The Seven Streams Method

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I Kings 11-14 We are in the Nation Stream and turn the corner in Solomon's Reign. We are reading from The Message this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord we want to heed your warnings, hear your prophetic words and not suffer the losses that we see the disobedient and profane people suffering as they turn away from Truth.  Thank you for sending us the Truth; in Jesus.  Amen.

11 - Solomon was told by a dear older woman he knew of; King Lemuel's mother actually, in Proverbs 31:2-3.  He was pleaded with to not waste his life on women (the gender isn't the problem - the plurality is!).  He was told that they ruin kings.  But Solomon however felt that he was different, [as most people do] that sin wouldn't hook him in.  Well it did. Remember him marrying the daughter of Pharaoh right out of the gate?  He did that so there would be peace with Egypt.  Solomon loved his Lord at the start, and God honored his love for Him.  But the "sex-for-politics-for-sex-for power-and-pleasure pact" that Solomon had made as a deal (with himself I guess) let him astray and he fell away from the faith of his fathers. One wrong wife wasn't enough.  He needed hundreds of false women.  It is like one's physical hunger trying to find satisfaction from a deep-fried/sugar-filled donut.  How many of them do you need to eat on an empty stomach in order to feel satisfied? It's not going to happen.  Solomon's women was the disastrous shame of Solomon's rule. His pagan love life took him and the country with it on a downward spiral of no return.  He invited pagan religions in to keep his women happy. From this the God of Abraham was offended and a spirit of unrest seeped into the country.  Before Solomon died, enemies were growing restless within the land and it was a preview of the tension that would cause 10 of the 12 tribes to splinter off to the north. Was Solomon's love life just his private business and he could be sinful if he so chose to? No. It became everyone's business as all of these things always do. When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam took the throne.  Solomon's rule lasted from I Kings 1-11 / the parallel story, though distinctively written, is also told in II Chronicles 1-9

12 - Rehoboam, Solomon's son, was to be the next king.  Jeroboam resented Solomon and therefore Rehoboam and took up the grievances of a people who were over taxed during Solomon's rule. Jeroboam pleaded that taxes be lowered, Rehoboam did not listen and the rebellion was on.  Sounds like 1776 doesn't it? Jeroboam rallied for the north against Judah and strengthened the north against the south by actually paganizing the northern 10 tribes and making two golden calves to distract them away from the God of Abraham, Jerusalem, the Temple, and all that. Jeroboam set up the false gods of golden calves (just like Exodus 32!).  One calf was in Bethel in the south while the other was up north in Dan. The country was 'covered' in terms of false religion.  As we are reading in the prophets, this stunt started Israel on a fast road to being decimated.  200 years later, they were. 13 - is a zany tale of lies and false religion and paganism and getting mauled by a lion in a strangest of tales, and prophecy ignored and suffering because of it and demanding that godly people act immediately to remedy the wrong that bad religion had brought on.  It is the personal vision of the northern kingdom's first king and how a dark decision ends up rippling for centuries.  Jeroboam cheapened the faith and adulterated it. He ignored Ahijah who told him that there was a right way to represent the people to God, but he ignored Ahijah.  Jeroboam was angry at Solomon - who was gone now.  He was angry at Solomon's son; Rehoboam. Perhaps his anger was valid, but his "remedy" for the anger at the leaders in the south was not gone about properly.  Here's a truth in life: the right thing must be done the right way. There are many who attempt the right thing but go about it the wrong way. Some seek God's Will but don't pursue His Will His Way...they want to find God their own way (many of these types end up "playing God" before they are done!).  Many of us have seen this. There is a line between these two methods.  As for the wrong way - there never is a right way to do the wrong thing. Jeroboam may have commenced and wanted to do God's Will but He wouldn't do it God's Way.  It was not long after that that Jeroboam was shunning all good prophetic words and advice and was doing everything just plain, flat out WRONG,  And He wanted it this way and remained deliberate in this to his end. 14 -  God gets to Jeroboam through his son's illness. Jeroboam is desperate for solutions and who does he go to but Ahijah-the-prophet  ... who's advice he won't follow (in case anyone forgot). So, as Jeroboams' vapid character dictates, he sends his wife to Ahijah and she gets an earful of a horrid prophecy and it is accurate.  Meanwhile Jeroboam is up north feverishly fanning the flames of his "fornication-for-faith" cult that he had instituted to make sure no one ventured to Jerusalem and found the real God.  His wife comes home, his son dies on the spot.  And this was only the beginning of the doom that would be lowering upon Jeroboam.  The last of the ch. 14, we flip back south to Judah where  Rehoboam is king in Jerusalem. He is 41 at the start of his rule. He rules until he is 58. Jeroboam up north had a special relationship with Egypt based in a mutual disgust for Jerusalem/Solomon/Rehoboam. But what gave way for Egypt's invasion and ransacking of the Temple in Jerusalem was the exodus of God's blessing since Rehoboam allowed his pagan Ammonite mother to have a say in the religion of the south as Asherah shrines sprang up across the country.  Asherah was a sex-cult in the region that God had obviously forbidden his people to take part in.  This disobedience left them open to attack as Shishak of Egypt invaded and plundered the Temple. Shishak stole the gold from the Temple.  How much of the dozens of tons of gold that had been brought there and stored and decorated the Temple with is hard to say but it is such a shame.  God seems to be saying, "you act like pagans, then your wealth is going to go back to the pagans!"  The first of this gold was taken out of Egypt in the Exodus; Exo. 12:35-36.  Well it was being returned today. Yeesh.  Rehoboam made new articles of bronze as if it was supposed to make things all better now.  Do you think anyone noticed the missing gold?????

