Daniel 2:24-3:30, 1 Peter 4:7-5:14, Psalms 119:81-96, Proverbs 28:15-16
Today is the 26th day of November. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today at the threshold of a shiny, sparkly, new week. And we’ve got some territory to cover. We began the book of Daniel yesterday, which we’ll be spending some time in. Today we will finish Peter’s first letter. So, first Peter. And then work our way through second Peter and get ourselves into first John before this week is out. And, of course, we’ll be in a new month before this week is out. We will enter the 12th month of the year. So, buckle up. Here we go. We’re reading from the Contemporary English Version this week. Daniel chapter 2 verse 24 through 3 verse 30.
Commentary
Okay. So, we finished first Peter today. And Peter carries the theme of suffering and endurance all the way through this letter and he applies it to all kinds of situations because a lot of situations apply. Peter was writing this to a lot of people who had been dispersed from their homeland for various reasons over a long period of time. And as they’ve come to faith in Jesus, they’ve begun to be marginalized and even persecuted and blamed for all kinds of things that they hadn’t done. And all kinds of assumptions were made about these Christians. And there were reasons for this. And all of these reasons go back to why Peter is writing a letter of endurance in spite of injustice and suffering. So, in the Roman Empire it was not illegal to be a Christian at this time, but it was expected that, like, the gods of the Empire would be worshiped. And most Romans were polytheistic. So, in other words, they believed in many, many gods. God was everywhere in all kinds of things. There were many gods. So, you could worship whatever God you wanted to but you were expected that the gods of the Empire, you know, the ones making the Empire great, they were to be worshiped. And Christians wouldn’t do this. And, so, that immediately made them stand out. Now Hebrew people, Jewish people didn’t do this either, but this was permitted because the Jewish people were coming out of a very, very ancient tradition, a very ancient religion. So, this was acknowledged for the Jewish people who were definitely disassociating themselves from the Christians. And, so, the Christians were singled out. And there’s all kinds of weird thought about them. So, to round out this context that we’ve been looking at, because as we understand this context, every time we pass through the territory of the New Testament, and we see people suffering and we see endurance being spoken of, and we see instructions about behaviors to avoid and behaviors to embrace, we begin to understand that there’s a back story. Yes, we should live a certain way. Yes, we should avoid certain things, no matter what time we live in, but in this particular time, the formation of the church, a lot of these instructions and behaviors were two combat the stereotype that was being formed around them, to resist by rising up and simply being better and being nothing like what was being said. Which begs the question, what exactly was being said about these early believers by people who did not understand the faith at all, who had no reference point for Jesus in a faraway land, who had no grid at all for this singular God and his son, and the saving…of the…like…who had no idea? Right? So, who were just living in a world with many gods going about their lives in their culture and looking at these strange people. What, exactly, were they saying? Well, thankfully there are many, many writings from many, many cultures that are very, very ancient and some of this thought is captured, which gives us the opportunity for a very interesting exercise. I am going to read you a passage. And this is from the late second century. So, the late 100s. So, maybe about 80 years after the gospel of John was composed. And in the thick of the development of the Christian faith. And this description was captured by a man named Minucius Felix in a book he wrote called Octavius. So, Minucius Felix was a believer. And he attributes this description of Christians to a person named Fronto. And I’m going to read this. And the exercise is to imagine that this is what is being said about you and your faith. What would your response be? What would your reaction be? Because this puts us squarely in the shoes of the people that are being written to, not only in first Peter, but in much of the New Testament. So, when you think of Paul being dragged out and stoned outside of the city or, you know, an idol maker causing a riot against Paul, like, all of this swirling tension going around that we find in the New Testament. So, imagine this is being said about you.
And now as wickeder things advance more fruitfully and abandoned manners creep on day by day, those abominable shrines of an impious assembly are maturing themselves throughout the whole world. Assuredly, this confederacy ought to be rooted out and execrated they know one another by secret marks and insignia and they love one another almost before they know one another everywhere. Also, there is mingled among them a certain religion of lust and to call one another, promiscuously, brothers and sisters that even a not unusual debauchery made by the intervention of that sacred name become incestuous. It is thus that there vain and senseless superstition glories in crimes. Nor, concerning these things, would intelligent reports speak of things so great in various and requiring to be prefaced by an apology unless truth were at the bottom of it. I hear that they adore the head of an ass, that basest of creatures, consecrated by I know not what silly persuasion. A worthy and appropriate religion for such manners. Some say that they worship the virilia of their pontiff and priest and adore the nature, as it were, of their common parent. I know not whether these things are false. Certainly, suspicion is applicable to secret and nocturnal rights. And he explains their ceremonies by reference to a man punished by extreme suffering for his wickedness and to the deadly wood of the cross appropriates fitting altars for reprobate and wicked men, that they may worship what they deserve. Now, the story about the initiation of young novices is as much to be detested as it is well-known. An infant covered over with a meal, that it may deceive the unwary, is placed before him who is to be stained with their rights. This infant is slain by the young pupil who has been urged on as if to harmless blows on the surface of the meal with dark and secret wounds. Thirstily, oh horror, they lick up its blood. Eagerly, they divide its limbs. By this victim they are pledged together. With this consciousness of wickedness they are covenanted to mutual silence. Such sacred rights as those are more foul than any sacrileges. And of their banqueting, it is well-known. All men speak of it everywhere. Even the speech of our Cirtensian testifies to it. On a solemn day they assemble at the feast with all their children, sisters, mothers, people of every sex and of every age. There, after much feasting, when the fellowship has grown warm, and the fervor of incestuous lust has grown hot with drunkenness, a dog that has been tied to the chandelier is provoked by throwing a small piece of offal beyond the length of the line by which he is bound to rush in spring. And thus, the conscious light being overturned and extinguished in the shameless darkness, the connections of abominable lust involve them in the uncertainty of fate. Although not all, in fact, yet in consciousness all are alike incestuous. Since by the desire of all of them everything is sought for which can happen in the act of each individual.
