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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Moses gives the children of Israel clear instructions not to tolerate anyone who advocates the worship of other gods. No matter what the person or groups credentials, the children of Israel are to completely eliminate from their midst any individual or group which does so. Moses then goes on to describe what animals are acceptable as food. This is followed by instructions to give a tithe of their harvest to the Lord.
Moses gave them instructions to care for the poor and unfortunate among them. He tells them to cancel all debts every seven years and to release all Hebrew slaves. Not only were they to release their slaves in the seventh year, but they were to give them a generous farewell gift to allow them to start their life of freedom without poverty. As part of these instructions, the children of Israel were instructed to care for the poor. Note that despite all the laws regarding the establishment of government in the new land, the care for the poor was a duty that fell on each individual.
When Jesus returned to the other side of the lake a crowd was waiting for Him. A synagogue leader named Jairus came to Jesus and fell at His feet, begging Him to come to his house because his daughter was dying. As Jesus was on His way the crowd pressed in around Him. A woman who had been bleeding for twelve years and unable to obtain any healing approached Jesus and touched His cloak. She was immediately healed. Jesus stopped and asked who had touched Him. Everyone around Him denied doing so and Peter pointed out that the crowd was pressing in around Him. Jesus told them that He knew that power had gone out from Him. The woman then came forward and confessed what she had done and that she had been healed. Jesus told her that her faith had made her well and to go in peace. Do I have the faith to believe that just touching the hem of His cloak will fix my problems? Do I recognize that the solution to my problems is to get closer to Jesus?
By the time the incident with the woman was over someone came from Jairus house and told him that his daughter had died, he should stop bothering the teacher. Jesus told Jairus to have faith and his daughter would be healed. Jesus continued to Jairus house and when He got there He allowed only the girl’s parents and Peter, James and John to go in with Him. Jesus told the mourners to stop wailing because she was not dead, merely asleep. The mourners laughed at Him because they knew she had died. Jesus took her hand anyway and told her to get up, which she did. He gave her into her parent’s care and told them to give her some food. Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone what happened. Are we willing to do what God asks of us even when “everyone knows” it won’t work? How often have I missed God’s blessing because I “knew” it couldn’t happen? O Lord, give me the same faith as the bleeding woman and Jairus.
Another wonderful psalm. I somewhat prefer the NIV translation here because the NIV is clearer that the psalmist has absolute confidence that God will come to his aid and is praising God for that aid. The NLT comes across more as a plea for God’s aid than a song of praise for the aid that will come. I, like the psalmist, learned reliance on God from my youngest days. God blessed me with a Mother and Father who taught me His ways. I know that I have failed to be the sign of His goodness to those around me that I should have been, but I strive before God to continue to my final days proclaiming His works of righteousness.
I will praise you more and more.
Let me proclaim God’s miraculous deeds to all who come after me.
Do you wish to determine if you are godly or wicked? The way to know is to look at your plans, if your plans are just and fair than you know that you are living a godly life. On the other hand, if your advice to others is deceitful and misleading, you can know that you are living a wicked life. The point of today’s proverbs are not about looking at others, but at looking at oneself.