The Seven Streams Method

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Psalm 103-105 We are in the Wisdom Stream reading from the New King James Version. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God, you are good all the time.  Thank you and Amen.

103 - a crowning Psalm of Praise about our good God who is so very good in all that He does.  He forgives, heals, redeems, satisfies, is righteous, merciful, He cares, empathizes, He rules and is blessed in heaven, by angels, by all beings, by His works, and by David who, btw, wrote this in the later days of his life.  All we need in God and from our God is found in Him. This is a magnificent hallmark of a Psalm

104 - This Psalm about God's beautiful work in making all of nature brings to mind a verse in "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" - it reads "were the whole realm of nature of mine, that were a present far too small ..." (too small to present to God when expressing gratitude for our great Salvation).  This Psalm makes one want to read this again while sitting on the edge of the Grand Canyon, or at base camp in Everest, or in Grand Teton Wyoming. ...and to think that all God asks of us in return for His colossal deeds is our lives given back to Him in thanksgiving.  Nature is merely a work of His fingers - our Salvation is the work of His strong Arm.  It makes a grateful soul sit and be amazed, doesn't it? 105 - Why do we sing to the Lord? Why call to Him, sing to Him, tell of Him, remember His works, glory in His Name?  Just pause and remember what He has done!  The litany of the chosen people brought from oblivion, called to God as a testimony to the world  - this Psalm does a regal march through 600-700 years of the Hebrews' history from Abraham to Joshua. Each line, each deed, each meal, each person was blessed and protected by a God who does not fail.  We may fail Him, but He does not fail us.  This is our God and He's worth pledging our lives and souls and families and eternity too. For He will continue to be good to us forever.  Hallelujah.

II Kings 10-14 We are in the Nation Stream reading from the New King James Version. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis 10 - Jehu, the wildman chariot rider who rode furiously through the land continued his intrepid 28-year crusade to eradicate Baal worship. In the last chapter he killed Joram; king of Israel and Jezebel and Ahaziah; king of Judah who was Ahab/Jezebels' son-in-law.  And he was not done! He gave the orders and the leaders in Israel beheaded the 70 sons of Ahab - in dramatic fashion that doesn't need to be explained. Jehu then "rubbed out" [pardon a Mafia term] all the rest of Ahab's leaders, confidants, and priests.  Heading out from there he went to Samaria and found the brothers of the newly deceased King Ahaziah and killed all 42 of them. He proceeded to kill the rest of Ahab's family.  It's an ugly business, yes, but Baal had to go.  Lastly, in a bait-and-switch move he ordered all the worshipers of Baal to gather for a sacrifice to Baal... [uh hum!]  All who would't come were to be executed, so the word went out. Jehu then did the opposite and killed all who were dedicated to Baal...and it was over.  Jehu was zealous to fight those who opposed God but he himself never abandoned the worship of the calf. He "cleaned house", yes, but he never cleaned up his own house.  Then he was gone (820 B.C.) and Jehoahaz ruled starting 816 B.C.

