For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 7:6-23

    The proverb writer continues his warnings against being seduced into immorality. He tells us that only the truly naive are fooled by its empty promises.

Psalm 29:1-11

    As I read this psalm and it talked about how God’s voice shatters cedars and makes mountains dance I thought about when God spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper. This psalm and that passage from 1 Kings are talking about the same voice of God. It is the same God who thunders and who speaks with the still, small voice. Let us listen to what He has to say, whichever way He chooses to speak.

Matthew 24:1-28

    When Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds He said that the Temple and all of its associated buildings would be completely torn down. As soon as they got some place away from the crowds His disciples asked Him when that would happen. However, while they thought they were asking Him a single question, they actually asked Him two or three questions. They asked Him when the destruction of the Temple would happen, what the signal for His return would be, a the sign of the coming end of the world. We generally think of these last two as being different ways of asking the same question, but His disciples thought the first was asking the same question as well. Part of the reason we have so much trouble figuring out what Jesus was saying here comes from the fact that He was answering all three of these questions at once.
    Jesus tells us that there will be wars and threats of wars, that many will come in His name claiming to be Him. Then His followers will be hated and arrested for following Him. He warns us that many will turn away from Him. Jesus warns that false prophets and false messiahs will rise up, performing signs and wonders which will deceive many. We have been warned. There is some positive news here as well. It is only after the Gospel has been preached throughout the whole earth and all peoples have had a chance to hear it that the end will come.
    This passage for me tells of one of the great differences between Muslims and Christians. Both believe they should strive to hasten the end of the world. Muslims believe they should hasten the end by preparing for and, when ready, initiating Armageddon. Christians believe that they should hasten the end of the world by seeking out those who have yet to hear the Gospel in order to tell it to them. This reminds me of the line from the song “I Love to Tell the Story”:

I love to tell the story, for some have never heard

Have you told the story today?

Exodus 21:22-23:13

    The element in these laws which struck me today was how these laws were designed to hold people accountable to take responsibility for things. “If an ox gores…the owner will not be held liable…But suppose the ox had a reputation for goring and the owner had been informed.” In the latter case, the owner was to be held accountable as if himself had gored the person. You cannot avoid responsibility by claiming, “It’s not my doing. The animal got out and killed him.” If you knew your animal might do that sort of thing, it is your responsibility to make sure that it is contained so that it cannot do so. If you fail in your responsibility, you will be treated as if you did it on purpose.
    

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 6:27-35

    The proverb writer tells us that committing adultery is like scooping flame into your lap…you are going to get burned. Just like it is possible to walk on hot coals with bare feet and not get burned, you may think that you got away with it. However, unlike walking on hot coals, you will suffer negative consequences from adultery, whether or not anybody else ever knows about it.

Psalm 27:7-14

    My heart has heard God say, “Come and talk with me.” All to often, my reply is, “Not now, I’m busy. I’ll get back with you in as soon as I finish this.” I will strive once more to change that and put talking to God at the top of my priority list. If we talk to God every day, He will teach us how to live and show us the path to follow. Our enemies may be waiting for us, but if we follow the path down which God would lead us, we will avoid the traps they have laid for us.

Matthew 22:34-23:12

    The question which the Pharisee asked Jesus in an attempt to trap Him tells us a lot about how the Pharisees thought, not the question itself, but the fact that they thought it was a trap. Once you have heard Jesus’ answer, it is perfectly obvious. The two basic laws are, “Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All of the other laws, rules, and instructions from God are merely expressions of how one follows these two laws. If your understanding of any of those other laws allows (or requires) you to violate either of these two, your understanding is wrong.

    Having disposed of their arguments, Jesus condemns the religious leaders of His day (and many since). He tells us not to act so as to “look” righteous. We should do the things we do because they are the right thing to do, not because they cause others to think we are righteous. We are not to call anyone “Master”, or “Father”, or “Teacher”, or any other title which implies that they are somehow closer to God than we are. Just as importantly, we should not let anyone call us by such titles. People read this and think that because they are not using one of the titles Jesus explicitly mentioned that it is OK to call someone “Reverend Jack”, or “Pastor Jack”. Doing the latter is the same as calling someone “Father Jack”. Using such honorifics is an attempt to make someone an intermediary between ourselves and God. We already have such an intermediary in Jesus.

