THE LORD SPOKE (June 11)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: I Chronicles 7

Where did the chroniclers get their information?

• oral tradition going back to Abraham
• written records in Genesis
• royal records (Samuel & Kings, plus others now lost to us)
• Temple records
• military records
• various tribal records
• exilic and post-exilic records

What value did these records hold for the Israelites?

• they provided a clear sense of continuity with the past
• they were a review of God's purpose and blessing over the long haul
• they served to legitimize the present (ethnic identity, rights of royalty, authority of priesthood)
• they brought balance in their juxtaposition of royal, Temple, and military records
• they included frequent insertions and historical notes as reminders to God's people

Tradition! When Tevya sings it, we smile. When we see where the rabbis took it, we smile twice - and then we frown. But these genealogical records represent the best of biblical tradition and are a reminder that we lose something when we lose our continuity with the past. There's nothing wrong with remembering the past. There's everything wrong with living in the past. There's nothing wrong with having traditions. There's everything wrong with making tradition into a religious system or in confusing it in any way with biblical injunctions. We can make good use of traditions - in our churches, in our homes, and in our personal lives. "Those who forget the past, are bound to repeat it."


New Testament: II Corinthians 13

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” (II Cor. 13:5)

The context in which Paul says this is a leadership conflict in the Corinthian church. For several chapters he has been defending himself against the attacks of certain men who, among other things, accused him of being:

• untrustworthy (ch. 1) because he changed his plans to visit
• unfounded (ch. 3) in his new covenant ministry
• weak and inadequate as a leader (ch. 4)
• unloving (ch. 6)
• exploitative (ch. 7) and unworthy of their love
• demanding or over-bearing in allocation of resources (ch. 8-9)
• authoritative and big on words but short on action (ch. 10)
• a poor speaker and false prophet (ch. 11-12)

He has been slow to defend himself and, even now, hesitates to say some things that probably need to be said. It’s of interest that he gave a similar procedure and advice in his first epistle when dealing with divisions in the church. He found those divisions to be necessary “to reveal who has God’s approval” (I Cor. 11:19) and concluded by saying “a man ought to examine himself” (I Cor. 11:28). Now too he commends self-examination.

What should be examined? Heart (our motivation), head (our doctrine), and hands (our actions). We need to ask ourselves hard questions. We need to bare our souls before the Lord and allow Him to probe. We need to listen to His word as the standard whereby we will be judged but then we need also to listen to His people. Their response can be an indicator of His direction.

To assist us in this evaluation, we have nothing less than the grace, love, and fellowship of God himself! The great Trinitarian benediction at the close of the epistle has been an encouragement to many a struggling saint:

May the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (II Cor. 13:14)