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Leviticus 1:1-6:7 We are in the World Stream today starting the book of Leviticus. We are reading from The Message this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord your concern for us, for every phase, for every step, every friendship, every meal - your concern for us is comprehensive and forgive us for failing to understand the depth of your love. Bring us closer to your heart; the consuming fire that refines us.  Amen. As we have started Leviticus today, be encouraged as our aim is for us to better and more deeply understand God's care for us.  The overarching ethic in Leviticus is that a holy God wants us to be with Him and to become like Him so there can be purer fellowship - like with Adam in the Garden/Eden. God's holiness is wholly pure. God's character is not mixed with evil. The yin and the yang we find in Asian folklore does not exist with God. He does not have an evil side. Granted He has control over evil - yet it does not control Him - and God will eventually eradicate and punish all evil permanently. But God being holy, He loves us, and wants us to be like Him so to better be with Him. A great theme in Leviticus is that there is to be no mixing. We are like this. We demand that our loved ones not be mixed up with unsavory characters, We demand fidelity from our betrothed. We demand that there be no dirt on the strawberries on our dessert pie. We demand pure, clean washed lettuce for our salads. We insist the sand in our children's sandbox be clean - without compost or cat litter.  AND we do not sand mixed in our salad - not one grain! Are we not like God in this regard? We demand pure milk in the bottle for our babies - a little bit of dishwater mixed in is NOT okay.  We demand pure gasoline for our car - we want it free of water or gunk. We demand pure water to make our coffee with - or do you mind a few drops of chlorine just to kill the moss that might be left from a mug you drink from that hasn't been washed in 5 months.  Nonsense. We want purity We know what purity is and we insist we be served pure purity.  The weirdity about human character is that after demanding trueness of all those around us for ourselves - humans then want to mix things up for themselves.  Many think it's good to be bad so we can have a good time. eh?  We trust that this trek through Leviticus reveals the excitement of purity. Sim;ply decide now to not be bored. Yes, sometimes it may read like a maid's checklist cleaning a hotel room. Well imagine going to a hotel room and mold is here and there and smelly washcloths were turning colors in the corner from three guests ago, and the sheets were sticky and many various matters were untended to. To this, the maid responds, "oh, I don't follow the checklist for cleaning. That's too confining. It's boring. I'd rather follow my whimsical feelings as I go through rooms. It's bad to leave a room good." [HUH!?] Is that fine with you? No.  Leviticus is teaching the rigors of clean living.  That is not boring. Seeing it as what it is: That God's depth of care for us is refreshing.  There are five offerings in this reading today.  The Burnt Offering, Grain Offering, Fellowship Offering, Sin Offering, Guilt Offering. They are found accordingly in the five chapters we read today and in the start of the sixth.  The Burnt Offering was to be completely consumed on the fire. The best was to be brought to God. It was for worship signifying commitment and surrender to God, for unintentional sin. There was more mention of this in Lev. 6 and 8 and 16.  We are to bring our best and first to God today and offering it totally to Him, are we not? The Grain Offering was grain or flour or olive oil, bread - what was grown; hence the income or increase from each one. This was to be brought to God also as a voluntary act of worship.  It created the occasion for Israel to pause and recognize that God in His goodness provides and we are therefore to respond with our devotion to Him.  Let's worship God and remember the bounty He gives - not worship the bounty, then hoard it and then forget God. Otherwise we become greedy people who get all we can / can all we get / and then sit on the can.  By then anyone who threatens to take anything from us or any one of our cans gets a violent reaction from us.          Grain Offerings (from our bounty) keep us remembering, gracious, godly people. The Fellowship Offering involved us bringing an animal without defect to be shared plus a variety of breads.  This was a voluntary act within the worship and service of our lives.  It contributed to the communal meal. This was to be eaten together. It kept God in the center of the fellowship. These feasts were joyous events and God and happy devoted hearts surrounded the table. Contrast this to the food orgies and saturnalia feasts gone amok in the Greek and Roman world that would follow a few centuries later.  The filth and vomit and trash-ruined rooms and wasted food was disgusting at these pagan gatherings. We either keep God in our fellowship or our fellowship goes bad. The Sin Offering (dealt with in 4:1-5:13) was required to give for specific sin - be it unintentional. There must be confession, forgiveness and cleansing that must occur.  Sins were being dealt with in a whole new way now.  No blaming, fighting, getting ugly, or the world's way --> repeat the sin until it doesn't feel like sin anymore - who cares who gets hurt?. No,... sin was dealt with before God, wrongs made right and it was to end there. The size of the offering reflected the status of the person religiously or economically. The Guilt Offering was for sin that required restitution.  There was to be a Ram sacrificed. This was mandatory for atoning the unintentional sin. There must be cleansing from defilement plus a 20% fine added on to aright the guilt. Does all this seem tedious and laborious? It's simpler than Law School. Getting right with God make things automatically go right with others.  Surprise! You're going to love this book this year.

