Daily Bible Study

September 17, 2015 Bible Study — God’s Grace, Not “Do This, Do That.”

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For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 23:17-18

    It is a mistake to envy sinners. If you continue to fear the Lord, you will be rewarded by God’s good will. It is important to remember that those who fear the Lord often find reward in things that others do not view as a reward.

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Psalm 61

    When my heart is overwhelmed I will cry to the Lord. As I read this today, my heart is overwhelmed in a different way than the psalmist is referring, but still I call out to the Lord and trust that He will answer. The psalmist was overwhelmed by his own problems. I am fortunate that I do currently have problems which overwhelm me. However, I read the stories about the refugee/migrant crisis in the Middle East and Europe and I feel overwhelmed. What am I to do? The answer is, as always, cry out to the Lord and beg the Holy Spirit for guidance (not that we need to beg for guidance in such situations). God will answer our cries and show is how to deal with this tragedy.

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Galatians 3:10-22

    Paul points out that if we seek to be justified before God on the basis of our good works, we must never have done anything wrong. Unless you are capable of getting it right every time, you cannot measure up on the basis of your own actions. It is only by accepting God’s grace, His forgiveness, that we can be made right with God. We need to acknowledge that we have sinned and are guilty before God. It is only then that His Spirit can transform us into someone deserving of being in God’s presence.

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Isaiah 25:1-28:13

    There is a lot on this passage about God drawing all peoples to Himself. However, the part I want to focus on is where Isaiah addresses those who say that God’s message is just a bunch of rules:

Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there.

God tries to be clear that He offers them a place of rest and safety. He speaks to them in multiple languages trying to get His message through. Nevertheless people refuse to listen. All they hear is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there.

When will people listen to God’s true message?

Daily Bible Study

September 16, 2015 Bible Study — It Is No Longer I Who Lives

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For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 23:15-16

    When children exhibit wisdom in their words and their action it gives their parents joy (at least, it does so if their parents are not complete fools). The best way to honor your parents is by acting wisely.

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Psalm 60

    The psalmist reminds us that whenever times get difficult God raises a banner to which those who fear Him may rally. When we face attack for our beliefs, God will raise a banner to rally His supporters. If we gather at that point, we will find others willing to battle at our sides and God will be there as well, fighting for us against our foes. Are we willing to gather at God’s banner? Even though it means declaring ourselves to His enemies? I pray that your are, and that God will give me the strength to do so as well.

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Galatians 2:17-3:9

    We cannot make ourselves right with God by following the rules. This does not mean that the rules are meaningless. It instead means that we should live by God’s grace, or as Paul states it, “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.” We live by trusting Christ, and living as the Scripture and the Holy Spirit indicate to us that He would live. The biggest problem with living according to a set of rules is that we can always find loopholes in the rules. There are no loopholes to be found in living according to what the Holy Spirit tells us is right. Perhaps the most important thing for us to recognize is that we cannot win our salvation by our own effort. No matter how good we are, we have still done some things wrong. Let us not live our lives so that people will see us as good, let us live our lives so that people will see Christ as good.

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Isaiah 22-24

    The people of Jerusalem took all of the basic precautions. They stockpiled weapons, they inspected and repaired the city walls, they made sure they had stores of water and food. However, they did not do the most important thing. They did not call on God and listen to His instructions. He told them to repent in sorrow for their sins. Instead, they continued to celebrate and party. Let us turn to God in mourning for what we have done wrong.

Daily Bible Study

September 15, 2015 Bible Study — What Are Your “Credentials”?

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For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 23:13-14

    Parents, discipline your children. Corporal punishment will not kill them, and it may teach them a lesson which will save their life.

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Psalm 59

    Yes, each morning I will sing God’s praises. I will sing with joy about God’s unfailing love.

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Galatians 2:1-16

    Paul continues the argument he started in yesterday’s passage by pointing out that when his teachings were challenged by others, the Apostles sided with Paul. The point here being that Paul, having learned the Gospel primarily through studying Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit, had a better understanding of that Gospel than some people who had learned it by listening to the other Apostles teaching it. The lesson here is that listening to the Holy Spirit is more important than credentials. We in the Church have gotten too caught up with the idea that our pastors should have the correct credentials. Paul points out that even Peter, who was the first to recognize that the Gospel was meant for the Gentiles as well as the Jews, got caught up in the error being promulgated by the “credentialed” teachers.

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Isaiah 19-21

    Isaiah predicted in this passage that there would come a day when Egypt and Assyria would ally with Israel and worship the Lord. I believe that this prophecy will still come to pass.

Daily Bible Study

September 14, 2015 Bible Study — There Is Only One Gospel

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For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 23:12

    The key to gaining wisdom is to commit yourself to learning and never stop. If you ever think you have learned all that you need to know, you have become a fool.

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Psalm 58

    It may seem as if all of those in positions of authority have lost sight of the meaning of the word justice, or if they know the meaning they do not think it important. However, the time will soon come when God will sweep aside the wicked authorities and punish them for their sin. God demands that those in positions of authority deliver justice to those under their power. If they fail to do so, if they free the guilty and punish the innocent, God will bring His judgment down on them.

