Monthly Archives: September 2015

Daily Bible Study

September 11, 2015 Bible Study — Do Not Rejoice In the Suffering of Others

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 23:4-5

    It is foolish to spend so much time working to gain wealth that you don’t have any time to spend the money. The proverb writer spends a lot of time warning us against laziness, here he warns us that the opposite is just as foolish. Being a workaholic is no wiser than being lazy. It is important to find a balance in life. If you spend all of your time working you will not have time to worship the Lord (even if your work is in some kind of ministry).

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Psalm 55

    I have never been as depressed as the writer of this psalm. I have never felt so betrayed. Yet I have friends for whom the feelings of betrayal the psalmist reveals are a regular struggle. I struggle to convince them that the answer is that contained in this psalm:

Give your burdens to the Lord,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

They do not want to hear it because they have become convinced that Christianity is nothing but a fairy tale. I know that if only they would follow the psalmist’s example from verses 16 and 17:
I will call on God,
and the Lord will rescue me.
Morning, noon, and night
I cry out in my distress,
and the Lord hears my voice.

God would hear their voice as well and deliver them from their misery. However, that would require them to change their actions, which they do not wish to do.

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2 Corinthians 12:1-10

    Paul recounts being caught up to the third heaven (as an aside, it is interesting that he refers to the “third” heaven, implying that there is more than one). Other translations put this in the third person as if it happened to someone else, but the phrasing resembles that used when someone refers to themselves in the third person. After telling of this experience, Paul tells his readers that despite the experiences of glory he has had, he also has a weakness, a “thorn in the flesh”. There have been many theories about what that weakness was, but no one really knows. Some have theorized that it was bad eyesight, others that he had a problem with stammering. Personally, I have begun to believe that Paul struggled with some temptation which he found it hard to resist. Paul asked God to take this temptation from him, but God declined to do so. If I am correct, God did not remove the temptation in order to remind Paul not to become too judgmental of others who struggled with sin. There are other interpretations of the “thorn in the flesh” which fit the context. I believe that part of the vagueness here is intentional to allow each of us to see this as relating to our struggles.

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Isaiah 8-9

    When the kings of Damascus and Samaria had allied together to conquer Judah, Isaiah told the king of Judah that God would keep them from attacking. When the people of Judah saw that Assyria would conquer the Northern Kingdom, they rejoiced in Israel’s downfall. Isaiah told them that God would judge them for that. There is a lesson here for us, we should not rejoice at the suffering of others, not even those who have chosen to be our enemies.
    This passage contains many Messianic prophecies which were fulfilled with the coming of Christ. However, my focus will be on the instructions which Isaiah was given. He was told not to call everything a conspiracy that others call a conspiracy. He was not to fear what others fear. Instead he was to wait for the Lord and put his trust in Him. I think these instructions apply to us as well. Let us recognize that not everything people thinks is a conspiracy is actually a conspiracy. Let us put our trust in the Lord, then we will not need to fear what those around us fear. Let us preserve God’s instructions so that we can teach them to those who will listen.

Daily Bible Study

September 10, 2015 Bible Study — Here I Am. Send Me.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 23:1-3

    When you dine with powerful people pay attention to what is going on around you. Do not let the food take all of your attention or you may be tricked into agreeing with something against your interests.

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Psalm 54

    This is a good psalm for meditating on. I really need to spend more time meditating on some of these psalms. God is indeed my helper. It is He who sees me through difficult times.

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2 Corinthians 11:16-33

    I have been struggling with what message we should take from this passage. I finally figured out how to put it in words. No matter what credentials of righteousness we have, our birth in good families, our good training, our dedication to God’s laws, Paul has them matched or beat. No matter what persecution we have suffered, Paul has suffered more. If Paul does not think his “resume” is worth boasting about, than ours certainly isn’t. Rather let us boast of the ways in which God has worked through us despite our weaknesses and failings.

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Isaiah 6-7

    The passage begins with a great scene. Isaiah was caught up in a glorious vision, but then he realized that he was in the presence of the Holy God. Isaiah is overwhelmed by his guilt. I am not quite sure of the symbolism of the hot coal taken off of the altar. However, it seems to me that there is dual symbolism here. The first part is that the coal transfers righteousness to Isaiah from the holiness it had by being on the altar. The second part is the “sterilization” that comes from the coal being fiery hot, so hot that a seraphim had to use tongs to handle it. I think this twofold purification tells us something about what we go through as God grants us His salvation. There is a transfer of His holiness to us, but there is also a searing to sterilize and kill the sin in our lives.
    The scene then transitions to one of the most poignant scenes in the Bible. God asks who He shall send as a messenger and Isaiah responds, “Here I am. Send me.” This is a great scene and it should inspire us to offer ourselves up to God’s service. There is a great hymn based on this which never fails to move me. It really is a great song. However, its message does not match up with this passage. Because as soon as Isaiah offers himself to be God’s messenger God tells him that His message is that the people will not understand what God has to say to them. We are being sent with God’s message, knowing that the following is true:

“they will not see with their eyes,
nor hear with their ears,
nor understand with their hearts
and turn to me for healing.”

