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Luke 10
When Jesus sent his 72 disciples out ahead of Him, He told them not just once but twice to eat whatever was offered to them. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the Jews had pretty strict food laws. Jesus didn’t say to only eat acceptable food. He said eat whatever. We have no way of knowing if the people the disciples went to followed those laws or not. Given Peter’s later reaction to the sheet of unclean food lowered before him, however, my guess would be that they didn’t run into that issue at this time. Still, I wonder if Jesus was making a point here that He knew they wouldn’t understand until later.
Though Luke never mentions it, we know at some point Jesus told His followers, “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” (Matt. 15:11). We also know that Jesus’ coming brought a release from the old law and a call to the deeper law of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Instructing His disciples to eat whatever was offered seems in line with all of that.
I also find it interesting that Jesus told them to eat whatever was offered only if they were welcomed. In contrast, if the town did not welcome them, they were to reject even the dust on their feet. So eating the food had nothing to do with personal desires. Nor was it about trying to make themselves accepted. Rather, it was about connecting with the people they were attempting to reach with the good news of God’s kingdom. All of which makes me wonder if perhaps Jesus was instructing His disciples to not do as the Jewish religious leaders did, using their physical law as an excuse for not following God’s spiritual law. A good instruction to keep in mind, I think.
Dan. 3-4
How did God respond to the king’s pride? Compare with James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5-6. Why is pride so dangerous? Is there good pride? Nebuchadnezzar’s journey to humility and the knowledge of God was a slow one. We see signs of learning along the way. But ultimately, God had to take drastic measures with him to turn his heart. I think maybe he became aware of God when Daniel interpreted his first dream. We can see that he learned from that, because his response with his second dream was different. First, he acknowledged that his magicians and such were not able to tell him what his dream was. So this time he asked only that they interpret it. Second, when they could not interpret his dream, he remembered God and that he could seek an answer from Him through Daniel.
If King Nebuchadnezzar became aware of God’s presence among men through Daniel, he became aware of God’s great power through Daniel’s three friends. He even offered praise to God, but note that God was not his God. He was the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. And so his journey continued. He told his own story in Daniel chapter 4. In spite of what he had learned up to the point of his second dream, and in spite of Daniel’s advice to renounce his sins and do what was right, King Nebuchadnezzar remained stuck in his pride. His pride was so deep that, even when he saw God’s word to him coming to pass, it still took him “seven times” before he raised his eyes toward heaven.
How encouraging it is that God can save even a man with such deep rooted pride. For, though Nebuchadnezzar’s throne and power became even greater than before, his heart had clearly changed. He said, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.” (Dan. 4:37).