Don't Be Alarmed!
Psalm 72:1-11
Of Solomon.
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 He will judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 The mountains will bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 He will defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
he will crush the oppressor.
5 He will endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 He will be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days the righteous will flourish;
prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.
8 He will rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 The desert tribes will bow before him
and his enemies will lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
will bring tribute to him;
the kings of Sheba and Seba
will present him gifts.
11 All kings will bow down to him
and all nations will serve him.
Reflections: In today’s psalm, we see David looking forward to his son, Solomon, who would succeed him as the king of Israel. David would not see the building of the temple, but Solomon would be the one to build a temple for the Lord. Though Solomon would be one of the greatest earthly kings, he like David, and all the other kings who followed would have his shortcomings. This psalm is also referring to Jesus, the king of kings, who would come from the royal throne of God.
The New Testament will teach us that as sons and daughters of God, we are all born of royalty in our spiritual lineage. That would make us princes and princesses. Our identity as God’s children makes us inheritors of all that is God’s. As you go about your day today remember who you are as a child of the King.
Numbers 23
Balaam’s Second Oracle
13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will see only a part but not all of them. And from there, curse them for me. ” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this message.” 17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?” 18 Then he uttered his oracle: “Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor. 19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill? 20 I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it. 21 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel.[a]
The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them. 22 God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. 23 There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
24 The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims.” 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!” 26 Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”
Reflections: Balak continues to try and get Balaam to curse the Israelites and built altars and sacrifices to call upon God. But God continues to give Balaam a message of blessing for Israel not curses. Balak is not happy and continues to push Balaam to create the scenario he wants not what God wants.
This scene reminds me of how sometimes our prayers can degenerate into simply asking God what we want which we think will make us happy. That is why the Lord’s Prayer is so helpful as a model for prayer. Of course Jesus gave it to us because he knew the tendencies of human beings to focus on themselves versus God. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray for daily bread and God’s provision for each day. And we also pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done. We don’t try to orchestrate our will being done, and instead we pray to be aware and led by God’s Spirit to pursue kingdom purposes each day. As Martin Luther taught in the Small Catechism, “God’s kingdom is surely going to come, the question becomes is it going to come through me.”
God’s kingdom message was coming through Balaam, but Balak did not want to accept it because he was trying to build his own kingdom, not God’s. May we make sure we don’t fall into the same trap!
Mark 16:1-13
The Resurrection
16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” 8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Reflections: As you can see by your footnotes in your bible on online, this is the shorter version ending of Mark stopping at verse 8. Verses 9-16 were not included in the earliest manuscripts, but have been included in most bibles as part of the biblical canon. Certainly the details in verses 9-16 are supported by the other gospels, so we can trust their accuracy. Usually as those translating the bible made decisions about what to include, the shorter version is usually preferred because of the tendency of those translating as the years went on to add details to the story (in theological circles this is called “redaction” criticism).
Nonetheless in Mark’s shorter ending version we get a sense of irony of these 3 women going to the tomb and wondering who will roll away the large stone, so they could give Jesus’ body the proper burial anointing. But what they found was the stone was rolled away and a young man in a white robe (generally considered an angel) telling them “Don’t be alarmed” (remember angels were intimidating figures). Jesus, who was crucified, has risen and He has gone ahead of you into Galilee go tell his disciples and Peter.”
Then, we have the curious reaction of the women, which makes this gospel all the more believable, “Trembling and bewildered the women went out and fled from the tomb and said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” Now we know from other versions that they did eventually go and tell others, but initially they were shocked. And wouldn’t you be if you went to go anoint your Lord who you assumed was dead, and He was not there and you were meant by angel at an empty tomb!
The realness of this story and the facts of Jesus’ resurrection and the women’s reaction add authenticity to the biblical witness. After all, who would have scripted this story. It shows us the humanness of the characters and the real life version of how Jesus’ resurrection started with fear and bewilderment, and led to the empowerment of the disciples (both men and women). Jesus appeared to them and reassured them that He was indeed raised from the dead.
It reminds us that Jesus meets us where we are at in our journey of faith, and through the power of the Holy Spirit confirms our faith so we can proclaim, “He is Risen, He is Risen indeed!”
Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live. Deuteronomy 31:13 (NIV)
Paul wrote to the congregation in Corinth: Here I am, ready to come to you this third time. And I will not be a burden, because I do not want what is yours but you; for children ought not to lay up for their parents, but parents for their children. 2 Corinthians 12:14
Great Teacher, grant us wisdom and guidance as we share our love and service for you with others, especially our youth. Help us to recognize your voice in their voices and to learn from them in return. Amen.