11 - Queen Athaliah came to power the same year Jehu came to rule and was still angry about her son Ahaziah being killed.  The human chess-game that went on was terrifying but the next king, Athaliah's relative, was protected from Athaliah's killing spree and he came to power via much vigilance and fervent protection.  The story is further told in II Chronicles 22.  Athaliah's death came from those who protected her secessor (sp?).  They put him [Joash/Jehoash] in power and cut her down outside so to not spill her blood in the Temple of the Lord.  With her gone, Judah was then rededicated to God ... 12 - The reign of Jehoash is also told in II Chron. 24, btw.  His trademark was to repair the Temple of the Lord.  The project was held up for years, however, since those who were gathering offerings for repairing the Temple were not faithful with the funds.  Gee, ever hear of that happening where someone "pockets it" v.s. producing with it?!  It finally got done however after some sobering inventory was taken and faithful men were put on the job.   A set back happened when the King of Syria conquered Gath on the coast and then headed to Jerusalem.  They got him to turn away and head home by giving him a sickening amount of wealth that had been stored for generations in Judah.  Gee, a King of Syria who kills and robs. . .what millennium is this anyway? Or is this story a current headline?  Joash was assassinated after this, and Amaziah came to rule in Judah. It was 803 B.C. Jehoash/Joash had ruled for 40 years. 13 - Jehoahaz came to power in Israel about half way through the reign of Joash; King of Judah.  Jehoahaz was evil, disobedient and pagan and God let Syria enter and oppress Israel in a chronic way.  Jehoahaz called out to God (imagine that!) so God heard them and delivered them and there was peace again.  Did Jehoahaz lead a revival in thanksgiving? No, he and the nation remained in their false religion and calf worship [like thankless humans usually do v.s. being grateful to God].--> Terribly dangerous to be a lout like this!  Elisha's death was approaching and the King Joash was very grieved about Elisha's imminent departure.  Elisha encourages him and mentors Joash one last time with the deed of the arrows. It helps a bit as he was trying to teach Joash to be as relentless in God's duties - more like Elisha was.  Turns out Elisha had an anointing on him that lasted longer than his life did.  As Israel was vigilant during the years shortly after Elisha's death, they were able to retake some cities back from the Syrians. 14 - pardon the jumping from north to south and the overlapping kings of differing kingdoms.  We were not trying to be confusing - just reading the text to you as it was written. Amaziah came to power at 25 upon the assassination of his father in 803 B.C.  He exacted revenge and killed the crew who conspired and killed his father Joash.  His confidence was bolstered when he defeated and killed 10,000 Edomites - perhaps it bolstered his confidence too much for he went from there and called Israel/northern Kingdom to battle.  It was the better part of wisdom to maintain and stay home but he wouldn't listen to contentment and . . . the Israelites gave him a drubbing. Amaziah was captured, 600' of Jerusalem's wall was broken down, the treasury was raided by Jehoash of the north.  Amaziah was later killed in an 'in-house' uprising when he fled to Lachish (to the S.W.)   Jeroboam was raised to power in the north, ca. 790 B.C. during Amaziah's reign in the south.  This was a second Jeroboam.  Like the first who came to rule the north in 930 B.C. this one too was bent on being evil and antithetical to the true faith that originated from the Temple.  He did not get any help from God because of his good faith, but God did come to aid because of His Covenant with Israel since Abraham 1200+ years prior.  The prophet Jonah went to Nineveh during this time.  There was revival to an extent. There was glimmers of hope through expansion of the territory.  But it could have been so much better had they cleaned up the land through true worship.

Leviticus 21-23 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 of wonders beyond all galaxies, you ARE wonderful and beyond all galaxies.  What is even more wonderful is that you are right here with us as we dine together with you in communion.  Amen

These chapters that elaborate on the priests, their obligations, and the sacrifices pertaining to their vocation were spelled out initially in Lev. 1-9.  You may remember those chapters that we read June 18 and 25. They were to be men without defect.  There were also rules that must be abided by regarding not offering a sacrifice while ill or the like.  They were to marry a virgin only. They were to be circumspect men. There was to be no peculiar or garish shavings of the head, mohawk or designs or "what in the world is that?!" type of haircuts. They were to not handle or deal with 'the dead' (no priest moonlighted as a mortician).

22 - This tells further of the requirements for the priests and their abilities and duties and the condition they must be in for making an offering.  Some of this may make a modern day observer think that God was a real grouch or stiff back then.  But it really is a description of a ritual and culture that had tremendous reverence for the living God and therefore the offerings brought to Him were greatly reverenced as well. Who on earth would bring a gift to a very prominent person or famous person or head of state or world renowned athlete they admired and do so while he had a terribly runny nose, was unwashed had dirty fingernails, messed up hair, mud on his shoes (untied), with cuts on his face from shaving recklessly that morning, his shirt on all rumpled and mis-buttoned etc.  No one would do this!  And God is less important?  Think of what our offerings do today to transform the world, send missionaries, erect new church buildings, start Christian schools, open hospitals and clinics . . .   I.e. offerings matter folks. They are the work of God. Be serious about them.  And we should do our dead level best to bring and offer what is perfect / perfectly prepared to the Lord.  For, (great ending to this chapter!)  I AM THE LORD.  Hey, people forget this and they also act like they've forgotten it! 23 - Rather than re-hash or go into detailed descriptions of what each feast is and the parameters and details pertaining to, I think it's more pivotal for us to pause and ask why is God ordaining all this scheduled dining and feasting and music and commemoration and celebration?  These traditions stuck in the minds of the Hebrews and became enchanting holidays that never left their story, their calendars, nor their souls.  It is reviewed for thepower of reminding them in Deuteronomy 16 not long before Moses departed.  We love our holidays - the more Christ focused the more joy they bring. A family that , has traditions is a stronger and more significant family with more treasured memories than a family who doesn't. The Hebrew culture even today has a much lower drop-out rate than most other cultures. This is because they are so fastidious about these joyful and significant gatherings. We all remember the church potlucks and still enjoy today. What is a meeting with the eating? Well God is training them to keep the joy and the God and chowtime celebrations and unified sentiment and the wonder all going, all God, all eternally marvelous.  No one should have a problem with this.  God isn't a grump.  He wants us joyful (this becomes our greatest testimony).  And someone has said the greatest glory of God is us, His creation, fully alive. The food is on, so let's party with God, shall we?!  

