Tag Archives: Proverbs 10:19

February 28, 2015 Bible Study — Anyone Who Is Not Against Us, Is For Us

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 10:19

    You will not stop people from sinning by talking about sin. Those who are wise shut their mouths and move on.

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Psalm 44:1-8

    It is not by our own might that we will obtain victories that matter. If we want to have victory in those battles which are truly important we will rely on God. It is God who gives us victory.

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Mark 9:30-10:12

    The disciples argued about which of them was the greatest. Jesus’ answer to them was basically, “If you are arguing about being the greatest, you aren’t.” The only way to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven is to put others ahead of yourself. Greatness in Heaven comes from serving others, but if you strive to be better than others, you are failing.
    I have never heard the next bit discussed in terms of Jesus’ teaching on greatness, but I think it is related. When John told Jesus that they had stopped someone from using His name to cast out demons, Jesus told them not to do that. I believe that John, speaking for the other disciples as well, was saying, “Well, at least we are greater than this other guy who didn’t even have Your permission to use Your name.” Jesus’ answer was twofold. First, everyone has His permission to use His name to do good. We do not need some special initiation to become followers of Jesus and to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a presage to Paul being chosen as an Apostle later (this whole thing requires more “unpacking” than I have time for today).
    The second point is the one most often covered when this passage is discussed. Those who strive to do good in the name of Jesus are all on the same side. In many ways what Jesus said here is reflected by what Paul said in the first chapter of Philippians. “Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice.” We should not denigrate those preaching the Gospel, the message about Christ, even if we believe they are doing so out of selfish motives.

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Leviticus 22:17-23:44

    When we make offerings to God they are to be from the best of what we have. If we give to charity things that we have no more use for, that is not to our credit. On the other hand if we give to God from the first of what we receive, God will reward us and provide for our needs. I always have trouble finding the words for this, because I either make too little of giving, it comes out as if we buy our way into heaven, or it comes out as “prosperity gospel” (which isn’t really gospel at all).
    The government takes its taxes before we spend for any of our other needs. Shouldn’t the same be true for God?

February 28, 2014 Bible Study — It’s Not About Me!

     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.

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Proverbs 10:19

     All too often I say more than I should and in the process say things I should not say, things that are hurtful, or that are boastful. I need to learn to speak less and listen more.

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Psalm 44:1-8

     We have heard what God has done, but have we really listened? Our ancestors told us what happened, but still we think that it is through our own strength that we will be victorious. However, if we trust in our strength and in our weapons we will fail. It is only by God’s power that we will have victory over our enemies. I will not trust in my sword or by bow, nor in the strength of my arm. I will fully rely on God’s power to bring me the victory (which of course means that I can only be victorious in those battles which God calls me to fight).

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Mark 9:30-10:12

     This passage has a series of separate stories, each with their own point. In a way, there is a theme through all of these. That theme is, it’s not about me. Initially, I thought that the beginning of this passage was not part of that theme, but as I thought about it I realized that it did indeed fit into the theme. Jesus told the disciples that He was going to be killed and rise from the dead. The disciples did not understand what He meant and, rather than ask Him, they began arguing over which one of them was the most important (ad therefore could boss the rest around). When Jesus realized what they were talking about He told them that the most important person did not get to boss others around. No, the most important person served everybody else.
     A little later, John came to Jesus and told Him that he had seen someone casting out demons in Jesus name. John said that he had told that person to stop because he was not one of them. Jesus told them that they were wrong to stop the man. At first reading, this seems like a completely different issue. However, once you realize why John told the man to stop, you see the connection. John told the man to stop because he was not part of the “right” club. He was not one of the disciples, that meant he was not “important” enough to use the power of Jesus’ name. Jesus’ answer to John tells us that we don’t get to act as gatekeepers to God. Our job is to bring the Gospel to people, not to decide who gets to approach God.
     Then we have the account of Jesus’ teaching on divorce. Once again this seems to be about something else (and to a degree it is). But let’s look at what Jesus tells us. He tells us that marriage, and whether the marriage continues, is not about our desires and what we want. When we get married, it is no longer about us. It is about the marriage. God has joined us with someone. It is not up to us to decide if we want to be part of that union. As I said, all of these stories have one point. It is not about me. If I want to be important, than I need to put other’s needs before mine. If I want to act in the power of Jesus’ name, I don’t get to tell others that they can’t. If I get married, it’s not about what I want anymore. It’s not about me.

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Leviticus 22:17-23:44

     I know what I think about this passage, but I am having a little difficulty getting it to fit together in a coherent manner. So, I will ask you to forgive me if this comes out a little disjointed. Overall this passage emphasizes the importance of putting God first. Give to God from the best we have. When we harvest, give to God before we take for ourselves. Don’t give to God in order to avoid having to dispose of something we don’t want.

February 28, 2013 Bible Study — To Be First, Serve Others

     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. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