Yes, even knowing that, when God says “Whom shall I send?” I want to stand forth and shout, “Here I am. Send me.” Unfortunately, all too often I look around sheepishly and quietly whisper when I realize there is no one else, “I’m here, I can go.” But you know what, God can use even me.

Daily Bible Study

September 9, 2015 Bible Study — Sorrow Awaits For Those Who Say That Evil Is Good and That Good Is Evil

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:28-29

    This proverb warns against about the danger of impulsively changing the rules. There is a reason our predecessors put the “boundary markers” where they did. Let us give careful thought before we decide that we can move them.
    The wealthy and powerful will offer artisans of great skill benefits which those of lesser wealth and power cannot match.

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Psalm 53

    Those who truly believe that there is no God are fools. They do not do good, but only serve their own interests. This is not much of a stretch because when God looks on mankind, He sees that all have turned away from Him. All too many people are unwilling to learn that God will indeed bring judgment upon evildoers. Nevertheless, those who do learn and turn to God will rejoice when He restores them to Himself.

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2 Corinthians 11:1-15

    Paul warns against being taken in by teachers who are great orators, but poor theologians. He does not give us a lot to go on in this passage for identifying these false teachers, but he does give us some clues. The first clue he gives us is that these false teachers will teach about a Jesus who is different than the one portrayed in the Gospels and traditional Church teachings. He also gives us a way to identify genuine teachers. Genuine teachers do not seek to get rich from their teaching. Let us be careful of false teachers who attempt to pass themselves off as servants of God

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Isaiah 3-5

    Isaiah warns us that when a people become fully ensnared by sin, they will have no true leaders because they will not tolerate true leaders. They will follow leaders who provide for their wants rather than leaders who teach them how to work to earn their needs. When the young insult their elders and the vulgar sneer at the honorable, God’s judgment will not be long delayed.
    So much of this passage strikes me as applying to the society I live in. I look at our world today and see what God intended to be His pleasant garden, but instead He finds this:

He expected a crop of justice,
but instead he found oppression.
He expected to find righteousness,
but instead he heard cries of violence.

The prophet goes on to warn those who buy up house after house and field after field, those who accumulate more wealth than they can spend in many lifetimes. He warns against those who are too busy partying to notice what God is doing. And here is the key thing I see being fulfilled,
What sorrow for those who say
that evil is good and good is evil,

I see this happen more and more.

Daily Bible Study

September 08, 2015 Bible Study — Make Every Thought Serve Christ

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:26-27

    If you guarantee someone else’s debt, or put up security for them, make sure you are able to pay the debt, because you are likely to need to do so. If someone needs you to guarantee their debt, they are probably not a good risk for making the payments.

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Psalm 52

    I struggle to put meaning to this psalm because the picture this psalm draws of Doeg the Edomite does not match the picture I get from reading about him in 1 Samuel. It is not that there is a contradiction between these two views of Doeg, just that I am not sure how to connect the two.
    So, what does this psalm tell us? It tells us that those who are willing to do evil in order to curry favor with the powers-that-be will earn God’s judgment. If you put your trust in the power and wealth you can gain by toadying up to the people in charge, you will so learn that the people in charge may change, but God never does. Those who trust in their wealth to save them from the consequences of their wicked behavior will discover that it will fail them.