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Galatians 1

    There is only one Gospel. There are not many different versions of the Good News, different ways to get to Heaven. Those who argue otherwise always start out with the argument, “How do you know that you are right and others are wrong?” The answer is that I may not be right, but it is not possible that the Gospel as taught in the New Testament is true AND these other religious teachings are true. Paul is here reiterating this fact, if what he taught was true than these other teachings, which contradicted what he taught, cannot be true.
    It took me a long time to understand the point which Paul makes next. Initially, it seems as if Paul is bragging that what he taught was independent of what was taught by those Apostles who had walked as Jesus’ disciples. However, I have come to the realization that that is not what Paul is saying here. Rather, he is saying that the fact that the Gospel he teaches is the same as that taught by the other Apostles is evidence of its truth. He did not learn the Gospel from them. He came to it through direct revelation. However, when he later went up to Jerusalem and met with the Apostles, what he ha learned by studying Scripture and Divine revelation was consistent with what Peter had been taught by Jesus (another form of Divine revelation).

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Isaiah 15-18

    I know there is another message here, but I will write on the one which strikes me today. We need to be call our neighbors to follow God because when God’s judgment comes falling on them, it it will not stop at the borders to their land. Let us seek to reach our neighbors with God’s message before their sin brings God’s judgment upon them. Otherwise we may get caught in the backlash.

Daily Bible Study

September 13, 2015 Bible Study — Examine Yourself. Is Your Faith Genuine?

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For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 23:9-11

    There is no point in arguing with fools, nor in trying to give them advice. No matter how good your argument, or how wise your advice, they will continue in their foolishness.
    The second proverb is just as important, although only remotely related to the first. Do not think you can get away with cheating your neighbors by trickery or taking from those who do not have the connections to defend themselves. God will act as their redeemer in each case and will argue their case before the Judge of final recourse (which is Himself). You will lose that case.

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Psalm 57

    When danger threatens I will turn to God. I call on you to do the same. He will shelter you from the dangers. If your enemies have set traps in your path, and I promise you that they will, do as God has instructed and you will not be caught in those traps. Instead, your enemies will be caught in the traps which they have laid for you. I am confident in God, which is why I sing His praises (well, in my case, not so much “sing” as “bellow”, but God appreciates it anyway).

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2 Corinthians 13

    Let us examine ourselves, test our lives. Do our actions reflect the faith we claim to have? If our actions reflect the fact that Jesus is within us than we have passed the test. If not we have failed. Paul reminds us that it is more important to do what is right, than that it appear that we have done what is right. Even more importantly, when we advise, guide, lead others, we need to be more concerned with them doing the right thing than with us being seen as a success. I will happily be seen as a failure if those to whom I have given advice, guidance, and/or leadership faithfully serve the Lord.

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Isaiah 12-14

    God lifts up people and nations to serve His purposes. Time and again these people and nations have come to believe that the power they have gained is theirs to use solely to satisfy their own desires. They begin to believe, and to act on that belief, that the only standard of what is right or wrong is the standard of what pleases themselves. When that happens and they do evil because it pleases them to do so, God will bring judgment against them. God will bring destruction upon them and raise another in their place. Wherever we are in life, let us examine our motives and our actions. Do we choose our actions based on what is right? Or only based on what pleases us?

Daily Bible Study

Semptember 12, 2015 Bible Study

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For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 23:6-8

    Don’t go to dinner parties hosted by someone who is stingy. They will be more concerned with what it is costing them than with socializing. Any social benefit from being there will be outweighed by their resentment of how much you cost them. And the food is unlikely to be very good.

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Psalm 56

    People may slander me, they may twist my words in order to put me down, but I will not fear them because I put my trust in God. I will praise God for His promises. What can any mortal do to me when God is defending me? I will seek to serve Him, so that I need not fear anything, or anyone, else.

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2 Corinthians 12:11-21

    Paul reminds the Corinthian believers that he worked hard among them to demonstrate that he was a true apostle of God. He was in no way inferior to those who came after him who were flashier and better orators. He points out that he was never a burden on them and yet, even so, some people are claiming that he tricked the Corinthian believers. Paul indirectly asks the question, if he tricked them, to what end did he do so? Paul did not exploit them. The people he sent to them did not do so either. This is always an important point to remember when looking at what prominent teachers teach, what benefit do they gain from their teaching?

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Isaiah 10-11

    Isaiah begins this passage with a warning that the wealthy and powerful would do well to listen to in every generation. They may deprive the poor of their rights. They may oppress God’s people for a time. They may by robbing widows and the fatherless. However, where do they think they are going to be able to flee when the day of God’s judgment arrives? When God sends judgment against you, where will you turn?
    Even those used by God to bring His judgment against sinners will not be exempt from His judgment. Isaiah refers to how God used the Assyrians to bring judgment against the people of Israel. When they then arrogantly assumed that they could ignore His laws, He brought them down. God has used various peoples and powers throughout history to discipline His people. Time and again, those He used have come to believe that their rise to power gives them the right to mistreat others. Time and again, God has brought them low in judgment for their arrogance.

Daily Bible Study

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

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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.

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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

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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

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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!