Daily Dose of Hope

November 26, 2024

Day 3 of Week 35

Scripture: Isaiah 30-32; 1 Corinthians 5

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.

Our Old Testament passage for today is from Isaiah. Chapters 30 and 31 discuss how Israel is disobedient for not trusting in the Lord. Rather, they trust in the nations around them, including Egypt. God, through Isaiah, calls the Jews to repentance. God is willing to show mercy and compassion if they are willing to come back to him.

By chapter 32, Isaiah is back to prophesying both long-term application and short-term application. The first few verses speak to a Messiah who will rule with righteousness and justice. He will provide protection and refreshment. But then as the chapter progresses, there is prophecy about upcoming judgment because they have walked far away from God.

Our New Testament passage is 1 Corinthians 5. A significant problem in the church of Corinth was both sexual immorality and sexual deviancy, which simply underscored their shallow discipleship. Corinth was a port town that was home to the Temple of Aphrodite, a pagan temple with many, many prostitutes. Sexual immorality was rampant and almost a way of life in the city. It is in this context that the apostle Paul was trying to develop a holy church, based on commitment to Jesus rather than the pagan gods and ways of being. We see the struggles over these first few chapters.

In chapter five, Paul addresses a case of incest in the church, specifically a man sleeping with his father’s wife (presumably his stepmother).While this might have been acceptable in Corinthian society, it is absolutely deplorable among God's people. This kind of behavior was forbidden in the Torah and that translated into the church. The people of Jesus were also supposed to seek holiness and sexual morality was part of that. They are the body of Christ. Paul seems to be less concerned about the specific act and more concerned about the attitude of the Corinthian church. Why does this not bother them? It is their arrogance and general complacency that really put Paul over the edge.

Let’s be real. This is just as much as issue in today's church as it was 2000 years ago in Corinth. Why don't we behave like the body of Christ, holy and blameless? We tolerate all kinds of stuff! Do we demonstrate the same kind of arrogance and complacency? Certainly something to think about.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki