The Seven Streams Method

Leviticus 10-13 We are in The World Stream reading from the New Living Translation this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God, you do care for us on every level. And we are grateful for that.  Thank you. and Amen.

10 - The swift and terrifying judgment for Nadab and Abihu hits hard like a gong or gunshot fired as a warning to all for all eternity.  And don't forget, thinking these two souls were fringe citizens that society could take or leave.  These were Aaron's sons that we are reading about. We are in The Tabernacle Era, walking through the desert enroute to Canaan; The Promised Land. If you were to count the important people in this era of history, N & A are easily "top ten" in terms of prominence -perhaps they are in the top five!  They were burned and gone instantly and Aaron was not allowed to pause even momentarily to mourn them being incinerated.  This is an extremely stiff penalty and it did not yield to privilege in any way.  Why? and why this here? Why now? The offerings were just spelled out in the prior chapters; 1-7, the consecration of the Priests took place in Lev. 8-9; N & A included!  Following this chapter is a myriad of details for cleansing, being clean, getting clean, purification, testing for diseases, being clean for entering into worship, being clean before God, etc. The swift judgment happening how and when it did sounded the alarm that the issue of getting things right in God's presence and doing things exactly how we are told is of greatest importance. The gravity cannot be overstated. Even today, how many people call themselves servants of the Lord - they do God's things "for God", yes, but they don't do them God's waaaaaay. Things need to be done God's way or they are not being done for God and it is hapless to lie to ourselves and say are serving God when we are just serving ourselves.  The priesthood was a life and death vital matter and this reminded all of that. The closing instructions in this chapter and the pathos involved in the narrative serve to deepen the point that the priests' need to serve God precisely as well as whole-heartedly.

11 - The laws for eating certain animals was laid out as comprehensively and exactly as possible.  They were not to eat animals that were more given to have 'the rancid' factor because they were animals that ate other animals, or were scavengers, or ate garbage or feces, or were "bottom feeders".  Basically they were to eat only animals that ate vegetation. The incidence of intestinal worms was then greatly diminished for the Israelites - this and many other benefits. Also any animal or bird or bug that was given to madness or chaos or scungy mannerisms/behavior was to be avoided. They were to have nothing to do with anything that was putrid in any way.  It is interesting that the populations of the world that adhere to this standard from Lev. 11 are far less prone to cancer, even today.  Some have determined that God is cutting in on our fun here. No, he is cutting down on our sickness. 12 - The purification and such matters around childbirth are a part of the culture wherein they are to keep a high reverence for the topic of blood.  Life is in the blood and this is to be a truth that God wanted as an ubiquitous theme in the culture.  God is not anti-woman as some whiners purport in hopes that getting God out of our minds is going to elevate women - along with many other silly themes that are observable in a culture that politicians hope to usher in toward a secular abyss.  The priestly involvement kept a God-mindset as a woman was brought back into society. 13 - This chapter and 14, [that we will read next week], tends to have us thinking we are in the laborious semesters of medical school studying dermatology.  This sentiment is perhaps true or just perceived to be. The skin is the largest organ of the body. The world of 1400 B.C.had little idea of what do about such matters, the "med" experiments we read about that were going on in Africa/Egypt/Greece/Asia at the time varied from sensible to creepy to revolting and we won't talk about it here.  The fact is that skin troubles can be haunting on many levels and even make life unbearable.  God didn't want that for his children.  So in reading 13, don't think that God is a persnickety school marm' nurse battle ax or something like that.  God is loving beyond loving and wants his children well. THAT is what's in play here.  This aspect of God needs to touch us in the heart and not have us rolling our eyes as we read through Leviticus. .

II Corinthians 5-8 We are in the Church Stream reading from the New King James Version this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord, we rest all our hope AND build all our faith on your resurrection. We anticipate being raised up ourselves to be with you eternally. Until then we will be a giving people. You gave of yourself and may we be motivated to give - following your graciousness.  Amen

5 - The theme of the resurrection gets another strand of truth regarding our resurrection and our understanding of it. In I Cor. 15 and I Thess. 4 our resurrected bodies are a theme linked to the 2nd Coming of Christ. But here Paul teaches that there is a blessedness of being with Christ Jesus upon death and being immediately aware of where we are - with Christ!  There is more coming too following the final Resurrection.  And remember that ALL will face Christ  - [and though this is joy for Believers] --> this will be a terror for those who rejected Him.  This mindset of Resurrection is to overshadow all other thinking for us. People are either in Christ or not in Christ.  Christ makes all things new; he recreates His followers, renews them and transforms them into Ambassadors for Christ who live in His righteousness

