|
|
Daily Transcripts
|
06/30/2015
|
|
2 Kings 17:1-18:12 ~ Acts 20:1-38 ~ Psalm 148:1-14 ~ Proverbs 18:6-7
Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. Today is June 30th. I can hardly believe this. We are at the final day of the month of June, which means we have completed (we will have completed after today) six months nonstop through the Bible step by step. We are halfway. It just doesn't seem possible. Well done. Well done. We've walked halfway through the Bible together. You can do this. Now you know: I can do this. And enough time has passed to be able to look back and go, man, some things are shifting inside, my heart is being transformed. It’s not magic. Like we said at the beginning of the year, it’s not magic. It’s just our orientation to the craziness of life and all the circumstances and hardships that face us down. All that shifts when we orient ourselves to God every day. And by now, we've got the sense that we're not alone in this endeavor, we're doing this together. No matter where we are on this planet. It's beautiful. I can't believe it just the same. Halfway through the Bible for this year. So we are spending this week reading from the Common English Bible.
Commentary:
Okay, we've got a bittersweet day today. The northern kingdom of Israel is no more. It's important that we let that sink in because as we've talked over the last several days, we can get in this tedious mode where we are just trying to keep up with who is king in Judah and who is king in Israel. The northern kingdom of Israel has fallen. It is gone. It has been conquered by the Assyrians and they have defeated the capital city of Samaria and they have pulled everyone into exile. So what the plan to assimilate and bring about an empire was for the Assyrians was they would relocate conquered peoples. So when they conquered Israel, they pulled all of the people into exile and made them live somewhere else while bringing other conquered peoples into this new land, so that over a generation or two, no one would really know where they are from anymore. Not exactly. They would eventually all be so intermingled that it was one new people – the Assyrian people. This was the practice for empire building.
So what's happening here is the further development of people who would become known as Samaritans. So first we have Jeroboam, son of Nebat. He is Israel's first king, the northern kingdom, after all of those tribes revolted against Rehoboam, Solomon's son. So now there is this northern kingdom that encompasses a larger amount of land than Judah by far. And Jeroboam begins this idolatry and brings in new customs and rituals and mixture. That has been going on all along so every time we read of Israel's kings, we for the most part see that they followed the ways of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, which was worshiping this golden calf and having this mixture.
Now there's brand new people in the land from all over the place. A bunch of new people have been settled in this land in Samaria, all around the whole region. And they have brought with them all of their traditions, their religious rituals, their religious practices, some of them somewhat benign, some of them as bad as human sacrifice, sacrificing their own children. So it's all over the place. And they don't know how to worship what they consider to be the god of the land, Israel's god. They don't know how to worship him. And so that is what we read of today. A priest comes back, a priest from the northern kingdom. So already kind of mixed up, but he shows them how to worship the god of Israel. And it gets all blended with all of these other things, all these other traditions. And over a long period of time, we meet a people who become known as Samaritans because of Samaria, a people that had been all mixed up from all over the place and then they have their religious practices. And they are serving the god of Israel, the god of the land, the god that WE serve, but it is very, very convoluted compared to the Judaism that was handed down to Moses.
Even until today the ancient ruins of the fabulously huge and amazing Samaritan settlement on the top of the Mount of Blessing, Mount Gerizim, are still there, still in evidence. And the last of the remaining Samaritan people live on top of that mountain. There's only 700 left of them today and they live on the top of Mount Gerizim. The entire region below, much of the area that would have been Samaria, is Muslim, following the traditions of Islam.
During Jesus' time, the Samaritans were still in this region and Jesus even speaks to a Samaritan woman and ministers to the Samaritans. But they are looked down upon by those Jews practicing an orthodox, Mosaic interpretation of the law.
So we see the end. The northern kingdom has fallen. All that remains now is Judah. And we have some hope here because we have a very massively reforming king, Hezekiah. No one has served the Lord like him since David and he's trying to hold it together.
And then we have a bittersweet moment in the Apostle Paul's life, who is on his way to Jerusalem. He's got some advance warning about what is in front of him. He doesn't know exactly what that is going to look like, but he's got an idea that his days of free moving are numbered. So he is able to speak to the Ephesian leadership in this church that he invested so much of his effort into. It is such a sad moment to imagine that they've come down to meet him at the ship as he's on his way to Jerusalem and for him to say, “You'll never see me again. Don't forget what I've taught you. Sear this into your hearts because this church in Ephesus is in your care now. You'll never see me again.”