Galatians 4:8-6:18 We are in the Church Stream reading from The Message. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord Jesus, we are free in you and free because of you.  All  to not go therepraise and thanks to God. Amen

The issue today is two points on the opposite ends of a see-saw: 1] under the Law, you are in bondage; chains.  2] The freedom you seek is in Christ.  That sums up today's reading in seconds. This is the summation of pertinent theology too.

4:8-31 - The passage begins with Paul a trifle exasperated at the young Christians reverting back to add many old Jewish traditions to their Christian culture. They had not known of anything Jewish ever in this part of the world until the traveling trolls of circumcision (the Judaizers) came through and vandalized their liberty in Christ. Paul's words are more or less, "knock this off!" Paul expounds on how they were /or rather/ have been so gracious and free in Christ until they started listening to the religious hoodlums who merely target new Believers to bring them back to old rules.  Why are you acting like children of rejection or orphans when you are children of blessing? It's a golden question that they need to answer with behavior that is transformed back to "Christ alone" thinking. 5 - You are free in Christ Jesus. Don't lock yourselves up again. Don't walk backwards, and don't go backwards! Those who tell you to go back to Jewish Laws and quote me to back up their wrong teaching are lying about me as well as lying about God (so says Paul).  The old way never worked. Paul has a slightly gruesome wish for those who preach continued circumcision - but we read that already.  Paul wants them to continue in Christ, to grow in Christ, to walk in the Spirit and be free from struggles and sins and entanglements that once plagued them. They were to put the old life away permanently. Put away old religious rules. Put away legalism. Put away judging and comparing too. 6 -  Paul closes his letter to Galatians with a sage list of things that are altogether helpful and necessary for their growth.  They were to be gracious with each other, and brutally honest with themselves.  Fellowship was to be open, service was paramount, shun the phonies and false teachers and don't believe their trash-talk about Paul.  Paul's life and testimony and scars are proof that he was real; and all in it for Jesus. The thread that reoccurred this week can be said to be, "don't go there buddy - don't you dare go there!"  Leviticus opened the week with a list of lurid practices that anyone who wants to walk with God will "leave it alone!" The sexual sins of the world were prevalent and would reduce anyone who engaged in them to low-life animals.  So don't go there (it was in Lev. 18).  We see people coming against, questioning, denouncing Elisha in II Kings. NEVER back talk or question a prophet of God.  I'm telling you, "don't go there buddy!" We saw what happened to another basket of bruisers who came against Elisha.  Psalm 101 has the warning that keeps with our theme this week: steer clear of degrading things, Canaanite gods, dealings with evil people, gossip, smack talking the neighbors <--David says DON'T King Jehoiakim burned Jeremiah's writings! A Craaaaazy cray cray thing to do! He should have listened to Jeremiah as Baruch read it. But for what he did he was prophesied to die and rot in the sun. Sick. Amos sternly exhorted the Israelites who were trampling the poor while they nibbled on "steak and veal". Don't be like that, people. Listen to God. They ignored all advice and took their destiny into oblivion. Shouldn't have done it and it never should have happened.  Jesus encounters a man who had apparently been dabbling and immersing himself in demonic activity. Someone had to have warned him not to; to not go that path. He didn't listen and suffered horribly - until he met Jesus.  Paul tells the Galatians once again to not go back to what the Judaizers were dragging them back to. They had been warned to not go there...  