6 - Paul relays the urgency of the gospel. It isn't something to fit in after we get something together; our thoughts, our lives, our "act" - that's never all together - so receive salvation in Jesus now (Paul urges). He gives a sobering list of what is involved for those in ministry; these difficulties along with the verifications of such ministry are all included for those who serve the Almighty.  And he closes out ch. 6 reminding us - imploring if your will - the Corinthians to be a holy people that have set themselves apart from a worldly culture so to ready themselves to walk with their holy God. 7 -  The back story of this chapter is that Paul had sent Timothy (mentioned twice in I Cor.) and then later sent Titus to Corinth to provide some discipline and leadership.  Timothy got the correction process started but Titus' follow up was needed. Titus is specifically referenced three times in ch. 7 for having done commendable teaching.  The Corinthian church had repented. The lecherous yet influential person in I Cor. 5 had been exhorted, been humbled, and the church as a whole was healthier.  This is the good report that Titus' presence had brought about.  It was good news, Paul was happy about it and God was blessed. 8 - Though ch. 8 finishes our reading today, ch's 8-9 [together] are the clearest teaching of Christian giving and generosity in the New Testament. Read them both before the day is out if you will... The incident at hand is that an offering is being gathered by Paul for the Church back at the starting point; the church in Judah, Israel. Offerings were being gathered for over a year and this development required instruction, administration, proper thinking plus hearts that were touched by Christ's sacrificial giving.  The teaching that Paul laid forth here still applies to church bodies and denominations today.  Giving should be voluntary (not coerced), proportionate; meaning based on percentage as well our grace found in Christ, and also, giving should be systematic.  [We insist that our pay at work be regular, yes?! - what are church staff workers to do when people give 2% v.s. 10% and they only give the weekend of Easter and Christmas, not weekly.  This teaching on giving continues next week. Come what may, we will be together again, tomorrow  :-) The theme that reoccurred this week distilled to be "you may not be ready for this, but it's going to happen, ready or not, good or bad, here it comes. Leviticus ended with all the sacrifices in place and GOD Himself BROUGHT FIRE. Millions of people shouted in exclamation, fell on their faces overwhelmed.  That was a sight! I Kings wraps up with Elijah also preparing a sacrifice and overly proving his point with extra water and white hot fire that left everyone in shock and awe fell from heaven. Even pagans praised God Psalm 84 hit like a fresh breeze -unexpectedly- after a few painful, desperate, exasperated Psalms were stacked together. It was good - and just as some may have been braced for more stinging verse - there we were taken into the wonder of the house of God In Jeremiah, tere were two unexpected jolts: Hananiah gets zapped for contradicting Jeremiah with his "positive" (all's fine) message. Then Jeremiah writes the Jews in Babylon telling them to settle in live [among the Babylonians?!?!].  Yes, it was strange times. The pompous ones in Samaria are getting a earful from Amos. They don't want to listen however. So God is going to "fish-hook" them together and march them to Assyria. So you're not ready for Amos' words? Are you going to be ready for that sadistic torture/treatment?!! Jesus has a faceoff with Satan in Luke's gospel. Would any of us been ready for that? yeesh. II Corinthians, in this portion, Paul is commenting (between the lines) that Timothy was not quite ready to deal with the Corinthians, so Titus was sent. And the reason Titus was sent was to doubly rebuff the ebullient sinner- he didn't expect that.  Then he repented. No one expected that, either. Hey, walk with God!  It's better and more exciting/surprising/jolting at times than anything any of us ever have planned.

Psalm 80-85 We are in the Wisdom Stream reading from the New King James Version this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Thank you God for your great faithfulness. You truly are our heavenly Father. Your desire is for us to walk with you and for you to hear our grateful response to your love.  You are the God we Love. Amen

80 - This Psalms comes on the heels of a great disaster that was spelled out painfully in Psalm 79. It seems to give comment to a time when Israel as a nation (before being a kingdom divided) is attempting to recover.  The mood has a concession tone similar to, "God, you're right, we were wrong, we got punished, we deserved it, we are down, you've been angry with us, we are now wondering how long you are going to be 'cross' with us. We wish to be restored, please.  The shame of seeing your land and your people smashed is horrible to us too.  Revive us again so that we may call upon your Name. We wish to worship in your presence and be saved.