Exodus 17:8-19:15

    This passage reminds us of how important it is for a leader to delegate tasks to others. One person cannot do it all. First we have the story of the battle against the Amalekites. Moses sent Joshua out to lead the troops, while he went up to the top of a nearby hill to direct troop movements. While Moses was able to keep his arms up, he was able to direct the troops to greatest advantage. When his arms got tired they lost the advantage which Moses’ direction gave them. When Aaron and Hur noticed this, they helped Moses by holding his arms in the air. The Israelites won the battle because Moses was assisted by three able assistants.
    Later, when Moses’ father-in-law came to visit he saw that Moses was spending all of his time making decisions about every minor dispute among the Israelites. Jethro observed that this served neither Moses nor the Israelites. Moses was ill-served because he had to spend an inordinate amount of time listening to each case. The Israelites were ill-served because they needed to wait for Moses to go through each of the cases that had been brought up before theirs. Jethro told Moses to appoint some honest, God fearing men to hear the majority of the cases, especially the cases which merely needed an impartial witness to judge the facts.
    This is how all leaders need to work. They need to delegate decisions about how to implement policy to others, reserving for themselves only the decisions which determine the overall direction the group will take.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 6:20-26

    I feel great sorrow for those for whom these proverbs do not apply; those who do not have a father and a mother; those whose parents, while technically being in their life, have chosen to be their “friends” rather than their parents. For all the rest of us, this is indispensable advice.

Psalm 27:1-6

    If we have truly turned to God for our salvation and trust in Him to provide it, whom shall we fear? If we trust in God and turn our lives completely over to Him, it is our enemies who will stumble and fall. We need not muster our forces and deal them a defeat in battle. God will cause them to trip over their own feet.
    However, let us always remember in this life the question is not, “Is God on our side?” Rather the question is, “Am I on God’s side?” Let us strive, in every situation, to be on God’s side. If we succeed in that effort, we will always emerge on the victorious side.

Matthew 22:1-33

    Jesus tells continues His theme about those who have been religious, yet reject God’s will. The several parables He tells on this theme are important because we can make too much of the images He uses in one or another of them. One of the key points in all of them is that the religious leaders of His day were invited by God, more than invited, perhaps chosen would be a better word, to do God’s work and enter into heaven. The other key point is that when those religious leaders refuse to act according to God’s will, God will extend the invitation to, will choose, those whom the religious leaders believer, not without cause, to be unsuitable to replace them. The message here is that what God wants done, will be done. God will find those willing to do His will.
    There is an interesting side story in Jesus’ parable about the wedding feast. Once the feast is in progress, the King is circulating among the guests and notices one who is not wearing wedding clothes. God invites us as we are, dirty, sinful people, but we cannot get into Heaven if we stay as we are. We need to allow Him to change us.

Exodus 15:19-17:7

    The passage begins with the Israelites praising God for rescuing them from the Egyptian army. However, the rest of the passage is story after story of the Israelites complaining because they are facing troubles. First they complain when the water at Marah is too bitter to drink. God showed Moses how to make the water drinkable, supplying the Israelites with water. Then they complain because their food is running out and they are afraid that they are going to starve. God provided them with quail and with manna to eat. The final story in the passage tells us that they came to camp at a place where there was no water. Once more the Israelites complained.
    Time after time God demonstrated His power and His ability to care for their needs. Yet, time after time the Israelites complained and rebelled. Are we any different? Have we learned to trust God to provide for our needs and our safety? The Israelites mistake was not in crying out to God when they ran into troubles. Their mistake was crying out to God demanding that He meet their needs, rather than crying out to God asking Him what He wanted them to do now. When we find ourselves at the end of our rope, with needs that we have no idea how to meet, let us cry out to God, “What do You want me to do now?” Actually, let us start each day that way, “Oh Lord, what do you want me to do today?”

