I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
This passage tells us that David called together the leaders of Israel to tell them that Solomon would be king after him and that it would be Solomon who would build the Temple. David told them that he wanted to build the Temple, but God told him not to because he had shed too much blood. David instructed Solomon that if he served and worshiped God with his whole heart God would bless him. David told Solomon that if he sought God he would find Him, but if he forsook God, God would reject him forever. That applies today as well, those who seek God will find Him.
This passage tells us that David gave Solomon plans for the Temple and the Temple furnishings. David then told the assembly that he had gathered materials for building the Temple and in addition to those materials, he was going to give resources from his private treasury. He then called on the leaders of Israel to follow his example and donate materials for the building of the Temple. We are told that they did as he requested and gave a large amount of materials for the building of the Temple. The passage tells us that the leaders gave 188 metric tons of gold. In 2009, a metric ton of gold was worth about $34 million. Today, it would be significantly more. And the leaders of Israel gave 188 metric tons of gold for the Temple. In addition they gave other precious materials in large quantities.
The passage then records that the people rejoiced in what was given for the Temple. David prayed a prayer of praise in which he stated that all of the wealth which had been given was God’s to begin with. He said that we could not take credit for giving to God, since all that we have God gave to us. This is again something for us to remember today. All that we have is God’s to begin with, so we should be readily willing to give of our resources to help those in need.
The passage tells us that the following day they offered a large number of burnt offerings and crowned Solomon as king to succeed David.
Paul wrote that when we were sinners and completely helpless, Jesus died for us. He pointed out that very rarely will someone be willing to die for someone else they consider a good person. Yet Jesus died for us when we were sinners. Paul then wrote that if God was willing to sacrifice His Son for us while we were sinners, how much more will He provide for us now that we are reconciled to Him.
Paul wrote that just as death came into the world through one man, Adam, so now life has come into the world through one man, Jesus. Adam’s disobedience to God brought separation from God and death to all who came after Him. Now Jesus’ obedience unto death, brings reconciliation to God and eternal life to all who follow after Him. Adam’s disobedience gave sin the power to rule over us, but now Jesus’ death allows God’s grace to rule over us breaking the power of sin.
The psalmist asks, who can live in God’s presence? Then he answers this question, only those who are blameless. We know from the passages we are studying in Romans that none are blameless, but that God’s grace covers our sins. This psalm still gives us the behaviors we should strive to emulate. The psalmist tells us that we should speak truth from our hearts. I think there are two ways to read that, both correct. The first is that truth should just naturally flow from us, that suggestion that we should say something other than the truth should strike us as odd. The second way to look at this is that we speak the truth in a manner that shows that we care about those we are speaking with.
The next tells us more about how we speak. The New Living Translation reads that we should not gossip, other translations say that we should not speak slander. I think that looking at those two ways of translating this passage tells us a lot about the message here. We should not pass on information, factual or not, that makes others look bad, especially when the main purpose of communicating that information is to make others look bad. The psalmist goes on to tell us that we should keep our promises, even when it will hurt us to do so. We should lend to those in need without demanding interest. Finally, we should not lie about others, no matter what reward is offered. The psalmist tells us that if we follow these principles, we will be solidly rooted and nothing will disrupt us.
The first proverb tells us that parents who do not discipline their children will ruin their children’s lives. It is certainly true that lack of discipline ruins lives. The second of today’s proverbs tells us that those who have hot tempers will suffer consequences. It tells us that if you bail them out of the situation that their temper got them into, their temper will soon get them into another situation that may be even worse.