81 - God has been so true and supportive of His people.  His sustenance and protection have been unfailing,  He made the rules clear as the noonday sun - no idols and no foreign gods... and yet they wouldn't listen. They could have blessed God with their obedience and He would have satisfied them with the richest. But their hands were placed over their ears instead of raised in surrender to God who loved them. 82 - is another Psalm about Israel's wayward nature.  The focus here is pointed to unjust judges who are derelict in their duty.  The show partiality and favor the wicked for pay offs no doubt. They neglect the needy and oppressed.  Injustice seems to be upsetting the foundations of everything.  The writer; Asaph, who was David's worship director, is calling on God to come and judge the earth since the people are failing at it so badly. 83 - Asaph is calling out again and rousing God to action.  The enemies at the border [in all directions] are conspiring to remove Israel from the earth, off the map and out of memory. They are calling on God to act fast and decisively. Even Assyria has joined in the march to assist the perverted people of the earth to band together and destroy Israel.  The litany of Asaph saying, "God you did it before, do to these people like you did to all the others that you knocked flat.  Asaph wants to see them get what we might call a good old medieval country whooping ... and make it apocalyptic in nature while you're at it God! 84 - the prior Psalm ends with a pressing urge to know God   And it morphs beautifully into 84  one of the warmest devotional stretches of Scripture there is.  The craving is to be with God in His House.  All the punishment of the prior Psalms, the running from enemies, and battles.   Holy Moly, can we just get some blessed peace and come into the sanctuary and spend time reveling in the joy of God?  This Psalm reads like a passionate love note of two who cannot wait to be together again.  It's really all God wants from us... a heart longing to be with Him. 85 - This is a prayer that favor be restored to Israel, the children of Jacob who were brought back from captivity.  They are thankful, a trifle bewildered, in need of sustaining mercy, and surprisingly they are aware of their need for mercy.  This Psalm rings of faith, new resolve and willingness to listen and follow God's prompting.  They really want to hear Him now.  They believe good days are coming.

I Kings 15-18 New King James Version 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God, some of the things you need to do to clean up the world that man messes up is almost too much to bear.  But we want to be on your side of righteousness, on your side the law, and sided with you in all your grace.  Thank you for calling us as you called Elijah.  Amen.

15 - In case the memo missed anyone, the reading today opens in 915 B.C.   That is before most of us started kindergarten... really....! Abijah had a short reign of a couple years or so. He was mostly all-in for evil.  He fought with the northern king Jeroboam who started the rebellion against the south about 18 years prior. His mother was evil and apparently she mentored him so.  He did win back some cities from the north as the LORD stepped in for Judah; the southern kingdom.  Comparing Abijah's story here with the one in II Chron. 13 gives the fuller picture of Abijah.

Asa, his son reigned immediately following.  Asa sought the Lord wholeheartedly and his plan was to clean up Judah. He banished his twisted grandmother (Abijah's mother), he rid the lude idols and the Lord gave him reign for 41 years; a time span that covered 7 of Israel's kings in the north. II Chr. 14-16 has more of Asa's story. Notice that he turned to Syria [not the LORD] for military help,  He did the same in his old age regarding the problems with his feet and he suffered for his refusal to come to God in this matter.  Take note here, friends! I Kings 15-16, for the remainder of the run here, lists a string of kings that coincides with the reign of Asa.  It's a grisly, bloody, backstabbing, horrid time in Israel.  The kings are practically trying to outdo each other in an "ungodliness contest" wherein the thirst for darkness doesn't seem to be quenchable. They are then listed and described in succession; Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab [Jezebel's wife] . None are people of character nor virtue. Their exploits are garish, huge and far reaching for the next 35 years or so. Keep in mind that "1 & 2 Kings" is much more of the northern perspective, while simultaneously, while 1 & 2 Chronicles is much more the southern perspective. Kings is a zany rendition of simply what happened as a nation frantically ran from God. Chronicles has a couple dozen reminders and anecdotes that are an attempt to see Judah return to following the Lord. 17 -  Enter Elijah, one of the most glorious and powerful characters in the whole Bible.  He is so etched in the "hall of heroes" among Judaism that the leaders in Jesus' day think that it is Elijah that Jesus is calling out to 800+years later as he is gasping to breath on the Cross.  Just in reading this part of the incidents in Elijah's life we see why he had Messianic level status as he did many miraculous deeds, multiplied food, raised the dead, won victories and so forth.  He first declares a drought and then is instructed to hide in a canyon by a brook west of the Jordan. He is miraculously fed there until God prompts him onward. He then is to go to a widow in duress who is out of food.  Elijah restores her food supply. Her son then dies and Elijah brings her son back to life.  He has quite a string of salient assignments and he follows God's prompting gloriously.  We can see why he is so highly revered in Judaism and later in Christianity. 18 - Elijah and Obadiah have an encounter, as they are both on the right side of faith and Elijah has Obadiah set up a meeting with Ahab.  Ahab was the most wicked king to date. His wife Jezebel even outdid Ahab for treachery, paganism, murder of God's people and diabolical deeds.  Elijah calls for a spiritual showdown on Mt. Carmel and wanted all of Ahab/Jezebels' prophets present and for Israel to watch this showdown.  They meet on Mt. Carmel and Elijah set the parameters.  Each side sacrificed and arranged a bull on their respective places and they were to call on their divine source for God/god/Baal to light the fire and burn the sacrifice.  The Baal worshipers commenced and called and danced and cut themselves as their false religion required of them. All the while Elijah jeered and cheered them on sarcastically as if they weren't trying hard enough.  Elijah then arranged his sacrifice and soaked it with a laborious amount of water to over prove his point. There well could have been ca. 300 gallons of water poured over the wood and bull and to fill the trench. Then God sent down fire as Elijah called for God to give this sign.  It was so hot that the entire altar burned up and vaporized with the bull and the wood.  Even the stones were burnt and gone!!  My husband looked this up for me and stones vaporize / "evaporate"  at +3450 degrees fahrenheit.  They turn white hot and then are gone.  Btw, the surface of the sun is calculated to be 10K degrees!  This was a demonstration of many things among them is that "our God is a consuming fire" / He is livid at Baal worship / He's all powerful / ...the list goes on. Israel was on their face in worship and confession.  Elijah orders that all the Baal prophets be executed.  The drought then ends in a wild display as Elijah orchestrated the exit from Carmel and ran ahead of, shall we call it --> "Ahab's parade".?  This would make quite a movie scene would it not?  It's a scene that is among the most wild-like nature miracles and savagely impressive in all the Bible.