The fencing goes on
The fencing goes on

Leviticus 22:17-23:44

     This passage starts off by telling the people of Israel that animals given to the Lord as sacrifices must be without defect or mutilation (which specifically included castration in this case). That which we offer to the Lord must be from our best, not from our cast-offs. Then the passage gives the holy festivals the people are to celebrate. The first of these is the Sabbath, which is a day of rest and worship on the seventh day of each week. Then there are the once a year festivals. There is Passover, which is a seven day celebration. The first and seventh days of Passover are days dedicated to assembling to worship God and honor His name. They were, however, to offer sacrifices on the other five days.
     There are two harvest festivals. The first is the offering of first fruits. They were to present an offering of the very first items harvested each year. No grain grown that year was to be consumed until after they had presented the offering of the first grain harvested each year. At the end of the harvest they were to present an offering celebrating the entire harvest. The date of these two festivals will vary from year to year as the first one is to occur when each individual harvests the first grain from his fields and the second of these two is to occur fifty days later. As I read this passage these festivals would occur on different dates for different people, since the date of first harvest varies from location to location (even such things as being on opposite sides of a hill can effect when the grain is first ready for harvest).
     Finally there are three festivals that are to occur in the seventh month of the calendar they used. The first is a day of assembly on the first day of the seventh month, when the people are to present a food offering. The second is the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month (earlier the rites for the Day of Atonement had been described). Finally is the Festival of Shelters which is to begin on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. They were to start it with a day of assembly on which they were to do no regular work. During the following week, they people were to live in temporary shelters offering food offerings to God each day. This celebration ended with a day of assembly on the twenty-second day of the month (the eighth day of the festival) where the people were also to do no regular work. They were to conduct these festivals to remind them of the things that God had done for them as a people.

A fencer prepares
A fencer prepares

Mark 9:30-10:12

     Jesus left the region He was in at the end of yesterday’s passage and traveled through Galilee with His disciples. He kept a low profile so that He could have time with His disciples teaching them. In that time He told them again that He would be killed and after three days rise from the dead, but the disciples did not understand what He meant and were afraid to ask Him. I am guessing that they thought He was telling some kind of parable and were afraid that if they asked Him what it meant He would berate them for their lack of understanding.
     Meanwhile they were arguing amongst themselves which one of them was the greatest of His disciples. When they got to where they were going Jesus asked them what they were arguing about, but they were embarrassed to tell Him. Jesus proceeded to tell them that in order to be the greatest, one must be the servant of others. He brought a young child into their midst and told them that anyone who welcomes a child in His name welcomes Him.
     John interjects here that they saw someone driving out demons in Jesus’ name. They stopped him since he was not one of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus told them that they should not have stopped him, since no one who does miracles in His name could turn around and bad mouth Him. Jesus told them that anyone who was not against us is for us (which is interesting since elsewhere He tells them that anyone who is not for Him is against Him). Anyone who gives even so simple a thing as a cup of water to them in Jesus’ name because they are Jesus’ disciples will receive a reward from God.
     Jesus then returns to His metaphor of the child-like believer (although I believe it is more than just a metaphor). He tells them that anyone who causes one of these little ones who believe in Him to stumble would be better off dying a horrific death. Jesus then goes on to tell His disciples (and us) that we should do everything in our power to avoid those things which cause us to sin, even to the point of self mutilation. We should avoid things that cause us to sin, even if they otherwise bring us benefit. If Jesus tells us that we should pluck out our eyes to avoid sin, doesn’t that mean that we should avoid television if it causes us to sin? On the other hand, if we avoid TV because it causes us to sin we should not judge others, perhaps the temptations that TV presents do not cause them to sin (personally, I do not watch TV because I would rather do other things rather than because of the temptation it presents).
     Jesus left that area and traveled to Judea where He taught the crowds which gathered. Some Pharisees came to Him and asked Him about divorce (divorce was a subject of much debate among the rabbinical schools of the day). Jesus asked them what Moses commanded on the subject (the way Jesus asked the question and the way they answered indicated which side of the debate His questioners adhered to). Jesus went beyond either side in the debate (one side held that a man could divorce his wife for even very trivial reasons, the other side held that a man could divorce his wife solely for marital infidelity). Jesus told them that divorce always went against the will of God (when Matthew recounts this same discussion he says that Jesus offered a slight caveat to His teaching against divorce). There are times when it is not a sin for a Christian to get a divorce, but a Christian should never initiate a divorce (some divorces are initiated before the legal proceedings begin).

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Snow on branches

Psalm 44:1-8

     I am going to try something difficult that I’m not sure I have enough space and time to do correctly. I am going to talk about how this psalm could be applied to the U.S. and Canada. When those Europeans who settled the majority of lands that became the U.S. and Canada arrived in those lands they found them largely depopulated. It was as if God had cleared a space for those people to settle. Despite what we have been told, they did not succeed in displacing those who lived there before them because of superior technology. They did so because the populations of those peoples had been devastated by disease (disease that spread from the lands south of these that had been conquered by the Spanish previously). Some of those arriving settlers remembered that God’s providence had provided for their well-being (even if they were unaware of the method involved) and acted according to His will (look at William Penn’s interaction with the Native Americans). Unfortunately, all too many ignored God’s role in providing them with a place to flourish and took pride in driving the native peoples from the land. Others took God’s action as a justification to mistreat and drive the native peoples out.
     My point is that the European settlers did not conquer the lands that are now the U.S. and Canada because of their military strength, but because the native populations had been decimated before their arrival. I will not attempt to defend the evil that many of them committed in order to secure control those lands, but I will praise God for providing them with a place that they could have settled without resorting to that evil. Every analysis I have seen suggests that the areas that are now the U.S. and Canada would likely not have been conquerable by the arriving Europeans if not for the disease that preceded their arrival. As Christians we need to both praise God for His wondrous deeds in providing a place for those early settlers to live and acknowledge the evil they committed once they arrived. How much greater might these two countries have been had the people who founded them been more faithful to God?

Snow covered evergreen
Snow covered evergreen

Proverbs 10:19

     I looked at a couple of different translations of today’s proverb and find two different (but not contradictory) understandings of the meaning. The first says that if you talk too much it will inevitably lead you to commit sin. The second says that no matter how much you talk you cannot make your sins be anything but sin. No matter which way you look at the first part of the proverb, the second part advises that it is prudent to hold your tongue and not speak more than you need to. That is advice that I have difficulty following. I like to talk.