Okay, so how you feel about that? If these are the kinds of things your culture was saying about a group of people, would you be racing to sign up? And if you had put your faith in Christ and you heard these things and you knew they were absolutely not true at all but rather gross distortions and mischaracterizations and flat out fabrications, how do you respond? How do you respond when your entire culture is set against you? So, it makes a whole lot of sense then when you read this letter from Peter and most of the New Testament, for that matter. But since were in first Peter specifically, like when Peter says, for you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do, living in debauchery, lost drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry. Right? The very things they are being accused of. Peter is saying, that was the old days. That stuff is not what we do. That is not who we are. And those who are accusing you of it will stand before the judge one day - the one who judges the living and the dead. Or when Peter says something like, who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats. Do not be frightened, but in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do it with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. So, now we have a pretty good picture of what is really going on here and what is being, like, what these people are going through. These are our spiritual ancestors. Were it not for their faith and steadfastness and endurance in this time, we wouldn’t be here today. This is what they were going through. And it’s a lot more challenging than what most of us are going through. Although, I know, many of you live in countries that are not Western or Christian, and you feel this kind of assumption and degradation going on around you toward faith in Jesus. But for most of us, this is more challenging than anything we’ve ever faced. And, so, the council in the New Testament in all of these letters, the postures of ways in which we are to live that we still struggle with every day. We begin to realize that we have that much of an excuse. Those early to the faith faced all kinds of oppositions that we…we can’t even imagine. And yet they stayed true to the death. If we really want to embrace this new life, if we really want to believe that we can be made new creatures and renewed every single day then we’re going to have to follow the advice that we find in the Scriptures. Like James said, you can’t just hear this stuff, you have to do with this, you have to live into this, it has to become you. And we’ll have to find the resolve of those who went before us, the conviction of those who went before us, and faced injustice by simply aiming higher, being better, being nothing like the stereotype. And there are plenty of stereotypes about people who have put their faith in Jesus all over the world still in existence today. For example, in our own lifetimes, we’ve watched things go from, like, if you said you were a Christian then you were thought to be trustworthy. I mean, people would say they were Christian at their businesses even if they weren’t to get the trust of their patrons. It’s gone from that to the stereotype of hypocrisy, that Christians aren’t really what they’re presenting. And unfortunately, there’s truth in that. And we find ourselves in the Scriptures every day being counseled forward into a life and a set of ethics and behaviors that will lead us into new life and all truth and we have to listen because we have to rise above it all. We can and we must aim higher. We are better than that and the name of Jesus that we carry around is more valuable than that.
Prayer:
Father, this is a moment of repentance. We’re seeing what the faith that was handed down to us so freely cost our brothers and sisters earlier on in the story. We see the ways that we’ve trivialized our faith. We see the ways that we’ve used You in this relationship. We see all kinds of things and we invite Your Holy Spirit to continue to bring these things up in us because this is a moment of change. We invite Your Holy Spirit to indwell us and be within us and change us from the inside out. We see that this is an all or nothing proposition and we’ve been trying to make it work in all kinds of other ways besides that. And in so many ways it’s allowed us to become a stereotype of ourselves. And yet, Your love, your love propels us forward. We come running to You because, in spite of our failings and shortcomings and flat out rebellions, You have been unwilling to surrender us. And we see so clearly now. You have been holding onto us when we were unwilling to hold onto You. And what can we do will but fall down before You in repentance and apology and lament. But even then, You scoop us into Your arms and Father us. You tell us we’re better than this. And so often we don’t believe that and just move back into the old patterns, but we believe You. We’re better than this. We must rise above this and show the world why we are compelled to serve You, why we have fallen in love with You, and given our lives to You, and given our lives for You. Come Holy Spirit, we pray, as we reach with all of our hearts toward You. In Jesus name. Amen.
Song:
Reckless Love
Bethel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJJYKOpFnkA
Before I spoke a word
You were singing over me
You have been so, so
Good to me
Before I took a breath
You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so
Kind to me
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it
I don’t deserve it
Still You give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
When I was your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so
Good to me
When I felt no worth
You paid it all for me
You have been so, so
Kind to me
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it
I don’t deserve it
Still You give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
No lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it
I don’t deserve it
Still You give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
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