Saturday, July 28, 2012

August 5, 2012

Scriptures for August 5th: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13; Psalm 51:1-12; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35; Jesus is the bread of life; Samuel: This is a continuation of last week. Last week we witnessed the sinful act, this Sunday we learn how the story continues. Even if he fixed the situation on the outside, he still had to live with the consequences. David thought that he had silenced anyone who had witnessed his sin. But God was there also, God saw it all and God refused to be silenced. The prophet Nathan tells him that God is not happy. And God will not ignore that has happen. David was favored by God, but he still had to atone for his sin. God had promised that his kingdom would last forever, but God says that it will be a troubled reign. I often wonder if we would have heard this story if Bathsheba was not the mother of Solomon. It seems that it is Solomon that must tell this story of his father’s sin, in order to legitimize his reign. We wish that he had taken the story seriously and not made the same mistakes. Interestingly, in the end, justice is served. Bathsheba is not remembered as Solomon’s mother, she is remembered as Uriah’s wife. She is listed in Jesus genealogy. She becomes a part of our story of salvation, even though she is in the story of David’s sin. John: This scripture is also a continuation of last week’s story. The feeding of the 5000 becomes a teaching moment for Jesus to tell is that he is the bread of life. Man cannot eat by bread alone; we also need to live by the word of God. But when our stomachs are hungry, we are less likely to listen. Jesus fed their bellies and they still did not understand. They thought that Jesus was feeding them so that he could be an earthly king. Jesus wants to be an eternal king of our lives. John chapter six is a lesson for the church that we are the hands of Jesus for the world. Jesus continues to feed us – when we take communion, he says, do this in remembrance of me. But everything that we should do should be in remembrance of Jesus. But it is our power to give to others and to live a holy life. It is our faith in eternal life. If we follow Jesus, we will do well in this world, but we do better in the world to come. That is the world that Jesus is preparing for those who follow him all of the way. Questions: Are you still living in the consequences of sin? What lesson about forgiveness does this story of David tell us? When was the last time you asked God to create a clean heart for you? What signs that Jesus is taking care of you have you received? How has that sign turned into an act faith for you?

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