Lamentations 1:1-2:22, Philemon 1:1-25, Psalm 101:1-8, Proverbs 26:20
Today is the 29th day of October, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible and here we are at the threshold of a sparkly, shiny new week. And we’ve got some ground to cover this week. Before the week is over, we will enter a new month and we’re going to begin four, that’s right four books in the Scriptures this week. So, in the Old Testament we will read through the book of Lamentations, which we’re about to get to and just a minute. And then begin the book of Ezekiel. And in the New Testament we’ll read Paul’s letter to Philemon, which we will read today. And then move our way into the book of Hebrews. So, we’ve got some ground to cover and let’s get to it. We’re gonna read from the Good News translation this week and we will begin by beginning the book of Lamentations.
Introduction to the Book of Lamentation:
And the book of Lamentations is a book that contains five poems and they’re poems of lament and grief. And this lament is over the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. And we covered some of that territory as we read through Jeremiah’s prophecies. So, in Hebrew, this book is called Ica, which means how could this happen. And, of course, we know how it could happen. Jeremiah, the prophet, warned over and over, over decades of impending doom if the children of Israel didn’t return from their wicked ways, and now, the prophecy has come true. And although Ica, or Lamentations, doesn’t claim an author, and there’s really no definitive proof, we have church tradition that tells us that the prophet Jeremiah wrote these Lamentations. So, we don’t know that for a fact, but he was obviously intimate with the scenario and in the same time period. So, Lamentations was probably written somewhere in early 587 BC, as the Babylonians conquered and then completely destroyed Jerusalem in 586. Whether Jeremiah wrote this or not, someone who was an eyewitness, probably did. And today, in Jewish culture, on the ninth day of Hob, which is July 16 on the Western calendar, Lamentations is read on a day of fasting to commemorate the fall of Jerusalem. And as each poem is read, it provides a backdrop for personal reflection. Lamenting, that’s never something that we sign up for, lamenting is never an easy thing, grief is certainly hard, but it also has a way of washing us clean because it strips us away until all that’s left is what is true, what is bedrock in our lives. And it can be intensely painful, for sure, but it’s also freeing in hindsight. And when we’ve fallen into the depths and there’s no more depths to go to, then we find there’s hope, there’s nowhere to go but up, the euphemism says. There’s hope for our future, and we can find in this book of Lamentations much hope in our personal reflection. So, we begin Lamentations chapter 1 verse 1 through 2, 22.
Introduction to the Book of Philemon:
Okay so, as we enter the New Testament portion of our reading today, we come to the book of Philemon, it’s just a little personal letter from the apostle Paul, that we’ll read today, all in one sitting. And it’s written to a church leader in the church at Colossae, so the Colossians and his name is Philemon. So, Philemon was one of the more wealthy and influential churchman and in in a strange twist of divine providence, Philemon had a servant, and his name was Onesimus. And Onesimus ran away and probably stealing from Philemon. So, stealing from his master in the process. And Onesimus ends up not in Colossae but in Rome where Paul is under house arrest, and so this runaway servant Onesimus comes under Paul’s teachings and then becomes a follower of Jesus and becomes kind of like the servant of Paul, attends to Paul’s needs. So, Paul’s written a letter to the Colossians, right. He wrote the letter to the Colossians that we have in the New Testament, and he’s preparing to send it back with another servant name Tychicus. But then he writes this very short personal letter to go along with the letter to the Colossians to the church at Colossae. He pens this personal letter to Philemon and then sends Onesimus, the runaway servant with Tychicus, back to Colossae. And as short as this little personal letter is, it packs a punch. It shows us the importance of forgiveness and it shows us that no matter what our level of authority is over another person, if they are a believer then they’re a brother or sister and we’re to treat them like family. And it also shows us a perfect example of how God does, in fact, work all things together for the good of those who love Him. And so, with that we read the letter to Philemon.