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I Corinthians 15-16 We are in the Church Stream finishing the book of I Corinthians today. We are using the New American Standard Bible this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

15 - The theme, in case anyone missed it, is: THE RESURRECTION.  Christ Jesus raised from the dead and we who are His and with Him shall raise from the dead too.  Paul belabors that Jesus rose, appeared to hundreds, plus the 12, and more times to the chosen ones in Jesus' inner circle. I mean really folks (reading between the lines) do you think all these people were hallucinating in unison? 'can't happen!  Jesus ROSE from the dead.  Believe it for real / forever. Paul explains the order of the Resurrection, the logic of it and the importance of it. Instead of reciting, or rather repeating again what Paul said, it's important to realize what he was encountering as he was traveling through Greece, and Asia Minor:   - - - Paul would periodically have a person in the congregation interject while he/Paul was teaching and preaching.  They would blurt out, "yeah, but He died. They killed Him. Was He a crook? and He let them kill him?...was this because He felt guilty?" The pattern of this century was that when a self proclaimed Messiah came on the scene, He either took over and then He would reign, or he was killed. and between 50 BC and 50 AD scores of "Messiahs" came forth and they were all executed along with their followers. Jesus appeared to be one of them.  The shame associated with following a false Messiah often never left someone who was duped by their false messiah. Jesus' and the events of his last week looked too similar to the false messiahs and so some were puzzled as to how seriously to take Jesus Christ of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem, to a virgin, ad infinitum. So Paul takes this entire ch. 15 to explain to full orb' of the Resurrection of Jesus; it's veracity and the comprehensive logic behind it.  We remember Paul asserting that he was not ashamed of the gospel in Rom. 1:16.  Well he wasn't - and he wanted all others to feel the same way. -The description and Paul making a clear distinction between our bodies here and our bodies in the Resurrection is poignant and necessary. REmember that Corinth is in Greece. The Greeks were obsessed with strength, and bodies, and training and health - the muscle statues all over the empire attest to this.  And along with this, the Greek/Roman perplexity of aging was a mental embarrassment or conundrum of the heart to most all the pagan world.  Why did it have to be that we aged, and weakened and died and were then just ... gone?  The Gospel solved this situation!!. And how quickly will this change be to our new bodies? as fast as one can bat their eye. 16 - The collection of names and concepts listed here is a description of Paul's warm heart for those he is discipling as well as those he is talking about.  He is gathering an offering for Jerusalem Believers.  The instruction and tips that he gives of how to treat each person is wonderful.  He says to thank such and such, honor so and so, care for so and so.  His word for how to treat Timothy was because Timothy was a great teacher yet was insecure regarding his family; a Greek parent and a Jewish parent and Timothy was getting "looked at sideways" in some places and Paul wanted that to stop.  The particulars are a little bit amusing/ /perhaps entertaining in that they give personal insight to the settings and persons back then.  Many of us know what it's like to leave a note for a baby sitter. It says things like, "be sure and make certain that Joey drinks all his milk.  Remember that Jill is afraid of heights so when you do the walk, take the lower path.  Timmy prefers to be read to first thing in the morning as well as at bedtime so be sure to do this. He will miss it if you forget.  Etc.  Paul  just outright cares about all these people and ... He gets it from Jesus.  We should too.

