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2022, October 30 ~ Habakkuk 1:1-4,2:1-4; Isaiah 1:10-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4,11-12; Luke 19:1-10

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 30, 2022

During Pentecost Season 2022, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.

The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.

Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4

Reading

1 The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw.
2 O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?
3 Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.
4 So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous–
therefore judgment comes forth perverted.

2:1 I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
2 Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.
3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
4 Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.

Commentary

Habakkuk is one the “Minor Prophets” – the 12 prophets whose works are much shorter than those of the “Major Prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) and are found in a single scroll.

Because of the reference to the Chaldeans (Babylonians) in v.1:6, Habakkuk is considered a contemporary of Jeremiah. His prophesy – speaking for YHWH – is dated after 612 BCE when the Babylonians gained domination of the Middle East. His messages are similar to Jeremiah’s.

After the righteous and reforming king, Josiah, was killed at Megiddo in 609 BCE, Judea had a series of hapless kings until the first deportation of exiles to Babylon in 597 BCE. The book of Habakkuk reflected the difficulties that faced Judea during this 12-year period. Habakkuk lamented the destruction and violence in Judea and the lack of justice.

Today’s reading is structured as a dialogue between Habakkuk and YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters) in which the prophet asserted that YHWH was not listening (v.1). The prophet also noted that the reforms of Josiah were not being followed by King Jehoiakim who reigned from 608 to 598 BCE (“the law (Torah) becomes slack” v.1.4) and stated – just as Jeremiah did – that injustice was prevailing.

In the omitted verses between the two parts of today’s reading, Habakkuk asserted on behalf of the LORD that the Babylonians (Chaldeans) would serve as YHWH’s instrument of divine justice.

In the second part of today’s reading, Habakkuk was directed (v.2) by the LORD to make a record of the visons presented by the LORD. YHWH responded that there was “still a vision for the appointed time” (v.3), a phrase interpreted in Judaism as referring to a future Messianic time. Christians have also interpreted it as a prophesy of the Messiah.

In verse 4, YHWH was understood to say that the “righteous” (the Judahites) would survive in spite of the “proud” (the Chaldeans/Babylonians). The Jewish Study Bible notes that the last part of verse 4 (“the righteous shall live by their faith”) had an important influence in Christianity and in the doctrine of justification through faith as expressed in Romans and Galatians.

The JSB also noted that the Dead Sea Scrolls contain a commentary on Habakkuk written in the First Century BCE in which the Chaldeans/Babylonians were understood to be the then-contemporaneous Romans – demonstrating that prophetic works were seen as having information about the life of the current community and not merely “an arcane report of past historical periods.”

Isaiah 1:10-18

Reading

10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12 When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation — I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Commentary

The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE. The name “Isaiah” means “YHWH has saved” or “May YHWH save.”

Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 30 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.

The Jewish Study Bible points out that one of major religious issues faced by First Isaiah was the extent to which Judea should attempt to confront its enemies by using military and diplomatic means or, alternatively, the extent it should rely on YHWH to protect them. Isaiah (unlike most of his contemporaries) preferred the latter option.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible observes that two themes dominate the book of Isaiah as it now exists: (1) that YHWH controls all historical events and (2) the centrality of Jerusalem for Israel, both for kingship and for worship.

Today’s reading is from First Isaiah. A later editor inserted verse 1:1 to set the time period for Isaiah as from 740 BCE (the ending years of the reign of Uzziah – also known as Azariah) to the 14th year of the reign of Hezekiah (701 BCE – when the Assyrians conquered most of Judea and besieged Jerusalem). This was a time of the ascendancy of the Assyrian Empire which conquered Northern Israel in 722 BCE and threatened Judea during all this time.

Today’s reading is a strong prophetic statement condemning worship divorced from social justice (vv. 10-17), a theme also found in Amos, Micah, and Jeremiah. Sodom and Gomorrah (v.10) – and their destruction — were commonly used symbols for divine judgement on immorality. In Genesis, the evil done by those cities was not showing hospitality (a high value) by threatening to commit sexual violence upon visitors to Lot’s home (Gen.19:5).

The call for purification (v.16) was not presented as a substitute for moral purification, but a sign of the purification that would occur when the people learned to do good and seek justice (v.17).

