It is nice to have someone who is enthusiastic about what they are doing. However, if they do not actually know what they are doing, that enthusiasm will generally do more harm than good (note: if the enthusiastic person is aware that they do not know what they are doing and seeks guidance from someone who does, this proverb does not necessarily apply). The next proverb is something I have often observed. All too many people blame God for the suffering which they caused themselves.
The first two verses of this psalm fill me with joy.
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
In addition to filling me with joy, they make me want to praise God and tell others about Him. Since this psalm was written with the intention of inspiring the reader to do that, the fact that it does so indicates how well it was written.
When Paul arrived in Rome, he met with the local Jewish leaders. He gave his side of the story about why he was brought to Rome as a prisoner. The Jewish leaders responded that they had received no communication regarding Paul’s arrest and trial, nor had anyone conveyed negative rumours about him to them. However, they wanted to hear what he believed because all they had heard about Christianity was that it was condemned everywhere. How much that sounds like today, all that many people know about Christianity is that the “sophisticated” people (however they define “sophisticated”) denounce it.
Paul and the Jewish leaders set a time for Paul to tell them about what he believed. When the time came, a large number of Jews came to Paul’s residence to hear him speak. Paul attempted to convince them to believe using the Torah (the Law of Moses) and the writings of the prophets. Some of those who listened to Paul that day believed his message, others did not. The two groups argued among themselves about whether or not to believe Paul’s message. Based on Paul’s final word to them, it appears that those who listened to Paul that day reached a consensus to not believe him. It is important for us to remember that there are those who have hardened their hearts and will not believe, no matter what evidence you show them.
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.
I was reading through this feeling completely uninspired by the accounts of the acts of David’s mighty men when I came across the statement “These are the leaders of David’s mighty warriors….they decided to make David their king,…” This tells us something about the mindset of David’s men. They followed him because, for various reasons, they wanted him to be king.
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.
The passage tells us that after the death of Saul the people of Israel came to David in Hebron and made him king over Israel. David then captured the city of Jerusalem and made it his capital. After describing David’s conquest of Jerusalem the passage lists out many of the mighty warriors who followed David. These were the men whose backing put David in a position to be made king. We are told about The Three and The Thirty, which were two groups of David’s most elite warriors. One of The Thirty was Uriah the Hittite, whose wife was Bathsheba. Knowing this puts David’s affair with Bathsheba, and subsequent arranging of the death of Uriah, in a much worse light than just reading the story itself. Uriah was one of David’s loyal followers from his days fleeing from Saul, yet David betrayed him. After telling us of these two groups the passage goes on to speak of other noteworthy warriors who joined David while he was hiding from Saul.
Once they were ashore, they learned that they were on the island of Malta. The locals treated them very kindly, going so far as to build them a fire on the beach (since the weather was cold and wet). Paul gathered some brushwood and put it on the fire. As he was doing so a poisonous snake came out of the wood and bit him. The locals saw the snake hanging from his hand and decided that this must be divine judgment against Paul for some crime he had committed against the gods. However, Paul just shook the snake off into the fire and went about his business. The locals expected Paul to show signs of the poisoning and watched him for a while. When after a long time nothing happened to Paul, they decided he must be a god.
The chief official on the island lived nearby. He invited the shipwreck survivors into his home and made them welcome. His father was sick so Paul went in, laid hands on him, and he was healed. After this all of the sick on the island were brought to Paul and were healed. The people on the island honored Paul and his traveling companions. They gave them supplies for their journey when they set sail once more.
When Paul arrived in Rome, he was allowed to live in a private house with a soldier to guard him. Paul called together the Jewish leaders in Rome in order to explain why he was there. He told them that he had appealed to Caesar because he thought the political situation and heated tempers in Jerusalem meant that he would not receive fair treatment there. He told them that he wanted to meet with them so that they could become acquainted and that he could relate to them his belief that the Messiah had come. They responded that they had received no word from Jerusalem concerning him.
The Jewish leaders and other members of the Jewish community met with Paul at his house. Paul preached the Gospel to them using the Law and the prophets. Some believed him, while others disagreed. After they had argued for some time and the hour was getting late, Paul told them that this was what Isaiah meant in Isaiah 6:9-10 when he said:
When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
27 For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,…
This is a passage that we need to remember, God prophesied through Isaiah a long time ago that people would intentionally refuse to understand His commandments and messages. Many people are unwilling to understand the words of God, or the meaning of what He has done. There are two important lessons we need to take from this. The first is, are there any things which God is telling us that we are refusing to understand? Is there some area where I should be listening to God and turn to Him for healing? The answer to that is an obvious, “Yes”. Of course, the question is, am I understanding where God is telling me that? Or am I intentionally choosing to fail to understand what He is telling me?
