Tag Archives: Proverbs 16:14-15

June 1, 2015 Bible Study — Thomas The Doubter

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 16:14-15

    The writer points out the danger of angering those who rule, and the advantages to be gained by currying their favor. This is presented as neither a good thing nor a bad thing. The writer just tells us that it is something that is.

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Psalm 119:153-176

    The more faithfully we follow God’s decrees the more we can rely on Him to rescue us from the trouble which comes our way. This is definitely true, but another way of looking at it is this: the more faithfully we follow God’s decrees the more we have set things up for trouble to pass us by. I was struggling this morning with what to write today, as the psalmist repeats several of the themes which he has already covered in this rather long psalm. Then I realized that he had expanded on a theme he had only touched on in passing earlier.
    We start following God’s commands because of our fear of the Lord. As time goes by, we continue to follow His decrees to ever greater degree as we realize the benefits we receive from doing so. Finally, we begin to seek ever more knowledge of God’s instructions and to adhere more closely to them because of the joy we get from doing so and the love we have for them. The more we follow God’s instructions, the more we come to love His instruction.

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John 20:1-31

    I have always empathized with Thomas in this passage. The few accounts we have of Thomas in the Gospels all sound like things I might do, especially here. I, too, sought proof of the Resurrection, my skeptical nature made me question it (although I must add that my sinful nature encouraged me to demand a high level of proof). I, also, admire Thomas’ unwillingness to accept the miracle of the Resurrection on someone else’s word.
    For me there are two important reasons for John to include the account of Thomas’ doubt. The first is to show us that not all of the disciples just credulously accepted the accounts others made of their encounters with the resurrected Jesus and got caught up in the idea. At least one of them was skeptical of Jesus’ resurrection in the face of the enthusiasm about it from the others. The second is to show us that we should be skeptical of accounts of miraculous events. We should be careful not to get fooled by charlatans who pull off what appear to be miracles in order to mislead the gullible.

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2 Samuel 18-19:10

    In this story we see David’s men refuse to allow him to follow the disastrous course of action which Hushai had advised Absalom to follow. David wanted to lead his men to battle against Absalom’s army, but they insisted that he remain within the city. Their reasoning was that no matter how many of them were killed, as long as David was alive so was their cause. More importantly, no matter how successful they were on the battlefield, if David was killed in battle, their cause was lost. Their logic was born out by the fact that the battle itself was indecisive, but David’s men were victorious because Absalom became caught up in a tree and was slain by Joab.

June 1, 2014 Bible Study — Stop Doubting and Believe

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 16:14-15

    The wise do their best to avoid angering those who rule. Those who anger the people who govern a nation are in danger. On the other hand, those who please the people in charge will prosper. Whether these two facts are good or bad depends on whether the people in charge rule justly or not.

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Psalm 119:153-176

    The psalmist continues his tribute to following God’s commands. God’s love is unfailing and His commands are truth. If we follow God’s instructions, He will rescue us from those who persecute us. If you hate falsehood, you will love God’s commands. The reverse is also true, if you love God’s commands, you will hate falsehood. Let us pray daily for God to give us the ability to discern His will for us. The final verse shall be my prayer:

have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me,
for I have not forgotten your commands.

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John 20:1-31

    When Jesus appeared to the disciples after His Resurrection, He told them to receive the Holy Spirit. Along with the Holy Spirit, He gave them the authority to forgive sins. I believe that we receive the same authority, and responsibility, when we receive the Holy Spirit through our faith in Jesus.
    Thomas was not with the other disciples the first time Jesus appeared to them after His Resurrection and refused to believe that they had actually seen Jesus. I am sure that the other disciples tried to convince Thomas, but he would not accept their word for it. He insisted that he needed to actually touch the wounds which Jesus had received when He was crucified. Thomas was a skeptic. We can learn a lot about converting skeptics from this story. No matter what argument Thomas’ close friends, the other disciples, made, he would not accept that Jesus could have risen from the dead. Then Jesus appeared before Thomas telling him to “Stop Doubting and believe”(NIV). When confronted with the living Jesus, Thomas cried out, “My Lord and My God.” We can make all of the arguments to skeptics that we wish, but until they encounter Jesus for themselves they will not believe.
    My final thought on this passage is for those of us who have encountered Jesus. We too need to take Jesus’ words to Thomas to heart. Let us too stop doubting and believe.

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2 Samuel 18-19:10

    When David received news that Absalom was dead, he was grief-stricken. Joab had to confront him about his misplaced grief. Joab pointed out that if David’s army had lost, it would have been David who was dead. And not just David, but his wives and the rest of his sons. David grieved for the loss of his son and that was not completely inappropriate. However, he did so in a manner that made it seem as if he would have preferred the death of all of his loyal supporters to the death of his rebellious son.