We have seen all this week that "completion invites visitation"

The Tabernacle was finished at the end of Exodus and God showed up gloriously and the whole nation was is awe - in a way that stuck with them permanently When the Temple is completed in I Kings, the ark is brought in and there is a regal ceremony, prayer and dedication and sacrifices and God appeared to Solomon!! oh my word! In the Psalms this week, especially 76 and 77, we see a completion of a mind going full circle from complaining to enjoying the triumph of God as God's victories and great deeds are recalled. Gratitude brings on the visitation for that is the main thing God wants in our heart. Jeremiah tells of a punishment that is going to be walked through, Jerusalem will fall a remnant will be preserved, just complete the Babylon time and in Jer. 23, he tells us that the Savior will visit... Joel 3 tells that the nations will be judged. Once this is completed there will be a visitation [on the Day of the Lord ] that will be blessings that flow like streams down mountsides and it will be more than just sweet water Luke1 tells of the completion of all the years and preparation coming up to the arrival of the greatest visitation of all time.  It will happen in Luke 2 but by the end of Luke 1 all items and preparation have been completed after 4,000 years since exiting Eden. Angels are visiting - more than once and once all this is completed, the Main Visitation of all time happens [next week!] I Cor. 15 explains the completion of the explanation of the Gospel.  Christ Arose, haleluia.  Paul wanted them to understand this.  And he wanted to visit them again soon.

Luke 1 We are in the Christ Stream today starting the book of Luke the physician and historian. We are reading from the New American Standard Bible this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Thank you Lord for preparing the way for the Savior.  Thank you for preparing a Savior for us. Thank you for preparing us to be saved. Your ways are perfect.  Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Amen. Luke 1 - Luke's opener tells of his motivation for writing Luke.  [He later wrote Acts.] Luke is a paragon historian that ranks with the best the world has ever seen.  He researched Jesus and got straight stories from those who were there.  Whereas John says in places, "I saw this....I witnessed this..." we do not see this wording in Luke.  There is no record that Luke ever met our Savior.  My husband, who has three degrees in Bible says he has encountered some n'ere-do-wells who falsely comfort themselves saying,"I only want to read about Jesus; the eyewitness accounts of those who were there."  Thus they won't read the Old Testament/Psalms/Prophets. And they won't even read Paul's letters.  Well, friends. Moses, Joshua, Paul met with God/The 'yet-to-be-named' Jesus personally (Paul met Him on the road to Damascus), whereas Luke never met Jesus ---> it isn't recorded anywhere in literature.  Pardon the side note here. One other reminder: Matthew wrote his account to Jews in Israel - the first copy was in Aramaic. Mark wrote to Jews who were throughout the world -the original was in Hebrew. John wrote to The World (for God so loved the...what did he so love?...The World.)  And Luke wrote to the Greeks; including the Romans in the Greek world who spoke Greek -and therefore it was written in Greek.  Luke was a doctor. So we find him noticeable mentioning Jesus' body; His hands, His mouth where the other gospels don't. Luke also talks of the power involved in Jesus' ministry. The power of the spirit, the power of God, the "power that was present for Him to heal." The Greeks were very impressed with the concept of power, so Luke presents it clearly.  Though we are spending the next 16 weeks in Luke, perhaps that is enough introductory notes - - - -The chapter today is the preparation for the arrival of the Savior that happens in ch. 2. Much goes into the drama of John the Baptist arrival and his family.  Father Zechariah/mother Elizabeth were righteous souls who had no child. It's a very interesting biblical motif that the birth of several vital characters occurs via a barren woman. This is seen in Genesis with the Patriarchs' wives;. [An amazing ethical theme in action, btw.], Samuel's mother Hannah also walks out the same story.  Here an angel visits and announces about John the Baptist in a powerful monologue. Zechariah questions the angel and is therefore struck mute during the pregnancy. God isn't being mean here - He doesn't appreciate being doubted while making such an historical announcement.  All the same, Elizabeth then becomes pregnant and it is such a blessing for this godly household. Six months later Thee Angel Gabriel [!!] visits Mary, a virgin teen girl, who is chosen to deliver the Savior. It too is overwhelming. Mary's question of "how will this be" gets a blessed response. She was just confirming because she'd never been with a man, wasn't with a man, wasn't engaged and, uh, how, uh...???"  It's a valid question that warranted a clear answer. Whereas Zechariah's question revealed that he was having trouble even believing the angel - and there was punishment for unbelief.  Please make special note of Lu. 1:37; "For nothing is impossible with God."  Make a poster (or 10) of this verse and put them around your house.  Much of our faith pivots on whether we believe this verse or not! Mary then goes to Elizabeth and here they are, two mothers pregnant: one with the Savior and the other with the one who will announce the Savior - the joy and faith displayed is marvelous. Mary's song of worship is what has been labeled "The Magnificat" by ancient Believers. She is truly blessed for being chosen to deliver the Savior.  And this isn't some "way out there" assignment given to Mary.  We are called to deliver the Savior too. And there is eternal blessing for us who fulfill this assignment with reverence, obedience, resolve, and faithful focus; just like Mary. Shortly following, John [the Baptist] is born and named, and the countryside was talking -  especially after Zechariah resumed talking!  They all sensed God was up to something.  Zechariah then sings and prophesies and worships thankfully.  Over the next 30 years John would grow; strong in spirit and remain in the desert until his call to preach commenced.  Does anyone wonder what is coming next? It couldn't be more exciting.