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 6:16-19

    The proverb writer lists seven things which God detests. We sometimes think that some of these are worse sins than others, forgetting that the thought process behind the “least” of these is the same as behind the “worst”.

Psalm 26:1-12

    I cannot speak with the same confidence the psalmist expresses. I have not always acted with integrity and my trust in the Lord has wavered. However, I will still place myself before God and request that He test me and try me. I will not sit with the deceitful and do not associate with hypocrites. I will bring myself before God and throw myself on His mercy.

Matthew 21:23-46

    When Jesus was confronted about where He got the authority to drive the merchants out of the Temple He responded with a question which showed the unwillingness of the official leadership to take a stand. They claimed the authority to speak for God, yet when challenged to take a stand they were unwilling to either admit their previous failings or stand up to popular opinion. Jesus then told two parables which each condemned them in different ways.
    First Jesus showed us that being righteous requires action, not just lip service. We are asked to compare those who, when asked, refuse to commit to take actions to help others. Yet, when it comes time to action, their actions actually do benefit those less fortunate than themselves. There are others who are constantly telling us how much they desire to help those less fortunate than themselves. Yet their actions, even those they claim are intended to help (maybe even especially those actions), always seem to benefit only themselves and their friends. God is not fooled when we claim to do His will but do our own, nor is He fooled when we make a show of rebellion but do His will anyway.

    Then Jesus shows us that the religious leaders who had confronted Him had been given legitimate authority. However, they had failed to live up to the obligations which went with that authority. As a result, they would be stripped of their authority and God would give it to others. The same will happen to those who have been given authority today if they make the same mistake. God does not give authority to people in order for them to serve their own interests. He gives it to them in order for them to serve others and to serve Him. Are we using whatever authority God has given us to do so?

Exodus 13:17-15:18

    When the Israelites left Egypt, God did not lead them on a direct path to Canaan. The direct path would have led them into confrontation with armies prepared to face a potential invading Egyptian army. God knew that if the Israelites, at this time, were confronted by organized resistance they would divide and scatter. So, He had Moses lead them in a direction which would allow them to face an armed foe which they could not escape by scattering. How much of their path was determined by divine intervention and how much by Moses’ experience from 40 years tending his father-in-law’s flocks is open to debate (although, to be perfectly honest, I believe that Moses’ forty years tending flocks was part of God’s divine intervention).
    As expected, when the Israelites were confronted by an army (in this case, Pharaoh’s pursuing army), they panicked. However, there was no place to go that offered hope of escape. Moses responded to their panic by telling them to keep calm and watch what God would do. God responded to their panic by telling Moses to raise his staff over the see which was behind them, dividing the sea. The Israelites fled through the division in the sea as if on dry ground. When Pharaoh’s army pursued they became bogged down. It is worth noting that the Israelites would have been on foot. The animals they would have had would have been herds of sheep and goats. They may have had (and probably did) wagons with wide cargo wheels, designed to go over rough ground, drawn by draft animals, which would have had broad hooves. The Egyptians on the other hand were mounted, mostly on chariots. The chariots would have had narrow wheels, optimized for speed. Any riding horses they had would have also been optimized for speed (or at least more so than draft animals) and thus had narrower hooves. Thus the Israelites would have been able to pass over the dried crust of the mud that was on the bottom of the sea as if it was hard, dry ground. The Egyptians, on the other hand, with their narrower wheels and hooves would have broken through the crust to the mud underneath (the fact that the Israelites had crossed ahead of them would have made matters worse). In this case, and in these circumstances, the Israelites were able to cross much faster than the Egyptian army. This was the only circumstance where a large group of mixed civilians could have outpaced an army. It also explains why the Egyptian army was unable to escape when the waters returned.
    When the Israelites reached the other side and witnessed the destruction of the pursuing force, they praised God and sang of His glory. Do we look at our lives and give God credit for “our” victories? Or do we think our success is a product of our brilliance and hard work? When things go well in my life, I will sing this song (or something similar):

