years of marriage, I had decided to start cooking.  It’s not that I was completely incapable before, but I never really wanted to spend my time on meal planning/preparation.  It was also common for me to substitute for ingredients that I didn’t have on hand, so very few things I fixed ever tasted like they were supposed to.  (And we usually spent our dinnertime trying to figure out what I’d messed up and/or why it didn’t work).  Turkey sandwiches, salads and cereal had to be my go-to meals because you can’t really mess those things up!

One of the things I’ve learned on my cooking journey is the need for a binding agent.  Have you ever forgotten the eggs in a batch of cookies?  They turn into a runny mess.  You must have something to hold all the ingredients together.  While you can’t really taste the binder, the recipe simply doesn’t work without it.

Take a look at the first three verses of 1 Corinthians 13, do you notice that before he “defines” love Paul describes it as a binding agent?  Spiritual gifts and good works are useless without love.  It holds everything together, nothing works without it.

Love is selfless – (1 Corinthians 13:4-6)

True love is completely selfless.  It is directed at others, not ourselves, all the time.  This is hard to wrap our brains around because true love is so rare in our society.  Because of sin, humans are inherently selfish beings.  In fact, it is impossible for us to be completely selfless and truly love others without God’s help to put others ahead of ourselves.

Love is 100% effective – (1 Corinthians 13:7-8)

In my job, I regularly provide my staff feedback on their written and verbal communication because effective communications are most often how we gain buy-in from our leaders and business partners.  What we say has to be said/written in a way our audience can easily understand and it has to be completely accurate.  One of my guiding principles is to avoid using the words ever, never, any and always.  Why?  Because very few things in business are 100%, there is almost always an exception to the rule.  (Do you remember I’ve spent a lot of my professional career in Audit?).

Do you notice how Paul describes love in verses 7 and 8?  The New International Version translates it as always, always, always, always and never.  When it comes to genuine love, my guiding principle isn’t correct.  One-hundred percent of the time, true love protects, trust, hopes and perseveres.  It never fails.

Love is the greatest of all human qualities – (1 Corinthians 13:13)

In verse 13, Paul says three things will endure – faith, hope, and love.  He then says love is the greatest of the three.  Why?  Back to the concept of a binding agent, without love nothing else holds together.  My Life Application Study Bible describes it this way – Faith is the foundation and content of God’s message; hope is the attitude and focus; love is the action.

Think about this – you can know everything there is to know about what it takes to run a marathon.  You can have all the right equipment, have followed a training plan perfectly, and have perfect conditions (which look like a completely flat course, cool temperatures and no wind in my mind).  BUT, if you don’t take action and actually show up and run the race, it is all for nothing.  The same is true with love.  We can know everything there is to know about God’s word and have perfect conditions to follow it, but until we put it into action and start loving others, it is all for nothing.

Love is a game changer.  1 John tells us God is love.  Not God has love or God loves, but God IS love.  It is his very nature.  People should be able to tell we are Christfollowers because they see us genuinely loving others.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love… Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1 John 4:7, 11-12).

Today’s reading:  John 20

On Saturdays, I get an email called Grapevine: colorful stories and diversions from WSJ.  My approach to this email is the same even though it comes on the weekend – scan the page and see if there is anything that intrigues me enough to read more.  At the end of beginning of May, Grapevine published a story about Patricio Galvez, a Swedish citizen whose daughter had converted to Islam and moved her family to Syria a few years ago.  This one caught my interest.  I clicked the link, read the entire article, and was left wanting more.

Three weeks later on May 20, the WSJ published an update to the story.  Swedish officials had claimed the children and they had been reunited with their grandfather in northern Syria.  A few weeks later, after some fundraising assistance, they all boarded a plane back to Sweden.  It was anything but an easy trip (they almost missed the shuttle because one child had barfed, another had come down with measles, and the grandfather and his two helpers had forgotten diapers for the baby).  The article ended when the family arrived back in Sweden and Swedish social services had gotten involved to help figure out a long-term plan to care for the children.

It is going to be a long, rocky road to integrate these 7 children into Swedish society and fully raise them to adulthood.  But…in their home country with a grandfather that loves them, they have something they didn’t have alone in Syria.  They have hope.

Do you ever feel hopeless?  If so, our scripture for today is just what you need.  This is the greatest hope story of all time.  It is better than a grandfather traveling all over Syria to rescue his grandchildren.  John 20 tells of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Only by dying and rising again could Jesus ultimately conquer sin and death. He is our only hope of abundant life eternally.  What would make you put your faith in anyone or anything else?

Today’s reading:  Mark 11

Do you ever get home from a long day at work to find a mess that needs to be cleaned up, misbehaving children that need to be set straight, or an issue that needs to be resolved?  Do you ever think to yourself, “I can’t handle this right now, I’m going to bed and will deal with it in the morning”?  I sure have.  I find that things seldom look as hopeless in the light of the morning as they look in the dark of night.  And, I almost always have more patience to deal with them in the morning than I do at night when I’m tired.

I think that might be what happened here.  Because Jesus was fully human and fully God, the Bible tells us he experienced all the same emotions we do.  Knowing the horror he was going to experience at the hands of the same people who were praising him as he entered the city may have disgusted him.  The betrayal of a close friend, much less the anticipation of the physical pain and agony that awaited him, were also probably weighing heavy on his heart and mind.  Rather than busting into the temple and driving out the money-changers right away, he may have decided to just to head to Bethany for the night and deal with the situation in the morning.

After leaving the fig tree, Jesus and his disciples went to the temple to deal with the mess they had walked away from the night before.  What they found was religious leaders who had found a way to make money off those who were upholding Mosaic Law by selling them the animals they needed for making sacrifices in the temple.  In fact many scholars believe the religious leaders’ practices were so egregious they could have been considered extortion.  Like the fig tree, the temple looked promising because it was full of “religious” people acting in way that appeared to be holy.  Unfortunately, their hearts were far from God and their actions were completely void of reverence for anyone but themselves.  Jesus cursed the practices of the merchants and drove them out of the temple.

Do you know anyone who wants to be useless?  I don’t.  Most everyone I know desires to live each day with some kind of purpose and meaning.  Genuine faith in God gives our lives potential for great purpose and meaning if we put our faith to work for the kingdom of God.