Joel 3 We are in the Exile Stream reading from the New American Standard Bible this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord you are coming in clouds of glory. We have read about clouds of locusts and judgment. But we know your real love is us and restoration and being together again as blessings flow like streams down mountainsides just as blessings flow from your house. Lord we are with you and await this day. Joel's finale~ -   Two swarmings and followed by calls to repentance have led us to a Pentecost foretelling and then comes chapter 3.  As this phase of history reaches its culmination, God will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel.  The theme being "The Day of the LORD".  The nations will be gathered in the Valley of Jehoshaphat / later called the Valley of Decision.  You remember the battle being recalled here from II Chronicles 20 when a huge multitude gathered against Jerusalem and commenced to march upon them when they turned on each other - until all were dead.  Judah's army simply walked through thousands upon thousands of dead enemy soldiers and gathered valuables for three days.  Well, the multitudes are going to gather for judgment on the Day of the Lord as told in Joel 3.  Vast wealth will be returned to Jerusalem and Judah. Slaves will be returned.  It will be a great time of arighting things that have been wrong for a long time.  There is Apocalyptic overtones to Joel 3 that speak of signs that will symbolize End Times, the Lord's Return, the day of reckoning ... The blessing and bounty and peace on the land of Israel is impressive as described here: wine and milk and fresh water flow in abundance.  The enemies of God's land and people are laid waste - never to rise against Israel again for the LORD dwells in Zion; the high point of Jerusalem city.  Glorious things are coming for God's people.

Jeremiah 22-24 We are in the Prophetic Stream reading with the New American Standard Bible this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord, the cost of disobedience is so grave.  Give us hearts of obedience. We offer up to you, as the song says, "here's my heart, o' take and seal it, seal it for thy courts of above. Amen.

22 - This chapter is a warning to King Jehoiakim.  He reigned until 598 B.C. when the Babylonians were "at the door" and the first (not the final) captivity began for Judeans.  The final caravan of captives occurred 12 years later in 586 B.C. when Zedekiah was king.  Speaking of Zedekiah, all inference points to him being the one spoken to in Jer. 22:2; "hear the word of the Lord, O King..."  Zedekiah ended up witnessing the finale~ in time, but the literature of this chapter takes us back through a listing of the final five kings that covered the last 50+ years of the Kingdom during its demise. Josiah gave goodness a fair effort, but the other four were wretched, demented, and duplicitous to the core. they were unjust, oppressive, robbers, violent, cruel to orphans and widows, and treacherous to the innocent. God gives a last offer to change their ways before ruining the place.  God had offered always to preserve them but the snubbing of God's reminders and The Covenant was too incessant. The invaders will reverence nothing. They will be like vandals with clubs storming through a jewelry store made of glass shelves [to use some modern picture].  The violence, the death/killing, the fires ... there won't even be any time for mourning or funerals. And no allies will come to help.  The chapter ends railing upon Jehoiachin; the 4th of the last 5 kings. His uncle Zedekiah actually followed him and none of Jehoiachin's children ever ended up being king.

