For today, One Year Bible Online links here. Happy Valentines Day to all of you reading this today, but especially to my lovely wife. If it was not for her encouragement and help I do not think that I would have been able to continue this Bible study for so long.

Proverbs 9:9-10

    The wise and the righteous are always willing to learn more. This is because they are aware that fear of the Lord is the foundation of all wisdom and knowledge of God is the source of good judgment.

Psalm 34:11-22

    Verse fourteen gives us a motto to live by:

Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
It is not enough to not do what is wrong, we must do what is good. If we want peace it will not just happen. We must search it out, and when we find it we must work, and work hard, to maintain it.

Matthew 28:1-20

    Mohammed is buried in Medina in the Mosque of the Prophet. The bodies of the founders of religions are in shrines in other parts of the world. Their followers make pilgrimages to those sites to approach them. But when the women went to Jesus’ grave that Sunday morning, they were told, “He isn’t here.” They then went into the tomb and observed that it was indeed empty.
    When the guards told some of the leading priests what had happened they were instructed to claim that the disciples had stolen the body while they were sleeping. Through out history people have tried to explain away the empty tomb, but it is still empty.

Exodus 37-38:31

    The people of Israel worked together under the direction of the two chief craftsmen to build what must have been a beautiful place of worship. All of the elements described sound like they would have been an overwhelming sight.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 9:7-8

    If you call out the mockers for their disrespect or rebuke the wicked for their evil behavior, they will not change their behavior. They will merely insult you or attack you in turn. However, when you point out to the wise where they have done wrong, they will change their behavior and love you for the concern you have shown. I have observed this time and again. The question I need to ask myself, do I take correction to heart and change my behavior? Or am I sure that those who tell me I did wrong are mistaken?

Psalm 34:1-10

    This psalm gives a wonderful template for sharing the Gospel:

• Praise God, all of the time,
• Boast only about what Him.
• Talk about the wonderful, amazing things God has done
• Tell those around you how God has answered your prayers
• Invite them to try it for themselves

That last is so important. All too often I have found myself trying to convince someone of the truth of the Gospel by rational arguments when what I should have done was invite them to check out God’s promises for themselves. I myself spent many years trying to find proof that God existed. It was only when I finally decided that I would assume He was real and see how things worked from there that I discovered the proof of His existence.
    When you want to introduce someone to a good food they have never tasted the only way to truly convince them is to have them actually taste it. In the same way, the only way to truly know the joy of following the Lord is to try it for yourself.



Matthew 27:32-66

    Throughout this passage we see references to Psalm 22. In verse 35 there is a reference to the soldiers dicing for his clothes, which matches up to Psalm 22:18. In verse 39-44 Jesus is mocked by various people. This matches up to Psalm 22:6-8. Then in verse 46 Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” This is a direct quote of Psalm 22:1.
    A key element to understanding this passage, and what Jesus meant by crying out that final line, is to be aware that it was a tradition that quoting the first line from Scripture was considered the same as quoting the entire passage. So, when Jesus cried out “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?”, He was not saying that God had abandoned Him. Rather, He was expressing both the despair and hope which He felt at that moment.


Despair:
My life is poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax,
melting within me.

Hope:
For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
He has not turned his back on them,
but has listened to their cries for help.
I am convinced that reading Psalm 22 shows us what Jesus was feeling as He hung upon the cross. He felt deep despair, yet He had a hope which was almost joyous. When we face trials in this life we should share Jesus’ confidence in God’s final victory.



Exodus 35:10-36:38

    After Moses had given out the very specific instructions for the building of the Tabernacle, he invited those who were gifted craftsmen to contribute the pieces that were needed to complete the construction. As the materials began to come in, Moses appointed two men to be in charge of putting it all together, men who had been given skills by God which made them qualified for this position. As these men, and those they recruited to help them, began their work the people continued to donate materials. Finally, the men had to go to Moses and ask him to tell the people to stop bringing them more materials. Isn’t this where we should be in the Church today? Where the leaders need to tell us to slow down on our donations to help the poor because they cannot distribute it as fast as we are donating it?

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For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 9:1-6

    The proverb writer uses yet another metaphor to illustrate the way in which wisdom is available to anyone who desires it. Wisdom is there for us, all we have to do is accept it. While we should seek wisdom and our life will be better if we do so, we do not have to actively look for wisdom. Wisdom will come looking for us. Fools are those people who repeatedly refuse to accept the lessons which wisdom strives to teach them.

Psalm 33:12-22

    A nation will be successful and prosperous if, and only if, the people within it fear and worship the Lord. It is not a mighty army, nor is advanced military equipment which gives a nation security and wealth. However, the Lord will watch over those who fear and serve Him. As I read this psalm, I am reminded of those who look at the decline of the U.S., both morally and as a world power.
    They seek to cultivate the political power to change the laws in order to reverse the decline. Their attempts are futile. God does not call us to make our country powerful. He does not even call us to make our country morally pure. We are called by God to serve Him. I am not seeking to live in a powerful country. I am seeking to convince those I meet to serve the Lord.

