Acts 8
Acts 8:3-8 details the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem, where Saul (later known as Paul) consented to the death of Stephen and was involved in a wave of arrests and imprisonments. However, many Christians fled Jerusalem and scattered throughout the surrounding regions, preaching the word of God as they went. Philip was among those who fled and went to the city of Samaria, where he preached the gospel to the people there.
I love the mayhem the early church is causing. "many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day!" The church is under attack and people are openly being murdered and arrested for being a part of the movement Proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah!
One common theme that was pointed out to me this morning was that Demons don't leave quietly.
This makes me curious about our culture today, and our perception of the spiritual realm, I don't think it's different then when Jesus walked the earth. I myself have seen demonic possession, not just a person acting demonic but the actual being that was inhabiting his mind, It appeared next to this person i was sharing the gospel with and appeared as a black wisp of smoke next to his head that could move in and out of his mind. It didn't appear to me until i had asked this person if they could believe that God loved them, Then his entire demeanor changed and the demon showed himself. Unfortunately I was a ignorant on my power over such a creature and I didn't know what to do then. Now after studying the bible I understand that I have full authority over them and could have commanded it to leave, then i would have been able to clearly articulate the gospel to this person.
Lets go over some noisy demons
Mark 5:8-13
The Message
6-8 When he saw Jesus a long way off, he ran and bowed in worship before him—then howled in protest, “What business do you have, Jesus, Son of the High God, messing with me? I swear to God, don’t give me a hard time!” (Jesus had just commanded the tormenting evil spirit, “Out! Get out of the man!”)
9-10 Jesus asked him, “Tell me your name.”
He replied, “My name is Mob. I’m a rioting mob.” Then he desperately begged Jesus not to banish them from the country.
11-13 A large herd of pigs was grazing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs so we can live in them.” Jesus gave the order. But it was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned.
This was no calm afternoon in this region, everyone would have known the crazy man running around deranged and possesed. And an entire herd of pigs running of a clif is no small noise. I imagine you would have been able to hear that ruckus from a good distance.
Mark 9:25-27
The Message
25-27 Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!” Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.
Here again we see that when commanded out the demonic puts up a fight, here we see screaming and thrashing about. This is while a crowd is forming, and as we have discussed in some previous days these crowds grew not only fast but large, often in the thousands.
Mark 1:23-26
The Message
23-24 Suddenly, while still in the meeting place, he was interrupted by a man who was deeply disturbed and yelling out, “What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you’re up to! You’re the Holy One of God, and you’ve come to destroy us!”
25-26 Jesus shut him up: “Quiet! Get out of him!” The afflicting spirit threw the man into spasms, protesting loudly—and got out.
Here again. . .
Christianity is warfare against the demonic. and we have full authority of the risen Christ to command demonic spirits to flee from us, and here is the best part, the bible says that they have to obey. But we also have to understand that sometimes this is going to come with a battle.
The story continues on and we meet Simon who was a magician in the area. Simon was a pagan practitioner of magic and sorcery. The exact nature of his magic is not specified in the Bible, but he likely performed illusions and other sleight-of-hand tricks to amaze and deceive people. Some early Christian writers suggest he may have been involved in divination, astrology, or alchemy, among other practices. He may have also used his magic to attempt to control or manipulate people, or to seek power and wealth. Overall, Simon's magic was seen as a direct challenge to the message and power of the apostles, and he was condemned by the early Christian community.
Divination is a practice or technique used to foretell future events or to gain insight into the unknown, usually through supernatural means. Examples of divination include astrology, palm reading, tarot card reading, augury (interpreting omens or signs), and interpreting dreams. The concept of divination is found in many cultures and civilizations, and it has been used throughout history to seek guidance, insight, and wisdom.
Alchemy is an ancient philosophical and proto scientific tradition that aimed to transform common metals into noble metals, to invent the Elixir of Life that grants eternal youth and life, and to discover a universal panacea, as well as the philosopher's stone; a legendary substance that was supposed to enable the transmutation of common metals into gold. Alchemy is sometimes described as an early form of chemistry, however, it is more accurately considered to be a precursor to modern chemistry, medicine, and philosophy. It was also practiced as an esoteric tradition in some cultures and was believed to involve spiritual and mystical elements, such as the manipulation of energy, the balancing of elements, and the development of spiritual awareness.
This is nothing new to the bible. It's not something christians should pretend does not exist, and it is not something that we should be afraid of. It's prevalent through the bible and is an example of the fallen Angels and their ability to manipulate and alter the physical realm.
