Matthew 13:10

His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

 

From Background Notes [BN] for January 5^th & 6^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

From this explanation we learn of Jesus’ intentionality within the parable form. Clearly, parables invite questions. When Jesus uses the words, “He who has hears, let him hear,” he is inviting dialogue with the parable.

Matthew 11:28 NLT

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Psalm 103:1-2 NLT

A psalm of David.

Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

Luke 2:28-32 NLT

“Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!””

Matthew 13:10

His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

From Background Notes [BN] for January 5^th & 6^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

From this explanation we learn of Jesus’ intentionality within the parable form. Clearly, parables invite questions. When Jesus uses the words, “He who has hears, let him hear,” he is inviting dialogue with the parable.

Hebrews 13:20-21

Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen

From Background Notes [BN] for December 22nd & 23rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

John 14:1

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

From Background Notes [BN] for December 22nd & 23rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

And peace —shalom — from the hand of Jesus promises to alleviate the trouble and the fear. The Greek word ēreinē has this underlying meaning of “calming, quieting,” and fits nicely into the present context.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it

From Background Notes [BN] for December 22nd & 23rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

When Paul begins with the phrase “God himself” (Greek: autos … theos), he lays stress on the identity of God as the peace-maker. Literally, the Greek reads, “Now He, the God of peace, may he sanctify you wholly…”

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

From Background Notes [BN] for December 22nd & 23rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

For contemporary readers, the word “peace” evokes images of doves and olive branches, the kind of thing activists might put on t-shirts or placards.

Matthew 10:34

Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

From Background Notes [BN] for December 22nd & 23rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Those words from the lips of Jesus might strike us as an odd vocational statement from the person we call “Prince of Peace.”

Proverbs 21:3

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Proverbs 20:5

The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 18:2

Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.

Matthew 10:34

Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

From Background Notes [BN] for December 22nd & 23rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Those words from the lips of Jesus might strike us as an odd vocational statement from the person we call “Prince of Peace.”

John 16:27

“… the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God”

From Background Notes [BN] for December 8^th & 9^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Using the material from John’s Gospel as the basis, we summarize Jesus’ central understanding of his relationship to God as Father. Jesus comes into the world as a human so that the he might reveal the true nature of God as the Everlasting Father.

John 17:11

Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.

From Background Notes [BN] for December 8^th & 9^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

In John 17 we have Jesus’ longest prayer. Often called the “High Priestly Prayer,” Jesus reveals the most intimate moments between himself and the Father as he prays for:

John 1:18

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known

From Background Notes [BN] for December 8^th & 9^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Jesus, as the Word-become-flesh, has a unique relationship to God: He is the Son “at the Father’s side.”

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

From Background Notes [BN] for December 8^th & 9^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The first part of this passage makes distinctions between the Word and God; between logos and theos. It also shows the essential unity of Word and God. We have the Word with God, and then we have the Word indentified with God.

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

From Background Notes [BN] for December 8^th & 9^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

So, isn’t saying that Jesus is the Everlasting Father “confound the persons” because it confuses Father with Son?

Romans 1:16-17

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith"

From Background Notes [BN] for December 1^st & 2^nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Paul tells us that the righteousness of God is the power of God, for through the Gospel we learn how it was that God began to make the world right.

Matthew 8:17

This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases"

From Background Notes [BN] for December 1^st & 2^nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The last century gave the world unimaginable power, the kind that taps the mystery of the atom and lets the genie out of the bottle.

Revelation 19:6

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

From Background Notes [BN] for December 1^st & 2^nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

For God to be Almighty — the God-Warrior who always prevails — means that He never allows His power to get out of control. God is the quintessential Self-Controlled Supreme Being.

Daniel 6:20

When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

From Background Notes [BN] for December 1^st & 2^nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

One main recurring theme of Israelite faith is, simply, “our God is able.”

Jeremiah 33:14-16

The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land.
 