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Leviticus 6:8-9:24 We are in The World Stream reading from the New King James Version this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God Your will is for us to truly see and know you and walk with you and experience your glory and love.  Help us to this place, Lord God.  Amen  6 - the rules for the garments and the eternal fire are part of God's thinking that kept a rich sense of significance in this particular ritual within Judaism. The changing of the outfit and keeping a particular outfit for this phase, another for another phase was meaningful. We have certain outfits for certain tasks - do we not? An outfit for yardwork, a different one for cooking in, a different one for painting in, for church, for hiking, for formal dining. You don't wear a tuxedo to a baseball game, You don't go to church in swimwear. I wouldn't eat at a restaurant where the entire staff wore painter's overalls and everyone working there smelled like oil-based-primer. You wouldn't either. Outfits need to be right and all of us feel this way.  Now what if God guffawed this matter and just smirked at us while bellowing, "outfits? for church? for worship? for Temple? awww, who cares? wear whatever! I guess...?!" We wouldn't take God seriously if he was as sloppy about this as a dopey clown. And the fire was always lit because God was "always in" The Grain and the Sin Offering were initially laid forth in chapter 2 and 4 respectively. God has us learning things incrementally and over time because hardly anyone hears an elaborate task once and then retains is responsively for life. These were what people produced and having portions of the produce set aside for God kept people's minds on God and what the requirements were for being in fellowship with him. 7 - Notice that this Trespass Offering is most holy to the Lord. And it was required that the fat was required to be burned upon the fire. Fat makes for some rather volatile fuel for the fire that burned with extra heat and crackle. It can be almost as flammable as kerosene or diesel fuel. In fact there is research in process that could in time have certain cars burning fat as their fuel. We can be sure that these Trespass Offerings had everyone's attention!    The Peace Offering was for a thanksgiving offering or voluntary. The rules varied. The issue of timing and consumption on 1st/2nd/3rd day was very strict. God did not want people neglecting these matters, getting an attitude of nonchalance, and also these meats sitting around for days get flies, then maggots and must not be eaten.  The blood and fat were not to be ingested. It was not healthy. Fat is used and overused by people who eat too much and/or eat too much of the wrong things. And for blood - it was red and red gets people's attention. [God used the blood of His Son to get our attention!] And judging by he fact that ingesting blood by eating it cooked or drinking it 'raw' is a ritual that most all Satanic cults engage in, God wants all of us to have absolutely nothing to do with any of this or even anything that even remotely resembles this. The Bible states in Lev. 17:11 that "the life is in the blood". God gives us life and our blood carries this life. Red is an arresting color - it's all very intriguing. And yet we are to look to God for our answers in life and let Him save us His way. Trying to save ourselves our way leads to wrong thinking and we go amiss quickly. Drinking blood is cultic and wrong and God said it and that settles it for us.  The portion offered for the priest; Aaron and sons (and their families) was for them to live on. They were about God's business all day, each day and this is how they subsisted. 8 - Everything that was instituted for the sacrifices was executed here.  We read through all these steps and procedures and here they are commenced upon.  The dressing up of the sons of Aaron and Aaron himself for worship had to be rather impressive. These were the garments that were explained in Exodus 28.  The gems and colors and layers and the beauty of it was something we do not see these days.  The 12 stones representing the 12 tribes and other vestments attached with gold chains testified to the significance of all this.  Think of being there for worship, the red sprinkled down the altar, fat on the fire crackling without exploding, the heat and the phases of it all.  It's a stark contrast to so many who attend church but are not "all there" mentally or spiritually because of distraction from anything: hand-held devices or fatigue from being up too late the night before or boredom because church is slumped too far from the biblical model of what church is to be.  No one was asleep at these gatherings. Not when they are so significant and there is smoke and fire and the like .At any rate, the steps that were laid out by Moses were all gone through here on this day - in Lev. 8 9 - The ministry began before the people.  The rituals sounded very similar as they were laid out in prior chapters and executed as such.  Yet this time the people were witnessing it.  Moses asserted, "This is the thing that the Lord commanded you to do, and the Lord will appear to you."  So all the offerings were given and made before the Lord.  The people were then blessed by Moses and Aaron. And then it happened - The Lord appeared gloriously, and fire came out as God did this to burn up the offering and the fat.  What a sight!!  The people shouted and fell on their faces in worship.  Think of this - if there was something God asked of you to do and stipulated that once this was done, He would then visibly appear to you in an impressive manner that had you wither to the floor overwhelmed and unable to stand you were so moved by the hand of God.  Would you do this or just shrug and keep checking you 'in-box" or browsing the web?            God help us see what He is showing us.

