Filled With The Holy Spirit!
Psalm 73:1-12
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
Reflections: This psalm begins book 3 of the Psalms, it is written by Asaph, likely a colleague of David in the ministry of worship and song writing in the temple. This psalm begins by a reflection on the apparent prosperity of the wicked, while the righteous seem have a difficult time. The psalmist reflects on this dilemma, and how it almost caused him to slip and fall, as he was tempted to envy the “easy life” they seemed to live.
It will be important to read the end of this psalm tomorrow, where we see the psalmist clinging to the Lord, the rock which puts his feet on a firm foundation, as opposed to the wicked who will one day slip and fall and not recover. Though their prosperity seems to be enduring, it will be taken in a moment, where the righteous will shine forever in heaven. This psalm is of great encouragement if you feel like you are feeling like you are following the Lord, and yet still are undergoing great difficulties. You might see a non-believer around you living a callous life, and wonder why their life seems to be so easy, when yours seems so hard. The words of the psalmist can help you cling to the Lord the rock of your salvation, who will deliver you in times of trouble and in the end raise you to eternal life.
Numbers 26:1-24
The Second Census
26 After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, 2 “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel.” 3 So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, 4 “Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the Lord commanded Moses.”These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:5 The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were:through Hanok, the Hanokite clan;through Pallu, the Palluite clan; 6 through Hezron, the Hezronite clan;through Karmi, the Karmite clan.7 These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.8 The son of Pallu was Eliab, 9 and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah’s followers when they rebelled against the Lord. 10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And they served as a warning sign. 11 The line of Korah, however, did not die out.
Reflections: (From NIV Study Bible) “The first census of those who were mustered for the war of conquest had been taken more than 38 years earlier (hence the title of this book of the bible, cf ch.1) That generation of men, 20 years old or more had nearly all died. It was now time for the new generation to be numbered and mustered for the campaign that awaited them.”
If you did a quick comparison of the two censuses, the first one totaled 603,550 and the second one 601,730 (not much difference). Unfortunately the first group of men were not able to be part of the conquest of the land due to their unfaithfulness, and the unfaithfulness of their leaders. But God’s purpose will still be accomplished through this new group from the same but different members of the tribe of Israel.
This is a sober reminder that God’s purpose will be done, but the question is will it happen through us. God has called each of us to make a difference in the mission to bring all to know His Son, but many are called yet few are chosen.
Luke 1:5-25
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Reflections: As we begin our journey through the gospel of Luke, a couple things will help us to understand the uniqueness of Luke’s gospel. Luke, was a doctor and accompanied Paul on his 2nd missionary journey. Luke was a Gentile, and he writes will excellent Greek literary style, reflecting his education and intellect. Luke begins in chapter to 1 to show his purpose was to write a detailed account of the things that have been fulfilled among, us just as they were handed down to the eyewitnesses who are servants of the word. Since Luke had access to these eyewitnesses, mainly the apostle Paul, it made his gospel authoritative and was one of the reasons it was included in the New Testament Canon (the rule of law used to decide what got included in the final bible with 66 books in the New and Old Testament).
In this first chapter, we see material unique to Luke, including the birth of John the Baptist, and the power of the Holy Spirit which filled him from birth. We learn details about Elizabeth, was who a descendant of the line of Aaron, the most high priest; and her husband Zechariah, a devoted priest from the line of Abijah. One of Zechariah’s job was to keep the altar of incense burning night and day after the morning and evening sacrifices. It is in this context that the angel of Lord, Gabriel, announces to Zechariah that Elizabeth will give birth even in her old age. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel, and as a consequence wasn’t able to speak until the child is born.
This is not the first time a child has been born to a woman in her old age! See the story of Abraham and Sarah. These stories remind us that God often works in ways that might seem impossible to us, to make it un-mistakable that He is the One producing the work! When we are given a challenge, often times we look to our earthly abilities to step out into action. When if God calls us to something, it will likely only be by His intervention that we can carry it out.
I am a stranger on earth. Psalm 119:19 (NIV)
Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 1 Corinthians 9:24
Lord, let us not get so caught up in the blur of worldly races that we are blinded to the ultimate prize you place before us. Train us to engage in those efforts that lead to you. Amen.