Commentary:
Okay, so, we’ve already talked quite a bit about the letter and the book that we entered into today. And we can see, as we were the first couple of chapters of Lamentations, that it’s a gut punch, that it leads us into emotions and territory that are things that we try to avoid, and that’s why it’s here, because we shouldn’t avoid these things. We should invite the Holy Spirit into them. And as we read these poems allow the Holy Spirit to move us through lament, right. And so, maybe we haven’t you know, lived in a city with walls that have been torn down and a temple that is, like those things that we have witnessed through Jeremiah and now Lamentations. But we all have regrets. We all have things that we’re like, you know, I could’ve done that better. I wish I had done that differently. And, you know, now I’m going through what I’m going to because of that, or that sent me into a really hard season. So, a lot of times because it was hard, and because it was painful, we try to suppress and repress even going there, like even thinking about it anymore, like it’s just so painful. But the thing is, it’s still inside of us, like it’s still inside, it’s still there. Like, it may be shoved up into the attic or down into the basement of our hearts, but it’s still there, and the Holy Spirit uses times of lament to bring us back, so that he can heal those places, rather than allowing them to continue to seep poison into our lives, and that’s the invitation, as we go through books like Lamentations. And then obviously, this little, short letter to Philemon from the apostle Paul is a treasure to have because you know, we only have a few personal letters and they’re, the personal letters are mostly pastoral in nature. And so, here’s this personal letter to a man who kind of leads a home church and he’s basically saying Onesimus is my son in the face now and he has served me, and I would like him to continue to serve me, but he’s yours, so I’m sending him back to you in hopes that you will send him back to me. So, just this little glimpse into, sort of the back story of what’s going on, aside from Paul giving theology and doctrine instruction. This is like a little side personal thing that gives us a glimpse into his existence and his circumstances as he’s imprisoned in Rome.
And then we come to the Proverb, and we can’t not talk about that for just a second. Gossip, gossip is like cancer. I have witnessed this so many times and in so many contexts. And gossip takes on many forms but usually always is paired with married to, assumptions. So, gossip doesn’t become gossip until assumptions are made and blanks are filled in and a story is formulated and little bits from here and there are collected. Right, then it’s spoken to somebody else and passed around, and the person that’s being referred to isn’t even there to speak. And so, when they find out that people have been talking about them behind their backs. Okay, then there’s a confrontation and there’s quarreling, then there’s argument, then there’s separation, then there’s factions, then this whole community that you know, that’s involved is divided and you got all kinds of problems. And we’ve probably all seen this, maybe participated in it, maybe been on the receiving end of it but it just. Like, when have you ever seen gossip workout for good? Like, when have you ever seen a gossip, a person who collects all these little pieces of information and then tries to fill in the blanks and start spreading these things around, when have you seen that workout in a good way? It just never does, and it hasn’t for a long time because we’re reading ancient wisdom here, thousands and thousands of years old and it didn’t work then. So, we should get a clue that as juicy as it is, and it is entertaining as it might be, people’s lives aren’t there to entertain you and division never works out well. The Proverb tells us without wood, a fire goes out. So, we know that, right. You have a bonfire it’s autumn, you have a bonfire out in the back somewhere, it’s roaring. Everybody’s having a good time and then you pull all the logs out of the fire and fire goes out. The Proverb says, that’s how it works with gossip. When you don’t have it, because gossip is the fuel, it’s the wood of the bonfire. If you remove it, then the division and quarreling will stop. We should remember this. All our words matter, all our words are creating the reality we live in, and words spoken as gossip are only adding fuel to a fire that is going to be tremendously destructive in the end.
Prayer:
And so, Father, we acknowledge this, we know this is true, and even in the context of the book of Lamentations, it may be our words, it may be gossip and quarreling and division and divisiveness that we have regrets over, that we need to invite You into and that we need to lament over. So much of our story boils back to our words. And so, we surrender, our tongues, our mouths, our thoughts, to You and acknowledge that without wood, a fire goes out. And without gossip, quarreling stops. Come Holy Spirit and lead us forward, we ask in Jesus name. Amen.