Luke 8:16-9:17 We are in the Christ Stream reading from The Message. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God thank you for including us in your work, letting us join you, to feel valued and be employed by you in the great work of building the Kingdom.  Amen.

Jesus basically nails a list of priorities that he brings to us from heaven and we need to make them ours.

-share the truth, don't hide it -worship God & kingdom first, (yes, honor family - don't worship family) but Honor God to be in HIS Eternal Family. -Jesus calms any storm...He orders what He created. This miracle was a total stunner for them -Jesus healing the demonized man has many messages. The dark world is not to be fooled with - it will take you to hell even before you get there.  Jesus has complete authority over the demonic and he wants us to exercise this victory also.  Jesus turns even the worst madness back into sanity again. and regarding the pigs - Jesus is making some statement here. The kosher laws were near their end (Acts 10 was just a few years away) but there's a subtle statement about people's perceptions in casting the evil spirits into the pigs. [make whatever you want from it]  The Gentiles were very disturbed about the business loss of pork but Jesus is more concerned that people get well and saved v.s. any other priority. -the SEQUENCE of the Jairus daughter request / woman bleeding-touch-the garment / commence with Jairus daughter; the sequence is identical in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This is a weighty memo that the writers want us all to catch.  Jairus is large and in charge but what is that when your little one is dying? He calls for Jesus to come heal his 12-yr-old.  Enroute, he is touched by a woman who's been ill for 12 years with an unkosher problem that forbids her to be among crowds.  Yet she presses through and gets healed after taking a terrifying risk.  This heals her and Jesus welcomes her back to 'the family'. He then resumes his journey to heal the 12-yr-old.  Kosher problems, illness/death, chronic problems - Jesus solves it all.  The number '12' links this story together.  But know this - Jesus is determined to reach the young for the kingdom. He'll stop to minister to anyone who needs Him, but his face is set like flint on reaching the young for God.  We must be and do the same. 9 - Jesus calls together and commissions the 12 to go and do the power ministry that He has been doing. He gives them authority to minister and lays out a few operating procedures.  The action and news of it has long since gone national - so much so that even Herod is jolted to sit up straight.    In the final story today, the 5,000 are fed.  The hook is when Jesus tells the disciples, "YOU feed them."  who? huh? me? us?  Jesus talks to his followers in this manner yet today.  " You feed them ... You heal them ... You go and preach to them ... You evangelize them  (don't fret - I'll be with you to the end of the age.) It's almost too marvelous to ponder that The God of Heaven is gracious enough to share His endearing work with us and even let us feel useful in seeing lives touched for eternity.

Amos 8-9 We are in the Exile Stream reading from The Message. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord, we hear of your great and terrible deeds done in millennia' past. Do your work of cleansing us today and restoring us here [as it is to be] on earth as it is in heaven.  Amen. 8 - The symbolism is that Israel is a basket of fruit that is "ripe for destruction."  It reminds me of a neighbor we have in our town who prepared over 100 lbs of peaches for drying so they could chew on them all winter long.  They were washed, peeled, pitted and sliced and laid on racks to dry for two days and nights.  Well, a bear snuck on to the property when it smelled the fruit, broke through everything and made quick work of all the luscious provisions and devoured it all in mere moments.  Keeping this bear away or stopping him once he began to consume the fruit would have been a deathly assignment - best to let the peaches go, and let the bear have it.  Israel's fate was,... a bowl of ripe fruit left out and it wasn't going to last long in these conditions; they were quickly coming up on two centuries of aggressive sin. Israel was going to suffer severely.  They were smug to God, addicted to selfishness and darkness in all aspects of behavior, and they were utterly brutal and heartless to the poor and weak that were among them.  For this (and 200 years of it!) God was unleashing the Assyrians against Israel.  Dead bodies would be strewn far and wide.  Israel was arrogant as they come!  Judgment day was approaching and it would be swift. The party was near over and it wouldn't take God long to turn it all into a national funeral. Death of your children, national famine, and drought, life in ruins- this is all that's coming for all of you from Israel committed to false gods and pagan behavior; which is basically all of you in Israel. 9 - the first half of this chapter is the doom over Israel spelled out by Amos.  This was the final word to Israel that Amos gave on his visit to Bethel, and it all came true in 30 years or less.  God had scheduled the sifting out of Israel and no one's sinful life would go unpunished. No one. God was determined to cleanse the north of sinful apostate behavior.  It was over for them. Remember, Amos was from Tekoa, in the south near Bethlehem in Judah. The ten Tribes of the north would be lost to history.  But God was not finished with His people.  He never would be. As He sifted out the sin of Bethel and Dan and the falsity in the north, he was still God who would restore David's line to the greatness of their destiny.  With the swiftness that only God can execute, the sinners will be gone and the blessing would be restored to those committed to His Covenant. God prophesied a return to glory, of security, rebuilding, replanting, plenty, to be eternally established.  Remember that Christ our Savior is in the line of David...!