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II Corinthians 1-4 We are starting a new book in the Church Stream. The Apostle Paul is addressing the church of Corinth in a 2nd letter. We are reading from The Message this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Jesus we thank you for the gift you give us that fills our lives with joy and purpose and gracious mercy that saves us. Amen. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth a second time. This time he is addressing the believers in the Achaia region also. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church he was instructing a splintered body of believers. They were disorderly.  Unsanctification/sexual matters/immorality and ebullience were problems, They were even suing eachother, and their competitions regarding the Communion were silly; just wrong (?who brought the most elaborate food to the event?! -yeesh). Simply put, they were a bustling church but they were divided and had not been loving.  Many were duplicitous as there was debate and tension over how to conduct their lives in a city where paganism had been the rule for centuries. Titus had caught up with Paul during his third missionary journey. The purpose was to relay that Paul's 'year-and-a-half' in Corinth had done much good. There was however a faction in Corinth (imagine that!) that was raising the question whether Paul was authentically one of the Apostles of Christ. The latter was a slickly calculated attempt to discredit Paul since he had spoken to issues 'spot on' in his first letter.  The naysayers knew there were things that needed to be remedied and they preferred to deride Paul v.s. grow in their faith. For them it was more natural to act like hucksters, change the subject - turning the focus to Paul being an illicit source of leadership. So Paul goes right at this topic in his second letter.  He had founded the church in Corinth and he knew what he was doing since he was getting direction from the Holy Spirit. 1 - Paul's greeting is rich and warm as he had met with Titus after escaping a brush with death in Ephesus. And despite notable unsavory matters in Corinth, they were a loyal group who in many ways wanted to know Jesus better. Paul is realizing more-so all the time, the suffering that accompanies mission work and Christian service. He is relieved to meet up with Titus but there had been anxiety involved from his hearing of situations in Corinth. All in all, the time with Titus was of a comfort that strengthened Paul.  He needed to remind the Corinthians that he was delayed because of hardship along the way, not because he was fickle. Paul is not like that. 2 - the chapter opens with talk of discipline. The scalliwag who had a "relationship" with his stepmom [he was exhorted in I Cor. 5] was a painful mess that called for discipline.  Apparently that discipline had been administered come the time Paul is writing II Cor. so Paul is sounding conciliatory by now. It had been a painful pilgrimage, but prayerfully it is dealt with and over by now.  Paul had been so embroiled, hoping this matter would get settled that he had scuttled right past an evangelistic opportunity in Troas to tend to the trouble.  Be that as it may, Paul experienced triumph in Christ and the Providence that walking with Christ had brought him everywhere Paul traversed. Yes, some men violently rejected Paul's message but that came with the territory and Paul was content regardless. 3 - the opening issue here is most likely Paul refuting the n'ere-do-wells traveling from Jerusalem that trolled the Empire and insisted that the new Christians adhere to the Law of Moses namely to circumcision [along with the rest of the Law!]. And as they traveled they always touted their reference letters from the Sanhedrin who sent them along with their resumes hoping that would enhance reverence for them as they traveled ... to cause trouble for Paul! Paul smacks 'em pretty soundly here. These Judaizers were proud of their resumes, while Paul was gratified by the Church he planted; the Corinthians themselves who were testament to his anointing by God Himself.  The Law of Moses was the last word on righteousness in the former era but Jesus is the one we are to look to now. He is the Light. Only Jesus can bring us into the Presence of God. Following the Law only has one ... following a set of laws that do not save. 4 - Paul's calling and mission in entirely consuming joyful assignment. Persecutions at any and/or all levels are not going to intimidate or sway him in the least. The joy of following God is that great for him. Paul noted that there were souls who were blinded to God's Love - that's the only explanation for people rejecting God. Paul's analogy of clay pots has become a timeless illustration.  Valuable documents were preserved in clay pots. These pots weren't necessarily much to look at but the value of the contents altered history. With the Spirit of Christ living in us; as "jars of clay", we then become lives that transport, transmit and divulge value that translates into eternal wonder and also blesses the clay pot in a glorious way.  The joy of the whole process blossoms into a beauty that overtakes everything as we follow Paul's instruction and immerse ourselves in Jesus' grace. The theme that reoccurred each day this week surfaced to be "what are we going to do with the sin?" In Leviticus 1-6, most of the offerings brought to God were for sin; accidental or deliberate, simply bring it to God and therein it is redemptive.  In I Kings 11-14 the matter came home for Solomon. He had gathered foreign/pagan women like people collect anything collectible. What would Solomon do with this sin? He was king and he did it because he could and he wouldn't put this matter away. It altered and corrupted the nation forever.  Psalm 78-79 was a litany of God's faithfulness contrasted against the Israelites' sinfulness. Would God's love ever get them to turn from their shameful sin? Their sin had caused them to be routed. When will this obvious memo ever 'sink in'?  Jeremiah brought up their sin as a nation and --> they attacked Jeremiah, not the sin. They would be sent into exile for this. Also ignoring the lesson from the yoke Jeremiah put on would end up being costly. We'll read about that next week.  Amos bellowed that the whole region was living sinfully. And all were impenitent as well.  They would burn for it. John/Baptist, in Luke, was preaching powerfully against sin. People repented and were baptized. It was marvelous.  In Corinth, Paul was doing some follow up regarding a man in the church who was living in terrible sin and ... it turned out that by then the matter was rectified and propriety had been restored.  The memo this week is that sin shall be dealt with God's way or it will only continue to get worse - and more so until things are handled God's way.

