Reading for April 15th

 Read 1 Thessalonians 2.1-12. In 2.1-12: The endurance of the mission team. Paul denounces false teachers and praises the mission team for building up the congregation. In verse 2: Oppression, a metaphor of athletic struggle (Epictetus Diss, 1.24, 1-2: 4 Macc 16.16). In verse 4: God ... tests our hearts, see Gal 1.10; Prov 17.3. Inverses 7: The Greek word "epioi," gentle, found in some manuscripts differs from "nepioi," infants, by only the letter "n". Paul rarely uses "infant" positively (see Rom 2.20; 1 Cor 3.1; 13.11; Gal; 4.1, 3), so gentle is probably original. In verse 11: Father ... children, see Gal 4.19-20; 1 Cor 4.14-21; 2 Cor 6.11-13. Inverse 12: Lead a life worthy (Gal 4.14-21; Rom 13. 13), "walk" is distinctive (holy) life even though the end time is not oblivious to a world that is passing away (see 4.1-8). Kingdom of God, rare in Paul (see 1 Cor 4.20). Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 14th

 Read 1 Thessalonians 1.2-10. In 1.2-5: Thanksgiving. Paul highlights his consistent prayers, signs of the congregation's ongoing life, and God's initiative in the effectiveness of the gospel and Paul's mission team. In verse 3: Faith ... love ... hope, see 5.8; Rom 5.1-5; 1 Cor 13.11; Gal 5.5-6. In verse 4: On the kinship expression brothers and sisters, see Deut 15.3. Beloved of God, see Deut 33.12. Chose, see Deut 4.37; 7.6-8; 10.14-15; 14.2. In 1.6-216: The suffering and endurance of the congregation. Three sections depict how the Thessalonians suffered with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit (1.6-10), the endurance of the mission team ( 2.1-12), and what the Thessalonians suffered (2.13-16). In 1.6-10: How the Thessalonians suffered. In verse 6: Persecution (3.3-4, 7), suffering or affliction, the woes that precede the consummations of the new age. In verse 8: Sounded forth, the Greek implies continuous spreading of the word. In verses 9-10: This may be a formal statement of belief. Turned to god from idols suggests, contrary to Acts 17.4, that the converts were gentiles. See 2.14. Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 13th

 Read 1 Thessalonians 1.1. In 1.1: Opening. A typical greeting, although written in an extremely simple form (see Phil 1.1-2). In verse 1: Silvanus, Latin form of Silas, one of Paul's companions (Acts15.22, 40; 17.2). Timothy, one of Paul's emissaries and a traveling companion (Rom 16.21; 1 Cor 4.17; 16.10; Phil 2.19). Grace and peace; likely a variation of the Jewish "mercy and peace " (see 2 Baruch 78.2, a late Jewish apocryphal writing, probably from the first century CE). Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 12th

 Read Malachi 3.13-4.6. In 3.13-4.6: God's judgment of the wicked and salvation of the righteous. The announcement of God's judgment, like the announcement in 2.17-3.5, is made in response to those who believe that there is no justice, that the wicked prosper while the righteous do not ((vv. 13-15). Such a concern was not unique to Malachi's audience, as the books of Job (21.28-31) and Ecclesiastes (7.15) illustrates. In 3.16: The book of remembrance is unique to Malachi, though it is based on older tradition (Ex 32.32; Ps 69.28). In 4.2: The sun of righteousness is a title for God, who elsewhere described with solar imagery (Ps 4.6; 84.11). In verse 4: This event is summarized in duet 5-6. In verse 5: The expectation of the return of Elijah nay be related in the tradition that he did not die but was taken up into heaven (2 Kings 2.11-12). The phrase "I will send ... " associates him with God's messenger, mentioned in 3.1 Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for April 11th

 Read Malachi 3.6-12. In 3.6-12: Judah's miserliness. Just as Judah's priests are not fulfilling their obligations for proper worship at the Temple (1.6-2.3), so Judah's people are not fulfilling their tithes. They are not bringing to the Temple the full tithes (v. 10) of their produce required by Israelite law (Lev 27.30-33;  Deut 14.22-29). In verse 10: The connection between proper worship and divine blessing in Malachi's message mirrors Haggai's thought (Hag 1.9-10). Comments or Questions...

Reading for April 10th

 Read Malachi 2.17-3.5. In 2.17-3.5: God's judgement. Malachi announces a divine judgment as a response to those who weary God by complaining that the wicked prosper ( v. 17). In 3.1: The identity of the messenger is not stated though the conclusion to Malachi' connects him with the prophet Elijah (4.5). In verse 3: The first group singled out for judgment is the descendants of Levi, the priests who have been making improper offerings (see 1.6-2.9). In verse 5: The adulterers' judged here may be the faithless Judeans (2.10-16). By describing God's judgment against those who oppress the poor and powerless, including the widow and the orphans, Malachi takes up the theme of social justice preached by Israel's pre-exilic prophets (Isa 1.17). Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 9th

 Read Malachi 2.10-16. In 2.10-16: Judah's unfaithfulness. This speech is either a criticism of idolatry, by means of a metaphor of unfaithfulness in marriage, or, more likely, a criticism of unfaithful marriage relationship themselves. In verses 1-12: Judean men have been faithless by marrying foreign women, the daughter of a foreign god (v. 11). His probations against marrying foreign women appears to stem from the concern that the husband will abandon worship of Israel's God (Ex 34.16; 1 Kings 11.1-2) In verses 13-16: Judean men have also been faithless by divorcing their wives. While Deuteronomic law provides stipulations for divorce (Deut 24.1-4), this speech appears to be more critical of it. Comments or Questions..