Author: Dave Dishman (Page 70 of 411)

At times everything looks bleak. I appreciate the words written by David as he shared his raw frustrations when the world went dark. Here’s an example:

Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.

David endured empty flattery, endless boasting and wicked sharp tongues in those around him, with no end in sight. Proximity to power draws out the worst as people vie for a piece of the action. David watched this play out before him and grew despondent.

In his exasperation, David turned to the Lord. He contrasted the speech of the vile with the words of God:

The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.

Trapped in a circus of posturing and arguing, the cacophony of jealous advisors and untiring critics, David pulled out his scrolls and allowed the solid, enduring words of scripture to calm his heart and ease his mind.

Flawless. David returned again and again to God’s word. Remarkably, the same words on David’s scrolls fill the Bible on my desk. Plus more wisdom from David himself and the Lord Jesus Christ.

When the world goes dark, it’s good to know where to find a source of light.

Psalm 12 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Viktor Talashuk

Matthias followed Jesus wholeheartedly from the earliest days of ministry. After the resurrection of Jesus and the death of Judas, the remaining eleven disciples felt the need to round out their number again to twelve. They nominated two men, and finally settled on Matthias.

Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven disciples.

No more mention of Matthias comes from the book of Acts, but that doesn’t mean this committed follower of Jesus didn’t stay active. Church history places him in various areas around the Roman world, and claims he died a martyr while preaching the gospel somewhere near the Black Sea.

If so, he joined all the original disciples save one in dying for the message of Jesus. Matthias came strong off the bench. He represents the many early followers of Jesus who served the Lord, at great cost to themselves, and gave their lives for the cause.

Those of us who hold to the Christian faith today owe a debt to Matthias, and to countless others who without acclaim quietly carry on the faith.

Acts 1 in Through the Bible in 2024

Matthias by Peter Paul Rubens, 1611

The book of Judges ends with a crazy story, one I wouldn’t believe if it wasn’t written in the Bible:

A gang of men brutally rape and murder a woman while she’s passing through their town. Her cowardly husband dismembers her body and send parts throughout the nation. Men from across the country, incensed at this horrible crime, gather to punish the evildoers (from every town save one). In the meantime, the clan of the perpetrators gathers in their defense. A bloody civil war ensues, producing tens of thousands of casualties. The defending tribe is overwhelmed and nearly wiped out. Now mourning the imminent loss of one of the tribes of Israel, the leaders of the victorious clans search for wives for the survivors (having previously killed all their innocent women and children). First they march to the town that failed to turn out earlier and put everyone to the sword, except the virgin women. When this fell short of the quota, they allowed the remaining single men to kidnap brides from a nearby festival. Problem solved. Then they all went home.

Judges chronicles a society rapidly devolving. The author comments, In those days Israel had no king; everyone did what was right in their own eyes.

I like the idea of doing whatever I want whenever I want to do it. However, as this story illustrates, absolute freedom fails to bring out the best in human nature. Despite the appeal, freedom without limits eventually leads to chaos. The strong dominate the weak and innocent people suffer.

The Israelites yo-yoed between the ways of the Lord and living as they saw fit. The stories recorded in Judges, as bizarre as they read, remain strong examples of how the way of the self results in chaos, while following the Lord leads to flourishing.

Judges 19-21 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Jackson Simmer

Luke addressed both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts to an unknown gentleman named Theophilus:

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Who was this most excellent Theophilus? One theory holds him as a Jewish priest, who Luke was trying to convince of the truth about Jesus. Another postulates Theophilus as a Roman lawyer working with Paul, and the writings serve as evidence of Paul’s innocence under Roman law. Others see this as simply as honorary title, not referring to an individual, but a group of people. Theophilus in Greek means friend of God, so perhaps Luke addressed like-minded believers in his introduction.

But another theory makes the most sense to me. Theophilus was likely a Roman official of some kind (thus the address of most excellent) who came to faith in Jesus and supported the work of Luke and Paul. This patron helped Paul and Luke and other missionaries fulfill their calling to carry the gospel as far as possible. So Luke sends an update of the incredible works of God to a generous donor.

Christianity is a missionary religion, and we’re called to support the outreach efforts of our day. Whether we possess a little or a lot, we give to spread the good news of Jesus, and in doing so gain the title most excellent.

Luke 1 & Acts 1 in Through the Bible in 2023

Photo by Christine Roy