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Luke 2:1-3:19 We are celebrating the birth of our Savior in the Christ Stream. Christmas in June! We are reading from The Message this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

The Savior is born today!  Thank you Lord for caring so much to send the best of heaven and the whole universe; for sending yourself, so that we may know You, follow You, and be saved.   Amen. 2 - The time had come for Mary to deliver the Savior and the political circumstances required Joseph/Mary to go to Bethlehem. Notice that they went up to Bethlehem from Nazareth in Galilee.  It was a 90-100 mile walk with a 1300 foot rise. The KJV says that Mary was "great with child"; the Greek actually words it to read "Mary had a 'mega-tummy' " - it's true folks. -The first outsiders invited to see the newborn king were shepherds. The significance of this as told by Luke is that Luke is writing this gospel with the intent of evangelizing the Greek speaking world. Greeks LOVE sheep/mutton (mutton gyros)/wool/lamb-skin-leather; this whole culture of shepherding. And God tells shepherds --> first!  And He does so by an astonishing sign in the sky -  God's angel speaking to them. Light, a message, then a choir that filled the sky, good heavens, It was overwhelming!  Another way this pierces to the heart of a Greek citizen is that they had in their legends that Alexander-the-Great was born and the arrival was announced by the greatest lightning storm that ever struck upon earth in history. So a Greek mind would read this and think, "oh my! this is even greater than when Alexander was born!"  Luke is saying to them [between the lines] that though their heritage takes them back to Alexander and Philip of Macedon, their personal king was a greater one to follow; sent from God and He outdoes Alexander.  So follow this Jesus. By doing this, Luke had the Greeks' attention from the start.  And notice that the shepherds left their flocks (it was night and this kind of thing is not done - y'don't leave your sheep at night especially). But the shepherds RAN to find Jesus. [Is this Jesus really worth abandoning everything for? Is He really more important than- everything- that- is- important? --Really?  Listen to Luke and hear the whole story. -Then Jesus is brought to the Temple for dedication and for his circumcision - only Luke, being a doctor, includes this detail.  The story of Simeon and Anna are legendary parts that further signify that this Jesus is long awaited and that He is well worth waiting for.  This even more deeply asserted into Joseph and Marys' hearts that they were entrusted with an assignment that carried the weight of the world upon them. It was a holy and wholly magnificent task they had to parent Jesus.  Mary took all this to heart, and it never left her. The next story has us jumping 12 years ahead to when Jesus was in the Temple as a child and He is astonishing the Teachers and leaders and the doctors of the Law.  Now never forget that Luke is telling this story to Greeks and Greek was the language of the Empire - the way English is the language of the commercial world today. Greeks muse about Socrates born 470 B.C. in Athens /& Plato /& Aristotle and they wistfully discuss their books and ideas as they had for several hundred years. These were fascinating men with brilliant minds meandering about the Acropolis offering wisdom and leadership as to how to manage an Empire along with all the matters and thinking entailed therein. Well, Luke is saying, "you guys admire this?!?! Well here's a youngster who is more enamoring and He is wowing the greatest minds for thousands of miles ... and He does so at 12 years old !!"  Give it 18 years and see if He isn't the most fascinating speaker/miracle worker / healer / leader EVERRRRRRR. 3 - jumps up 18 years and John the Baptist begins preaching in the Jordan area just north of the Dead Sea and near Jericho.  His preaching is so powerful and so poignant that people were coming from far away to hear him and to be baptized for forgiveness of sins.  The rebuke John launched into wasn't a wild mood swing where he suddenly went ugly on everyone. He noticed that the duplicitous leaders were starting to show up.  They were there because they were upset that people were not in their normal worship services and they were thinking, "where is everyone? why are offerings down?" And this bothered them. Well rumor had spread and soon the countryside and everyone knew what was going on and where everyone was. The people had come to hear John and get right with God. But, the leaders had come to "straighten things out" and to deal with this loudmouth John/Baptist if they needed to.  That's where the surprising "brood of snakes" comment factors in. John/Baptist tells of what God requires: be honest, share, stop manipulating and threatening and stealing, be content, clean up your act, etc. [Luke hits on this theme of financial honesty, fairness, and caring throughout his book.]  John/Bpt is preparing them to meet Jesus so that Jesus would imminently arrive to a mood of "WOW, He's Here!" v.s. "hey, who are you?" ; an atmosphere of oblivious.  It worked.