So often we want to look romantically back at the early church without understanding the costliness in lives and in passion that it took to give us what we have today. And we honor God and we also honor our heritage by not forgetting that it really wasn't quite as romantic as we want to make it out to be. We want to look at those times and the involvement of the Holy Spirit as if it were some very, very, super unique, very, very special time. And it was, certainly, but that same Holy Spirit is in us and he is in the supernatural and in the everyday mundane of life because it all brings the kingdom both into our hearts and spills over into the world around us. And so we've all lived in very special times. It is all available and we are living in it now. May we wake up and recognize as we head into the second half of the year that the story rolls on and we are in that story now, the story of Emmanuel, the story of God with us.
Prayer:
Father, we invite you fully. We invite you fully to plant the seeds of your Word deep into our hearts, changing our identity. We invite your Holy Spirit's power into our lives, changing what we do and what we say. Help us to understand that we are representatives of you and your kingdom, that you have allowed us to be your ambassadors. We thank you for this first half of this year. We thank you for your kindness and your grace in our lives – the transformation that has begun. We consecrate the second half of the year to you in advance, inviting you fully. Come. We don't want to leave this year without all that you have for us. Come Jesus, we pray. In your precious name we ask, amen.
Announcements:
Www.DailyAudioBible.com is home base. It is where you find out what is going on around here. And a couple things are going on around here.
One week from today is July 7th and the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk that I've been talking about for the past week. The Long Walk is just what we've been describing it as, a time to take all that we have been going through in the scripture to heart, all that God has been unpacking in us to heart here at the center of the year, and to put it into practice. To give ourselves permission for one day out of the year to go somewhere beautiful and walk with God for as long as it takes to say all that we need to say, to unpack everything that has been going on in our lives, and to seek the counsel of his Holy Spirit, to give him permission to speak back to us. To give us an orientation, sort of the compass for what the rest of the year is supposed to look like. To invite him fully just to spend time in beauty, to waste time together. That is what you do when you fall in love with somebody. You just go and enjoy each other's presence. That is the Long Walk. Go somewhere beautiful, whether it is in your backyard or whether it is somewhere you drive to, somewhere you love that you find beautiful and go for a long walk unhurried. Unhurried space to speak and hear and enjoy each other's company.
We are all doing this all over the world. So what makes it a family affair, what makes it a beautiful community thing, is we say somewhere along the way while you are out there, snap a picture or take a little video or something and then post it to the DAB Facebook page which is www.Facebook.com/DailyAudioBible. What that does is incredible. It pulls us together in community because all of a sudden you get these little windows into each other's lives, looking into each other's day for a second and we are experiencing the beauty that you experienced for a second. And it is lovely. So make plans for that. One week from today, the Daily Audio Bible Long Walk 2015, on July 7th.
Of course, this weekend I'll be out in Maine at the River Rock Festival. Looking forward to seeing those of you who are in attendance. Thank you for your prayers over the travel that is involved in this summer touring season.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at the website. There is a link on the home page. It's in the upper right-hand corner. Thank you, as we get into the deep summer months, for your partnership. It's funny – the summer months get to be the times when some of the most risky decisions have to be made but where there's the least amount of support in making them. So thank you for your continued partnership in allowing the Daily Audio Bible to exist. If you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.
And if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to call.
That's it for today. I'm Brian. I love you. I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayers and Praise Reports:
The name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous run into it and are safe. Hello family. This is Lisa from Western North Carolina. Want to thank you all for praying for me, specifically everyone who prayed on the podcast. I was able to hear it and be encouraged. Thank you, Patty, Biola, my sister from Hot Springs, AR and Karen from Boca Raton. And Karen, yes, I have always forgiven my mother. She's always been mentally ill and practicing paganism and various parts of witchcraft. I have always forgiven her and pray for her constantly. So thank you for your prayers. I want to say thank you to Brian for everything you do. Today's reading was so timely for me. As Elisha was outnumbered and he said to his servant when he was asked what should we do, and he said those that are for us outnumber those that are against us. That is what I felt in my spirit as the Holy Spirit has been encouraging me through this time of spiritual attack. God has also given me this scripture: Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. I'm sending lots of prayers your way. Let's pray for each other and love each other. In Jesus' name, amen.
Hello. My name is Richard and I'm from Mississippi. I was wanting prayers for myself. I have been verbally abused by my mother on-and-off for many years and I'd like healing in that. And I'd like you to pray for my mom, that she would come to know the Lord. Thank you.
Hey DAB family, this is Ralph M. calling from Charlotte and I just wanted to call in. Liam, brother, I just heard your prayer and my heart is broken for you, brother. You and I walked together at Wild at Heart back in August of 2012 and I haven't forgotten about you. I pray about you often. I'll pray for you and your family every day, my friend. You keep calling in and keep us posted. Know that you've got brothers and sisters lock and shield with you and walking side-by-side through what you are going through. Reach out to me if you need to, brother. I love you and I'll be praying for you.
