July 30: Seeking God’s Kingdom — His Rule and Reign and Order
by IAN GREIG writing in THE LIVING WORD
This is The Living Word Bible Study for Sunday, July 30, 2023 based on the Bible readings commonly used in churches and chapels from the interdenominational reading scheme.
Seeking God’s kingdom — His rule and reign and order
Genesis 29:15-28 — Jacob asks to marry Rachel but is deceived
Matthew 13:31–33, 44-52 — Nothing is as valuable as God’s realm
Romans 8:26-39 — Our assurance is being securely held by God’s love
Psalm 105:1–11
1-2 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.
3-4 Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.
5-6 Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced, you His servants, the descendants of Abraham, His chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
7 He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth.
8-9 He remembers His covenant for ever, the promise He made, for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the oath He swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”
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Genesis 29:15-28 — Jacob asks to marry Rachel but is deceived
• Jacob’s uncle Laban’s devious treatment of his nephew is a lifestyle lesson
15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
16-17 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder one was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”
“Seven years… in return for… daughter Rachel” — Jacob, having no means to offer the customary bride-price, offers service in lieu.
19–20 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”
22-24 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.
“Laban… gave a feast” — a wedding feast usually lasted for seven days.
25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”
“Why have you deceived me?” — distracted by the veil and darkness, Jacob finds himself on the receiving end of his own character trait as God disciplines him.
26-27 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the elder one. Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”
“This daughter’s bridal week” — Leah bore Jacob’s first four sons including Levi, ancestor of the priestly line and Judah, ancestor of David and Jesus.
28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.
Reflection
SUMMARY Jacob begins working for his uncle Laban, and asks for his second daughter Rachel’s hand in marriage; lacking a dowry he offers his service.
APPLICATION The good side of clever and reflective Jacob is masked by the bad side, his craftiness. Now the Lord works on his character by giving him the experience of being deceived.
QUESTION What does this teach us about ‘harmless’ favouritism?
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Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 — Nothing is as valuable as God’s realm
• God’s order assures transformation rather than revolution
31-32 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
“A mustard seed” — the smallest common seed grows into a large bush.
33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about thirty kilograms of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
“Yeast… worked through all the dough” — a small amount of leaven makes 50 good sized loaves, showing how transforming kingdom life is.
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
“Like treasure hidden in a field” — and finding the fine pearl, below; discoveries which justify real sacrifice.
45-46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
“Looking for fine pearls” — where the first seeker ploughed up a treasure trove, this one was looking for it, perhaps in the wrong place. The point is: seek God’s kingdom at any cost. Nothing buys salvation, but receiving Jesus as Saviour and Lord gains it at the cost of our pride and independence.
47-48 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.
“Collected the good… but threw the bad away” — like the parable of the wheat and weeds, Matt. 13:24-30, 38-43, teaches that good and evil co-exist in our world.
49-50 “This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“The angels will come and separate” — at the end of the age, but until then, the church has the responsibility to cast the gospel before all of society.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied.
“Have you understood” — Jesus’ teaching had revealed to them things that had been hidden, vv. 34–35, giving them a better storeroom to draw on, v.52, than the scribes and Pharisees.
52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
“New treasures as well as old” — the order is important: the disciples were receiving an understanding of the New Covenant in Jesus and fuller message of the kingdom, through which the treasures of the old covenant would have new meaning.
Reflection
SUMMARY Jesus constantly referenced the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God, a difficult concept for His hearers. All of His teaching was about God’s fair rule and good order, experienced now through Him.
APPLICATION The word picture Jesus paints is of a spiritual disposition bringing rapid transformation and growth, to be sought for its extreme value but aware that it is selective without compromise. It is the gift of the New Covenant on the foundation of the Old.
QUESTION Would Jesus need to give us a lot of help to grasp the kingdom of God?
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Romans 8:26–39 — Our assurance is being securely held by God’s love
• If we are in relationship with God, we know that He is working for our good
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
“The Spirit Himself” — the third Person within the Trinity of God brings His prayer through us, not reliant on our thoughts or language.
“Wordless groans” — akin to praying in the Spirit, Jude 1:20; Ephesians 6:18.
27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
“Intercedes… in… the will of God” — the Holy Spirit leads us in requests that are in agreement with God, Matthew 18:19, and according to His will.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
“In all things” — reflects “our present sufferings”, v.18, a promise that God is always working His good, bringing everything into conformity with Christ (v.20) and His purpose.
“Those… who have been called” — the object of the promise, “those who love Him”, are believers in Jesus.
29 For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
“Those God foreknew” — or “knew beforehand”. God is able to know who will respond to His call, v.30.
30 And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
“He predestined… called… justified… glorified” — four time events including one still in the future. God exists beyond our limitations of time.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all — how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?
“He… did not spare… but gave Him up” — by doing what is much greater, we are assured that God will be graciously generous to us, like Romans 5:9–10.
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
“Who will bring any charge” — for the Christian, God has already pronounced a verdict of not guilty and no charge can be brought.
34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
“Who… condemns?” — those who are in Christ Jesus are free from guilt, Romans 8:1, because (1) Christ Jesus died and paid the full penalty for us, (2) He is resurrected and alive and (3) is active on our behalf, interceding for us by the Father’s side.
35-36 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered”.
“Shall… persecution… famine… danger or sword?” — Paul has proved that crisis situations do not break the bond of God’s love. Suffering comes with the territory, as Psalm 44:22 reminds us, but so is God being with us.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
“I am convinced” — if God is for us, Romans 8:31 above, and no created thing can separate us, then we have assurance and security in Him.
Reflection
SUMMARY This is like lifting the bonnet to have a look at the workings of the kingdom of God. It’s a picture of the way those called by God are drawn into agreement with God by the Spirit of God. It speaks of the faithful and loving help of God, bringing His good out of our experiences, both good and bad.
APPLICATION It is a decision of our will to exalt Jesus as our Lord; having done that, the kingdom of God is established in our heart. This brings us important promises — the help of the Spirit when we don’t know what to pray, God working His good for us when everything appears to be heading the other way, and the freedom of being released from sin into God’s love.
QUESTION How do we live in awareness of Jesus and the kingdom of God in the busyness of every day life?
PRAYER Father God, I thank you for your Son, Jesus, being the demonstration of the Kingdom of God and teaching us what it means.
May I grow in recognising the working of Your Kingdom.
May I see Your Kingdom coming more and more, both in the church and in the wider community.
And may I be, empowered by Your Spirit, increasingly effective as a bringer of Your rule and reign. Amen.
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Podcast
The story for this week is very compactly told in this audiogram video/podcast — it’s all in there in a little over two minutes and you have the Bible readings on links at the top of this post — or all together on this page.
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