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Amos 1-2 We are in the Exile Stream starting the book of Amos. Yes, he's famous! We are reading from The Message this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord of Heaven: It is numbing to see how bad and profane and sinful and willful people can be. May we be agents who operate against such darkness and call sinners to you.  Amen.

Amos' prophecy is right around 750 B.C.  Isaiah is beginning his writings right on the heels of Amos. Amos was young as Jonah was in his twilight years - Amos could well have heard first hand of Jonah's revival in Nineveh that shook the known world.   Amos was among the earlier of the 17 OT prophets. He was a contemporary of Elisha, but young to have met Elijah.  Hosea was younger than Amos and would have continued upon Amos' departure.  Micah was also younger than Amos and would have some right after (as with Isaiah).

For some historical perspective, the very first stones are being laid in a new area that would be called "Rome" following Romulus' celebration of their first military victory. [ There is about 30 years until the Northern Kingdom of Israel would be terrorized and cleaned OUT by Assyria, ] The Ionian Greeks founded the city of Naples on the Gulf of Naples about as Amos starts writing. Uzziah was king in Judah and Jeroboam II was king of Israel. For what it's worth, II Chronicles 26 is a contemporary chapter with Amos. It is of the years when King Uzziah was 'going askew". Amos 1 - 2: The word commences two years before "the BIG earthquake". It was terribly traumatizing for all in the land as it was talked about still, 200 years later, by the Prophet Zechariah as he compared the Amos 1:1 earthquake to the earth's final judgment which became mentioned by John in Revelation 16:18. Amos is reading 'the dirty lowdown' about and to the whole region: Syria, Gaza, Phoenicia, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah, and Israel.  Amos uses the same literative tactic employed in Proverbs 30: "there are three things, actually four..."   This adds intrigue as Amos drops the gavel on the rabble-rousing attitude of the leaders and people in the whole region east of the Mediterranean Sea that scholars call "The Levant" [luh-VAUNT] Damascus in Syria will be burned and busted, Gaza of the Philistines will be burned, devoured, cut off and killed.  Tyre will be burned flat as will Edom with her cities, along with the Ammonites as the Ammonite King and princes get exiled. Fire will consume Moab as God sees to it that the entire Royal family dies. Judah and Israel are none the less guilty.  They were given a covenant before God. They knew better and disobeyed with robust disgust!  So guess what... you guessed right --> Judah will be burned to the ground (much later than Israel, however) The judgment against Israel in much more "at hand" so it is detailed and stinging. Israel is oppressing its own people, prostitution is rampant, along with drunkenness, the Prophets are shunned.  Israel is slapping God in the face and doubly-arrogant about it.  So God is on the verge of crushing them. It will be a bludgeoning like they've never known - and they will not recover from it.

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Jeremiah 25-27 We are in the Prophetic Stream and Jeremiah delivers more of God's judgments. We are reading from The Message this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord Jesus, help us and teach us to be people who are steadfast.  Amen.