June 1, 2013 Bible Study — If You Forgive Anyone’s Sins, They Are Forgiven.

     Today’s psalm is beautiful, yet if I did not need to dig into it to find things to write for my blog I would have missed its beauty. This psalm is a perfect example of why I need this blog in order to truly study God’s word. Because I have disciplined myself to writing something about each passage of my reading, I need to read and re-read each passage until I see something to write. With some passages that is easy, with other passages it is hard. With this psalm it is not hard, but I would have read over this psalm quickly and seen it as yet more of the same. However, since I needed to write something I looked a little deeper and realized there were some good lessons there for me.
     I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. 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.

Watching setup
Watching setup

2 Samuel 18-19:10

     David mustered his men for battle, appointing generals and captains over them. As David prepared to march out with them to meet Absalom’s army, his men objected strongly. They told David that if they ran away. or even if half of them were killed, Absalom’s men would not care, David would be their sole target. As long as David was alive, their cause was not lost, but if David was killed, Absalom had won. They told David that he should remain in the town and send out reinforcements as needed. David heeded their advice and stayed behind, but stood by the gate as they marched out. In front of the men David ordered his commanders, Joab, Abishai (Joab’s brother) and Ittai, to spare Absalom for his sake.
     The battle took place in the forest of Ephraim and David’s men beat back the army of Israel. The account tells us that more men died because of the forest than from weapons. Absalom had come upon some of David’s men, he tried to escape them on his mule. However, his hair got caught in a branch and his mule left him dangling in the air. One of David’s men reported to Joab that he had seen Absalom dangling in the air. Joab asked him why he had not killed Absalom, telling him that he would have rewarded him handsomely for doing so. The man replied that he would not have killed David’s son for 100 times that amount because he had heard David tell the commanders to spare Absalom. If he had killed Absalom, David would have found out and Joab would not have protected the man. Joab then went and killed Absalom himself.
     Ahimaaz, who had been one of the two young men to bring news of Absalom’s battle plans from Jerusalem, asked Joab for permission to take the news to David. Joab told him that David would not take see the news of Absalom’s death as good news and refused. Instead Joab turned to an Ethiopian and sent him. Ahimaaz continued to beg Joab to let him go. Joab finally gave him permission to go. Ahimaaz, being more familiar with the area, took the easier route and arrived at Mahanaim first. When David asked him what news he brought, Ahimaaz told him that his forces had been victorious and the rebels were defeated. When David specifically asked him about Absalom, Ahimaaz said that there was confusion when he left the army and he did not know. Then the Ethiopian arrived. David questioned him and the Ethiopian told him that Absalom was dead. David immediately began to mourn the death of Absalom.
     When Joab heard that David was ostentatiously mourning Absalom, he went to David and confronted him. Joab accused David of wishing that all of his own men had died that day rather than Absalom and told him that if he did not go out and congratulate his men on their victory, they would abandon him. David took Joab’s advice, went out and greeted his men as they returned from battle.