Of Solomon.
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 He will judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 The mountains will bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 He will defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
he will crush the oppressor.
5 He will endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 He will be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days the righteous will flourish;
prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.
8 He will rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 The desert tribes will bow before him
and his enemies will lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
will bring tribute to him;
the kings of Sheba and Seba
will present him gifts.
11 All kings will bow down to him
and all nations will serve him.
Reflections: In today’s psalm, we see David looking forward to his son, Solomon, who would succeed him as the king of Israel. David would not see the building of the temple, but Solomon would be the one to build a temple for the Lord. Though Solomon would be one of the greatest earthly kings, he like David, and all the other kings who followed would have his shortcomings. This psalm is also referring to Jesus, the king of kings, who would come from the royal throne of God.
The New Testament will teach us that as sons and daughters of God, we are all born of royalty in our spiritual lineage. That would make us princes and princesses. Our identity as God’s children makes us inheritors of all that is God’s. As you go about your day today remember who you are as a child of the King.
Numbers 23
Balaam’s Second Oracle
13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will see only a part but not all of them. And from there, curse them for me. ” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this message.” 17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?” 18 Then he uttered his oracle: “Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor. 19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill? 20 I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it. 21 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel.[a]
The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them. 22 God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. 23 There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
24 The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims.” 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!” 26 Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”
Reflections: Balak continues to try and get Balaam to curse the Israelites and built altars and sacrifices to call upon God. But God continues to give Balaam a message of blessing for Israel not curses. Balak is not happy and continues to push Balaam to create the scenario he wants not what God wants.
This scene reminds me of how sometimes our prayers can degenerate into simply asking God what we want which we think will make us happy. That is why the Lord’s Prayer is so helpful as a model for prayer. Of course Jesus gave it to us because he knew the tendencies of human beings to focus on themselves versus God. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray for daily bread and God’s provision for each day. And we also pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done. We don’t try to orchestrate our will being done, and instead we pray to be aware and led by God’s Spirit to pursue kingdom purposes each day. As Martin Luther taught in the Small Catechism, “God’s kingdom is surely going to come, the question becomes is it going to come through me.”
God’s kingdom message was coming through Balaam, but Balak did not want to accept it because he was trying to build his own kingdom, not God’s. May we make sure we don’t fall into the same trap!
Mark 16:1-13
The Resurrection
16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” 8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Reflections: As you can see by your footnotes in your bible on online, this is the shorter version ending of Mark stopping at verse 8. Verses 9-16 were not included in the earliest manuscripts, but have been included in most bibles as part of the biblical canon. Certainly the details in verses 9-16 are supported by the other gospels, so we can trust their accuracy. Usually as those translating the bible made decisions about what to include, the shorter version is usually preferred because of the tendency of those translating as the years went on to add details to the story (in theological circles this is called “redaction” criticism).
Nonetheless in Mark’s shorter ending version we get a sense of irony of these 3 women going to the tomb and wondering who will roll away the large stone, so they could give Jesus’ body the proper burial anointing. But what they found was the stone was rolled away and a young man in a white robe (generally considered an angel) telling them “Don’t be alarmed” (remember angels were intimidating figures). Jesus, who was crucified, has risen and He has gone ahead of you into Galilee go tell his disciples and Peter.”
Then, we have the curious reaction of the women, which makes this gospel all the more believable, “Trembling and bewildered the women went out and fled from the tomb and said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” Now we know from other versions that they did eventually go and tell others, but initially they were shocked. And wouldn’t you be if you went to go anoint your Lord who you assumed was dead, and He was not there and you were meant by angel at an empty tomb!
The realness of this story and the facts of Jesus’ resurrection and the women’s reaction add authenticity to the biblical witness. After all, who would have scripted this story. It shows us the humanness of the characters and the real life version of how Jesus’ resurrection started with fear and bewilderment, and led to the empowerment of the disciples (both men and women). Jesus appeared to them and reassured them that He was indeed raised from the dead.
It reminds us that Jesus meets us where we are at in our journey of faith, and through the power of the Holy Spirit confirms our faith so we can proclaim, “He is Risen, He is Risen indeed!”
Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live. Deuteronomy 31:13 (NIV)
Paul wrote to the congregation in Corinth: Here I am, ready to come to you this third time. And I will not be a burden, because I do not want what is yours but you; for children ought not to lay up for their parents, but parents for their children. 2 Corinthians 12:14
Great Teacher, grant us wisdom and guidance as we share our love and service for you with others, especially our youth. Help us to recognize your voice in their voices and to learn from them in return. Amen.
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