Michelle Ule

God’s first words after the Fall were: “Where are you?” It is only one word in Hebrew: אַיֶּכָּה (ʾayyekah). In that single word is compressed a whole theology: • God seeks out lost sinners. • God welcomes them to confess. • God desires their restoration. • God works their redemption.

Religious language and religious sentiment can easily become a cloak for a deeply rooted rebellion against God. We see this clearly in both the Old Testament and New Testament readings for today in Bible in One Year. In Isaiah 7, King Ahaz appears deeply religious, but in a terribly misguided way. The Lord offers Ahaz a sign, saying through Isaiah, “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (Isa. 7:11). Ahaz responds, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test” (Isa. 7:12). His language sounds pious, but don’t be fooled; it masks unbelief. Later, this same king becomes so enamored with Assyria that he has an altar constructed in the temple modeled after one he saw in Damascus, displacing the altar of the Lord (2 Kings 16:10-16). His religious speech turns out to be nothing more than a veneer to conceal his idol-worshiping rebellion against the one true God. The same dynamic is at work in the Gospel reading. In Mark 3, Jesus enters the synagogue on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees watch him closely “to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him” (Mark 3:2). They have drifted so far from the true purpose of the Sabbath that this God-mandated rest has been weaponized by the religious leadership to oppose God himself. Later in the same chapter, they go even further, declaring that Jesus "is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons” (Mark 3:22). In doing so, they attribute the work of God to Satan. These are deeply religious men, but their religion is a delusion. It is the worship of a god fashioned in their own image. What God calls us to is not the veneer of religiosity, but a new life in Christ. In him, we learn who we are, what is true, and how to live not by our own assumptions, but by his Word. Standing fast in that Word, we trust him, worship him, and say Amen to his gracious work among us. ____ Join us for Bible in One Year at 1517.org/oneyear For a longer treatment of what it means to attribute the work of Jesus to Satan, and thereby to commit the sin against the Holy Spirit, see this video: youtube.com/watch?v=i1Un5Tk5…

On his wedding night, Jacob thought he went to bed with his beloved Rachel. In the morning, he awoke to Leah. The ups and downs of their marriage, Jacob's subsequent marriage to Rachel, and much more is described in Genesis. As we read about Jacob and his wives in Bible in One Year, I hope this article will be a helpful way of reflecting on what God was doing in this mess of a holy family. 1517.org/articles/waking-up-… _____ Join us for Bible in One Year at 1517.org/oneyear

In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, there is a single Hebrew word that powerfully captures our tendency to cling to our sins rather than flee from them. The word is וַיִּתְמַהְמָהּ (vayyitmahmah), usually translated “and he lingered” (Genesis 19:16). We read this chapter today in Bible in One Year. Lot has been clearly warned by the two messengers about the coming destruction of the city (Genesis 19:12–13). He knows the danger he is in, and yet he hesitates. He delays. He lingers. Lot does not want to leave Sodom. That hesitation describes us all too well. When we find ourselves living in our own “Sodoms,” whatever form they take, we know we are in spiritual danger. We know we should repent. We know we should flee. And yet, instead of hastening away, we stall. We linger in unrepentance. We cling to what is destroying us. This is the ongoing spiritual reality within us that Paul describes so memorably in Romans 7, which we also read today in Bible in One Year. We know the good we ought to do, and we do not do it. We know the evil we should not do, and yet we do it (Romans 7:15–19). Why? Because even after we become Christians, our old sinful nature still lingers, fighting to keep our souls in Sodom. But here is the beautiful turn in the story of Lot. We are told that the angels seized Lot, his wife, and his daughters and led them out of the city, because the Lord was merciful to him (Genesis 19:16). Their rescue does not depend on Lot’s decisiveness or spiritual strength. It depends entirely on God’s mercy. This is the heart of the gospel. We are not rescued because we manage to pull ourselves together, or even because we repent well enough. Repentance itself is God’s gift (Acts 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25). Salvation is not our achievement but God’s gracious gift. When we linger, God lays hold of us. When we hesitate, he acts. God seizes sinners and leads them out of danger because he is merciful. And that mercy is finally and fully revealed in his Son, Jesus Christ, who rescues us not by our resolve, but by his grace (Ephesians 2:4–9). ____ Join us for Bible in One Year! 1517.org/oneyear