Jeremiah 36-37 We are in the Prophetic Stream reading from The Message. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis 36 - It is 605 B.C.  The first onslaught of the Babylonians has taken place. Judah has less than 20 years left until Jerusalem is burned to ashes and the country is cleaned out. The inevitable is "in the air". The people of God; prophets and true lovers of God sense that "it's just not right in the world right now."  The king? His attitude is quite different.  We find this out after Jeremiah is told by God to write all this down. Jeremiah spends about a year writing down what God has said to him so far. To be exact, Jeremiah dictated and Baruch his assistant/scribe writes is all down. It is read by Baruch to the officials.  Some are in awe of the import of what they have just heard. Other officials took the scroll and eventually it gets read to Jehoiakim; the king of Judah.  He, with a cavalier attitude, cuts off a few paragraphs at a time and throws it piece by piece into the fire.  The King burns the "Book of Jeremiah"!!  He then attempts to fetch and arrest Baruch and Jeremiah but it's unsuccessful as God intervenes.  God will see to it that Jehoiakim and his descendants are "a family obliterated" for the burning of Jeremiah's work. Jeremiah and Baruch team up and write it all down again.  He's not the first saint in history who has had to start over from the top and repeat it all again so to complete his ministry. Were they exasperated or did they simply shrug and say, "can you say that again, God?"

37 - Babylon was attacking from the north. Egypt was moving up from the south to make war as they were being hired to assist Judah.  When the Babylonians heard that Egypt was coming, they retreated for a time to avoid being over loaded in their objective to take Judah.  Jeremiah knew that Babylon was NOT retreating but taking a rest.  They had full plans to resume the ransacking of Judah.  He later tried to convince the king that he should not be complacent for Babylon's army would return.  During a lull in the fighting Jeremiah returned to his former home in Anathoth of Benjamin perhaps to gather food since it was scarce. He is captured there on suspicion of defecting to go help Babylon as a traitor to Judah. He gets a beating and a jail term until the King Zedekiah comes to him looking for advice. Jeremiah's word to this king is pertinent and empassioned.  Zedekiah then keeps Jeremiah with the palace guard and gives him a daily bread ration.  Things could be worse.  They do get worse ... later.  [as in next chapter that we read next week]

Psalms 96-102 We are in the Wisdom Stream reading from The Message. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord of All, you are good and you have our good in mind.  We will remain in Your Covenant and Praise Your Name.  Amen.

96 - This is another theocratic Psalm that lauds the rule of God and sings about the wonderful fanfare --> so we best all join in the parade of worship and praise.  This is rhapsody.  It is beautiful. It is evangelistic. This praise, this Godand this life shows and proves the ragged emptiness of false gods. Even nature and the animals are praising God.  He is coming to judge the earth.  That is terrifying for those who are against God - a great relief for those who love Him; for they are on His side.

97 - This is further chorus about God and His great rule that is coming to earth. It is a crowning anthem that could well be referring to Christ arriving in Bethlehem as well as His second arrival that we are yet eagerly awaiting in our day.  The heavens themselves are part of the chorus praising God as He comes to aright the ship-of earth [pardon the random nautical theme]. God loves and does right, he rescues the righteous, He hates evil, God loves hating evil, and He also loves those who love being loving and hate evil.  The "mathematics" of God's morals are as true as His character. 98 - A Psalm of Jubilation.  It along with Psalm 40:3, Psalm 96:1, 144:9 calls for singing a new song of praise to the Lord.  In heaven there shall be a new song sung to the Lamb of God; in Rev. 5.  But again, in Ps. 98, the praise and music is inspiring and invigorating. The ocean itself even adds to the worship.  It all sings of God who gets things right. Praises be. 99 - God is the Lord of all. He is the ruler and He loves justice/righteousness. He hears when we pray and answers our prayer so let's worship our Holy God. 100 - this is a Psalm of Thanksgiving that we must keep reciting and keep in our hearts.  Psalm 100 is what we are born and live to do 101 - This is a theme of one who is resolved to do right: to be loving, to live justice, to have integrity, to shun evil, to reject alliances with evil people, to avoid gossip and lies and liars, and to expel evil people from God's country.  Some think David wrote this Psalm as he was coming to rule as King of Israel. It's his pact with God to have a proper kingship. 102 - is written in a time of terrible affliction. The writer is humiliated and a miserable sight for others to look upon.  Life has taken a bad turn. Pain seems to be his closest companion. Yet his faith is unshaken.  He loves God more than he insists that life go his way.  He knows God still loves Zion, His people, and He hears their prayers - and He wants future generations to remain true to God also. Somehow, in faith, he knows that God is eternal and that his current suffering is but for a season. So he declares that He will remain in the Lord and the children and their children shall live with the Lord too.

II Kings 6-9 We are in the Nation Stream reading from The Message. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Lord, Elisha is simply a fascinating character and servant of you.  Make and commission more like him. We pray you use us dynamically the way you used Elisha.

6 - Elisha's miracles continue. Here is a nature/gravity miracle that is, in terms if physics, equivalent to Jesus walking on water. And it isn't a magic show. It's the repairing of a problem and letting the ministry continue because of God using Elisha in a spectacular way.  His involvement during times of war is impressive.   Elijah's power and access to the spiritual world of angels is used in a magnificent way.  Huge angels of armies appear, the enemy army is struck into blindness and confusion. Then an enemy army is "captured" by mysterious circumstances and Elisha insists they be fed and comforted.  It's near tongue-in-cheek comedy that works. That army leaves Samaria fed and fine and never attacked again.  The famine and cannibalism gets conveniently blamed on Elisha by the Israelite King (huh?!). The King wants Elisha dead and sends an executioner.  Elisha's not too troubled however.

7 - Elisha declares the famine will be a non-issue within a day, but the king's attendant won't get a bite of the bountiful food that will be found.  The story of how this happens is strange and shocking and fascinating when the enemy camp "hears" a huge army stampeding in their direction.  Thank you God for sending angels again!  The deserted camp is loaded with food and weapons and lucre and ... God supplies again as Elisha is simply manning his ministerial post and speaking for God.  I hope these stories are hitting you the way they way they are hitting us: God has unlimited power and all things are possible with Him. He can do today what He did in Bible times now. And He intends to reach even more since there are more people today, and only the power of God can accomplish such a great endeavor. Pray God uses us like Elisha, shall we? 8 - The woman whose son was brought back to life had left for 7 years because of the famine. She returned and the King was determined that the property she had vacated was returned to her; all of it plus profits during her vacant years. The king's heart for her, because of Elisha's involvement in blessing her, triggered yet more blessing.  The influence of Elisha is colossal - in case anyone needed to hear that! Elisha goes to Damascus in Assyria and prophesies as to coming events - the dying king and his successor and the treachery that is coming upon Israel from Damascus.  Checking back at I Kings 19:15-18 clarifies matters and explains the emotion [that has a history behind it]. Hazael is going to be brought in to punish Israel for their horrible sin. Remember that during these chapters we are well prior to 800 B.C., Israel has been in blatant rebellion for over a century, Hazael is newly made king in Damascus and ... we'll get back to him later. Meanwhile Jehoram is made king. His story is further told in II Chron. 21. He had a good father and grandfather, but married Jezebel's daughter and what good can come of that? He murdered his brothers as they seemed to be competition for him. OK, where can this sorry guy's life go from here? --> Arabs and Philistines attacked Jerusalem. God inflicted him with an agonizing disease that would make a staunch proctologist cringe as his bowels gushed out of him and it killed him.  Pause and remember that "going bad" never ends up good. Ahaziah is king of Judah next. He too was related to Jezebel and Ahab - it isn't rare the way kings have tried to find peace via intermarrying where/when/who they shouldn't. He was gone in a year. The details of his death are in ch. 9; next. 9 - Jehu led Israel as king for 28 years. It was a furiously effective campaign to rid the country of Baal / Ahab&Jezebel / Joram & Ahaziah; wicked kings related to Jezebel / ALL Ahab&Jezebels' workers & relatives / all Baal worshipers / Baal pillars and the Baal Temple.  Needless to say, the young prophet anointed Jehu and high-tailed it to get out of his way! Jehu would have had dozens of Nascar trophies had he lived today. He was boisterous as they come, intrepid, without an ounce of pity for people he was called to eliminate. It took a zany man to eliminate this vile religion that has invaded God's land. Jehu did his job. His final deed in this chapter was to order that Jezebel be thrown from the palace to her death. It happened. Jehu then took his sweet time before casually ordering Jezebel to be buried . . . too late for the dogs had devoured her. Wickedness and wicked lives end up in wickedness and wicked places, don't they?

