Psalm 133; Acts 12:25-13:12; Revelation 10:1-7; NKJV   

Psalm 133

1 A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing-- Life forevermore.

Acts 12:25

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.

Acts 13:1-12

1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. 4So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant. 6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Revelation 10:1-7

1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them." 5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, 7but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

The beginning of today's reading is a short three verse psalm that is as powerful as anything in scripture. The purpose is unity of the believer, and the imagery of the Holy Spirit is richly lifegiving. The beginning of both Mark (John Mark, author of one of the gospel accounts) and Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) are also in Acts today. Their persons may have been alluded to before, but here their specific name is given.

When is comes to Paul, he is called this at the time where he first makes a proclamation of judgment on one who was bringing division to God's work. Bar Jesus (certainly acting as an Antichrist figure here) is literally trying to prevent someone from hearing the Gospel. In this moment Paul steps out boldly in a powerful way, calling out a standard in pronouncing judgment and ensuring the Gospel is not stymied by a mere sorcerer. Paul may be given the name that means small or humble, but he is this in the Lord, through the Spirit. This is so that God can be exalted all the more!

Our scripture today ends with a mysterious passage, but amazingly the final verse admits to this mystery being something indicative of the end approaching very soon. There are words here that are not written for our knowing, and symbolism referenced heavily from the prophets. The mystery of God's plan is no better put than in Revelation, where there is no consensus on exactly how this plays out, except that God is victorious in the end. It is unclear whether this Angel is representative of Christ the Lord, but it is certainly God's representative. At this near halftime point of Revelation, there is a clear breathtaking image of God holding all things together and that even in judgment, He is fully in control. God's Spirit is messy as the anointing oil runs down the beard of Aaron in the Psalms, but He is effective for His purpose, justice, reconciliation, and life!

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