For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
As one acquires wisdom one develops patience. The reason this happens is that over time you begin to realize that being inpatient does not make you happier, and rarely gets you what you want any faster. Being willing to forgive and overlook when another does one wrong indicates that one is honorable. Those that let offense pass them by are those who should truly be honored.
Each time I read this psalm it seems more appropriate to the times than the last. The wicked are lying in wait in order to ambush the righteous. They are striving, with great success, to destroy the foundations of law and order, but I will not flee from them because I trust in the Lord. Despite the best efforts of the wicked, God still rules over the earth. He will bring justice to this earth once more. As long as God reigns (and that is forever), the foundations of law and order will not be truly destroyed. You may run in fear, but I will stand my ground because God is by my side.
Paul tells us that we only gain credit for following God’s commands if we follow all of them. Paul uses the example of circumcision here, he refers to being a Jew outwardly. He tells us that such things in and of themselves are not enough. It is not enough to have the outward appearance of righteousness. Bill Cosby is an example of what Paul is talking about here (although an incomplete example).
Bill Cosby did many good things. He held himself up as an example. He condemned other black celebrities for encouraging young black men to behave in ways which made matters worse in the black community. When “The Cosby Show” was on the air, enrollment by blacks in colleges rose by a remarkable amount as young blacks sought to follow Bill Cosby’s example, at least the one he showed to the public. But all of the good which Bill Cosby did has come to naught because he failed to be completely righteous. I do not know to what extent the accusations against Bill Cosby are true (although it certainly looks bad at the moment), but, at the very least, he failed to remain faithful to his wife.
My point here is not to condemn Bill Cosby. My point is that for all of the outward appearance of good he projected, his inward failings led to his downfall. The same is true of us. We cannot gain anything by the outward appearance of righteousness if we are unrighteous and sinful on the inside. Being born and raised by good, hardworking Christian parents does not make us righteous. Going to, and being active in Church does not make us righteous. It is more important that we be righteous inwardly than outwardly. We need to seek praise from God for our behavior, not from our fellow man.
In this passage it tells us that David sinned by causing a census to be taken of all of Israel. As a result a plague broke out in the land. I do not see a clear statement in his passage as to what David’s sin was. Perhaps his sin was taking the census in order to know how many military men he could call to war. Perhaps his sin was that he did not collect half shekel of silver from each man who was counted as God had commanded Moses. Nevertheless, we are told that David had sinned by doing so.