Day 229

2 Chronicles 7:11-9:31, 1 Corinthians 11:2-34, Psalm 98:1-9

There seem to be a lot of thoughts as to who the Queen of Sheba actually was, and some of those relate to links with different people in the New Testament. Non of them suggest a link with doubting Thomas, but that is what I want to do.

So many people had told the Queen about Solomon and his wisdom and his riches but she didn’t believe them. Thomas had a similar problem, people told him but he didn’t want to believe it, until he had seen and touched. Sometimes people tell us things and it is just so off the wall that we don’t believe them, they have to be lying. Somebody that wise can’t be real, Jesus being alive can’t be true, the fact that he died for you 2,000 years later – can’t be true can it?

As for Paul, we come face to face with some of his harder teaching, especially about women. First of all take note of the fact that the women are praying and prophesying, albeit that they should have their heads covered, but Paul has no problem that they are doing it. I will say more when we get there, but hold this against the part where he says that women should be silent, it is in the context that Paul is happy with the fact that they are prophesying!

There is a lot that could be said for the head covering stuff and the fact that this whole section is about propriety in worship. The Corinthians are not really doing it very well and Paul is trying to get some respect in there. The important thing though is about the Lord’s Supper. Check out the weight of the words in v17 , “in the following I have no praise, for your meetings do more harm than good”. He really was giving them an ear bending here, he was not happy. One of the most important parts of the service and they were just using it as an excuse to get fed, it was not the body and blood of Christ, it was just a good nosh up! Paul wants to reverse that and get them focused on Christ and what he had done for them on the cross.

The thing is that sometimes it might be hard to believe that Christ died to save me from my sins, it happened so long ago. In communion I come face to face with it and I find my life changed by it. In that bread and wine, I feel all that Christ has done. That is the reality that Paul wanted to address.