I will sing to the Lord,
for he has triumphed gloriously;
…
This is my God, and I will praise him—
my father’s God, and I will exalt him!
When natural events work so that good things happen to me, I will acknowledge the One who created nature. I have had events recently where I solved a serious dilemma by applying myself and working hard, but I recognize that the key factor occurred through divine intervention. Others might say it was coincidence, or just a matter of banging at the problem until I found the solution, but I know that I had reached the end of my skill and knowledge and had success only because God brought something apparently unrelated that allowed me to see the result. If not for God, I would not have solved the problem.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 6:12-15

    The proverb writer tells us how to recognize who the truly wicked and worthless are. They are constant liars, plot evil and constantly stir up trouble. Look in the news today and I think you will quickly see to whom he is referring.

Psalm 25:16-22

    I will not comment on this psalm, except to say that this is another psalm which makes a great prayer. I will make this my prayer for today (although my life does not feel nearly as hard to me right now as the psalmist’s appears to have been when he wrote this).

Matthew 20:29-21:22

    When Jesus entered Jerusalem the Sunday before His crucifixion, He chose to ride in on a donkey. This referenced a prophecy by Zechariah. Jesus was riding in, not as a king about to lead His people to war, but as a king returning from war victorious. This was in distinct contradiction of those who were expecting the Messiah to come and lead the Jews to military victory over the Romans. Jesus was not about to lead a revolution. He had already won the victory. This story has the same message for us as it did for the people of that day. We do not need to wait for some future victory which Jesus will win. He has already won the victory and we live in the Kingdom He has brought into being.

Exodus 12:14-13:16

    Before the plagues began, God told Moses that Pharaoh would not just let the Israelites go, he would force them to leave Egypt. The night of the first Passover, when the first born of every Egyptian died, Pharaoh ordered the Israelites to leave. The Egyptians wanted the Israelites out of their midst so badly that they gave up much of their wealth to see them go. The outcome in this passage is one that those who are today persecuting Jews may want to consider.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 6:6-11

    The proverb writer tells us to imitate the example of ants. They do not have a boss over them to make sure they work. Yet they labor hard when the weather allows in order to gather food and supplies for when times are more difficult. Let us learn to do the same.

Psalm 25:1-15

    The psalm contains a prayer which we can be sure has already been answered:

Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me,…
We know that God has already done this. The only question is whether or not we have chosen to accept His teaching and to follow the path He has shown us.

Matthew 20:1-28

    I am glad that the parable of the vineyard workers is in the same days reading as Jesus’ response to the request from the mother of James and John. The latter story clarifies the meaning of the parable and the parable amplifies the meaning of Jesus’ answer. At the end of the parable Jesus tells us that the last will be first and first will be last. In the parable, those who were hired early in the day get paid last and receive no more than those hired later in the day. I have always heard this explained that those who accept Christ early in life will receive the same reward as those who accept Him late in life.
    I do not think that is wrong, but, in light of what Jesus says at the end of today’s passage, I don’t think that is His primary point. To the worldly, those with power, the leaders, are those who get to satisfy their own wants and needs by telling others what to do. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the powerful, the leaders, are those who use what power they have to satisfy the needs and wants of others. If you want to be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, you must serve the needs of others before your own needs. The most interesting part of this is paradoxical. One of those needs that you must serve is the need to serve others.

Exodus 10-12:13

    In the plagues we read about yesterday, the passage told us that Pharaoh became stubborn after the plague was lifted and refused to let the Israelites go. In the plagues we read about today, it says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he refused to let the Israelites go. This is a warning to us that each time we refuse to turn from our sins it will become harder to do so, and the consequences of not doing so will become more severe.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 6:1-5

    Do not offer to be security for someone else’s debt unless you can afford to pay it off yourself. Then plan on doing so.

Psalm 24:1-10

    Do you want to know how to treat people? Treat them as if they are God’s people, because they are! Do you want to know how to treat the plants and animals around you? treat them as if they are God’s property, because they are! There is more to be gotten from this psalm and I hope you read it and see, but that’s all I am going to write about it today.

