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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

    Deception vs honesty, pride vs humility, duplicity vs integrity. These are the choices we have to make. These go together, people are generally on the same side of every one of these choices. People who are honest are generally humble and always live lives of integrity. Those who are proud are typically unfaithful and rarely honest in their dealings. I will strive for honesty, humility, and integrity although I do not always succeed at any of the three.

    The psalmist warns those who boast of their crimes and are proud of deceiving the weak. God will strike them down. I will trust in God, not in my strength or my wealth. The psalmist does not explicitly state it, but the implication is clear, those who trust in their own strength and in their own wealth will treat others with contempt and will se no reason to deal honestly with them.

    When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane He gave us an important model for our prayers. Jesus prayed to the Father desperately asking to avoid the suffering which He knew was coming. Yet, as desperately as He desired to avoid the suffering, He prayed that God’s will be done, not His own. Do I do the same? When I ask God for something, am I willing to accept that His will may be for something different? Do I desire God’s will to be done more than what I want? Do I accept that His will is better than anything I can imagine? Am I willing to suffer in order to further God’s will?
    When Jesus returned to the disciples and found them asleep, He singled out Peter and asked him if he could not stay awake for a single hour to pray? Jesus’ words here strike deep into my heart. He told Peter “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” This is both great advice and a great comment on my life. My spirit is definitely willing, but my flesh is weak and, all too often, I fall short of fulfilling God’s will for me. If I would just follow Jesus’ advice to Peter, perhaps I would more often follow through on the things God desires me to do. I need to spend more time watching and praying. Definitely more time praying.

    In yesterday’s passage, some of the people had been grumbling and complaining about the lack of variety in the food which God provided them. When Moses went to God to ask Him why He had burdened him with these complaining people, God told Moses to gather the 70 elders of the people to the Tabernacle. God’s Spirit would come down upon the 70 elders and they would share the burden of leading these people with Moses. Further God told Moses to have the people purify themselves because on the following day He would provide them with meat for them to eat for a month. The following day God did indeed supply the people of Israel with enough meat for them to eat meat for a month. Many of those who had been grumbling ate too much of the quail, perhaps without cooking it properly, and they died. In this case, the people were not grateful for the provision which God had given them. They complained because He had not provided them with the luxurious foods they had eaten in Egypt. In light of my theme, they paid a price for not turning to God and saying, “Please Lord, we want variety in our food, but not as we will, let it be as You will.” They were selfish and demanded God provide them what they wished for without considering the possible negative consequences. When God provided them what they asked for, they suffered the consequences.
    Later in today’s passage, Moses sent scouts into the Promised Land. When they returned they reported on how the land was a land of bounty. They also reported that the people of the land were powerful and well defended. Caleb immediately spoke up saying that they should march at once, they could conquer the people of the land. However, the other scouts disagreed and expressed their fear that the people were too powerful for them. They allowed their sense of inadequacy get the better of them. They failed to remember the great things which God had done for them in bringing them out of Egypt. How often do we fall into the same trap? When God gives us a mission, we scout it out and conclude that it is beyond our abilities. Then, rather than trusting in God to bring us through, we retreat and refuse to do as God had called us. All too often, we allow our sense of inadequacy overcome our faith. Let us remember that while we may be grasshoppers, God is leading us and will see us through to victory.

    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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

    These two proverbs are a good way to judge myself. Do I say things that are helpful to others? Do others find wisdom in my advice? Or am I speaking about perversion? They remind me to weigh my words so that others may benefit from what I say.

    This wonderful psalm is the basis for many songs and hymns. There is a great hymn whose chorus is:

Whiter than snow; yes, whiter than snow;
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

This song brings back memories of great worship services from my childhood. Then there is a Keith Green song which I sometimes sing as I am driving as a prayer to rededicate myself to God. This psalm reminds me that God does not desire my sacrifice. He desires for me to acknowledge how broken I am, He wants me to recognize my need for His healing. And, importantly, He desires that I approach Him with contrition for my failure to live a righteous life. If I do these things, He will cleanse me of my sins, so that I need not experience them anymore.

    This passage contains the story of the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume. This passage gives me problems. Not because I disagree with the sentiment it presents, but because I am not quite sure what we are to make of it. I will tell you what I think of it, but I am not sure if this is the correct interpretation. Those present (including at least some of the disciples), scolded the woman for “wasting” the perfume when it could have been sold for a large sum of money and that money used to help the poor. Jesus rebuked them. He told them that they should not condemn the woman for doing a nice thing for Him. He told them that they would always have the poor, but they would not always have Him. So, it seems to me that while we are to do what we can to help those less fortunate than ourselves, we are also to show our appreciation of those around us when we have the chance. There are times when we are to do things to make those who are serving the Lord with us feel appreciated and special. Let us take time to make those around us know how much they mean to us.

    The last instructions God gives to Moses before the Israelites set out from Mt Sinai were to make two silver trumpets. These trumpets were to be used to signal the people to break camp and begin to march. Using different signals they were to be used to gather the people to assemble. God instructed Moses that when they got to the promised land they were to use these trumpets to sound the alarm when an enemy attacked. They were also to use these trumpets at their celebrations and festivals. I was going somewhere when I started writing about these trumpets, but I’m not sure where that was now. I got distracted by thinking about trying to use our emergency notification alarms as part of our celebrations and worship of God. Can you imagine trying to use the sound that is played over the radio before an Emergency Alert System announcement, or an Amber Alert, in our worship services?

    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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

    The path which God has laid out for us will provide us with protection and safety if we do what is righteous, but if we do evil that path will lead us to destruction. The godly will rest comfortably in God’s care, but the wicked will have their lives disrupted time and again.

    God praises those who are righteous for the offerings and sacrifices which they give to Him and to His service. However, He reminds them that He does not need their material possessions, all of earth belongs to Him. What God desires from us is our thankfulness and for us to keep the vows which we have made to Him. Then He asks the wicked why they bother to pretend to honour Him. They may offer sacrifices, but the rest of their behavior demonstrates that it is just for show. Offering out of our material possessions to God serves no purpose if we do not live a life of thankfulness to God and walk the path of righteousness.

    Jesus tells His disciples that a time of terrible trials are coming. In those days, many will need to flee without taking time to gather their possessions. During that time false Messiahs and false prophets will arise, but we are to be careful not to be fooled by them. When Jesus returns, everyone will see Him. He will not be hidden away, but will come on the clouds so that everyone will know of His arrival. Let us keep watch because the day of His return is coming. No one knows the day when He will return, so we need to take care that He finds us doing His work when He returns and does not find us sleeping. Jesus’ return will be soon, I pray that He finds me doing His work when He arrives.

    God had Moses set apart the Levites to His service. As part of this process God reminded the people of Israel that He had claimed the first-born sons of all of Israel as His when He struck down the first-born sons of the Egyptians. The Levites would be dedicated to Him in place of the first-born sons of the rest of Israel. The passage describing the dedication of the Levites to God is a description of the second Passover. What I find insightful are the men who came to Moses because they were unable to take part in the Passover at the prescribed time. They wanted to know how they could still celebrate this pivotal and meaningful ceremony. Do we have a similar desire to take part in ceremonies designed to worship and praise God?

    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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

    Those who fear the Lord will do things which improve their health and extend their lives. On the other hand, those who indulge in wicked activities will destroy their health and shorten their lives. Righteous people hope for things, and then work for those things, that bring happiness to many people. Those who use evil means to attempt to fulfill their hopes will have their hopes dashed by the results of their actions.

