PSA Bible Reading Challenge 2023-2024

We continue along in Timothy, this time looking at the second letter that he writes to his protege. We all know II Timothy 4:6-8. It is the Scripture that I use the most for funerals and so we tend to skip past it as if we already know everything there is to know about its meaning. To some extent that is right, we know that for Paul his desire was to leave a legacy to his mentee which was based upon faith and not based upon any material items that he might have. This faith is not only the one that Paul exemplifies but also the faith that was exhibited in the family of Timothy, and especially in the women of Timothy’s family. We don’t often see the faith of the women lifted up as exemplary, good to see this.

I have never been into memorizing Scripture, but if I were…probably Psalm 130 would be one that I could and would want to memorize. We read the hope that we have in Jesus in this Psalm, that in him there is steadfast love and the power to redeem. There is only this dynamic in the God whom we love and whom we serve. Psalm 105 is a stunning reminder of all that God has done for the people of Israel. From the bondage of Joseph to his liberation and eventual claim over the land which allows his people to join him in abundance in the land of “Ham”. That would be Egypt. The Psalms provide a multiplicity of promises, not the least of which is the incessant reminder that God is in control. It is in the Psalms where we are infused with the doctrine of the Providence of God, that all things remain under his guiding and loving hand. Thanks be to God!

We read the entire book of I Timothy. Let’s set the stage, Paul is probably in Macedonia when he is writing this. He is writing to Timothy whom he considers his son, more of a mentor/mentee relationship. Timothy has taken on the responsibilities of pastoring the church in Ephesus which we know is not a town that has welcomed Paul warmly at all. Paul is trying to give Timothy some pointers on what to emphasize, how to increase your faith while you serve, and some teachings to share with the congregation that were important to him in his ministry.

Chapter 3 contains some important benchmarks to those who would serve as officers in the church. Now, let’s be clear, no one can reach completely these benchmarks, but they are goals after which we ought to strive and who knows, we just might get closer if we try than where we currently are now. It isn’t a super inspirational book for me. It does contain some advice that I might consider pretty specific to its time period and to the church in Ephesus and so not completely applicable to today, but still important enough to understand and be aware that this is a teaching that was inspired by God and God alone.

You can understand why Luther felt like James should have been left out of the canon of Scripture. If you look at chapter 2 starting at vs.14 you read an argument which lifts up works as a manifestation of faith. But it is really this verse, vs.24 where it states that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone which screams loudly against our Protestant understanding which emphasizes that we are saved by grace through faith alone. In that formula nothing is mentioned of works, and that is on purpose.

Aside from this somewhat, okay very, controversial theological matter, James is filled with precious bits of wisdom that would do us well to remember. He addresses our preferential treatment in the church of those who have material means and that God would be disappointed if this continued. He highlights the role that elders serve in healing and in bringing people to a saving knowledge of Christ by recognizing that God is still at work today. There is so much in James. If you were into memorizing Scripture this book of the Bible would be a good one to memorize. Don’t tell Luther I said so.

There are definitely some themes that deserve to be underscored, but many of them reveal themselves right at the end in the final verses of chapter 12. Before that, look at 9:17-18 “The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war.” I love this quote and it also gives the example of the wise old man who saved the city and yet his contribution was forgotten. While the city was saved, the fact that it happened because of the wisdom of an individual was lost, and so the value of wisdom in those situations was lost as well. Wisdom is better than weapons of war. Love this.

The second principle that is crucial is found in chapter 12:13 “Fear God and keep his commandments, for that is the whole duty of everyone.” If only…Some may take some consolation in the verse that states: much study is a weariness to the flesh. I don’t know, I love to study and it really energizes my flesh and my body and all of me. I haven’t found that studying creates burn out, but maybe I don’t do it enough to make that happen. Keep studying Scripture y’all!

I didn’t think I really enjoyed Ecclesiastes, until I read it pretty carefully this morning. Now I think I like it. The author does seem a bit of a Scrooge and would never be classified as an optimist by anyone’s classifications, but he just might have a few things right. Well, that goes without saying, it is Scripture after all. We know from chapter 1:1 that the author is Solomon. We can guess that he is probably later in his years. He expresses how ironic, how vain is the word he actually uses, to think of those who work hard thinking that their work is going to last any longer than their life might last.