The verses then shifted from condemnation to a legal argument (v.18) in which YHWH offered forgiveness if Judea repented but said Judea would be “devoured by the sword” (v.20) if it did not repent. Except for a period of Deuteronomic reform under King Josiah (640 to 609 BCE), Jerusalem did not repent and it was conquered by the Babylonians – the successors to the Assyrians – in 597 BCE. The First Exile began in 587 BCE.

The Jewish Publication Society translation takes a different approach to v.18a. Instead of “let us argue it out” as in the NRSV, the JPS translates the phrase as “Come, let us reach an understanding.” Annotations in both the NOAB and the JSB acknowledge that the meaning of the Hebrew is unclear.

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

Reading

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers, and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.

11 To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Commentary

Thessalonica, a port city in northern Greece, was capital of the Roman province of Macedonia in the First Century. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest part of the Christian Scriptures and was written by Paul before 50 CE, about 20 years before the first Gospel (Mark) was written. A principal theme of both 1 and 2 Thessalonians was the return of the Lord Jesus in the end time.

In 2 Thessalonians, however, there was an emphasis on living in the present and warnings about forgeries of Paul’s writings. For these reasons, most scholars conclude that 2 Thessalonians was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century.

In today’s reading, the salutation was identical to 1 Thessalonians, followed by a thanksgiving for the faith of the community. “Love for one another” (v.3) is a statement of their solidarity and separated them from outsiders.

The author referred to “persecutions and afflictions” (v.4), an indication that the letter was written in the late First Century because there is little evidence of major persecutions in the mid-century when Paul was still alive.

The omitted verses (5 -10) assert that God would afflict the persecutors and work vengeance on those who did not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus.

Today’s reading concluded with an intercessory prayer that God will make the people worthy of God’s call so that the name of the Lord Jesus will be glorified in the believers’ lives.

Both The New Oxford Annotated Bible and The Jewish Annotated New Testament see Isaiah 66:5 as the basis of the idea “the glory of the name” (v. 12) — except that in Isaiah, it is YHWH’s name that is glorified.

Luke 19:1-10

Reading

1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

The story of Zacchaeus is found only in Luke. The setting, Jericho, was an important customs center because of its location. As the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus (whose name – ironically — is derived from the Hebrew word for “righteous” or “upright”) would have contracted with the Roman overlords to collect these taxes or fees and would have been despised by his neighbors for his active role in the Roman domination system.

Zacchaeus’ response to Jesus was presented by Luke as a sharp contrast to story of the “certain ruler” in Luke 18:18 who had asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life but went away sad (v.23) when he was told to sell all he owned and distribute the money to the poor (v.22).

Zacchaeus said he would give “half his possessions to the poor” and pay back anyone he had defrauded four times the amount by which he defrauded them. This was consistent with Exodus 22:1 which mandated that someone who stole a sheep had to repay it four times over.

The last two verses of the reading need interpretation. In a footnote, The NOAB described “salvation” as “the kingdom of God that has come to this house in Jesus’ presence and message and evinces itself in Zacchaeus’s transformation.” (Italics in original) This interpretation in The NAOB seems to raise more questions than it answers.

If this were the correct understanding, why does the text go on to say that salvation has come “because he too is a son of Abraham.” (v.9b)? Regarding this phrase, when Jesus cured the woman who was crippled (13:13), he referred to her as a “daughter of Abraham” (13:16) meaning that she was Jewish. Is Jesus saying that salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house simply because he was Jewish? Or have Zacchaeus’ actions transformed him into a devout Jew who is following the Torah? Or is the ”house” to which salvation has come the house of Israel?

Saying that the Son of Man (a term derived from Daniel and Ezekiel) came to save the “lost” (v.10) is a theme that occurs numerous times in Luke – in the Prodigal Son, the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and in other stories in this gospel.

2022, October 2 ~ Lamentations 1:1-6; Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
OCTOBER 2, 2022

During Pentecost Season 2022, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.

The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.

The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.

Lamentations 1:1-6

Reading

1 How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal.
2 She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies.
3 Judah has gone into exile with suffering and hard servitude; she lives now among the nations,
and finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
4 The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the festivals; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan; her young girls grieve, and her lot is bitter.
5 Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper, because the Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe.
6 From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty. Her princes have become like stags that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer.

Commentary

In Christian versions of the Bible, Lamentations is included between Jeremiah and Ezekiel because of a tradition that the book was written by Jeremiah (just as the Psalms were incorrectly attributed to David and most Wisdom Literature was attributed to Solomon). In the Hebrew Bible, Lamentations is not included with the Prophets, but is situated among the “Writings.”