Looking to help
Looking to help

John 20:1-31

     On the morning of after the Passover Sabbath, before it was yet light, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and found the stone rolled away. She ran to Simon Peter and the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (generally understood to be John). She told them that Jesus’ body had been taken from the tomb and they didn’t know where it had been taken. Peter and John ran to the tomb. John was faster and got there first (and perhaps Peter was conflicted since He had denied Christ three times during His trial) but did not go in, only looked in. When Peter got there he went in and John joined him. They both saw the linen which Jesus’ body had been wrapped in lying there empty. At that moment they understood for the first time Jesus’ teaching that He would rise from the dead and believed it. However, they did not know what else to do, so they went home.
     Mary Magdalene remained outside the tomb crying. Tow angels appeared to her (although from her reaction she apparently did not realize that that was what they were) dressed in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been lying. When they asked her why she was crying she answered that it was because someone had taken Jesus’ body and she did not know where. She turned to leave and saw someone standing there, who also asked her why she was crying. Assuming that this man tended the garden where the tomb was she asked him if he knew where Jesus’ body was and told him that if he told her where it was, she would take it somewhere else. At that point the man said her name and she realized that He was Jesus. Whenever I read this, I cannot but help to tear up when I think of the absolute despair that she must have been feeling and the incredible joy which it turned into. I do not know if I can truly understand what Mary felt in this situation, but I know the absolute despair which I felt that led me to the decision that allowed me to finally truly see God. And I know the joy I felt when that revelation came to full fruition.
     That evening, the disciples were meeting in a locked room, out of fear of the Jewish leaders. Jesus was there among them. He told them to be at peace (calming their fears at His sudden appearance). Jesus then told them that He was sending them in the same way that the Father had sent Him. He then breathed the Holy Spirit on them and told them that anyone whose sins they forgave was forgiven and anyone they would not forgive would not be forgiven. Since I believe that this passage applies to us, this lays a serious obligation on us to forgive others.
     Thomas was not with them at this meeting. He told the other disciples that he would only believe it was really Jesus if he could see the wounds for himself and put his fingers into them. Thomas has long been the disciple I most identify with. I have trouble believing things I have not witnessed for myself. Eight days after that first appearance, Jesus again appeared among the disciples while they were gathered, and this time Thomas was with them. Jesus told Thomas to touch His wounds, to see that they were indeed real and that this was indeed Jesus risen from the dead. At this, Thomas believed. There are two important things here. The first is that if you are willing to accept proof that God is real, God will provide you with proof. The second is what Jesus told Thomas, Thomas believed because he saw Jesus, those who believe without seeing Jesus are even more blessed. I struggle with needing proof before I believe. Those who can believe more readily are much more blessed than I. I know that the reason I do experience more of God’s power is because of my inability to believe without proof. I continue to pray the prayer of the father whose son Jesus healed after His Transfiguration: “I believe, help my unbelief.”

Ready to fence
Ready to fence

Psalm 119:153-176

     The psalmist tells us that if we serve God and seek to obey His commands, He will plead our cause and redeem us. Those who ignore God’s rules will be far from any hope of rescue. God’s word can be summed up as the truth. His rules are just and will stand forever. Powerful people may harass us without cause, but we need be in fear of nothing but God’s word. Let us turn to God for understanding, He has promised to give it to those who ask Him for it.

I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me,

That is certainly me and I am grateful that God did indeed come and find me and bring me back to Him.

Geared up for heavy combat
Geared up for heavy combat

Proverbs 16:14-15

     Those who are wise will do their best to appease the anger of those who rule over them. When one is in favor with those who rule, one’s life is easy.

June 1, 2012 Bible Study

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

2 Samuel 18-19:10

     David organized the men with him into three groups. One each under Joab and Abishai, his cousins, and one under Ittai, the man from Gath. David’s initial plan was to go out with these three groups and command them from the field. His men objected, since the whole object of Absalom’s army would be to kill David. If David’s men were victorious on the battlefield but David was killed, they would lose the war. On the other hand, no matter how badly they were defeated on the battlefield, as long as David was alive, they had not lost the war. David accedes to their request that he remain in the city. When the battle begins, it is scattered throughout a forested area where more men died from the terrain than from enemy action. Absalom himself becomes a victim of the terrain. At one point Absalom comes upon some of David’s men. He attempts to flee on his mule but his hair, which an earlier passage noted as one of his sources of pride, gets caught in a tree and he gets hung up from it. One of David’s men sees this and takes word to Joab. Joab asks him why he did not kill Absalom and tells him that he, Joab, would have rewarded him for it. The soldier replies that he would not have killed Absalom for 100 times the reward that Joab said he would have given because he heard David request that the leaders spare Absalom and if he had killed Absalom David would have found out. The soldier is clearly familiar with what David had done to the messenger who reported that he had killed King Saul and the men who killed Ishbosheth. Joab then goes and kills Absalom himself.
     After the death of Absalom ends the battle, Ahimaaz, one of the spies who brought news of Absalom’s plans to David, asks Joab for the honor of bringing news of the victory to David. Joab tells him that David will not honor the one who brings this news and sends an Ethiopian with the message. Ahimaaz continues to beg Joab for the privilege of taking the news to David. Joab finally consents. Ahimaaz takes a less direct, but also less arduous, route to where David is waiting and arrives minutes ahead of the Ethiopian. Ahimaaz tells David that the battle is won. When David asks about Absalom, Ahimaaz tells him that there was a commotion when he set out, but he did not know what it was about. When the Ehtiopian arrives, he tells David that Absalom is dead. Upon hearing this news, David goes into mourning. When word gets out that David is mourning, the returning soldiers stopped celebrating their victory and started behaving as if they had deserted the battlefield. Joab goes in and rebukes David warning him that if he continues like this his troops will desert him in truth. David heeds Joabs rebuke and goes out and takes up a position in the town gate.
     Absalom dies because of his pride and his vanity. The first issue is his pride. Absalom was leading his forces against David’s forces, despite having no previous combat experience, in part because of his pride. When Ahithphel advised him to send out troops immediately after David, part of what convinced Absalom to follow Hushai’s advice to wait for more troops was that Hushai also advised Absalom to lead the troops himself. So, here we have Absalom out on the battlefield. The second issue is his vanity. In an earlier passage we are told that he only cut his hair once a year when it became too heavy. In the same passage it tells us that Absalom was a handsome man. It is clear from that passage that Absalom took a lot of pride in his appearance, in particular his long hair. On this occasion, his pride in his long hair causes him trouble because his hair gets tangled in a tree and he cannot flee from David’s men.

