Old Testament reading: Psalm 107-109
[Note: Psalm 107 begins the 5th and final division of the Psalms.] Psalm 107 is a beautiful Psalm of thanksgiving, but it is also a lament of sorts for humanity’s lack of gratitude. The Psalm opens with a call to thanksgiving for the Lord’s mercy and redemption. Four times thereafter, in verses 8, 15, 21, and 31, the Psalmist cries out for men to give thanks to the Lord. In each section, the Psalmist describes a deplorable or desperate situation wherein men called upon the Lord and were delivered. Psalm 109 contains two texts that may sound familiar to you. The first is found in verse 8, which is quoted by Peter in Acts 1 in the discussion to replace Judas Iscariot. The second is found in verse 25, which is not quoted, but fulfilled in Matthew 27:39 and Mark 15:29 as those who hated Jesus wagged their heads in ridicule as He was hanged on the cross.
New Testament reading: Acts 13-14
The account of the lame man at Lystra (Acts 14:8-10) is often used by so called modern faith healers when the objects of their deception do not receive the healing or restoration they so desperately desire. “You don’t have enough faith,” they are told. We should remember that faith on the part of the ill or impaired was not necessary for physical healing in the New Testament. The lame man in Acts 3 had no faith in Jesus, and was in fact expecting to receive money from the apostles. Others were healed based upon the faith of others (e.g. the centurion’s servant – Matt 8:5-13), and the dead were raised with no faith at all (cf Luke 7:11-17). However, faith in Jesus is requisite to receive spiritual healing (cf Mark 16:15-16). The word so translated healing is used of physical healing (Matt 8:8, 13), but also often appears in connection with spiritual healing (cf Matt 13:15; James 5:16; 1 Peter 2:24). Perhaps we would do well to think of spiritual healing in this particular case. Regardless, we should not permit this case to be used to further abuse as faithless those who are disabled or diseased.
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