Lamentations consists of a sequence of five lyric poems that lament the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the beginning of the Exile in 586 BCE. It was written in the period from 586 BCE and 520 BCE when the Exile was over and the Temple was being rebuilt.

The first four chapters of Lamentations are written as an acrostic in which the first letter of each successive verse follows the sequence of the Hebrew alphabet.

Today’s verses are the opening part of an extended lament over Jerusalem, which has lost its lovers (i.e. allies) (v.2) and now lives among the “nations” (Gentiles) (v.3). The theology of the verses is consistent with the Deuteronomic belief that if one engages in “bad acts” the consequences will be bad, and YHWH was punishing Jerusalem for its transgressions (v.5).

Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4

Reading

1 The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw.
2 O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?
3 Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.
4 So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous–
therefore judgment comes forth perverted.

2:1 I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
2 Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.
3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
4 Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.

Commentary

After the death of the good King Josiah in 609 BCE, Judea went into a sharp decline, culminating with the Babylonian Exile, the first part of which began in 597 BCE and the second part of which began in 586 and lasted until 539 BCE. Josiah emphasized the Torah, but in the reign of his successors “the law became slack” (v.4).

Habakkuk prophesied (spoke for YHWH) from the time Josiah’s death to the first deportation of Judean leaders in 597 BCE. He was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah and his messages are similar to Jeremiah’s.

In today’s readings, Habakkuk lamented the destruction and violence in Judea and the lack of justice. In the verses between today’s readings, he spoke for YHWH and said that the Chaldeans (Babylonians) would serve as the instrument of God’s justice to punish the Judeans.

In the second part of today’s reading, YHWH replied that divine justice will come “at the appointed time” because of the righteous (vv.3-4).

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Reading

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our LORD.

3 I am grateful to God — whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did — when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Commentary

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concerned the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 63 CE). Writing a document in someone else’s name (pseudepigrapha) was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community had become more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” had arisen.

The Pastoral letters were written to Paul’s “co-workers” but have a broader audience. By the time they were written, Paul was regarded as an authoritative figure of the past.

2 Timothy purported to be written from prison (v.8) and is more personal than 1 Timothy. The author, writing as Paul, treated Timothy as his “beloved child” (v.2), loyal disciple and his spiritual heir. In the letter, Paul was portrayed as near death. Timothy was presented as a “third generation” Jesus Follower who followed both his grandmother and his Jewish mother (Acts 16:1-3).

Today’s reading contains a typical “Pauline salutation” followed by a “thanksgiving” for Timothy’s faith (vv. 3-7). “Paul” showed his connection to Judaism in saying that he worshiped “as my ancestors did” (v.3). Speaking as Paul, the author emphasized that his understanding of the gospel is the true one and presented the gospel proclamation in shorthand form in verses 9 and 10.

“Paul” asserted his status as a herald, apostle, teacher, and sufferer (vv. 11-12) as a prelude to criticizing persons who “have turned away from me” (v.15). The reference to “that day” in verse 12 showed the growing belief within the Jesus Follower Movement in a Second Coming of Christ when the Kingdom of God would be fulfilled.

Luke 17:5-10

Reading

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

7 “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, `Come here at once and take your place at the table’? 8 Would you not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? 9 Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, `We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'”

Commentary

The Gospel According to Luke is generally regarded as having been written around 85 CE. Its author also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Both books were written in elegant and deliberatively crafted Greek and presented Jesus of Nazareth as the universal savior of humanity. Both emphasized the Holy Spirit as the “driving force” for events.

The Gospel followed the same general chronology of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as the Gospel of Mark, and more than 40% of Luke’s Gospel was based on Mark. The other portions of Luke include (a) sayings shared with the Gospel According to Matthew but not found in Mark and (b) stories that are unique to Luke such as the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Presentation in the Temple, the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan.

Today’s reading has two distinct thoughts. The first set of verses criticized the apostles for having a lack of “faith” (pistis in Greek and understood better as “faithfulness”). In effect, even a miniscule amount (a mustard seed) of faithfulness could overcome a large tree (v.6). In Matt. 17:20, faith could “move mountains.”

The second part of the reading called for service without a desire for reward, and that doing one’s duty does not bring a reward.

2019, November 3 ~ Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 and 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

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TODAY’S READINGS IN CONTEXT
NOVEMBER 3, 2019

For the convenience of readers, the presentation now includes the Readings and the Commentary.

Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4

Reading

The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw.
O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen?
Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?
Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.
So, the law becomes slack and justice never prevails.
The wicked surround the righteous — therefore judgment comes forth perverted.

I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,
and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.

Commentary

Habakkuk is one the “Minor Prophets” – the 12 prophets whose works are much shorter than those of the “Major Prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel) and are found in a single scroll.

Because of the reference to the Chaldeans (Babylonians) in v.1:6, Habakkuk is generally considered a contemporary of Jeremiah. His prophesy – speaking for YHWH – is dated after 612 BCE when the Babylonians gained domination of the Middle East.

After the righteous and reforming king, Josiah, was killed at Megiddo in 609 BCE, Judea had a series of hapless kings until the first deportation of exiles to Babylon in 597 BCE. The book of Habakkuk reflected the difficulties that faced Judea during this 12-year period.

Today’s reading is structured as a dialogue between Habakkuk and YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters) in which the prophet asserts that YHWH is not listening (v.1). The prophet noted that the reforms of Josiah were not being followed (“the law [Torah] becomes slack” v.1.4) and – just as Jeremiah did – stated that injustice was prevailing.

In the omitted verses between the two parts of today’s reading, Habakkuk asserted that the Babylonians would serve as YHWH’s instrument of divine justice. In the second part of today’s reading, YHWH responded (v.2:4) that the “appointed time” would come and that the “righteous” (the Judahites) would survive in spite of the “proud” (the Chaldeans/Babylonians).

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

Reading

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
Therefore, we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.

To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith,
so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Commentary

Thessalonica, a port city in northern Greece, was capital of the Roman province of Macedonia in the First Century. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest part of the Christian Scriptures and was written by Paul before 50 CE, about 20 years before the first Gospel (Mark) was written. A principal theme of both 1 and 2 Thessalonians was the return of the Lord Jesus in the end time.

In 2 Thessalonians, however, there was an emphasis on living in the present and warnings about forgeries of Paul’s writings. For these reasons, many scholars conclude that 2 Thessalonians was written by one of Paul’s disciples after Paul’s death in 64 CE.

In today’s reading, the salutation was identical to 1 Thessalonians, followed by a thanksgiving for the faith of the community and a reference to “persecutions and afflictions” (v.4). The omitted verses (5 -10) assert that God will afflict the persecutors and work vengeance on those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus.

Today’s reading concluded with an intercessory prayer that God will make the people worthy of God’s call so that the Lord Jesus will be glorified in the believers’ lives.

2016, October 2 ~ Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 & 2 Timothy 1:1-14

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Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4

After the death of the good King Josiah in 609 BCE, Judea went into a sharp decline, culminating with the Babylonian Exile, the first part of which began in 597 BCE and the second part of which began in 586 and lasted until 539 BCE. Josiah emphasized the Torah, but in the reign of his successors “the law became slack” (1:4). Habakkuk prophesied (spoke for Yahweh) from the time Josiah’s death to the first deportation of Judean leaders in 597 BCE. He was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah and his messages are similar to Jeremiah’s. In today’s readings, Habakkuk laments the destruction and violence in Judea and the lack of justice. In the verses between today’s readings, he speaks for Yahweh and says that the Chaldeans (Babylonians) will serve as the instrument of God’s justice to punish the Judeans. In the second part of today’s reading, Yahweh replies that divine justice will come “at the appointed time” because of the righteous (2:3-4).

2 Timothy 1:1-14

The Letters to Timothy and Titus are called “Pastoral Letters” because they concern the internal life, governance and behavior of the early Christian churches and their members. Most scholars agree they were written in the early Second Century in Paul’s name by some of his followers (Paul died in 64 CE). Writing something in someone else’s name was a common practice in the First and Second Centuries. By then, the Jesus Follower Community was more institutionalized and concerns about “heresy” and false teachings arose.

2 Timothy is more personal than 1 Timothy. The author, writing as Paul, treats Timothy as his “beloved child” and his spiritual heir. Today’s reading contains a typical “Pauline salutation” followed by a “thanksgiving” for Timothy’s faith (vv. 3-7). “Paul” emphasizes that his understanding of the gospel is the true one, and presents the gospel proclamation in shorthand form in verses 9 and 10. “Paul” asserts his status as a herald, apostle, teacher and sufferer (vv. 11-12) as a prelude to criticizing persons who “have turned away from me” (v.15).