For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
1 Thes. 4
What does Paul urge them (and us) to do “more and more”? (Hint: there are two things.) Paul instructed the Thessalonians to live in order to please God. That should be our primary focus and the basis for all our actions. The world lives to please self, always pursuing what they think will make them happy. We know that never works for long. True happiness can only happen when we are in harmony with God. Anything else is fleeting and typically puts us in opposition to God. He specifically mentions sexual immorality, which somehow generally seems to be at the heart of our wayward desires.
Paul also specifically mentions loving each other. We know this pleases God, as it is the second of His two great commands. Of course, “love each other” is a pretty ambiguous statement that can mean different things to different people. The Bible gives quite a bit of instruction on the matter, but there is no short and easy answer. However, there are a couple of things to note from this passage.
First, loving each other is not the same as living to please others. Remember, we are to live to please God. Living to please others leads down the same path as living to please self. Second, Paul says, “…and make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands” (1 Thes. 4:11b). I read this to mean, don’t stir up trouble and dissention and don’t expect others to take care of you. And I think we can only do that if we have successfully set self aside. Put God first and the rest falls more easily into place.
2 Kings 17-18
The author explains why Israel was taken into captivity. Summarize the reasons. What is your take-away? When the king of Assyria deported the Israelites out of Samaria, he brought in people from foreign nations to resettle the land. The settlers were being killed off by lions, however, because they did not worship the LORD. The king’s solution was to return one of the priests back to Samaria to “teach the people what the god of the land requires” (2 Kings 17:27b). I had to laugh at the irony of the king’s solution. The Israelites were sent out of their land because they did not do what the LORD required. How, then, could any of them teach the new settlers what they themselves did not understand? That’s what you call the blind leading the blind!
The people did put into practice what the priest taught and began worshiping the LORD. But they still did not do what the LORD required. “Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols.” (2 Kings 17:41a). To add to the irony of the situation, the information they needed was actually readily available. As it turns out, Micah was one of the prophets at the time. I read that he prophesied to both Judah and Israel. And what did Micah say? “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Mic. 6:8).
Prov. 14
Which proverb speaks to you today? Why? “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Pr. 14:12). This proverb speaks directly to the situation we just read about in 2 Kings 17. The priest taught the people how to worship the LORD. That seemed right, and it must have stopped the killings by the lions. But their path still lead to death because they still did not do what the LORD required. That is why it is so important that we both use discretion in selecting our teachers and carefully examine their message against God’s truth. For it is not what seems right to man that matters, but only what is right to God.