From Background Notes [BN] for December 1^st & 2^nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

“I will fulfill the promise I made” sets the tone for the first Advent celebration. Promises are hard to keep, and easier to make.

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 24^th & 25^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

If we had asked King Hezekiah who his counselor was, he would have immediately replied, "Isaiah, the prophet, who brings me the word of Yahweh". 

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 24^th & 25^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

While we might admit literary license and hyperbole in its language about Hezekiah, something else remains just below the surface. 

Isaiah 9:2

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 24^th & 25^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The 4th century philosopher, Augustine made an important point about darkness: that in itself it has no separate existence. Darkness is not something, it is the absence of something, namely, light.

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 24^th & 25^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Few citizens of Judah, as they reviewed the list in Isaiah 1:1, would have been terribly impressed by the cast of kings in recent memory.

Luke 17:18

Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”

From Background Notes [BN] for November 17^th & 18^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

How do we coordinate the meanings of thanksgiving and praise? Jesus understood the tenth leper’s act of gratitude from the vantage point of the Hebrew Bible.

Luke 17:19

Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

From Background Notes [BN] for November 17^th & 18^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

In one sense, faith does not become complete without gratitude. Jesus does not speak those words to the man before he heals him. He speaks them after he heals him.

Luke 17:14

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 17^th & 18^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What complicates — and illuminates — this text is the case of “one of them.” He is specifically indentified as “a Samaritan” and “this foreigner.” The question about this one healed leper is: to what priest was he supposed to go?

Luke 17:17-18

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”

From Background Notes [BN] for November 17^th & 18^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Here is the ultimate anti-thanksgiving story.

Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 10^th & 11^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What the popular mind may count as a hero, often turns out to be a tragic one. Shakespeare grasped this in several of his plays, including Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear. In each of these there is both a hero and a character that fits the model of “the meek.” Writes Wilbur Dunkel:

Psalm 37:11

But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

 From Background Notes [BN] for November 10^th & 11^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

By citing this text, Jesus directs the mind of his audience to the whole Psalm. What is that Psalm about, and why would Jesus draw one of his beatitudes from it? The main theme is how God’s people should react to those whom the psalm collectively calls “the wicked” or “evil men.”

Matthew 21:5

Say to the Daughter of Zion, “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 10^th & 11^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

When kings ride donkeys, then the political order has been turned upside down. Rarely do kings project this sort of humility in the presence of their subjects. Pomp and circumstance accompany the strutting of monarchs.

Matthew 11:29-30

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 10^th & 11^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Matthew uses a pair of words, “gentle (=meek) and humble,” which come from the Greek praus and tapeinos. Both are joined by the noun “heart,” which, in the Greek, is used as a dative of respect: “meek and humble with respect to the heart.”

 

Luke 6:21b (KJV)

Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 3^rd & 4^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

When the rabbis referred to the Messiah, they called him the “Comforter.”  Mourning, in light of this, means awaiting the coming of Messiah, sometimes impatiently “because of the seeming slowness of God’s justice.”

2 Corinthians 1:7

And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 3^rd & 4^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

 

Comfort, as the response to mourning, is incarnational. When Jesus declares that comfort brings blessing to the mourners, he is at the same time enlisting the ministry of comfort from the hands of his followers.

Luke 19:41-42

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace-- but now it is hidden from your eyes”

From Background Notes [BN] for November 3^rd & 4^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Further, Bonhoeffer explains:

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…

From Background Notes [BN] for November 3^rd & 4^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

In the Talmud,(1) times of official mourning for the dead fall into four periods:

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 3^rd  & 4^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

 

In Isaiah 61, a passage we considered last week, God’s Messiah promised to bring “comfort to all who mourn (61:2).” Israel, God’s ancient people, knew a great deal about loss through slavery, deportation, and exile.

Isaiah 55:1

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

 

From Background Notes [BN] for October 27^th & 28^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Salvation is first of all about admitting that we are spiritually poor and desperately in need of God’s mercy and grace. That’s a hard admission, filled with the acknowledgement of our own inadequacy — something that self-assured human beings hate to do. We know that we are thirsty for something.