The second lesson we need to take from this passage is that there comes a point where we need to do what Paul did hear and stop wasting our breath telling people things they refuse to understand. That is a challenge for me. I always try to correct people’s misunderstandings of positions, all too often I fail to consider that those misunderstandings may be on purpose.
Butterfly bush flower
Today’s psalm is both a psalm of praise and an injunction to tell others about the wonderful things God has done. The psalmist reminds us that God will reign forever, rebuking the nations and destroying the wicked. He will rule with justice and equity. God provides shelter for the oppressed and a refuge in times of trouble. He avenges murder and listens to the cries of those who suffer. I will praise the Lord, for I have seen Him do these things with my own eyes.
These three proverbs tell us some interesting things. The first tells us that it is better to be honest, even if poor, because those who are dishonest are fools. The second tells us that an enthusiastic worker who does not know what he is doing is bad and trying to do things too fast will end up leading to problems. The final one tells us that people often make foolish decisions and then blame God for what goes wrong. I cannot count the number of times I have seen all three proven true.
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.
Today’s passage begins with an account of David becoming king of all Israel. It then speaks of his conquest of Jerusalem. This account tells us that David made Joab the commander of his armies because Joab led the attack to take Jerusalem. We then have a list of the elite groups of fighting men who followed David. There is the Three and the Thirty. It is interesting that there were more than thirty members of the Thirty. Whether this is because some were promoted to fill ranks left by the deaths of others or because for some reason David added men to the ranks of the Thirty without changing the name of the group we do not know. I find it noteworthy that Uriah, who David later has killed over his wife Bathsheba, was one of the Thirty.
One thing I had never noticed before is that while David was on the run from King Saul, a force of warriors from the tribe of Benjamin, who were related to Saul, joined him. The passage also mentions some warriors from the tribe of Gad who joined him. Something I found noteworthy in this passage is that when it starts introducing David’s mighty men it says that they decided to make David their king, along with all of Israel. The phrasing suggests that the decision of these mighty men to make David king is to some degree more important than that of the other people of Israel.
Once ashore after the shipwreck they discovered that they were on the island of Malta. The locals welcomed them and treated them well. The locals built them a fire on the beach. While Paul was feeding some sticks to the fire a snake bit him. At first the locals were convinced that this indicated that he was some kind of horrible criminal whom the gods were punishing. When he was not harmed, they decided he must be a god. Shortly after this Paul healed the father of a local official and this led the people to bring all of the sick to him, Paul healed them as well. After three months they boarded another ship and continued their journey to Rome.
When Paul arrived in Rome he was greeted by the believers there. Paul was allowed to take up a private residence in Rome although a soldier was stationed there to guard him. As soon as Paul was settled he called together the local Jewish leaders to explain to them why he was in Rome awaiting trial. They informed him that they had heard nothing from Jerusalem about him. They said that they were interested in hearing what he believed because they knew nothing about it except that it was denounced everywhere. Paul arranged a time for them to come and hear his testimony. Paul spent a day arguing from the Law and the prophets that Jesus was the Messiah. Some were persuaded by Paul and became believers, but many did not. Paul concluded the day by quoting from Isaiah a passage where the prophet said that the people’s hearts were hardened against God so that they would not turn to Him to be healed. I think that even today we need to be careful not to become like them and fail to see the ways that God is working in the world around us and to hear the word of God that is being spoken to us.
The psalmist proclaims that he will tell of the marvelous things that God has done. The psalmist tells us that the cities of the wicked will lie in ruins. God cares for the helpless and listens to the cries of those who suffer. I will praise the name of the Lord because He brings me joy and judges all on this earth with justice.
We have three proverbs today. The first tells us that honesty is better than dishonesty, even if it means being poor. The second tells us that being enthusiastic about a task when you do not know what you are doing will lead to mistakes. That it is better to take your time and understand what you are doing than to rush in a hurry the project to completion before you know what it is you should be doing. The final one tells us that people often blame others, including God, for problems that they themselves created.