Matthew 27:15-31

    Despite being unable to find anything Jesus had done which deserved the death penalty, despite the entreaties of his wife to have nothing to do with Jesus, Pilate allowed the crowd to pressure him into ordering Jesus’ crucifixion. The crowd readily took responsibility for Jesus’ death, while Pilate disavowed responsibility for it.
    There is some truth in the crowd’s claim of responsibility, but there is no truth in Pilate’s disavowal. The people in that crowd shared responsibility for the death of an innocent man, but so did Pilate. We are responsible for our actions, even if we were pressured by the crowd to take them,

Exodus 34-35:9

    God instructed the Israelites not to make any treaties or agreements with the people in the land. He explained that if they entered into such agreements, they would be drawn into the worship of those peoples’ gods.
    The same thing is true for us today. We should not enter into alliances with those who do not serve the Lord. This does not mean that we should reject when they support the causes for which we fight. However, we must be careful not to let them guide our strategy, nor join their groups fighting for causes we believe in. If we join with them we will end up worshiping their gods, perhaps without even realizing it.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 8:33-36

    Those who allow themselves to be instructed by wisdom find joy and life. Those who reject the wise advice which leads to the Lord are harming themselves more than any others. By doing so, they may as well be seeking their own death.

Psalm 33:1-11

    Let us sing for joy as we praise the Lord. Use whatever musical talent that you have to glorify His name. My musical talent is limited, but I can sing loudly. If the sound of my voice offends your ears, and it will come as no surprise to me if it does, that just means that you are not singing loud enough.
    The psalmist reminds us that all God had to do to bring the entire Universe into being was speak. His very words caused all that is to come into being. Just think what His words can do to whatever problems we may face!

Matthew 26:69-27:14

    Recently I have come to compare Judas and Peter. When Peter realized that he had betrayed Jesus by denying Him three times, he went away, crying bitterly. He knew he could never make it right. Judas, on the other hand, went to the priests and tried to get them to offer him absolution. He tried to find a way to make it right. When he realized that he could not make it right, he killed himself. Both Peter and Judas thought they knew better than Jesus how it should go. But Judas was stronger than Peter, which led to his destruction. Judas could not live with himself as dependent on God for forgiveness.
    I am not quite saying this right. I need to spend some time working out this thought.

Exodus 32-33:23

    The first thing that struck me was that Aaron asked the people to bring him their earrings, which he then used to make the golden calf. When Jacob left Schechem to return to Bethel he asked all of his household to bring him their idols. They, in turn, gave him all of their idols and their earrings. I am confident that there is symbolism in this connection. I am not sure what that symbolism is, but I do not think it is about the evils of earrings (even though I am not a fan of earrings). Just another thing I need to put some thought into and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance about.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 8:27-32

    Wisdom was there when God set up the heavens and laid out the oceans. The reason we can figure out the science of how the universe works is because God used wisdom and reason to create it in the first place.

Psalm 32:1-11

    We have all sinned by disobeying God. If we stop trying to hide our guilt and instead confess our sins, God will forgive us and clear our record. I cannot do this psalm justice. Read it for yourself and meditate on its truth.

Matthew 26:47-68

    When the armed men who accompanied Judas arrested Jesus, one of the disciples(John tells us it was Peter) fought back with his sword. This lends credence to what I said yesterday about the disciples anticipating joining in battle to defend Jesus against the authorities. Jesus responded to this effort in His defense by telling His disciples that it was unnecessary and unwanted.
    When Jesus was before the Council, the high priest asked Him if He was the Messiah. I have always felt the phrasing of the question and answer in the English translations did not quite match up. It seems to me that the high priest’s question to Jesus would have likely come across as, “You are the Messiah, aren’t you?” I perceive Jesus’ answer as being more along the lines of, “See, even you admit that it is so.” I am not phrasing this quite right. It seems to me that to those who spoke the language, the high priest’s question would have been an unintentional acknowledgement that Jesus was the Messiah.

Exodus 30:11-31:18

    The tax described in this passage is significant in several ways. First, it is clearly stated that it is the same for everyone, rich or poor. It is not in any way a progressive tax. Every person has an equal share in the Tabernacle. Another interesting aspect of it is that it is to be collected when the leaders of Israel conduct a census so as to avoid plague. This suggests that the census is totaled by counting the coins rather than by people traveling from town to town counting people. There is an element of respecting the honour and honesty of the people when collecting the tax and counting the people.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 8:12-13

    Wisdom, good judgment, knowledge, and discernment are all found close to each other. Wisdom will always lead to knowledge, but knowledge does not lead to wisdom.

Psalm 31:9-18

    In yesterday’s portion of this psalm the psalmist declared that God had set him in a safe place. In today’s portion he emphasizes his continued distress and isolation. Yet despite that distress and isolation, he continues to trust in God. Even though his friends and neighbors are unwilling to stand by his side, he knows that God will not forsake him. Are we willing to trust God and call on Him, even if it means that we stand alone?

