For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
1 Cor. 11
What were the problems with the Corinthians’ celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and what solutions did Paul propose? Reading this chapter, I get the impression that when Paul established the Corinthian church, and likely every other church he established, he gave them a few customs and traditions to follow. God, likewise, when He established the Jews as His people, gave them several rituals, traditions, and ways of doing things. For the early Jews, these God given traditions had several purposes. They were to differentiate the Jews, who served the living God, from other nations who did not. They were also to teach the people, as well as other nations, the character of God. And they were both a remembrance of what God had done for them and a foreshadowing of what He was yet to do.
I believe the traditions that Paul established in the early churches served the same purposes. And, just as with the traditions of the Old Testament, these new traditions were rendered meaningless when not done from the heart with the proper attitude and spirit. So, while Paul commended the church for holding firmly to the traditions he had given them, he felt the need to both further explain the attitudes behind those traditions and to chastise the church for the spirit in which they carried them out. If I had to boil it down to what was missing, based on Paul’s words here, I would say it was an attitude of submission and the spirit of unity. Traditions or not, I pray my life demonstrates both to a world in need of God.
Judges 1-2
I wonder why the Bible makes a point of mentioning Caleb’s daughter and her requests for land and springs? The story is mentioned in both Joshua and Judges, so it seems important somehow. Perhaps it is recorded merely because she was among those who received an allotment of land and such record keeping mattered. But maybe there is more. If someone can write an entire book / study on the simple prayer of Jabez, then perhaps I can speculate a little bit here.
It seems to me that Caleb, a faithful man, is a good example of a loving father. Jesus more than once used the example of a loving father to make a point about how God cares for us. So perhaps this story is included for the same reason. Like Aksah, we can humbly, yet boldly, approach our Father to request His provision. And if Caleb, a mere human, provided his daughter with more than she requested, can we not expect that our Heavenly Father will abundantly provide for us?
Prov. 9
Compare and contrast mockers and the wise. Which best describes you? Taking correction is hard. It’s hard because it hits our pride. Our injured pride then wants to use ‘offense’ as a defense. And I mean ‘offense’ both ways. Pride chooses to be insulted and go on the attack. The mocker in Proverbs 9 personifies pride. The wise, on the other hand, take the humble approach. When we set aside our pride, we see that we can learn and improve from correction. Then, instead of being hostile toward those who seek to help us, we can be grateful for their gift. When we wisely choose to respond to correction with humility, we gain the reward of more wisdom. But pride leaves you with nothing.