23 - As Hitler was ransacking Europe and looking to go in all directions with his plan to conquer and absorb. There were two opinions: Churchill in England was telling people to prepare for war or be conquered, and there was Chamberlain in England who was telling them to relax, rest, and be well for "there is peace in our time."  The prophets that Jeremiah is scolding were oblivious as Chamberlain and they were dark as darkness in their hearts, their words, and their plans. They cared nothing for God's people. The people would be scattered from following these false prophets.  Later, God would gather them again and one day reign. This "Righteous Branch of David" is One who will reign in a Messianic era.  That was coming.  For now, there are lying prophets to shush.  They are using Baal, bringing on disaster, doing deals with evil, wretched as Gomorrah.  These prophets spread evil across the land, they do NOT speak for God, yet claim that they do while touting about peace as they work their evil.  Because of them, all will be cast out.  God wants a memorandum to go national: The prophets claim they have the Word of the Lord - but it didn't come from me-says the Lord! 24 - The people God would preserve [1] and the people God would allow to be decimated [2] are illustrated as two baskets of figs.  One was like first fruits, ripe and sweet and desirable. These were akin to the initial captives taken to Babylon in 597 B.C.  Jehoiachin was on this trek of those hauled away as slaves to Babylon, as were Ezekiel and Daniel. [Remember we read Daniel last winter.] He was a young teen of about 13 walking to Babylon. He started out a slave and became virtual regent of the country!  Strangely enough, God carried these ones away to preserve them; they were the "good basket of figs."  The second basket were the ones who thought they would stay in Judah and call up help from Egypt to resist the Babylonians who were on their final push to take all of Judah.  Those who stay back, like rotten figs, will be only fit for discarding. Their future is bleak, they will be cursed, and ridiculed and devastated.  Rotten figs get thrown out and buried in a compost heap. The people who remain to fight Babylon have a similar fate.

Psalm 73-77 We are in the Wisdom stream and starting the 3rd of 5 books in the Psalms. We are reading from the New American Standard Bible this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God you certainly lead your children in triumph.  You are true to those who follow and obey you and you are terror to those who fight against you.  May we always be on YOUR side of righteousness; not self-righteous, not seeking approval from men, but seeking you for your sake alone.  Amen

Asaph wrote Psalms 73-83 (along with #50).  He was David's song leader.  He was appointed to such position in I Chronicles 15:17.

73 - is his frustrated musing about the wicked prospering so and the righteous having struggles. These two scenarios contrasted against each other were troublesome.  The topic arises today as well.  And granted, the petition has merit.  All this grated against Asaph's senses until he came and prayerfully sat with God in the sanctuary.  Asaph is transparent enough to strongly insinuate that his personal musing was only making things worse and it implies he should have never tortured himself with such thinking...i.e. and that he should have come into God's house sooner.  God knows what to do with good people and He knows what to do with wicked people.  And He will! 74 - National disaster had struck and Asaph was writing in sheer despair. Some say it was during Shishak's invasion from Egypt.  This would have been a few years after Solomon's death and therefore Asaph would have been quite old at this time.  Nonetheless, Asaph is horribly distressed and calling on God to act fast instead of withdrawing his hand of retribution as the enemy attacks. His recalling all the faithful and mighty deeds of God on behalf of Israel, the natural wonders He has done - Asaph is virtually cheerleading, "hey God, you helped in the past, and uh, we need you again, --> now!"  His call in v. 22 is accurate to the bone: "Arise, O God, and plead your own cause;..."  He's almost retreating and asking that if God won't do what is needed for us, then do it for yourself and your own sake.  It's certainly a fetching line. 75 - God is judge and will judge.  The wicked will be sifted through for destruction and the righteous will be cherished by God and exalted.  Yes the unfairness of this earth will tumble and juxtapose matters against what seems to be right and fair, but God is going to sort things aright in the end, [at times sooner], and permanently for certain. 76 - A great victory has been had in Judah.  The God of Israel has arisen again on behalf of His people.  It was a relief and a triumph.  The timing does not match to be in Asaph's era, but some attribute this Psalm to be a response to learning that Sennacherib's Army of Assyrians has been struck dead, all 185,000 of them [during I Kings 19].  The same phrasing could be sung as the Exodus was completed and Pharaoh's army drowned in the sea. It is a Psalm of God meteing [sp?] out justice.  It is a warning to remain humble before Him and not be among the crass princes of the earth who have no regard for God. 77 - this and Psalm 78 are theologically linked but we will end this day with Psalm 77 and pick up with 78 next week.  77 is Asaph crying out to God for the people; longing for a reprieve from God - and no one else will do. There are sentiments of feeling forgotten by God, but regardless of how feelings fluctuate, remembering God's deeds and meditating on what He has done plus His redemption for us brings us back to truth and anchors us.  He ends with illustrations of God leading His children amid natural and colossal wonders; the terrifying power of nature that God stirs and works amidst.  

