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.
After the dedication of Aaron and his sons, God gave Moses the instructions for dedicating the Levites. The Levites were to be purified and dedicated to the Lord in place of the firstborn sons of the rest of the Tribes of Israel.
A year after the Israelites had left Egypt, God instructed Moses that the Israelites should celebrate the Passover feast in remembrance of their deliverance from Egypt. The people of Israel made plans to celebrate the Passover at the appointed time. However, on the day of the feast some of the men were unclean because they had touched a dead body. They did not want to miss celebrating the Passover and went to Moses for instruction. Moses inquired of God as to what should be done. God instructed Moses that those who were ceremonially unclean from touching a dead body or are unable to celebrate the Passover at the appointed time because they are on a journey, they are to celebrate the Passover the following month instead of at the appointed time.
Today’s passage continues Jesus’ prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times. He tells them that the sign that the destruction is about to commence is when an abomination is taken within the Temple (from the various translations I have read and their notes there is apparently ambiguity in the Greek as to whether the abomination is an object or a person). Jesus told His disciples that when the abomination occurs those living in Judea should flee to the mountains, not even taking the time to go out of their way to get traveling supplies. He further told them that this will be a time of suffering unequaled in all of history. Jesus said that God would cut the suffering short for the sake of His chosen. False prophets and false messiahs would arise during and after this time that would perform miracles and signs to deceive many. Jesus warns us to be on our guard against these false teachers. I remember that in the 1970s many people thought that this passage referenced a coming nuclear war.
Jesus then told His disciples that after this time of suffering is over He would return. He will appear in the clouds in great power and glory. There will be no mistaking His return, but it will occur at a time that no one will know in advance (excepting only God the Father). This is a very important passage for all Christians. We should study the Biblical prophecies about the end times, but not for the purpose of determining the date of Jesus’ return. The prophecies about the end times will give us insight into events that occur around us. They also remind us that, no matter how bad things appear, they are going according to a plan that God has determined for them. We need to remain prepared for Jesus’ return at all times because there is no way for us to know in advance when it will occur. However, when it does occur, no one will be in doubt about the fact that it has occurred.
The psalm tells us that God calls those who have dedicated themselves to Him before Him. He tells us (I try very hard to be counted among those who are dedicated to God) that, while He is not unhappy with our offerings to Him, He does not need them, everything in the world is already His. God reminds us that what He truly desires from us is our thankfulness for what He has done for us and our obedience to His commands. However, the psalm also tells us that God condemns those who claim righteousness and recite pious platitudes only as cover for their wicked actions. Reciting righteous platitudes will not hide our evil actions from God. We must repent of our sin and turn to following God’s path before He destroys us. I will strive each day to give my thanks to God for all that He has done for me.
How well today’s proverb fits with the psalm. The proverb tells us that those who follow the way of the Lord with integrity will find it to be a stronghold which protects them from attacks. However, those who attempt to use the Lord’s path as cover for evil actions will be destroyed by the very thing that protects those who follow it honestly. This is a direct assault on hypocrisy. Those who hypocritically espouse God’s truth while violating God’s commands will be destroyed by their own words. Those who righteously follow the Lord will be rooted deeply and firmly, but the wicked will be swept aside when troubles come.