Pharaoh's magicians and sorcerers in Egypt, who were able to replicate some of the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron (Exodus 7:11, 8:7)
Balaam, who used divination to try and curse Israel (Numbers 22-24)
The witch of Endor, who summoned the spirit of Samuel to speak to King Saul (1 Samuel 28:7-25)
The Philistine diviners, who tried to find the cause of the plagues inflicted on them by God (1 Samuel 6:2)
The Babylonian magicians, who were unable to explain King Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:10-13)
The astrologers and magicians who were summoned by King Ahasuerus to interpret his dreams (Esther 1:13)
The magicians of the Persian court, who opposed the work of Daniel and his friends (Daniel 4:7, 5:7-9)
Elymas the magician, who opposed Paul and Barnabas on the island of Cyprus (Acts 13:6-12)
The sons of Sceva, who tried to perform an exorcism in Jesus' name but failed (Acts 19:13-16)
The woman who was caught practicing divination in Philippi, and was overcome by Paul's testimony (Acts 16:16-19).
So this Simon the magician hears the Gospel from Philip, becomes a believer and gets baptized! Then is hooked on Philip and follows him wanting to know everything! Peter and John hear the news and head down to Samaria and start baptizing people in the holy spirit. Now this gets Simon's attention and as a newly convert immediately reverts to his old way of life and starts offering money for the secrets the apostles are holding to impact people so radically.
So let's just look at this Simon for a minute because it's really easy to look at him and condemn him. However, This man just lost his way of making money by being exposed to the Gospel. He had been using deceptive ways to manipulate people in a way that they wanted to pay him to do it. and now that's been ruined. So yes he has a conversion and the Holy Spirit is going to move in and begin to change him and who he is.
He sees the apostles show up and just rock people's lives, transformation and deliverance on the spot and people's lives are being changed. He thought to himself! Hey if i can get in on this i could keep making a living the way i have! so, we have to have some grace on simon. But you also have to love Peter's response to him. "To hell with your money" hahaha. Brilliant. he is called into repentance.
The Ethiopian Eunuch
In Acts 8:26-40, the apostle Philip encounters an Ethiopian eunuch who is reading scripture but cannot understand it. Philip approaches him and explains the passage he is reading, which is about Jesus, and preaches the gospel to him. The eunuch is baptized and rejoices in his newfound faith. This encounter is significant as it shows the spread of the gospel beyond the Jewish community to include Gentiles, demonstrating God's love and salvation for all people.
Ok so there are some interesting things that happen here, One is that the Spirit tells Philip to climb into this guys carriage, and he is running alongside, probably nothing special i'm sure it was just cruising along at a horse walking pace. However it does say running so perhaps it was moving quickly, then Philip gets in and explains the scripture and he decides to get baptized then and there. No for the crazy part. . .
Philip suddenly disappears and shows up in Azotus. . . what??
Genesis 33
“Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah and Rachel and the two maidservants. He put the maidservants out in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. He led the way and, as he approached his brother, bowed seven times, honoring his brother. But Esau ran up and embraced him, held him tight and kissed him. And they both wept.”
Genesis 33:1-4 MSG
This is such a beautiful story of reconciliation! Jacob had left his brother for fear of his life, and now 20 years later they have been reunited! 20 years! Esau then gets to meet Jacob's family and is seemingly excited for him, questions him about the flocks of gifts, They admit they have both been blessed over the last 20 years and Esau accepts the gifts.
They then decide it's time to head back home, however because of Jacobs new injury from wrestling with God and the flocks and children he decides to go at a slow steady pace. Jacob makes it to Succoth and sets up camp there.
El-Elohe-Israel - Mighty is the God of Israel
Genesis 34 -
This chapter is a rough one, It starts out with the rape of Dinah by a Hivite named Shechem, The story narrates it that Shechem saw her and raped her, and then decided he was in love with her, wooed her and asked to have her as his wife. -
Reuben
Simeon
Levi
Judah
Dan
Naphtali
Gad
Asher
Issachar
Zebulun
Dinah <----------
Joseph
Benjamin
Ok so the bible does not specify how old Dinah would have been, But, we can assume and do some math, Jacob was in Haran for 20 years, worked for 7 years before he married the sisters . . . 13 years between the marriage and going back home. Dinah was down the line, so lets just say Leah had 6 boys - maybe a year apart each, if Dinah was last then she would have been maybe 7 when they went back home.