Matthew 25:31-26:13

    The parable of the sheep and the goats in today’s passage is one of the most powerful lessons on what it means to be a follower of Christ. I have looked and thought about this parable many times. My view of this parable is heavily influenced by the Keith Green song about it. The difference between the sheep and the goats is what they did, and didn’t, do. This is very important and something we should bear in mind as we live our lives.
    However, there is another important point in this parable. Neither group recognized Jesus in those whose suffering they encountered. The “sheep” did not care for the poor and the suffering because they recognized Jesus in them. They cared for the poor and the suffering because they were poor and/or suffering. The “goats” on the other hand, did not care for the poor and the suffering because they did not see Jesus in them. This implies that perhaps there were times they cared for the poor or the suffering in whom they saw Jesus. It is not enough to care for the poor or the suffering in whom we see Jesus. We are called to care for the poor and suffering, even if we see no sign of Jesus in them.

Exodus 28:1-43

    This passage describes in detail the clothes which are to be worn by the priests when they conduct services in the Tabernacle. The design for these clothes contained a lot of symbolism to remind both the priests and the people of Israel about the role of the priests. The priests were to be reminded that they represented all of the people of Israel when they were in God’s presence and the people were to be reminded that the priests were holy before God.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 8:1-11

    Wisdom is not some hidden secret we have to go looking for. Instead, wisdom is not only readily available, it calls out to us, extolling what it has to offer. Will we be instructed by wisdom? Or will we choose folly? Those are our choices. All too many reject what wisdom has to offer.

Psalm 31:1-8

    Today, this psalm will be my prayer. God is my rock and my fortress. I entrust my spirit into His hand. Read the psalm and join me in praying it.

Matthew 25:1-30

    In yesterday’s passage Jesus spoke of being prepared for His return. Today’s passage gives us two parables He used to illustrate what it means to be prepared. The first parable is the parable of the ten bridesmaids. Five of the bridesmaids did not take any extra oil for their lamps, five of them had extra oil. The bridegroom was delayed. When word finally reached them that he was approaching, the first five discovered that their lamps were going out. They asked the others five for some oil, but the latter did not have sufficient to lend them. The first five went out to get more oil, but by the time they returned with oil, it was too late. The groom had come and gone. We too must stay alert and make sure that our light is burning when the Lord returns.
    The second parable always makes me feel inadequate. God has given me many gifts in this life and I am not convinced that I have full use of those gifts. I fear that I am the third servant who hid my Lord’s money and failed to invest it wisely. Yet, He has not yet returned. There is still time for me to take the gifts which God has given me and use them to produce gain for Him. It may be too late for me to become the first servant in this parable, but if I work hard, I believe that I can still transform myself from the third into the second.
    How have you used the gifts God has given you? Which of the three servants are you?

Exodus 26-27:21

    God gave Moses and the people of Israel detailed instructions for building the Tabernacle and its furnishings. There was no room for misinterpretation. Yet for all of that there was room for artistic expression. The plans give detailed instructions for the structural details of the Tabernacle, but the decorative details were more vague. There were to be various curtains of specific sizes, but each of those curtains was to be decorated with embroidery. The only part of the embroidery which was described was that it was to include “cherubim”. It does not describe a “cherubim”, although I am sure that the people listening had a pretty good idea what image was meant. This means that each embroiderer could vary off of that base theme as they saw fit.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 7:24-27

    The proverb writer continues his condemnation of sexual immorality. I wonder to what degree one could take his description of the immoral woman as a warning to women not to be that woman.

Psalm 30:1-12

    Do we recognize our success as coming from God? Or do we do as the psalmist did the first time he did well and think, “Nothing can stop me now”? It is God’s favor which makes us secure, if we turn from Him, He will turn from us. However, when we call out to Him, He will rescue us. His anger lasts only until we learn to rely on Him. His love is for eternity. God will turn our mourning into joy. Let us not be silent. Rather let us sing praises to God.

Matthew 24:29-51

    Jesus continues His prophecies concerning the fall of Jerusalem, His second coming, and the end times. He tells His disciples, and through them, us, to pay attention because when we see the things He had just talked about happen we will know that His return is near. This tells us that we should study the Scripture and look at how events happening in the world around us match up with prophecies about the end. However, we must also be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking we have it all figured out. Jesus tells us that no one knows the day or the hour of His return.
    My father once summed up what I believe about this, a belief I am sure I got from him. He said that we should live as if Jesus will return in the next few minutes and plan as if we will live on this earth until we are one hundred years old. We do not know when Jesus will return. As a result we must be ready all of the time. We have been put in charge of carrying out God’s will here on earth, I pray that He finds me doing so when He returns.

Exodus 23:14-25:40

    When I read about the three festivals here it struck me that they represent the three ways in which we should praise God. The first, the Passover, is a celebration of what God has done for us in the past, the ways in which His power has delivered us from suffering. The second, the Festival of Harvest, is to celebrate our faith that God is taking care of us in the present. The third, the Festival of the Ingathering (or Final Harvest), is to celebrate that God will take care of us in the future, that indeed, He has already provided for our future needs.
    The passage goes on to remind the Israelites, and us, that God will be with them, and us. We must not worship the gods of the nations, the society, around us. If we are loyal to God and worship only Him, He will be with us and overcome our enemies for us.