Thoughts on the readings for April 28th (Deuteronomy 15, Ecclesiastes 7, Acts 5, 6)

Deuteronomy 15 speaks of the Sabbatical Year. Just as the LORD caused Israel to pause from their labours to remember their God on a weekly basis this was elevated by the reflections focused upon their Sovereign every seventh year. Every debt was canceled in this year - a reminder of Israel's liberation from slavery in Egypt. The nation was to show love and graciousness to one another just as the Almighty had shown to them. Unstinting generosity was to be shown to their brother who had fallen into hardship. They were not to consider the opportunity for their own material benefit, but rather to show pity and compassion to their neighbour, as their God had shown to them. After a brother, or a sister, became free they were to receive an abundance of gifts to celebrate their freedom - just as the redeemed nation received on their triumphant departure from Egypt. Verses 16-18 describe how a freed slave could become a willing and perpetual servant in their master's household. The process involves the opening of the ear - symbolising the ear being continually open to the hearing of the master's words - the ear lobe was bored through with an awl. The prophet Isaiah speaks of this as applying to the ear of our Lord Jesus Christ being constantly attentive to the hearing of his Father's Word - Isaiah 50:4-9. Verses 19-22 tell of the firstborn of every animal belonging to the LORD. God allowed Israel to eat those animals providing that they did not eat the blood. Ecclesiastes 7 speaks of the contrast between wisdom and folly - the two women of the book. How true it is that a good name is better than riches. But reputation doesn't just happen, it must be earned. One must not live life just for laughs. There is temporary joy in that, but nothing of lasting worth. Solomon says that serious contemplation is necessary for a person to chart a wise path through life. Listen to rebuke and learn from it. Verse 6 is a Hebrew poem where the words sound like what happens - "the crackling of nettles under the kettle is like the cackling of the fool". See things through to their proper end is Koheleth's advice. In wisdom there is some protection and there is a future. Verse 12 tells us to accept what God does though we may not always understand it. Verse 14 counsels us to be balanced in our lives. Verses 13-18 reveals that outcomes in life don't always seem fair. So we must not judge from appearances. Thankfully our Lord Jesus Christ is not deceived by what appears to be - see Isaiah 11:1-5. Verse 20 advises us that we all do wrong in the eyes of our Heavenly Father and so we must constantly seek for His forgiveness and trust in His kindness and grace. Verses 21-22 tells us not to become agitated by unwise speech. Have we not all offended in our words - see James 3:1-2. From verses 23-29 Solomon outlines how he went about his quest and some of the conclusions that he made. Sadly among all of his companions the Preacher was unable to find one woman who could help him to draw closer to his God. In verse 29 Solomon explains that the calamity of the human race is man's fault and not God's. Acts 4 spoke of Barnabas' generous act in selling land and donating the proceeds to the ecclesial common cause. Barnabas may well have been the rich young ruler of Matthew 19. In Acts 5 couple named: Ananias and Sapphira, want the ecclesia's acclaim without giving all of the proceeds of their sale of land. It was their right to do with their money as they pleased. Their sin lay in lying - attempting to deceive God and other believers. It cost them their lives and was a great wake-up call to the ecclesia. We are told from verse 12 of the mighty signs that support the Apostles' preaching The chapter says that Peter and John are arrested and put in the public prison overnight. The angel of the Lord comes and releases those 2 Apostles and tells them to continue to proclaim "the words of life". At daybreak Peter and John were enthusiastically preaching in the temple. The Apostles are rearrested by the officers, but this time quietly for fear of the people and once more the Jewish Council forbids them to preach full stop. The Apostles' answer in verse 29 is a message to believers for all time, "We must obey God rather than men". Their bold testimony was an evidence that they were Jesus' disciples. Gamaliel counsels his peers to desist from opposing, or harming, the Apostles, since historical evidence - Gamaliel asserts - always showed that what was not from God was doomed to fail. In chapter 6 we have a complaint from the Hellenistic believers that their widows were not being treated fairly in the daily distribution of help. Seven faithful believers of Grecian background were chosen to rectify the matter. One of the seven, Stephen, was seized by the Jewish rulers and falsely accused of speaking words against Moses and the temple. False witnesses are secured and tell lies against Stephen. Those members of the Council behold Stephen's angelic appearance and demeanour. Penned by Warwick Rosser and his team, produced by Christadelphianvideo.org See more Thoughts from the Christadelphian Dialy Bible Reading Planner (By R.Roberts) here... https://christadelphianvideo.org/thoughts-on-the-readings-for-april-28th-deuteronomy-15-ecclesiastes-7-acts-5-6/?feed_id=90780&_unique_id=680de2ca95b6e