Leviticus 17-20 We are in the World Stream and have started a new bible version: The Message. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Stream | Donate

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

"God, we thank you that you have laid the path and laid it out straight for us. You want us well and ... well, thank you again.  Amen."

17 - blood and its handling is dealt with sternly in this chapter.  God is the God of Life. Life is in the blood.  Blood must be shed properly and in the right place.  Blood is sacred. We are saved by the shedding of blood as it happened on Calvary in the spring of Jesus' 33rd year. The 13-14 centuries of having a holy reverence and strict rules about blood is training the Jewish people to be ready and to be in awe of Jesus' blood as it's shed. There is a true story of a grown man who received his sight for the first time when the optical part of his brain was activated by a minor accident; a bump to the head and "poof" he could see just like that.  HIs description of life and the world and loved ones is the stuff of award winning literature. He said that what was most astounding to him was seeing the color red . . . in flowers, clothing, deep sunsets. The color red made him groan in awe.  The color red is telling us something from God Himself.  The color red in blood is telling us something even more.  The allure of it is to draw us to God - not to occultic activity and the ritualistic smearing of it, painting with it, drinking it like those immersed in voodoo.

18 - the nations all around Israel were steeped in cultic sexual activity.  The practices were disgusting and filthy and worse.  Virtually everyone in the neighboring nations had multiple partners.  There were no rules except whatever anyone felt like doing to and with whomever.  Diseases were rampant. There were pockets of tribal populations where 100% were infected and had been breeding/producing offspring that ... well, we don't really want to talk about it here.  BTW, many of these were the people that God told the Israelites to utterly destroy, women/children/animals included.  That was because sex with beasts was practiced too. These people were given to Satanism. Satanic cults always include rampant sex along with their 'rigors'.  God wanted the Israelites to be an enduring people, a testimony, he wanted them healthy and mindful of eternity - not just the next sexual encounter or partner or what have you. The rules of Lv. 18 still stand: the insinuation = one God / one heterosexual partner for life.  This is core to being a people of God. 19 - the rules laid forth in 19 are perfectly legitimate and right.  There is no basis for any of these laws to be argued against or considered outdated. The TEN Commandments, protecting the handicapped, keeping things in proper place / no mixing, orchard management, honoring each soul, no cultic behavior or practices, resting, honoring - it's just a great list.  God wants us well not weird or weirding out for any reason. 20 - there was to be absolutely no sacrificing of infants.  Whoever does so is guilty and is to be executed. Looking the other way and pretending not to notice anyone who sacrifices their infant to Molech v.s. punishing them merely spreads the guilt. Followers of Molech must die.  God would have none of this madness in His land. No dabbling in Darkness/occult/witchcraft will be tolerated. There were additional rules against sexual impurity that God insisted they adhere to.  All God's Law was to be obeyed.  It may seem tedious to describe all this but the better way to see it as God sees it is to realize that unredeemed humans have awfully perverse tendencies that make them into a base "animal" and will soon be acting worse than an animal.  The only way to avert this penchant for going bad is to fastidiously list each and every action they were to avoid and to list them specifically.  No one could whine to God then, now, or ever, "but I didn't knowwwwwwwwwwww."  Yes you do.  God told you.