Prayer and Encouragements:
Hello, this is Just Judy for Jesus. And I am calling to let Junk to Treasure know that she is well loved, well respected and highly prayed for out here in this family’s world. Now, I know she’s going through bad times right now but let me tell you girl, you are well prayed for. I pray high on you. I pray, I lift you up. I lift you up high to let Jesus know, to reach down there with His beautiful loving hands and hold you and stroke your head and just tell you how much He loves you and things are gonna be okay. Like you say, take the junk that is thrown into our lives and turn it into treasure. We love you so much and we appreciate all the prayers that you pray. You never seem to leave anyone out, you’re just wonderful. And that will come back to you because you are God’s creature, you are God’s daughter, you are God’s love. And He will see you through this shallow deep valley and He will gladly walk you right out the other side to sunshine and happiness. So, hang in there Junk to Treasure. You will be okay. We will not stop praying for you. So, hang in there sweety. We love you so much. And God’s Yellow Flower, I love you too. You prayed for my brother when he was dying of cancer. And I’ll never forget it. He’s passed now. But I will never forget, you reaching out and praying for him. It was Bob Allen from Arizona. And Eyes of a Dove, I’ll pray for anything you want me to pray for, cause you are good too, you’re wonderful. Oh, there’s so many of you guys that I love out there. I don’t call in often, but I listen all the time. And I always so, oh God please be with those people, they’re so many of you that needs, we all need to get around that campfire and hold hands and pray for each other, hard and strong and long.
Hi, good evening, DAB’s, today is October 23rd, this is Gift of God calling in. Just wanna say thank you for all the prayers for Jaleeya, my cousin, the 9-year-old little girl that had to have surgery. She is recovering so well. She’s going into therapy but hey, the devil lost. When the doctors said that we had to call, my mom had to call in all the family members and they didn’t think she was gonna make it. But ha!! The devil, we laugh in your face. Because Satan you are a lie. She’s recovering well. And I just want to thank each and every one of you who said a prayer. And I also want to say a prayer for those who are in need. I don’t know all of your names. I do hear your prayers and I do pray for you, but I just want you to know that the God we serve is good. So, I’m gonna say a prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord we thank You. We thank you Lord God for all You do and all that You’ve done and all that You’re about to do. We thank You for every DABer, Lord God. We ask You to continue to watch over them and protect them. Lord, provide for them, Lord. Give them everything that they need, Lord God. Father, we just say thank You, Lord God. For You wake us up everyday, Lord God. And Lord, You allow us to be able to use every limb, Lord God. And Father, You give us the ability to understand and to comprehend everything that we do, that we do on our jobs. Father, we thank You in Jesus name. Amen.
Good morning, DAB family. This is Pamela, Resting in the Lord from Pennsylvania. Today, I’m calling in to pray for, to continue prayers for people dealing with trauma or stress of any kind with all the darkness in the world right now with the war in Israel. And there’s just darkness permeating into every part of our lives, it seems like. But we don’t have to be taken down by the enemy with that darkness. We can keep our mind on the Lord and His plans. And all the good that He has for our futures and keep our hope in Him and our mind on things above. I’m also calling in to pray for all of us who have challenges in our marriage. Either separated or divorced or living in a very difficult situation. I am among you as well. I wanna thank Kristen, Christ in Me for calling in with a prayer for a narcissistic husband, for Diana in Florida, I am saying that prayer over my husband. And I believe I’m seeing some differences. My husband and I are also attending a freedom course, with freedom curriculum with small groups and then a conference at the end. And it is transforming our lives. So, I’m praising God for that. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, we know this world is coming into darkness, but that’s what you let us know in your word. We trust You to be the light in the darkness and trust in You for every single thing. In Jesus name.
Hello, I’m from Colorado. I was listening to, I believe October 4th or 5th podcast and a gentleman praying for his daughter, Ashton, who thought she was pregnant and but it turned out that the test was erroneous. She’s not but she desires deeply to have a child. And I really was moved by the father who loves his daughter, obviously. Requesting his prayers for her. So, I do pray for Ashton, Lord, pray for mercy on her. Give her the desires of her heart. And I know You know exactly what is best and I pray, certainly, primarily for that. That it be good, Lord, to whatever You’re working in the lives of that family. That You would bless them and encourage them and be with them, Lord always. Thank You for Your faithfulness to all Your people who are calling in. Many needs but You are faithful. You are just Lord. Lean not onto our own understanding but in all our ways, acknowledge Him and He will give us the desires of our heart. Thank You Father for Your faithfulness. I pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.