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2 Corinthians 10

    I found it a challenge to find a theme which ties the lessons I see in this passage into a coherent pattern. However, as I started typing it sort of came to me. Paul is talking about how we should view ourselves/behave when we find ourselves in a position of authority over other believers (which I believe that all of us will for some period of time in our Christian walk). He is also giving us a standard to measure those who have been given spiritual authority over us.
    His first point is that the tools/weapons of spiritual authority are not the same as those of worldly authority. Instead we use use spiritual insight, divine power, to destroy the obstacles, the arguments and pretensions, which keep people from knowing God. In order to do this we must make our every thought serve Jesus. This is a standard to which I do not yet meet. As I think about things I need to learn to stop and ask myself, “How does this serve Christ?” If I cannot see any way that it does, I must take control of my thinking and direct it in a different direction. As we make all of our thoughts, on every subject, serve God, the Holy Spirit will provide us with the insight and understanding to address whatever obstacles prevent those we are called to reach from knowing God.
    Paul’s next point is that we are given authority over others to build them up, not to tear them down. It is important that we do not belittle our fellow believers. They belong to Christ just as much as we do. We do not accomplish God’s purpose by using whatever authority we have to make others feel like they are inferior to us (or to anyone else). That means that when we provide help to others we do not do so in a way which increases their dependence on that help. Paul’s final point is that we should not boast about what we have done. We should only boast about what God has done.

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Isaiah 1-2

    God wants us to seek justice, help the oppressed, defend those who cannot defend themselves, and fight for the powerless. If our worship services, offerings and sacrifices, retreats and special events do not empower us to do such things, they are worse than useless. The time is coming when God will take revenge on His enemies. He will restore the world with justice. Those who repent will be revived, but those who rebel and desert the Lord will be destroyed.
    As I read this passage, I see a day of judgment coming soon. We are standing at a crossroads and God is giving us a choice. We can choose to go up to the Mountain of the Lord and learn His ways, doing as He commands. Or, we can fill the land with armies and military might, worshiping the things which we have made. If we choose the former, God will mediate between nations, He will settle our disputes. If we choose the latter, God will punish the proud and mighty, humbling human pride and arrogance. Time is running short, let us repent and turn to the Lord in prayer!

Daily Bible Study

September 7, 2015 Bible Study — Whiter Than Snow

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:24-25

    If you spend too much time around angry people, around people who cannot control their temper, you will start to behave the same way. Inability to control one’s temper puts one on the path to destruction.

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Psalm 51

    This psalm contains the material of several great worship songs. There is a great old hymn, “Whiter Than Snow, and a great Contemporary Christian song, “Create In Me a Clean Heart” (sorry, no link, it is still under copyright). I know there is a third song using the lines from the psalm, “a broken and contrite heart You will not despise,” but I cannot remember the name of the song (and I do not think it uses that exact order). It is interesting to me how this psalm keeps coming back to the same point repeatedly without being redundant. Each time it repeats the point it lends greater clarity.
    It is only God who can cleanse us from our sin. We cannot buy that cleansing by sacrifices or offerings. God can clean our hearts and restore us to joy, to the joy which comes from His salvation. We are broken. It is only when we acknowledge our brokenness and approach God with contrition that we can receive His healing. If we do so, He will restore our spirits to a willingness to do His will. Once we have accepted His healing we can, must, and will teach His ways to those rebelling against Him, who will respond to the prodding of His Spirit.

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2 Corinthians 9

    This passage is one of the core passages used by those who believe in “prosperity gospel” (the teaching that if you practice Christianity faithfully you will become wealthy). As I read this passage I see how people come to that conclusion. Perhaps the biggest problem with the prosperity gospel reading of this passage is that Paul himself was never a wealthy man (unlike many of those preaching prosperity gospel). Indeed, if one interprets this passage in light of what we know about Paul’s life one comes to a different understanding.
    Paul tells us that if we sow only a few seeds, our harvest will be small, but if we sow generously our harvest will likewise be generous. He goes on to tell us that the same God who supplies seed for the sower and bread for food will increase our supply of seed and enlarge our harvest of righteousness. The key here is that our “harvest” is not wealth. Our harvest is righteousness. It is true that the more generous we are, the more generous we are able to be. However, that does not necessarily mean that our income increases. Sometimes it means that as we are more generous we realize that we can do without some things in order to give even more.

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Song of Solomon 5-8

    Much of the imagery and many of the metaphors of the Song of Solomon are foreign to me. However, there are lessons to be learned from reading this over and over. I mentioned yesterday the importance of the feelings between a man and a woman in a relationship being equal in both directions. Today, we see that there are dangers to playing hard to get. If you are interested in someone, when they express their interest in you, do not pretend that you are not interested. If you do so, there is likely to be trouble. There is a second point made here. Brothers should run interference for their sisters. They should prevent other young men from taking advantage of their sister.
    On both of these points the sexes involved can be reversed. Young men sometimes play hard to get, and young women are sometime predatory toward young men. In the former case, it is just as much a mistake as when women do it. In the latter case, sisters should protect their brothers from such predators just as much as brothers should protect their sisters.

