For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
The cutting remark is much admired by many people in our society, and I will admit that I have often been proud of my ability to deliver such a remark with good timing. However, I have discovered that what this proverb states is true. The real sign of wisdom and verbal skill is the ability to make the well-timed quip which builds people up and offers healing for their wounded psyches. While I enjoy the exchange of quick-witted barbs, I get much greater pleasure out of the well-timed, unexpected compliment (especially one which counters another’s just stated denigration of themself).
The psalmist speaks of crying out to God when in deep distress. He could not sleep because of the weight of his troubles. He was beginning to wonder if his troubles were now his lot in life, if God had chosen to not rescue him from his troubles. Then he thought of all the great and wondrous things which Gad has done. As he thought about those things, his hope was restored. He realized that as great as the troubles he now faced were, God had overcome even greater troubles in the past. God is holy and powerful. No matter how great the troubles we face today, God is more than powerful enough to rescue us from them. When Israel was trapped between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, God gave them a way out. In the same way, no matter how hopeless our situation may seem, let us trust in God because He will provide us with an escape from our problems.
Some of those who opposed Jesus tried to explain His ability to cast out demons by claiming that He received this ability from the prince of demons. Jesus answered this explanation by making two statements. The first was to point out that it made no sense for the prince of demons, Satan, to give someone the power to cast out demons, since demons were serving Satan’s purpose. The second was to point out that there were others who cast out demons and to ask if his detractors were suggesting that they too were doing it by the power of Satan? One of the points that Jesus is making here is one I never saw in this passage before. He is telling us that you cannot use the tools of evil to accomplish good purposes. Ultimately, if you use evil tools you will produce evil results.
If we obey God and do as He instructs us, we will be blessed in many ways. God will defeat those who oppose and attack us. On the other hand, if we do not obey God or follow His instructions, all of our plans will come to naught. We can not fail if we obey God’s direction for our lives, but nothing we do will succeed if we ignore His instructions.