I Kings 8-10 We are in the Nation Stream today and will attend the dedication of the Temple by King Solomon. What a treat! We are reading from the New American Standard Bible this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord, today is yet another reminder of the glory and wonders you are preparing for us.  Thank you and Amen. 8 - It is fascinating in this reading pattern that we are doing together that yesterday we read about Bezalel making the Ark of the Covenant. And today it is being brought into the finished Temple (not the Tabernacle/[tent] that was carried throughout Sinai. The two stone tablets inside the Ark and the Ark itself were made well over 500 years prior and today, in our reading, they are finally in place! Imagine the "it's done!" sentiment that swept over the people after all these centuries.  Well they probably felt this way because God felt this way.  The Cloud, signified God's Presence, and The Glory of God filled the house as soon as the Ark was in place.  I don't know who else feels this way, but it sure would have been exhilarating to be there! Solomon's address to the people is historical!  The ceremony that followed was regal  - perhaps excessive, but it was for God (with a definite 'touch of Solomon') so let's do it in a big way!  This initial dedication is not going to happen again.   Solomon's prayer included remembering David, seeking God's blessing, prayers and rituals of worship, dealing with sins, enemies and their related interaction, famine and pestilence, foreigners, and battles.  The blessing Solomon gave to the people was marvelous - it would have been good if Solomon had followed his own advice all his life.  but So it goes.  At any rate, the 14 day celebration was 'one for the books!' 9 - This chapter is a continuation of ch. 4.  Note that ch's 5-8 are a hiatus to describe the Temple, then 9 continues where 4 left off.  God opens with a promise for following Him and a warning against turning from Him.  It applied to Solomon AND his sons, btw.  They all must follow God in perpetuity. The activity is impressive as Solomon and Hiram interchange and trade and gift eachother..  Solomon built cities, and rebuilt others.  He commissioned a staggering amount of workers. Solomon built a navy fleet of ships that sailed the Mediterranean, and others that sailed from the gulf to the south traversling into Arabia, India, and Africa.  In the last verse, did you perceive the size of the gold shipment loaded for Solomon from Ophir? It was 31,000+ lbs. of gold.  My math could be wrong, but in today's rates, that is $665million.  It was a gift and it was simply loaded and taken to Solomon.  Holy Smoke, these folks are living a dream. AND, it was only part of what was brought to Solomon for that one year.  The gifts kept coming annually 10 - The Queen of Sheba visits Solomon and it too was an encounter fit for the history books; the real history books for that matter.  She marveled at his world, his acquisitions, his staff, his wisdom, knowledge, and insight. 10:5b is interesting, "...and there was no more spirit in her. " [all her curiosities and questions were answered]  She was truly overwhelmed at what she saw.  She had heard of Solomon's Kingdom, but amid all the telling, she had only heard "the half of it."   She leaves him a gift of precious gems, spices that ranked as the best in the world, and 4+1/2 tons of gold (imagine that! and it was all brought by camel from Central Africa).  The chapters final phrase/phase ends with a tally of the splendor, riches, glory of Solomon's Kingdom.  The immensity is almost too much to take in. If anyone is wondering, the horses that came from "Kue"... Kue is in AsiaMinor near where Apostle Paul was from in Tarsus; Remember "Saul of Tarsus"?  One very famous preacher shared his studies revealing that Solomon had more wealth as a single individual than the country of Canada has among it's 35+ million people.  It's hard to perceive such wealth all attached to one man.  y'ever wonder what he's going to do with it all, or if he's even going to keep it?

Exodus 37:25-40:38 We are in the World Stream finishing the book of Exodus. We are reading from the New American Standard Bible this week. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God we thank you for visiting us and all who will prepare themselves to come into the Presence of You. Thank for availing yourself to us. To be with YOU is the blessing of all blessings.  Amen

37 - Bezalel made the ark of the covenant, the table for it, the lampstand, and the altar of incense.  Take a moment in your mind to transport back 33+ centuries and imagine yourself walking quietly up to Bezalel at work. "Bezalel, what are you making?"      "A box of acacia wood to be covered in gold to hold the X Commandments..."    "What's the significance of this?"  To which Bezalel replies, "all society hinges upon what's in this box for all time!  The governments who ignore these Commandments shall crumble, as will the nations, the states, the communities, neighborhoods and families and individuals. The opposite is more true...all who honor and follow these commands will become eternally blessed.  This box is not just a part of history, it IS history. In fact history pivots upon the contents of this box!"  After this conversation there is nothing left to do but walk away backward, in awe in the presence of the work of a holy God that is a consuming fire.