There is more to it, of course, and in the course of the Scripture he does lift up work as edifying but not as an end to itself, it is a means to enjoying this life more fully. I think the reason why I enjoy this Scripture now is that I recognize more than ever that our task is to work so that we can enjoy God even more today than we did yesterday. Our job is not to do God’s job, but it is to do that which is put before us, and even more, but not for the sake of gain or for the sake of acquiring even more, but rather for the sake of enjoying the life that God has given us.

You know for many enjoying life may look like kicking your shoes off and putting your feet upon on your couch and binge watching Friends. Well, that’s not really what the definition of life is for this author. His definition is that you do that which you were called to do and in that you take pleasure. When you are fulfilled in the Lord, then you can be fulfilled in all that you do, which may be work, or family, or pleasure. But if you seek pleasure for the sake of finding pleasure, then you have already missed the mark. When you do that which pleases you, then you are able to do that which is God’s will and desire in your life. This makes a lot more sense to me now than it ever did.

And so the story ends. God does finally speak and he speaks to Job as someone who is guilty. He asks Job who is the creator? He also asks Job who continues to have a hand in all that takes place and who continues to have all wisdom beyond understanding. There is nothing that escapes the hand of the Lord, nothing. There is a theory in some circles that God created and then left us to our own devices. This book of the Bible speaks strongly against that approach. God created and continues to have a hand in all things.

When Job is confronted he did what was necessary. He confessed that he did not know what he was saying and states that he repents in dust and ashes because he spoke that which he did not know. This approach to humility was what was necessary for all of the people involved. In fact, God demands a sacrifice of humility from the friends of Job who had accosted him verbally while he was down and out.

As a result of this sacrifice and the praying of Job over his friends, for God would only accept Job’s prayers and not those of his friends, as a result of the prayers of Job God listens and even doubles the prosperity of Job from what he had before. All is well that ends well. He even has more kids including one daughter whose name was Jemimah. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Elihu, you know the fourth person to condemn Job outside of his friend circle, really goes off and speaks at length as to the folly of Job thinking that he was righteous. He speaks more than any of the friends in these chapters and he refers more to God and his way of being which is pretty hard to argue against. But I am sure that Job will try. I am still waiting to hear what God is going to say, because we know that God will speak and will put Job, his friends, and hopefully Elihu in his place as well. Many words Elihu, many words.

I’ll leave you with the words of Proverbs, the last words that we read: The victory belongs to the Lord.

Now it starts to get interesting with Job. We find him at the beginning of this reading eulogizing wisdom and how precious wisdom is. Only God knows where to find wisdom and knows its path and its purpose. Nothing in this world is more precious than wisdom. Like that commercial says you can put a pricetag on certain things, but wisdom: priceless. Job does have a longish defense of himself in regards to the Matthew 25 Scripture which we saw earlier. He was accused of not reaching out to those in need and concern and one of his friends said very specifically that this was why God had turned His back on him.

These chapters contained a defense of Job by Job in that he says he always looked for ways to reach out to the poor and the helpless and the defenseless. In fact, he said that if he did not do that then God should remove his arms and take away anything that he had at all, physically. It is a very strong appeal made by Job that he did, in fact, reach out in concern to the needy when he was in his whole state. He gave specific examples and they would have been hard to argue against.

We end with a fourth person, who isn’t described as a friend but rather as someone who was younger and held his mouth because he was convinced that the three older friends would have been able to have convince Job that he was not righteous as he though he was. So he lays into him and tells him that no one is righteous and that his arguments against his friends were really arguements against God. Kinda hard to go against that. Let’s see what happens when we finish this out. God has to speak at some point.

In Job 22 his friend is very specific in what he states Job has failed to do. It all kinda follows what the king says in Matthew 25. You failed to reach out in concern to the widow. You abandoned the orphan. You didn’t provide food to the hungry or material relief to the poor. This listing of non-actions should be a concern to the reader. It seems as if his friend is accusing him very specifically for things that he did not do. His friend would know him and would stand in a position to be able to accuse him. But again, the concept is that because he did not do any of these things he falls within the company of the wicked and God naturally will punish the wicked. As a result you are being punished right now in your current state of affairs because you did not do all those things.

We do not know if Job did these things or not. He certainly says that he will die before he confesses to things that he feels like he did not commit, and probably these types of actions fall into that category. He refuses to admit to the guilt that he does not have. Now, there is a part of me that makes me think that Job thinks more highly of himself than he ought to. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. His friends make him out to be inherently sinful, as if God created him that way. No, not one of us is inherently sinful, God has made us in His image. But we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Maybe that is enough to admit. It may not make a difference in the current state of affairs for Job, but a little humility might help.