Hebrews 5:2

He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness

From Background Notes [BN] for October 27^th & 28^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The context of Hebrews 5:2 is Hebrews 4:14-5:10, an extended discussion that compares “Jesus the Son of God” (4:14) to the office of High Priest in Israel, the most powerful position in Second Temple Judaism. Originally created during the days of Moses, the office of High Priest, held by Aaron the brother of Moses, symbolized God’s desire to remain connected to His people through carefully planned rituals that gave extraordinary access to God.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

From Background Notes [BN] for October 27^th & 28^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Frankly, the whole idea that weakness somehow was good upended Paul’s culture where things like weakness and poverty were signs of God’s disfavor and people’s dishonor.

Matthew 5:3

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

From Background Notes [BN] for October 27^th & 28^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

God is dynamically sovereign, and in the words and deeds of Jesus he makes a royal announcement — Good News — that this reign of God now breaks into the world with fresh power and life.

Matthew 5:3

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

From Background Notes [BN] for October 27^th & 28^th  written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Jesus did not intend to demonize the rich and confer sainthood on the poor. However, as we shall see in what follows, he honored the poor by telling them the Good News that they were not trapped in their poverty, while warning the rich that their riches are unreliable unless they are put to good use on behalf of the poor.

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

 

From Background Notes [BN] for October 20^th & 21^st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

 

We need to remind ourselves from time to time that the Beatitudes represent signs of those who are truly Christ's disciples.

 

Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

From Background Notes [BN] for October 20^th & 21^st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

At the heart of the sayings at the beginning of the Sermon in Matthew 5:1-16 is the notion that the blessings of God are greater than status above others. These verses are called the "beatitudes" for a reason! Derived from the Latin, beatitude and beatus, the idea forms the root meaning of our English word "happy.” Further…

Matthew 5:4

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

From Background Notes [BN] for October 20^th & 21^st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

5:1-12 comprises what we commonly call "The Beatitudes", pithy sayings which explain what the "blessed life" looks like, and how we can achieve it. To Jesus' audience, to be "blessed" meant to live in the favor of Yahweh. Israel had a problem with that. Jewish people feared that they did not live in God's favor, but were, in fact, still in exile and under judgment for past sins.

Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

From Background Notes [BN] for October 20^th & 21^st  written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Several years ago, Robert Schuller published his book, The Be (Happy) Attitudes (1985), which tackled the question, “Where does happiness come from?” Seizing the verbal trick found in the word “beatitude,” the writer extracted the idea of “attitude.”

2 Chronicles 33:1-6

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.  He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 

Psalm 62:1 (KJV)

Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

Proverbs 19:20-21 (NLT)

Get all the advice and instruction you can,
so you will be wise the rest of your life.

You can make many plans,
but the LORD's purpose will prevail.

2 Chronicles 31:3-5

The king contributed from his own possessions for the morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals as written in the Law of the LORD. He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything.

Have your fields produced?  Been blessed??

Haggai 2:23

 “‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

From Background Notes [BN] for October 6^th & 7^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

In the present context, the purpose of the signet ring was to authenticate legal documents, identify property, or authorize proxy, functioning much like our signature (Jeremiah 32:10-44; 1 Kings 21:8). If one person gave another person his seal, then he thereby conferred authority and trust. God is making Zerubbabel the equivalent of a seal in this sense.

Haggai 2:23

“‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

From Background Notes [BN] for October 6^th & 7^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Because Zerubbabel showed himself as a servant for the Lord’s building project, God reaches out and takes hold of him with sovereign love and promises him something new.

Jeremiah 7:3-7

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever.

From Background Notes [BN] for October 6^th & 7^th  written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Notice how the mantra in 7:4 was really a deception. The temple could not make an unholy people holy.