________________________________________
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
Reflections: This psalm begins book 3 of the Psalms, it is written by Asaph, likely a colleague of David in the ministry of worship and song writing in the temple. This psalm begins by a reflection on the apparent prosperity of the wicked, while the righteous seem have a difficult time. The psalmist reflects on this dilemma, and how it almost caused him to slip and fall, as he was tempted to envy the “easy life” they seemed to live.
It will be important to read the end of this psalm tomorrow, where we see the psalmist clinging to the Lord, the rock which puts his feet on a firm foundation, as opposed to the wicked who will one day slip and fall and not recover. Though their prosperity seems to be enduring, it will be taken in a moment, where the righteous will shine forever in heaven. This psalm is of great encouragement if you feel like you are feeling like you are following the Lord, and yet still are undergoing great difficulties. You might see a non-believer around you living a callous life, and wonder why their life seems to be so easy, when yours seems so hard. The words of the psalmist can help you cling to the Lord the rock of your salvation, who will deliver you in times of trouble and in the end raise you to eternal life.
Numbers 26:1-24
The Second Census
26 After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, 2 “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel.” 3 So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, 4 “Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the Lord commanded Moses.”These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:5 The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were:through Hanok, the Hanokite clan;through Pallu, the Palluite clan; 6 through Hezron, the Hezronite clan;through Karmi, the Karmite clan.7 These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.8 The son of Pallu was Eliab, 9 and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah’s followers when they rebelled against the Lord. 10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And they served as a warning sign. 11 The line of Korah, however, did not die out.
Reflections: (From NIV Study Bible) “The first census of those who were mustered for the war of conquest had been taken more than 38 years earlier (hence the title of this book of the bible, cf ch.1) That generation of men, 20 years old or more had nearly all died. It was now time for the new generation to be numbered and mustered for the campaign that awaited them.”
If you did a quick comparison of the two censuses, the first one totaled 603,550 and the second one 601,730 (not much difference). Unfortunately the first group of men were not able to be part of the conquest of the land due to their unfaithfulness, and the unfaithfulness of their leaders. But God’s purpose will still be accomplished through this new group from the same but different members of the tribe of Israel.
This is a sober reminder that God’s purpose will be done, but the question is will it happen through us. God has called each of us to make a difference in the mission to bring all to know His Son, but many are called yet few are chosen.
Luke 1:5-25
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Reflections: As we begin our journey through the gospel of Luke, a couple things will help us to understand the uniqueness of Luke’s gospel. Luke, was a doctor and accompanied Paul on his 2nd missionary journey. Luke was a Gentile, and he writes will excellent Greek literary style, reflecting his education and intellect. Luke begins in chapter to 1 to show his purpose was to write a detailed account of the things that have been fulfilled among, us just as they were handed down to the eyewitnesses who are servants of the word. Since Luke had access to these eyewitnesses, mainly the apostle Paul, it made his gospel authoritative and was one of the reasons it was included in the New Testament Canon (the rule of law used to decide what got included in the final bible with 66 books in the New and Old Testament).
In this first chapter, we see material unique to Luke, including the birth of John the Baptist, and the power of the Holy Spirit which filled him from birth. We learn details about Elizabeth, was who a descendant of the line of Aaron, the most high priest; and her husband Zechariah, a devoted priest from the line of Abijah. One of Zechariah’s job was to keep the altar of incense burning night and day after the morning and evening sacrifices. It is in this context that the angel of Lord, Gabriel, announces to Zechariah that Elizabeth will give birth even in her old age. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel, and as a consequence wasn’t able to speak until the child is born.
This is not the first time a child has been born to a woman in her old age! See the story of Abraham and Sarah. These stories remind us that God often works in ways that might seem impossible to us, to make it un-mistakable that He is the One producing the work! When we are given a challenge, often times we look to our earthly abilities to step out into action. When if God calls us to something, it will likely only be by His intervention that we can carry it out.
I am a stranger on earth. Psalm 119:19 (NIV)
Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 1 Corinthians 9:24
Lord, let us not get so caught up in the blur of worldly races that we are blinded to the ultimate prize you place before us. Train us to engage in those efforts that lead to you. Amen.
________________________________________
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