    Let everyone listen to what the psalmist has to say today. If we place our faith in God, we need not fear when troubles rise against us. God will come to our rescue and our life will not end in the grave. I will not be dismayed when the wicked gain wealth and power. In the end they will die, just like everyone else. When they do, they will leave behind their material wealth and worldly power. None of that will do them any good when they stand before God on that day. No matter how much wealth, or how many things one acquires in this life, they will be of no use when death comes calling. None of our material possessions will be there for us when God calls us to account for our lives. Then the only thing that will count will be what we have done to bring glory to His name.

    Jesus warned His disciples against falling for religious leaders who give every appearance of righteousness in public but cheat widows and the powerless when they think no one is watching. However, this warning is not just against falling for their pretense. It is also a warning against becoming like them. Jesus then gives His disciples, and us, a lesson on giving. It is our natural tendency to honour those who give large amounts, but Jesus tells us it is not how much we give. Rather, the question is, have we given to the point where we have to rely on God to meet our needs? If we just give to God out of what is left over after we pay our bills, we have not really given anything. This passage reminds me of the importance of giving to God first and counting on Him to supply my needs.

    The passage discusses the vow of the Nazirite. Those who take such a vow are dedicating themselves to do something in service of God. It is not clear to me whether they take the vow of the Nazirite as a form of preparation for the act which they are vowing to do, or if they undertake the rights of being a Nazirite while they are undertaking the act. It would seem to me more likely to be the former. As I read this it seems to me to suggest the importance of setting ourselves aside into a special state as we prepare to undertake a task which God has placed before us. The vow of the Nazirite as described seems to me to be a perfect ritual to bring one into focus on allowing the Holy Spirit to direct one in fulfilling a task which one has undertook in service of God.

    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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

    The wicked are right to fear, because their fears will come to pass. On the other hand, the godly have many hopes because God will grant their godly desires. The storms of life will wash away the wicked, but the righteous have built their lives on a solid foundation.

    The psalmist is right. Let us shout to God and clap our hands in His praise. I will not be embarrassed to let the world know that I praise God for His wondrous deeds. He is King over all the earth and I will not be afraid of those who do not honour Him.

    At the beginning of today’s passage the religious leaders confronted Jesus about where He got the authority to do what He did in the Temple at the end they attempted to trap Him with a question about paying taxes to Caesar. I never really thought about these two accounts having a linked theme, but reading it today I see one. The first story is about the source of Jesus’ authority. When Jesus asked the religious leaders whether John the Baptist’s authority came from heaven or from man, the author, Mark, is showing us that all authority derives from either God or human sources. In the second story, the religious leaders ask Jesus about paying taxes to Caesar. Which is really a question about whether Caesar has the authority to tax them. These two stories are linked by Jesus’ parable about the tenant farmers who kill the messengers sent to collect the rent. This parable tells us what happens when we side with human authority against God’s authority.
    In the first story, Jesus asked the religious leaders a question which contained a trap. They were unable to answer His question without falling into one side of the trap or the other, so they answered by saying they did not know. In the second story, the religious leaders asked Jesus a question which contained a trap. Jesus changed the context of the question so that when He answered it, it was the religious leaders who were caught in the trap. In both stories, Jesus changed the context of the confrontation so that it was on His terms, not that of His enemies. When we get into discussions with unbelievers we need to learn to do the same thing. We are called to discuss controversial issues on God’s terms, not on man’s terms.
    When the religious leaders asked Jesus the source of His authority, He highlighted the point that authority either comes from God, or from man. They then attempted to trap Him with a question about taxes, which was, to a degree a question about who had authority, God or man (in the form of Caesar)? Jesus managed to show that while the religious leaders claimed authority from God, they relied on Caesar’s backing to maintain their power.

    While the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness, God gave them a specific pattern for camping and for their order of march. As I was reading this the number it struck me just how many people were in this camp. We don’t know the total number of people, but the total number of men, not counting women, children and Levites, was 603,550. To put that in perspective the population of Boston, Massachusetts is 636,479. When you add in the Levites, women and children the number has to be close to the population of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1.548 million people. Just think about that, Moses was trying to travel through the wilderness with a group of people the size the city of Philadelphia.