25 - The year of this chapter being written is 604 B.C. It was 7 years until the first captives would be taken from Judah to Babylon.  Jeremiah gets a revelation that the captivity; it's duration would be 70 years. And of course this is going to happen because the people have refused to listen to the prophets God has sent to them - all of them.  The "time is up". The party is over and God is going to turn Judah into a wasteland. He is actually calling down Babylon to do the dirty work.  And of course, when Babylon is finished with this task, Babylon itself will be overtaken. So they aren't going to be getting any medals from God for their work once they have flattened Judah.

Then the chapter goes into a "while we're at it..." tone.  God is putting many nations on trial.  Egypt, Ammonites, the Medes, etc. and more.  The massacre for pagan living and behavior is going to be vast.  This is going to be 'good news' for no one.  The dead bodies will be so numerous that they will be basically reduced to the category of fertilizer. 26 -is written for the purpose of reminding us, as we read, about how much danger Jeremiah was in.  He is ordered to go straight into the Temple courtyard and preach a hot streak of rebuke against the priests of the Temple who were altogether derelict in their duty.  Jeremiah was told vehemently to his face that he was going to die for talking the way he was talking - rather preaching the way he was preaching.  He is rushed by the mob, arrested, and a spirited trial ensues. Jeremiah is surprisingly let go. The final comments of that trial are impressive. The similar incident surrounding another prophet named Uriah (not Bathshebah's husband, btw) ended quite differently.  He preached in Jerusalem, was threatened, then fled to Egypt.  He was retrieved, brought back to Jerusalem and killed for his preaching.  Again, the Bible lets us know this part of the story just to remind us the price that could have been exacted upon Jeremiah.  It reminds us of Hebrews 11: "...they faced death all day long..." 27 - It is the final decade before Babylon is going to storm in and decimate anyone who fights back against them. And Jeremiah is told to put on a yoke, like what a beast of burden wears to pull a plow, and walk around Jerusalem telling them that this yoke is what is going to happen to all of you.  You will be put in a yoke by Babylon.  Do not fight this - or you will be killed in any number of ways. Even the King Zedekiah is urged to do this so that he may live.   Meanwhile the false prophets are crooning about how good times are coming, so don't listen to Jeremiah's blah blah blah, the stolen articles will be returned shortly, so, be well and be happy for things are fine.  Of course they are lying like dogs on rugs and Jeremiah calls them on it. !!!!!!--> Oh my the events that were coming.  We'll tell you next week about how this issue of Jeremiah wearing a yoke around town ends up.  You can read ahead if you wish.  In this case reading ahead isn't cheating - it's encouraged  :-)

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Psalm 78-79 We are in the Wisdom Stream reading from the Message this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Heavenly Father, you are true. We are called to be grateful for your endless goodness, for your mercy that is new every morning, for your faithfulness that is GREAT.  Amen. 78 - Is a wondrous review of God's marvelous works.  His dealings with Israel have been so completely magnificent - and their behavior in response has been so delinquent or derelict or ... there are too many adjectives for Israel's behavior that was displayed instead of gratitude and worship.  This Psalm is a description about God - it is a description about us. God ordered that the children are to be taught so that they can teach their children, ad infinitum. Ephraim turning their back is the metaphor equivalent of Israel departing from the Covenant - despite knowing better. God guided them through the Exodus, he gave water and shelter and clouds, plus protection and fire - but they 'pressed in for the sin' which they preferred. They were provided for for 40 years, not one of them starved - and yet no food was good enough for them.  The complaining chorus was a song that never ended.  They remembered God their Redeemer. They knew He was merciful, but they in turn lied to God, they lied in worship, their lives became lies.  The rebellion in the desert was astonishing to God and to us today as we read it 3400 years later.  They acted like they forgot about being preserved through the plagues: from the blood, through the locusts, and boils and bugs, and during the passover of death (for the Egyptians it was death because they were NOT passed-over!). Further, God cleared the way for them into Canaan, and yet they rebelled and did not keep the Covenant.  He punished them more severely than He ever intended to from the start when He called them His own and to be His own. Then the punishment ceased. God chose David to lead them and as a shepherd of God's people.  As we read the Psalms today, we experience that David is still shepherding His people 79 - Troubled times have befallen Israel.  The land has been invaded, people killed, in the frackus there isn't even time for proper burials and what's worse, wild birds are plucking at the dead Israelites.  It is a horrid scene and it is vast.  The royal city has been destroyed, the domain of the Lord is getting desecrated by enemies that are beyond cruel.  The people of Israel are above and beyond all they are asking God for forgiveness and for Him to act quickly.  They want God to strike back fast on these enemy nations. All the shedding of their own blood is too much to bear. The reproach of the nations was like anyone walking into a disaster that any of us may be suffering through and foreigners/visitors stoop in a demeaning tone to ask, "what on earth happened to you; you pathetic heap of garbage?!"  Not too encouraging to say the least!  The Israelites want retribution and restoration.  They have been personally attacked and they want God to take it personal too!