One Year Bible, June 10

1 KINGS 7:1-51                                                                                                                 
SOLOMON'S PALACE: Took 13 years to finish. It had a throne room and measured larger than God's Temple!

JACHIN AND BOAZ: Two bronze pillars set at the entrance of the porch of the Temple. "Jachin" means "Established" and "Boaz" means "Strength". Each one was topped with an oil basin, called a "chapiter", that resembled crowns. They lit up and illuminated the facade of the Temple and reminded them of the "fire by night" that led them through the wilderness. Both pillars could be pictures of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

WASHING AND CLEANSING: There was the "molten sea" which was for the priests to wash in, therefore it took the place of the laver in the tabernacle. The ten lavers were used as baths for portions of the burnt offerings.  The "sea" had a perimeter of 30 cubits (45 feet) and was 5 cubits high (7.5 feet).   It rested on the backs of 10 molded oxen, whose hinder parts were inward, and they faced outward in a circle.   The lavers were elaborately carved and sat on bases 5.5 feet high.   All this stuff, along with the brass pillars, were taken to Babylon when Jerusalem was captured.

RESPONSE:   The "sea" and the "lavers" represent our cleansing and sanctification process - and their being chopped up and carried off to Babylon show the affect of the world-spirit conquering the church.   The problem actually BEGAN on the inside with idolatrous King Ahaz taking "just the decorative borders" from the lavers and the basins themselves. The Babylonians took the bases, the sea and the pillars. It looks like that world-spirit just chipped away at the cleansing and sanctification process. We must not allow the little things to weaken us. 

ACTS 7:30-50                                                                                                                  
See yesterday's post.

PSALM 128:1-6                                                                                                               
NINTH STEP: Psalm 128: The fruitfulness of the walk of obedience of faith.  The "fear of the Lord" is "the trembling awareness that life has meaning, and my choices have consequences."   Obedience is the outward evidence of the fear of God.   That is what makes life interesting, adventurous, happy, blessed, peaceful and fruitful.

PROVERBS 16:31-33                                                                                                       
In societies other than the Western ones, grey hair is a symbol of honor, wisdom, and righteousness.   But, in the West, the proverb is "the good die young."   Such cynicism!

A man who "rules his spirit" is one who does NOT lose his temper.  God is said to be "slow to anger" (Neh 9:17; Psa 103:8; Joel 2:13; Nah 1:3).  NOWHERE DOES THE BIBLE CONDONE ANGER.  The Sermon on the Mount reveals that anger leads to hatred, which then leads to murder.  The first person in the Bible described as "angry" is Cain, who ended up murdering his brother. The evil of anger is that it centers on getting control.  Man's anger is arrogant and self-righteous.  In an angry person, the importance of SELF is blown out of proportion.   Eccl 7:9 says that anger is a characteristic of FOOLS. Even Eph 4:26-31 says to get RID OF anger QUICKLY.  Internalized anger turns to bitterness and hatred, so don't ignore it.  Get rid of it!

RESPONSE:  Jesus' answer to anger is not therapy, but a blood sacrifice.  This is not about self-help or even about self-image, but about resurrection into a new life.   Jesus came to rescue us from the evil within us!   Jesus is not just a nice man; He is savvy, smart, informed, brilliant even.   He meets us IN CONTEXT of our daily living and shows us how to handle life as it really is.   We don't vent; venting only makes the anger WORSE and more "dug-in".   It becomes practice for doing it again.   We don't "stuff it down" either.  We become people who don't get angry!  We HAVE TO DO IT THIS WAY - because anger can't be compartmentalized.  We don't want to become an angry person.  Yet, that is what we will be. We must repent and become more and more dependent on God - take all our energy and use it to connect with God moment-by-moment.  Command our hearts to come into line with TRUTH - as we instruct it over and over and over and over again......"God is good. God is in control. God is working His plan. God loves me. I am part of His plan. God can be trusted. God is mighty and a strong deliverer. No one else loves me or knows me like God does."   STAY DEPENDENT.