John 20:1-31

     John records that the first person to witness Jesus’ resurrection is a woman and that Jesus sends her with a message to the disciples. This is in a culture where women are considered unreliable witnesses. You would think that if the disciples were making up the story about Jesus’ resurrection, they would have chosen to make the first witnesses more credible. In addition, even after receiving the news, Jesus finds the disciples cowering in fear of the Jewish leaders behind closed doors.
     When Jesus does appear to the disciples, He shows them the wounds in his hands and in his side. John recounts an interesting teaching here. Jesus tells the disciples that if they forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven, but if they do not forgive anyone’s sins, they are not forgiven. I am not quite sure what He meant by that. What if Peter forgave someone’s sins, but Andrew did not? I think that it emphasizes the importance of us forgiving others. I, also, think that Jesus was telling the disciples, and us, that we had the authority to do as He had done during His ministry where He had told someone that their sins were forgiven. We, also, have the authority to tell someone that their sins are forgiven. This is also in the context of John’s relating of the Great Commissioning where Jesus is sending the disciples, and, by proxy, us, into the world to preach the Gospel. Jesus sends them into the world in the same manner that He was sent.
     Then we have the story of Thomas who was not there when Jesus appeared to the disciples the first time. He expresses that seeing is not enough, he needs to be able to touch the wounds to believe they are real. Thomas represents those who stoutly aver that they will only believe that which they can experience with their five senses. I have heard it said that when someone asks you for proof that God exists the first thing you need to do is ask them what they will accept as proof. Here Thomas says what he will accept as proof of Jesus’ resurrection. When Jesus appears to Thomas, He immediately offers him that proof. It is interesting to note that in the end, Thomas did not require the proof that he had said was necessary before he would believe. When Jesus appeared to Thomas and offered the proof, Thomas cries out, “My Lord and my God,” without actually putting his finger in the nail wounds or his hand in the spear wound. I think this is important, once someone has acknowledged that there is something that could prove to them that God exists, the exposure to the Divine is often enough to convince them, even if it is less than what they had said before hand would be necessary. Of course, if Thomas had still required that proof, it was available to him. I believe that once we are willing to accept something as proof of God’s existence, God will provide us with that proof. Sometimes He will do so even when we are not really willing to accept that proof. I heard a story some time back that illustrates this:

A philosophy professor was talking to his class about his belief that there was no God. He said that he would illustrate his point. He got up on his desk and called out to the ceiling, “God, if you exist, knock me off of this desk.” (Now take note that he did not specify how God should knock him off the desk). After a few moments, he start to say, “See, there is no God.” But before he can finish, one of his students gets up and knocks him off the desk. The professor asks the student, “Why did you do that?”

There was more to the story as I first heard it because the person telling it was making another point. My point here is that the professor in this story laid out what he would accept as proof that God existed. That proof was that he be knocked off of his desk. But when he was knocked off of his desk, he did not accept it as proof of God’s existence. He wanted to know why the student acted as he did. This is all too often how we see things in this life. We ask God for something. Then when it happens by means of something that can be explained by natural causes we dismiss it as not being the hand of God.

Psalm 119:153-176

     Today we come to the final three stanzas of this psalm. The psalmist continues to speak of the joy and satisfaction in following God’s laws and commands. The psalmist again and again says things like:

“I have obeyed your laws,
for I love them very much.”

Yet in the end he admits that for all of his love for God’s commands he has fallen short and needs God’s help to fulfill them:
“I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me,…”

That is also my prayer for I know that much as I try to follow God’s commands I fall short. As Paul says in Romans 7, “I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” Come and find me Lord, for I am a lost sheep. I know that only through Your power can I be freed from my slavery to sin.

Proverbs 16:14-15

     Today’s proverb relates the importance of staying on the good side of those with political authority. We, as Christians, may answer to a Higher Authority than those with political power, yet they still have the ability to make our lives miserable or more pleasant. We should respect political authorities and obey their instructions, unless those instructions go against the will of God.