November 25, 2014 Bible Study — Do Not Repay Evil With Evil, But Rather With Blessing

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 28:14

    The translation notes say that it could also be translated as “Blessed are those who fear the Lord” and that the Hebrew just reads as “Blessed are those who fear.” When I contrast this with the second portion of this proverb, I really needed this proverb right now. I just made the decision to buy another car and I was dissatisfied with the decision I made (not with the car, but with the decision making process). In some ways this proverb relieves my worries. I had a lot of fear going into making this decision and I did not stubbornly stick to my guns, but when I was done, I thought I should have decided differently.
    If we can make a major decision without fearing that we are making a mistake, we are stubbornly fooling ourselves on to the path to serious trouble.

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Psalm 119:65-80

    It is by following God’s commands that we acquire knowledge and good judgement. The arrogant may slander us, but if we obey God’s commands He will vindicate us. Let us take joy in our suffering because it will help us learn God’s instructions. God has made us, He will give us the sense to follow His commands, if we will accept it. I will focus on God’s instructions and leave those who malign me with lies for God to handle.

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1 Peter 3:8-4:6

    Today’s passage begins by telling us not to repay evil with evil. Rather, we are to repay evil and insult with blessing. There are few who will wish to harm us if we do good, and God will reward us if we do suffer for doing good. Therefore we need not fear those who threaten us in attempt to convince us to stop doing good.
    When someone asks us why we are not afraid to continue in the face of threats, Peter tells us to be prepared with an answer. When we give them our answer, let us do so gently and with respect. This last bit is a challenge for me. Nevertheless we are called to live such lives that when people see how we live they are embarrassed that they said whatever terrible things they have said against Christians and us in the past.
    Since Christ suffered bodily harm, we should prepare ourselves for the same. This will help us keep from spending our lives chasing our own desires and instead make us anxious to do God’s will. We should no longer join with our non-believing friends in wild and destructive behavior. Everyone will have to give account to God for how they live. Let us choose to live in a way that gives others an example of how they should live to please God.

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Daniel 1-2:23

    When Daniel and his three friends were entered into Nebuchadnezzar’s training program, they strove to remain faithful to God, despite the pressures to conform to a pagan lifestyle. As I read this today it struck me that in a way the situation Daniel and his friends found themselves in was very similar to the college experience today. They chose not to join in the debauchery of their fellow students. More interesting to me is the fact that Daniel and his friends chose a diet and lifestyle that was healthier and more favorable for learning.
    It is possible Daniel was aware that this was the case, but I think he was just acting on faith. He believed that God wished him to live in this manner. Therefore, he was confident that God would cause him to thrive in this environment if he lived that way. We know from studies which have been done in modern times that the outcome was to be expected. Of course, Daniel and his three friends were healthier, better nourished than their contemporaries who drank and ate too much. Not only that but it was a natural result that at the end of the training they were wiser and more knowledgeable than the rest of their cohort.
    As I said, this is obvious to us today. Daniel and his friends spent their time in the training program learning and studying (both the program provided by the Babylonians and God’s word). They did not spend their time drinking and partying like the other young men in the program. However, I don’t think they knew this was the case. I think they believed that they would be rewarded for being faithful to God and thus made their choice. They did not choose to behave as they did because it would help them learn and be healthy (although it had that effect). In the same way, I believe that when we choose to live a godly life, we will almost always obtain better results than when we choose to live a worldly lifestyle.