38 - Everything that was described a few chapters back is completed at this point. In 38 the Altar is the completed, and the laver, and the court; the gorgeous linen perimeter of the Tabernacle.  All contents for the Tabernacle were completed.  The mathematics of this are staggering.  It's too much to sum up.  We will just leave you with this, however - there was over 2200 lbs. of gold involved in this endeavor.  This was the place where God would be met and consulted with, and sins forgiven, and direction received.  It had been over 2600 years since Adam/Eve were expelled from the garden. Religiously, a myriad of procedures had been experimented with the world over and nothing was working to solve the problem regarding the colossal gap between where we were and where God wanted us to be.  This Tabernacle was where God would be met.  It was gravely awesome to be near this place. ... And it would be assembled soon. 39 - The ornate garments for the priests are made and completed.  They are far more decorative and costly than what we would label as "fit for a king."  The details were tedious and numerous and the work was done fastidiously,  comprehensively, and perfectly.  Once this was complete, these garments, along with the rest of the items for the Tabernacle, were brought to Moses for examination by Moses. The work was done just as the Lord had commanded.  Moses blessed them and now it was time for the finale~ of the Book of Exodus. 40 - The Tabernacle is finally raised and assembled.  The anointing is completed, the lamps are lit, the offerings are placed, the washing is done.  And they entered the Tent of Meeting, did the finishings and all the work was done.  Then the miracle of God's presence occurred.  The Cloud, symbolizing the Presence of God, settled upon the Tabernacle.  And for the next two generations that they would be in the Wilderness of Sinai and around, the Cloud would settle upon the Tabernacle to state that "God was IN".  When He lifted, it was time to go, when he settled it was time to settle and wait.  There was cloud by day and fire by night.  And this was a blessing to witness for all the house of Israel, not just the priests and leaders.  What a marvel.

I Corinthians 13-14 We are in the Church Stream reading the Apostle Paul's direction to the Corinthians. We are in the New Living Translation. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis "Lord, let love be our main characteristic.  Amen."

13 - The Corinthian Church had many colorful characteristics.  They were gifted. The fellowship was boisterous. They had faith. They had affect in Corinth.  Their feasts were impressive . . . But they were not loving.  Paul needed to remind them to be loving. They needed to be patient and kind with each other.  The rudeness needed to stop, et cetera.  You know the passage and it bears daily repeating.  It was time for the church to grow up, quit the games and be loving. The school-yard-like competition and posturing and tab-keeping needed to stop now - make that immediately. 14 - The Corinthians had forgotten the purpose of Pentecost - to reach out and edify a person that normally could not be communicated with. The speaking in tongues was reducing to a contest in Corinth that edified no one.  Prophesying was more important since it blessed whole bodies of people. The matter of speaking in tongues is dealt with rather comprehensively by Paul here in this chapter. Some churches today need to brush this over so to quell some squabbling that becomes unnecessary and distracting to the good of the Kingdom. Paul gives a hearty paragraph of instruction next about how to conduct an orderly worship service. Just like "Robert's Rules of Order" is needed to keep meetings on track, Paul needed to write this to keep worship services edifying. The Kingdom couldn't afford for worship services to fray off in dozens of needless directions. People from many other cultures were pouring in to worship services and structure was needed.  Who should speak, in what order, the evaluation that should take place.  There shouldn't be a peanut gallery of cat-callers to question the speaker during service.  And interestingly enough, Paul was concerned that the new comers not be stunned by the babbling in foreign tongues, hence get the impression that church was for weirdos, and then they'd leave and be gone.  This would not be a good pattern.   Paul wanted church to be orderly and edifying.  We need to want the same. The theme or the thread that ran through this week distilled out to be "Let's Build Something for God"  The Exodus passage with the Tabernacle actually going up is an inspiration in the desert for sure!  In I Kings 4ff, Solomon is laying out the framework of a glorious Kingdom and he gets to building the Temple and His Palace and many other beautiful structures.  David in Psalm 69:9 declared to God, "passion for your house has consumed me,"! [need to be passionate about something before it can be built]  and Psalm 72 rings with an overtone of Christ returning to reign supremely. In Jeremiah 18/19 the illustration of the potter, the clay and the broken pottery, God is asserting that the people of God must be built up a certain way. And if they won't allow God to build His way, then they must be smashed and God will start over after some seriously severe buffeting and discipline.  Joel portrays a huge cycle of locust coming through to clean them out. It will be complete devastation. God urges prayer, mourning, fasting and restoration so that he can, ... [you're right]---> restore and build them up again, for He promises to send HIs Spirit.    Mark 15-16 has Jesus tried (falsely), tortured, crucified, dead, buried, risen and His followers are told to take the message to the whole world [to build the Kingdom!}  Paul is reminding the Corinthian church to build one another up and be loving in doing so.  There's a lot of whining about churches and persnickety judging that goes on. Well, this is a misperception.  Church is where people are built up because they can learn and grow and thrive because they find acceptance.  Hooray for God as He builds His Kingdom.