Now perhaps a few years had gone by and she is somewhere in the age range of a young teenage girl. Perhaps. . .
The age at which young girls were given as wives varied in different cultures and societies throughout history. In some ancient societies, girls as young as six or seven years old were married, while in others, girls reached the age of puberty or their teenage years before being married. However, the practice of child marriage, defined as a marriage in which one or both partners are below 18 years of age, was common in many cultures, and is still prevalent in some parts of the world today.
So in our culture and narrative it's easy to look at this passage and think that the bible is condoning pedophelia, But it's important to remember that the bible being honest about what happened is not the same as condoning what was going on. We also have to respect that the world operated differently and try to observe these things through that lense. Either way Shechem was wrong for what he had done. It is not being condoned and lets see what the consequences were as we continue the story.
Shechem then starts to pursue marriage with Dinah, and comes to confront Jacob about acquiring her as his wife. Now there is a problem . . . This family is under covenant with God and God had instructed the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob not to intermarry with the people in the surrounding areas. In Genesis 28:1, God told Isaac not to marry a Canaanite woman. In Genesis 24:3-4, Abraham instructed his servant to find a wife for Isaac from his own family, rather than from the Canaanites. Similarly, in Genesis 31:3, Jacob was told by God not to take a wife from the women of the land of Canaan.
Hamor and Shechem approach Jacobs family with a desire to intermarry, This was common and a way to bring different tribes together to grow population.
Jacob doesn't seem to really know what to do in this situation as the narrative says he stays quiet about it. However his Sons feel differently about the situation.
“Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father with cunning. Their sister, after all, had been raped. They said, “This is impossible. We could never give our sister to a man who was uncircumcised. Why, we’d be disgraced. The only condition on which we can talk business is if all your men become circumcised like us. Then we will freely exchange daughters in marriage and make ourselves at home among you and become one big, happy family. But if this is not an acceptable condition, we will take our sister and leave.””
Genesis 34:13-17 MSG
Ok so begin deception and lies. . . seems to be a familiar scene in the human heart.
They agree to this, Go back to their public square and convince the entire town agreed.
“Everyone who was anyone in the city agreed with Hamor and his son, Shechem; every male was circumcised.”
Genesis 34:24 MSG
So we don't know how large this population was, my guess would be a few hundred, But all the men agreed and had the procedure done. Painfully. . . probably with lots of alcohol.
Three days in to this . . . (the bible says still sore, but for fun let's add in hungover)
“Three days after the circumcision, while all the men were still very sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each with his sword in hand, walked into the city as if they owned the place and murdered every man there. They also killed Hamor and his son Shechem, rescued Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. When the rest of Jacob’s sons came on the scene of slaughter, they looted the entire city in retaliation for Dinah’s rape. Flocks, herds, donkeys, belongings—everything, whether in the city or the fields—they took. And then they took all the wives and children captive and ransacked their homes for anything valuable.”
Genesis 34:25-29 MSG
. . . .
“Three days after the circumcision, while all the men were still very sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each with his sword in hand, walked into the city as if they owned the place and murdered every man there. They also killed Hamor and his son Shechem, rescued Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. When the rest of Jacob’s sons came on the scene of slaughter, they looted the entire city in retaliation for Dinah’s rape. Flocks, herds, donkeys, belongings—everything, whether in the city or the fields—they took. And then they took all the wives and children captive and ransacked their homes for anything valuable.”
Genesis 34:25-29 MSG
Jacob really didn't seem to know what to do. . .
“Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You’ve made my name repulsive to the people here, these Canaanites and Perizzites. If they decided to gang up on us and attack, as few as we are we wouldn’t stand a chance; they’d wipe me and my people right off the map.” They said, “Nobody is going to treat our sister like a whore and get by with it.” * * *”
Genesis 34:30-31 MSG
Psalms 36
Psalms 36 is a psalm of David that expresses his confidence in God's protection and mercy. It begins with a declaration of the wickedness of the speaker's enemies and the abundance of sin in the world. However, in the face of this, the speaker declares his trust in God's steadfast love and mercy, which he describes as a fountain of life for all who seek refuge in Him. The psalm ends with a call to all people to trust in God and to acknowledge His goodness.
“God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.”
Psalms 36:5-6 MSG
“Keep on loving your friends; do your work in welcoming hearts. Don’t let the bullies kick me around, the moral midgets slap me down. Send the upstarts sprawling flat on their faces in the mud.”
Psalms 36:10-12 MSG
Amazing breakdown brooooo
ReplyDeleteThank you sir :)
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