Reflecting the Image (by Carla Sunberg)

Scripture: Esther 2:21-23 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Ahasuerus. But the matter came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. When the affair was investigated and found to be so, both the men were hanged on the gallows. It was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king. Observation: In the middle of the story about Queen Esther, the focus moves for a brief second to a scene from outside the walls of the palace. There we find her uncle who discovers a conspiracy against the king. Somehow this story seems out of place and insignificant to what we are reading. Mordecai tells what happened to Esther and the two men are hanged. We are reminded that it’s written in the king’s annals, as all issues like this commonly are.  ...

Scripture: Acts 12:20-23 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him in a body; and after winning over Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for a reconciliation, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them. The people kept shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a mortal!” And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. Observation: This section begins right after Peter is miraculously freed from prison. Herod is unable to accept that Peter was freed by divine intervention and therefore blames the Roman guards, putting them to death. It all reveals his bloated self-image, and an unwillingness to humble himself before God. The next scene to unfold is one in which the leaders of the cities of Tyre and...

Scripture: Eccl. 5:1   Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools; for they do not know how to keep from doing evil. 2 Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few. Eccl. 5:3   For dreams come with many cares, and a fool’s voice with many words. Observation: There is a posture which is to be found in relation to the house of God and this is one of humility. We are invited to come and spend time in God’s holy presence listening. The sacrifice of fools comes from the individual who cannot keep their mouth closed and continually chatters, trying to tell God what to do. In some ways, they cannot help themselves, their lack of listening leading them astray.   The fool is unaware of the offensive way in which they approach God. Hastiness in pr...

Scripture: 2Kings 12:4   Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money offered as sacred donations that is brought into the house of the LORD, the money for which each person is assessed—the money from the assessment of persons—and the money from the voluntary offerings brought into the house of the LORD, 5 let the priests receive from each of the donors; and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.” 6 But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash the priests had made no repairs on the house. 7 Therefore King Jehoash summoned the priest Jehoiada with the other priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the house? Now therefore do not accept any more money from your donors but hand it over for the repair of the house.” 8 So the priests agreed that they would neither accept more money from the people nor repair the house. 2Kings 12:9   Then the priest Jehoiada took a chest, made a hole in its lid, and set ...

From Animals Australia Scripture: Proverbs 27:23-27 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds; for riches do not last forever, nor a crown for all generations. When the grass is gone, and new growth appears, and the herbage of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field; there will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household and nourishment for your servant-girls. Observation: We continue to glean from the words of wisdom written so long ago. The language surrounding shepherding was common and understandable to all. In a very practical way, the person who cared for sheep needed to take the time to know the condition of his flock on an intimate level. This meant every single member of the flock, for it was extremely important to keep the sheep from getting lost. Therefore, attention had to be paid to the whole flock.  This emph...

Scripture: Col. 3:5   Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8 But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all! Observation: This message is for those who have come to know Christ and have been made new. In baptism we rise again to newness of life, the old is gone, the new h...

Scripture: James 3: 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.    How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Observation: Reading through this passage we have been reminded that just a small bridle can turn a great horse. The tiny rudder is what makes a ship go in the right direction. Now, we turn to the subject of the tongue. Obviously th...

Scripture: Proverbs 21: 17 Whoever loves pleasure will suffer want; whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich. Observation: Some have said that this verse speaks of the dangers of an Epicurean life-style. What does that mean? Generally we have attributed this to the teaching of Epicurus, a philosopher who was born in 341 BC. He encouraged people to find a static state of pleasure where one was satiated — or full. When the pleasures have been completely, or entirely satisfied, then one feels full. Later Epicurean societies adopted a motto: Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo  ("I was not; I was; I am not; I do not care”). In contemporary society this phrase has been adopted to be used at humanist funerals, or to be carved as an epitaph on a headstone.   The problem is that they don’t understand what Wisdom was trying to say. Pleasure alone would ultimately leave one wanting. The Epicurean life of rich foods and drink, as well as the investm...

This satellite image was captured around 1:45 p.m. ET Wednesday. NOAA/STAR https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/09/12/flo-2p20182551747_goes16-abi-conus-geocolor-2500x1500_wide-1d7c7bd2b53c036f70f10042ab35160a3e3e739e-s1600-c85.jpg Scripture: Psa. 19:0   To the leader. A Psalm of David. 1 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Psa. 19:14    Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Observation: When we stop and think about the world around us; as we gaze up into the sky, we are overwhelmed by the power and strength of God’s creation. The heavens declare God’s glory and power. When we look at the earth; the beauty and the rich variety of all that we experience on a daily basis, how can we think of anything but God.   The Psalmist would take time to meditate and think on the things of God’s c...

Nope, not vegetables! Little Alice taking over my ice-cream cone. A little appetite with lots of love.  Scripture: Proverbs 15: 17 Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it. Observation: The guests are invited to dinner but the host is concerned that there is little to offer. Without the financial resources of the wealthy, they are unable to kill a fatted ox and can only serve vegetables. While some may be discouraged by this, wisdom tells us that the satisfaction depends upon the appetite of the guest. If the guests who are invited are hungry, then even a small meal will be enjoyed and received with gratitude. They will experience the love of the host who was willing to share all he had with his guests.   Application: I was born in Germany where my parents served as missionaries. It seems that our financial resources were often limited, and yet, there was an endless supply of guests at our ta...

Scripture: Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but an accurate weight is his delight. Observation: The people who sold goods in the market had their own weights with them. They were used on the scales to balance the amount of an item being sold to someone. However, to make more money, sometimes those salespersons made sure that their weights were not quite the total weight. In this way they could sell less for a higher cost. They were cheating the consumer. God saw this as an abomination. They were to deal justly and fairly with the customers, and when doing so, God would see this and delight.   Application: Isn’t it fascinating that God would delight in an accurate weight? I think it says a great deal about God and a sense of justice. We can just imagine that the salesmen in the market with two sets of weights, one for his friends, and another set for the customers whom he was choosing to rip off. Although, there m...

A car from the family's past.  Scripture: Heb. 11:39   Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. Observation: The great Faith Chapter in Hebrews reminds us of those who have gone before. They have suffered through persecutions and struggles, and yet, they have persevered. We are presented with a vision of a stadium which is filled with spectators, those who have already completed their challenge, and are cheering on the current generation. It’s a vision of an event which is not yet completed, because not everyone has participated. They haven’t received the reward — or awards — yet, because the entire event must come to completion, or be made perfect.   That means that our lives are directly connected to their lives. We are a part of a community of faith that stretches throughout the ...