Haggai 2:13

Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?” “Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”

From Background Notes [BN] for October 6^th & 7^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Our initial reaction to the two questions and their answers might be: It doesn’t take much for unclean things to make other things unclean, whereas becoming holy doesn’t happen by second-hand contact with another holy thing.

Haggai 2:12

If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’” The priests answered, “No.”

From Background Notes [BN] for September 29^th & 30^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Now, according to Jewish practice, the meat originally became holy because it was brought to the Great Altar as a “peace offering” (Hebrew: šelāmîm) and thereby dedicated to God for a special use.

Haggai 2:9

‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

From Background Notes [BN] for September 29^th & 30^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

If you’ve been reading these Notes over the past five years, you’ll know that shalom has to do with wholeness and restoration at many levels of human existence. Debts paid, neighbors on good terms, healthy, strong marriage, thriving children, and connected to God — just a brief sample of the multi-dimensional nature of shalom.

Haggai 2:1-2

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people.

From Background Notes [BN] for September 29^th & 30^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What God does through this outburst of prophetic utterance is to place the small, seemingly insignificant lives of little Judah within the larger context of God’s purposes for the whole world.

Haggai 2:4

But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.

From Background Notes [BN] for September 29^th & 30^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The God of little Judah is the God of Moses and Joshua and the ancestors. As then, so now, “Be strong and courageous,” “Be strong and very courageous.” Then, as now, the people of God anchor their actions in the Word of God, spoken by His messengers to dispel fear and discouragement.

 

Malachi 4:4-6

"Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse”.

From Background Notes [BN] for September 29^th & 30^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Fathers and children share the responsibility to “remember” the Word of God from Sinai — the settled and faithful Word that transcends the vagaries of time and place.

Haggai 2:1

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:

From Background Notes [BN] for September 29^th & 30^th  written by Pastor Bob Brown:

As every Jew would know, this is the 7th of the Feast of the Tabernacles, occurring in the autumn, starting with the 15th day of the 7th month (see Leviticus 23:34; Numbers 29:12). Why is this significant?

Haggai 1:14b-15

They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.

From Background Notes [BN] for September 22^nd & 23^rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Anxiety belongs to the spirit of our time, and its eroding and corrosive force filters into the life of the Christian community. Faced with economic distress, persons or whole communities react with skepticism, anger, depression, and fear. What we learn from general studies is this: fearful people do not have much energy to attempt anything bold that would put them at further risk.

Haggai 1:14

So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God,

From Background Notes [BN] for September 22^nd & 23^rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

And so, when the text of Haggai 1:14 tells us that Yahweh stirred the spirit of the returned exiles, it thereby announced the act of relinquishing the old reality so that the new one might arrive in its place, the fruit of an inspired undertaking that dared to imagine life in the holy city afterward.

Haggai 2:4

But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.

From Background Notes [BN] for September 22^nd & 23^rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Scholars see little difference in overall meaning between “with you” and “beside you,” other than “beside” carries more of a spatial connotation and has to do more with nearness than with companionship.

Ezekiel 10:18

Then the glory of the LORD  departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim.

From Background Notes [BN] for September 22^nd & 23^rd  written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The temple, a casualty of Babylonian armies in 587 B.C.E., was gone, and the loss of this national symbol meant that the Jews had no visible sign of God’s presence among His people. Yahweh, Israel’s God, had promised to live among His people as their Creator and Redeemer...

 

John 6:27

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

From Background Notes [BN] for September 15^th & 16^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Taking a page from the manna story in Exodus, Jesus warns about eating bread that spoils — bread that is taken and hoarded (see Exodus 16:11ff). God refuses to sit at the table where such bread is served and taken. At such a table, His temple lies in ruins, and creation must object and withhold the harvest.

Haggai 1:11

"I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

From Background Notes [BN] for September 15^th & 16^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Work is frustrated by the drought in much the same way that labor in Genesis 3 was cursed by the thorns and the thistles after the Fall. Without the gracious outpouring of God’s blessing, all human work is futile, and…