Daily Bible Study

September 6, 2015 Bible Study — Avoid the Appearance of Impropriety

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:22-23

    If you think to rob the poor or exploit the needy in court because you think they cannot defend themselves, you are making a serious miscalculation. God is their defender, you will find yourself up against an opponent whom you cannot hope to defeat.

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Psalm 50

    When we worship God and make offerings to Him, let us remember that God does not need our material wealth. We cannot buy God’s favor. What God truly wants from us is that we be thankful for the good He has done us and that we serve Him to the best of our ability. Further, for those who act wickedly, pretending to be righteous will accomplish nothing for you. God will not be fooled. The only hope for the wicked is to repent of their evil and start truly following God’s path.

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2 Corinthians 8:16-24

    Paul sent Titus to the Corinthians to collect the money which the Corinthians had put aside for the believers in Jerusalem. He makes special note that not only is Titus a person of repute, but there are two gentlemen accompanying him who known by the churches to be men of good repute. Paul notes that it is important to be honorable in our dealing with money, but it is also important to be seen as being honorable in how we deal with money. The leaders of the Church must not only avoid impropriety, they must avoid the appearance of impropriety.

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Song of Solomon 1-4

    The Song of Solomon is a love song which teaches us that the sexual attraction between a man and a woman can be a holy thing. One of the key lessons we learn here is that the attraction was equally strong in both directions. Both the young man and the young woman were willing and eager to dedicate themselves solely to the other. The pursuit went both directions. They entered into this relationship on equal footing.

Daily Bible Study

September 5, 2015 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:20-21

    The writer tells us his purpose in writing these proverbs: to teach us to be honest and to speak the truth. Reading Proverbs is a good way to come to the realization about how important those things are.

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Psalm 49

    If you trust in the Lord, and live your life accordingly, you have no need to fear those who trust in their wealth. No matter how wealthy someone is, no matter how powerful they are, no matter what connections they have, they will be unable to redeem themselves from death. There is no amount of money which will allow someone to avoid death and live forever. Ultimately, everyone will die, even the fabulously wealthy (special case for those who serve Christ and are still alive when He returns). Even if someone uses their wealth to build a great monument to themselves, eventually it will crumble and their name will be forgotten.
    Accumulating material wealth serves no eternal purpose. We cannot take it with us. The only wealth which will last into the next life is that which we have stored with God, and that is the rewards He gives us for serving Him.

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2 Corinthians 8:1-15

    We should eagerly give of what we have in order to help those who are struggling. The key is not how much we give, but that we give eagerly. Our giving should be in proportion to what we have. If we have more than others, we should eagerly give more than those others. If on the other hand, we have less than others we should not feel obligated to give as much as they do. We should seek to give so as to make others lives easier, but not so much as to make our lives hard. Paul quotes from Exodus to spell out what our goal should be:

“Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over,
and those who gathered only a little had enough.”

My Dad often made a statement which I think reflects what Paul is teaching here, “There is nothing wrong with a Christian being on welfare, and there is nothing wrong with a Christian being a millionaire. However, there is something wrong if a congregation has both a millionaire and someone on welfare.” He was very clear that he was not willing to say from outside the situation which one of those two was in the wrong, just that as Christians we should both be willing to help our fellow believers and accept help from our fellow believers. In the Church, those who are well off financially should strive to help those who are struggling financially, and those who are struggling financially should accept the help of those who are well off. That help does not necessarily come in the form of financial assistance, although that should play a part in the assistance.

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Ecclesiastes 10-12

    Throughout this passage the writer gives a lot of good advice. However towards the end he gives us the key to meaning. He tells us that the young should enjoy every minute of their lives, but not allow that enjoyment to cause them to forget our Creator. On the other hand, he tells those who live to an old age to enjoy every day of life they receive as a gift from God, while remembering that dark days will come. Overall, let us remember the Lord while our bodies are healthy enough to do His work.

Daily Bible Study

September 4, 2015 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:17-19

    Yes, it is important, and valuable, to listen to the words of the wise. They will bring you great rewards. However, how do you know whose words are wise? The writer answers that for us as well. The wise will teach you to trust the Lord. So, when someone offers you “words of wisdom”, consider whether those words will teach you to trust God before you take them to heart.

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Psalm 48

    How great is the God we worship, He is deserving of praise and honor. The rulers of the nations of this world may join forces to oppose Him, but when their massed armies see God, they will fall to their knees and worship Him. I will strive to show God to all whom I encounter.