Matthew 19:13-30

    Today’s passage contains the story of the rich young man. He has obeyed the commandments, but feels called to do more. Jesus tells him to sell all that he has and come follow Him. The young man is unwilling to do that and turns away. Jesus then tells His disciples that it is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
    I have repeatedly heard people try to explain that “camel through the eye of a needle” is a figure of speech for something else, something which is very difficult, but possible. When I first heard such explanations, I thought they were insightful, which shows the importance of reading the Bible for yourself. The focus of such teaching is that, while getting into heaven is very difficult for the wealthy, it is possible. However, that does not seem to be Jesus’ message here. When the disciples heard what Jesus said, their response was, “If that’s the case, who can get into heaven?” Clearly, they heard Jesus say that it is impossible for the rich to get into heaven. Jesus tells them that they had heard Him correctly. It is impossible for a human to get into heaven on the basis of his own actions. However, with God all things are possible.

Exodus 8-9:35

    This passage falls into a pattern. Repeatedly Moses relays God’s message about coming plagues to Pharaoh. The plagues arrive, each one more severe than the last. Pharaoh promises to let the Israelites go to worship God. Moses prays to God for the plague to life. Pharaoh hardens his heart and refuses to let the Israelites go. How often do we follow a pattern similar to Pharaoh in our lives. Something bad happens to us, we turn to God and promise to reform our bad habits, God relieves us from our difficulty, we return to our bad habits. Rinse, lather, repeat. The escalation of difficulties in this passage are a warning to us to stop this behavior, before we end up paying a price for our sins that we will regret for the rest of our lives.

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

Proverbs 5:15-21

    Stay faithful to your wife/husband. You will be rewarded for doing so by the love you receive in return. Do not turn from your spouse to an immoral person. The pleasure from immorality cannot compare with that to be had with a faithful spouse.

Psalm 22:19-31

    Today we look at the rest of the psalm which Jesus referenced from the cross just before He died. The part I read and commented on yesterday expressed great despair. However, today’s portion expresses great faith and hope. Despite the terrible situation he finds himself in and the despair he feels, the psalmist tells us that he will proclaim God’s name, that he will praise God among the assembled people. This is not the statement of a person who is abandoned by God.
    The psalm starts out with the statement, “My God, my God why have You forsaken me?” But then in verse 23 it tells us to praise the Lord because:

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.
Those are not the words of someone abandoned by God, and they are words Jesus wanted us to think of as He hung on the cross dying. So, no matter how dire our situation is, let us always remember that God will not ignore our suffering, nor will He turn His back on us. He will listen to our cries for help and we will praise Him in the assembly.

Matthew 18:1-20

    The disciples asked Jesus who is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven? I think it is clear they were asking which of them was the greatest, or what individual they should strive to emulate. So, they were looking for an answer like, “John the Baptist”, “Moses”, or “Abraham”. Instead, Jesus gave them a completely different answer. He told them that if they wanted to get into the kingdom of heaven, they needed to become like little children. They needed to stop thinking about who would be the greatest and accept a lowly position in the kingdom of heaven. The message here is that if we want to get into Heaven we need to not seek to be great in the kingdom of Heaven. Rather we need to be willing, and eager, to be servants.

Exodus 4-5:21

    After God told Moses to return to Egypt to lead the Israelites Moses asked God, “But what if they won’t believe me?” In response to this question, God gave Moses three miracles he could perform to demonstrate that God had spoken to him. However, Moses was not done. Next he complained that he was not a good public speaker. To which God replied that just exactly did Moses think had given people the ability to speak. God promised Moses that He would give him the words to say when he spoke to the people and to Pharaoh. With all of his excuses used up, Moses came right out and asked God to send someone else. Every time I read this I think, “I’m not that bad…Am I?” Really, how often do we do the same thing? We tried once years ago and things didn’t work out like we planned, so now, when God calls us to do something we reply, “Please send someone else!” Every time I read this, I tell myself I won’t do that the next time God calls me. Maybe this time I will keep that promise.