Hi Daily Audio Bible, this is Caroline from Colorado. I'm calling to say good morning and how much I do love listening to Daily Audio Bible every morning. It is so exciting right now, what we are listening to and what Brian is reading about is amazing. It is just exciting. It is the best novel but it is also truth, God's truth, and it fills me with such excitement. Really thankful that we have Brian to read the Bible in so many different versions. Also want to ask for prayer like usual about my son Zachary. He's in California and he's homeless again. He's been through 9 or 10 rehabs, a few hospitals for his addiction. He doesn't want the help. He's good at manipulation. And I just pray that someone will walk into his life that will show him the love and truth that he needs. I know God is with him. He's knows the Lord. It is really hard as a mother to wait and see and hear all the horrible tales he is telling me of what he has been through. He's been in and out of the county jail in LA. Mind you, he's from a small town in Colorado. Really tough. I'm amazed at the peace God has given me. I ask God to not let anything come between me and Him, me and praising my Lord, me and my relationship with Jesus. Because it is primarily the first thing that should come to my heart, not the trouble that I have or anyone in my life should never come between my relationship with God.
Good morning DAB family. Today is June 25th. This is Brian from Costa Mesa. I just finished listening to the prayer requests and I just want to reach out to Liam in the UK and Christa in Minnesota who are both struggling in their marriages and their family situations. I just want to tell you to lean on the Lord and his Word in Jeremiah 29:11 where he tells us that all things work together for good. It is hard to see it right now, but in time, whatever is working itself out is going to show itself. Just know also there are 3 types of storms that we all go through in life. One is the correcting storms which tell us we are on the wrong path and we have to get on the right path. The second is a protecting storm which means we may be trying to get to something that we probably shouldn't have or want. And then there are the perfecting storms which tell us you are put into a situation that causes you to lean on God even more. Of course, the Bible is chock full of these types of stories. I don't know what you are going through, but I know God does and he has a plan for you. This community is praying for you and we want you all to know that. You are not alone in this fight and you do not have to fight the battle alone. I also want to ask for prayer for my nephew Adam. He is a good man of God but he is doing something wrong by living with his girlfriend. He is trying to get her to become a Christian. We have talked about it and prayed about it and lifted up resources to her. She is open to it. I would ask that you pray for Adam to do the right thing in his living situation and that Yoko, his girlfriend, would turn to Christ and become a believer. In that way, if they choose to get married they can start off on the right path. Always know that if God is at the center of your marriage it will become stronger. I use the analogy of a rope of three cords. If God is at the center and the husband and wife are wrapped around it, that rope of three cords is not easily broken. Love you all and I’ll talk to you soon.
Hey Daily Audio Bible family, this is Zack from Portland, OR. I just wanted to call in. It was on my heart for you, Jason in Los Angeles, to pray for you. I can't imagine the feelings you are feeling right now but don't listen to it. That's the enemy. He's confusing you. You are strong and he's attacking you because you are strong. Stay grounded. And Liam, God Bless you, over in the UK. I feel so connected to you and close to you. Keep your head down and pray and give it all to God. I know so many times I've sat and thought I've done so many bad things, it's just over, it’s done with. And there isn't anything God can't fix. So just wanted to call and let you know I'm thinking about you guys. Christa in Minnesota, I got you. Everything is going to be fine. Hang in there and don't forget to pray. We're right there with you, all the prayer warriors. Love you guys. Thank you for everything. Brian, thank you. Love you guys and I'm thinking about you.
Hey Walta, this is Annette from Oklahoma City. I am so thankful. Man, I heard your good news today that your son David was with you. God bless you, my sister. God bless you, my young son, David. What a great family story. It is just another shining example if we try to lean on God and depend on him that he will be faithful in reuniting our families and giving back to us the things that were taken away and lost and not lost. I'm so thankful that your family is mostly reunited. Sister, I am still holding you up in prayer that your husband gets to be with you very soon. I'm sure that everything will work out fine. I hope that David gets his birthday wish. Happy Birthday, young son of the Daily Audio Bible. We are sure proud to have you here. You are such a nice young man and your mama loves you so much. You don't even know, but we sure do. Okay. You keep that in mind every day that your mama was fighting for you and praying for you and standing up for you every day. Alright, we love you guys very, very much. Walta, I hope your dreams come true, my sister. I love you so very much. You take care. Bye-bye.
|
|
Tamarie 07/01/2015 00:11 |
|
|