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2 Corinthians 7:8-16

    There are times we have to tell people hard truths which will cause them pain. We should not be eager to do so, but we must be willing to do so when it is necessary. There is another side to that. When someone tells us a hard truth which causes us pain, if it is indeed the truth, we should not be angry with them. Instead we should feel sorrow that we were acting in that way. However, sorrow is not enough. We need to then change our behavior.

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Ecclesiastes 7-9

    There are a lot of statements in this passage worth noting:

  • A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.
  • Better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool.
  • Finishing is better than starting.
  • Patience is better than pride.
  • Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.

There are more, but those were the ones which stood out to me today.
    The writer goes on to tell us that the wicked are sometimes honored as righteous, but nevertheless those who fear God are still better off than the wicked. Another point the writer makes is that no matter how bad your life may be, you should take joy in whatever you can because you will only be alive for a short period of time.

Daily Bible Study

September 3, 2015 Bible Study — Do Not Team Up With Unbelievers

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:16

    If your plan for success involves oppressing the poor, or giving lavish gifts to the rich, you will end up in poverty.

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Psalm 47

    Clap your hands, shout your praise, make a joyful noise to bring glory to God. Let everyone know that you serve the Lord. We are called to let everyone know of our faith. Honor and praise God, let no one doubt that you have faith in Him.

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2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7

    This passage is a hard one. Paul tells us that we, as believers, should not team up with unbelievers. The first interpretation I ever heard of this was that a believer should not marry an unbeliever. While it is certainly true that a believer should not marry an unbeliever, I do not think that is the point which Paul is making here. I am pretty sure that Paul means that believers should not partner with unbelievers in any way. This does not mean that a believer cannot partner with an unbeliever to play tennis, but, I think, that it means that a believer should not partner with an unbeliever to form a business. Further, I believe Paul is warning us against partnering with unbelievers when we are pursuing social causes. Our goal, in everything we do, should be to honor and serve God. Unbelievers will never share that goal, therefore we will never truly have common goals with unbelievers. If we partner with unbelievers in order to pursue worthwhile goals, those goals are likely to become idols. The unbelievers will encourage us to put the shared goals above serving God.

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Ecclesiastes 4-6

    In the middle of talking about the futility of life, the writer hits on something of great importance. We should not attempt to go through this life alone. Everyone needs someone to share their life with, not necessarily a spouse. The writer goes on to tell us that we would be even better off as part of a group of three. If we hope to serve God faithfully we need to have others around us who can hold us accountable for our actions and who can pick us up when we fall.

Daily Bible Study

September 2, 2015 Bible Study — For Everything There Is a Season

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 22:15

    The young have many foolish ideas. The only thing that will teach them not to put them into practice is suffering the consequences of a few of them.

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Psalm 46

    Every time I hear the Led Zeppelin song, “Thank You” I am reminded of this psalm…and am disappointed that the song is a love song rather than based on this psalm.
The song:

If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

While I want to believe the song is true about me and my wife, I know that it is not. My love for my wife will last for my lifetime, but not beyond. However, God’s love for us will last beyond the crumbling of the mountains.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

I will not fear when theses things happen because I know, and trust, the One who is Lord over them. The earth may quake, the mountains will crumble, the oceans may roar and foam, but God is Lord of all and none of those things will happen outside of what He ordains for them. He causes wars, and He ends wars. Through all of the turmoils of this life He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

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2 Corinthians 6:1-13

    Paul gives an example how all who have a ministry for God should live and act. None of us should do anything which might cause someone else to reject God. In all we do, let us serve God, regardless of whether it results in people honoring us or despising us, praising us or slandering us. Let us remember that we can only serve God so long as we faithfully preach the truth. If the result of doing so is suffering and hardship, let us patiently endure that hardship.

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Ecclesiastes 1-3

    I have always loved the beginning of chapter 3, but for the last 15 years it has had a special meaning to me. My wife and I gave out bookmarks with it on them at our wedding. That was a difficult year for my wife’s family. Her father was diagnosed with cancer early in the year and died at the beginning of summer. Her maternal grandmother died in early August. When we asked her Mom and her cousins if we should put off the wedding, they emphatically told us the family needed something to celebrate after all of the sadness. So we chose to put 3:1-8 on our wedding favors:

For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
…
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.

Our wedding was a reminder that God provides us joy to offset the grief of this life.
    I have always found the rest of this passage depressing. “Everything is meaningless.” The writer’s point is that we will not find meaning in this world. The only meaning is by serving God. Everything else we might do will only be transient.